The gift of delight

Welcome everybody. The shrine room and everyone's looking very beautiful tonight. We have no one joining us online so far today. I'm going to begin with a poem by Roski. It's called Sorrow Is Not My Name. No matter the pull towards brink, no matter the florid deep sleep awaits. There is a time for everything. Look, just this morning a vulture nodded his red grizzled head at me, and I looked at him admiring the sickle of his beak. Then the wing kicked up, and after arranging that good suit of feathers, he up and took off. Just like that. And to boot, there are on this planet alone something like 2 million naturally occurring sweet things, some with names so generous as to kick the steel from my knees. Agave, persimmon, stickball, the purple okra I bought for $2 at the market. Think of that. The long night, the skeleton in the mirror, the man behind me on the bus taking notes. Yeah, yeah. But look, my niece is running through a field calling my name. My neighbor sings like an angel, and at the end of my block is a basketball court. I remember My colour's green, I'm spring. I'm gonna read it twice, I think the first time is just getting familiar with it. So, Sorrow is Not My Name by Ross Gay. No matter the pull towards brink, No matter the florid, deep sleep awaits. There is a time for everything. Look, just this morning a vulture nodded his red grizzled head at me, and I looked at him admiring the sickle of his beak. Then the wind kicked up, and after arranging that good suit of feathers, he up and took off Just like that. And to boot, there are on this planet alone something like 2 million naturally occurring sweet things, some with names so generous as to kick the steel from my knees. Agave, persimmon, stickball, the purple okra I bought for 2 bucks at the market Think of that. The long night, the skeleton in the mirror, the man behind me on the bus taking notes. Yeah, yeah. But look, my niece is running through a field calling my name. My neighbor sings like an angel, and at the end of my block is a basketball court. I remember. My color is green. I'm spring. Namaste. Moving into a period of meditation. Maybe slowly navigating the body towards that, and the mind with it.

Namokwanji in Bosasa. Namokwanji in Bosasa. Namokwanji Ngo Sa. Namokwanji Ngo Sa. Namokwanji Ngo Sa. Namokwanji in Bosats. Namokwanji in Bosats. Namokwanji in Bosats. Namokwanchi in bosat. Namokwanchi in bosat. Namokwanchi in bosat. Namoh Kwan Chi Indosat. Namoh Kwan Chi Indosat. Namoh Kwan Chi Indosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namokwanji in Bosat. Namoh Quan Chi in Bosat. Namoh Quan Chi in Bosat. Namoh Quan Chi in Bosat. Namoh Quan Chi in Bosat. Namoh Quan Chi in Bosat. Namoh Quan Chi in Bosat. Namoh Kwan Chi Invo Sat. Namoh Kwan Chi Invo Sat. Namoh Kwan Chi Invo Sat. Nammo Kwanchi Hindo Sah? Namo Khwanchi Indu Saat!—nam mo khwan-chii hindoo saa... nam o kwanchee indhu booh-saat naam moh kwen cheen boo sat. Naamu Kwentcheem Boo-Saaahh?! Namoh Kuan Yin, Bo Saat. Namoh Kuan Yin, Bo Saat. Namoh Kuan Yin, Bo Saat. Namoh Kwan Chi Inbosa. Namoh Kwan Chi Inbosa. Namoh Kwan Chi Inbosa.

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.

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. 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 Sanghaya. Namo Sanghaya. For refuge I go to the Earth. For refuge I go to the Earth, the holy ground of awakening. The holy ground of awakening. Namobhumyay. Namobhumyay. With faith in the Four Refuges, with faith in the Four Refuges, and in light of my human tendencies, and in light of my human tendencies, I pray that I may become aware I pray that I may become aware of when I take life— or when I take life—I pray that I may become aware—or my prayers might make me come away—of when I take what is not freely given—but then I'll take what is not really human—I pray that I may become aware—and praise them—they've been unaware—when I fall into sexual misconduct—or when I fall into sexual misconduct. I pray that I may become aware— —of when I fall into wrong speech. I pray that I may become aware— —of when I become intoxicated. No blame! Be kind! 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. Ameedaboo.

Wow, it's dark outside, hey? Go away for a week and turn across the equinox, so that's it. So I've only very, very recently discovered the poet Ross Gay, whose poet— poem I read out at the start. Um, yeah, but I, I'm really enjoying discovering a bit more of his poetry. He has this really beautiful kind of blend of having experienced a lot of suffering and being very aware of suffering and also being very in touch with, um, appreciation and joy and gratitude. And that's kind of very resonant with, uh, what I had in mind to talk about today, which is the gift of delight. So the gift of delight is something that my dog Honja brings me every day. So every day I get to delight in loads of little things that she does, whether it's like that first stretch she does in the morning, and it just looks so— she really gets into it and it looks so like yummy, and she really enjoys it, and it really makes me smile. And then I get to smile first thing in the morning just watching her stretch. Or whether it's like delighting in her playing or her barking whilst we were meditating. I was taking some delight in that. I possibly was the only one in the room taking delight in that. And, and what happens, you know, when I'm feeling this delight, it's like this, this big bird in my chest is kind of flapping its wings and expanding my chest and lifting me up a bit and warming down into my belly and up into my mouth, into my eyes, into a smile. And these little moments, they might only literally last a few seconds before I'm back absorbed in something else. But they're really precious and they make a really big difference to my day. And also what I notice is that they're kind of infectious because, because that bird flapping its wings in my chest expands my heart, opens my heart. And then when my heart's a bit more open, I can see more of all the other things that is possible to take delight in, like nature and people and all sorts of little things, food. And these moments of delight can happen alongside all of the suffering and pain and difficulty and heaviness that is around. In my experience in the world, and in the world they can kind of coexist. You can coexist with each other just like they do in that poem. And there was a particularly good moment just before practice where that— which really showed that. So I've gone out in the garden with Anya, and she'd had a really good sniff round and run, chased after some squirrels and had some fun. And she'd gone to the toilet, and as I stepped down to pick pick up her shit, I just— my, my foot just pressed on this really beautiful smelling bit of mossy grass. So I had this really gorgeous experience. On the one hand, I was just picking up shit, which as a dog owner is actually just a really mundane experience. On the other hand, I had this beautiful smell of this little bit of moss that I just squished a little bit under my foot and hopefully bounced back. I mean, it didn't look like I killed it. So in that one moment, just a beautiful little tiny, um, uh, fractal of what's happening. And I feel like these moments are moments when the divine is coming through. When the light of dharmakaya, of that fabric of awakened consciousness, that is, that everything is arising out of, falling away, interconnectedly relating from and through and within, that light just kind of shining through just for a moment. I mean, it's probably always shining through, but just for me, it's a notice. I remember, I actually see in that moment the light shining through in that expression of joy. And so there are so many ways that we can have those kind of experiences. We don't have to have dog. I mean, it probably helps, but you don't have to have a dog to experience moments like that. Like, the natural world is, is constantly offering us these moments of beauty and wonder. And, you know, some of the people around us in our interactions, there can be moments that offer that to us too. But I for one definitely need a good nudge, like as many nudges really as it takes. And maybe this is a real, um, encouragement to, to accept as many nudges towards moments, little moments of delight, as you get in your day, because I definitely will be accepting them as well. Namaste.

Amor a mi. Amor a mi. Amor a mi. Alas, people busily engaged in secular matters take no notice of life wearing away day by day, night by night. Like a lamp in the wind, how long can it last? In the six realms of Vaasamsara, There is no fixed abode. Until we are emancipated from the sea of affliction, how can we rest in peace? Should we not be afraid? While we still have strength, let us each hear the Dharma. Let us strive and diligently seek the path to eternity.

Okay, no volunteer hour this Saturday. Kirtan on Sunday night, we do a week early so everybody doesn't have to wait quite as long, but then you have to wait long the next one. Yeah, and retreat day, 18th of October, Refuge India. Bless us, Paramahansa Yogananda's light.

May he care for all living things on the Mother Earth.