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Chanting & Monastic Talk
Six basic prostrations follow the incense offering, accompanied by gathas to praise the Three Jewels and the Bodhisattvas. The gatha for the Three Jewels describes the Buddha smiling on the Vulture Peak, the Dharma resonating in the ten directions, and the Sangha sowing seeds of peace. Other verses honor:
- Shakyamuni Buddha, who holds one bowl, receives food from thousands of families, and walks barefoot to help beings overcome birth and death.
- Manjushri, whose sword of wisdom cuts through ignorance and opens the gate of ultimate reality.
- Samantabhadra, whose oceans of vows and great action transform the cosmos through the Ocean Seal concentration.
- Avalokiteshvara, who manifests in a thousand places to rescue those in the ocean of suffering.
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The Ancestral Teachers, following the path of the enlightened masters to ensure the Dharma lasts for future generations.
Future chanting books will include gathas for Kāśyapa, Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, Ānanda, Upāli, and Gotamī.
Collective intelligence operates within a Sangha, similar to the harmony found in colonies of ants, bees, and termites. While an individual insect may lack the neurons for complex planning, a community of termites can build sophisticated cities with ventilation, air conditioning, and fungus gardens. A practitioner is like a bee; if separated from the hive, they lose their strength and energy. True wisdom and power are not found in a separate self but in surrendering to the Sangha and allowing oneself to be transported by its collective energy.
During a twenty-one-day retreat, the Sangha expands and modifies its energy as four hundred new members join. Monastics act as the kernel of a cell, receiving and giving nourishment while treating retreatants as brothers and sisters rather than guests. Dharma talks are not prefabricated but are born from the collective needs, suffering, and joy of the whole community. Daily practice includes specific morning and afternoon chants, such as the Heart Sutra and the invocation of the Buddha’s name, to maintain a pure heart and a clear direction.