The Deer Park Dharmacast

Dear Friends

After 14 weeks, we have come to our last verse.  We hope you have enjoyed this course.  We hope you will offer your thoughts and comments, especially how this course has helped deepen your practice.  

Verse 14

Supported by the Sangha Body

my practice flows easier,

allowing me to swiftly realize

my great determination to love and understand all beings.

Alternate Translation:

With the support of the Sangha

one can practice successfully with ease

and accomplish quickly

the Great Aspiration to help all beings.

Reflection Questions:

What do I rely on and take refuge in?

Who is my Sangha?

What supports me in the practice of awareness?

What is my deep aspiration in life?

Practices:

Attend a local Sangha or start one!

Readings

The Three Refuges

The Four Recollections

Discourse on Taking Refuge in Oneself

Verse 13  

Not Discriminating

Between the practice offered by the Tathagata and that of the ancestral teachers,

the Four Noble Truths perfectly interwoven

should serve as the foundation of an authentic transmission.

Thay Phap Hai offers a deep class today reminding us that the universe has a way of teaching us the lesson we are ready to learn.  We alsways want to ask, "How does this teaching help me to transform?"  If it doesn't it is not the right teaching at this time.  The dharma should be immediately useful and effective.

The reflections for this week are:

What is my experience of giving and receiving?

Is it easier for me to give or to receive?

Why do I think this is?

Enjoy this wonderful class.

Dear Friends

Sorry for the long delay in posting this class.  Our podcast limits were exceeded but we should be able to post more now.

Enjoy bathing in the stream!

Verse 12

The Mahayana sutras and teachings

open many fresh, wide gateways

allowing me to enter the depths of the stream of meditation

flowing from the Original Source of the Buddha's teachings.

Hi Friends

Here is Verse 11

The basic meditation sutras,

such as the Full Awareness of Breathing and the Four Establishments of Mindfulness,

show us step by step,

how to transform the body and the mind.

We are encouraged to focus on one set of 4 exercises from the Discourse on Full Awareness of Breathing during our daily sitting meditation.

We can also look deeply to reflect on 

What is suffering in by body and mind?

What noursihes these sufferings?

What can help heal these sufferings?

Please enjoy this beautiful teaching.

Dear Friends

We are so happy and thankful to Thay Phap Hai for this beautiful teaching.  The readings are also a wonderful reminder how much all of us non-monastics owe Anathapindika.  He is the one who, on his deathbed, shared with the sangha that us laypeople could understand the deep teachings of the dharma.  Let us live in such a way as to be worthy of his confidence.

Verse 10:

Nirvana is non-attainment

Sudden or gradual enlightenment are not different.

True realization is to live in freedom

right now in this moment.

Reflection Questions:

1) Do I notice times when I feel the need to be right? How does this manifest in thought, word and action?

2) What situations do I notice more of a push to be right, or to prove my point? How does this feel in my body? In my mind?

3) If I can sit with that experience, am I able to discover anything underneath?

Readings:  Discourse on Teachings to be Given to the Sick

Dear Virtual Study Group

We apologize for the delay in posting.  We are only able to upload 250 MB a month so when we exceed our limit we have to wait a bit.  We hope you will understand as the podcast is run on donations and volunteer time.

Here is Verse 9:

Emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness

liberate me from suffering,

so that in my daily practice

I am not caught in mere intellectual understanding.

Our Sister reminds us that we can learn to let go, that we already have everything we need inside of us.  We can stop running, stop aiming, and make use of what we already have.

A good reflection is to look at our life right now and find out what is making us feel not free.  

This beautiful sharing is closed with the deep insight, "Thank you for allowing myself to see myself more."

 Enjoy

Dear Friends

Tonight, we are introduced to the concepts that can, with practice, become our reality.  Thay Phap Hai reminds us that intellectual understanding is not one with wisdom and that whatever we learn we always have to ask 'how does this apply in my life?'  We also are introduced to interdependent co-arising which is at the core of the buddhist teaching. This is, because that is.

Verse 8

Impermanence is one with nonself.

Nonself is one with interdependent origination,

is one with emptiness, is one with conventional designation,

is one with the middle way, is one with interbeing.

Please enjoy this very deep teaching on Verse 8

Dear Thay, Dear Sangha

Tonight's teaching is on the 7th Verse.  Thay Phap Ho shares that we can be aware that our happiness depends on my mindful attitude and not external conditions.  We review the 4 recollections and we are encouraged to seek to recognize what is bringing happiness and joy to our lives.  The Mindfulness Trainings are discussed and we can see that if we are practicing and living according to the Mindfulness Trainings we are at peace because we are not regretting anything.

Verse 7

To dwell in the present moment,

to transform all habit energies,

to give rise to understanding,

liberating ourselves from all afflictions.

The additional practice of a Minute Meditation is introduced as a means to slow down when we see that we are being carried away.  Slowing down is a compassionate teaching.

We hope you enjoy this beautiful talk