Alison reflects on Shinran's humility through a Pure Land parable about fire and water, exploring how accepting our limitations opens the path to faith. The group chants the Nembutsu, recites vows, and practices together in sangha.
Chapters
Good evening everybody, welcome to our quickly getting darker Wednesday evening practice and Lovely to see Ray. We've got two Rays tonight. You probably thought I was waving at you, Ray. There's literally a Ray over there, Ray. We've got a Canadian Ray and we've got a Ray in Morvern. So yeah, lovely to see you again, Ray. And hello, Beth, good to have you here as well. So we will begin with Dharma Glimpse by Alison. Ray will also recognize Alison from earlier today. You're having double Dharma days, both of you. Over to you. Thank you very much.
Recently I came up against a huge obstacle, one of those obstacles where you need to decide whether to run or confront it. The decision in these situations will likely depend on a third strand, that of faith and firm resolve. In this case, if choosing to follow faith and firm resolve, running isn't an option. So fight it out I did. Fighting in this case was more about an internal struggle, a dealing with loud, difficult parts of myself, also known as ego states., or our karmic boundedness. This ugly situation made me think of Shan Dao's 7th century Chinese Pure Land Buddhist parable of the river of fire and river of water, as can be seen hanging on the wall at the top of the stairwell here in the temple. The wall hanging depicts a white path running between two shores from east to west, and two rivers either side of it. A traveller is running away from bandits and fierce beasts on the east shore and wanting to make his way to the west shore, but notices that on one side of the path are high flames and on the other high waves. He can't remain where he is, but he also can't move further without fear of losing his life. On the east shore, Shakya Muni ushers him on towards the west shore where Amida is standing to welcome him to the Pure Land. My purpose is not to recite the parable, just my own authentic glimpse, but this wall hanging made me reflect on this deeply. I've been reflecting that sometimes on the spiritual journey along the white path, obstacles can be encountered. Choosing to go back is a tempting choice, and would be immediately the easier option, although not the best in the long run. If reaching the other side, the Pure Land, or Amida, then focusing on the white path is important. However, it would seem to be a necessary part of the journey to fight or confront the water serpents, the fire dragons, or the inner demons along the way. If confronting the demon or serpent, then death might follow, but there might also be the chance to deepen in resolve, in faith, to reach the far banks of the shore safely. I've also been reflecting that obstacles like serpents present themselves as a great test, a test of faith and commitment, and a test of resilience, integrity, and devotion. To face the test is also to ask whether the serpent is what it appears to be. It might seem big at the time of confronting it, but it can also have an illusory nature, and only I can be responsible for what I see. I can survey dangers and test the territory. I need to test the boundaries and find out how safe I am. What will the serpent do or not do? How strong is the current? How high are the flames? I also take the risk of failing, confronting the fire or highways, or being eaten up. My immediate need would be to feel safe, but strength lies in the ability to deepen trust and resolve, to walk the white path and survey the whole landscape. The bigger picture. If putting too much energy into fighting or confronting the sea monster, I only become more sucked into its lair. Choosing to confront the serpent, the water becomes unstable and rocky, the waves higher, but eventually it will calm down. It was necessary to confront the serpent, as the serpent was a part of the journey. And once one challenge has been accomplished, the next won't seem so bad. I have tested, I know, I've learned. It is only then that a deeper peace can pervade, when feeling held by the ocean, the ocean that leads back to the white path. As long as the serpent is seen as the problem, the path becomes lost. The more the focus on the white path, the easier it will get. When facing a conflict, I could walk back away from it, or I might be devoured by it, but I need to have that encounter if I am to move on. I can run away when my parts get too much. Or I can choose to enter into dialogue with them so they can be reintegrated into the wholeness. The struggle is a necessary part of the journey. It's not in the striving, it's through the striving that allows sinking into even greater depths of peace. Namaste.
Namaste.
Thank you so much. Okay, so we will move into some silence together. In the silence, you might want to just pay attention to your breath or allow the Nembutsu to run through your mind. And after some time, we'll begin chanting together, and we'll use the chant Amitabha. So do Join in, um, wherever you are. Um, we'll imagine your voices, Ray and Beth, joining us, and then there'll be a bit more silence before the final bells. Namomi tabu.
Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh.
Amitabh.
Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. A mi taba. A mi taba. A mi taba. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh.
We'll now recite the refuges, vows, and precepts together, so please repeat after me. 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 all that guides us to wisdom and compassion—
all that guides us to wisdom and compassion.
Namo Dharmaya! For Refuge I Go To The Sangha— those who live in Buddha's Light— Namu Sangaia! With faith in The Three Jewels—
With Faith In The 3 Jewels!
And in light of my human tendencies— I pray that I may become aware— Of when I take life—I pray That I May Become Aware—Of When I Take What Is Not Freely Given.
Of when I take what is not freely given.
I pray that I may become aware— of when I fall into sexual misconduct. Of when I fall into wrong speech. I pray that I may become aware— of when I become intoxicated. Of when I become intoxicated. No blame. No blame. Be kind. Be kind. Love everything.
Love everything.
Innumerable sentient beings, we vow to save them all.
Inexhaustible are the Vedic traditions.
We vow to transform them all. Immeasurable are the Dharma teachings. We vow to master them all. Infinitely. We vow to fulfill it completely.
No moment, boo. So I picked up this book for inspiration before I came upstairs. The Essential Shinran. Shinran was the Buddhist sage in Japan, 12th century Japan, who started the Jodo Shinshu school of Pure Land Buddhism, the biggest school of Pure Land Buddhism today, and This was the quote that stood out to me, and it was something he wrote in a letter in reply to one of his students when he was an older man. So he says, 'Thus I record these categories.' I'm not sure entirely what that means. 'Please ask about them of any knowledgeable person.' It is not possible to present them in detail in this letter. My eyes fail me, and besides being utterly forgetful about everything, whatever it may be, I am hardly the person to clarify these matters for others. Please inquire fully of the Pure Land scholars about them. So I think one of the things I like best about Shinran is he has a quality which I think is quite rare in spiritual teachers, maybe not so rare in great spiritual teachers, which is a real willingness to, um, first of all, an awareness of his limitations. His fallibility, and then a willingness to be honest about those with other people. And in this letter, he's basically saying, I'm— I can't remember those complicated answers to the questions that you're asking me. Do feel free to ask anyone else, anyone else that knows what they're talking about. Don't come to me. And to kind of add the context, he was a very learned man. He'd studied Buddhism all of his life, and he did know a lot of things. But for whatever reason, this time he's saying, "Yeah, I'm not the right person to ask." Maybe he was just tired. Maybe there was something about the questions that that didn't really kind of interest him, or, or that he didn't feel that he was the right person to reply to them. Um, and I've always trusted people who have been open about their limits. I always really liked reading Anne Lamott, who writes about writing and other things. Because she's so willing to laugh at herself and at her foibles, her quirks, and her failings. The, the, the ways in which she fails herself and fails other people. And I think that there is something quite advanced about that. Um, that kind of, that sort of genuine honesty about our limitations. Maybe something that's a bit more common is a kind of a self-deprecating or a kind of beating yourself up kind of voice, um, an inner critic. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about something a lot kinder than that, something a lot warmer and a lot more clear and less defensive. Just, just an honest, um, an honest view of, of who we are and who we are in this moment. And I think that Pure Land Buddhism can help us with this. Firstly, because there are models in teachers that come before us, we can, we can learn from them and emulate them. But also because the central message of Pure Land Buddhism is that We really are accepted by Amida Buddha with all of those limitations. And it's really quite difficult to be honest about our limitations if we know that what we're going to get back from the other person is criticism. I don't know about you, but when I'm in an argument and I kind of know that I'm sort of in the wrong, I do not want to, uh, hear that coming at me from the other person. But if the other person is saying, 'Oh, if you did do that, it's okay, I understand,' you're much more likely to confess. So Amida Buddha is the ultimate in that, that person opposite us who is able to accept whatever we tell them about ourselves without falling into criticizing us, telling us off, or being disappointed in us, um, judging us. So we do it imperfectly for each other because we are fallible beings. Hopefully within the sangha we manage roughly to accept each other, not every day and not every person, but, but within the group But the ultimate source of this acceptance of our foolish nature always comes from Amida Buddha. And I think that Shinran was able to be so honest in his response because he knew that he was accepted. He knew, he really had a firm conviction that despite, or because of, all his flaws, he was really deeply accepted and deeply loved by the Buddha. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So in a minute we're going to get up and do prostration, so do a bow, and the chant is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
You can bow wherever you are. In gratitude, we offer this incense to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May this fragrance serve for self-reflecting and care for others, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruits of understanding slowly ripen. May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Here we await the monk to get fullness and realize our true value.
So do join me in the closing verse. Bless. May we care for all living things. Namomi tabu. Just a reminder that we still have food bank books. Uh, Peter's really good at putting things in. Um, I'm terrible. As a, as a tip, if you write it on your shopping list, it can help you to buy something, which we managed to do this week. All donations Gratefully received. Namaste.
