Fergus leads a Buddhist practice session with guided meditation, chanting, and a teaching about letting go illustrated through a snagged scarf. Participants include Luna, Jenny, and Philip on Zoom, with a Dharma glimpse from Angie and dedication of merit at the end.
Chapters
Good morning everybody. Lots of people in the shrine room are looking really cozy this morning, particularly jealous of Luna's hood and Jenny's blanket.
Welcome Philip on Zoom, and this morning we have a Dharma glimpse from Angie, which Fergus has kindly agreed to read.
Over to you, Fergus.
This is called Snapping or Unwinding. As I was preparing to leave for an appointment earlier today, my scarf caught on a hook. As usual, I was on the edge of running late, and my initial reaction was to tug the scarf away, but the threads were strong and didn't snap. They only pulled tighter around the hook. I realized this was going to need a little more attention, so I paused, looked closely at the pattern of colorful threads winding their way around the hook, and picked them out one at a time until the scarf was freed. This tiny incident seemed like a clear metaphor to me. The action of tugging and rushing only made the situation worse and fed a more constricted mental state, whereas slowing down and taking the care to unpick each thread both freed the scarf and me, creating a more attentive and careful state of mind. It also reminded me of how using force to try and break a habit or create change only causes the threads of causes, conditions, needs, and desires to tighten their hold, whereas moving gently, paying attention to each thread, and noticing its relation to other threads can facilitate an organic unforced change. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Sorry. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Butsu is the Japanese form of Buddha.
So in Japan, they say Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. So we will have some silence together.
Um, this morning, or maybe just pay attention to our breath, the nilla, the nilla silent sitting, and just let your breath do what it wants to do.
And when you notice yourself getting tangled up on one of those threads that Angie was talking about, just relax and take your hands off it if you can.
Let it be there and let it just, just drift away or melt away.
And of course, you'll have to do that many, many, many times in the next 10 minutes. That's what meditation is. Namaste. This morning we will chant to the Medicine Buddha, who will offer healing to anything in you that needs healing, or anything in other people, the world, and healing. And the words are: Thai: Om, big MJ, big MJ. Maha Bhagyanjee Ratsasamudgathey Sooha. They are on a bit of paper. Namami Devi. Thai Aum.
For refuge I go to Buddha— for refuge I go to Buddha—the one who is awake and full of love—
the one who is awakened from all suffering —
namo buddhaya—for refuge I go to Dharma—all that guides us to wisdom and compassion—all that guides us to wisdom and compassion.
Namaste!
Thank you very much.
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.
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 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. —with faith in the Three Jewels—I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech. That's how we make our vows to Buddha now for this week of retreats together. And then on Saturday evening when you're going home from your day at work or school or university, if there was anything else coming up during those days which has been bothering you because it didn't happen yet; something happened but hasn't come about just like what he said here today? If so please write down some notes next time before doing these things again. So let us begin by making 3 bows towards him first. We bow twice over his body until touch comes between both foreheads. I pray that I may avoid intoxication. 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.
Two quotes have been running through my brain this morning.
The first is by, I think, Susan Elliott. And it is, this week is not your week to run the universe. Next week's not looking so good either. And the other is a little phrase that is unattributed. There's quite a good song. There's quite a good dance track that is called this if you want to YouTube it afterwards, which is relax, nothing is under control. And I'm thinking about these quotes because of the piece of writing I did this morning for my Gentle Buddhism blog, and Angie's Dharma glimpse very much fits into the theme. Um, there for me is something in Buddhism about an encouragement to Relax. An encouragement to relax with the understanding that we're not really in control of very much anyway, and that there is some, some kind of unfolding. There is some process, some benevolent process in the universe that, that we can trust. That we can lean into, like the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. There was a verse from Shantideva, The Bodhisattva's Way— is that what it's called? Way of the Bodhisattva. Yeah, Way of the Bodhisattva. Shantideva wrote a verse and it's something like, um, let go of the past, let go of the future, and let go of the present, and then, you know, everything will be okay. And we're used to being told to let go of the past or let go of the future, but there's something about, can we, can we release our grip on the present too? Can we release our our tangledness, our, our, um, our clinging, the pressure, the pressure that is present in us to change things or to, to make things a certain way or to hold on to things or to push things away. Can we just be here and let go? Can we relax? And in the meditation instructions, I, uh, encouraged you to try to, to take your hands off the things that arose. And I also said that that would happen many, many times, that, that is how it is to be human. That is how it is to be in a human body with a human mind is that we are constantly holding on and pushing away and pulling things towards us. So it's maybe useful to, um, hold those instructions in mind, that advice, those suggestions that the Buddha makes and that wise teachers make to try to follow those instructions and catch ourselves holding on and let go when we can. But it's also good to remember that, thank goodness, we're Pure Land Buddhists here. I'm a Pure Land Buddhist, and the point of being a Pure Land Buddhist is that we are— it's impossible, it's impossible to let go completely. And that's where the Buddha comes in. That's where the benevolent spirit of the universe comes in, is that we can work from our own side, but we can also acknowledge how limited that will be and just, and just allow allow the water to hold us, allow ourselves to, to see that the water is already holding us. If we just relaxed back a tiny bit, there's the water holding us up. So a bit of a jumble this morning, but I will trust that There's some kind of thread in there that's not too tangled. And, um, now we'll just lay everything down in front of the Buddha as we make prostrations, hands over anything that we're struggling with, and let the floor hold us up. Namamit be.
We dedicate the merit of this incense offering to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be as 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 home.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Turn to our seats.
Blessed by Anupavaswai. May we care for all living things. Namaste. Namami Debhu. So do join us for a cup of tea and
