Practice - ups and downs

Good morning everybody. We have me, Casper, and Dave in the shrine room, and Andesh and Tony and Grace, I think. There on the computer. Hi everybody. Um, yeah, I've been thinking this morning about going back to basics. One of the things I really like about Pure Land practice is that even though you can make it complicated if you want to, you can do lots of reading about the history of Pure Land Buddhism, the history of Buddhism the different ways of looking at things theologically, um, lots of different practices that you can do if you want to, but that what it comes down to is the simplicity of one practice, which is always available, and which is, um, which relies not on any of our own cleverness or discipline or, um, how good we are, but relies entirely on the grace of the Buddha, the grace of Amitābha. I think maybe as human beings we have a tendency to complicate things, that we feel that we would be happier if we did certain things, or that we would be better examples of Buddhist teachers if we knew certain things. Or that we would suffer less if we achieved certain things, or if we received certain things. And as I go on in my life, what I seem to be appreciating is that life goes up and down. But some days we wake up and the sun is shining and we're going to see our friend later, and the dog's really happy to see us, and everything feels really good. And then other mornings we wake up and it's bitterly cold and we don't want to walk the dog, and our friend's annoyed us, and everything just feels dark and difficult. And that there are some things we can do to mitigate the up-and-downness of life, but a lot of it, and more of it than I would like, is beyond our control. It lies in the hands of other people or in the environment that a lot of the time we're just responding to what life brings us. And it would be great to think that we always have a choice about how we respond, because we can respond in a positive way to the negative things that happen. And I'd like to believe in that as a, a way out of suffering. And my experience is that sometimes we manage to respond with grace and patience and courage, and sometimes we don't. And that we're not as much in control of that as we would like to think either, that we've been shaped by our family histories and our family's family history. And the age that we've been born into and the country we've been born into. All of these things have a deep, deep influence on us.

So this is the reality as I see it, is life is up and down and we can't avoid sickness, old age, death. And there was a fourth sight that the Buddha saw when he left his compound to go out into the streets for the first time in his life, and that was a holy man. And there was something about seeing that holy man that inspired him, that offered him an alternative to that solution, which is kind of closeting ourselves away in luxury or comfort or security that we try and make for ourselves to keep ourselves safe. And I'm imagining that what he saw in that holy man, because I've seen it in the faces of holy men and women is a kind of glowing that goes beyond the, the security that we try and build for ourselves, a sense of being okay regardless of what happens to us or regardless of our own limitations. There being something that we can lean into every moment. It's available, it's just there, it's just there if you want to lean into it, that never leaves us and that always loves us. And as Pure Land Buddhists, we connect with this thing by saying the name of Amitabha Buddha. Who strived for a long, long time to accumulate enough spare merit for everybody. Thank goodness. Amida Buddha knows about our limits and knows about our good intentions that don't get very far, and our complaints and our grumbles and our small-minded attempts at soothing ourself, and Amida Buddha just smiles with a knowing smile and beckons us to lean in. So that's my invitation to us all this morning, is to remember that when we sit quietly, when we say the name of Amida Buddha, we're reminding ourselves that, that he/she is already here. We don't have to go looking, maybe just turn and see. That the Buddha is just there, and that the Buddha will be with us through the ups and downs that will continue in our life, however many times we say the Nembutsu and however hard we work. And hopefully we can enjoy the times that are offered us, that are to be enjoyed, even if those are little small glimpses of pleasure and calm and inspiration. And in the rough times, we can just feel less alone. Namomi dabu.

I'm just walking downstairs to the library. Can you see me?

Yeah, okay.

I don't know when I need to go still.

Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mani Padme Hum— Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mane padme hum hri! Om mane padme hungh ri! Oh mané pa me hung rhi? Ooh ma nee pahmeh hung— Om Mani Padme Hum Grih! Om Manee Paaame Hungreeeh! Oh manee paabe hungriii... Oommaneee paaaame hoomgriih— Ooh maaneepaume hum grihiimmm? Om Mani Padme Hum Grih! Om Manee Pahmee Hungriii! Oh manne paap me hung rihi— oh mane paap me hun greeeh... om maa nee pahmee hum griihmm? Om Mani Padme Humri! Oh my name— oh mané padmé humry... om mane padmé umguriyomane padmehumri... omane pap me hungreeeyyyamani paap mé hungríiiim Om mani padme hum hri! Oh my name Padmé Hungry— oh ma nee paab me hung ri... Ooh mah neh Paap May Hoong Huiy? Hmmmmmaahneh Paaadmay Hong Riii?!

'Oh Mah Neh Pap Me Hum Ri' .

Um mahné pap mé hunghuuyyy!—

And now for some more of that beautiful singing from earlier on this video by Jules Fauconnet who performed it at an event I was partaking in last year's Fall Equinox Festival here in Denver Colorado; thank you so much to her again. Ahem ahm umhuhum huh-hooey hoom-ma-née-paab-me-whoohng-rreeee-yayyyy ooom-man-eeh paaa-b mee huung-gheeeee-ooh-mm-an-neep-ab-me-whoon-kweeeee— om mane paam eh whomgheeriye yeewwww!!

Om mani padme hum hri! Om mani padme hung ri! Om mani padme hunghri! Ohh ma nee paad me hungrree— ohm maa nii pahd mee hoong rrie... ooh mah niy paab mey honk reee! Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Manee Pahmee Hoong Reem Hree! Oh manne paap me hoong reem hree...

oh mane paap me hoom bree—

ommannee paaab mee hum riim hmmmm... ooh mannay padme hoong reem hmhm...

Ooo Mannae Paad Me Hung Ree?

Om mani padme hum hri! Oh mah nee paab me hungh ri... Oohh maah neh paaabh mee hoong rehree— oh maaaaneeh paab mey honk reee? Hooommaaneh poobmeee hung wey?! Ho-oom-maan-eey pooB-me-hum-reemmmmiieen... Hmmmannee-poop-me-hung-weeiiiinnnnneeeeehmoooomean-neepoombme-hunngweiiinnnenmieeenmnemmieeeennommereheyeemwaiimrehee! Um Mani Padmae Hum Re—

AUM MANI PADME HUNG REE Om Mani Padme Hum Hri!

Om Manee Pahmee Hoong Reeee! Ohh Maane Paap Me Hung Ree— Ooh Maaanee Phaab Mehung Rhee... Ohh Maanee Phaab Mem Hong Riimmm? Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Oh mané padmé hum hrih! Ooh ma nee paad mé hoong rehreeeh... oh mah né pahd me hung reeehee— om mane papmehung huhuuh? Om Mani Padme Humri! Oh mané padmé hum ri! Om mané padmé hun gri! Om mané padmé hung rii... Um ma ne pa me um ree— Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mani Padme Hum— Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mane Padme Hum. Om Mane Padme Hum. Om Mane Padme Hum. Om Mane Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Mane Pame Hung Ree! Om Mane Pap Me Um Ri! Oh manne pap me um ree... oh mane paap mee hung ri— Om Mani Padme Hum Hri! Om Manee Pahmee Hoong Reeee! Ohh Maane Paab Mee Huuum Ree— Ooh Mahnee Phaab Me Hung Rhee? Ohh Maanee Phaab Meh Hong Riie... Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum Bree! Oh mané padmé hum breee... oh māne padminhum brie— om ma ne paad me hooum breee— ooh mah neh pat mee hoom reeeyy? Oom-ma-neh-pahd-me-hum-breemmm... Om Mani Padme Hum. Om Mani Padme Hum.

Om Mani Padme Hum.

For refuge I go to the Buddha.

For refuge I go to the Buddha.

Namo Buddhaya!

Namah Buddhaye!

For refuge I go to the Dharma.

For refuge I go to the Dharma.

Nama Dharmayah!

Namo Dharmayah!

For refuge I go to the Sangha .

For refuge I go to the Sangha.

Namo sanghaya—

namo sanghaya.

With faith in the Three Jewels— with faith in the three jewels—I pray that I may not take life. That's right. May not take life—with faith in the Three Jewels. Faithful Jews, I pray that I may not steal.

Pray that time they're still.

With faith in the Three Jewels— With faith in the three jewels I pray that I may not fall into sexual misconduct—I'm praying so I may not fall into sexual misconduct—with faith in the 3 jewels—with faith in the two tools I pray that I may not fall into wrong speech—that's right! May not follow to our own speech—with faith in the Three Jewels—we face this region—I pray that I may avoid intoxication I pray that I may avoid intoxication.

Innumerable are sentient beings. We vow to save them all.

Inexhaustible are diluted passion. 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.

Mommy Daboose, if you'd like to unmute— you don't have to unmute, Dave, because you're already unmuted. We'll say the closing verse together. I thought you typed it. Sorry, that's right, I'll type it now. By Amitabha's light, may we love all the living things and the holy earth.

May we care for all holy things.

Hi Grace and Michael.

Hi, Kema.

Morning. Hi, everyone. Morning. Morning. How are you all doing?

Morning! Morning!

Morning!

You're the brightest out of all of us, you two.