Didn’t we have a most marvellous retreat? So, many people are now asking themselves how to go forward from here, like…

“What should I do about myself?”
“What can I do for the Sangha?”
“What can I do for the world?”

These three questions are quite closely related. One might start with any of them.

If one starts with “What can I do about the world?”, one might feel abashed, overwhelmed. Or one might throw oneself into becoming a peace-maker or a welfare-worker of some kind: one might join an organization, or join with others and create a project, or simply go out with a flask of hot tea and sit down beside that homeless person by the bridge and have a chat. There is always something one can do. In the Bodhi Retreat we heard and saw wonderful examples of heroic work towards righting some of the wrongs of the world. Things are sometimes possible. Yet, we also heard how small everyday acts can have disproportionate effect.   We’re all contributing to creating the culture of Dharma. The robe of Buddha is a cloth made of kindness and wisdom. We put on these clothes every time that our mind turns towards the Dharma. The nembutsu is like the shuttle that weaves that cloth.

If one starts with the question “What can I do for the Sangha?”, again, one might wonder how to start. Or one might just get on the phone or on WhatsApp or on e-mail and start reaching out, perhaps beginning with those one knows, and asking: “What’s possible? What could we do together? What are others doing? Can I help?” The upshot of such reaching out can be the formation of small groups. They might have a project, such as to study together or organising an event or scheme or they might simply be friendship-groups for sharing with one another, developing mutual support and practising together. Again, the cement that holds such groups together in the Sangha is the nembutsu. It’s because we all in one way or another are turning the mind towards Buddha and Dharma that there is a basis for our connection and co-operation, even though we might be very distinct personalities, and when we come together in such a context, we learn a lot. All those differences become contributions to a wonderful chemistry.

Of course, in principle, we can all begin with the third question: “What can I do about myself?” Yet, actually, if one is honest, this can seem the most overwhelming of all! Sometimes fixing the world seems small fry beside the enormous challenge of doing something about oneself. In fact, there is a real sense in which it’s actually completely impossible to do something about oneself, because the ego is so subtle that it’s liable to corrupt whatever effort one makes. And the more one worries about whether “I’m doing things right” – it just gets worse!

So, in this dimension, nembutsu is everything. We cannot pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, but we can trust that the habit of turning towards Buddha and Dharma will do the trick for us. This is a matter of entrusting oneself to a mysterious process.

Coming together for the big retreat was a wonderful experience and many of us took steps, perhaps even surprising ourselves. There was, perhaps, some new willingness, some openness to taking a chance, or toward reaching out, or joining in, where previously one might have been more circumspect. This is all by the power of refuge. It’s such hard work keeping oneself safe in this world that when one chances upon a place of safety - place of refuge - miracles become possible.

So, now we’re all praying for the miracle to continue, and that prayer, the prayer that opens our heart, is Namo Amida Bu.

Thank you very much.


Dharmavidya
David

You need to be a member of David Brazier at La Ville au Roi (Eleusis) to add comments!

Join David Brazier at La Ville au Roi (Eleusis)

Email me when people reply –