Practicing with Prayer

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BZ-02672
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paper

two sons

hey will have were hoping for a clear voice is this clear enough that might get ah
you know what a pleasure it is to walk in and see all of you it's this community is such a joy for any of you who i knew i highly highly recommend it it's very very sweet place to be
i'm intending to talk today about reverent prayerful practices and some of which we do most days a week but not on saturday and in the later morning when
just right now and i i feel they're very important to our practice and want to be sure that if you're missing it you know like you're missing
we have a dozen here five and five days a week at five forty in the morning and also at five forty in the evening and after sitting zazen we have a short service where we chant various chance some in english as
and and some in another language of that were don't talk very much about that other language but we love those chance and so i want to introduce some of those things also and some of the echoes the words that the co-ceo ios
things after the chance also i think just comes deeply into my heart and i'm imagining also for others it's that experience and and it's just a little upsetting to think that everybody in the room doesn't have this experience or is it hasn't been exposed to it
and maybe i'm wrong maybe you have but let's talk about them anyway
also on monday mornings and most mondays as a month early it's worth getting up there is usually a speaker and on friday afternoons there's a one friday a month or speaker and a surprising number of people get up in the morning and crowd this zendo
for the monday morning speakers i'm just saying that you're missing something
ah yes

they're also these times of of the morning services and the services after evenings as in are times when we offer wellbeing and memorial services and anyone who wants to request a memorial service for a deer
friend a family member and or a well being service for yourself if you're ill if you're having a hard struggle with something or have a friend or family member who's in that situation
we also do well being services for people in a group of people worldwide who is experiencing extreme hardship or calamity or loss so when we're all worried about some people one of us will often say let's do a well being service
this and i am the fortunate recipient of those requests because that's one of my little jobs around here so when you need or want a well being a memorial service you can ask me my contact information is right above the calendars that gets posted
every month on our are three different bulletin boards around here including right outside the door hear what this does for me is brings home the importance of these moments of wellbeing and memorial services because i hear you say my dear one day
or i know because a dear one has been here with us and it's time to
say goodbye and wish that person well as they go beyond
some would say that our memorial services help them release life and go beyond
and well being services
we do if if someone is having surgery or
having an illness having difficulty recovering from something just having sometimes it really hard time for some reason and those services i think we think have have a kind of power to to help people
the services include a statement about the person and a special chant called a durrani
i want to say also that and luminous heart who's sitting directly in front of me here
this is a beginning to offer help us offer in our sanga continuous prayer chanting which is chanting for the wellbeing of a named person who's in a crisis or in surgery so she will be heading up that program there's a
description in the newsletter that you're about to receive and you can now that you've seen her wave you can talk to her during at t after the lecture

when i think about our wellbeing and memorial services i think we're doing a buddhist kind of praying we sometimes have the word prayer in our various
the things that people say often the kolkhoz response to something will include the word prayer but pretty generally around here we don't talk about praying and so i'm choosing to be provocative today because i think in
in this kind of a crowd prayer is a little provocative
and i think that's because of at least for me our history our own histories with prayer i grew up as a christian with christian prayer at how many people have had that experience
and for me that includes important understandings of reality that no longer work for me when i was taught to pray as a child the prayer was to ask a wise omnipresent god male up in the sky somewhere
for something important that we wished for
and there was also that rope prayer at bedtime now i lay me down to sleep i pray the lord my soul to keep a few nods how many how many said that prayer
i was pretty sweet but it's not happening anymore
for me
but this kind of praying is the kind of a habit so there's there's certain times in my life when i'm a little desperate one is sometimes with sewing where we have to cut the fabric and you know if
you cut fabric that's it right you've cut it or make some kind of irreparable move in the sewing process of selling iraq a suit or no kaisa that's one of my moments when i say to people and i say it with kind of i'm just of kidding voice shall we say a little prayer
another one is a bad girl scout camp where my name is mama bear we have these big a granite ridges with no paths of them and the object and often extremely important one is to get from one side of it to the other and it's very hard to tell
which is the right route to take so i will sometimes turned to my friends and say i guess we're gonna right here and shall we say a little prayer because
if you'd have to come all the way down and sometimes you can't get down when she got up so it's pretty serious stuff but i know we're just kidding
i don't think there's anybody up there listening to our prayers
but it's just kind of helps me to kid a little bit about praying at that point

so to me a buddhist prayer is a reminder of are inextricable inextricable connection with the whole of the universe
when we buddhists pray we know we aren't separate were not individual individuals our prayers i think send us propel us
emotionally cognitively into that vast all encompassing everything i think we just say
you know and that's a my experience of our prayer and i'm just dying to know what you all think and i will be asking you
on i left a bunch of copies of maley scots met a prayer around i hope enough that people can share and read it
i'm highly recommending this particular prayers i thought it would help if we chanted it together and then that i hope there's enough copies that if you'd like to take it home you can
ten is gonna lead us
in chanting ten is serving during lecture as tokyo which is a
position that we have in our services the person who who leads the chance

may i be well loving and peaceful may all beings be well loving and peaceful may i be at ease and my body feeling the ground beneath my seat
and feed letting my back be long and straight enjoying rap as it rises and falls and rises may i know and be intimate with body mind whatever as failing or mode com more agitated
tired or energetic irritated or friendly breathing in and out aware where moment by moment of the risings and path things may i be attentive and gentle toward my own discomfort and stuff or
ring may i be attentive and grateful for my own joy and well being may i moved towards others freely and without winless may i receive others with sympathy and understanding may i moved towards the sub
ring of others with peaceful and attentive confidence may i recall the bodhisattva of compassion her one thousand hands her instant readiness for action each hand with an eye and the instinctive knowing what to do
thu may i continually cultivate the ground of peace for myself and others and then fine villain dedicated to this were independent of results may i know that my peace and the world's peace are not separate
that are where he's in the world as a result of our work for justice may i have means be well happy and peaceful
deep desire for peace we have offered light and flowers words and prayers may the merit of these offerings forbade everywhere to save all sentient beings from the ground as well as of suffering fusion
to nourish compassion and selflessness even in adversity to end all wars to avert the calamities of epidemic and
the destruction of fire water wind
to rejoice and i are different ways and phase recognizing the answer to all life on this fragile
together with all
wise to happen
army
how to the as tan direction three times on the boat he the sidebar maha
where's the and wisdom maha garage now
no need
thank you to
we also have something called matter suitor which is a chant in our chant book and i think also of that as a kind of a prayer of here's a couple of lines may i be upright and sincere easily contented and joyous may not i not be submerged by the things of the world taking upon my self the
a burden of riches and honor goes
so some of our our chance are a prayer
we have a special kind of chant in our services which is a gerani and i think durrani is a kind of prayer we chant them in our wellbeing and memorial services and we will be chanting a durrani in our continuous prayer circles dorado is our chance in a language
we can't understand in words whose meaning we don't know
most common are the and made you go on and go
or the shows i'm o kitchen joe durrani for wellbeing services and we also chant the dice and durante for a memorial service they're often in sanskrit words although there's sometimes thought of is untranslatable i think they have been more in the long ago passed
thought of as untranslatable
they're believed by many to be powerful because of their sound that the sound of the words as you feel them in your body and and hear them in the air
rather than the actual meaning of the words
i i thought were going to chant on the opposite side with a mecha prayer is the show side me i'll teach joe durrani cost how to how she has a done a wonderful reference book called zen chance i for people who
feel deeply about chanting it's very special help to to learn more and
he and jan chosen bays
found what they consider the most early inaccurate sanskrit version of this chant and and translated it and i'll read that translations so you have a sense as you're saying the words what people long ago had in mind when they put these words together
either

k that good
homage to all buddhas and destructible ones oh sacred void void clear away clear away hum hum shine shine shine brightly stay stay stars stars emerge emerge
merge peace and blessings baja
so let's chant the
show some meal key to joe durrani
and greg is playing the miku keogh to help us keep time together think
mature clunk clunk
yeah

no moshe and motor not all hi raji photoshop so no none toe-to-toe and yeah yeah yeah okay yeah key are known cheaper cheaper ah para schaefer ron hira cheaper
she saw you saw tissue re tissue rate so hotjar so hodja than g gosh arya samaj mandir motor nano hi raji photoshop so no none talk
mojito and yeah yeah yeah yeah kyo known cheaper cheaper para raw hiroshi fujiwara tissue such issues soft tissue rage issue read java jar so hodja simon g
yeah yeah sherri saum love how some d'amato nano hi raji kojo shah so no none tall je joe and yeah yeah yeah key yaki you known cheaper cheaper
a bora bora bora tissue such issues the tissue reach tissue read so hotjar so hodja and g gas sherry a stoma go
so this chant to me provides an eloquent example of what i mean by a buddhist prayer
i'm words oh sacred void void stars stars emerge emerge
throwing ourselves into it and we remember are inextricable inextricable connection with the whole of the universe
we know we're not separate
our prayers send us propel us
into that vast all encompassing everything
another durrani the unmade yukon and gear which we often chant his address to convey own
a figure who's known as the here of the cries of the world the name is also have a low-key test vara vara or canon depends on where you are when you're saying her name and sometimes his name we use this
chant and wellbeing services and will be using it in the continuous prayer circle
when we chant when we do services were facing an altar and the author has a focal figure are altered has a buddha as the main figure
in
in vietnam
alters often have kwan yin
they call her the lady buddha and she's the one to whom prayers for being and for remembrance of family are directed
i'm in japan and there are all kinds of figures i can't even tell you what there are at alters however the most common figure at so many authors you wouldn't believe is jizo who is a figure of a kind of a play
plain looking monk and jizo is the
yeah
you want at one praise to jizo for travelers for pregnant women for children for wishes for children who have died that they that they are doing well in the afterlife
but mostly wishes and wishes for children and jizo a alters are everywhere you're walking down a perfectly normal business or residential street and there is a jizo alter inactive use with fresh water fresh food fresh flowers clearly
tended to that morning and to be tended to again and again
and there are alters at temples where there are thousands of g zoe's one of my assignments to myself for this week was to print up some pictures of these amazing
ulcers and and i didn't get it down i'm sorry but i will somehow some time make that available because for those of you haven't seen it and it's it's quite something to see we have a number of jesus and jesus alters right behind the zendo here and we have an
newly a jizo service the the altars are actively use there's fresh flowers in them all the time and i like to tell children who come here that if they have a worry or concern if they're worried about one of their friends that they could come back there and
tell jizo about it and ask for help with that that issue that can often be you know pretty worrisome
and that that is because i i believe in the power of prayer i imagine that children having
is that they're very very worried about are relieved by giving it over to the universe is really at what we're saying

some of us have alters at home and
those authors can be a focus for prayers and for chanting
they can be a place to take are serious concerns are expressions of loss on
my home alter is kind of crowded with focal figures the largest one because it was given to me as a gift is kwan yin
i'm
here of the cries of the world there are at least three jesus and to buddhas and photos of my mother of dear departed friends and of dear departed dogs and there's also a picture of blanche hartman and joshing son at who
really gave us our sewing practice of sewing oh cases and rock assume that is so precious to us
and i have often for periods in my life
bowed at the altar in the morning lit i guess you know here i come here i live upstairs and so i come here in the morning but when i didn't live here i lit a candle at my altar offered incense chanted and
the mehta prayer that we chanted and
and then and did that in front of this array on on my altar

and when i want to do have my own well service sometimes some someone will say that they're concerned and i say is it okay with you if i do a well being service for you know and so that does these authors get at our homes can be
ready use
so i'm
dying to know what this brings up for you and i hope that
people will talk about your experiences with prayer with home alters with sir ronnie's with services
with and and whether you define prayer in a way that might be helpful that would be helpful for others to here too because that's just my am
effort to define it
yes john
christian prayer
and i wanted to remember
asked about ask and ye shall seek and ye shall find god
as as i give up the guy in the sky
i realized still
as work and why is that
i fear
because it opened my eyes five years of my hope for the possibility
my asking
the of see or hear or receiving understand or response
do that free but because i created
this that
he got
so i wonder if you would say that that prayer
fraser valley before the guy get out
i still guys with you
praying in the way we do it the way i think that we're doing it i've i feel like i'm just flinging myself out you know when we do this which tends to lose this
and hard as skin and bones body and just like get me outta here but get me out into the
yet another teaching myself i'm not stuck in this scumbag alone but for part part of everything and and the power of everything to bring everybody
the prayers the wishes the the what they need you know research on prayer has shown prayer to be extremely powerful
prayer
prayers to people we don't know but prayers to the name of that person have been scientifically documented to help them get well so we we have a list of names here
here for well being services and people are welcome to give us names of people you'd like to be on that well-being list
and
the that image of knock on the door is so powerful
i'm
i i had a rather sometimes traumatic time in my family and household as a child and there was a woman up the block who took me to church i think she knew that gotta get that kid out of that house and into something else you know and very kind of her but
one day i was sick and couldn't go and she brought me the program from that day at the church and it was a figure of jesus knocking at a wooden door
zephyr precious so precious
i guess i'm trying to knock at your door today and say
come come chant the ronnie's taped around his home or have an altar pray
kelsey
i was wondering if you
journey
a understandings
i
session
struggled with the prayers
curious
fast
well i've found this quite a piece of work to take on buddhism and to
when it always been very interested in philosophy of science things like the fallacy of misplaced concreteness i just held to my heart
but working working working on this not unique separate unconnected business has been over and over and over again teaching myself for years
tell that is
so one wouldn't expect
i don't have words can do it for people say well we're not separate there's no up there there's you know we're
part of a schmear you know
and we're
speaking to that you know what were you using like what would be an example
was the heart sutra is our daily lesson in the fact that we're not separate you know it is
i mean i think think so the heart sutra which we say every day in every zen temple in the world
is a lesson in it's our primer on how
the hope there is no separate anything and then it ends with a prayer so i don't think of it as a prayer i think of it is our instruction hit him in yes yes this is our instruction and then the prayer is gotcha gotcha day parra got de paris on guy
a day bodies fall which is gone gone completely gone whatever the next word
get going so that is that
no
so i wonder how that that kind of an explanation would have gone over with them
try it we can try it yeah mary
so
here
hmm
me

thing
service

that that was a bridge
then
construction that really helped me was that especially during the chase veteran
that point is in that moment you your voice land which lists
experiencing
the voices paying attention
visceral away
that that was really the point he was already
this beautiful
yeah
if minute
i it's always
look at a layer which value
it's like a smoker operator yeah it's like to reflect on the rituals that
can carry a lot of
different meanings for or
so i'm a little uncomfortable lecture so little churchy to me he thought you knew that you know that was part of what was going on here
why would we have out when i first heard of that shasta have
that the woman
yet you can she started adopting like language and however appeal how are we can increase to the language from catholic church like bishops and stripes on rules
and i didn't like that
that
and so what's on and i get it about prayer and bible printers probably same spirit
but there is a difference a language that of tennessee lizard use of language and christian there's one of the things start using jmp like than everybody's church the associations get riled up you know so it'll be ten his language is a vow resolve
am i
a fully of wow
the intention
so i just want to keep this question of language
oh wait
as discussed
because prayer means that other thing too so many people
well i mean i love babies were i would see it up and or of death you know at life
but i wouldn't i
my personality even i wouldn't start spreading the idea of prayer too much like overdoing it language or something
the answer the japanese could love sweet check japanese because got it from the japanese month but when they nature they can stare language sorry
okay back there hi peter
this recipe or experienced first comment center
the some period of time
he was gone
i found myself really though we get a fine
champion
there
promise of be a please
that rhymes with fall of one
easy
the playground
listen
right surgeon
i found it
a long time as for my
hmm

this
since uses sensors
good
judy
why so grateful
stage
is jack

but also on his work
there is a long tradition of how to gather
how much ah so you know why campfires
and how to spy
he popped him
coming together one
station
a lot of layers
take care lee
but i all about us section and how he also why can't gather
how credit to get
as has has that
teaching part of a lot
there is
some two things i just wanted to add on
i trained
quite a bit
now
monastery
days
condoms teacher and among of things that that
ah come up with it
how
this
a patch
ah
so
it was on and there's a quality to it
which i find to egypt friends and champion
yeah not but harmonious and brings out different aspects and the other thing that does
here the twenty four hour chat
four hours people from all the traditions
chant in their condition teaching everyone
search champion catch this poor guy grounds and mg of this and that back
that or
slightly
thank you everybody out we just got the signal that we've run out of time which means we'll continue the congress
the alternative oh
that we have ten minutes oh alright sorry yes then hi
i just be to it
i enjoy your application
it's been very quickly
about your way
happy
other
way
a spiritually our workers are
catholic
i i know that
i was ways christian
how that my life
various kinds of plants
this mess that ah
hmm
thank you
luminous heart

when they
yeah
a lot i was asked
do you prey to various god said
the situation
enter that space
this is what battle gear with the eighth game
the most challenging place
getting was and
see somebody who was
and your loved ones were around them and they sometimes it is
for a chat
and get better use sometimes towels
and at first i
hi nonplussed that have it how to be true and at the same time
so what i finally calculus that it felt like it
super super cute
was an major sit there as fast
i meant to herself
desperate for mr right
that free future that i know
that game here
i i want to say so
i answered
andrew is interesting and i don't think that
i say
all time with has been
go to it
what am i doing
i feel like a person
impending that i
living and separation that
paper in a raise
you
where else and that
not
i think that language is very helpful thank you
jimmy kimmel
the leading trusted sandra sandra
ah
i'm i to be a fiesta
so i don't mind
coming to a place from challenging
just to with people wherever i can put it
an interesting that that togetherness are changing
transcends everything else and transcends the boundaries i'm so so it and it's in every every with tradition has somehow changing
rare i think and paste us our monday on another one share more bottle
so i had have that other experiencing happen
then is there might actually have a palpable feeling when it goes the chance at the ceremony ceremonial
actions not very visceral connection to the answers
who feel that i'm walking the path
generations of people for
participate in some ritual motion
was a deep connection to the heritage
right
i wonder if irritation
dedication
asset
he came to the wrong person for them and fifty percents the can anybody
but who would like to talk about
ah maybe we better deputize someone to give a talk on that saved
well
and that such a rush of let us
over eight years conversation
subject
it's quite wants
before my time unfortunately darn education married
yeah
dr anderson's world series of broken glass city as reality and the last he said he spots to somebody's question yeah don't try to get anything ever
as ever
that's one of the and so drop the language of dedication very subtle reminder of i'm trying to get it which is subjective practice
i suspect there's a deep practice of merit and that we need somebody to talk to us about it but
able to do that ten and another things about the dedication merit that's really interesting it it's almost saying if by chance i generate anything out this practice i hope to give it away
thank you fellow where he said
a perfect fit okay randy

the tech
rare
that was a by
dr drive
and that's after year
my heart goes out a fantasy
district and cause his work
a hospital

i cover
what is it
or efforts
kids
i struggled to that
i like it
how's that
sacrifices their sacrifices
at poker games us
i brother
a hundred
birgit many times
the your broker nice
the
this weekend
and rock history so that was my connection
family

guess i think we have one worry you
man right there yes sorry don't name
where
doesn't work by style

here
jane

i mean it does help in the way a placebo helps right
when we lose someone dear and we chant the dietitian ronni
for me it is with the
paul's intention of
may they go in peace
and something like that
and it's just extremely helpful to have something to do at moments like that
and i think if i myself would get organized to do for example the
services that are prescribed and used in some forms of buddhism
for those dear ones i've lost that that focusing of my attention on that loss and the
focusing of the
wishes for what could it be you know but something well wishing kinder
would help too
to kind of corral that grief which can otherwise just pop up all over the place at the least opportune moments
so i'm thinking that it's a kind of a
well meaning practice to on to focus our our on
thoughts concerns wishes feelings into prayer
am and i look forward to talking with you all about this thank you