lotusinthemud

our sangha's grove of trees

The newly renamed Tree of Life sangha are buying trees in the Scottish Highlands. One of our major focuses is on caring for our planet and :: Trees For Life is an organisation that are working to rewind the Highlands and to restore some of the ancient :: Caledonian Forest 

Our :: grove already has 13 trees and we will continue adding to it

the heart of justice...

“The heart of justice is truth telling, seeing ourselves and the world the way it is rather than the way we want it to be.” 
~ bell hooks

The Tree of Life Sangha

Since I and other members of my Amida Scotland sangha left the Amida Order and Shu, we have been nameless.

During our Zoom meeting on Tuesday evening, which was an opportunity for 'sharing', passing the stone and giving space for deep listening, I offered the friends gathered together the possibility of three new names.

The unanimous choice was 'The Tree of Life Sangha' - and so we have our new name!

 

:: the Tree of Life in Buddhism

:: the Tree of Life in Buddhism 2

Bright Earth Buddhist Temple

Kaspa and Satya write:

The new name for Amida Mandala is... BRIGHT EARTH.

After stepping back from the Amida Order in November, Kaspa & Satya will continue to run the Malvern temple with a changed name to reflect our heart values.

'Bright' to signify Amitabha's golden light, streaming all over everything. To remind us that this light is always present, whether we are able to open our eyes to it or not. To help us to see the world around us as illuminated. 

'Earth' to remind us of our dependence on this magnificent, beautiful planet. To encourage us to practice outside and in the temple garden. More than anything, to inspire us to take courageous action for the Earth's behalf - as eco-activists, as individual consumers, speaking up for her, mobilising with others, and living on her as gently as we can. 

As we move forwards with our new name, lots of things will stay the same. We'll still offer Buddhist practice twice a week, offer other events and do ministry in the community. We will still be financially and legally supported by the Amida Trust. We will still have the nembutsu as the heart of our practice.

In other ways, we will be very different. We are no longer members of the Amida Order. Instead we have joined with other Pureland Buddhist teachers to form the Amitabha Fellowship, where we will receive both support and accountability. Our Buddhist practice sessions are simpler. We want to become more accessible, and for it to be easier for people from different walks of life to feel welcome. We feel more able to bring more of ourselves into our work, and into serving our fellow fallible humans. 

We hope that you'll come along with us. Whether you read these emails, or join us on Zoom, or practice in the temple garden with us, or come and stay in our guest room, we hope that we can continue to reflect some of the light that has been beamed at us over the years. We remain grateful for our time with the Order, and we are excited about a new chapter. 

Namo Amitabha,
Satya & Kaspa & all the temple animals

***
Blessed by Amitabha's light
May we care for all living things
And the holy Earth

tree of life in buddhism 2

The Bo tree, also called Bodhi tree, according to Buddhist tradition, is the pipal (Ficus religiosa) under which the Buddha sat when he attained Enlightenment (Bodhi) at Bodh Gaya (near Gaya, west-central Bihar state, India). A living pipal at Anuradhapura, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), is said to have grown from a cutting from the Bo tree sent to that city by King Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE.^[13]

According to Tibetan tradition when Buddha went to the holy Lake Manasorovar along with 500 monks, he took with him the energy of Prayaga Raj. Upon his arrival, he installed the energy of Prayaga Raj near Lake Manasorovar, at a place now known as Prayang. Then he planted the seed of this eternal banyan tree next to Mt. Kailash on a mountain known as the "Palace of Medicine Buddha".^[14]

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tree of life in buddhism

Kalpavriksha: In Buddhism a small wish granting tree is depicted decorating the upper part of the "long-life vase" held by "longevity deities" like Amitayus and Ushnishavijaya. The goddess Shramana devi holds jeweled branch of Kalpavriksha in her left hand^[3]

Worship of the Nyagrodha tree as a form of non-human worship is depicted in a Buddhist sculpture at Besnagar.^[9]This sculpture in Besnagar, also known as Vidisa (Bhilsa), is dated to third century BC and is exhibited in the Calcutta Museum.^[10]

In Myanmar, where Theravada Buddhism is practiced, the significance of the Kalpavriksha is in the form of an annual ritual known as Kathina (presenting a robe) in which the laity present gifts to the monks in the form of money trees.^[11]At the kingdom of Ketumati's front gates, it is thought four Kalpavrikshas will spring up from the Earth and provide enough valuables to satisfy all of Jambudvīpa for years.^[12]

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some thoughts on practicing in a time of adversity

I wrote this in 2017 - of course, I had no idea of how 2020 would turn out. Who could have imagined it? I've made a few changes

*

These are some thoughts both with regard to yourself and for supporting others in dark times. They are based on my own experience.

Sometimes we just feel totally overwhelmed. We feel disconnected from faith. We question everything. We walk or sit to practice and it seems like a waste of time....how authentic or useful is this ridiculous thing I'm doing?, we think. Whirling thoughts fill our head. Sometimes there can be times of darkness to the extent that it feels hard to even take the next breath....

First, have faith that although this is a difficult period of time (and often for very understandable reasons) that all will be well and indeed *is* well - the sun is still there, even behind the dark clouds. If this has happened before you will have the experience that the faith was there even when you couldn't feel it. The spiritual path isn't always bliss! Sometimes it's very mundane and just 'doing it', going through the motions. Sometimes one seems to have lost the way...we all have, to greater or lesser degrees, experiences of 'the dark night of the soul'. Questioning, deep inward inquiry, is good! Remember Shakyamuni's advice to the Kalamas. Think about the basic Buddhist teachings and why you have chosen this path. Why it made sense to you in the first place.

Amida Butsu Chant

 

 

Green Tara Mantra

 

 

Honen’s “One-Page Document”

Honen’s “One-Page Document”:

On January 23, 1212, just two days before his death, Honen, the founder of Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, was asked by his disciple Genchi to provide a record of his essential teaching. The result was the Ichimai-kishomon, or “One-Page Document.”

What does it say? 

It says to recite the nembutsu and believe in the Pure Land — that is all. That is why in Japan it has been called “easy practice.” “Easy” because, unlike “hard practices” such as Zen, it can be done without prior study. Easy because it can be performed by anyone, anywhere, at any time. But then, things aren’t always what they seem.

In reality, “hard practice” is easy; “easy practice” is hard.

Think of it this way: It is not so difficult to believe that, with many years of meditation practice, you might eventually become enlightened — if only somewhat. In theory at least, it makes a kind of sense. After all, “You get what you pay for.” Thus, “hard practice” is easy. It is easy because you can believe in it. Easy because you can justify it with the same cause-and-effect logic you apply to the world.