Practice - Beth's cockroach & looking through the Buddha's eyes

Good morning everybody. I thought we were going to be very quiet, but we've actually been joined by Dave from downstairs and Claire and Philip. So good morning everybody. You've practically doubled the the size of who's here this morning. And I will hand over to Kaspalita to read out a Dharma glimpse that Beth wrote.

Thank you. Blailing cockroach. Dharma Glimpse by Beth Hickey. On my way to the swimming pool while on holiday, I came across a spectacular beastie. It was enormous, with massive muscular legs, spindly antenna, and keen beady eyes. So thank goodness for me that it was on its back, too humongous to flip itself back upright. I noticed several people ahead of me had stopped and gawped, laughed and turned away in disgust. It's a nasty cockroach, they said. As I bent down to take a better look, I heard it ask me to stop staring and help, please. So I did. It took 3 attempts using a small stick to flip it back onto its right way up. I had visions of it flying into my face in defiance, pinching me with its pincers, or at least taking a little nibble out of my toe. But it didn't. It shook itself off, dusted itself down, looked up at me and winked. And I'm not kidding. It made my day, and I guess I made his too. How wonderfully compassionate human beings are capable of being.

Namo Amitabha. Quietly together for a while, accompanied by Beth's cockroach maybe.

And in the silence, um, you might want to just hang out with the Buddha this morning. I sometimes say to people that you can imagine just lying in the palm of the Buddha's hand, very, very big Buddha, where it's nice and comfy. Or you might want to rest on the Buddha's lap or sit in front of a huge Buddha, whatever feels nicest and just hang out and know that you are safe. Namaste. This morning we will chant the Tibetan form of the Nembutsu, which is Om Ami Dewa Hri. So it's in on your bits of paper if you want to read it. Om Ami Dewa Hri. And this is a tune that my friend Utpaladee, who's in the Tri Ratna Buddhist group, recorded for me quite early on in our friendship in a voice note.

Om Namo Buddhaya Wari.

Om Namo Buddhaya Wari.

Om Amidevoh Hri.

Om Amidevoh Hri. Om Amidevoh Hri.

Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri. Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri. Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevare. Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevaram.

Free. Om Amidevaram. Om Amidevaram.

Om Namite Wahre.

Om Namite Wahre. Om Namite Wahre.

Omami de wa ri.

Omami de wa ri. Omami de wa ri.

Omami dewari.

Omami dewari. Omami dewari.

Om Amidevari.

Om Amidevari. Om Amidevari.

Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri. Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri. Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri. Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Hri.

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 Buddhaya.

Namo Buddhaya.

For refuge I go to the Dharma.

For refuge I go to the Dharma.

All that guides us to wisdom and compassion.

All that guides us to wisdom and compassion.

Namo Dharmaya.

Namo Dharmaya.

For refuge I go to the Sangha.

For refuge I go to the Sangha.

Those who live in the Buddha's light.

Those who live in the Buddha's light.

Namo Sanghaya.

Namo Sanghaya.

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—

...that I might not steal—

with faith in the 3 jewels. "With faith in the 3 jewels." "...I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct—" ..."I pray at time we're not born to sexually misbehave..." "...with faith in the 3 jewels!" "...faith in the free jewel?" "...I pray that I may avoid wrong speech—" "...pray this one there boy lost me—" "...with faith in the 3 jewels," "...we fail for" I pray that I may avoid intoxication.

I pray that I may avoid intoxication. No blame. No blame. Be kind. Be kind. Love everything. Love everything. Innumerable are sentient beings. We vow to save them all. Inexhaustible are devoted passions. We bow to transform them all. Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings. We bow to master them all. That is the Buddha's way. We bow to follow all the leads completely.

Oh, got to say some things.

I forgot about that.

I was going to go straight to prostrations. Got to say something. I'm just wondering why I forgot that bit this morning. And I think there's something about, uh, the completeness of what is presented to us moment by moment that doesn't need any extra commentary. And, um, I really enjoyed Beth's Dharma glimpse this morning. It actually, although it was kind of amusing, it moved me. There was something very tender about it. Um, and that's the idea of Dharma glimpses, is that when we're looking with the right eyes, when we're looking through the eyes of the Buddha then everywhere we turn isn't just a glimpse of the Dharma, but a stream of the Dharma, a spring of the Dharma, flowing forth of the Dharma. And of course, most of the time we're not looking through the Buddha's eyes. We're looking through the eyes of foolish beings, of wayward passions. And yesterday I had a conversation with somebody and felt extremely irritated by it, and this kind of cloud of irritation really stuck to me like something sticky. I just couldn't get rid of it. And I sort of understood why it had triggered me, but I think it was also one of those, um, one of those conversations that touches on all sorts of other things that have been going on for a very long time. Um, that since we were born, we were having experiences where we had to find some way of protecting ourselves from the intense vulnerability of being dependent, entirely dependent on one or two fallible human beings. So those layers of protection start building really young. And when we look at the world, we are looking through all of that protection. With all of those filters. Like when you go to the opticians and they put a lens in those glasses and then they put another lens in and take it out. It's like that, but with like 60 million lenses. It's a wonder we can see anything. It's a wonder we don't keep bumping into each other. I guess we do, we do. Dharma glimpses, when just for a second we just lift those glasses and see the suffering of the cockroach and hear the voice of the cockroach. We're really lucky to be able to hear other people's Dharma glimpses because they point us towards our own. Compassion, our own freedom, our own courage, our own clarity. And hopefully that's what happens in this room too, or when we walk around the garden slowly, we just catch little glimpses, sometimes at the corner of our eye, of the Dharma. The Dharma is always presenting itself to us. And if we're lucky, we can receive it, allow it to nourish us, allow it to remind us that we are loved just as we are, and that we can just lean back into the Buddha's lap, or the Buddha's palm, or a piece of grass in front of the Buddha. And just be safe. Namu Amida Butsu. So now we'll do prostrations.

Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Bu. Namoh Amida Bu. Namoh Amida Bu. Namah Amida Buddha. Namah Amida Buddha. Namah Amida Buddha. Namah Mita. Namah Mita. Namah Mita. Namah Mita.

We dedicate the merit of this incense offering to Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be as fragrant as earth herself, reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruit of understanding slowly ripening.

May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness and realize our true nature.

Back to standing, your seats, and we'll bow to each other. This should be very neat this morning.

Very good.

Out to our seats. I don't look because I'm bowing at other people, but I'm hoping that everybody on Zoom is bowing to each other in that moment as well, to the left and the right.

Just bow once to the screen. Wouldn't bow to the left and the right. I guess so. Yeah, I think so.

And we'll finish with the closing verse. Can you get a bit of paper if you've got a minute there? Blessed by Amitabha's light, may we care for all living things and the holy. So just a little plug for next Wednesday. Instead of our— this Wednesday, instead of our usual practice, we have, uh, Enrique here giving a talk about, um, Jusui Gei, which is a part of the larger Pure Land Sutra, part of the Pure Land tradition. He will definitely be streaming it on Zoom, but he's not sure whether it will be recorded or not.

So make sure you're here.

Never to be repeated. And that's it. Namaste.