OTHER PAGES ON THE LEAFLET
SANGHA DAY, FAMILY DAY
This week, on the full moon which marked Valentine’s Day, we are simultaneously celebrating Maha Puja or Sangha Day which commemorates the spontaneous gathering of over a thousand of Shakyamuni’s arhats (senior disciples). Sangha literally means the “community” and refers to both Shakyamuni’s most intimate followers but also the larger community which supports it. Shakyamuni added sangha as the third jewel, along with Buddha and Dharma, no doubt to reflect the crucial role of human relationships in the relief of suffering.
In Japanese Buddhism this larger community is referred to as sodai, and might also imply the “extended family” supporting a Buddhist temple. It would include clergy and lay-people who were equally engaged in sustaining the temple which served its locale.
Its worth noting the parallel symbolism of our designation of this same weekend as including Family Day (for we Ontarians, at least), a time when we are reminded to honour the importance and individuals who make up our family. We can also recall that we are members of another family, our Dharma family, that collection of people who share our commitment to teaching and practicing the Buddhaway.
Our Tendai tradition is a priestly tradition, one which has built and preserved temples which serve thousands of communities of Buddhist families. There is a remarkable symbiosis between the clergy and its sodai. Families, be they your own or those you serve as fellow members of the larger Buddhist spiritual family, provide us with the context for practice and service.
Please enjoy your time with your family this week,
Yours in the Dharma,
Innen, doshu
om namo amida butsu
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ATTUNEMENT
Paying attention and keeping open awareness are familiar advice in our practice. However, these are but half of practice. The other is that of attunement or alignment. By this I mean the way we express our selves in relation to what we are attending to. We might consider a stringed instrument, for example, where the harmony and musicality depends on the attunement between the strings and between the instruments in a group. In the same way, we do not exist independent of our context; we are part of an ensemble. Harmony, resonance and attunement are how we produce the sweet music of our lives.
The simplest form is our own physical alignment, the balance and clarity of how we hold our bodies when we walk or sit. We are all used to checking our spine, leaning and hand position when we sit or walk. We instantly notice the difference in strength between a posture of alignment and one of imbalance. This is a dynamic activity, we check again and again with each breath to see how we are in our bodies and in relation to the space we inhabit.
On a larger scale, our practice is one of aligning and attuning to the activity of the Buddhas. In each moment of our lives, in each decision we make, our faith recommends we establish ourselves in relation to that single and unending purpose - presenting the Dharma. There is a popular motto making the rounds - “what would (Jesus, Buddha, whoever) do?” that invites us to act like some model. More importantly for us is to the question “how are the Buddhas doing...?” We need to do more than mimic the Buddhas, but rather align ourselves with their ever-presenting activity.
Yours in the Dharma,
from Akashaloka,
Innen, doshu
om namo amida butsu
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The Easy Way
A Sangha member recently asked about the Heart Sutra , in particular the mysterious concept of emptiness (sunyata). Our discussion reminded me of the vulnerability we have of being attracted to, challenged/confused by or turned away from our faith by difficult philosophical ideas. It is typical of modern Westernizing influences in religious life that things get boiled down to the most impenetrable notions, and people are judged as infirmed if they cannot show a dexterity with notions such as emptiness, impermanence or non-difference.
Our religious lives are not college entrance exams and we don’t need to cram for some mid-term to stand (or sit) in our community. Our practice is not one of figuring things out, some advanced research project. It is the way we align ourselves with the Dharma, and we do this with the body and mind we have at our disposal. In this effort, we have, as we say in our Tendai tradition, “10,000 ways” to practice. To be sure, some of these ways include “Dharma study”, the exploration and interpretation of religious texts. However, this way is appropriate only for some and not required of all.
When we are tempted to throw up our hands at the mysteries, we have what Shinran calls “the easy path” to follow. This is the path of recitation or nembutsu, simply keeping the phrase “om namu amida butsu” in our attention at all times. And it is just one of those many alternates to study.
When we hear a piece of music and are moved by it, we can relate to it by attentive listening. This what it was created for in the first place. That may be enriched by understanding the details of the musical composition, the subtleties of performance and the historical context. This is not better than the first, nor an impediment. We are helped when we notice how we undermine our own practice by expecting intellectual sophistication as the standard for practice.
Yours in the Dharma,
from Akashaloka,
Innen, doshu
om namo amida butsu
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Horsing Around- Part 2
When you ride a horse, you are as much the passenger as the master. Riding is a negotiated agreement between you and a half-ton creature with a mind of its own. Just ask Ian Millar. He never failed to acknowledge the respectful relationship between he and his beloved Big Ben.
This year we are reminded of this as we consider our sangha. We are a growing and energetic youngster ( a mere 10 years old!) who is trying to find its footing. We have strength, energy and spirit. We do, however, need training and care.
Over the weekend I outlined some of the changes and challenges we face as we enter our second decade. Have a look at the Directions 2014 tab above for more on that. I was heartened by the positive reaction, creativity and excitement that followed in our conversation. There is reason to feel confidence in where we are headed.
If you missed the live talk, I encourage you to check out the text of the talk and the list of ideas. It is my hope this will call to you in two different ways. First, I re-iterate my personal invitation for you to attend our practice sessions in Pembroke, where we will dedicate most of our energy this year. We will promise more of the same authentic and accessible practice and teaching you have participated in or heard about. Secondly, I welcome your suggestions and ideas about how we can present the Buddha-way in the most dynamic and engaging way possible for our local community. Our sangha will grow and thrive because its participants care about the Dharma and dedicate energy to help Red Maple deliver its message widely. Mount up!
Yours in the Dharma,
from Akashaloka,
Innen, doshu
om namo amida butsu
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JUST HORSING AROUND-1
We have just passed the Western New Year date of January 1, and are approaching (January 31) the Chinese New Year. I like to use this calendar designation because the Chinese system overlaps with zodiac signs, all animals, which point to a theme for the year. We are just moving out of the Year of the Snake into the Year of the Horse. What might this suggest to us?
Horse are primarily modes of good and quick transportation, so is a symbol of traveling, but also a because they get you to where you want to go, sign of speedy success. Horses are also symbols of competition. The pursue freedom, passion and leadership. Horses are social animals, with the herd, l but also in company of humans both as transporters and military collaborators.
Chinese wouldn't let horse to the farm work. Instead, all the farmland jobs go to the ox. This is because Chinese have higher expectation on horses. Horses can help human to reach a goal or win the battle. Horses are intelligent but still needs to be trained to become useful to human.
For us then, we are alerted this year to themes of:
• transportation and travel, getting swiftly to our destinations
• learning more to live together and protect and promote our “herd”
• demonstrating leadership
• engaging in brave endeavours in support of ourselves and others
• displaying our intelligence and being open to training and discipline
More on this to come.
Yours in the Dharma,
from Akashaloka,
Innen, doshu
om namo amida butsu
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THE WINTER BLAHS
As we pack up our gifts, decorations and lights, we enter into that extended period of winter, which, for some, promises ski trails and snowmen. For others, it ushers in a long and dark season, full of physical and/or emotional hardship. Statistically, we know this is one of the most difficult times of the year for all ages. This was brought home to me, just before the Christmas break, when so many lives in my work location community were shattered in a young woman’s deeply desperate act of self destruction. I’m always astonished at how wide are the ripples from such loss and pain.
Sometimes those of us who are bringing Dharma practices into our lives lose focus on the real purpose of our practice. Ours is a practice of attention and compassion. We are dedicated to the relief of suffering in the world. It is especially important for us to attend to those close to us at this time of year and be sensitive to how they are doing. This can be catching up with that person who we didn’t quite connect with over the past few weeks. It can be taking a few extra moments to listen attentively to someone who wants to share something personal with us. It can be taking an extra breath before reacting to the person who cuts you off in traffic or who blunders past you in the grocery store.
We refer to the Three Obstacles (kleshas) in our human lives - passion, aggression and stupidity. These characterize everyone’s life and behaviour. It is these tendencies which keep us locked into the cycle of suffering and scarcity we feel. Its never too difficult to see these at play in the lives of others, and dismiss them. Our practice calls us to recognize that such behaviour is our own behaviour too. It is recognizing our shared entrapment that allows us to bring our compassion and loving kindness into our lives and make it available for others.
Yours in the Dharma,
from Akashaloka,
Innen, doshu
om namo amida butsu
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ANNUAL INTENTIONS GUIDE QUESTIONS
Each year we set time aside for a backward and forward consideration of our lives, individually and as a community. In December, we shared our reflections on how we have contributed to our own, our family and the community’s progress for the passing year. Now, around the time of the Western and Chinese New Years, we look ahead and consider how we will contribute to our own, our family and our community’s prosperity.
Here is a framework of guiding questions for the New Year Intentions reflection.
1. WISDOM
This question invites you to reflect on your coming efforts to cultivate knowledge and understanding in yourself and for others.
- How will you cultivate knowledge for yourself? (Reading, study, training, hobbies)
- How will you contribute to and foster the knowledge of others, including the larger community?
- In what ways will you balance the emotional and intellectual sides of your life?
2. PRACTICE IN ACTION
Practice is both the formal practices we apply in our lives, but also the many ways we bring our growing practice skill to everyday living.
- What practices will you work on this year?
- How will you apply your formal practices to your everyday life?
- In what ways will you develop your power of concentration?
- In what ways will you develop your capacity to pay attention to your life?
- In what ways will you strengthen the practice environment of the Red Maple Sangha?
3. ETHICAL LIVING
Knowledge and practice remain private experiences unless they are applied to everyday living. Our teaching recommends we focus on the wholesome expression of our practice, on actions which fulfill what we are learning in our practice and what we come to understand through study.
- How will you express your practice, in language and purposeful action?
- How will practice impact and shape your work situation?
- How will practice shape and impact your home life and relationships?
- How will practice shape your relation to the immediate and world-wide community within which you live?
