Good morning!
Again we had nice rain last evening – some not. When I went into my yard, I felt dense dew on green grass and saw fresh flowers in vivid colors. On the way here I saw mist hovering above grass some places.
One week ago we had similar weather with thunder and shower. I thought we had enough rain, but I lost a plant due to the lack of water. So, we must be at the actual sites to check if things to be taken care of. Otherwise it’s too late to do so.
The heavy rain took away a few bridge blocks and took down the wisteria trellis. I fixed both of them, putting the trellis back, after trimming heavy entangled branches neatly. The wisteria put out a tiny flowering twig now.
As we have been taking care of our garden, we have now thriving greens and ripened fruit. Please harvest and enjoy them. Our practice must be constant, continuous and concentrated not to lose precious life and beautiful nature.
Last Sunday we talked about our relation with theMissouri Botanical Garden and took peaceful and calm ways to shift our directions more practice oriented. And we got good responses and remarks through emails.
We must concentrate on our three pillars ofAwakened Way, Global Ethic, and Voluntary Simplicity, Awakened Waywith the triple treasures of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, and the triple learning, activating and actualizing them.
Sangha is the “community of harmony” like water and milk, not like water and oil. Dogen wanted one or even a half genuine person in his Sangha. All the buddhas taught us to do all good and no evil, and purify our minds.
We must constantly purify our minds. It is said that the three worlds (realms of emotional, material, and immaterial) are one mind. Also it is said the pure mind is the pure land. Without pure mind, we can not have peace, pure, and prognosis.
The famed standard Theravada compendium by Buddhaghosa is titled Visuddhi-magga (Purity Path or Purification Path). This is the Awakened Way, which makes the true Sangha with familiarity, that is, true freedom.
The Buddha said that friends make the whole of our life, not just half or a part. So, we must make true, genuine friends, by constantly purifying our minds. The ideal figure of all universal religions is “Friend” (Mitra, Mithra, Mazda, Maitreya, et al from mit with).
We can not avoid interdependent relationship with all in this dependently originated/originating world, especially in the age of globalization. The whole world with all species and all generations are intertwined in one fate.
Life comes first, as all things depend on it. If we lose life, no money, matter, power or anything can avail. We must keep wholly wholesome, healthy, happy life. This requires far reaching perspective and truly proper priority.
That is why we must practice to solve our problems and sufferings beyond small selves. Only through our practice, can we achieve true peace, purity, and prognosis. Thus we can enjoy truth, goodness, beauty, and holiness of our life.
That is the value of our being born in this world. The Buddha said that we had better walk alone like the single rhino horn, if we don’t have good friends. I saw great elephant-like rhinos inAfrica. We must walk like them.
All buddhas, bodhisattvas, and mahasattvas took refuge or resort in the self and Dharma, attaining the dharma body, enjoying amrita, ambrosia of immortality. So, let’s continue our practice for unconditioned peace and unsurpassed awakening.
7/15/12
The common verse of the Seven Buddhas:
Doing all good,
Doing no evil, and
Purifying the mind
Is the teaching of all Buddhas.
