A Spiritual Check-in: Eight Years Later
All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Venerable Master, Dharma Masters, wise teachers, and Dharma friends: good evening. My name is Thao. I am a county employee with Public Health, a planning commissioner for the city of Ukiah, and a volunteer at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas.
As I was preparing for tonight’s talk, I saw that I had given a talk exactly eight years ago on October 6th, 2015. October 6th also marks another occasion; it is the date that I moved to Ukiah. So, I have been living in Ukiah for nine years now.
When I first came back to Ukiah, I was working for Dharma Realm Buddhist University. I was in my early 20s and thought I was going to work there for the rest of my life. Working at DRBU was a blessing, and it was also very difficult. Since it is a small school, everyone took on multiple roles and worked very hard. There was a lot to learn and many interesting endeavors.
During my time at DRBU, I realized I did not fully understand what the Western Pure Land was about. I learned that the Western Pure Land was not a final destination. It is somewhere we go to work out our remaining karmic conditions in the most ideal setting. Afterward, we would return to the Saha World to help others. It was also mentioned that we would not remember our time in the Pure Land very clearly.
There have been many times where I am sure that CTTB is the Western Pure Land. It especially feels like it when the 10,000 Buddha repentance is in session. Many disciples gather for an intense repentance and you can hear the echoes of chanting throughout the campus. Different sorts of birds can also be heard in the background. It feels like the peace and austerity of a bodhimanda.
My experience working at DRBU also supports the idea of these grounds being the Western Pure Land. People who worked there came with many different backgrounds. It was a space for us to do meaningful work but also work through our own personal matters. It was somewhere we all held very high standards of each other but were also imperfect ourselves. After a certain point, it was time for me to return to the outside world with what I learned there.
A valuable aspect of working for DRBU was being part of the wider community at CTTB. Working at DRBU enabled me to get involved in different parts of the campus, which I am still involved in today. The other part that is unique is the availability of access to dharma and practices. While being at DRBU built my professional experiences, being at the temple helped me build a spiritual foundation. That spiritual foundation continues to be the ground I walk on today.
In the summer of 2017, I was at Buddha Root Farm volunteering while finishing my master’s thesis and needed a spiritual refresher. I was brushing my teeth and saw hanging over the sink:
When I brush my teeth, I think
May all living beings
Be peaceful and pure in mind
And bite through all afflictions
It was so pithy and catchy; I thought someone wrote it to be witty. I soon found out that this verse came from the Avatamsaka Sutra, Chapter 11: Purifying Practices.
In this chapter, Foremost Wisdom Bodhisattva initially asks Manjusri Bodhisattva, “Disciple of the Buddha, how does a Bodhisattva get faultless karma of body, speech, and mind?” The dialogue continues with further inquiries and ends with the question, “Disciples of the Buddha, how does one use his/her mind to get supreme and wonderful merit and virtue?” In response, 140 verses are spoken.
After encountering the text, I began to memorize the verses I found most common in my life.
A verse related to the bathroom:
When I go to the toilet, I think
May all living beings
Cast out greed, hatred, and stupidity
And cleanse themselves of offensive dharmas
Verses related to eating:
When I obtain soft food, I think
May all living beings
Be filled with great compassion
Their minds flexible and gentleIf I obtain delicious food, I think
May all living beings
Fulfill their aspirations
And have no envy in their hearts
A verse related to sleeping:
When it’s time to sleep and rest, I think
May all living beings
Enjoy peace and security in their person
And have no restlessness or confusion in their minds
I added on verses as they appeared in my life, such as meditative practices, walking around, and interactions with others.
During my last semester working at DRBU, I put together an art exhibit that displayed my photography with a Purifying Practices verse alongside each photo. The intention was to illustrate that awakening is not apart from the world. The verses were examples that can be found internationally, domestically, at home, away, and in nature. This is a practice that continues to expand for me.
While the Purifying Practices showed me it is possible to practice in every day settings, there is an importance to having rituals. When I worked at DRBU, I did not prioritize having a set daily practice. Instead, I could make time for practice with my flexible schedule, go to the Buddha hall for ceremonies, or attend sessions. After I started with my current job, it took me a while to adjust to the new schedule.
There are several of us that regularly study the Dharma with a well-respected teacher. He constantly emphasizes the importance of having a daily practice. Back in March, we took on a commitment to practicing a total of 21 hours over four weeks. It could be any form of formal practice. During that timeframe, the Guan Yin session was also occurring at CTTB. I was able to do a lot of practice hours with the Guan Yin session, and I was also able to start doing a daily recitation practice.
My daily practice is recitation of the Shurangma mantra and Great Compassion mantra. It takes about fifteen minutes, so it is something I am able to commit to every day. I aim to do recitation as one of the first things I do in the morning. Rather than being rigid because some days my schedule is very busy or unpredictable, I make sure the daily recitation is completed even if it is later than the morning. Daily recitation helps keep me grounded throughout the day.
Another practice that is easily accessible in my life is joining the Ten Thousand Buddha Repentance translation group. Several years ago, a friend asked if I wanted to check out this translation group and I have been attending ever since. The translation group meets online four times a week with people joining from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, Malaysia, and China. The group is facilitated by Dharma Master Jin Yong. Translation as practice is a way to draw closer to sacred texts, learn more about Buddhism, and how to communicate that to a broader audience. Translation has been of the most joyful and human practices I have encountered.
Recitation of mantras and the Purifying Practices verses feels like a personal practice, whereas translation begins as a personal practice and extends outward to others. With my work being in a different setting, I wondered how I could continue to practice both for myself and to benefit others. My approach to sharing the Dharma is finding ways to make Buddhist principles relatable, even if the people do not identify as Buddhist.
Last fall, I decided to run for Ukiah’s City Council. My campaign slogan incorporated the four brahmaviharas: “Love for the city. Compassion for the community. Joy in collaboration. Equanimity in all conditions.” My students at the school helped sew heart prints that represented each brahmavihara. The people of Ukiah got a seed planted to learn about these infinite hearts. Even though I did not get elected, it was a positive learning experience in every aspect.
Working and being involved in the local community has me interacting with many different people. With stability in my own cultivation, I can hold space for others. I am continuing to the learn the skill of a being a compassionate listener. There is something profound in truly listening – not giving my own feedback or even trying to problem-solve. It helps me connect with others when I am able to just listen, withhold judgements, and meet people where they are at.
The flexibility of my current job allows me to continue as a volunteer and teacher at the girls’ school. This semester, I am teaching ethics for ninth and tenth graders. We are discussing virtues that they consider to be ethical, looking at examples, and then reflecting on how they can apply that virtue to their own life. Teaching the girls is a combination of discipline, communication, and guiding the next generation to become better citizens of the world.
Working for DRBU and being a volunteer at CTTB has given me the foundation to approach dharma in everyday and mundane circumstances. Buddha-dharma and spiritual practice are ever present in my life. I hope to be able to share it with others in a meaningful and practical way. Dharma can be discovered and practiced anywhere and everywhere.
