A good time was had by all
Today is Saga Dawa Duchen, the anniversary in the Tibetan Buddhist calendar of Shakyamuni Buddha's birth, enlightenment and parinirvana. It's considered a very auspicious day, so much so that it is said that the karmic weight of one's actions on this day is magnified 10-million times! That weight can be thrown in either direction, positive or negative, and since this path is one where all you really have to work with is "merit", which is the accumulation of positive actions that benefit others, on this day in particular it's good to spend as much of it as possible generating merit.
Our sangha started the day at the Amitabha Stupa with prayers and and a "sang" (smoke) offering. As usual, it was a gorgeous, warm, sunny morning. After prayers and the Sang practice we read the 38th chapter of the book, The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava (if you don't have it, you can get a copy from Wisdom Publications at www.wisdompubs.org). At the practice were a couple long time students of Jetsunma who had read this many times before. It was the new students who were gobsmacked by the power of the reading and the benefits of hearing, reading and owning the text. "Wherever a copy of this account is found... the spirits, demonic forces and elementals will be kept back at a distance, unable to approach any closer than a mile." How about that!
We then opened the Shower of Blessings practice and began accumulating the Seven Line Prayer. Later in the day, Jetsunma taught in Maryland and we listened to the teaching through a conference call hook-up. For centuries students would have to go through great difficulty to receive a teaching from their Root Guru. They had to climb mountains, trek on foot or horse back for days, and at great personal expense in order to lay their eyes on their Lama, and maybe just once of twice in a lifetime. For us, it's a matter of making sure there is enough cash on the phone card, then voila, we can receive a direct transmission from the Lama who is our Root Guru. In some way it seems too easy.
Anyway, Jetsunma basically taught on her desire for us to focus on our practice, really focus now because things are becoming more and more difficult, and to gain the courage to beat back the darkness, something like the promise at the end of the Mandarava book. We are the ones through the merit that we generate that can hold back the darkess until all sentient beings are liberated. She said both ordinary kindness and extraordinary compassion (which is practice) are needed now, and not to see them as separate.
This day of practice wound-up with a Shower of Blessings Tsog. There were easily 40 people crowded in our small Prayer Room. It was a wonderful bookend to the morning practice at the stupa. The room was filled with the vibration that comes from chanting, that which at a very subtle level slowly transforms our existence. The offering table was filled with food. After the practice was completed we all came over the the residence where another monk and I live, and had some time to meet and greet.
All in all there was a good deal of merit generated today. May every aspect of that merit -- all of it -- go to benefit sentient beings. If they are sick, may they return to good health; if they are sad, may they find true happiness; if they are lost, may the merit of this day guide them to safety; if they are angry, may the cool waters of merit soothe their anger and wash away all pride. In this way, and in all possible ways, may sentient beings quickly attain a state of perfect liberation. May this happen quickly.
EH MA HO!
Our sangha started the day at the Amitabha Stupa with prayers and and a "sang" (smoke) offering. As usual, it was a gorgeous, warm, sunny morning. After prayers and the Sang practice we read the 38th chapter of the book, The Lives and Liberation of Princess Mandarava (if you don't have it, you can get a copy from Wisdom Publications at www.wisdompubs.org). At the practice were a couple long time students of Jetsunma who had read this many times before. It was the new students who were gobsmacked by the power of the reading and the benefits of hearing, reading and owning the text. "Wherever a copy of this account is found... the spirits, demonic forces and elementals will be kept back at a distance, unable to approach any closer than a mile." How about that!
We then opened the Shower of Blessings practice and began accumulating the Seven Line Prayer. Later in the day, Jetsunma taught in Maryland and we listened to the teaching through a conference call hook-up. For centuries students would have to go through great difficulty to receive a teaching from their Root Guru. They had to climb mountains, trek on foot or horse back for days, and at great personal expense in order to lay their eyes on their Lama, and maybe just once of twice in a lifetime. For us, it's a matter of making sure there is enough cash on the phone card, then voila, we can receive a direct transmission from the Lama who is our Root Guru. In some way it seems too easy.
Anyway, Jetsunma basically taught on her desire for us to focus on our practice, really focus now because things are becoming more and more difficult, and to gain the courage to beat back the darkness, something like the promise at the end of the Mandarava book. We are the ones through the merit that we generate that can hold back the darkess until all sentient beings are liberated. She said both ordinary kindness and extraordinary compassion (which is practice) are needed now, and not to see them as separate.
This day of practice wound-up with a Shower of Blessings Tsog. There were easily 40 people crowded in our small Prayer Room. It was a wonderful bookend to the morning practice at the stupa. The room was filled with the vibration that comes from chanting, that which at a very subtle level slowly transforms our existence. The offering table was filled with food. After the practice was completed we all came over the the residence where another monk and I live, and had some time to meet and greet.
All in all there was a good deal of merit generated today. May every aspect of that merit -- all of it -- go to benefit sentient beings. If they are sick, may they return to good health; if they are sad, may they find true happiness; if they are lost, may the merit of this day guide them to safety; if they are angry, may the cool waters of merit soothe their anger and wash away all pride. In this way, and in all possible ways, may sentient beings quickly attain a state of perfect liberation. May this happen quickly.
EH MA HO!
posted by Gonpo Yeshe (David) Williams at 10:38 PM
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