MARCH NEWSLETTER

TAKING THE THREE REFUGES-BUDDHIST LAY PRACTICE The beginning of a new year is a natural time to examine what we would like to release from the past and what we would like more of in our lives in the year to come. A member of our buddhamom community expressed interest in taking the three refuges and asked for some support with this. She wanted to deepen and make a strong heart connection with her spiritual practice. Always looking to deepen my own practice as well I welcomed this opportunity to take another look at everyday practice. I have studied and practiced Buddhism for over 27 years. During that time I have both thought about and taken the refuges in many different situations. What does it mean to take refuge in the Buddha in the Dharma and in the Sangha? What does it mean to commit to the path of Buddhism in a 21st century Western culture? What does it mean to have a Buddhist lay practice and what does taking the 3 refuges have to do with all this? In preparation for this subject I logged onto www.accesstoinsight.org and typed in "three refuges". To my delight I found a clearly written article on what it means to be a lay Buddhist written by Bikkhu Khantipalo aptly entitled "Lay Buddhist Practice". This booklet put together many aspects of Buddhist practice that I had been thinking about for years. It also supplied me with an answer to the question of how to form spiritual community for those of us far from monasteries, at home with children and feeling a need for deeper practice. Buddhism shuns empty ritual and many Westerners coming to Buddhism appreciate this freedom from dogma and superstition. Yet lay Buddhists practice the Dharma with rituals in Buddhist countries all over Asia. When I was in Thailand and Burma I saw Buddhist shrines in the homes of my hosts and was deeply moved by how the practice was brought into everyday life. I also saw Buddhist ritual become empty of meaning where food was offered to Buddhist statues while mothers and children went hungry outside the shrine. When we forget the true meaning of practice and ritual it becomes empty. So how do we set up a Buddhist lay practice that is relevant to our lives, that inspires us to experience what the Buddha taught more deeply, that joins us with the community of Buddhist practitioners around the world and that leads to deeper insight? This is an aspect of Buddhism that has yet to be developed in the West. The structure of Buddhist lay practice is quite simple. It includes setting up a shrine room in our home, making offerings of fresh flowers and incense at the shrine, taking the 3 refuges, taking the 5 precepts, practicing loving kindness, generosity and mindfulness meditation, and studying with teachers through books and direct contact whenever possible. This is the basic outline for lay Buddhist practice with many variations such as the addition of chanting, going on silent retreat once a year and other options that deepen understanding of the teachings. Each of these aspects of lay practice can be understood at many levels. The main reason for bowing, for offering incense, for reciting the 3 refuges and the other rituals or practices is to create a feeling of reverence. Through these rituals we experience deep gratitude for the Buddha, the teachings and the many men and women who, for centuries, have kept, and continue to keep, the teachings alive so that we may apply them to our lives today. As we open our hearts with gratitude the teachings come alive within us and within our lives. They transform us. I have shrines all over my home but in order to better understand Buddhist lay ceremony I picked a spot in my home that was quiet and bare. I found a special cloth and covered the table, or in this case air purifier! I put a picture on the wall of the Buddha, a picture given to me by a Sri Lankan monk I studied with, and placed on the altar a Buddha statue I bought in Burma. Then I chose a special candle, incense holder and placed a vase of live flowers on the table. Offering incense I bowed 3 times to the Buddha the Dharma and the Sangha. My meditation was stronger than it had been in years. Just this simple act of creating reverence in my mind helped my meditation practice considerably. I want to share this building of spiritual lay community with anyone who feels called to do so. I am alive with ideas about how to do this. Firstly, if the idea of creating a lay Buddhist practice in your home is calling to you please email me at jacquelinek@vom.com I will put you on the list of those who would like to form Buddhist sangha this way. We will create this ceremony and practice within our own homes. There will be plenty of time to ask questions and explore the deeper meaning of each step. It will be a virtual classroom. There will be reading and assignments just as in any other classroom. We will grow closer as we each experiment using our homes as our labs and then share insights gained. The steps to create a vital lay Buddhist community are all laid out for us by the Buddha and by centuries of Buddhist families who have passed down their practices. We will need to adjust the practices to our Western style but that is perfectly kosher. Each time Buddhism comes to a new land it adapts to the people there. This is part of the beauty and wisdom of Buddhism. I am looking forward to this new step. What a wonderful way to begin the New Year!

Jacqueline