Purifying Practices Brought to Life
All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Venerable Master, Dharma Masters, wise teachers, and Dharma friends: good evening. My name is Thao Phi. I will share different verses from Chapter 11 Purifying Practices of the Avatamsaka Sutra throughout my talk.
When I lecture on the Dharma, I vow
May all living beings
Gain limitless eloquence,
And widely proclaim the essentials of Dharma.
Earlier this week, a Buddhist studies group I am a part of was discussing having a daily practice and the purpose of daily practice. It was emphasized that daily practice is not for what happens to us after we die. Daily practice is a gateway to experience reality as it is actually happening right now and to appreciate our life. I will share about my current journey to better appreciating my life.
It is worth noting that we encounter death and rebirth more frequently than we are aware of. Death is not something that only happens once with our physical bodies. We go through many deaths and rebirths, sometimes as quick as a moment, other times in different phases of life that we go through. It feels like I’ve lived several lifetimes since I last spoke in the Buddha hall.
I spoke not too long ago. It was about six months ago at the beginning of October. It was during a time of my life where there was a lot of movement and change happening. I moved out of my apartment that I was living alone in. At work, I was being put into a new role as an acting manager.
Right as my new role started, I made a spontaneous decision to join the DRBA delegation in France for two weeks. This trip was my fourth time in France; I went once in college, and the other three times I’ve been to France have all been for delegations with DRBA.
When I see a capital city, I vow
May all living beings
Gather abundant merit and virtue,
And be always joyous and happy at heart.
DRBA’s temple is located in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris, and twenty minutes away from Paris’ city center by train.
There were twelve Sangha members and laypeople that came from the United States. We arrived a few days early to settle in, had a dharma assembly of Guan Yin chanting and meditation for eight days, and a few days to site-see before we returned home. The delegation included many local disciples from France as well neighboring European countries including the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, and Hungary. Disciples even came from as far away as Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Our DRBA network is so large with disciples from truly all over the world.
Right before the delegation to France, the Buddhist studies group discussed virtues and how they related to western traditions, eastern traditions, and then specifically to Buddhism. We covered virtues such as temperance, courage, patience, respect, and friendship. We examined them on several levels: first, what is the opposite of that virtue? Next, what is the conventional meaning of that virtue? Lastly, what is the highest form of this virtue? What is the pure essence of this virtue?
Even though I was familiar with the people who joined the delegation, I didn’t really know them. Most of what we see in someone is just our version of them; it is not who they really are. So, they were like strangers to me, the opposite of friendship.
My first dinner in Paris was with a group I did not know very well. It was a mixture of alumni from our high school, summer camp, and someone I was meeting for the first time. It was a refreshing perspective to be around others my age who were serious about cultivating and doing their best while still living a worldly life.
After a few outings together, I realized that this delegation was a great opportunity to practice the virtue of friendship. Instead of the conventional meaning of friendship with friends being people I knew from a common setting or doing a common activity, I accepted that everyone could be a friend. Suddenly, everyone that I didn’t know and thought were strangers seemed like a friend, too. There was so much good will and generosity among everyone I met.
I spent many evenings of the delegation with Developing Virtue School alumni. I am happy to share that the alumni from our high school are doing well professionally, some in graduate school, some close to finishing PhD’s, cooking delicious vegan food, and trying to support the Nanterre temple. They are very bright and kind people in the world.
There were also some uncomfortable experiences during the delegation. An example of that was when my housing plans did not work out, and I had to spend more money finding a room to stay in. I got lucky when the room I rented was only a few houses away from the Nanterre temple. I stayed with a French couple and Spanish roommate, and they all turned out to be vegetarians. I had interesting discussions with them, sharing about politics and Buddhism. Instead of making a fuss when things didn’t go how I expected them to, I could relax into a state of ease.
After the trip, I realized that it was a helpful mindset to be comfortable with uncertainty. The more okay I was that I didn’t know what was going on or what would happen, the friendlier the universe appeared to me. This was true to apply not only in France but in the world I came back to in Ukiah.
About three months ago, my work duties and role shifted again. I became a program manager and oversee the areas of community wellness, prevention services, employee resources, and equity. I am currently managing ten people, and there are a myriad of both organizational and interpersonal issues that come up frequently. Sometimes I am afraid I am not capable of or willing to handle the challenges and conflicts that arise.
Organizations are difficult to manage, because they are simply made up of humans, and humans are imperfect. In that sense, it is not too different here inside CTTB than outside in mainstream society. Even when people are difficult, they still have the Buddha-nature. I don’t remember it all the time, but it is always there.
When I get along with my spouse and children, I vow
May all living beings
Treat enemy and friend equally,
And forever turn away from greed and grasping.
Many friends my age are focused on their careers, engaged to be married or are married, and having children. A dear Dharma friend recently told me that I am at a stage in life where it can be hard to strike a balance between worldly and spiritual living.
When a Bodhisattva lives as a householder, he vows
May all living beings
Recognize the vanity of the householder’s life,
And avoid its oppression.
Whether the external conditions are difficult or going smoothly, my spiritual practice helps me stay solid inside. In particular, using the Purifying Practices verses helps ground me in the present moment and also helps me see that there is always spirituality in the ordinary world. The more I cultivate, the more I find that worldly living can be spiritual living. The older I get, the more practical it is for me to treat worldly living as spiritual living.
I moved to Ukiah nearly ten years ago to work for DRBU and be close to CTTB. While I still come to CTTB regularly, I realized the importance of being involved in the local community. I will share some of the work I am currently doing.
I am employed by the County of Mendocino. I work for both Public Health and Behavioral Health & Recovery Services. Public Health is how we keep our local population safe from diseases and in emergencies as well as education to prevent chronic illness. In addition, Public Health supports new mothers and families, sick children, and children in foster care. Behavioral Health includes services to support mental health and those suffering from substance use disorder.
When I see a person who is suffering and afflicted, I vow
May all living beings
Use their inherent wisdom
To end dissatisfaction and misery.
Mendocino County has one of the highest rates of drug overdose in California. What does that mean? People are really suffering here for complex reasons, and they do not have resources to help them heal, so they turn to substances. Part of my role is supporting a team who can provide information and resources to improve the community’s health. It is an endless and impossible task to save anyone, but we can meet them where they’re at.
Access to care is limited in our rural community. I hear many wonderful things about a local doctor, who is both part of CTTB and works as an oncologist at the hospital in Ukiah. They are the perfect example of someone who’s family wanted to be closer to CTTB and also provides a valuable resource to the community. I am sure there are more people like that in DRBA, who want to be closer to the temple and can contribute something the community needs.
Another role I play in the community is being a planning commissioner for the city of Ukiah. The planning commission includes five members appointed by the city council. The planning commission is responsible for reviewing and deciding on major land use items such as permits for development or changes. That means, I get to directly participate in projects that affect the physical development within the city limits of Ukiah.
I’ve been a planning commissioner for a little more than a year, and development is slow in Ukiah. During my time so far, I’ve gotten to hear about housing developments, how the homeless shelter is doing, and several businesses such as a bank, carwash, clothing store, and too many cannabis dispensaries. Our town could have more vegetarian restaurants or an Asian grocery store. If you know someone who may be interested in starting healthier businesses, this could be the place for them. There is a lot of room for growth, both in Ukiah and the wider county.
A creative project that I got to do recently is designing postcards with my own photography for Visit Ukiah, a local welcome center for tourists. The purpose of the postcards is a way for people to see Ukiah in a positive light and easily share it with others. One of the postcards is a photo of the CTTB gates with a deer in front of it.
The director took these postcards to an international event, and she said many conversations started because people saw the photo of the temple’s gate. There was a lot of discussion about CTTB and the grounds. She has been sharing information about the schools and programs, and met someone who sent their child to summer camp. People mentioned wanting to visit CTTB, and she hopes that CTTB can help facilitate these visits when people come to campus.
When someone comes to CTTB or hears about it, it is undeniably a special place. People recognize that CTTB is a bright spot in the community. It is a beacon of light when there are so many other things happening in the world, both near and far away, that are dimming the lights of others.
I am not sharing this information about what’s happening locally for us to judge or to be afraid of the world. At CTTB, we have the opportunity to learn, practice, and build a strong inner foundation. I hope we can use the goodness that we accumulate here and remember to bring it back into the world.
Awakening is not apart from this world. Thank you for listening. Amituofo.
