All We Truly Know Is That We Truly Know Very Little

We are wisely taught that we need to be concerned about all other’s welfare, with a mind of good will and without hate. So, we need compassion not just for the abused but also for the one who is the abuser. One who hurts others does not understand causality, does not understand that by doing this he or she will continue to be pulled back again and again into the cycle of inflicting and receiving pain. People who hurt others do not understand that the persons they are hurting had hurt them in the past. By retaliating now, they are just perpetuating this cycle of pain.

We need sympathy and compassion to understand how both the victimizer and the victim are caught in this cycle. Unaware of the cause and effect that has brought them to this point; they are unable to act wisely. This is certainly understandable. How many of us have learned about causality? We should understand what is really happening when negative things occur in our lives. But when such things happen, how often are we able to remain calm and react wisely?

If we are sympathetic to others’ welfare while maintaining goodwill, commiseration, and loving-kindness for all people, then we will not judge others. We will not say that this person is right and that person is wrong because we will come to understand that we do not know what is really happening, that we will likely mis­take falsity for truth. But if we are able to regard both friend and foe with sympathy and loving-kindness, we will then be able to practice the nonjudgmental, unconditional giving of love and thus wish for all beings to be happy.

You have to be brave to take me out to lunch

Like other people who try to live a sustainable lifestyle, I'm trying to rethink everything I do. Since plastic can only be recycled once, recycling is best considered as a last resort. Not taking something in the first place or reusing something we already have is much better. So today, when Cameo asked me out to lunch after class, I hurriedly stuffed my plastic-fork-to-go into my pocket along with my little plastic box with chopsticks and spoon that I was given.

(So far the need to be brave hasn't arisen.)

Driving to the restaurant, my cell phone rang and while trying to get it out of my pocket, I dropped the plastic box and it spilled its contents. So it went back into my pocket to be added to the evening once-a-day-wash. Fortunately, the restaurant had washable cutlery so I didn't need to feel bad about not being able to use my take-along supply.

Then it happened. 

While we were eating, I saw a plastic bucket near the entrance to the kitchen. Those who attend my classes and have been in the center will understand my interest in plastic buckets. I allow very little water to go to waste. I reuse water from washing the dishes, catch the cold water while waiting for the hot, have a little bowl to catch the water from washing my hands in the bathroom sink and empty the bowl into the bucket, put the dishpan under the dripping faucet when the temperature drops so low the pipes could freeze, and do anything else I can think of to conserve water.

My problem is I have just one bucket, so I've been thinking of going to Goodwill to try to get a used one. 

Now, while sitting in the restaurant, I saw "my bucket." (Craving does pop up at the strangest times.) My bucket was the perfect size and looked very sturdy. It was one of those five gallon ones that are used so much in the food industry. Then, I spotted another one.  I was in bucket heaven!! Where there were two, there surely were more. I told Cameo about the buckets, trying to see if I would be brave (here it is) enough to ask the owner if she had any more buckets...any extra buckets.

Cameo seized the moment and asked the owner if she had any unused buckets. Understandably the owner was a bit confused about what we wanted but as soon as she understood, she went to look. Then she came back carrying a lovely bucket that even had a lid!

Ah, the simple pleasures of life as a Buddhist nun.

Other people in the restaurant were leaving with small take-home containers of leftovers. I walked out with a five-gallon bucket. White with red lettering. Very obvious.

It's a good thing Cameo is a brave woman or she'd probably never ask me out again for lunch...or anywhere else that might have buckets.   

No Way to "Jimmy the Machine"

One of the joys in my life is to hear people express clearly a deep understanding of the Dharma. The following was written by someone who is experiencing two painfully difficult events. Although his causes and conditions led him to be where he is today, the two—his father's sudden illness and now a trusted advisor’s all-too-human weaknesses—are not the direct result of his personal actions and neither occurrence could have been foreseen. It is not unusual for sudden shocks to cause a practitioner to have serious doubts as to his own capabilities.

The individual I am speaking of has written that if such a lack of judgment can be committed by a person who has reached a higher level in his practice and then experienced such a fall…

…what does that augur for me, an "ordinary" joe? The answer must be to keep practicing. Since both pleasing & unpleasant occurrences are guaranteed in life, one's job must be to learn to endure it all with wisdom, compassion & equanimity. There is simply no alternative. Positive & negative karmas will generate the future. The only choice is to progressively court positive growth through right thought, speech & action. There is no way to "jimmy the machine" and obtain a free lunch, or "jump the turnstile" and get a free ride.

The best refuge for these dharma-declining times is Pure Land Buddha remembrance. But even Great Cosmic Amituofo cannot do it for us. One must always walk the path oneself. Though assisted by other-power and sangha support, one is alone in practice.

That's quite a pill to swallow. So, despite the trials and tribulations of my life, I alone am responsible for my progress. And, no one owes me anything. In fact, I owe gratitude to all people and circumstances for acting as dharma instructors, wittingly or unwittingly. This will require serious commitment and maturity on my part. As I think on these things, the Bodhisattva vows echo in my mind.

So, no, there is no way to “jimmy the machine.” We have to do the hard work. But we can gain comfort knowing that if we plant the good seed, we will—without doubt—gain our reward, and be able to help all beings.  

Don't Look at Others

 

The Buddha told us to do no harm and to purify our minds. He did not tell us to instruct others to correct their faults. He did not say we should force others into thinking as we do or belittle others to make ourselves look superior or wiser. He told us that if we wish to awaken, we would need to stop blaming others for our problems, to stop arguing with others, and to stop judging others.

Instead, we need to look at ourselves, understand our situations, and assume full responsibility for what happens to us. We reap what we sow. Our lives today are the result of what we thought, said, and did in the past. What we think, say, and do today will, likewise, shape our future. If we harm others, we will be harmed. If we love others, we will be loved. If we have peaceful thoughts, we will have peace. Everything will come back to us full circle.

Thus, everything we do matters.

How do I Begin a Daily Pure Land Practice?

Question: I'd really like to start some kind of daily Pure Land practice and to be honest I'd be very grateful for some suggestions.

Response: First, you can place a container of clean water on the gongzhou (the table or shelf with you Buddha image, incense, etc.) if you have not already done so. Next, if you wish, light a stick of incense. If you have respiratory problems, there are some very nice smokeless varieties available. After lighting the incense, do not blow on the incense but fan it gently with your hand to put out the flame and allow it to burn slowly. Raise the lower tip of the incense to lightly touch your forehead with the incense pointed towards the Buddha and then place the incense in the holder.

In the following ceremony, which we follow sequentially, we first pay respects to Sakyamuni Buddha for teaching us about the unsatisfactory reality of our existence and of the happiness and liberation of the Pure Land. We then pay our respects to Amitabha Buddha for his compassionate vows to help all beings who request that help. Next, we begin chanting “Amituofo,” which is the main part of the session. Continue this chanting for the time you have set aside for your practice.

After chanting, we pay our respects to the bodhisattvas Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta for their exemplary teachings of compassion and wisdom respectively, and then to all the bodhisattvas in the Pure Land for having progressed on the path of awakening. Next is the Verse of Repentance to express our deep regret for having harmed innumerable beings throughout our countless lifetimes. We conclude with the Dedication of Merit to pass on the goodness that has resulted from our chanting to help all beings end suffering and attain lasting happiness.

The following is the format for the practice. 

(Put palms together. Do one bow, three prostrations, one bow.
Place container of water in front of Amitabha Buddha image. Light incense if desired.
Put palms together, bow once, and say what is in quote marks.)

“Homage to our original teacher Sakyamuni Buddha.” (One bow)
(Repeat three times)

“Homage to Amitabha Buddha.” (One bow)

(For as long as time permits, do sitting or walking meditation while mindfully chanting )
“Amituofo”

( When finished, stand and put palms together)

“Homage to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.” (One bow)

“Homage to Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva.” (One bow)

“Homage to the great pure sea of bodhisattvas.” (One bow)

“All evil actions committed by me since time immemorial,
stemming from greed, anger, and ignorance,
arising from body, speech, and mind,
I deeply repent having committed.”
(One bow)

“May the merits and virtues accrued from this work adorn the Buddha’s Pure Land,
repay the Four Kindnesses above, and relieve the sufferings of those in the Three Paths below.
May those who see or hear of this bring forth the Bodhi mind,
and at the end of this life,
be born together in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.”

(One bow, three prostrations, one bow)