Caspar leads a Buddhist service exploring expectations, hope, and letting go in the context of the climate crisis. The group practices Pure Land teachings, guided meditation, and chanting of Amitābha, drawing on bodhisattva vows and refuge practices to sit with what cannot be controlled.
Chapters
This may be the first time ever that everyone sat on the floor. Top marks, everybody. So, um, Joining us on Zoom, we have Beth, and Becky, and Holly. Welcome, Holly, who's here for the first time. You're not the only one here for the first time. Steve and Marie, welcome back. And after that very unprofessional introduction, I will hand over to Caspar.
Thank you. And I will now do an unprofessional dharma talk. When Satya Robyn posted the YouTube video of last week's service, she put shit in the title, so it got more views than usual. So today's is going to be especially sweary. It's not going to be. I couldn't think of a way of shoehorning it in that wasn't too blatant. I've been thinking about expectations and hopes and letting go. Partly because the IPCC report came out at the beginning of the week, the sixth report from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, that made it very clear that we're in a climate crisis that is caused by human activity, and that if things don't change, the extreme weather that we've been seeing over the last few weeks will become more and more normal and much worse. And in response to that, I've done various things. I've talked to different people, I've shared different things on social media, sent out a newsletter to 400-odd people today. And after I'd done all of those things I sat and waited, hoping for some kind of response to come back. And there was some response. I'm not sure exactly what I was hoping for, perhaps 400 messages back saying yes, We'll join you on the streets in August outside the House of Parliament. Of course, that's unrealistic. And of course, in the face of such stark warnings from experts and evidence that is all around us, it is completely normal to want particular things, to have good outcomes in mind. And yet, as, as Buddhists, we are taught that desiring particular things leads to suffering. Clinging on to particular outcomes leads to disappointment. We're encouraged to work for its own sake, to let go of the idea of wanting something in particular back. And there's a lot of wisdom in this teaching. If you can manage it to send something out into the world and then forget about it. It's much less stressful, and then whatever comes back is a nice surprise. But I don't think it's quite right to have no expectations. It's also very clear in Buddhism that we're encouraged to be kind, compassionate, to work for the good of all sentient beings, to work for the liberation of all sentient beings. That is an end goal. It may be a very unrealistic goal, many millions of years away in the future. That's sometimes how it's presented in the sutras. But it is a goal, is something to work towards. And I think the resolution, the resolution of these two different teachings, the encouragement to have no expectations, that desire leads to suffering, and on the other hand that some expectations are really valuable and useful lies in the middle ground where we hope for the well-being of all, but we don't describe what that looks like in too much detail for ourselves. Now, this is the attitude that I bring to my client work as a psychotherapist. I want what's best for the person in front of me, but I don't try and guess what's best for them. And that can still sometimes lead to disappointment, of course, whether I'm working with a client and something changes in their life and they feel worse, or whether we're facing the climate crisis and we want things for the well-being of the whole planet. We're still sometimes disappointed when we see that things aren't changing. So it's important to cultivate a wish for the well-being of all without knowing what that looks like. And it's also important to find a way of being disappointed without being overwhelmed, or without being overwhelmed very often by disappointment. And as Pure Land Buddhists, we do that by grounding ourselves in the unconditional love of the Buddhas. This unconditional love that exists in the universe and is available to us in any moment asks nothing of us. We don't need to change in order to receive it. As it says in the Lotus Sutra, the rain falls on all different kinds of plants. The same is true of the Buddha's love. It just falls on us. We don't need to do anything. And the more that we allow ourselves to remember that and come into relationship with that the easier that it is to hold these things lightly in our own lives, to have less strong needs about outcomes, and just to have this compassionate wish for the world. So we aim for cultivating a wish for the well-being of all sentient beings on the earth without knowing what that looks like, being supported by the Buddhas who love us just as we are. The two practices that we're going to move into now support us in that. As we sit quietly in meditation in a moment, we just notice how we are, what we're carrying, what expectations we have, what reactions we have to what we've heard. And this is about getting to know the sort of person that we are. As we move into chanting the name of the Buddha Amitābha, this reminds us that whatever sort of person we are, we're loved and supported by the Buddhas. So we'll move into a quiet meditation now, perhaps noticing the breath, noticing the cooler air entering at the tip of the nose and the warmer air leaving Not trying to breathe in any particular way. And if you become aware of a thought or a feeling or a sensation, noticing what that is, then gently returning awareness to the breath. And we'll do that for 10 or 15 minutes, and then I'll begin chanting Amitābha, the name of the Buddha of infinite light who loves us just as we are. Do join in with that practice as you pick up the words and the tune. In a moment, we'll chant Amitabha together. Amitabha is the name of the Buddha sitting next to me. They're not an historical figure. They didn't exist as a person at any time in human history. They are an embodiment of that unconditional love that I was referring to earlier. A way, yeah, a way that we can relate to an abstract idea, I suppose. The archetypal Buddha who accepts us just as we are. So as we chant together, just experimenting with that idea. That just as we are, we are loved. Maybe if you're a visual person, imagining the light of the Buddha falling onto you and soaking in. Otherwise, just reciting the name with us.
Amitābha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Ame Sama. Ame Sama. Ame. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Ameesama. Ameesama. Ameesama. Ame staba, ame staba, ame staba.
Ameen. In a moment, we'll recite the refuges and precepts and bodhisattva vows together. The words, if you want to read them on the paper behind you. So we take refuge in three things: in the Buddha, which is the historical Buddha, who lived and died in India 2,500 years ago and begun the tradition, and also the spirit of the Buddha, of awakening, if you like, that exists to the present day. We take refuge in the Dharma, which is the teachings of the Buddha, but also refers to things as they are, to reality. We can learn from every moment if we give it the right kind of awareness. And in the Sangha, which is the community of those people committed to spiritual awakening. And then we'll recite the 5 lay precepts, which are the 5 precepts the Buddha gave to his non-monastic followers. The literal translation, they're all in the form of 'I undertake the training to such and such.' So it's an aspiration rather than a heavy weight. And then the Bodhisattva vows, which we'll do in call and response, fee. The bell master will recite the first part and we'll all respond together. This is where we make a wish that all living beings may be enlightened. So please repeat after me. For refuge I go to Buddha . For refuge I go to Dharma . Namo Buddhaya! With faith in Three Jewels— with faith in three jewels—I pray that I may not take life; I pray that I may not take life— With faith of three jewels... —and steal it from others! "With Freedom From Greed!" And so on? ...And then you can say this prayer for yourself or to somebody else.
For example we could use our own experience here; 'from greed' means when there's something good but someone takes away.' So if one was going through some kind of conflict at work because they're being asked too much by their boss etc., what would be an appropriate response?! What do people think about them!?
We'd want safety first just like anyone does who has done anything wrong such as stealing money off your parents instead of paying back loans which were taken out against themselves sometimes depending how bad things got. Okay let me get into my practice now today guys... Let us go deeper than ever before I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech. With faith in the Three Jewels, I pray that I may avoid intoxication.
Innumerable are sentient beings, we vow to save them all.
Inexhaustible are deluded 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 bow to Pope Benedict XVI. In a moment, we will stand together and make prostrations or bows to the main shrine. It's a little bit— it takes a little bit of coordination. We chant the words 'Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,' which means 'I take refuge in the Buddha of Infinite Light.' And with our hands, first of all, in the prayer position, first they go above our whole bodies. This is to say, I'm taking refuge with my whole physical body. And then here in front of our mouths, this is I'm taking refuge with my words, spoken words, and with the thoughts in my mind. And here in front of our hearts, this is— I'm taking refuge with my emotions and feelings, with my heart center. And then we, if it's possible, we go on to kneeling and lift our hands up, which shows that we're placing those ideals, that ideal of selflessness above our own small-mindedness that we encounter from time to time. We do 3 of those together. If you, if your body won't let you, you can— it's fine just to bow. Make sure you've got some space in front of you. In gratitude, we offer this incense to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be as fragrant as earth herself, reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruits of understanding slowly ripen. May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness and realize our true home. So in a moment, we will ring the bell once and we will bow to each other, first to one side and then the other. And then the bell will go twice and we'll bow to the Buddha. Then we tidy our seats and bow to our seats. And any announcements? On the 20-something, 21st or 22nd, whatever the Saturday is, we've got a mindful walk. I feel like that's just next Saturday, actually.
It may well be.
It's a week on Saturday. Thank you. I have no idea where we are in the month now. Completely lost track of time. A week on Saturday we've got a mindful walk. Yes, thank you, that sounds about right.
Donations bowls in the hallway.
Yes, it's been a tough year and a half for donations as we've been closed, and it does make a difference.
Thank you. Yeah, great.
So we'll finish by reading the closing verse together, which is on the bottom of the piece of paper. And in the chat, if you're on Zoom, do unmute if you're on Zoom so that we can hear your voice as you join in with the last few words. Blessed by Amisaba's light, may we care for all living things and our Holy Earth. Thank you everybody, do stay and join us for a cup of tea. We can't offer you one if you're online,
