January 20, 2016 Dharma Readings

During our first sangha meeting on January 20, we read two excerpts:

Zen Keys, by Thich Nhat Hanh, pp. 25-27

A Path with Heart, by Jack Kornfield, pp. 15-16.

Watering the seeds of compassion

There's a traditional greeting in Buddhism that involves pressing your hands together in a prayerful gesture, bowing slightly to the person before you, and saying, "A lotus for you, a Buddha to be."

It's a beautiful form of blessing and encouragement that says: "Whoever you are, whatever your story, I'm honored to be in your presence this moment and I wish for you peace, wellbeing and awakening."

We bow to one another in the sangha and at retreats, before and after speaking. This simple gesture can transform and sanctify the space among practitioners. It helps us remember that we are walking on holy ground simply by living on this earth, reminds us that every person we meet--every living thing--is a bodhisattva (awake being) waiting to be born.

The practice needn't be limited to the sangha or Buddhist temple or retreat center. We can carry the spirit of the bow everywhere we go throughout our day. By offering a warm smile, a kind word or our undivided attention we can offer peace and happiness to the person before us, whether it's a friend, a partner, a boss, or a stranger.

At the end of the day, how we treat one another, how we treat the Earth we inhabit, and how present and loving we can be in every moment, every fleeting now, is what matters. In this way our entire being becomes the gift of a lotus.

In his wonderful book, A Path with Heart, Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield writes, "When we have become intimate with ourselves, we are able to bow and to bless all that surrounds us. ... To discover the capacity to bless whatever is in front of us, this is the enlightenment that is intimate with all things. It is a freedom and happiness with no cause, a gift we bring to each moment and each encounter."

Kornfield tells a story about an aging Tibetan master, Kalu Rinpoche, who once went to the New England Aquarium while visiting Boston. He was so taken with the wonderful array of colorful sea creatures that he couldn't help but gently tap on the glass (he didn't understand English so was unable to read the sign that told him not to), and he'd recite a sacred mantra, "Om, Mani Padme Hum" before moving on to the next tank. Eventually a student asked him what he was doing. Kalu Rinpoche smiled and said, "I'm trying to get the attention of the beings within, and then I bless them that they, too, may be liberated."

Thich Nhat Hanh writes, "The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers."

May we all water the seeds of compassion in the people we encounter in our life, whether with a bow, a smile, a hug, a kind word, or simply our genuine and attentive presence.

~Stephen~