Refuge, Sangha…

Chilled last night with members of the Sweet Cherry Family from the Plum Village Sangha. Spent the late afternoon at Moonlight Beach after work and met up with the Sangha there and then enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a local Indian spot.

WHAT A JOY it was to be able to listen to the Cherry Fam Members share about their 10 year anniversary as nuns and monks! Wow! 10 years! They were so very kind to invite us lay folk to be part of the sharing. I truly felt honored to be there and to be able to simply listening and watch True Loving Speech arise.

So much goodness shared from everyone’s hearts and heart praktis.

And I feel like simply listening and observing, I understand myself and my praktis even more.

Just like that…

The Refuge

…the Precious Jewel of Sangha

Shines brightly for us all to see

ourselves better

How fortunate I am to have this lifetime to encounter the Wonderful Dharma and to have this moment and this next one that arises to praktis…

STAY STRONG

& STAY SWEET

DEAR CHERRY FAMILY!

Present Moment, Precious Moment

from Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche’s Siddhartha’s Intent

…please take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and Guru, Deva and Dakini, because we all need protection from bad health and all manner of disasters.

…All you can do is practise with the wish that you remain alive long enough to become better acquainted with the dharma. Even one second longer in such a life is extremely precious.

Kundun

Some quotes from the film, KUNDUN, the story of His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, his birth, his early years, China’s invasion, and his escape to India.

First, one understands that he causes much of his own suffering needlessly.
Second, he looks for the reasons for this in his own life.
To look is to have confidence in one’s own ability to end the suffering.
Finally, a wish arises to find a path to peace. For all beings desire happiness, all wish to find their purest self.

I rejoice in the awakening of the Buddhas and also in the spiritual levels of their sons. With folded hands, I beseech the Buddhas of All Directions to shine the lamp of Dharma for all bewildered in the gloom of misery.

With folded hands, I beseech all the Buddhas who wish to pass away to please remain, for countless aeons, not to leave the world in darkness.

My foes will become nothing, my friends will become nothing, I too will become nothing. Likewise, all will become nothing.

Just like a dream experienced, whatever things I enjoy will become a memory. Whatever has passed will never be seen again.

I will liberate those not liberated. I will release those, not released. I will relieve those, unrelieved. And set living beings in nirvana.

The Buddhas neither wash ill deeds away with water nor remove beings sufferings with their hands, nor transfer their realizations to others. Beings are released through the teachings of the Truth, the Final Reality.

Thus by the virtue that has collected through all that I have done, may the pain of every living creature be completed cleared away.

I think I am the reflection, like the moon on water. When you see me, when I try to be a good man, you see yourself.

The Fruit of One’s Refuge

I celebrate the ripening of your praktis friend

the inner flowers blossoming

the fragrance of freedom and clarity

the flame of inner awareness

and outer action

loving kindness and skillfulness

circulating deep within

your diamantine, indestructible, eternal self

in breath and out breath…

soul self determination realizations and activations

in…

out…

refuge and praktis

love and fearlessness

transformation and offering

three jewels

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Showing the way fearlessly and compassionately, the stream of all our Ancestral Teachers, to whom we bow in gratitude.

Santi,

Jnaseh

Refuge: Compassion

Compassion has no limit.
Kindness has no enemy.

Mindfulness, concentration & insight.

What does my refuge of compassion look like, feel like, sound like inside and outside of me?

What about when I speak to Nanay and my voice raises? Where is my compassion to myself and another at that moment?

How about when I am listening to her? How quickly does judgment take the place of deep listening?

And with my students? What does compassion look like in the classroom? I am learning how “discipline” and “structure” are forms of compassionate action, but what a fine, fine balance that is.

Compassion. Kindness. Limitless. Refuge.

Emerge(N)See ~ Commencement Begins Everyday!

“If you bring forth what is within you”, Jesus says in the Gospel of Thomas, “what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is in you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.”

I first encountered this quote from Susan Moon and the Manzanita Village writer’s retreat announcement. This year, I’ve been inspired by the idea of EMERGE(N)SEE, a flip-word-play on emergency (so negative our connotation) but also that embedded within this term – language – vibration is the idea of EMERGENCE! YES YES YES to that!

All this to say that I am feeling an urge to more fully explore that which is within me — lest I suppress and allow its under expression to destroy me — as the quote implies.

Really though, simply allowing myself the freedom, self-love and compassion to EMERGE within myself and SEE. SEE it for myself. EMERGE(N)SEE. Let it be revealed. Let it be known.

When I was asked earlier this week by the Tian Gong teacher if I was Buddhist, I was not EMERGIN’ clearly and confidently, fearlessly at that point. My throat chakra was hesitant. And why? Why, I ask myself…

FEAR?

JUST NOT USE TO IT?

PRAKTIS!

PRAKTIS EMERGE(N)SEE!

Praktising emerging, birthing, entering and seeing myself in that new reality, emerged, birthed, entered.

I found the quote above from a different source today:

http://tertiary-education.blogspot.com/

Subheading for this blog:

commencement begins every day

Steppin’

Breathin’

Arrivin’

Comin’ Home

Commencement begins everyday

I graduate every moment

and receive Life fully

in the fullness of myself

I ascend to the depths and heights

and expanses of each moment

capable, spacious, ready, open, receiving, praktising, knowing, being who I am, emerging, offering, contributing

I step, breathe, receive and enter

gratitude fills my being

I enter into the conversation

a conversation with the Universe

a conversation with my Soul

entering the gateway into my True Self

entering into an agreement

a commitment

entering to be present

entering in my entirety

fullness being

completeness

embracing myself

and all that has Emerged for me to See

I AM the I AM

I Achieve Mastery

over my own delusions and fears

all my small living and misperceptions

over my own false habits

Commencement Begins Today!

Commencement Begins Everyday!

REJOICE!

Compassion as Refuge

Compassion has no limit.

Kindness has no enemy.

(quote from yogi tea bag )

JOY

Lyrics & Music: Sr. Thệ Nghiêm

Whatever illumines

your path I will consider as my friend

There are no enemies

No barriers in the heart

There is only wishing you well

http://www.bluecliffmonastery.org/html_files/poetryandmusic/music/joy.html

More Dharmacasts from the Ten Directions!

This time, from H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, from Kechara House in Malaysia. I encountered Rinpoche’s teachings a couple winters ago from Youtube and www.kecharahouse.com website.

It’s a funny, fierce and lineage-based Loco Lama style kinda teaching, in the illustrious tradition of Lama Tsongkhapa, HH the Dalai Lama and Gaden Shartse Monastery.

Check it out for yourself and see if it resonates:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=tsemtulku&view=videos

I didn’t know dharma could “bite” like this and still make us laugh and praktis.  REJOICE!

Santi,

Jnaseh

P.S. May all favorable conditions align for a safe, joyful trip to Motherland Suroeste Asia this summer and a visit to Kechara House in Kuala Lumpur, amongst other dharma adventures!

Altar Praktis – Activation

Small activation ceremony this morning for altar dedicated to Helpful Friends and Universal Support. Created a mudra and chanted Om Rahuaye Namaha a handful of times as part of the activation ceremony. Thanks to auspiciousheart for the Ganesha Yantra, a gift from a whiles back! It is on the offering plate of the altar. And to OneLoveTrust for the St. Michael’s book on miracles. See…already, Helpful Friends! Happiness!

Light offerings to Dharma Refuge Lineage altar. I remember I had a picture of Thay which I was looking for, but I think I remember it was offered up to dharma brother over the summer. All good. In generosity, he left me so many boxes of incense, as well as a a meditation mat and other good things.

Maybe, just maybe, the conditions to visit Deer Park tomorrow will be favorable, and I can get me another picture of Thay.

I take refuge in the Three Jewels

…the Buddha

…the Dharma

…and the Sangha

until I reach Enlightenment.

(Kundun, the film)