Practice - Dogs and Morning Pages

Dharma Glimpse by Sonia. I've recently come back to writing morning pages, a practice that's been around for a while but was popularized in Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. The idea is to write anything at all, whatever's on your mind, whatever comes to mind. I often think this is fruitless, and I'm either embarrassed by the drivel that comes out or feel I haven't got very much to write. The latter can't be true as I know my mind is not clear. This weekend a phrase came back to me from a wonderful mindfulness teacher I practiced with, that thoughts and feelings themselves sometimes fly under the radar. I'm always stunned to find out how much is flying under the radar, so I've been trying to get more in touch with these underpond skaters only to keep finding deep sea creatures. Giant ones. The waters are pretty rough at the moment. I'm navigating the boat with all the skill I can muster. Sometimes I feel pride in my seafaring skills, being able to make allowances for others' difficult behaviours, understanding that old patterns are being triggered, taking a pause, choosing words carefully, staying silent, avoiding mutiny. But I'm still getting hurt, my boat is in pretty bad shape, and really I just want to get myself to the island shore. And so I write morning pages to try and work out how to get there. What wisdom can I draw on? Where can I go for more support with this? I rarely reach Cameron's page and a half truth, i.e., the magical moment you land on something true, but I did this weekend. I realized that I have been sailing with one goal foremost, with one goal foremost: how do I protect myself in this situation? What do I need to do to look after myself? These have been important and valuable questions in the past, but maybe it's time to add a new skill. And a new question landed for me. What positive impact can I have in this situation? It doesn't sound like much, but it was a cloud parting, sunbreak revelation for me. I don't need the same defense barriers anymore. In fact, these are holding me back and creating other problems. They are the deep sea— Deep creatures caught in the undertow. My jellyfish pride is a poisoned act. My defense is a school of cave fish swimming in blind passion. Dissembling ego was there making me feel good about myself, letting me believe I was being as wise as I could be. And for the first time, I don't feel guilty. I can smile at my bambu nature and be grateful for my morning pages glimpse. What positive impact can I have in this situation? Means I'm not just surviving now. I'm coming into a new relationship with myself, which in turn means with everything. The light of Amida feels more real, more accessible, more possible. I can stop looking at my boat and look up.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Thank you so much. So all of our Dharma glimpses go up on our website if you want to read them, and also very happy to receive them anytime— hint, hint— although we have got quite a few at the moment because we do study groups and people write them as a part of study groups. But yeah, always really lovely to receive them. So, hi Philip. So we will do some quiet sitting together now. And as we settle into the silence together, you might want to experiment with having a word accompanying you in the silence. And the Buddha that we are in relationship with here in this temple, amongst many Buddhas, is Amitābha, the Buddha of infinite light. Amida, as Sonja mentioned. And so you might want to just use this word Amitabha, which means limitless light, and just say the word quietly to yourself as your breath comes in and out. Don't try and change your breath, just allow it to, to be however it is. And when your attention wanders, just bring it back to repeating that word Amitabha. And then after a wee while, I will begin chanting Amitabha. Do join us when you roughly get the tune, and then we'll have a little bit more silence before Fi rings the bell. Namaste.

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. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. 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 and precepts together. They're on your bit of paper, or you can just repeat after me. For refuge I go to the Buddha. 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. Namo Dharma. 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 Buddhist life—

Namo Sangaya! 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 The 3 Jewels—I Pray That I May Not Fall Into Sexual Misconduct— I pray this time they're not falling into sexual misconduct—with Faith In The Three Jewels—With Faith In The Three Jewels—I Pray That I May Not Fall Into Wrong Speech—I pray some day not fall into wrong speech—with Faith In The Three Jewels—I say to you Jesus, 'I' pray that I may avoid intoxication; I pray that I may avoid intoxication.

No blame. Be kind.

Love everything. Love everything.

In your blossomed gentleness, we vow to shave them all. Inexhaustible are the Vedic passions. We vow to transform them all.

Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings.

We vow to master them all.

Infinite is the Buddha's way.

We vow to fulfill it completely.

Namomi debu. So in the mornings, I have for the past few weeks been walking down into the garden, the temple garden, when I wake up and spending 20 minutes in front of the Buddha in the alcove, which some of you have seen, not everyone. And what usually happens is my two dogs will follow me down, and when I sit there, they just kind of sit one on either side of me and go back to sleep. And Ralph especially really just enjoys being wherever I am. He's got a little bed in my office and just comes in when I go and see my clients, or I'm on my computer, he'll just be in the office bed asleep. When I'm in the living room, he'll be on the chair asleep. He just likes to hang out where I am, or where Casper is. And at first I was thinking, oh, that's what we're doing tonight. We're coming to hang out near the Buddha. We're coming to sit with the Buddha. We're coming to enjoy the presence the Buddha. And then I thought, no, that's not quite right. It's the Buddha that comes to hang out with us, and the Buddha is always there, just alongside us, loving us. And we come here, places like this, we meet together, we sing kirtan together to remember that the Buddha is just there beside us. And I love that quality that dogs have of just loving you. They don't need you to be clever or to look nice or to have a good job or to know how much you earn. They just appreciate your presence. They just know you. They know the smell of you. They know the sound of you. And you're the one that they they want to be with. And Amida Buddha, Amitābha Buddha, is known for accepting people just as they are. There are no requirements in order to be loved or accepted. We don't have to do Buddhist practice, we don't have to live ethical lives. He would prefer it if we did, but it's not a requirement. So as I sit here, I'm just appreciating knowing that the Buddha is just here, maybe sleeping, maybe just, just hanging out, just appreciating me. And in that magical way the Buddha has, he's also doing the same for everyone else here. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So we will now stand and make prostrations to the Buddha. So do, um, do as much as your body is able to. And as we prostrate, we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So you won't get it all tonight because it's moving, and tune and words. Just kind of see how you go and copy me. I'll go to the front. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Okay, we'll stand back to our seats. We finish practice by bowing to each other, so I will bow in this direction and John will bow in that direction, and we'll turn around and do the other person. If that makes any sense. And then we bow to the Buddha. Let's tidy our seats and bow to our seats. We finish with the closing verse, which is on your bit of paper. Blessed by Amitabha's light, may we care for all living things and Mother Earth. Namomidevu. So announcements this evening, I don't think there are any. Next Saturday we have a gardening afternoon from 2 PM if anyone is willing to come and pull a few weeds out. They did an amazing job of the paths last time. Not this Saturday but the Saturday after. And we also have a listening circle at 6 o'clock I think in that, in the evening. Anything else?

I don't know. I don't know. I need to boost.

I hope you'll join us for a cup of tea. So I'm going to say hello to these guys. Is someone all right to do the—

Yeah, I'll say good wave.