Recognition – Drawing together the Teachings from all the Ceremonies of Jukai

Download mp3 of Talk

The quotes below are from the Dharma Talk on the Recognition Ceremony given during a week-long retreat in April 2021. The quote at the very bottom of the page is taken from an article in Tricycle Magazine.

As one goes on, doing one’s best to refrain from filling up via the senses, simply put refraining from reaching out via the senses, eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind. Allowing sights, sounds smells to come to you, allowing the mind to simply receive, all that you need will come to you.

There are six senses listed in Buddhism, the mind being the sixth. (I mention the Alaya Vijana in this talk, below I have linked to an article* on the Alaya Vijana for your interest.) The intellect has its place undoubtedly and takes its place, significant place. All the senses know how to function without our help, including the mind. Our mind knows how to think. So the message is, refrain from going out, seeking after, refrain from grasping, clutching at things. Zazen, practiced regularly, seems to allow for a space between seeing and acting, hearing and responding.

*The Buddhist concept of “storehouse consciousness” (Alaya Vijnana) arose about 2,000 years ago to help explain why people return so often to the same emotional states and viewpoints.

May 8th is traditionally marked as the Buddha’s Birthday, aka Wesak, or the Festival of Flowers. Here at Throssel, it has just started to snow! The Daffodils hang their heads, but we’re not. Right?

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2 thoughts on “Recognition – Drawing together the Teachings from all the Ceremonies of Jukai”

  1. Hanging with the daffodils, lifting to read this blog for comfort, and this from a poem by Kayo Chingonyi in his book “A Blood Condition”
    “speaking without the need of words
    because breath is the oldest language
    any of us know”

    Camilla

    1. Camilla, Thank you so much for this snippet from Kayo Chingonyi’s poem. Breath as the oldest language, That has to be the blog of today.

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