Satya Robyn leads a Buddhist practice session with seven in-person attendees and four Zoom participants. The group chants Amitabha, recites refuges and bodhisattva vows, and does prostrations, with reflections on impermanence woven throughout.
Chapters
Welcome to Wednesday evening practice, everybody. Welcome if you're joining us in real life. I know that's not the right expression. If you're here in the shrine room physically, there are 7 of us tonight, and we're joined by 4 people on Zoom: Sharon, Beth, Chris, and Emma. Welcome to you as well. Satya Robyn will be leading the practice session this evening.
Namaste. Thank you. I'm really struck by the Buddha And I haven't seen him in this light before. He's quite a new Buddha to the shrine room. We've had him for a few months now and looks really lit up from below somehow.
It's the lights on.
Oh, is it the light up? Ah, that's what's happened. Yeah, when we moved into this space, it was a B&B and this was the dining room. So we decided to make this the shrine room. And then we found this light that was— it was almost like it was designed just in the little alcove there to spotlight a Buddha. So yeah, it looks really great. Welcome, everybody. Is Chris here for the first time as well?
Hello, Kristinika-san.
Ah, Chris.
I was thinking it was a boy, Chris. Okay, so, um, am I going to talk to you about— I've just come back from a week in London at the protests, so my head is still very full of that. Um, it feels like it's going to take a few months to process. Um, And I guess for that reason, because the ecological situation has been very much with me, and other reasons— impermanence is, is with me. We were walking around the garden just before coming up here, and I just stepped on the lawn in an ordinary way, and my ankle just completely gave way and I fell over. I don't know if there was a dip in the grass, or this foot's been a bit weird recently. Um, and also feeling the turning of the seasons. It feels like suddenly we've catapulted from summer into autumn, wondering how long we can manage to keep the doors open before people just stop coming because they're too cold. And there's a verse that we say on Saturday mornings, which is, 'Time has passed with the swiftness of light, it is already morning. Impermanence rushes upon us every moment.' And that phrase, 'Impermanence rushes upon me every moment,' is— I've heard it many, many times over the years, and it always strikes me as true, as something that we all live with. I think I'm also thinking about— had a conversation with Keith just now about Asia, and I lived in Asia when I was 12, and that's like— that's— I don't even want to tell you how many years ago that is now. When you can start counting things in decades, And we are living through interesting times, still in a pandemic, in pandemic situation, and at a time where the scientific evidence for climate change and How that will affect us over the coming years is getting more and more indisputable, and the, the lack of action of governments across the world is also becoming more and more indisputable. So there is that feeling of, of living through great change and not knowing which way that's going to go at the moment. And I think as human beings, we like to, we like to know where we are. We like things to be steady. We like things to be fixed and certain and predictable. And that's just not how life is. But what Buddhism offers us is something that does remain steady in amongst the ups and downs and the uncertainties and the things that change around us, represented by this Buddha here who just sits quietly and peacefully and isn't moved. Obviously this Buddha here can't move, as far as I know, so it's easy for him. But the Buddha himself in India 2,500 years ago did sit under a tree and was steady throughout the, um, the visions and the temptations and the, the the emotions that swirled inside him and outside him. And in that steadiness, the Buddha became enlightened. The Buddha was able to touch the ground and find something that, that doesn't change. So when we come together to practice in this room, we bring with us all of our swirling thoughts and emotions and the lives that, that we live, things that happen to us, all of that chaos. And, uh, and we just allow all of that to be here in relationship with this steadiness here. And knowing that this steadiness really sees us, really understands us, and really accepts us, we get to just lean into that. And even if we don't feel more peaceful We look at the Buddha's face and see that it's possible. We see that it's possible to have that experience ourselves. It feels good to be in this room in real life with real life people, and real life people joining us from further away. And just reminding myself of that. I always joke that it's just as well I live in a temple with lots and lots of Buddhas in, because I need to remember, I need to be reminded all the time of that steadiness. And in a minute we will sit quietly together, and you might want to imagine yourself sitting with the Buddha. You can sit with this Buddha, you can keep your eyes open and look at him, or you can imagine the Buddha under the tree, under the Bodhi tree. Just allow the qualities of the Buddha to extend out and, and, um, and caress you and allow them to be absorbed. After a while of silence, I'll start chanting, and the Buddha that we're particularly connected to in this temple is Amitabha, the Buddha of infinite light. So we'll chant Amitabha, and you can pick up the tune as we go. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Ameen. Ame taba.
Ame taba. Ame taba. Ame taba. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.
We'll now recite the refuges, precepts, and bodhisattva vows together. The bodhisattva vows are on the bit of paper under your chair if you want to Joining with them.
I've put the links to the words in the chat box as well if you're reorganizing.
Reorganized. So the first, uh, the refuges and the precepts. Just repeat after me. For refuge I go to the Buddha.
For refuge I go to the Buddha.
Namo Buddha. For refuge I go to the Dharma . For refuge I go to the Dharma.
Namo Dharmaya!
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. With faith in the Three Jewels—With faith in the Three Jewels—I pray that I may not take life.
I pray that I may not take life.
With faith in the Three Jewels—with faith in the Three Jewels—I pray that I may not steal.
I pray that I may not steal—
With faith in The Three Jewels! —with Faith In 3 Jews . "With Faith" means belief? Yes... So we have to believe it's correct for us too?! ...Yes yes yeah right of course you do need an element there because otherwise how can your mind understand what he said or she says if they don't say something which resonates within them but anyway going back into this practice so when someone asks me about Buddhism my first response isn't always 'Buddhism' nope just stop thinking like Buddhists sometimes; especially nowadays people think Buddhist religion equals violence etcetera okay let me explain some things here all over again now everyone listen carefully please very important question number one why should anybody want Buddha then well most importantly his teachings were written down by monks who had been taught directly from him at Mount Everest before being killed off on their way up Mountain Everest indeed these two washi tapes tell much more than words ever could describe thank God Lord Kṛṣṇaswami has given such wonderful resources today through our sister website www.meditationpodcast.com.au/teachings I pray that I may avoid intoxication. Innumerable sentient beings, we vow to save them all. Inexhaustible deluded passions, we vow to transform them all.
Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings. Breathe out to master them all.
Infinite is the Buddha's way.
Breathe out to fulfill it completely.
So in a minute, Phoebe will ring the bell and we'll stand and do prostrations. So we point towards the Buddha. Just make sure you've got a bit of floor in front of you and do as much or as little as your body is comfortable. So just stand and bow if you don't want to go all the way down to the floor, or we could help you up. Anyone wants— and the words are Namo. I call out to Amida-bu, which is the Japanese form of Amitabha. So we're calling out to the Buddha of Infinite Light.
Namo Amida. Namo Amida Bu. Namo Amida Bu. Namo Amida Bu.
Return to our seats. And remain standing. And remain standing.
That's a different way of saying that.
Yeah, yeah. And then we finish, we always finish by bowing first to each other, so when Fi rings the bell, I will turn towards this way and Cass will turn towards that way and we'll bow, and then we'll bow to the opposite direction. Beautifully done. You're a bit stuck there. And then we bow to the Buddha. Tidy our seats and bow to our seats. I always forget to bow to the Zoom people. And then we finish with the closing verse, which is on your bit of paper. It's the one that says closing verse.
Do unmute if you're on Zoom if you want to read the verse out with us. Bless by Amitabha's light. May we care for all living things and the Holy Earth.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So announcements, there is a golden bowl in the hallway for donations, the toilets at the top of the stairs, and if you're free to join us for a cup of tea, please do, or coffee.
What are you looking at? The carbon monoxide lights.
I know, I noticed that. I think it's nearly running out. It will start beeping, you'll know.
Yeah. Replace it. 3 times in the last few years. Have you?
Yeah, because it beeps incessantly.
