Practice - pools of water and raindrops

Good morning, everybody. And I was going to start by saying Welcome to this first-timers practice at which there are no first-timers, but then you arrived, so you've saved the day. Um, and welcome to Matt and ST3429 on Zoom. That's probably not their real name. That's all I can see at the moment. Um, so, uh, we begin practice with something called a Dharma glimpse, which is a little bit of writing written by somebody in the community describing an ordinary event where they see a glimpse of the truth. We're going to be putting together a book of Dharma glimpses this year, so if you'd like to have a chance of getting into the book, do write one before the end of February or something— March, February, January, February, March. And the most complicated bit of this Dharma glimpse is my friend's name. My friend used to be called Sarah, but now she's called Utpaladi. So it's, it's very tricky, and even within her Buddhist community, people don't manage to say it at all. So over to Kusuma, who will kindly read it.

Water pools— and it's a Dharma Glimpse by Utpaladi— water pools on our flat garage roof, and I often look at it through the landing window. Birds like to bathe there, undisturbed by humans. They don't much care that it's rather grey and not aesthetically pleasing up there. They enjoy splashing and chattering together. The other night I saw the full moon reflected in the water. The moon itself was rising high in the sky, seemingly far away, but in the reflected— sorry, but in the water on my garage roof it seems so close, not just in proximity but but close to my everyday domestic life. Sometimes the Buddhas feel so transcendent that they are far away from everyday life and concerns. I muse on what I need to do to go out there and connect with the transcendent force, but then I have a reminder that my everyday is shot through with transcendence, and there is no far away about it all. It's all right here for for us to bathe in as the daytime birds splash about in water that has been moonbathed night after night.

Thank you so much. So we'll begin with some meditation, quiet sitting, zazen. And, uh, on Wednesday night I gave the instruction to just imagine yourself as a shaken up jar of muddy water and allow the particles to slowly settle. An alternative suggestion is that you just pay attention to your breath as you sit quietly. Notice your breath coming in and out. Don't try and change it, just, um, just place— I heard once that you should place 70% of your awareness on your breath. And just let the rest be nowhere. And you'll notice that your mind is full of thoughts and oughts and commentary and thoughts about the day. When that comes up, just, just sort of give it a little nod and let it, let it pass through. Let it dissipate without pushing it or pulling it. And over time, this way of being quiet gives our systems a chance to settle and release. And if you're lucky, you might get a little taste of that. And then after about 10-15 minutes, we will begin to chant together. Um, when we start chanting, because I haven't decided what we're going to chant yet, if you need to see the words, they'll be on the little bit of paper under your chair. Um, or just join in when you, when you roughly know the tune. So the chant that is asking to be chanted this morning is one that Buddha Pāladi taught me by leaving a me a WhatsApp recording of her singing it. And the words are Om Ami Dei Wa Re. So they're on the bit of paper if you want to read them. Om Ami Dei Wa Re. And do join in when you get the tune.

Om Ami Dei Wa Re.

Om Amitewari.

Om Amitewari.

Om Amitewar. Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevare. Omami de warri.

Omami de warri.

Omami de warri. Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevare. Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevare.

Om Amidevare. Om Amideva Hari.

Om Amideva Hri.

Om Amideva Omami de wa ri.

Omami de wa ri.

Omami de wa Om Nami Deva Hari.

Om Nami Deva Hri.

Om Nami Deva Hari. Om Amideva.

Om Amideva.

Om Amideva. Om Amitayi Wa Rimi.

Om Amitayi Wa Rimi.

Om Amitayi Wa Rimi.

Om Amidevare. Om Amidevare. Om Amidevare. Om Mani Padme Hum.

Next, we recite some words together which are on your bits of paper, or it's call and response anyway, and the traditional Buddhist vows and precepts. If you don't want to make these vows yourself, then you can recite them in support of the people in this room who do crazily attempt to follow these vows. I may need to breathe. 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 leads us to wisdom and compassion.

All that leads 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. With faith in the Three Jewels—

With faith in the three jewels I pray that I may not take life.

Faithful to me? Jews!

We thank you for your tools.

I pray that I may not steal.

I pray that I may not steal.

With faith in the 3 jewels we break into 3 doors. I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct.

I'm afraid it's time they don't call him sexually miscontacted.

With faith in the 3 jewels, with faith in I pray that I may avoid wrong speech.

I pray that I may avoid 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.

No blame, be kind, love everything. No blame, be kind, 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 follow it completely.

What I'd like to talk to you about today is the rain, um, to complement Paddy's pool. On a Saturday morning, before we come into the shrine room, we do some walking meditation around the temple garden. We started doing that over lockdown when the temple was shut and liked it so much that we carried on. And it's a really lovely thing to do before entering this sacred space, is to connect with the sacred space outside. And every time I walk around the same paths— it's a big garden, but it's not huge. I see something different, or I experience something different. And this morning I particularly enjoyed a red— I think it was a holly leaf just on the green grass shining. And I enjoyed the drops of water on the, um, acer tree. Without its leaves. And I really enjoyed it when it started raining and I took my hood off and just kind of allowed the water to touch my face. And this is Buddhism. Buddhism is just a way of connecting with the raindrops and turning up for life. And that's really hard to do. I often say that if I didn't live in a Buddhist temple, I'd forget to be Buddhist. I'd forget to keep coming back to the reality of the world, because life keeps getting in the way, or it keeps tangling us. The first truth that the Buddha spoke about when he— after he became enlightened is that, that we can't avoid suffering, that there will always be suffering present. In life. I'm sorry to break that news if anyone was hoping they came for long enough that that might be solved. But that's not the only truth. There is suffering, and we can respond to truth in a noble way, the truth of suffering in a noble way, and face it and know that we are supported. And the rain this morning was a little reminder that I am supported by the Earth that feeds me and waters me and gives me shelter and all the other amazing things that we receive. And also that I'm supported by the Buddhas, and whatever name you give that mysterious, unknowable element of life. We call it Dharma or the Buddhas. People have lots of different names for it, but that is always present. It's always available, like the sun behind clouds. The clouds are temporary. Sometimes the clouds last a lifetime. We only ever get little glimpses, but eventually the warmth of the Buddha burns through. So what a privilege and joy to have a lovely full shrine room. Of people who are also wanting to connect with the Dharma. Hooray! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So now in a second we will get up and do some bows before the Buddha, and it will be more challenging to find enough carpet in front of you, so do use the whole room. And do as much as your body allows you to do. If you want to just stand and bow or sit and bow, that's fine. And the chant that we chant is Namo Amida Butsu, which is a way of connecting with that mysterious something that I was speaking about.

Namida Butsu.

Namoh Ramita. Namoh Ramita. Namoh Ramita.

We dedicate the merits of this incense offering to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be fragrant as earth, herself, reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruits of understanding slowly ripening. May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness and realize our true value.

Tidy our seats and bow to our seats. And if you can tidy like the kind of bits and paper and around you, if you could make sure that everything's nice and neat, that would be marvelous. The way that we treat things in the shrine room is all a kind of a mark of respect to the Buddha. So if anything's dusty or out of place, then we just give it a little bit of love. And then we finish with the closing verse, which is on a bit of paper. Blessed by Amitābha's voice, may we care for all living things and purify them. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I'll just stop this and then I'll do some—

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