PADMASAMBHAVA's DAY
My first blog as an ex chair of the Glasgow Buddhist Centre. I will carry on doing a blog. I started it as a chairs blog, now it is just my musings: Parami’s Perspectives
What a day we had on Sunday! Padmasambhava Day felt like a real celebration, not only of our new centre (Uddiyana) but of sangha, of community. I was deeply moved by so many different things: the teamwork in organising and preparing the day, both practically and thinking through the programme; the number of people who turned up, including friends from outside Glasgow; the atmosphere of joy and rejoicing.
The day followed the structure of a seven fold Puja. Each section began with the relevant verse and then a talk or ritual appropriate to the spiritual attitude related to that stage of the Puja. After the worship and offering section we heard about all the things that had been pledged as blessings towards the opening of the new centre: mantras; practices; chanting as well as money. It was inspiring to hear about the swimmers, marathon runner and hair shaving. Our fundraising had broken the target of 50K. At last count we had raised £53, 218 - 106% of target. Will we reach 108% given that is a magic number?
Before the general offerings to the Padmasambhava mantra, chanted with drum, Parami shared an offering sent to us by Simharava in Berlin. These were Prayer Flags with a Prayer by Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche to avert nuclear war. In her letter to accompany the flags, Simharava gave a Summary of the Prayer text
The prayer opens by paying homage to the Teacher, the Three Jewels, Guru Rinpoche, Bodhisattvas, Taras, and various spiritual protectors and guardians. It describes the suffering of our era, noting how stubborn, ignorant minds wield the dark power of atomic weapons to create terror and uncertainty on a fragile earth. With nowhere else to turn, practitioners express their devotion and longing, calling upon the Three Supreme Refuges and Three Roots to stretch out the hand of compassion and free defenseless beings from fear. The text petitions these forces to turn war-minded leaders toward peace, pacify armed struggles, neutralize atomic weapons, and extend the lives of the righteous. It asks for the complete elimination of dark forces that wish harm, wishing instead for the spread of goodness, happiness, and the restoration of a peaceful world. The prayer concludes with an appeal that, through truth and compassion, this aspiration will be magically fulfilled just as hoped.
May the flags bring peace and happiness to your new centre!
She has given some of these flags to other Triratna centres. She mentioned Abhayaloka in Finland (which felt especially meaningful for being so close to the Russian border). I am delighted that we have something with a profound wish for peace. I have a translation of the text of the Prayer and will put it in the Centre.
After the Going For Refuge section where we chanted the Refuges and Precepts, we entered the Confession section of the Puja. After a wee talk about acknowledging anything that might hold us back from Awakening - and recognising the complexity of being human, that we can aspire to Awakening and still have deep tendencies that pull away from that - we had a ritual involving dissolving paper and bowls of water. I enjoyed seeing the written words dissolve and leave behind a colourful swirl of water. In the same way, something remains but beauty can be found in our very willingness to recognise our habits and faults.
And all of that before lunch!
The afternoon was full of rejoicing. Some beautiful rejoicings in me as outgoing chair and in Moksadhi as incoming. Thank you, not only to those who spoke, but to all who wrote lovely rejoicings on the cards and wee book I was given. It was a joy to read on Sunday night. And the very generous cash gift was very gratefully received. Thank you so very much. The musical offerings were great as well. Unexpected and special - Caledonia for me and Under Pressure for Moksadhi. Make of it as you will. Thanks Stephen, Lara, Bertrand and Candrika. More music at the end as well, with a sangha adapted version of Lean on Me. Thanks Candrika and Viryadevi for organising that. Pretty good rendition I thought!
But, of course, before the final Lean on Me, we had a very important, moving and special moment. In the Transference of Merit section we had the hand over of the chair. This was incredibly significant - a generational shift, a newness building on the outgoing. I spoke a bit about Moksadhi and then a very simple ritual in which I placed the “Bhante Birthday Box” on the shrine and then Moksadhi removed it. The box is used to celebrate Bhante’s birthday each year and has become a symbol of the legacy of caretaking that a centre chair holds. In this simple ritual, I passed that legacy from myself to Moksadhi. I have every confidence that she will be a very appropriate holder of that legacy and I wish her well.
We are now firmly inhabiting Uddiyana and I look forward to seeing how that unfolds. We had a few days Urban retreat including the ‘meditation marathon” - 12 hours of practice: readings from the Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava; chants and meditation. I wrote a bit about that in last week’s blog. The centre felt well warmed up for Padmasambhava Day. Tonight I will give a talk at Mandala Night class to launch the next round of evenings exploring the fourth of the talks from Buddhism for Today and Tomorrow. The talk was called A Blueprint for a New World and the corresponding poetic image was of a Garden in the Wilderness. These feel very appropriate as a first series in Uddiyana. May it be a garden of peace in the heart of Glasgow.
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
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