A Buddhist sangha gathering featuring Dharma teachings, personal reflections on Pure Land practice, and group recitation of refuge and precepts. Participants share readings from Shinran and Saichi, chant Nembutsu together, and explore themes of devotion and resting in practice through community ritual.
Chapters
Good evening, namaste, dabu.
Welcome, welcome to Philip and Beth joining us on Zoom. So this morning we will begin with Dharma Glimpse by Kim, one of our sangha members in America. And Katie will read it for us.
The Warm Voice. What attracted me to Pure Land Buddhism was being able to relate to the practice and teachings and not feeling shame or failure when my practice wasn't done rigorously and in a disciplined way. Not leaving well enough alone, I bought some books and ended up in tears when the author dove into the experience of a Amida with such an intellectual lens, I found myself lost in a forest of concepts that were beyond my grasp. The presentation left me feeling a failure because I could not hold two contradictory concepts of reality within my mind as aha moment. I kept reading that real knowledge of Amida in this is that his power, compassion, and loving acceptance is real, but if you observe it, you've missed the whole point. It's when you let go of observing that true enlightenment is achieved. This left me feeling like I was standing in a featureless room, understanding nothing at all. What happened to the warm voice within me that hears my joy, my sadness, and interacts with me? Where is the power that guides me and teaches me and assures me that Amida will always be with me? As I drink my coffee this morning, I am going to find my way back to that place. The new book will go on the shelf as a message for another. I am open to new ideas and concepts, but I have always relied on my instincts for finding the right fit. But I am simply not ready for another view of Amida, or I need the more personal approach, or I lack the intellect to grasp this author's view of being, but not if I observe it leaves me bereft. I will now pick up Satya Robyn's book, and find my way back to a place I, I know and trust and sit a while. I'm pretty sure Amida will meet me there as well. Love and light.
Thank you.
So we will sit quietly together and, um, Today I think we'll do a longer chanting than usual, so I'll start chanting a bit earlier than usual. Casper's arrived, so the bread must be out of the bread maker.
Yay!
Namaste.
Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Na mo ami tabu! Na moo amii taaboo! Nammo ani tabuuu— namo ami tabuuu naamoami taaabooh naamoa mi toa boo Nama Ami Ta'Abbu! Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amitabha. Namoh Amitabha. Namoh Amitabha. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namur Amida Bu. Namur Amida Bu. Namur Amida. Namur Amida Bu. Namoha mi tamu. Namoha mi tamu. Namoha mi tamu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Bu. Namoh Amida Bu. Namoh Amida Bu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namah Mita Bhagavan. Namoh Amida. Namoh Mita Bhagavan. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amitabha! Namoh Amitabha! Namoh Amida Buddha! Namoh Amita— Namoh Amitabhuu. Namoh Amida Butsu! Namoh Amida Butsu! Namoh Amida— Namoh Amida Butsu! Na mo ami dabu. Na mo ani da bu. Namor mi da namo amida na mo ami da blue. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Namoh Amida Butsu. Nam, oh, thank you, darling. Nam, oh, Satya Robyn. Nam, oh, darling.
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 Buddha.
Namo Buddha.
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 Sangaya. Namo Sangaya— With faith in The Three Jewels I pray that I may not take life; With faith in The Three Jewels I pray that I may not steal; With faith in The Three Jewels , I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct; I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct— With faith in The Three Jewels... —with Faith In The 3 jewels, I ask you to save me from wrong thinking! No blame! 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.
So this evening, before coming up to practice, I looked in our bookshelf for some inspiration. And I opened Shinran's On Once Calling and Many Calling, and I read quite a lot of it and wasn't inspired. I opened up another book by Shinran, wasn't inspired. Opened up another book, wasn't inspired. So I eventually got to River of Fire, River of Water. Opened this book up in about 10 different places, wasn't inspired. And then I found this verse by Saichi. And Saichi was a shoemaker who lived in Japan a long time ago and wrote very simple verses about his practice, about his devotion to Amida. I love his writing, and this is the verse that sprung out at me this evening. Namo Amida Butsu is like the moon, like the sun. It is like the rising sun. My mind grows warm so does the body. Let me take a rest for a while here. Namu Amida Butsu. Namu Amida Butsu. So reading this verse was just like balm for my soul, because what I really need right now is to take a rest. And all of the other texts I read were complicated. They were talking about non-duality or various points of dogma, and my poor brain just couldn't handle it. But when I read, 'Let me take a rest for a while here,' that was the message that I needed this evening. And the wonderful thing about Nembutsu is that it becomes what we need it to be, that sometimes we need to be woken up and and enlivened and maybe shaken a little bit. Sometimes we need to remember our acceptability, our lovability. Sometimes we need to think about how the world works, and sometimes we just need to dwell in the bosom of the Nembutsu for a while and allow our bodies to grow warm. And Kim's Dharma glimpse was very much in the same vein this evening, that there was something about her recognition that what she was receiving was like anti-Dharma. It was making her feel worse about herself and worse about the world. And sometimes we need to struggle with dharma. Sometimes it's not always easy, it's not always comforting. Sometimes it does bring up difficult feelings, but there's a balance between pushing ourselves so far that, that we, that we become more defended. And she, she realized that and did what she needed to do. I was thinking that what I would really have liked to do today is just kept chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo just to the end of practice, but I think you might have all rebelled, and maybe I'll do that another day. So I've said some things, I've done my duty. And now we get to chant the Nembutsu again as we bow to the Buddha, and then we can eat cookies and drink tea. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Namaste. In gratitude, we offer this incense offering to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be fragrant as the earth herself. Accepting our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruits of understanding slowly ripen. May we and all beings be companions of Buddha and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness and realize how much we can.
Blessed by Amma Sahaja's light, may we care for all living things and the whole Earth.
And may we debate— and may we debate—
