AWAKENING TO LIFE - LOVE FOR THE EARTH
In 2009 Sangharakshita (Founder of Triratna Buddhist Community & Order) wrote (see below) that humanity owes a profound apology to the: Birds, Apes, Tigers, Deer, Bison, Rivers and Streams, Earth itself, Oceans, Whales, Mountain Peaks, the Moon, Stars, Sun, and the truly great Men and Women of the past. In the times we now live in we could generate many more apologies. The Buddha taught actions (karma) of body, speech and mind have consequences. Alongside apologies, let us take an opportunity to more deeply look at how we ourselves live our lives - which conditions the suffering and freedom from suffering for all manifestations of life beyond and including ourselves. That is Life dependent on the precious body which we call planet Earth.
The Buddha invited us to test out the teachings and practices, summarised as the threefold path: ethics, meditation and wisdom. It is for each of us to find our own way through direct experience. Support and encouragement of a wider spiritual community can be helpful in this. ‘Shoulds’ and ‘musts’, ’blame’ and ‘shame’, and ‘dogma’ can separate us off from realising through our heart minds of an ever deeper truth of interconnectedness and all that unfolds from this.
The Manchester Earth Sangha kula is offering a first 10 part series to build on the already existing Street Meditations which have been taking place over the last 12 months.
Gather with us on the second Saturday of every month from 1.30pm - 4pm to come into deeper connection, communication and engagement in acting for the benefit of the world and all beings.
Each month, the Saturday will look like this:
1:30-2pm Meet to share vegan lunch at the Manchester Buddhist Centre
2-2:45pm Turning towards the extent to which we are presently choosing and living a responsive, sensitive and ethical life within a context bigger than ‘ourselves’. Each month we draw on one of the five Buddhist precepts/ethical (body speech and mind) training principles as a way in. In addition to each of the five ‘positive’ we will also explore the five ‘negative’ precepts.
2:50-4pm We leave MBC to sit and meditate silently on the streets of Central Manchester opening our hearts to the suffering in the world and wishing all beings well. (Sometimes, we may start off with a chant of a mantra). At the end of the meditation we transfer any merits of our practices for the benefit of all beings - all manifestations of life.
LOVE FOR THE EARTH
You are welcome to the whole of the afternoon, or to part of it. Please note the timings. For example, to just join the street meditation, please be at Manchester Buddhist centre for 2.45pm as we will leave at 2.50pm prompt.
The series starts on Saturday, 11 November. The first week will focus on the precept/training principle: With deeds of loving kindness I purify my body.
Sangharakshita, July 2009
Founder of Triratna Buddhist Community & Order
An Apology
We live in the Age of Apologies. Here is an apology that is much more meaningful than many being made today.
Mankind owes a profound apology:
To the Birds, for having polluted the air through which they fly,
To the Ape and the Tiger, for having destroyed the forests in which they live,
To the Deer and the Bison, for ruthlessly hunting them almost to extinction,
To the Rivers and Streams, for poisoning them with chemicals,
To the Earth itself, for greedily pillaging its riches of silver and gold,
To the Ocean, for slaughtering the greatest of her children, the Whale, ‘for scientific purposes’,
To the Mountain Peaks, for defiling their virgin snows with our trash,
To the Moon, for rudely invading her sacred space,
To the Stars, for obscuring their brightness with the smoke of our cities,
To the Sun, for not gratefully acknowledging our dependence on his bounty,
To the truly great Men and Women of the past, for not honouring their memory as we should and for not walking in their footsteps.