Sunday, August 5, 2007

CALL TO SILENCE AND OPENING MEDITATION

Greetings from His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to Buddhist Women:

Converting other people to Buddhism is not my concern. I am interested in how we Buddhists can contribute to human society. The Buddha gave us an example of contentment and tolerance, through serving others unselfishly. I believe that his teachings and example can still contribute to global peace and individual happiness.
The Buddha was born an ordinary person like ourselves. But after observing the suffering of human beings, that they grow old, fall sick and die, he totally renounced the worldly way of life in his determination to find a solution. Having undertaken severe physical penances, he purified and illumined his mind through intense meditation and attained supreme enlightenment. He showed that purifying the mind is not easy. It takes a lot of time and hard work. But this is also true of any human enterprise. You need tremendous willpower and determination right from the start, accepting that there will be many obstacles, and resolving that despite them all you will continue until you have attained your goal.
Moved by a spontaneous concern to help others, the Buddha spent the rest of his life as a homeless monk, sharing his experience with everyone who wished to listen. Both the view of dependent arising and his advise not to harm anyone, but to help whoever you can, emphasize the practice of nonviolence. This remains one of the most potent forces for good in the world today, for nonviolence means to be of service to our fellow beings.
It is the nature of human beings to yearn for freedom, equality and dignity. If we accept that others have a right to peace and happiness equal to our own, do we not have a responsibility to help those in need? All human beings, whatever their cultural or historical background, suffer when they are intimidated, imprisoned, tortured or discriminated against. The question of human rights is so fundamentally important that there should be no difference of views on this.
Our rich diversity of cultures and tradition should help to strengthen fundamental human rights in all communities. Mere tradition can never justify violations of human rights. Thus, discrimination against persons of a different race, against women, and against weaker sections of society may be traditional in some places, but because they are inconsistent with universally recognized human rights, these forms of behavior should change. The universal principle of the equality of all human beings must take precedence.
Whenever Buddhism has taken root in a new land there has always been a certain variation in the style in which it is observed. This evolves over time. The Buddha himself taught different things according to the place, the occasion and the situation of those who were listening to him. What distinguishes the contemporary situation is that almost the entire array of Buddhist traditions that evolved in different lands are now accessible to anyone who is interested. Especially heartening is that Buddhist women are casting off traditional and outmoded restraints and dedicating themselves to implementing and promoting Buddhist practice.
Peaceful living is about trusting those on whom we depend and caring for those who depend on us. Even if only a few individuals try to create mental peace and happiness within themselves and act responsibly and kind-heartedly towards others, they will have a positive influence in their community. As well as being equally capable, women have an equal responsibility to do this.
Remembering the kind influence of my own mother, I pray that women working for inner peace and, through that, peace in the world, may be blessed with success.

--From a message sent by His Holiness to the fourth International Conference of Buddhist Women, held in Ladakh, August 1995. (Reprinted from Sakyadita, the magazine of the International Assoc. of Buddhist Women, Spring, 1996) http://hhdl.dharmakara.net/sakyadit.html

READINGS

About Tibetan Buddhism, compiled from various sources as noted.

Due to the difficulties of gaining access to this mountainous region and the absence of established trade routes, Buddhism did not enter Tibet until the eighth century. The form of Buddhism which flourished there is known variously as Tantra, Vajrayana ("The Vehicle of the Thunderbolt"), or - because of the frequent use it makes of magical formulas and chants - Mantrayana.
The Vajrayana adopts Mahayana philosophy and cosmology and adds a rich symbolism and set of religious practices of its own. The core of the movement is a set of arcane treatises known as Tantras, composed in India in the latter part of the first millennium. The Tantras makes use of mystical diagrams (mandalas) and magic formulas (mantras), and are written in a mysterious 'twilight language' (sandhyabhasa) to which only initiates have the key. Initiation is given by a guru "Tibetan: lama" who then teaches the esoteric meaning of the words and symbols to his students. Based on the view that nirvana and samsaara are not different, the Tantras teach that anything - even desire - can profitably be used as a means to liberation. The passions come to be regarded not as inherently wicked by simply as a powerful form of energy which - rather like electricity - can be used for many purposes. Sexual desire, in particular, formerly regarded as the greatest obstacle to religious progress for monks, came to be seen as a potent force which, if properly harnessed, could accelerate spiritual development.

--from Damien Keown, Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford:Oxford University Press, 1996), 80-83

Thunderbolt Scepter and Bell

Thunderbolt scepter and bell, Vajra and Ghanta, Dorie and Drilbu, are the most frequently encountered objects on the Diamond Path (Vajrayana). Together they represent both the most ordinary and the most complex symbol of Tibetan Buddhism. Whether present in solitary meditation or in the vast gatherings that mark monastic life, their role is essential; without them rites and ceremonies are hardly conceivable.
Unified, they form a symbol which is associated with the incorruptible purity of the diamond, with the truth that no force, no weapon, can destroy. Simultaneously, but in another register, they represent the victory of knowledge over ignorance, the mystery of spirit over the "poisons" that tarnish existence.
The thunderbolt scepter, held in the practitioner's right hand, is a token of stability of the method, while the bell, in his left hand, is a reminder of the wisdom of impermanence. Equilibrium between the two is established through ritual gestures, the mudra. In the hands of the masters of esoteric interpretation, this inseparable pair signifies the unity of masculine power and of feminine energy, or the emblem of the dual unity of absolute and relative truths.

--Claude B. Levenson, Forward by the Dalai Lama, Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism (Barnes & Noble, 2003),48.

The Prayer Wheel

...The khorten, commonly called the 'prayer wheel', is undoubtedly the Buddhist ritual object best known to the profane, as well as being the pilgrim's dearest companion. Another name for it is the chos-kor, which means 'to turn the doctrine' and refers to the first teaching of the Buddha, when he set the Wheel of the Law in motion.
From the smallest to the largest, the prayer wheel always consists of a hollow cylindrical body, usually of metal, engraved with mystic emblems or prayers. It is penetrated along its axis by a rod provided with a handle, if portable, or with two clips if it is fixed to a stand.
Enclosed in the chos-kor are sacred texts or invocations (mantra), written on paper or parchment. The cylinder of the wheel is rotated in the same direction as the sun, and each turn is the equivalent of a reading of the prayers enclosed within. Set in motion, the wheel emits a gentle ticking sound in pace with the walker's rhythm. According to the faithful, this attests to the flight of the prayers thus scattered to the four winds. The portable prayer wheel is fitted with a ball at the end of a small chain fixed midway along the metal body; with a flick of the wrist, the person carrying the wheel sets its twirling rhythm.

--Claude B.Levenson, Forward by the Dalai Lama, Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism(Barnes & Noble,2003),30.

Sacred Mantra: Om Mani Peme Hung

This millennial litany is both the symbol of Buddhist life in Tibet and the expression of a way of being...The Tibetans pronounce it om mani peme hung, and its simplest translation would be 'om jewel of the lotus om'. For the common believer, its incantatory recitation suffices to ensure his spiritual well-being. For the advanced adept, the complexity of the successive layers of meaning of each of the sounds, taken individually or as a whole, unveils the thousand and eight facets of reality - or illusion. The origin of this mantra is associated with Chenresig- Avalokitesvara, the Great Compassionate One. He is the supreme Protector of Tibet, and is incarnated in the Dalai Lama, who thereby remains the spiritual and temporal leader against all
comers.
...Om is the body, the speech and the mind of the disciple, at the same time as those of a Buddha: it symbolizes their metamorphosis, or the attainment of Enlightenment. Mani, the Jewel proper, grants all wishes and signifies the supreme goal to which one aspires. Peme, the lotus flower, embodies wisdom, particularly that of the perfect void. And hung expresses the indivisibility, the indissociable unity of method and wisdom.
Roughly speaking, the Great Tibetan Mantra states that the practice of a way, by the inseparable union of wisdom and appropriate means, can serve to transform a common body, speech and mind into the perfectly pure equivalent of a Buddha: a whole program of life based on discipline and reflection, pushed to absolute limits, until the attainment of full Enlightenment.

--Claude B. Levenson, Forward by the Dalai Lama, Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism(Barnes & Noble,2003),34.

The Rosary (Mala)

The Mala is a rosary in the Buddhist manner, one of the essential attributes of the pilgrim and of many deities. It has 108 beads, and is used to recite prayers, but above all, to count the number of repetitions of a particular formula, intoned to a select deity.

The mani happens to enjoy the greatest favor. A widespread practice, which may be individual or collective, is to repeat this mantra a million times, for purification, or to increase one's merits. The exercise also helps to calm and clarify one's thoughts, which is the indispensable preparatory phase for meditation.

--Claude B. Levenson, Forward by the Dalai Lama,Symbols of Tibetan Buddhism(Barnes & Noble,2003),36.

A Reading from the Gospel of Mary (trans. Karen King)

Mary responded, "I will teach you about what is hidden from you." And she began to speak these words to them.

She said,"I saw the Lord in a vision and I said to him, 'Lord, I saw you today in a vision.' He answered me, 'How wonderful you are for not wavering at seeing me! For where the mind is, there is the treasure.'


"The soul replied, saying,'What binds me has been slain, and what surrounds me has been destroyed, and my desire has been brought to an end, and ignorance has died. In a [wor]ld, I was set loose from a world [an]d in a type, from a type which is above, and (from) the chain of forgetfulness which exists in time. From this hour on, for the time of the due season of the aeon, I will receive rest i[n] silence.'"

After Mary had said these things, she was silent, since it was up to this point that the Savior had spoken to her.

--from Karen King, The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle
http://www.maryofmagdala.com/GMary_Text/gmary_text.html

CALL TO CONVERSATION

CLOSING MEDITATION

"There is not a single aspect of the eighty-four thousand sections of the Buddha's teachings which is not contained in Avalokiteshvara's six syllable mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum" [Tibetan: Om Mani Peme Hung], and as such the qualities of the "mani" are praised again and again the the Sutras and Tantras...Whether happy or sad, if we take the "mani" as our refuge, Chenrezig will never forsake us, spontaneous devotion will arise in our minds and the Great Vehicle will effortlessly be realized."

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche--Heart Treasure of the Enlightened Ones
http://dharma-haven.org/tibetan/meaning-of-om-mani-padme-hung.htm

CHANT

Om Mani Peme Hung


We ask for your comments/thoughts to continue our Sunday conversation.