Satya Robyn leads a Buddhist group practice session with guided meditation, chanting to Kuan Yin, and a Dharma talk on gentleness and working with difficult karma. Helen reads a reflection on transformation using a robin as an example. The session includes sitting practice, recitation of refuges and precepts, and prostrations.
Chapters
Lovely to see you all. Welcome back, Peter. Good to have you here.
And Sophie.
And hi to Beth on Zoom. Can you hear us okay, Beth? Good, it's a good start. We used the wrong microphone last time, no diktiyas. Um, so welcome to practice, and we will begin today with a Dharma glimpse by Jamé, which Helen has kindly agreed to read for us.
Over to you, Helen.
Keeping It Simple, a Dharma glimpse by Jeremy. As I sat in the garden at work this morning, getting some November sunshine and some fresh air, a red-breasted robin fluttered down into a bush in front of me. It could obviously see me and chirped boldly in my direction, as if asking me a question, head tilted slightly to one side, tail bobbing up and down. It then made a tentative leap from its branch down to, down to me. As I crouched down in order to see it better and maybe get a photo, it ventured close enough for me to touch it, skipping a few careful steps, and then darted off on the far side of the garden. This felt significant, partly because it left me with a warm feeling and a sense of awe at the diversity and complexity of life. I knew that the robin had felt my presence and recognized it as important in some way, just as I had it. Before the robin appeared, I'd been gazing in wonder at the near-naked branches of the winter trees, contemplating the meaning of their cyclical stripping down and regenerating. It's— is it indicative or symbolic in some way? Maybe Gaia showing us that we can't hold on to— that we, we can't hold on any more than we can prevent the new form into penetrating the old, or just transformation expressed for the sake of beauty and resonance. I might usually conclude these musings with a summary of my own particular interpretation, but somehow it feels important this time to just let a bird be a bird and a tree be a tree. Namu Amida Butsu.
Namu Amida Butsu.
Thank you.
Okay, so we will sit quietly together for a while. And as we sit, if you would like, you can just pay attention to your breath as it moves in and out, not changing it, um, not manipulating it in any way, just noticing the air going inside and then outside, keeping it simple. And thoughts and feelings will also, um, arrive. Just notice them, and like the robin, just let them move away again in their own time. Try not to interfere with them or manipulate them. This way, we very gradually, uh, come into a different relationship with ourselves, with the world. We create a little bit of space, and if we're lucky, we get little glimpses of something beyond, um, our ordinary life, something that is wise, something that is loving. And if you get those little moments, just dwell in those moments. And then after being quiet for a while, we'll begin some chanting together. And, um, I don't know what we're going to chant yet, so you'll find out when I start. If you don't know the words, then they'll be on your bit of paper. Amen, me too, babe. So tonight we will call out to Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of compassion. Kuan Yin embodies compassion and is often shown as having many, many arms so she can help all the different people that need help all at the same time. And she has the quality of softness, like moonlight. And as we chant, you can imagine yourself bathed in that light. Maybe there might be someone in your life who could do with some kindness or compassion at the moment. You can imagine Kuan Yin helping them at the same time. The words of the chant are 'Namo'— I call out to, or I take refuge in— Kwan Shi Yin Bosat. Do join in when you get the tune.
Namo Kwan Shi Yin Bosat.
Namoh Shivayin Bho Sasat!
Namoh Shivain Bhoo Saasat! Namoh Shivain Bo Saasat! Namokwanji in Bursas. Namokwanji in Bursas. Namokwanji in Bursas. Namokwanji in Bursat. Namokwanji in Bursat. Namokwanji in Bursat. Namokwan Shi in bosast. Namokwan Shi in bosast. Namokwan Shi in bosast. Namokwan shi en bosat.
Wan shi en bosat.
Namokwan shi embosat.
Namokwan shi embosat. Namokwan. Satya Robyn.
We'll now recite some words together, and, um, if you don't want to, uh, sign up to what the words are asking, you can recite the words in support of other people here. And first of all, we recite the refuges. All Buddhists lean into three things: awakened teachers, the teachings that come from those teachers, and the community of people who try to live their lives guided by those teachings. 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! 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! For refuge I go to the Sangha.
For refuge I go to the Sangha.
Those who are lit by the Buddha's light.
Those who are lit by the Buddha's light.
Namo Sangha.
Namo Sangha.
Next we recite the precepts, which are the rules that we attempt to live by. The, the star that we kind of point ourselves towards. So 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, I pray that I may not steal.
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—
Okay? —with faith in the Three Jewels—
I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech.
I pray that I may not fall into false 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. And then 6 words that my friend Terry has as his motto. I just want to try something new tonight, just to keep you all on your toes. So rather than doing the words two at a time, I'm just going to read them all. So hold off the repeating until I've read them. No blame. Be kind. Love everything.
No blame. Be kind. Love everything.
Am I meant to be? Oh, one more thing.
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 fall fair completely.
Namaste. So a couple of days ago, Casper and I watched a film about a bouncer. I can't remember the name of it.
Big Boys Don't Cry.
Big Boys Don't Cry on Netflix. And it was about a bouncer in the '90s who had just found out that the teachers from his children's home where he grew up had been convicted of ritualized abuse, of horrible abuse. Um, and the policewomen that came to see him to let him know that it was going to be on the news told him that 6 out of the 8 people in his dorm had killed themselves. As a result of the abuse. Um, so it was a very, uh, tough film. It's a true story. It was based on a true story. And what really struck me as I was watching the film was how, how bound we are by the karma that we end up with. How constricted, how weighed down, how, um, how some people are, are born into situations where suffering is just piled upon them. And the story, as the story unfolds We see the central character as he kind of struggles with this heavy karma, with this burden of the abuse that he suffered, and knowing that his classmates have decided not to live anymore as a result. And the thing that I took away from the film— I won't give away what happens, but he, um, he was involved in making the film and actually appears at the end of the film with his own children, which was really moving. The thing that makes the difference to this man, um, in my opinion um, was softness, was gentleness. He happens to get together with a woman who, who cares about him, who, who, um, who stays beside him and who encourages him to begin to speak. Of what happened. I think that the temptation when we're dealing with, with karma, with, with, um, events in our life that have been crushing and horrible and difficult, the temptation can be to fight, to, to fight back, to, um to become strong, to try really hard to do the right thing or to, to push. And there is a place for that. One of the things that was also important to the character was, was learning how to box and being kind of shown how to channel some of his anger into something that would have more discipline or more kind of containment. Um, but in my own experience of what helps me and my experience of what helps my psychotherapy clients is that the quickest way to change, the quickest way to change our lives is to be gentle, is to be gentle with ourselves. And that's really hard sometimes. We were having dinner downstairs with, uh, Mikey and Ludo before practice, and, uh, we've got a cat that's afraid of our dog. So he lives in the bedroom. Cat lives in the bedroom, dog lives in the living room. Um, And I'm really— it's been this way for a very long time, but I've got kind of got some renewed hope that the cat might be able to learn to handle the dog if we can, if we can train them. And my, my instinct is always to get the cat, hold him really tight, and shove him into the living room and hold him there to show him that the dog's not going to chase him. And you can imagine how, how it is for a scared cat to be held onto and pushed. And I think that, that this is often how in the past, certainly, I've, I've dealt with situations that I've been afraid of or I've wanted to change, is I've taken parts of me and I've kind of dragged them along kicking and screaming whether they wanted to come or not. And I know that the quickest way to encourage our cat to have a look at the dog and not run away, is not pushing him, is tempting him with little treats, but being patient and, and repeating that over and over and not losing my temper and not, uh, hurrying And the film also showed how it was gentleness that, that allowed this man to survive. So we chanted to Kuan Yin, who is also gentle and hugely powerful. Gentleness isn't, uh, a weak force. Gentleness can be really strong, but it can be really difficult to trust. It can be difficult to trust gentleness when things are desperate, or, or when we are suffering. Or when we are, um, pushed into a corner. So maybe the invitation today as we move towards a new year is to be curious about the bits of you that you push and shove around and just wonder what it might be like to ease off a little bit, to keep doing the good thing, to keep coming to the good place, or to keep, you know, making the kind of courageous steps that need to be taken, but doing so with gentleness. And if it's, uh, if it feels impossible, then just remember that Kuan Yin has your back. Namo Kuan Yin Bosat. So now we will do some prostrations in front of the Buddha. Do feel free to do as much as your mind and body let you. My back's really not playing today, so I'm hoping that I'm going to be able to get back up again. But if I'm still down there after the first one, the second prostration, then maybe someone can come and get me up.
Amitabhha.
Namo Amida Butsu. Namo Amida Butsu. Namo Amida.
Namo Amida.
Namoh Amida Buddha! Namoh Amida Buddha! Namoh Amida Buddha!
In gratitude, we offer the merit of this incense offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. 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 home.
If you'd like to return to stand at your seats, and we always finish by bowing to each other, so Fi will bow to me. Alan would bow to Casper, and then everyone else work it out amongst yourselves. And then one side, and then the other. And then the Buddha. Tidy our seats and bow to our seats. Then we finish by reciting the closing verse together, which is on your bit of paper. Blessed by Amitābha's light, may you care for all living things. A reminder that we'll be here for New Year's. We'll be here Saturday morning as usual, then we'll be here in the evening for New Year's Eve, any time in the evening. And then practice will be 11 till midnight, and we'll finish with 108 bells at midnight. So hopefully you'll join us for a cup of tea and some chocolate.
