transformation

with enough heat
the wax turns clear

without the flame
it returns to its natural state

opaque

faith

Time to fall
is time to float
for a lotus blossom.

-Inagaki

Sunset

om amitabha hum

it's ok to cry

om amitabha hum

Quan Shi Yin Litany

(P.T.N. H.J. Kennett, adapted Brazier/Johnson)

Great and kind Quan Shi Yin, give us the grace to know and recognise you, in whatsoever form you may take, on the streets, in the shops, in our work, in our leisure.

Give us the courage to recognise you in pleasure and in pain, in happiness and unhappiness;

Give us the wisdom to recognise you in all your myriad forms, not merely the ones we want to see;

Give us compassion to understand those who are in the grip of delusion, prejudice and bigotry;

Grant them the power to know the spirit of the Dharma, not merely the ability to read rules and scriptures;

Give us the wisdom to know that what the Christian churches teach has been taught by the Buddhas for thousands of years;

Give us the wisdom to take the Sufis by the hand and, in their dancing, to know the joy of meditation;

Give us the understanding that the Jewish festivals are celebrated by Buddhas;

Teach people to know that peace in the world can only be gained if we make peace with one another deep in our hearts;

Teach us to know that we are responsible, every one of us, for the conflicts that tear the world, because of the greed and conflict in our own hearts;

Teach us to face ourselves as we really are by holding up your mirror, in all your manifestations before us;

Teach us that all beings, of whatever colour, religion, or species they may be, are equally loved by all the Buddhas;

Teach us to be grateful to inanimate objects for making themselves available for our use;

Teach us that we have not the right to expect trees and plants to give themselves to us without our expressing our gratitude;

Give us the compassion to improve the lot of animals and to desist from their exploitation;

Teach parents that their children have the right to respect, attention, love and acknowledgement of their opinions;

Teach children that their parents’ words should be listened to and seriously considered;

Appear on the television screens and in the theatres and show us the dangers of drug addiction and the evils of crime that we may be saved therefrom;

Help us to know that all living things have the same basic fears, hopes loves, longings, hunger and thirst;

That they only pretend not to have them for fear of ostracism by society;

Teach us not to be made cowards by circumstances and the truth;

Teach us that an angry person is a frightened person. Help us to be friends to the lonely;

Give us the sight of your thousand eyes to see where help is needed and give us the strength of your thousand arms to give that help;

Teach us not to look at others’ faults but to see our own;

Teach all Buddhists that it is better to live in harmony with each other than to argue and fight over doctrine and dogma;

Teach those who slander, curse and revile others that the only person who gets hurt thereby is themselves for all curses must, by the law of karma, return upon the heads of those who utter them;

Teach those who are slandered to have compassion for those who are wretched and misguided who utter such curses;

Teach us that, in the whole universe, the only real enemies are fear and superstition;

Grant to those who seek to control others the courage to face themselves and their desire for power;

Give us the courage to look into the great mirror that all living things and inanimate objects hold up before us and see ourselves as we truly are;

Grant us the intelligence to do something about the reflection;

Teach us that the Buddhas and Ancestors undergo no conceivable harm by our living our lives naturally;

Teach us to know that an enlightened person is a whole person, unfettered by the opinions of others;

Teach us to love and enjoy the blue sky, the sun, the rain, the snow and the storms that nature sends; give us the wisdom to use the opportunity for perpetual training that they bring;

Grant us that, in the winter of our lives, we may be able to look back down the years without too much regret;

Help us to face that which is called death truly, if one can see gods and angels at the moment of death and feel no elation; if one can be set upon by devils and demons and feel no fear, but meet with the infinite light in faith and ease, one knows true freedom.

By such means as these do we live in your grace eternal.

Namo Quan Shi Yin Bosat

Nembutsu

Among all living things
mountains and rivers,
grasses and trees,
even the sounds of blowing winds
and rising waves -
there is nothing
that is not the nembutsu

-- Ippen

Dhammavadaka

Remember always that you are just a visitor here, a traveller passing through
your stay is but short and the moment of your departure unknown

None can live without toil, and a craft that provides your needs is a blessing indeed;
But if you toil without rest, fatigue and weariness will overtake you,
and you will be denied the joy that comes at labour's end

Speak quietly and kindly and be not forward with either opinions or advice;
If you talk much, this will make you deaf to what others say,
You should know that there are few so wise that they cannot learn from others

Be near when help is needed, but far when thanks and praise are being offered

Take small account of might, weath and fame, for they soon pass and are forgotten
Instead, nurture love within you and strive to be a friend to all.
Truly, compassion is a balm for many wounds.

Treasure silence when you find it, and, while being mindful of your duties,
set time aside to be alone with yourself.
Cast off pretense and self deception and see yourself as you really are.

Despite all appearances, no one is really evil; they are led astray by ignorance.
If you ponder this truth always you will offer more light,
rather than blame and condemnation.

You, no less than all beings, have Buddha Nature within.
Your essential Mind is pure
Therefore, when defilements cause you to stumble and fall,
let not remorse nor dark foreboding cast you down.
Be of good cheer and with this understanding, summon strength and walk on.

Faith is like a lamp and wisdom makes the flame burn bright
Carry this lamp always and in good time the darkeness will yield
and you will abide in the Light.

- Shravasti Dhammika