Woo! Go Brother Phap Lai!

Listen to this. Chanting like you've never heard before! =D



Done in a chorus!

The Refuge Chant

Incense perfumes the atmosphere.
A lotus blooms and the Buddha appears.
The world of suffering and discrimination
is filled with the light of the rising sun.
As the dust of fear and anxiety settles,
with open heart, one-pointed mind,
I turn to the Three Jewels.

The Fully Enlightened One,
beautifully seated, peaceful and smiling,
a living source of understanding and compassion,
to the Buddha I go for refuge.

The path of mindful living,
leading to healing, joy, and enlightenment, the way of peace,
to the Dharma I go for refuge.

The loving and supportive community of practice,
realizing harmony, awareness, and liberation,
to the Sangha I go for refuge.

I am aware that the Three Gems are within my heart.
I vow to realize them,
practicing mindful breathing and smiling,
looking deeply into things.
I vow to understand living beings and their suffering,
to cultivate compassion and loving kindness,
to practice joy and equanimity.

I vow to offer joy to one person in the morning,
to help relieve the grief of one person in the afternoon,
living simply and sanely with few possessions,
keeping my body healthy.
I vow to let go of all worries and anxiety
in order to be light and free.

I am aware that I owe so much
to my parents, teachers, friends, and all beings.
I vow to be worthy of their trust, to practice wholeheartedly
so that understanding and compassion will flower,
helping living beings be free from their suffering.
May the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha
support my efforts.

The Leaf

It's night time and that's when I'm most emo
Listening to Yiruma right now
Sitting cozily in my bedroom
Lights are off, with a tinge of yellowness from my lamp

Reflected a lot today
Life is so interesting
So much has happened
And I'm really happy that things turned out this way

This is because that is
This happens because that happens

Went to my favourite place in Chicago today
The Japanese Gardens
So peaceful
So tranquil

Jumped and crunched on dry leaves
*Crunch* *Crunch*
Just like when I was kid

I saw a leaf fall
At that moment
It seemed that time stopped
The whole Universe
Came together
In that one leaf
Preparing itself
So that I would see it descend
Ever so gracefully

Memories from the past
Events of the present
Thoughts of the future
All came together
In that one leaf
As it fell
Gently
Onto the solid earth

Looking at the leaf
A smile appears
In that moment
The leaf became me
And I became the leaf

This is because that is
This happens because that happens

Whatever happens
Happiness is there
Love is there
They have always been there
Just waiting
To be discovered

It's A Beautiful Day!

The week has been great!
But I know when enough is enough.
So the answer is no.
Off to the Zen Gardens I go!

Ignorance

Student: "Teach me the way to liberation."
Monk: "Who binds you?"
Student: "No one binds me."
Monk: "Then why seek liberation?"

Our prison, our dungeon, is in us. It's in our own minds, our own thinking. We strap ourselves in chains of our own making, and we do the same to each other. We train our children in the ways of bondage.

All this is based on ignorance. We don't see what we are. We don't see our situation for what it is, nor do we see how to deal with it. As the Chinese philosopher Yang Chu once said, we pass by the joys of life without knowing we've missed anything.

The Difference Between Prayer and Meditation

Prayer means
talking to God;
meditation means
listening silently for His answer.

Happiness is Freedom

Finding myself
Being myself
No longer a sheep following the crowd

No longer chasing
No more envy
or hatred
or lust
or greed
or anger
I can breathe freely

Awesome friendships
Finding my soulmate
Living in the present moment
Feeling true joy

Doing what I love
Daily exercise
Meditation
Prayer
Building my relationship with Him
Constantly improving each day

Expressing myself fully
Not caring what others think
Doing what's right
Being there for others
Happily
Joyfully
Gratefully

Thank you
Parents
Teachers
Friends
Everyone
For giving guidance and support
along this path

I am truly grateful
This is the best quarter thus far!