Small Steps

As I study Buddha's teaching, often one teaching helps me understand a different one. This sometimes results in an "AH HA" moment for me, not unlike uncovering a treasure. . The treasure may be fools gold, as my understanding may be completely wrong, but there is still the "AH HA" moment. I had one of these insights (?) this week at the Sutra study class. The subject discussed was the "consciousness only" school. I think I may be starting to understand what "consciousness only" means. This glimmer of understanding is helping to clarify some small parts of the Diamond Sutra for me.

Three Refuges

One step in becoming a "real" Buddhist is to receive the transmission of the three refuges. To me, receiving the refuges means that you accept the teachings of Buddha. I did not take that step lightly. It is one thing to take meditation classes and learn about Buddhism, and another to stand up and say "I am a Buddhist" (especially here in the bible belt).
The ceremony begins with repentance:
All the Harm I have ever done, since time immemorial,
Are caused by greed, anger, and ignorance,
And produced through my body, speech, and will,
Now I confess and amend all.
Three Refuges
I take refuge in the Buddha, unequaled in merit and wisdom, and never regress in perfecting Buddha virtues.
I take refuge in the Dharma, unequaled in freeing one from desires, and never regress in propagating the Buddha Dharma.
I take refuge in the Sangha, unequaled in all assemblies, and never regress in liberating sentient beings.
Four Great Vows
Countless are the sentient beings, I vow to liberate;
Endless are the vexations, I vow to eradicate;
Measureless are the Dharmas, I vow to learn;
Supreme is the Buddha Way, I vow to attain.

Heart Sutra

Buddha Gate, the San Francisco branch of Chung Tai, has a good translation of the Heart Sutra with annotations posted on the Dharma Teachings page of their web site. At Buddha Mind, the Heart Sutra is chanted at the beginning of every class before the start of the sitting meditation. My understanding of the Heart Sutra has progressed through several levels and is still progressing. When I was first given a copy in the beginner class, I used Wikipedia to find the translations of the Sanskrit words. A big step in my understanding occurred when I committed the Sutra to memory. The repetition that I needed to commit each new line to memory caused me to discover aspects of the Sutra that I never noticed before. Often while studying other Sutras and Buddhist concepts, the teachings will relate to, or expand upon subjects in the Heart Sutra.

Reverse the light

It was dusk as I drove out to the monastery for Sutra study class yesterday. As I drove east, the sky was growing dark in front of me. In the rear view mirror, the sky was still bright, with streaks of red lingering from the sunset. This visual image brought to mind the term "Reverse the light", a Zen term for introspection.

Buddha Mind Monastery

The Buddha Mind Monastery is one of a growing number of American branches of Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Taiwan. It is located in a rural area of Oklahoma City in what was formerly a Christian church. Beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes in meditation and Buddhism are taught throughout the year. There are also monthly ceremonies and half day Zen retreats. All of the classes are taught by Dharma Master Jian Mao, abbess of Buddha Mind Monastery. I have been attending classes and ceremonies at Buddha Mind for a little over a year now, progressing through the classes. The beginning class is an introduction to Chan (Zen) meditation and covers fundamental Buddhist teachings. The intermediate class builds on the meditation practice and begins to cover more advanced Buddhist contemplations. The advanced class is a Sutra study class. As with the other classes, meditation practice continues. A different subject is covered in each cycle of classes. The current series is covering “The Treatise on the Hundred Dharmas: A Gate to Understanding the Mahayana”.

Half Day Zen Retreat

Yesterday, Buddha Mind Monastery held a half day zen retreat. The half day retreats are divided into 45 -50 minute blocks, called an incense. No talking is allowed for the duration of the retreat. Each incense consists of sitting meditation followed by a short period of walking meditation. The retreat starts with chanting the Heart Sutra and ends with chanting the Three Refuges and reciting the Four Great Vows. The Abbess gave a dharma talk during the second incense.
I have attended several of the half day retreats. The first was about a year ago. I had been in the beginning meditation class for only a few weeks and did not know what to expect at my first retreat. The long (for me) sitting meditation sessions were a challenge. The walking meditation is always helpful in getting the blood flowing in the legs again.

BAO potluck lucheon

This afternoon the Buddhist association of Oklahoma (BAO) held its' first social event, a vegetarian potluck luncheon. The luncheon was held at the Risso Kosei Kai Dharma Center, http://www.rkok-dharmacenter.org/ . There were more than twenty people attending, representing many of the area Buddhist groups. Mr. Quang Pham from Giac Quang Temple, http://www.giacquangbuddhisttemple.org/ , gave an interesting talk about New Year traditions of Vietnam. The BAO is a fairly new organization, still in the process of getting off the ground. One of the goals of BAO is to create a network of the varied Buddhist groups in Oklahoma. Today's event shows that BAO is progressing toward that goal.

The Search for Buddha Nature

Cleaning the dust off the mirror is a zen metaphor for eliminating the distortions and delusions that keep us from seeing the truth. I have a lot of dust on my mirror. My intent is to document my journey into, what? Is it myself that I am seeking? What is "myself"? I don't know. I am not some great enlightened teacher. I am just an average person trying to figure this stuff out.