The Paramitas and gratitude

In Autumn, our Sangha (the Buddhist word for "congregation") arranges to intensify our practice for a time known as "Ango."
Here is a wonderful description of what we are doing, cribbed totally from our "Head of Ango," who also happens to be my sweetie, Patrick. He wrote this for our Sangha's Facebook group:

We are about to enter our Autumn Practice Period, or "Ango". Ango begins Thursday November 6 and runs until December 18. It is an invitation to bring more practice into our life.

Ango, literally "peaceful dwelling," goes back to the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. During the rainy season, the wandering monks would come together for a time of increased meditation and discussion of the dharma. They must have felt a renewed connection to their Sangha as they all sat together with increased diligence.

So what does Ango mean for us? Typically, we make an increased practice commitment. It could be increased sitting at the Dharma Center, sitting zazen every day, mindfulness practices, chanting, mantra practice, or mindful eating. We will have a handouts for you to get ideas for things you might choose for Ango. Feel free to talk to one of the teachers or others for ideas.

The theme for Ango is the Six Paramitas, or "Perfections":

1. Generosity,
2. Ethical Living or Precepts,
3. Patience,
4. Diligence or Perseverence,
5. Concentration, and
6. Wisdom.
   

Dharma talks, readings and discussions will involve exploring the Paramitas and realizing them in our life.

So, please begin to ponder in the weeks ahead, "how will I invite more spiritual practice in my life?" "What commitment or practice vow will I make?" "What kind of support will I need?" Just as many of us can sit for longer periods or more still when we are together in the zendo, increasing our practice together can provide great support.

My own Ango commitment has included, as well as an increased home practice, a creative expression of each Paramita. This could manifest as a SoulCollage card, a blog entry, a photograph... anything.
We've been taking the Paramitas one per week, and have covered Generosity and Ethical Living. Here are the SoulCollage cards that have come from these:
Generosity. This card is inspired by something I read one time. I can't find it at all now. It wasn't The Giving Tree. It was some spiritual writing about generosity and giving, and how we sometimes can feel constricted, and often want to judge those to whom we give as "worthy" or "unworthy." We want to pick and choose to whom we are generous. Yet the pear tree, weighed down with fruit offers itself wholeheartedly and without any such condition. The pear tree gives freely. This was a vision that stuck with me, and I knew I had to have a pear tree in my generosity card.

Right Speech. I had initially gathered a bunch of images from the first Five Precepts, and thought I'd be putting them all in one card:

• Not to kill, but to cherish all life.
• Not to steal, but to respect the things of others.
• Not to lie, but to speak the truth.
• Not to misuse sexual energy, but to be honest and respectful.
• Not to misuse drugs and alcohol, but to keep the mind clear.

But it's kinda hard to get all that into one. So I looked and noticed that a few of the other Precepts deal with Right Speech too:

• Not to gossip about others, but to be understanding and sympathetic.
• Not to praise myself by criticizing others, but to work on my own shortcomings.
• Not to denigrate the Three Treasures, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, but to cherish and uphold them.

I certainly know that this is an area I can always use some attention and focus on. I try to remind myself with a Gatha -- a verse to recite that returns us to mindfulness-- by Thich Nhat Hanh. This is taped to my bathroom mirror:

Brushing Your Teeth

Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,
I vow to speak purely and lovingly.
When my mouth is fragrant with right speech,
a flower blooms in the garden of my heart.

I am certainly practicing this, like everything else, imperfectly.

We are currently on Patience. Thich Nhat Hanh also has a book that outlines the paramitas as beautifully as anything. It's called the Heart of the Buddha's Teaching. He expands the definition of this paramita beyond this idea of patience, that can seem like so much foot-tapping, waiting, and just managing to tolerate a problem. He goes beyond patience and calls it inclusiveness. Inclusive like the Ocean is inclusive. Like the Earth is inclusive. Like Fire and Air are also inclusive, and completely non-judgmental, all having an infinite capacity to receive, embrace, and transform.

More on this later. I am brewing a card for this somehow. And it also wants to be connected to a concept I have the pleasure of teaching at work from DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) called Radical Acceptance.

But until then, something I stumbled on in our earlier focus on generosity was the connection to gratitude.

In order to prime the pump for generosity, we can focus on our gratitude, and pay attention to all that we have; appreciating this life. This can be dome in every moment by simply reflecting: "This is what is being given to me right now." For some, it helps to say, "This is what God is giving me right now." This is a way to have constant contact with one's Higher Power. Always there is the breath. Life. Always there are the senses. What amazing gifts they are, and how wonderful to be reminded to appreciate them. This opens the heart, and helps with that feeling (andsometimes posture) of constriction. And it can also be used in difficult times. Looking back, I can see how the most difficult times were actually powerful gifts. It is nice to step back and see everything as a gift.

My sweetie just had an injury to his Achilles tendon, requiring surgery, which he just had yesterday. I am so grateful that he is and will be OK, that his surgeon is so wise and skillful, and that I can take the time to take care of him. We are so outrageously blessed with a community of friends and loved ones, and were cushioned by so many well-wishes of love and light. And just walking around in this Thanksgiving air; it seems like I can feel the gratitude practices all around me. Even the TV news has been showing all these heart-warming stories of generosity and kindness. Why the hell don't they do that all the time??? I might actually watch it if they did!

So that's the main thing. Grateful for the good fortune and comfort we enjoy. Grateful for a new presidential administration that may just allow more Americans to enjoy the same kind of comfort that comes from having health coverage. Grateful for my spiritual practice. Grateful for my home and my elderly dog, and old-lady kitty. A gratitude list can go on infinitely. I can be grateful for my tennis shoes and these cute arm-warmers my friend Dawn-- aka bamboolioness --made for me (and matching hat!). Check out her etsy shop. A sweet and gentle artist who is creating these lovelies from the last-chance content in the bins of the Goodwill.

And HOLY CRAP I actually won the drawing that my friend Tay was holding this month! I can't believe I won a piece of her stunning and wonderful jewelry! It's funny because even though I totally forgot about having entered the drawing, this morning I decided to wear a pair of earrings made by her (they are teeny little hammered metal bells with teeny little freshwater pearls that make them ring gently and non-annoyingly right in my ears). You MUST peruse her website at Honey & Milk. Also her etsy shop here. She is also an amazing artist and an awake and traveled soul.

Happy Thanksgiving!