Finding the Measureless An introduction to Amida Buddhism Session Two
Relating with the spiritual
Amida Trust The Buddhist House 12 Coventry Rd Narborough LE19 2GR www.amidatrust.com Prasada Ca roline Braz ier
Inspirational relationships We are inspired by other people. Those who have been important in our lives have each brought with them gifts. These gifts may be quite different in quality from one another, each being unique to the person and the setting. In the last session you wrote a letter to one person who was influential in your spiritual journey. This was just one person of many who has brought light into your life.
EXERCISE ONE On a large sheet of paper draw a small figure in the centre to represent yourself. Around this figure draw as many other figures as you like to represent different influential people from your life. The influence of these people may not necessarily be something you would class as spiritual. Beside each figure write or draw something to represent a gift that person has given to you. Reflect on all the gifts you have received. What different qualities do they have? How do they reflect the different qualities of the people who have been significant in your life? Either working over your original diagram or on a new sheet of paper, make a collage of pictures representing the richness of relationships you have experienced with different important people over the years. You can include photographs, magazine cuttings, and other personal items which seem to fit. Create something which is beautiful and which reflects the appreciation you feel for these people. You may choose to frame your picture and place it somewhere where it can be a reminder to you of their spiritual support.
In our Buddhist shrine room we have an ancestor shrine. This is where we commemorate people who have been important to us who have died. The shrine may include relatives, friends, teachers or people who were important in our tradition who lived a long time ago. Creating such a memorial in one’s own home is also a traditional part of Buddhist practice in many Eastern countries. You might like to copy this, but why wait till people have died to show your appreciation? Your collage might form the start of such a place in your home.
Respect and offering When we feel appreciation, we often want to respond by offering some sort of gift to the person we feel grateful to. This impulse to offer is expressed in many religious practices because it is something fundamental to human nature. People lay flowers on a grave or take a gift when they visit friends, they take trouble to dress well and wrap the present with care when they go to a wedding, and they send nicely worded greetings cards when someone has a baby or gets a new job. At such times we enjoy the extra special quality which formality adds. Religious ceremonies often begin with an offering. This is frequently of things which are commonly recognised, part of a common human experience. Thus many religions might offer light, flowers, water or incense. Buddhists use all of these items. Making an offering is a way of showing respect. It can be done informally, or with much ceremony. The form does not matter, although, as we have said, some ceremony can enhance the feeling on importance we attach to the act, which is, after all, symbolic. What is important is the feeling in our heart as we make the offering.
A special place In order to enjoy a spiritual practice, it can be valuable to create a special place which you associate with your practice. You might think of this as a sacred space. It is a place which you can come to associate with a calm, focused mind and developing spiritual sense.
EXERCISE TWO Choose a place in your home where you can sit quietly to practice. You may need to move furniture if you want to create a permanent space, or you may simply choose somewhere where you already feel comfortable to sit. Within that place, create a focus for your attention. You could think of this focus as a shrine. The shrine might be on a shelf or table top or it might be a space on the floor. You can cover the place with an attractive cloth and assemble items which are meaningful to you. You might like to include the card you made in the last session and the collage you have just made. You can also put flowers, candles, attractive stones or any other items which are special to you there. Sit in your space and give your attention to the shrine. Breathe deeply as you contemplate the things you have assembled. Notice your heart feeling. If your shrine can be left through the week, you may wish to sit beside it for a little while each day and offer flowers or light candles on it each time you do so.
Influences and our minds Our mental states are influenced by the people we relate to. Having good friends we relax and become happier. Being with stimulating people, we develop new ideas. When our friends are depressed we may get gloomy too. Of course influence happens in all sorts of subtle ways. We tend to take up the political and social views of those we associate with, and be influenced in all sorts of ways by their behaviours and ways of thinking. Others are influenced by us too. Choosing good influences is often seen as an important aspect of spiritual practice. It is a simple principle that what we give our attention to conditions our mind. This is true of objects as well as people. Watching violent television conditions one mind state, and listening to a great symphony conditions a different one. Contemplating a shrine and thinking of people who have been important influences on us are both ways of conditioning mind states which are more open to positive spiritual influences.
Buddha in Mind Pureland Buddhist practice involves keeping Buddha in mind. If being in good company is good for our mental health, having a Buddha as our constant companion has to be the best thing going! The Chinese term Nien Fo means “Buddha in mind�. Of course, if you are new to Buddhism you may wonder who Buddha is and why you should have Buddha in mind, but if we think of Buddha as the ultimate representation of all that is wise and compassionate you get the idea. In creating your special place, you have probably included items which help you to be more conscious of these qualities. If you make offerings at your shrine, you are honouring these qualities and building your relationship with them.
Finding Community Other people are important in our spiritual lives. Our relationships with other people who practice on a spiritual path provide conditions for us to develop. Because everyone is practicing together, we give each other support. Being with other people we learn a lot about ourselves and humans in general. We learn to appreciate and give love. We learn to listen better, but also discover that often we mishear or misunderstand others. We find that we are not on our own and that our concerns are not unique.
EXERCISE THREE Taking another sheet of paper, and on it make a diagram of your different support networks. You can include both those people who you feel offer a spiritual support and those who offer more social or practical support. One way of doing this is using a net diagram
MEDITATION EXERCISE Through the week, take ten minutes each day to sit quietly in your sacred space. Enjoy breathing and contemplating your focal point or shrine. As you sit bring to mind a person whom you feel has supported you in your spiritual practice. Try to picture the person and to think about concrete interactions you have had with them. Imagine yourself sending rainbows of coloured light to the person as symbols of your appreciation for what they have given to you. Keep sending more and more rainbow light throughout your meditation time.