Practice with Dave

Namaste, welcome everybody.

Um, lots of new people, welcome to all of you, and Luna the dog. And we'll start as normally we start with a Dharma glimpse. So Philip's agreed to read a Dharma glimpse. You got a big bear on you.

That's not part of the subject.

Yeah, so Philip's going to read the Dharma glimpse, which is written by Gyame.

Thanks, David. Okay, yeah, it's an honor to be reading, um, piece of writing from Diami and to be supporting Dave in practice today. Two people in the temple very dear to me, so it's an honor. So here's a little poem that came out in a period of illness recently and was partly inspired by the symbolism of destructive habits and their relationship to our age, which something I can person you relate to. Breathe smoke. Dukkha, suffering, comes and goes like the wind. It sometimes knocks on the door and often arrives uninvited and unannounced. It's alive, it lives, and we can either live with it, alongside it, or we can become consumed by it. Life is hard. There's a downward force, a resistance against which we all have to push just in order to maintain basic functionality. Like wading through water, every moment requiring strength and determination. The friction creating sparks of causation. The fire is beyond our comprehension. Without this gravitational field counteracting our forward thrust, we may not experience the joy of life, the overcoming of the struggle And the struggle can be transformative. The pain can make us and break us simultaneously. Victory and defeat pave the way for one another. You can sense this force even though it's invisible, intangible. You know it well, yet think of it little, even though it's ever present and has been there all of your life. It's as if in every moment we can break through into— through, I guess that's through— break through into the next dimension of space, time, and mind. We co-create each instance of expansion. We are the forerunners in the opening out of the universe, striding through the boundaries of the present into the future, surging forward into the great unknown. The rage makes me want to breathe smoke and fire. The sadness breaks my heart. The power of joy is born in the— I can't pronounce that one.

In Broglie.

That's the one. Sounds like a breakfast cereal. And the path to peace amongst the chaos is carved and ordained by the forces of great compassion. I want to breathe smoke.

Thank you, Philip and Jarmaine, for that.

Right, so we're now going to sit in a period of silence for several minutes, and then we will break into some chanting. The chant is— for those of you who knew, it's on the back of your liturgy sheet. There's a few of them. It's going to be Namo Kwanchi Yinbo Satya Robyn. It's only one line, so You have to remember, you just join in. First, we'll sit in silence. Apart from the dog. Um, so as we sit here, if we can concentrate on our breathing— you're breathing out, breathing in— and when unwanted thoughts appear, acknowledge them. But then try to return to your breathing. Don't dwell on them too much and just enjoy the silence and the stillness.

Namokwanshin Bho Satya Robyn. Namo Guan Yin Bosaat! Namo Guan Yin Bosaat! Namu Quanshi Inbosaat! Nammo Kuanchi Imposaat? Namo Guan Yin Bosaat! Namo Guan Yin Bosaat! Namu Quanshi Inbosaat! Nammo Kwan Chi Imposaat— Namokwanji in both sides. Namokwanji in both sides. Namokwanji in both sides. Namo Guanshi Inbosaat! Namo Guanshi Inbosaat! Namu Quan Chi Imposaat? Namo Guansi— imboosasssas... namoo guanchi imbossaatssssss... nammooo goonnsheeee invoooo sssaattt?! Naammmmo Goonshee Invossaast!? Namo Guan Yin Bho Saat! Namo Guan Yin Bo Saaat! Nammo Quanshi Inbo Saattt— Nammmo Kwanji Imboo Saatt? Naamoo Kwanchi Ingooo Saatttt... Namo Guan Yin Bho Saat! Namo Guan Yin Bho Saat! Nammo Quanshi Inbosaattt— namo guanchi imbo satnam mo kwanji im bo saaatt? Namokwanshi Imbosaat! Namokwanshi Imbosaat! Namokwanshi Imbosaat! Namo— Namoh Pranshi Impor Satya Namoh Pranshi Impor Satya Namoh Pranshi Impor Satya—

—impor satyam namah praniti im So now we're going to read, uh, the refuges, uh, the three things we take refuge in, which is the Buddha the Buddhist teaching known as the Dharma, and the community of people that follow those teachings known as the Sangha. That's, uh, repeat after me. And then our precepts, which are a set of guidelines that we try to live our life by, which also repeat after me. And then the Bodhisattva vows, which are call and response, and they're all written on your liturgy sheets if you want to see them. 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 Buddha.

Namo Buddha.

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 Damaya. For refuge I go to the Sangha. For those who live in the Buddha's light. Namo Sangaya. With faith in the Three Jewels. And in light of my human tendencies. I pray that I will become aware. I pray that I will become aware of when I take life. I pray that I will— may become aware. I pray that I may become aware when I take what is not freely given. I pray that I may become aware.

I pray that I may become aware when I fall into sexual misconduct. Of when I fall into sexual misconduct.

I pray that I may become aware— I pray that I may become aware of when I fall into wrong speech— of when I fall into wrong speech. I pray that I may become aware— I pray that I may become aware of when I become intoxicated— of when I become intoxicated. No blame. Be kind. 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.

So now I'm gonna, I'm gonna read something out, um, just a glimpse, a piece of writing that a member of the community has written, um, when they've sort of seen something that means something to them that sort of follows the Buddhist path, I suppose. So this was originally a Dharma glimpse. It's meant to be a Dharma glimpse, and then I've written an epilogue, and then I'm going to try and put it into Buddhist context.

I'm going to read it out.

A couple of years ago, I spent some time on my own on the Pembrokeshire coast. This was the first time I'd gone on a solo holiday. It was the longest amount of time I'd spent by myself for many years. I spent a lot of time walking the coastal paths, scrambling up and down cliffs, and looking in rock pools. I was in my element, really. More than anything, I love immersing myself in the natural world, and I embraced the wilderness of the Welsh seashore. Everywhere I went, I took my binoculars with me, looking for birds and other wildlife. I watched small groups of choughs performing aerial acrobatics along the rocky shoreline. Cormorants bobbing about on the waves before diving for fish. I saw curlew and redshank wading in the estuary looking for worms to eat in the mudflats. Most exciting for me was all the seals. Some were basking on isolated beaches with their pups, and some were bobbing around in the water just a few feet away from me. There was one thing missing though. That part of the Welsh coast is well known for its dolphins, I've never seen dolphins in the wild, and I knew there was a good chance of seeing them there. Every day on my walks, I searched the waves with my binoculars, looking for these elusive animals, often imagining I'd seen them when I hadn't. Each day becoming slightly more obsessed with my desire to get a glimpse of these almost mythical creatures. One day I was high up on the cliff top with amazing panoramic views. I scoured the sea again, hoping to see them. After several minutes, I gave up and decided to sit for a while and meditate. When I had sat for a while, I opened my eyes and took in the beautiful view before me. Suddenly, a weight was lifted from my mind as I realized everything was perfect in that moment, just as it was. I didn't need to see the dolphins to be happy. Just know— just the knowledge that dolphins existed and were out there somewhere was enough.—

and here's the epilogue.

Recently I was lucky enough to be invited on a field trip to Croatia. I was part of a small group of people staying on an island just a few hundred meters from the mainland. There was a boat from the island to the mainland several times a day. On one trip to get some supplies, I saw two dolphins. I was over the moon and very excited, but it only increased my desire to see them again, maybe more next time, and a little bit closer. They were off in the distance but still reasonably close. They swam right in front of a small group of people canoeing, and I felt a slight sense of jealousy rising in me. Every time I got on the boat after that, I found myself frantically searching for dolphins again. So that's two amazing holidays I've had now where, despite being truly grateful and acknowledging my good fortune, I've been left with a slight sense of not being entirely fulfilled. Once because I didn't see any dolphins, and once because I did see dolphins. There was only two of them and they weren't quite close enough. So to try and put this into a Buddhist context, the First Noble Truth the Buddha taught us is that there is suffering, and the Second Noble Truth is that there is a cause of suffering. These causes are sometimes referred to as greed, ignorance, and hate. We all know it's wrong to be greedy, and most of us here, or anyone on a spiritual path, is aware that money and material possessions are not the answer to our problems. But sometimes it's the little things that we don't suspect that can cause us to feel unhappy or unfulfilled. Feeling that life could be just a little bit better, always wanting a bit more, expecting happiness to come at some point in the future, or when a certain set of circumstances are just right. When I was sitting on the rocks in Pembrokeshire, I felt true contentment for a short period of time. In that moment, I didn't want for anything. I experienced deep gratitude for life just as it was, dolphins or no dolphins. Sometimes our desire for that little bit extra means we fail to see and appreciate what we already have. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Um, so next we're going to make prostrations, uh, to the main shrine, which means chanting and also going down on our knees. So if you've got dodgy knees or you don't want to do that, you don't have to. You can sit and watch. Do as much as you want, basically. Um, I'll go to the front when Jané rings a bell.

Gratitude we offer this incense to all buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout space and time. May this fragrance, earth itself, reflecting our careful efforts, our wholehearted awareness, and the fruits of understanding, slowly ripen Real being, be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. We awaken from forgetfulness and realize that they are.

You'll return to your seats or stand by your seats.

And before we say— no, bow, do we?

Sorry, um, Jamy will ring the bell once. We bow one side, then the other. Then he'll ring it twice, left side first. All go left, can't we? No, it's always— And then he'll ring the bell again and we'll bow to the main shrine. So yeah, in a minute we'll say the closing verse, which is on the list and sheet, I think, somewhere.

The other side, um, is—

we got any announcements? Um, there's a golden bowl in the hallway if you want to make donations, or you can do it online via the website. Garden. Oh yeah, we have a cup of tea. Welcome to a cup of tea, um, or coffee, or herbal tea, whatever you want.

Um, garden.

Yeah, and, um, there's some of us going to go into the garden for an hour or so, um, if anyone wants to come and help, that'd be lovely. And there's a book group.

October.

It's led by me.

I can't remember the name of the book.

Living in Book 2. Living in Book 2. I can't remember the exact date. It's a lovely book. October. October anyway, so you can sign up to that on the website as well. Is that all?

And Angie's running one online at the same time, um, in October.

Okay, all the details on the— oh yeah, on the website. Closing this, um, Bless Satya Robyn's heart as I— may we care for all living things and the Holy Earth.