A Buddhist practice session led by Satya Robyn with communal chanting, refuge vows, and silent sitting. Includes a reading from Mark Nepo, a dharma talk on impermanence and moving home, and recognition for a retiring NHS worker.
Chapters
Impermanence. Zoom changing where they put things. Good morning everybody, it's really lovely to see you all and welcome. This morning we are going to have a reading by Mark Nepo. I'd chosen one, but I've changed my mind, so if you could just hand me the book, Kasper, I'll move to the second one. This tenderness. So this is Mark Nepo.
Yeah, so this book is called Things That Join the Sea and the Sky: Field Notes on Living, and this section is called This Tenderness. We keep looking for a home, though each of us is a home, and no matter where we run, we land before each other, thoroughly exposed. This is the purpose of gravity, to wear us down till we realize we are each other. Though we think we're alone, we all meet here. Though we start out trying to climb over each other, we wind up asking to be held. It just takes some of us longer to land here than others. Once worn of our pretense, it's hard to tolerate arrogance. Once humbled, it's hard to withstand a litany of me. Once burning off the atmosphere of self-interest, there's a tenderness that never goes away. This tenderness is the sona by which we sense the interior of life. This tenderness is the impulse that frees us, for anything is possible when we let the heart be our skin. The point is to feel whatever comes our way, not conclude it out of its aliveness. The unnerving blessing about being alive is that it can change us forever. I keep discovering that everyone is lovable, magnificent, and flawed. And I'll read it a second time so you can really let it sink in. We keep looking for a home, though each of us is a home. And no matter where we run, we land before each other thoroughly exposed. This is the purpose of gravity, to wear us down till we realize we are each other. Though we think we're alone, we all meet here. Though we start out trying to climb over each other, we wind up asking to be held. It just takes some of us longer to land here than others. Once worn of our pretense, it's hard to tolerate arrogance. Once humbled, it's hard to withstand a litany of me. Once burning off the atmosphere of self-interest, there's a tenderness that never goes away. This tenderness is the sonar by which we sense the interior of life. This tenderness is the impulse that frees us, for anything is possible when we let the heart be our skin. The point is to feel whatever comes our way, not conclude it out of its aliveness. The unnerving blessing about being alive is that it can change us forever. I keep discovering that everyone is lovable, magnificent, and flawed.
Thank you, Caspar. So we'll sit quietly together now for a while.
Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Me ta ba. Ami ta ba. Ami cha. Amitabha. Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh.
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 Sangha.
Namo Sangha.
With faith in the Three Jewels.
With faith in the Three Jewels.
And in light of our human tendencies.
And in light of our human tendencies.
We pray that we may become aware—
We pray you make me come away of when we take life? Of what do they say to us?! —we pray!
That we might be coming out right now because I'm going on over here for some reason—I don't know why it's not working properly today—we're praying but he made them all wear... He prayed at him every couple were off; When we Take Life or Where You Stayed Like.
"We Pray!" ...that we May Become Aware.
"...you Made Me Come Away..." ..."of" When We Take Life or ***When*** We Say Goodbye." We Fall Into Sexual Misconduct?" " ...and " „Sexual misconduct," „We . Pray!! That We Might Be Coming Out Right"" We pray that we may become aware of when we fall into wrong speech. Of when we fall into wrong speech. We pray that we may become aware. We pray that we may become aware of when we become intoxicated. Of when we become intoxicated. No blame. No blame. Be kind. Be kind. Love everything. Love everything.
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 vow to fulfill it completely. Thank you.
We keep looking for a home, though each of us is a home. Feels quite relevant to me and Casper at the moment. Most of you know that we're in the process of looking for a new home after nearly a decade of living here in this building. The current favorite is 15 minutes walk down the road, but There were 27 viewings and there's already been 4 offers, one of them considerably over the asking price. So we're putting our offer in the ring this week. We'll find out at the end of the week, but we're not expecting that we'll get it. Um, but there is something very, uh, there's something that really has been filling me with lots of different emotions about moving home, moving from this place that we've known and loved and these people and these rituals and these routines and all this beauty into an unknown other place. And even though we've had particular houses that we've wanted or put offers in and then not got and there's been this kind of imagining ourselves into that space. Well, who would have which office, and how's that going to work when people come over for a cup of tea, and what will the garden be like to look after? Even though it's impossible not to start imagining ourselves into those different spaces, even if we did get one of those homes, the likelihood is that it would be quite different to actually live there. With unexpected pros and unexpected cons. So I really love what Mark Nepo is reminding us of, which is that although as humans it's entirely natural to seek out refuge, to try to arrange things around us— people, places, our actual— where we actually live, to arrange those things to make us feel like we're, we're safe and that we are at home. We are already at home. We are at home right now in the shrine room together. That this is This is where our bodies are right now. We've got the sound of the someone cutting something outside, and the sky, and the candles that are burning down in an irregular way because of the breeze from the open door. We've got each other, we've got our associations that we have with this room. Some of us Those associations go back nearly 10 years. Um, and we've got our own bodies, whatever state they're in this morning. They might be creaky or tired or hurting or energized or telling us all sorts of things about what's going on in our lives. And so this is where we are, and this is what we have. Remember, as Buddhists, we are encouraged to take refuge in, in here and now. We're encouraged to remember, or to begin to experiment with, the idea that the Buddha is always just behind us, ready, ready to catch us if we need them, or ready for us to just sit down and rest against them for a while, or ready to love us or inspire us or look after us or console us or give us courage. Heal us. And that as Buddhists, we slowly learn to carry that knowledge around with us, whether or not we actually feel the Buddha's presence. Sometimes we do, sometimes we don't. We kind of know that they're there. And coming together like this in practice gives us a kind of an extra dose of remembering, if we're lucky. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't, that the Buddha is— like, I have right now, I've got a Buddha just to the side of me, uh, I've got Kuan Yin behind me, I've got Tai Chi Chi looking down at me from over there, Padre Pala just over there in the corner. They're all here, they're all present. They're always present, and they help us to feel that truth that we are already home. Namaste.
Ammo, amigo. In gratitude, we make this offering to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be as fragrant as Earth herself, reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted mindfulness, 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 home.
If you'd like to return to stand at your seats. So before we move on to closing Praxis Down, just wanted to say thank you to someone who has offered much of their life to looking after everyone in hospitals and care homes and all sorts of different places, and who has retired today— yesterday. So if we're lucky, we might get to see more of her. But just wanting to honour you, Kayma, and all your years of service, and everyone in the NHS who works harder than they should have to work. So, thanks very much to you. We bow to our seats and tidy our seats, and we'll finish with the closing verse, which if you don't know it just yet, is on the liturgy sheet.
May we care for all living things and the Holy Earth.
Amen.
