Practice - the value of practice & Val's Dharma Glimpse

Good evening, everybody. Lovely to see so many people joining us. It's just Satya Robyn and myself here in the shrine room this evening. On the evening that we're opening our doors to the public again. But we're also joined by Chris and Beth on Zoom. Welcome. And I'm sure a few people will watch later on as well. So we're going to begin with the Dharma glimpse this evening, written by Vao Tung, who isn't here, but she She's sent one in and Vee is going to read it for us.

Dharma Glimpse by Val Thong. I'm looking forward to visiting the temple this week. I've been so focused on painting during a residential course. It will be good to connect with the Buddha and the peace, beauty, and energy of the temple. Have I had a dharma glimpse? Not really. I have been doing very basic stuff like remembering to be my own friend and to love myself, and then allowing myself to simply be without having to make any announcements while I was with a group of strangers on the painting course. No one noticed. I simply allowed myself to drop a barrier of criticism towards them and towards me. I quietly sat without judgment, allowing me to be me and them to be them. And for a while there, a heavy weight lifted, and I knew I was safe. I knew I was loved by the divine, by the Buddha. And by me. Was that a Dharma glimpse? It felt like it to me. A slight shift, a door opened, a moment of grace perhaps. That happened on day 3 of the course. Day 1 was caution. Day 2 was having a lot to say and many questions to ask. And day 3 was the experiment in letting the guards drop, accepting we are all foolish beings, and letting the gentler way be my guide. Like I said, this is basic stuff, so often spoken about and acknowledged, but to feel it while in an entirely secular environment with a group of people I had only known for 1 or 2 days was a new experience for me.

Namomidebu.

Thank you, Satya Robyn, for reading that. Thank you, Val, for sending that in. Remember, you too can send in your own Dharma glimpse to be read out. I'll come and read one. That you've written yourself, if you'd like to. And we'll go into a period of quiet sitting together now. In honor of the full moon that was a few nights ago, we'll chant the Kwan Yin mantra this evening. Kwan Yin, the force, the force of active compassion. For all that it boggles our Western mind, there's a long history in Buddhism of believing that Kuan Yin really appears and makes things right in the world somehow. Whether you want to take on that idea or not, or just trust that it's possible to be influenced by her compassionate spirit. Somehow I trust that we're invoking something that makes a difference. So we'll recite her mantra together this evening.

Namo Guan Yin Bosatsu. Namah Kwan Shin Bosats. Namah Kwan Shin Bosats. Namah Kwan Shin Bosats. Namah Shivaya. Namah Shivaya. Namah Shivaya. Namah Kwan Shin Bosats. Namah Kwan Shin Bosats. Namah Kwan Shin Bosats. Namah Kwan Shyim Gosat. Namah Kwan Shyim Gosat. Namah Kwan Shyim Gosat. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat—Namoh Quan Sheen Bo Saht-Namok Wanchiin Bosaath! Namo Kwanshiim Bossa-t namo kwansi imbossaat-namu kwasheeem bossaaatt? Namah Kwanshi Imbosa! Namoh Kwan Sheem Bosat? Namo Kuanchi Inbosad— —Namuh Quan Chi Indosar... Namah Kwanshi Inbosaat! namoh kwanchi invosaat—namo khwan shee invo saat? Namo Khuan Chi Invosasattam... Namah Kwan Chim Bosat— namo kuan shim bosat! Namo kwanshi imbo satnamu... Quan Chi Imbosattamum? Guanchi Inbosahtamu?! Namah Kwan Chi Inbosa. Namah Kwan Chi Inbosa. Namah Kwan Chi Inbosa. Namah Kwan Shin Bosat Namah Kwan Shin Bosat Namah Kwan Shin Bosat Namah Kwan Shin Bos—

For refuge I go to the Buddha.

For refuge I go to the Buddha.

Namo Buddha-ya. For refuge I go to the Dharma. For refuge I go to the Dharma. For refuge I go to the Sangha.

For refuge I go to the Sangha.

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—I'm afraid to say no still—with faith in the 3 jewels—with faith in the 3 jewels I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct—I pray that time they know for me it's just actual misconduct-with faith in the three tools—with your fate—and there were two rules-I pray that I may avoid wrongs 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. No blame. Be kind. Be kind. Love everything. Love everything.

Innumerable sentient beings, we vow to save them all. Inexhaustible are the Buddha's 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.

I had some very complicated, heady idea about what I might talk about this evening, and I'm a bit tired, and I couldn't quite get all my ducks in a row or think it through exactly. As we were sitting, I just let that go and asked, well, what's helpful or what's calling to me this evening? What's here? And what's here is a very quiet shrine room. And I was thinking about how we trust that doing practice as a small group is a good thing to do, that showing up is a good thing to do. And how do we trust that practicing, even practicing as one person if nobody else turns up, is a good thing to do? We kind of know it's good for ourselves. But is it possible to trust that it's good for everybody that one person turns up and practices? It can be— if there's a string of sessions you run where nobody turns up, it can be easy to fall into What's the point? I remembered that when the Buddha was enlightened, which he did on his own underneath a tree many years ago, there's a line in the sutta that says, 'When the Buddha was enlightened, all beings were enlightened.' Which the part of my brain that kind of likes rational thoughts and logic goes, impossible, people carried on behaving badly around him. What does that mean? All beings were enlightened when the Buddha was enlightened. Well, I think we can say that it means at least two different things. One is that when the Buddha became enlightened and that layer of self, layers and layers of self-protection dropping away, a little bit like what Val described in her Dharma glimpse in the art class, layers of self-criticism and other criticism dropping away and just acceptance of the self and others. Happening in a very deep way to the Buddha. When that happened, he looked on all living beings with loving kindness and saw their Buddha nature, saw the part of them that wanted to reach out and love and connect and be kind, even if they weren't able to actualize that in that moment, even if they weren't able to bring it about. He could see that potential, and he was able to love each living thing that came in front of him. So there's a change in every other living being from the point of view of the Buddha, because he's seeing them clearly for the first time. And then we think about Indra's net, that image of interconnectedness that says what one living being does affects all other living beings. Even if, like when you put a stone in a pond, the ripples get smaller and smaller and less powerful the further out The way they go, there is still some movement right at the edge of the pond. The Buddha being less defensive, less egotistical, less angry, being grounded and authentic and full of compassion, that will have changed the people around him a little bit, and that would have changed the people around them. A little bit, and so on and so forth. And my guess is that probably— Val said that nobody noticed, but I bet there was a change in the atmosphere of the whole room, even if it was very small, when she let go of those inner and outer criticisms. I think it's Reb Anderson who says sometimes Doing nothing is the most helpful thing you can do. And that's what he's getting at. Not adding anything in, just being very still, being yourself, begins to change the conditions around you. So that's another way that other living beings were enlightened. They all got a little bit enlightened from the Buddha's enlightenment. And maybe there's some third meaning as well, which is a bit more subtle, but I don't really know. And you have to be as enlightened as the Buddha to understand. But remembering those, those things, that practicing under that tree allowed the Buddha to see things differently and affected the people that the Buddha was in relationship with, whether they were under the tree as well or not, makes me feel okay about having a quiet shrine because there are lots of living beings who are affected by the small number of people that have turned up tonight. Namaste.

We dedicate the merit of this incense offering to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May it be fragrant to the Third Person, reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruit of understanding. May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness and realize my true home.

Um, so a couple of announcements. This weekend it's the Extinction Rebellion Boosts. Online retreat, which you're welcome to join as much or as little as you would like to if you're interested in Buddhism and the climate and ecological emergency. The theme is the Four Noble Truths and the Climate and Ecological Emergency. Have a look on the XR Buddhist website if you want to register. The following weekend we're having our first retreat day of the year here, including a talk By Satya Robyn on receiving a mindful walk in the afternoon, and the details of that on the temple website. Blessed by Amitābha's light, may we care for all living things and the whole universe.