“When we send the energy of love and compassion to another person, it doesn’t matter if they know we are sending it. The important thing is that the energy is there and the heart of love is there and is being sent out into the world.” Thich Nhat Hanh
We had a lovely day together yesterday. Twenty of us gathered among the pines on Heinz & Teresa’s peaceful land. Thank you all for being there and making the day. Here’s the story of the Buddha’s eager young monk who joined the Buddha’s sangha named Meghiya. Meghiya decided to practice meditation alone in an especially peaceful and beautiful mango grove. But rather than his meditations being peaceful and beautiful, his mind was filled with malicious, lustful, and confused thought. When Meghiya rushed back to report his confusing experience, Buddha was not surprised. He took the opportunity to give Meghiya what he must have hoped was a relevant teaching. Five things induce release of heart and lasting peace,” the Buddha told him. “First, a lovely intimacy with good friends. Second, virtuous conduct. Third, frequent conversation that inspires and encourages practice. Fourth, diligence, energy, and enthusiasm for the good. And fifth, insight into impermanence.”
“Then, for Meghiya’s further benefit, and to the cement the point, the Buddha goes through the list again, this time preceding each of the other items with the first: “When there is a lovely intimacy between friends, then there is virtuous conduct,” “When there is a lovely intimacy between friends, then there is frequent conversation that inspires and encourages practice,” et cetera. In other words, friendship is the most important element in the spiritual path. Everything else naturally flows from it.”
We will have a day-long retreat on September 23rd, in the Black Forest. The topic is the Lama Tsong Kapa’s teaching of the three principal aspects of the path. The first of these is renunciation. ‘Renunciation’ here refers to a turning away – turning away from the behaviors and habits that create yearning and samsara – and directing our spiritual energy towards liberation. Then the second is bodhicitta, the awakened heart/mind, which for the benefit of all sentient beings, in seeing sentient beings’ suffering, we strive to achieve the highest state of enlightenment in order to be of maximum benefit to all. Then the third of the three is “right view”, also known as ‘the wisdom of emptiness or shunyata’. ‘Wisdom’ here refers to the view of the ‘middle way’ between the two extremes of annihilation and permanence. So then the “right view” of reality is the third of the three principal aspects of the path.
We will be meeting in a private home. If you are interested in attending, please contact me for the address and directions. All are welcome!
This week we will talk about the paramita of wisdom–prajna paramita. This is our innate wisdom that comes from our basic goodness. It informs our lives if we listen.
Sylvia Boorstein wrote about wisdom in this way, “the Buddha taught the Three Characteristics of Experience:
1. Everything is always changing (insight into impermanence).
2. Suffering is extra tension created in the mind when it struggles (insight into suffering).
3. Nothing has a substantive existence separate from everything else, or indeed any existence at all apart from contingency, apart from being the result of complex causes and factors in subsequent experience (insight into interdependence).”
Nothing ever remains the same — even the breath changes breath to breath; our lack or understanding of the interdependent nature of life (causes and conditions) and our desire for things to at last become permanent create our suffering.
OPEN HEART SANGHA 