Plunging into the Dhamma ~ giving our all this Winter Retreat time, together

[Tathālokā Bhikkhunī]

Dear Venerables, dear Dhamma friends,

It's the night of the "Triple Conjunction," and beneath these three shining jewels, our Dhammadharini community now plunges deeper into retreat. What a wild year it has been. And how excellent it is to be able to turn even more deeply into the Dhamma, and into the meditation. 

Upon emerging from Paritta Blessing Chanting as the first of our members enter periods of silent, secluded retreat tonight, i stepped out into the twilight not long after sunset, looking up to the shining planets and stars, fog receding. 

The "triple conjunction" tonight reminds me of how amazing and fortunate it is to live in a time when the Buddha is still known, the Dhamma is widely available and taught, and the Sangha still exists - all three still available to take refuge in. We know this cannot last forever. 

News today of the death of Ven. Bhikkhuni Adhicittā in Thailand came together with the Dhamma contemplation offered in her honor on the Five Rare Occurrences.

The shining planets and this contemplation brings up memory of ancient symbols of the Triratna (Pali: Tiratana) -- the Three Jewels or Triple Gem -- as the Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha were together known, revered and remembered, carved in stone here from Lorian Tangai, Gandhara - the turning of the Dhamma wheel present in each as they stand alone and are united. 

The symbol of the Tiratana appeared also on "Buddha footprints" with the Dhamma wheel around the Buddhist world for centuries before the first Buddha images appeared, up to now, objects of great devotion in South Asian culture, where reverence is shown through touching the feet of those we revere, such as parents and teachers. 

Having travelled to India early on in my monastic life as a very young adult, and returned again and again, this current of devotion runs strong in this heart, body and life.

Looking up at the last tinge of color and glowing planets as if at the Buddha's Triple Gem marked footprint shining in the sky, i remember the journey from India to Hong Kong, where i often took refuge away from the city on the quiet mountain forest of Lantau Island, the site of "the Great Buddha" below.

Even more than the Buddha there, i remember the evocative stone carved images surrounding, in presence with the Buddha, making offerings with great devotion. They each offer something different, and each of their postures is unique. 

In my heart this feels emblematic of what is called for from us now, from all of us.

For one of us, this heart offering may be the offering of the box that we feel our life is or has become, held up to the light of what we hold most noble. Are we able to see it, hold it, feel it? Can we offer this box? Can we sense the precious treasures held within it? 

For someone else, we live our life in music, moving to the great rhythm of it, and this music, the rhythm that is our life - this is our offering. 

For yet another we may say, "my life is a flower," feeling the delicacy and transitory nature in the beauty of it all. We offer this, the flower of our whole hearts and life -

Yet another may say, "my life is dust in the wind." And we hold up the incense burner with the fragrant ash powder of our bones, blood, sweat and tears, as ash lifts to the wind ~

How important it is to stand or kneel before that incense burner each day, and from our whole hearts, knowingly and with awareness to offer our lives to this great process - our offering to the Triple Gem. The 'true incense' they say is the karmas--the actions--of our body, speech, and heart-mind.

As sangha, we gather together, our hearts as one, making this unique and most precious offering of our lives, our hearts, just as we are. Uplifting and being uplifted by the act of offering the gifts we bring to bear -

I feel this now, as we have gathered together in this winter retreat, here, and in dedication together from near and far, each with our unique journey and path, each united in a dedication to do the work of our hearts and lives, which we need inside ourselves to do, and which we need to offer. As our offering to our world -

So much of doubt is answered here. When we understand how simple and right, and pure and beautiful this offering is, and such wholehearted giving and dedication. For all of us. 

I invite you - 

if you would like to join in this dedication together. 

Welcome  

With heart of mettā to all of you,

as we give our all

and plunge into the Dhamma,

Tathālokā Bhikkhunī

--

on Amata Dhamma - on the Dhamma and the deathless

"Herein they cultivate right view,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

They cultivate right aim,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

They cultivate right speech,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

They cultivate right action,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

They cultivate right living,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

They cultivates right effort,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

They cultivate right mindfulness,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

They cultivate right meditation,
which plunges into the deathless,
has its goal in the deathless,
ends in the deathless.

Thus cultivating,
thus making much of
the noble Eightfold Way
they flow,
slide

and tend to the deathless.

- the Buddha
Connected Discourses, the Great Chapter - on the practice,
the Ganges repetition: on the stream of the Deathless, sutta 115
(adapted from Woodward's translation)