Friends of Amida - Spiritual Networking -
On Gratitude (Sunday Service 11/01/09)
What has happened to me has been the very reverse of
what appears to be the experience of most of my friends.
Instead of dwindling to a point, Santa Claus has grown
larger and larger in my life until he fills almost the whole of it. It
happened in this way.
As a child I was faced with a phenomenon requiring explanation.
I hung up at the end of my bed an empty stocking, which in
the morning became a full stocking. I had done nothing to produce
the things that filled it. I had not worked for them, or made them
or helped to make them. I had not even been good — far from it.
And the explanation was that a certain being whom people
called Santa Claus was benevolently disposed toward me. . .
What we believed was that a certain benevolent agency did give us
those toys for nothing. And, as I say, I believe it still. I have merely
extended the idea.
Then I only wondered who put the toys in the stocking; now
I wonder who put the stocking by the bed, and the bed in the
room, and the room in the house, and the house on the planet,
and the great planet in the void.
Once I only thanked Santa Claus for a few dollars and crackers,
now, I thank him for stars and street faces and wine and the
great sea. Once I thought it delightful and astonishing to find a
present so big that it only went halfway into the stocking. Now
I am delighted and astonished every morning to find a present so
big that it takes two stockings to hold it, and then leaves a great
deal outside; it is the large and preposterous present of myself, as
to the origin of which I can offer no suggestion except that Santa
Claus gave it to me in a fit of peculiarly fantastic goodwill.
- Extending Santa Claus, G. K. Chesterton - taken from 30 000 days, the Todo Insitute's journal.
It's a little after Christmas but this reading struck a chord with me, especially in the light of the material we looked at in yesterday's seminar. In which we read a commentary on Shinran's first wasan (hymn) By Inagaki, in which Inagaki describes in transcendental terms the land of Utmost Bliss, and our relationship to it.
Jodo Wasan 1 - Shinran
Since Amida attained Buddhahood
Ten Kalpas have passed;
The Light of his Dharma-Body
Illumines the Darkness of the world.
In the extract from the Tablet 2, Chesterton is not describing a Pureland in transcendental terms, but in describing himself as the recipient of great blessings, he talks about this world in a very Pureland way. As we sit in Nie Quan, contemplating what we have receive from others and from the world, continually broadening our horizon, being grateful for each new discovery of grace, so Chesterton expands his idea of the Christmas Gift to include the whole day itself and all of the goodness it contains.
Chesterton a Christian, talks about a benevolent agency, (and uses Santa Claus as his archetypal Buddha) we talk about Amida, perhaps the detail is different, but the experience of gratitude sounds the same.
Chesterton has a wonderful way with words, and his gratitude encompass the whole world, without trying to explain it, to reduce it to a set of understandable knowable objects, or narratives. He describes the process of continually encountering new ‘Others’ the stars, the street faces and the great sea, and of his gratitude for that.
I think for me, Chesterton’s implicit respect for each of the gifts he receives , is something I would like to emphasis, the idea of gratitude without control - being thankful for what is.
There’s a particular resonance with my experience, and I think with the Pureland teachings when Chesterton writes that “I had done nothing to produce [the gifts]. I had not worked for them, or made them, or helped people to make them. I had not even been good - far from it.”
And yet still the blessings came, initially he just saw the gifts in the stocking, but later, the many more blessings in the whole world. And still he had done nothing to produce them, like Shakyamuni watching the morning star raise under the Bodhi tree.
This is the most amazing thing about the world, about Amida’s light in the world, or however we talk about these blessings. We receive gifts, material gifts, compassion, understanding every day - most often in spite of our own selfish nature.
I am not good, far from it. And yet I feel hugely blessed. The paradox is that, in fact, the more I come to terms with how far from good I am, the more blessed I feel, the more room there is for grace in my life.
At this point I want to recall Inagaki’s description of the Pureland, and the discussion we had in ‘Dharma on the Sofa’ about the words we use to describe our spiritual experiences of grace or samadhi. We might talk about the Pureland in terms of Jewelled trees, of the birds that sing the dharma, or the lakes of seven gems and so on, or we might talk about the Pureland in terms of a transcendental realm of light, or we might talk about our experience of gratitude for all the things we encounter in this world. This is a language that appeals to me, the pureland manifesting as selfless acts, and indeed all the gifts we encounter in this world.
This is why Chesterton’s writing appealed to me, I think, this and the process of continually expanding his horizons, revealing new things to be grateful for. The Pureland is like this, I think, a step beyond the horizon of gratitude for merely material blessings, continually going beyond, and encompassing ever greater acts of grace.
Today in the service, we read from the memorial book, and remembered our ancestors, both biological and spiritual, in one sense these are things which have already passed over the horizon of this world, and yet the something of the spirit continues, we are left behind something to be grateful for.
In the same way we recall Shakyamuni Buddha, every day in our services, in one sense he has passed over the horizon, but something of the spirit of old Shakyamuni remains. What Inagaki calls the Dharma-body. The Truth body. Something just beyond the Horizon, for which we are eternally grateful. Something going beyond, always going beyond awakening.
That’s from the Heart Sutra of course, and there is something about that mantra that appeals, the act of never standing still, each awakening is something to be gone past, another horizon opens up to us and we see something more to be grateful for.
Sometimes this is how we call Amida’s name, in gratitude. Sometimes out of a longing to be carried to the next horizon. Namo Amida Bu.
what appears to be the experience of most of my friends.
Instead of dwindling to a point, Santa Claus has grown
larger and larger in my life until he fills almost the whole of it. It
happened in this way.
As a child I was faced with a phenomenon requiring explanation.
I hung up at the end of my bed an empty stocking, which in
the morning became a full stocking. I had done nothing to produce
the things that filled it. I had not worked for them, or made them
or helped to make them. I had not even been good — far from it.
And the explanation was that a certain being whom people
called Santa Claus was benevolently disposed toward me. . .
What we believed was that a certain benevolent agency did give us
those toys for nothing. And, as I say, I believe it still. I have merely
extended the idea.
Then I only wondered who put the toys in the stocking; now
I wonder who put the stocking by the bed, and the bed in the
room, and the room in the house, and the house on the planet,
and the great planet in the void.
Once I only thanked Santa Claus for a few dollars and crackers,
now, I thank him for stars and street faces and wine and the
great sea. Once I thought it delightful and astonishing to find a
present so big that it only went halfway into the stocking. Now
I am delighted and astonished every morning to find a present so
big that it takes two stockings to hold it, and then leaves a great
deal outside; it is the large and preposterous present of myself, as
to the origin of which I can offer no suggestion except that Santa
Claus gave it to me in a fit of peculiarly fantastic goodwill.
- Extending Santa Claus, G. K. Chesterton - taken from 30 000 days, the Todo Insitute's journal.
It's a little after Christmas but this reading struck a chord with me, especially in the light of the material we looked at in yesterday's seminar. In which we read a commentary on Shinran's first wasan (hymn) By Inagaki, in which Inagaki describes in transcendental terms the land of Utmost Bliss, and our relationship to it.
Jodo Wasan 1 - Shinran
Since Amida attained Buddhahood
Ten Kalpas have passed;
The Light of his Dharma-Body
Illumines the Darkness of the world.
In the extract from the Tablet 2, Chesterton is not describing a Pureland in transcendental terms, but in describing himself as the recipient of great blessings, he talks about this world in a very Pureland way. As we sit in Nie Quan, contemplating what we have receive from others and from the world, continually broadening our horizon, being grateful for each new discovery of grace, so Chesterton expands his idea of the Christmas Gift to include the whole day itself and all of the goodness it contains.
Chesterton a Christian, talks about a benevolent agency, (and uses Santa Claus as his archetypal Buddha) we talk about Amida, perhaps the detail is different, but the experience of gratitude sounds the same.
Chesterton has a wonderful way with words, and his gratitude encompass the whole world, without trying to explain it, to reduce it to a set of understandable knowable objects, or narratives. He describes the process of continually encountering new ‘Others’ the stars, the street faces and the great sea, and of his gratitude for that.
I think for me, Chesterton’s implicit respect for each of the gifts he receives , is something I would like to emphasis, the idea of gratitude without control - being thankful for what is.
There’s a particular resonance with my experience, and I think with the Pureland teachings when Chesterton writes that “I had done nothing to produce [the gifts]. I had not worked for them, or made them, or helped people to make them. I had not even been good - far from it.”
And yet still the blessings came, initially he just saw the gifts in the stocking, but later, the many more blessings in the whole world. And still he had done nothing to produce them, like Shakyamuni watching the morning star raise under the Bodhi tree.
This is the most amazing thing about the world, about Amida’s light in the world, or however we talk about these blessings. We receive gifts, material gifts, compassion, understanding every day - most often in spite of our own selfish nature.
I am not good, far from it. And yet I feel hugely blessed. The paradox is that, in fact, the more I come to terms with how far from good I am, the more blessed I feel, the more room there is for grace in my life.
At this point I want to recall Inagaki’s description of the Pureland, and the discussion we had in ‘Dharma on the Sofa’ about the words we use to describe our spiritual experiences of grace or samadhi. We might talk about the Pureland in terms of Jewelled trees, of the birds that sing the dharma, or the lakes of seven gems and so on, or we might talk about the Pureland in terms of a transcendental realm of light, or we might talk about our experience of gratitude for all the things we encounter in this world. This is a language that appeals to me, the pureland manifesting as selfless acts, and indeed all the gifts we encounter in this world.
This is why Chesterton’s writing appealed to me, I think, this and the process of continually expanding his horizons, revealing new things to be grateful for. The Pureland is like this, I think, a step beyond the horizon of gratitude for merely material blessings, continually going beyond, and encompassing ever greater acts of grace.
Today in the service, we read from the memorial book, and remembered our ancestors, both biological and spiritual, in one sense these are things which have already passed over the horizon of this world, and yet the something of the spirit continues, we are left behind something to be grateful for.
In the same way we recall Shakyamuni Buddha, every day in our services, in one sense he has passed over the horizon, but something of the spirit of old Shakyamuni remains. What Inagaki calls the Dharma-body. The Truth body. Something just beyond the Horizon, for which we are eternally grateful. Something going beyond, always going beyond awakening.
That’s from the Heart Sutra of course, and there is something about that mantra that appeals, the act of never standing still, each awakening is something to be gone past, another horizon opens up to us and we see something more to be grateful for.
Sometimes this is how we call Amida’s name, in gratitude. Sometimes out of a longing to be carried to the next horizon. Namo Amida Bu.
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