Enlightenment is through training

The bell is rung to bring in the New Year to remind us to awaken ourselves to our true self.

Sounds have spirit and play an important role to seek the way of a Buddhist practitioner.

We chant Buddhist mantras and sutras, and with the sound of our own voice and the sound of a ringing the bell we seek to awaken from a spiritual slumber to bring forth our Buddha nature.

This is something all beings possess. It could be called the goodness we all have within. The lives of the Buddha and our spiritual forbearers are ever present within the chants. When we chant sutras and offer ourselves to help others we can enter into a joyous state of mind and heart that is where our true self lies.

When we do this we open a gate to the pure land of living together with the Buddha. When we can wholeheartedly pray and devote ourselves to walking the path of helping others seek enlightenment before ourselves, the merit we accumulate helps us to see the impermanence of the physical world and break through our delusions.

Every year we start anew and train to take a spiritual rebirth. In Shinnyo Buddhism we undertake what is known as annual training. This is a training that the Shinnyo founders began in 1935, and it has been observed each year since its inception.

In our immediate area people gather and participate in the training from Jan. 24 to Feb. 3. As Shinnyo practitioners we offer our home as a local training site that anyone can attend. We welcome those who wish to experience a little of what the Shinnyo founders established in a very informative and meditative atmosphere that gives one a hands on experience of what Buddhist training is like.

 

The wish of the many enlightened ones that have come before us is continue to express acts of loving kindness in many ways to create a world of friendship. The theme for this year’s annual training is to “Recharge, Refocus and Restart.”

There will be many facets of Buddhist training and practices to learn. As lay practitioners we train to observe good conduct through prayer, chanting, using Buddhist robes, beads, observing precepts, practicing guided meditation and gaining wisdom through content prepared by a Buddhist master to get a clear understanding of different types of faith.

Pete Carlson, a Shinnyo Buddhist, is a member of the Mid-Valley Interfaith Council.

Pete Carlson

Source: mydesert.com (Jan. 23, 2014)