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Message From: Rev. Harvey Sodaiho Hilbert
With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
This morning I would like to talk about taking refuge in the Buddha.
This is the first of the great bodhisattva vows. As is true of all of the vows,
it contains each of the other vows within it simultaneously.
We say we go to the Buddha for refuge, but what does this mean? Is it
like going into a house or a closet or a safe? Does it mean that we
literally are to go anywhere? Or is the Buddha to be considered a model
that we go to for inspiration, teaching, nurturance? And finally,
what is this Buddha that we go to anyway? Is he a god? A saint? A
medicine man?
To take refuge in the Buddha is a broad sort of thing made very personal by
our journy to it. So when we say we take refuge in the Buddha we are first
saying that we are stepping off on a personal journey. Some may call this
a spiritual journey, others a religious journey, and still others a
philosophical one. Whatever it is it, it is first and foremost, a personal
journey.
When we look at the Buddha, what do we see? We can look at the
man. Just a little brown Indian man who lived 2600 years
ago. He was a prince of the Sakya clan, destined to be a
king. But somewhere along the way he was inspired to go inward, he
reliquished his crown, set aside his worldly possessions, and took the path of
the religious seeker. He became a begger who wandered the forests and
small villages of ancient India. He sat in meditation for long
periods of time, learning the ways of his religious elders, learning what he
could from other teachers, but finally coming to himself.
There are lessons here. Many of our world's religions have similar
stories. A person, gifted among men, sets out to learn. First he
studies what has come before him. Then he goes out alone into the
wilderness to find his own way. There is a sense of leaving something
behind. There is a sense of struggle to discover. There is a sense
that each of us must remake ourselves through the process of finding our own
way. And finally, there is a sense of stepping back into the world with
something to share. This something can be our truth, our process, or just
ourselves. But in the sharing, regardless of how it is manifested, the
purpose is to relieve suffering.
In Zen Buddhism we look to process for our answers, not on a text or a
person. So when we seek refuge in the Buddha we are essentially seeking
refuge in the process of self-discovery. We are asked to look deeply
within ourselves, setting aside our world, preconcieved notions, beliefs, etc.
and just witness what is there before us. What is the truth of our
existence?
So, the Buddha is a man who models a process for each of us to follow if we
choose. We should do this in our own way, recognizing we are indivduals
with our own pasts, presents, and futures. Still, we should have faith
that if we do, indeed, follow the process, i.e., the buddhadharma, we will
discover our truth, our essential, true nature. When we do, we should not turn
away from it, though it can be pretty scary to look at. Instead, we should just
take that next step, all very natural, all very much just another step along the
Way.
Be well,
Rev. Sodaiho ___ Visit us at: http://www.daihoji.org Daihoji Zen Temple 5 Arrow Road Cloudcroft, NM 88317 Donations Welcome! Current Building Fund: $217.19 __________________________________________________ YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS
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