a wondrous transformation

This will be a short blog today as I am trying to get it done in the middle of a very busy day. I noticed that last week’s blog hasn’t had so many readings as usual.  I wonder if it’s because it’s titled Musings on the World Cup. Maybe that sounds like a post about football.  I do talk a bit about football but it is more a musing on team play versus having a star at the centre.  So, if you missed it because it looked boring, maybe have a wee look now.  I was actually rather pleased with my musings!

Today I want to rejoice in our festival of Dharma Day which we celebrated on Sunday 26th.  This is the full moon of July, two months after celebrating the Awakening of Shakyamuni Buddha under the Bodhi Tree.  We celebrate quite a few festival days, the three main ones being celebrations of the three precious jewels - Buddha Day, Dharma Day and in November, Sangha Day.  This year we decided that these three main festivals would be an opportunity to explore the qualities of the three jewels as described in the Tiratanavandana —the verses of praise (vandana) of the triple gem (Tiratana). So, yesterday, I gave a talk on the Dharma Vandana. I will post this soon on freebuddhistaudio. The qualities are very inspiring I think and I was delighted to have the opportunity to share my reflections.

The Dharma is described as :

Well communicated is the Teaching of the Richly Endowed One,Immediately Apparent, Perennial, of the Nature of a Personal Invitation, Progressive, to be understood individually, by the wise. 

and I looked at each of those qualities in turn. Just to choose one for now, I talked of the Dhamma as Akāliko. It is perennial. It is timeless. This means it does not expire, nor is it bound by trends, cultures, or eras. Whether two thousand five hundred years ago in India or today in Glasgow, the law of cause and effect remains the same. Craving leads to suffering; letting go leads to peace. Impermanence affects all conditioned things. I reflected that this timelessness gives us stability. In a world that changes rapidly—where newscycles spin, political landscapes shift, and even our own centres undergo transitions like our upcoming move—the Dhamma remains constant. It is a rock we can stand on when everything else feels chaotic. Although manifesting in seemingly different ways in different cultures and in differing time periods, the Dharma is an eternal law.

In the seminar that Sangharakshita’s did on the Tiratanavandana early on in Triratna’s history he said

It's not effected by time whether it's a thousand years ago or whether it's now, or in a thousand years time, it will always be true as long as there are human or sentient beings, with human nature as we know them, that hatred will never cease by hatred, it will cease only by its opposite, which is non-hatred or metta. So here this is an eternal law, its not a law which changes from time to time. So in the same way the law of conditionality you know is an eternal law. So the Dhamma is eternal in this sense, it's a truth that remains true irrespective of particular instances or circumstances. It's as valid now as it was say in the Buddhas time.

As well as the talk and meditation, the morning also saw a lovely update from Moksadhi on our imminent move. As well as telling us what we can all do to help (and repeating quite a few times the fact that we move in 8 weeks time) she told us of the inspiring Uddiyana appeal.  Regular readers of this blog will understand why ‘Uddiyana’ and this has now been agreed by the trustees council as our esoteric name for Woodside Crescent. There is, of course, an economic aspect to the appeal but also some of us are pledging mantras, meditations, rituals towards a smooth move. I have pledged to chant at least 200 Padmasambhava mantras every day till we move and I am well on my way.  I don’t know the logic behind such a pledge but it feels mythically and spiritually important. In my talk I said that, while the qualities we recite—'well-communicated,' 'immediately apparent'—highlight the rational, testable nature of the Dhamma, there are other ways to approach it.

The Dhamma is not merely a philosophy; it is full of wonder, myth, and symbol. Although coming into its own in later schools of Buddhism, this aspect is there from the start. Even in the Pali canon we find parables, imagery of lotuses and rivers, trees, nature spirits. This 'mythic' dimension is not opposed to the truth; it complements it. It engages our hearts and imaginations, reminding us that awakening is not just an intellectual achievement but a profound, wondrous transformation of our entire being. The dhamma is both science and poetry, logic and magic. This dimension can add a layer of wonder and mystery to our practice. For me, offering a daily mantra chanting is evoking that sense of wonder. I will also make a wee recording of some chants and songs and ask people for Dana for copies.  That way, I can hopefully give some money as well.

Meanwhile, as always

May all beings be well,

may all beings find true happiness and its causes

and may all beings be free from suffering.

Where the Bodhichitta has not yet arisen

May it arise

Where it has arisen

May it flourish

Where it flourishes

May it never die