Nam Mo Shakyamuni

Mu A Mu Sa    Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng

May Buddha bless all of us for a very good Saturday and long weekend that we enjoy the peacefulness in the mindfulness stage. It’s a time for us to get together to practice mediation. Please put your hands together and let go of all you worries. Be with your own self. Get along with your mindfulness breath.

Let’s begin.

We begin by putting the right hand on the top of the left hand. Right hand named for the wisdom, left hand named for the meaning of compassion. Wisdom and compassion energy is very important in all beings. Also, for our life. Meditation is not about a formula for us to work to gain to satisfy with our desire. Our meditation method is about returning back and enjoy how we were created by good Karma we have done in the past. So, this Saturday we are not sitting down and seeking whatsoever to be better then how you are now. We are how we are. With expectation to transform ourselves to be, or become something much better, that totally does not get along with our meditation. That is not what Buddha teaches. We are how we are. We return back to who we are to enrich what is there. It is always there for us.  Mindfulness breath is really helping us to return back home after a very long trip. It is wonderful. It’s also about the mantra which just like the good condition, good transportation is helping us to keep going home in a better, more joyful way.

I just mention again, Mu A Mu Sa means we are activating our compassion, and connecting with the compassion energy of all enlightened ones. For us to be with the enlightened one to enjoy the wonderful compassion energy that is helping us to be more peaceful. That is what Mu A Mu Sa mantra we chant means.

This is the second year. We are chanting Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng. Time for us to light up our wisdom. Just like the candle built by our compassion energy. Now we ask the light from the Buddha to light up our candle for us to hold in our hand and keep moving forward, not backward. Don’t be the slave for your thoughts. Set yourself to be free. That is what we learn today and discuss through our 30 minutes of meditation. Impermanence is Free, it is setting us to be free of all attachment.

Let’s begin with the breathing technique. Sit in a comfortable position, on a cushion, or the floor, or on the chair or sofa. Wherever that your body feels comfortable. Let the hip joints relax and loose, Not falling down, or your legs not fall asleep, so you feel numb. Let your body move left to right. Hip joints loose, back straight, open your lungs, let go of everything. Be here for you.

When you breathe in the breathing needs to be taking very slowly in through your nose, and you carry down slowly expanding your belly, then hold it there for just three seconds. There is a point that we name the heaven gate point. The heaven gate, which means the pressure point right in between the soft tissue meeting up with your ending bone. From the Ying to the Yang, from fire to water or water converts to be fire. The air converts to heat. Right there you concentrate, you turn it on every time you move the energy through your backbone to the top of your head as you breathe out. Chanting the mantra.

Now we go.

May all the sentient beings be free of suffering and may all the Buddhas bless us to connect with them and receive the compassion energy. May our wisdom light up to know the truth of all phenomena is impermanent. Breathe in, expanding the belly, hold it there for three seconds, concentrate by the heaven gate point, breathe out, sunken you belly, chanting the mantra:

Muuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa   Breathe in, expanding Breathe out, sunken, chanting Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng

Breathe in, Breathe out, First Mantra:  Muuu Aaaa Muu Saa    Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng

Muuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa      Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng

Just maintain the sitting position quietly, and silently practice. Follow your breathing technique in and out chanting the mantra, and follow that only. Conscious with the energy flowing in and out around your body. Loosen up your backbone. That is important because you are setting your backbone to be free to flow with the energy.

Our backbone works so hard from when we were born to the day we lie down. The backbone is really important. Relax, and allow the compassion and the light of the wisdom Massage our backbone is a good process to renew your life.

We all know there are so many  things that we love that we like. Could be something from someone has been doing for us that you fall in love or you like. That is just the point of the beginning. Lately we hold on for that. We don’t want to loose it. Then if that is not happing the way it used to be, we suffer, we are sad. It is just like you go to the coffee shop to order a cup of coffee. The same kind of coffee you love. Every day in and out your expectations create, and you think that coffee shop has to create that same kind of coffee and offer it to you. Till the day the worker comes and makes it different, and then you are sad. Then you are unhappy, and then you might ask why you don’t make that for me. That theory also creates that we become gods or goddesses and think others always have to do something to please us. Or we think that people have to do things for us. We own them, we suffer. The more we hold onto those thoughts we suffer. Buddha understood when he was enlightened, all things, even a kind of emptiness does not exist forever. From form to emptiness, emptiness to form. It is there and goes away and manifest to be different depending on conditions. So, the more you hold on to what ever now, it will be gone tomorrow. The more you hold on for what is now, when tomorrow comes and is there no more, you suffer and look back to what you had yesterday.

There are two days that are very important in our life, that should never exist, but we all think it is important for us to hold on and forget the special moment, the two days are yesterday and tomorrow. Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has the right, now it is here we don’t be with. Most of us spend time for yesterday and the day of the future, but never invest in the present. Because of that we make ourselves more selfish, make our mind narrower and close our mind to be in the darkness of our desire. Knowing what Buddha is teaching, that all things are impermanent, helping us to set ourselves to be free to enjoy life. Otherwise, we tie up ourself for what has gone, and never be exists. Impermanence, understand about this for us to be free to enjoy, to be more happy with every moment that is here with our parents, our husband, wife, family, friends, community and the environment surrounding us. We enjoy to do whatever, even if it is simple, like cutting the grass, breathing, talking, meeting friends. Because all are impermanent. Respect time is precious to meet, to do, to enjoy. Understand about this. Impermanence is all about all, not only particular things, about friendships, Friendship is impermanent. Could be a wonderful day you enjoy dinner or lunch, but the next moment they turn around to be your enemy. It’s ok, friendship is impermanent.  the beautiful is there for you, but it is also impermanent. It is never going to be like that forever. You hold onto that, you suffer, you put yourself in the box of attachment. Understand impermanence is always surrounding. Understand deep about that and know the truth. Truly knowing that is setting us to be free to enjoy. Like me, many people think I tire myself with the teaching, but actually I understand that life is impermanent, I could be sitting here today, happy and healthy, but this moment of happiness and healthiness does not exist, it is an impermanent thing. I set myself to be free because I am enjoying to do things just like this very simple. So every simple action, thought, or the way you associate with your friend, you realize it never exists forever. So when you form into the action, or the thought, or whatsoever you reach out to others. You understand that those are impermanent, so you put your peaceful, mindful, compassionate energy into that moment that is all. Without any expectation of keeping that moment forever, but just enjoy. So understand about impermanence is to set yourself to be free to live in the free spirit, living in free of suffering. Don’t box yourself in any small darkness box of your own desire. Breakthrough, move beyond, and enjoy life.

Back to the breathing technique. Together we offer our merit energy, our compassion, loving kindness, wisdom energy, to all friends that practice with us. To all families, to all our loved ones, even the garden that you love, the flowers that you love, the dog, cat, friend, family whoever you can think of. We love them so much. We know all is impermanent. We are loving now with no attachment or desire to hold us back and let us suffer. Let’s be free because we understand impermanence. May the compassion and wisdom mantras activate and connect with us to all Buddhas to receive the compassion energy and light up the wisdom for us to see through.

Breathe in, expanding the belly, hold it there for three seconds, concentrate on the heaven gate point, breathe out, sunken the belly, chanting the mantra slowly: 

Muuuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa   Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng

Muuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa     Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng

Muuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa      Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Da Ra Houng

Just keeping the breathing techniques, meditating, observing the energy flow with you. I would like to share about impermanence setting us free to enjoy our life. It is happening in the temple. We all know that this temple was a farm, a lot of trash. People were free to come to through trash, but never clean. Since we come here, it does not mean that we do not know.  We do know that a big mountain of trash is around us, we know that we can transform it because all things are impermanent. The trash pile was transformed by all of us. Now we enjoy. Also, one person comes every day, cutting the grass, planting bulbs, planting flowers. We all know things are impermanent. Impermanence means transformation. Impermanence means move on to enjoy. It is a great effort with your love, care, compassion, and wisdom energy. Because what we do today will transform your entire life, and the environment surrounding. Every day since spring has come, at our temple there is a lot of flowers that are beautiful. Some are very small here and there, but when I capture it with my camera it is so beautiful. To compare with the big land of the temple, all the forest and trees, that flower is so simple so small, but still stands up to be right and beautiful.  That is why when you see all the beautiful flowers, that ware planted months, days years ago. What she has done is gone, but not dead gone. It is transformed so that today there is a beautiful flower garden. What was done yesterday is gone but transformed. Impermanence but very present within every moment. Understand that way, we use to do every day what we like every day, what we love every day. We have to do with care, with love. Even though after that day impermanence will transform them to be different. When the transformation is processing, it starts with love and care. The beautiful flower I took the picture. I enjoy seeing. I don’t think about yesterday, but I think about the great lover who loved the energy of the natural process within the nature. I see the care, the love energy. Not of yesterday, but of the special transformation of all things impermanent, but never gone. Spring is important. You have to think, impermanent but is never gone. You have to meditate to understand, impermanence but never gone. Look back to our loved ones, could be daddy, mom, uncle, whoever within the family, living in their impermanent physical body they reached to live peaceful lives, and return back to mother earth. Physically gone, because the body is impermanent. But they are never gone forever because the loving compassion wisdom energy from them, still transforms and is present here with us today. Impermanence is not gone, but it transforms within every moment, what ever we do, make sure, be mindful, because all things are impermanent. Impermanence sets up free to enjoy, and put into whatever we do a great compassion care, love, wisdom, for the special transformation activate to transform into a good for the moment for us and others to enjoy.

May all our loved ones that have gone physically but we know they all still exist within us. Never gone, even though the impermanence process is always there. May the mind of every one of us understand, impermanence is not gone, but it is transformation for better if we are here in the moment, the present moment, compassion wisdom, let’s enjoy with the breathing technique. Let’s be humble and receive the compassion energy. Set ourselves to be free to enjoy life, knowing that all phenomena are impermanent, and offer our merit of compassion, our wisdom to all.

Breathe in, expanding our belly, hold it there for three seconds, concentrate on the heaven gate point, breathe out, sunken our belly, chanting the mantra:

Muuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa    Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Dar Ra Houng

Muuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa     Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Dar Ra Houng

Muuu Aaaa Muuu Saaa     Nam Mo Ta Mo Ta Mo Dar Ra Houng

That’s just all. A beautiful Saturday practicing meditation together to activate our compassion and wisdom to understand all things are impermanent, but never gone. It is the process of transformation. Let’s enjoy every present moment with love and care, with compassion and wisdom and with a special forgiveness. Forgiveness is the key to go beyond to break through to set ourselves to be free. Impermanent but never gone.

Thank you for practicing with us and may all of us enjoy a wonderful weekend with family, with loved ones with friends. See you next Saturday.