Sangha Day Festival: two

 Sangha Day Festival: two

TALK 1- Fixed self view
Nowadays, there can be a tendency to keep relationships superficial and not very real through:
Social media
Being nice and polite
Not engaging really with people. People are like moving pictures in my life with no deep meaning.
Trying to keep the sensation of them pleasant over being more real with them.

MEDITATION 1_
What does my heart really want in my relationships with people? What does my heart really want from the sangha?

To go deeper with the sangha, what do we need to do?
1- Be honest with ourselves (example from Jutika- gave permission to others to voice difficulties in the chapter, she felt better)
2- Go deeper into ourselves and our experience of life. Gandhavyuha sutra- Indra’s net reflect other beings. We reflect everybody else. We are all connected- all mental states can be experienced within, and we can help others to break through- It takes effort to touch our own depth of experience. We get distracted.
3- Manage to communicate our depth as skillfully as possible.
4- Create gravitas- SV’s atom story and allow electrons to be around the nucleus. Allow them to stay with each other long enough. The natural way of things is depth and deepening if they just stick around long enough.
5- Be an individual not a copycat. There is a sense of different views in different parts of the world. We feel a bit threatened if we feel like we have a different opinion, or if our opinions are challenged.
 

FIXED SELF VIEW
6- The way we view political events is often determined by media output and family conditioning. What holds us back is often the fear of being alone. Realising this is a step towards more freedom.
7- We are free to change- reality is open. Don’t accept yourself. If you constantly accept superficial relationships and what everybody else tells you you should be, it will be hard to make progress.
8- Be open to blind spots being pointed out and learn to receive this with more gratitude rather than anger.
9- Rejoice in merit and value others. Be a true friend and communicate your experience of them.

MEDITATION 2-
How do I deepen my relationship with myself? What are the things I feel I can’t change in relation to my relationships with others?
Try to communicate it after the meditation.

Sangha Day Festival: four

Sangha Day Festival: four

Welcome back to our sangha day
Theme how do we make deep changes
By practice of sangha

Deep changes mean a turning about in the deepest seat of consciousness
A moment when the most profound change takes place
An unalterable change in the direct of life
A new destiny
Free of the sufferings of everyday life
Of impermanence even

The dharma calls this profound change
entering the stream to enlightenment
Stream entry for short
It a profound insight
Or penetrate our first into the true nature of things
We understand the state of a Buddha from the inside

It happens when we break three fetters
Fetters that bind us to samsara
To ordinary worldly life
To our usual destiny

How do we break the fetters
Very important question
We usually think about breaking the fetters by practising the dharma
Sangharakshita’s great contribution to Buddhism
Is teaching we can break the fetters by practising sangha.
By spiritual friendship
By communication

Already looked at first fetter

Now second fetter
Silabbata paramasha
Dependence on rites and rituals,
And as ends in themselves
Maybe dependence on ethical observances and rituals

Firstly important to say
Ethics is important
Rituals, puja and refuges and precepts are important
But they become a fetter if the become an end in themselves

What does this mean?
How do they become ends in themselves?
When no attention give to the state of mind we do them in
Maybe we chant mantras mechanically
We expect them to work automatically
Maybe we are proud of ourselves because of our practice
For example for meditating a lot
Or living like a monk
Maybe we wear a social mask
Difference between how we present ourselves
And how we really are
Maybe we have a guilty secret
In any case There is a split between
our appearance and our internal world

Our spiritual life exists only on the surface
Only on the outside

On the psychological level sangharakshita calls this fetter the fetter of superficiality

Why does he do this?
He saw the deeper meaning of the fetter
The principle
The universal law
And he could translate it
And understand this fetter means superficiality
Superficial practice or anything else

Good question for us
Why are we doing this practice
How will it help our spiritual development
What does it really mean

Why do we act superficiality?
Stop and think

Because we’re divided
How are we divided?

Between our surface and our depths
Between outer and inner
Often divided between reason and emotion
Divided between what others expect of us and what we really want
Maybe we don’t know what we really want
One part takes a step forward
Another part takes a step back
Always feel a sense of weakness
Never feel a sense of strength, wholeness

When we know how we are divided
We will also know how to break this fetter

So how do we break this fetter?
Sangharakshita says by commitment
Commitment is a hard word to translate
Not обязательство
Something we must do
For the sake of someone else

Dictionary: state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity.
Our cause or activity is spiritual development.
So in this context what happens when we’re committed to
Spiritual friendship,
to communication?

We have such a great opportunity
Triratna is an international community
So all sorts of different people
Some we feel close and others who are totally different
Some who support mr trump
Others Madame Harris
Some agree with reverend paisley
Others agree with Gerry adams
Some see a international conflict from one point of view
Some see it from the other point of view

Commitment in the sangha means
1/ discussing not arguing
2/ not stopping trying to communicate
We can say communication is the essence of sangha
No communication means no sangha
If we stop trying to communicate we leave the sangha

So how do we do this?
How do we manage to commit ourselves to communication?

We need to be whole to commit ourselves
We need to be integrated
Vessantara = a universe within
How can we become a universe within
We do so by being in communication with the universe without
How do we do that?

Parable of the blind men and the elephant
From the Pali canon
Probably taught by Buddha himself

Some blind men were asked to describe an elephant
They were all led to part of an elephant
And the king asked them to say
What is an elephant?

Some were by his head
His ears
His trunk
His legs
His stomach
His bottom
His tail
All touched the elephant somewhere and described the elephant differently
And human nature being such
Then they began fighting with their fists

What do we need to do to discuss not argue?
To stop being blind
To communicate in the sangha?

We need to go to another part of the elephant
A second part of the elephant
Touch another part of the elephant
To be prepared to feel things from another point of view
We need to touch every part of the elephant
And to feel the elephant from all the points of view

We will expand our point of view
See the multi dimensional reality of elephant

In this way
Become whole
Become integrated
Become a universe within
Because we are in communication with the universe without
All of it
Become capable to commit ourselves fully

Stop being superficial
Stop being weak, spiritually weak
Stop being split, stop being divided
Surface and depths
Inner and outer
Between reason and emotion
Between what we think others want from us and who we really are

Our actions
Whether ethical observances
Or rituals or anything else
Will become one with the state of mind we do them in
We’ll be whole
We’ll be strong
And we will break the fetter and fetters
Holding us back from what is most valuable in life

Sangha Day Festival: three

Sangha Day Festival: three

Welcome back to our sangha day
Theme how do we make deep changes
By practice of sangha
Spiritual community
Spiritual friendship
Communication

Deep changes mean a turning about in the deepest seat of consciousness
An unalterable change in the direct of life
A new destiny

The dharma calls this entering the stream to enlightenment
Stream entry for short
It happens when we gain insight
Or penetrate our first into the true nature of things
Our first penetration to the state of a Buddha

It happens when we break three fetters
Fetters that bind us to samsara
To ordinary worldly life

We usually think about breaking the fetters by practising the dharma
Sangharakshita’s great contribution to Buddhism
Is teaching we can break the fetters by practising sangha.
By spiritual friendship
By communication

Already looked at first fetter

Now second fetter
Silavrata paramartha
Dependence on rites and rituals as ends in themselves
Maybe dependence on ethical observances and rituals

Ethics is important
Rituals, puja and refuges and precepts are important
But they become a fetter if the become an end in themselves

How do they become ends in themselves?
When no attention give to the state of mind we do them in
Maybe we chant mantras mechanically
Maybe we are proud of ourselves living like a monk
Maybe we wear a social mask
There is a split between our appearance and our internal world

Our spiritual life exists only on the surface
Only on the outside

On the psychological level sangharakshita calls this fetter the fetter of superficiality

Why do we act superficiality?
Because we’re divided
Between our surface and our depths
Between outer and inner
Often divided between reason and emotion
Divided between what others expect of us and what we really want
Maybe we don’t know what we really want
One part takes a step forward
Another part takes a step back
Always feel a sense of weakness
Never feel a sense of strength

So how do we break this fetter?
Sangharakshita says by commitment
Commitment is a hard word to translate
Not обязательство

Dictionary: state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity.
Our cause or activity is spiritual development.
So in this context what happens when we’re committed to
Spiritual friendship,
to communication?

First to point out Triratna is an international community
So all sorts of different people
Some we feel close and others who are totally different
Some who support mr trump
Others Madame Harris
Some agree with reverend paisley
Others agree with Gerry adams
Some see a war from one side’s point of view
Some see it from the other side’s point of view

Commitment in the sangha means
1/ discussing not arguing
2/ not falling out, not stopping trying to communicate
We can say communication is the essence of sangha
No communication means no sangha

We need to be whole to commit ourselves
We need to be integrated
Vessantara = a universe within
How can we become a Vessantara?
What does it mean to be whole?

It means being bigger than our limited self
Than our ego
Our limited self feels really close to some people
Doesn’t feel close to others

How do we discuss not argue?
How do we avoid falling out
Parable of the blind men and the elephant
From the Pali canon
Probably taught by Buddha himself

Some blind men were asked to describe an elephant
Some were by his head
His ears, His trunk, His legs, His stomach, His bottom, His tail
All touched the elephant somewhere and described the elephant differently
Then they began fighting with their fists

What do we need to do to discuss not argue?
We need to go to another part of the elephant
A second part of the elephant
Touch another part of the elephant
To be prepared to feel things from another point of view
We need to touch every part of the elephant
And to feel the elephant from all the points of view

We will expand our point of view
Become whole
Become integrated
Become a universe within
Become capable to commit ourselves fully

Stop being superficial
Stop being weak, spiritually weak
Stop being split
Surface and depths
Inner and outer
Between reason and emotion
Between what we think others want from us and who we really are
Our actions
Whether ethical observances
Or rituals or anything else
Will become one with the state of mind we do them in
And we will break the fetter and fetters
Holding us back from making the deepest and most meaningful changes in life
Holding us back from having the most meaningful life

Sangha Day Festival: one

Sangha Day Festival: one

What is our theme today?
Becoming more aware is the growing point of the spiritual life.
When we become more aware we enter a higher state of consciousness.
Dharma has a lot to say about higher states of consciousness.

We enter higher states of consciousness when we enter dhyana.
Dhyana - states of meditative concentration.

I’ll give a quick summary to give an overview to the spiritual path.

There are four dhyanas of the world of form.
I’ll say four images that express these dhyanas.
1/ Soap powder perfectly mixed with water.
2/ a lake with an underground spring.
3/ A lotus flower submerged in a lake.
4/ a freshly bathed man covered head to toe in a white sheet.
Each higher dhyana corresponds to a higher state of consciousness.
Although don’t take them too literally.
They are not like separate steps on a staircase.

The the arupa dhyana, of the formless world.
1/ sphere of infinite space.
2/ sphere of infinite consciousness.
3/ no-thing-ness.
4/ neither perception nor none perception.

After this comes insight or penetration
We change from the mundane path to the transcendental path
We see things as they really are
It has a massive effect on us
A turning about in the deepest seat of consciousness.
We enter the stream leading to enlightenment
We enter the tigers cave
After we enter we never come out.
Once we enter the stream we can’t fall back
We become destined to enlightenment

Here there are stages as well
The stages correspond to states of consciousness
Where the intensity of insight or penetration gets progressively stronger
1/ the stream entrant gains enlightenment within seven lifetimes
2/ the once returner gains enlightenment in this life or the next
3/ the non returner gains enlightenment in this life or in a heavenly state after death.
The heavenly state corresponds to states of dhyana.
4/ the Arahant has gained enlightenment here and now.
Later in Buddhist history the term arahant had a corrupted meaning.
A person who gained enlightenment for himself alone
So an arahant was not a bodhisattva
Here we use arahant in its uncorrupted meaning.

We have mapped out states of consciousness from the first dhyana till the arahant.

The pivotal point of the spiritual life is stream entry.
How do we become a stream entrant?
We do so by breaking the three fetters.
How do we break the three fetters?

We usually look at this question through the lens of practising the dharma.
Today we will look through the lens of practising sangha, the spiritual community.

Dharma and sangha on the same level
On the kesa show three jewels
Greatest contribution to Buddhism
Talking about the value of sangha
Of spiritual community
Of spiritual friendship
Of communication

So our theme for our festival of the sangha
How can we practice sangha to gain insight
So as to enter the stream
So as to make the greatest possible positive change