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Vajrasattva Retreat 2005:
Motivations by Miles - Feb 26, 2005
"The
mantras we are reciting is the method and the names of the Buddhas
who want to help us and protect us. Like calling mom, mom, mom!
The mother will come to help. Like calling mantra, the Buddha will
be able to help us. After all, we do not know who or what is a Buddha."
Kynsor
Rinpoche
Motivation:
So, you might be wondering why you have a spoon on your cute Puja
table. Once again the Yogi in the woods suggested I do this. His
name is Larry and he sends his love. I do not know if everyone here
has seen the movie "The Matrix" but in it there is an
evident teaching on emptiness. A young monk is sitting on the floor
bending a spoon, seemingly with his mind. When he offers Neo an
attempt, he shares humbly, "You cannot bend the spoon…
that's impossible. You have to realize the truth; that there is
no spoon. Than, you will see that it is not the spoon that bends,
it is only your mind." So, throughout the day, let the appearance
of that "spoon" act as means for constant familiarization
with emptiness.
I do not want ramble incoherently keeping you
for getting twelve more beads on your mala (that you will lose by
farting or belching) so I will try and keep it brief. I must warn
you that most of this is random, but everything feels that way now.
(Theme: Bodhichitta:)
- I start with a thank you! I find this feeling growing inside
me with every sit. Your smiles of acceptance, warm hearts and
courageous minds produce pure happiness. We truly have something
rare. --I love you guys more then I can understand!
- Through this gratitude of others; I can begin to see what Lama
Zopa means by Bodhichitta's importance.
- In life, there truly is nothing better then to simply be of
help and care for others, yeah?
- Think: What would it feel like to have a mind so compassionate
such as St. Francis of Assai, who tamed a wild wolf by looking
at it? Or, like the monk who wrote "Bodhichitta" on
a rock and turned a flood away? Always being of benefit to this
enduring world?
- We have the conditions to familiarize our mind with this all
day today…our inevitable egolessness achievement.
- Each time the mind has doubt, worry or any non-joy at all,
know that you are merely pulling a weed in the mind's beginningless
garden and that you can replace it with a beautiful Bodhi tree,
where so many beings will benefit.
- Each moment inside a positive action that you do motivated
and dedicated for the happiness of all beings, gives you the fearlessness;
the uncanny ability to keep showing up.
- I sincerely admire each of you, and
as Flora has said- one only needs to glance around the hall and
they will see Vajrasattva everywhere.
- The stronger your faith (in the
Buddha, your potential & practice, Dharma family and Guru),
the more powerful we can give up self-cherishing and swap
it with cherishing others.
-
Martin Pang, one of the inmates
I am fortunate enough to write with ended his letter with
this. It is a Chinese proverb. "The gem cannot be polished
without friction, nor a person perfected without trials."
- So, together as a family, we invite all our mother sentient
beings and lead everyone to their potential.
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