Wednesday evening practice with extra chanting from Ralph the dog

In gratitude, we offer this incense to all 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 awakening. May we and all beings be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. May we awaken from forgetfulness. And realize the Pure Land.

Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabh. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha. Amitabha.

Amitabh.

Amitabh. Amitabh. Hello, me dabu.

Lovely to see everybody here, and hello if you're watching later, practicing with us later. It feels very difficult to do the Dharma talk today without mentioning politics. Here in the UK, we are embroiled in a political situation. I won't go into the details, but there's something about the the kind of drama that happens between people, between groups of people, and especially when that drama involves power and oppression. Power— people who have power and influence and stuff, and people who historically don't have power and stuff. And I think that sometimes people misunderstand Buddhism and think that it is about— someone's using their voice in the other room and I'm just ignoring him, he's got a very good loud voice— sometimes people think that Buddhism is about just coming to a place where we just accept everybody and we can kind of be nice and calm and laid back and give people the benefit of the doubt or allow things to unfold. I really like the idea that the Buddha walked against the the stream. He walked against the power of the current coming the other way, the way that society was when he was alive. He stood up and represented a different way of doing things, a different way of life. He challenged people who were making sacrifices. He spoke to power. And I think all great spiritual teachers do this. They rely on their inner sense of what is right and what has integrity and what's important, rather than doing what suits them or being afraid of what will happen if they step outside society's pressures, society's norms. This is also on my mind because we took part in our first post-coronavirus eco-activist demonstration last weekend with a very peaceful, very non-threatening standing by the side of the road with a hand-painted sign that said for a beautiful greener future, which I don't think many people could have much to argue with. But there was still something that felt edgy about doing that, that when I stepped outside the temple doors, I felt nervous in my stomach because we were, we were standing up and saying, this is what's important, and When we do that, we're making ourselves vulnerable to people's opinions, people's criticisms. There's always a few people who will criticise and mock and hate, and that's why it's really important to me when I do those actions that I am present as a Buddhist, whether I'm officially in my Buddhist role with my Buddhist robes or not. I'm present as a person of faith who can rely on that strength, that ground underneath me, and that it's that that allows me to step forwards. And to hold my nerve when people are shouting abuse or dogs are barking at me. I feel really grateful for that. I feel really grateful for that grounding, and without that grounding, I think I would find it very difficult. And, you know, it's a very small thing that I'm doing. There are people facing all kinds of difficult things. It's an interesting question for us to ponder. Where is it in our life that we are being called to go against the stream? What little conversations, what small actions might expose us to criticism, but we feel in ourselves that it's the right thing to do? And yeah, we can ask the Buddha to support us. In those decisions. So we will now do some meditation, and we'll do junen, which is the sets of 10 nenbutsu. Junen means 10. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Namah Amitabhu. Namah Amitabhu.

Namah Amitabhu.

Namo Amitabha. Namo Amitabha.

Amitabha. Amitabha. Ameedaboo!

Ameedab—

Ameedaboo! Ameedaboo!

Ameedaboo!

Ameedaaboo! Amitabh Puramita pura mithapura amida— Amitabh Puramita pura mithapura amida!

Ami tabhu cha anitabhu namo ami tatvuruu.

Namah Amitabh.

Namah Amitabh.

Namah Amitabh. I also get frustrations on this, something about being in front of a screen.

Two dogs in, in the way. At the moment. Had to cross straight over the dogs.

Namah Amida Butsu!

Namah Amida Butsu! Namoh Amidha! Namoh Amita! Namoh Amita! Namo Amitabha.

Namo Amitabha. Namo Amitabha.

Namo Amitabha. Namoh Amida. Namoh Amida.

Namoh Amida Bu.

Namoh Amida Bu. Okay, so please turn to page 12 of your service book and we will recite evening service together. Page 13 of your service book. I knew if I didn't check that I would get it wrong. And I need to bring With body, speech, and mind, humbly I prostrate and make offerings for Satya Robyn and imagine I confess my wrong deeds from all time and rejoice in the virtues of all. Please stay until samsara ceases and turn the wheel of Dharma for us. I dedicate all virtues to Great Enlightenment. The ground sprinkled with perfume and spread with flowers The great mountain full and sun and moon seen as a Buddha land and offered thus. May all beings enjoy such pure lands. Idam guru ratnamandala kam nirvartayaami. By the grace that I receive Through Amitabha's vows, may I be moved to deeds for the benefit of all. By the grace that I receive, through Amitabha's vows, may I be moved to deeds for the benefit of all. By the grace that I receive, Through Amitābha's vows, may I be moved to deeds for the benefit of all. The purpose of our practice is to be a pure container wherein the common passions mature as higher wisdom. The preliminary outlook comes with bowing and contrition, facing up to my obstructions and seizing life's first essence. Devotion to my teacher ends my smugness and dejection. Helped by his compassion, I will find a straight direction. By refuge vows and precepts, recitation of the sutras, we grow through every challenge, embody sattva aspiration. Cooperation in a sangha brings so many joys and freedoms. Through gentle words and gestures comes collective transformation. Settled faith and inner cleansing brings us home to life's great meaning. In the Four Divine Abidings, Buddha's light is always with us. Multitudes are disconcerted by impermanence and difference. With Dharma as true refuge, we dwell within the Pure Land. Now gratitude is overflowing, going forth, returning richly. I offer gifts of Dharma, Buddha's pathless bestowing. 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. Invocation of Akalanatha. Hail to the mandala, let us so be engulfed within its praises evermore, that by our own wills and vigilance may we our fetters cut away. May we within the temple of our own hearts dwell Amidst the myriad mountains.

Hell, hell, hell.

Invocation of Maha Kala. Let us be helped within the mandala of the Sangha of Buddha.

Hell, hell, hell.

The Arrow of Emptiness. Hail, hail, invocation of Vairochana Buddha. Hail, the beneficent mystic, the treasure. Hail, hail, the golden bell that rings but once.

Peace upon the kingdom.

Namomi Dabu. So we'll now bow to each other. And the Buddha. Just before we finish today, I'd like to remind people that if you would like to donate to the temple fund, Amida Trust runs the temple and other projects in this religious order, and we haven't been receiving donations from people coming to temple because nobody's been coming to temple. So if you would like to make a donation, the link is in the chat box. It's www.isamidamandala.com/donate. Also aware that at this time finances is a bit rrrr for some people, so If you don't have any money, or if you feel like you don't have any money, enough money, then your presence is gift enough. So either way, thank you very much. We'll be here as usual next week and on Saturday for our circle. And I think on this Saturday— is it this Saturday or next Saturday? We've got a talk.

It's the following Saturday. Yeah, next Saturday, the 6th of June.

6th of June, so not till the 6th of June. So really lovely to see you all. I'm going to stop the recording now.