Connecting Through Virtual Sitting

Words for Arousing the Vow
Dogen Zenji’s Eihei Koso Hotsugan Mon

We vow together with all beings, from this life throughout countless lifetimes, to strive to hear the true Dharma;
That upon hearing it, no doubt or lack of faith will arise in us;
That upon meeting it, we will abandon the way of the world and uphold the true Dharma; And in so doing, together with the great earth and all sentient beings, we will accomplish the Way of Enlightenment.

O Buddhas and Patriarchs enlightened by the Way, have compassion on us.
Release and liberate us from all evil karma created in our past; remove all obstacles from our practice of the Buddha-dharma.

The virtue of the Buddha Way pervades the entire universe. Please remember that all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Patriarchs have shared our condition before their awakening. Now, we follow the True Way of Enlightenment so that we too can be Buddhas, fully Awakened Ones.

Venerating Buddhas and Patriarchs, we are one Buddha and one ancestor; contemplating Bodhi-mind, we are Bodhi-mind. Because of their limitless compassion, we are able to realize Buddhahood and throw away this attainment.

Our ancestor Longya said:

Those who in past lives were not awakened will now be awakened. Free this body that is the fruit of accumulated lives.
Before enlightenment, ancient Buddhas were exactly the same as we. Upon enlightenment, we will be exactly as the ancient ones.

Quietly explore the depths of this web of cause and effect, as these words are the teaching of a verified Buddha. Confessing and repenting in this way, we cannot fail to receive the boundless help of Buddhas and ancestors.
Confessing to the Buddha with mindful heart and dignified body, the power of our disclosure and repentance will melt all roots and branches of our transgressions. This is the one pure color of true practice, of the true mind of faith, of the true body of faith.

Let us recite the Four Great Aspirations.

Creations are innumerable,
I resolve to free them all. Delusions are inexhaustible,
I resolve to extinguish them all. The aspects of truth are countless,
I resolve to learn and master them all. The way of enlightenment is peerless, I resolve to accomplish it.

THE HEART SUTRA, paraphrased:

Practicing deep insight meditation We can see clearly
That what we call ourselves is just an idea With no real substance to it;
And when we have no substantial self, Suffering and distress are no longer a burden. All things and all forms of life
Are also empty of any real substance, Like clouds drifting through the sky.
And this emptiness is no other than rocks and flowers, Dogs and cats and human beings.

Form is exactly emptiness, emptiness exactly form. All sensations, perceptions, mental reactions
And consciousness are like this.
All things are essentially empty, not born, not destroyed, Not tainted, not pure, without loss, without gain.
So to make the point emphatically clear:
In emptiness there is no form, no sensation,
No perception, no mental reaction, no consciousness; No eye, no ear, no nose, no tongue;
No color, no sound, no smell, no taste, no object of thought, No seeing or feeling, no remembering or forgetting, no thinking; No ignorance and also no ending of ignorance,
And so onto no old age and no death; No suffering, no cause of suffering,
No end of suffering, no practice of the Way, No Wisdom and no attainment of Wisdom.

When we realize there is nothing to attain, We have no self-pre-occupations
And so live our lives of uninhibited love and compassion for others. With no hindrance in our minds and no fear
We see through deluded thinking and understand
That right here and now is where the peace and joy of life is to be found. All enlightened people of past, present and future
Live by this great insight,
Attaining full and complete maturity of being. Therefore know that these few simple words Are really a great mantra
Which completely connects to all happiness. Look clearly into this moment of your life
And you will see that these words are true, not just dogma. Vow to understand this Great Way of Empty Wisdom
To the depths of your being, and sing it with great joy:

GONE, GONE, GONE BEYOND GONE BEYOND THE BEYOND AWAKEN FULLY, ALL.

Prayer before meals

First, we consider in detail the merits of this food, and remember how it came to us;

Second, we evaluate our own virtue and practice, lacking or complete, as we receive this offering;

Third, we are careful about our greed, anger, and ignorance, to guard our minds and to free ourselves from error;

Fourth, we take this good medicine to save our bodies from emaciation;

Fifth, we accept this food to achieve the Way of Enlightenment.

Food is effective in ten ways to aid us in our practice.

There are no limits to its good results and ends in eternal happiness.

Let us take our bowls in hand and say:

Source of all Being, We are thankful for this meal,  The work of many people and the sharing of other forms of life. Accept this gratitude as a prayer for those who are hungry.   May your creatures everywhere be blest.

Prayer after meals

We thank You, Source of all Being, For the food we have just received. May it continue to nourish us For there are no limits to its good results.

Let us remember again how it came to us.

Source of all Being, We are thankful for this meal,  The work of many people and the sharing of other forms of life. Accept this gratitude as a prayer for those who are hungry.   May your creatures everywhere be blest.