Practice

Good morning everyone. Quiet in the shrine room this morning. We also have Rob, Chris, and Bridget joining us from elsewhere. Welcome. And Chris, you're going to recognize the Dharma glimpse I'm reading this morning because I've gone to the archives and I found Mindfulness of the Cat. And if you're in the shrine room, you might be able to see a photo of Timothy the cat. Timothy is relaxing on the sofa. Timothy does a lot of relaxing. Like most cats, it's a skill he has down to a fine art. Timothy doesn't worry about mistakes he's made in the past. He won't be agonizing over that time when he accidentally upset a mug of coffee all over the new carpet, or when he ripped a hole in the net curtain while trying to catch a fly. Timothy doesn't worry about what the future holds either. He doesn't feel anxious about the conflict in Eastern Europe or feel concerned about the damage us humans are doing to the planet. Timothy lives in the here and now. He enjoys the warm sunshine on his back, his strolls around the garden with all its fascinating sights and smells, the feel of a friendly hand stroking his back and around his ears, the taste of his food as the bowl appears in front of him, courtesy of his tame human. Sometimes I wish I could be like Timothy. It would be so much easier and less stressful not to be concerned with anything beyond what is happening in this present moment within the narrow confines of my everyday life. On the surface, it may seem that living in the present moment is just that and nothing else— being mindful of what is happening to us in this moment and putting aside everything else. However, living mindfully is so much more than that. If we live mindfully, we become more aware of what is going on around us. We become more open to the world with its joy and pain, its wonder and suffering, its potential and fragility. Being mindful doesn't limit us, it sets us free. So we will now be moving into some quiet time together. Those of us in the shrine room can listen to the birds singing. You might have some birds on Zoom as well, and just allow your body to gradually settle. Allow your emotions to gradually settle. Allow your mind and your thoughts to gradually settle.

Namotai shi chi bo sat. Namotai shi chi bo sat. Namotai shi chi bo sat. Namah tai shi chi bo sat. Namah tai shi chi bo sat. Namah tai shi chi bo sat. Namotai Shri Ji Bursat. Namotai Shri Ji Bursat. Namotai Shri Ji Bursat. Namotai shiti bosat. Namotai shiti bosat. Namotai shiti bosat. Namah tai shi chi bu sat. Namah tai shi chi bu sat. Namah tai shi chi bu sat. Namotai Shri Tripur Satya Robyn. Namotai Shri Tripur Satya Robyn. Namotai Shri Tripur Satya Robyn. Namah tai shi chi pu sat. Namah tai shi chi pu sat. Namah tai shi chi pu sat. Namotai Sri Triposat. Namotai Sri Triposat. Namotai Sri Triposat. Namah tai shi chi pu sat. Namah tai shi chi pu sat. Namah tai shi chi pu sat. Namah tai shi chi bo sat. Namah tai shi chi bo sat. Namah tai shi chi bo sat. Namah tai chi chi ko sat. Namah tai chi chi ko sat.

For refuge I go to the Buddha.

For refuge I go to the Buddha.

The one who is awake and full of love.

The one who is awake and full of love.

Namo Buddha. For refuge I go to the Dharma. All that guides us to wisdom and compassion. Namu Dharmaya. For refuge I go to the Sangha.

Refuge—

those who live in the Buddha's light.

Those who live in the Buddha's light.

Namo Sangaya.

Namo Sangaya.

For refuge I go to the Earth.

For refuge I go to the Earth.

The holy ground of awakening.

The holy ground of awakening.

Namo Bhumyai.

Namo Bhumyai.

With faith in the Three Jewels.

With faith in the Three Jewels.

And in light of our human tendencies.

And enlighten my human tendencies—

I pray that I may become aware of when I take life; I pray that I may become aware of when I take what is not freely given; I pray that I may become aware of when I fall into sexual misconduct; I pray that I may become aware— of when I fall into wrong speech. I pray that I may become aware— of when I become intoxicated. No blame. Be kind. Love everything.

Innumerable are sentient beings.

We vow to save them all.

Immeasurable are deluded passions.

We vow to transform them all.

Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings.

We bow to Master that all.

Infinite is the Buddha's way.

We vow to fulfill it completely.

So I want to start with a poem by Joanna Macy, which is in this book, which I will tell you about in a minute, and it's called The Vow. You might know Joanna Macy is a famous Buddhist practitioner who has done a lot of work to help the Earth. The vow: to commit myself daily to be the healing of our world and the welfare of all beings, to live on Earth more lightly and less violently in the food products and energy I consume, to draw strength and guidance from the Living Earth the ancestors, the future generations, and my siblings of all species. To support others in the work for the world and to ask for help when I need it. And to pursue a daily practice that clarifies my mind, strengthens my heart, and supports me in observing these vows. And the author of the book says amen. Um, so the book that I finished a couple of days ago is called Finding Beauty Behind Bars: A Climate Activist's Enforced Retreat, and it's by Reverend Tim Hughes, who is a retired dentist in his 70s.

Who recent—

well, a few years ago now spent time in Wandsworth Prison and another— some kind of holding cells for quite a while, at least a couple of months, and this book is his kind of diary from that time, and it's really moving and Lovely. And it's, uh, it kind of got me thinking about how we can continually be moving towards the, the vow that Joanna Macy writes about. How can we, how can we respect our fourth refuge, the Earth? How can we make offerings And it's quite, um, triggering for me to read this book, uh, because going to prison is, is probably pretty much as extreme as you can go when it comes to activism, eco-activism, um, and having dabbled with nonviolent illegal action in the past, there's still a part of me that feels that if I was going to do it properly, if I was going to speak up for the Earth properly, I would be doing the same thing. And I also know that that's not true. I know that there are all kinds of different roles that we have in supporting our Earth, in healing our Earth. And they range from being in prison or supporting the people that are going to prison or are still in prison, um, down to recycling a margarine tub and putting dog food in it, which is what we do, making our own dog food. Mentioning the climate crisis when I have a little conversation with a shopkeeper about— when we're talking about the weather and having a little conversation about that, rather than just saying, "Isn't it beautiful weather for this early in the year?" This was a while ago. Thinking about when we buy clothes, do we buy ethically produced clothes? Do we buy clothes that cost a bit more money but that will last a bit longer? Do we go to secondhand shops? And there is always that danger of starting to feel like the, um, the onus on change is on the individual and on our individual choices and whether how much we recycle or not. And I I am very aware that that is not the whole picture, that actually it's the massive systems that are in need of change, and the things that we do really make a very minuscule difference. And there is something about living in that way that I think is very powerful, even if we don't tell people about it, even if we make little ethical choices I have this kind of sense, I have this strong belief that those little actions just kind of ripple out into the world in some way, and that they do make a difference, not just to us and to the way that we feel, and not just in a tangible way to the planet, but in a kind of spiritual way that that those little tiny actions kind of add up and, and build force. And we also have other tools, uh, to support us in that. The, the chant that we did, the tai chi, the tai chi chant. Tai chi is the, um, the attendant to Amida that isn't Kuan Yin. Kuan Yin's the famous one, but tai chi is Amida's second attendant. So on the shrine, on the right-hand side, and on the wall just up here, also known as Mahastama Prakta. And one of the qualities of tai chi is courage. So when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we are also inviting the quality of courage into us, which will help us We also have the precepts. As I was reading the precepts today, I was very aware of how linked they are with the living world, other— not just other living beings, but with the planets. We have the Bodhisattva vows with that, you know, very easy request that we just save all the innumerable beings. We vow to do that. Um, and we also have our practice. We have sitting quietly as a way of helping to steady us in this kind of, uh, in this world which is full of, of complication and difficulty. And we have the community. We have friends here and colleagues who are also interested in heading towards a more ethical life. And we've all got different edges that we're working on. So for some people, giving up meat a couple of times a week will be a really great thing. For other people, it might be buying less plastic vegan food. Some people might cut their flying down to once a year. We're all starting from different places and we all have different edges to, to be gentle with. But certainly my own experience is that when I really tune into what the Buddha wants me to do, or what the Buddha is kind of encouraging me to step into. It's, it's never too much. It's never more than I can handle. Um, that the right thing kind of unfolds. And I have this sense that the Buddha gets that we're We're already full, that our lives are already full of responsibility, and, and it's not always possible to do the, the radical thing that some people choose to do. But we can do our small radical acts. We can just, you know, move a snail from the path to the side of the path, or be conscious of how much water we're using. Those, those small things do count. They all add up. And I think that the Earth also notices them and says thank you. Namaste. Frustration today, maybe when we're on the ground, we can just say thank you to the Earth. Aloha, Mia.

Alas, people busily engaged in secular matters take no notice of life wearing away day by day, night by night. Like a lamp in the wind, how long can it last? In the six realms of vast samsara, there is no fixed abode. Until we are emancipated from the sea of affliction, how can we rest in peace? Should we not be afraid? While still young and strong, let us each share the Dharma. Let us strive and diligently seek the path to eternity.

I don't think there's any announcements, but we're going to add in a new— well, we might add in a new little bit at this point just to remind everyone of dana. Dana is a Sanskrit word which means giving. So there are lots of different ways of giving. One way is to put money in the golden bowl, and there are also other ways of giving back to the temple— making the tea, washing up the cups, doing social things together. All of that adds up to the life of the temple. So just a reminder to carry on doing all those good things. Blessed, Satya Robyn's harmless lights, may we care for all living things.