Satya Robyn leads a Pure Land Buddhist practice session on sitting with difficult emotions. The group chants Om Amitabha Hum and Om Mani Padme Hum, recites refuge verses, and closes with prayers. Includes guided reflection, meditative silence, and announcements about upcoming community events.
Chapters
Good evening everybody. Either it's a coincidence or I've said something really bad in practice last week because in Thai Buddhist fine room we have 'ja may' outside the shrine. That's it. But very glad to have you here. Very high quality of congregation.
Absolutely. Last week we started off with lower numbers, and by the end more people have joined. So we'll see. It is a beautiful evening. Who would want to be practicing on Zoom when you could be sitting on a bench somewhere Not me. I haven't sat on a bench today, but I did take Aiko around the park and she was sniffing at the ducks, so we had, um, we got to enjoy some of the sunshine today. A few years ago, I did a therapy training with the— one of the trainers was called Stephen Thame on the Embodied Relational Course, and then on the Wild Therapy Course, he was a tutor. And I remember him one day speaking about— I don't know if he was describing his whole approach to working with clients, but he, he was talking about just hanging out with things as they are. And maybe somebody feels really stuck and doesn't know what to do, and he would just invite them to hang out. So, well, what's that like? What's it like to be in this stuck place. Can you notice more about how that is? How is it for your head? How is it for your heart? How is it for your body? How do you feel in your body in this stuck place? Just noticing how it is. Or when somebody's grieving, how is it to be in this place? How do you notice That grief in this moment, what's that like? Can we just hang out here for a bit? Or with anger or hurt or joy, what's that like? Can we just hang out here for a bit? And to hang out in those places on your own can be really tough. But he wasn't inviting his clients to hang out in those places on their own. He was saying, I'll hang out there with you. I'll sit next to you in your stuckness or your grief or your anger or hurt. Or your joy. You won't be on your own. And when he's hanging out with his clients in those places, he's holding an attitude of curiosity, of warmth, of friendliness. This is the beginner's mind that Suzuki Roshi spoke about. It isn't just a kind of forgetting what you know and approaching with fresh eyes. It's also approaching with love and curiosity and delight. Oh, what's this thing? Like a baby grabbing its foot for the first time. Oh wow, here's a foot. And having somebody next to you who's holding that attitude of curiosity and warmth and friendliness makes it possible for you to hang out in a dark place. It stops it from being completely overwhelming. And in a nutshell, this is Pure Land Buddhist practice. On the one hand, asking, oh, what's this like? How is it to be me in this moment? How am I doing? What am I feeling? And on the other hand Knowing that we're not alone in that, that there is always a friendly presence next to us. Sometimes we can feel it, sometimes we just have to remember that we felt it before, or trust that somebody is telling us that it's there. So as we go into our meditation practice and chanting practice, I invite you to keep both of these things in mind, asking yourself this question: How is it to be me? What do I notice that I'm feeling or thinking right now? How is my body doing? What's that like? My shoulders up or are they down? Just staying curious, hanging out in the present moment, and knowing that you are not alone in that, that there is the Buddha next to you with curiosity and compassion. And friendliness. So in a moment we'll go into the silence together, and then the chant this evening will be Om Amitabha Hum. Namamitabha Hum.
Om Amitabha Hum. Om Amitabha Hum. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Mani Tabahum. Om Mani Tabahum. Om Mani Tabahum. Om Mani. Om Mani Tabahum. Om Mani Tabahum. Om Mani Tabahum. Om Mani Tabahum. Omami tabaho. Omami tabaho. Omami tabaho. Omami. Tabaham. Om Nami Tabaham. Om Nami Tabaham. Om Nami Tabaham. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Ami Tabahum. Om Ami Tabahum. Omami tabahum. Omami tabahum. Omami tabahum. Om Namitabhah Om Namitabhah Om Namitabhah Om Namitabhah Omami tabahu! Omami tabam! Omami tabam! Oh my— Om Mani Sabahum. Om Mani Sabahum. Om Mani Sabahum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum.
Om Amitabha Om Amitabha Om Amitabha Om So let's have a few minutes of silence again, and I'll just invite you to notice how you are now. How is it to be you in this moment, hanging out with the Buddha in the silence? For refuge I go to the Buddha. For refuge I go to the Buddha. Namo Buddha. For refuge I go to the Dhamma. For refuge I go to the Dharma. Namo Dhammayo. For refuge I go to the Sangha. Namo Sanghaya. With faith in the Three Jewels, 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. With faith in the Three Jewels I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct. With faith in the Three Jewels I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech. With faith in the Three Jewels, I pray that I may avoid intoxication.
We vow to save them all. We vow to transform them all.
Immeasurable Avalokiteshvara teaching.
We vow to master them all.
Infinite Teachings of the Buddha's Way.
We vow to fulfill it completely.
Ama Amida.
Ama Amida Bu. Ama Amida Bu. Ama Amida Bu.
Namaste. So I'd like to transfer now to Someone I'm writing to who's in prison, whose friend died recently, another prisoner who killed himself. So we'll recite the closing verse together. Blessed by Amitābha's light, may we care for all living beings and the holy earth. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Thanks everybody.
Oh, of course.
Satya Robyn. And anyone else who's watching the video, I'm doing a talk on Zoom this Saturday at 6 on being kind to yourself.
Well, maybe we'll do it in here if anyone wants to join us in person. Okay, or we could go down to Morrison's cafe and record it there. That'd be interesting. I'd probably be dead.
There's a 12-hour vigil in Malvern tomorrow from 8 to 8 for Earth Day. So if anyone wants to go for a little bit of that time out with someone there, I'm going at 8 and then at 11. And I've put the link for our new painting fundraiser in chat box, and we'll put a link to it on the YouTube video. Yeah.
