This content was created by Satya Robyn. This content was uploaded by Satya Robyn. This is a YouTube video titled "Practice - meditation and nembutsu" (created 2021-04-08). The excerpt is an English group meditation/Dharma practice session and short talk on Nembutsu (Amitābha) practice, referencing Kumārajīva and contrasting recitation with formal meditation. The recording includes guided instruction, a period of silent sitting, collective chanting of "Amitabha" (Nembutsu), refuge and precepts recitations, and concluding informal conversation among participants. Named participants in the excerpt include Brian, Philip, Gianni, Kasper, Chris (joining from Sherwood Forest), and Casper, plus several speakers labeled A–G. The content mixes doctrinal explanation, devotional recitation, and casual social chat about shops/cafes reopening.
Chapters
Good evening, everybody. So inside the shrine room this evening, we have Brian, Philip, Gianni, me, and Kasper. And joining us from Forest and Mire is Chris, and Casper will be leading that.
Thank you. Welcome, everybody. Kumara ji, it was a translator of Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese. And at one point he found himself held prisoner during a conflict between, I don't know, some, some different Chinese powers. And in that time, he wrote a meditation manual or training manual. And in the introduction, he said, if you, uh, if you struggle to behave well, then you should practice with the precepts. If you If you find that your mind is all over the place, you should practice meditation. If you find that something else, something else— there are about 5 of these treatments for particular symptoms of human beings. And at the end he said, if you can't do any of these things, if you can't practice with the precepts, if you can't do meditation, if you can't blah blah blah blah blah, Only there were particular words that he used that I can't remember. If you can't do any of these things, say the Nembutsu. Because the Nembutsu is for people who can't manage any other Buddhist practice. That's what he was suggesting. It's entirely reliant on the spiritual power of the Buddha. We don't need to be able to do anything from our own side. And yet, when I finish speaking, we are going to do some meditation together. How do we make sense of that? Kūṇrūjī said that nembutsu, so people who can't do meditation, Well, I agree with Kumrajiva. If you can't do meditation, you can just say the Nembutsu. But some of us are lucky enough to have the time and space and capacity to sit in meditation, which of course doesn't always mean that our minds become quiet and stilled, but it does mean that we at least are able to commit to sitting physically still for a few minutes. There's a sutra where the Buddha describes meditation like allowing mud to settle at the bottom of a jar. If you keep shaking the jar, you keep stirring up the mud, and the water stays still If you hold the jar still or put it down, the mud settles at the bottom, the water becomes clear. I guess it would have been ceramic in the Buddha's day. Now we can also think of meditation like sitting in the clouds or in fog and waiting. We know that if we sit still in the fog for long enough, the wind will come and blow it away, that the sun will burn it off. And there'll be blue sky again. So most forms of meditation are like this, a practice of patience, of being quiet with ourselves, of sitting still, perhaps noticing the particular internal weather or the particular mud that we're stirring around, perhaps noticing when we engage with it in a way that creates more weather or more stirring around. Every now and again remembering to allow it to settle in its own way. And what Nembutsu teaches us is that sometimes the clouds are very thick, sometimes the fog is very thick, And all the sitting in the world doesn't seem to make any difference. We can kind of wave at the weather, and maybe a little space opens up in front of us for a second, and, and then more cloud comes in. But we trust that there are these other forces also at work, that the sun will burn the fog away, that the wind will blow it away. Now, this is the gift of Nembutsu. This recitation of the Buddha's name, trusting that there is another force working on the weather when our own efforts make no difference. So it's a path of patience as much as faith. Patience that Simply by waiting, the Buddha will come and meet us. The sun will come and take the fog away. It's a practice of faith, trusting that even when we are soaked to the skin because we've been sat in the fog for so long, the sun is still up there shining. So in this way, meditation and nenbutsu can come together, trusting that there is a benefit to sitting and not adding anything to the, the conditions of the mind, but also trusting that there is something coming towards us. There is something working from the other side. Both of these things are true. So now we'll have some time for sitting quietly together, and then at some point I'll start the Amitabha chant.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha. Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Aye, tama.
Aye, tama.
Aye, tama.
Amitabha. Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Ameeta. Ameeta.
Ameeta.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Amitabha.
Ame sama, ame sama, ame. Ameen.
Ameen.
Ameen. Amitabh.
Amitabh. Amitabh. Amee saabam.
Amee saabam.
Amee.
Ame taba.
Ame taba.
Ame.
Amitabh.
Amitabh.
Amitabh. Ameeta.
Ameeta. Ameeta.
Amitabh. Amitabh.
Amitabh.
Ame etam. Ame etam. Ame.
Amee ta.
For refuge I go to the Buddha. For refuge I go to the Buddha. Namo Buddha. Namo Buddhaia— for refuge I go to the Dharma. For refuge I go to the Dharma. Namo Dharmaya— Namo Dharmaya— for refuge I go to the Sangha.
For refuge I go to the Sangha.
Namah Sanghaya— Namah 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 3 Jewels I pray that I may not steal—I pray this time they're not stealing—with faith in The Three Jewels—the face of The Three Jewels—I pray at some point fall into sexual misconduct-I'm afraid it's like falling to sexually misconduct-with faith in The Three Jewels—in The Face Of The Three Jewels I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech. I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech. With faith in the Three Jewels, with faith in the Three Jewels, I pray that I may avoid intoxication. I pray that I may avoid intoxication.
Innumerable sentient beings, we vow to save them all. Inexhaustible are the Buddha's passions.
We bow to transform them all.
Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings. We bow to master them all.
Infinite is the Buddha's way.
We bow to complete complete Namaste. Namaste. Namaste.
Namoh Amida Butsu.
Namoh Amida.
Namoh Amida.
Namoh Amida Butsu.
So do unmute if you're joining us on Zoom as we recite the closing verse together. Blessed by Amitābha's light, may we care for all living things from our holy end.
You've outdone yourself again, bro. Is it yours? Yeah, he's got a nap.
Yeah, it sounded as if you were a long way away before.
Yeah, I'd unplugged it actually. You both all right then?
Yep, fine, thank you.
Good, good. Excited about the shops opening on Monday?
Hmm, I think I'll be keeping well away for a few weeks, just until it calms down a bit.
Yeah, I do wonder how busy it might be actually to start with.
I think it'll be mad. I can just imagine.
Yeah, I've got a plan to go in and look for a rug on Monday, but if it's too scary, I'll maybe just drive away again. Yeah, we'll see. Oh, hi Angie!
You all right? She's gone.
You all right? Yeah, good, thanks. Nice to see you. And you. There was just a general consensus that nobody was really bothered about the shops opening on Monday.
No, I'm not.
You're not either.
It saves money, you don't have to spend it.
Yeah, it's true, it's true. It has been a bit cheaper, hasn't it? Absolutely. I'm looking forward to being able to eat cake in cafes again, that's my main—
Well, I am looking forward to that, yes, to cafes reopening. That'll be nice.
Yeah, that's next— it's May, isn't it? So not too much longer. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, it's really lovely to see you both.
It's lovely to see you as well. I'm sorry I missed last week, by the way. I completely forgot it was Wednesday. When I was getting ready for bed, I thought, oops.
That does happen when you haven't got a routine sometimes, doesn't it?
The days get sort of— This is what happens when you're a retired lady, you see. You forget what day of the week it is. Sounds good.
