Sunday, August 25, 2013

Refuge

With palms together,


Good Morning All,



This morning is exceptionally beautiful. The air has a coolness to it, the sky has few clouds, the moon is full, and I sit here looking forward to the sun’s rise over the Organ mountains. It is good to be alive and present in the moment. Yesterday I rode my motorcycle up to Socorro, about 150 miles each way, with my Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association. We had 15 bikes and met-up with members from the northern part of the state. We had our monthly Chapter meeting there and I thoroughly enjoyed both the ride and the company. Today we will practice Zazen in the Zendo at 10:00 AM and will renew our vows as Zen Buddhist practitioners. Each of these are wonderful moments and each have their own Dharma reality.



We take refuge in the Three Treasure: buddha, dharma, and sangha. These are, unfortunately, often thought of in the most shallow terms. Buddha is not the person of Shakyamuni, but rather, from the root of the word, awake. We take refuge in being awake, open and clear of mental hindrances in each moment. While riding a motorcycle or just sitting on the patio in the early morning, our state of mind should be alert and receptive, without judgment or assignment of value. Each moment awake is each moment buddha. That is all.



Taking refuge in dharma is to take refuge, that is, live completely, in our reality. Teachings about reality, while often referred to as “Dharma” are not dharma. They are simply fingers pointing to the moon. True dharma is being completely awake in our moment, completely experiencing it as directly as possible.



Taking refuge in sangha is to find love, peace, and support in our community. We often neglect this treasure, believing we are individuals, alone and disconnected from each other. When we take refuge in sangha, however, we recognize that we are not alone: we are all one, connected and dependent upon each other for both our survival and our happiness.



We practice to offer our respect and gratitude for these three treasures. We practice to manifest them in our everyday experience and interaction with others. We practice to live in this world of our making with as little waste as possible. Time is short: do not waste a single moment!



Our schedule: Study Group Tuesday at 6:30 PM; Zazen Thursday evening at 6:30; Zazen Sunday at 10:00 AM.



Gassho,

Daiho

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