Peacefully Abiding Rains Retreat 2011
Our first Monastic Rains Retreat at the AIAB began on Saturday the 21st of May, 2011. We had a Counting Sticks ceremony to acknowledge all those who would commit to 90 days of solid practice. (For those new to Buddhism, this tradition dates back to the time of the Buddha and his monastic sangha where they would remain within a certain physical boundary to deepen their practice. Restricting their movements also helps them to avoid stepping on the myriads of living beings that proliferate during the humid rainy seasons.)
The next day (22nd May) we had a Face to Face Ceremony where brothers and sisters vow to take refuge in one another for the next 3 months to purify and deepen their practice. It was so moving to see brothers and sisters who hardly knew each other (because we come from different Plum Village practice centres all over the world) solemly vow to take refuge, to support and guide each other in pioneering this new endeavour of establishing the AIAB together. As we wholeheartedly touched the Earth before the Buddha and our spiritual ancestors, the Land ancestors were also moved to tears of monsoon rain. The Heavens seemed to open and the downpour of Dharma rain was so refreshing and powerful! It seemed to wash away any fears, doubts and trepidation so that new beginnings can manifest solid and beautiful.
This Face to Face ceremony was special as we had invited all the lay sangha members to join the monastic sangha in strengthening our collective practice. Due to conditions of work and family, the commitment for our lay friends would mean that they try their best to attend every Sunday Day of Mindfulness, and set up a program of practice for themselves at home during the week. As the monks and nuns stood in front of the Buddha, lay men and women were asked to come up and declare their commitment, and thus also be supported by the four-fold sangha. There were feelings of anticipation and joy as we watched to see who among our friends would commit… I can only imagine that perhaps after split seconds of overcoming any residual resistance or fear, Peggy and Josephine emerged from their lotus mats! It was a heartfelt act that the sangha rejoiced with them.
I saw among others who remained seated there were smiling faces that expressed their own eagerness to join this stream but could not due to prior commitments and other conditions. It is now the sixth week of the rains retreat and we are so happy to see these eager faces who could not commit show up almost everyweek!! When they could not come we felt a gap in their joyful presence. It really feels like looking forward to having a family reunion every weekend. Children come to play freely and hike the mountains, getting in touch with nature in themselves; adults connect and share deeply; practice songs that create a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere; and teens who just offer their natural freshness and curiosity. There is a growing comfort and familiarity of shared aspirations and mutual nourishment both of the body and spirit. There are those who just come and contribute their silent presence and calm smiles due to language limitations. Everyone’s presence is appreciated no matter what state they are in, or what they have been through during the week. All is embraced gently by the collective energy of the four-fold sangha.
First Tea Meditation – by Charles Wheeler
Sangha. Drinking delicious tea that my brother Simon prepares for us. Receiving plates of cookies and words of sharing from our gathered community. Enjoying Brother Phap Chung’s Buddha sculpture, art made from grass and bricks and stones, so playful, and so lovely to look at. To my right sits a person that I have known since I joined the sangha two years ago; to my left sits someone whom I’ve never met. And yet, here we are, right now, we have made a community. A home. Yes, I am home. How I love the Sangha. Through them, the Buddha and Dharma come alive.
Every cup of tea, every cookie, every gesture of thanks, every word and every silence helps me to come back to myself. Calm rises, anxiety falls. I return to the present. Aware again, I realize the miracle in this moment. I begin to feel the sangha is part of me, and I a part of it. This love makes me strong.
The week ahead will be challenging, but I don’t mind. New distractions and old habits will continue to lead me astray, as they often do. I cannot walk this path alone, I know. But I don’t have to. I can come back to my sangha again in a week. In the meantime, they will continue to walk with me, and I with them.
Oh my, the sangha teaches me so much, with a simple cup of tea!
Veggie burger, full of love – by Celia Tsui
At our first formal lunch of the rains retreat I tasted a very delicious veggie burger with brothers and sisters. Talented sisters made the burger with tomatoes, vegetables, and a piece of "ham". Sr Tu Nghiem told me that there are some soya bean dregs left after making soya bean milk. Sisters didn't want to waste the dregs as they are still nutritious, so they had the idea of using the dregs to make veggie burgers. This is where the delicious "ham" comes from. When I ate the burger, I not only received the love by sisters who made an effort to prepare tasty food for us, but also shared the love of preserving the planet by making tasty food out of dregs. The burger is so nourishing.
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