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On the Day of Thanksgiving – The Great Gratitudes in the Buddha’s Teaching
Today, during the winter retreat at Lower Hamlet, Cam Lo Monastery, which coincides with the American Thanksgiving (apple pie at Upper Hamlet, and hopefully this afternoon there will be pumpkin pie at Lower Hamlet), we practice gratitude in the Buddhist spirit through the four greatest sources of gratitude:
- Parents – who have given us this body and consciousness.
- Teacher – the one who gives birth to us in the spiritual life, present in every cell through the energy of mindfulness.
- Friends – good friends who guide us on the wholesome path and support us in difficult times (spiritual friends).
- All beings – animals, plants, minerals (sentient and non-sentient) who maintain the balance of life; to protect them is to protect ourselves.
The Four Gratitudes (the four deep sources of gratitude) are intimately connected; when we are able to express deep gratitude to any one, it naturally leads to comprehensive gratitude for all.
When you lift a pumpkin or an apple in your hand, see it as a miracle of the universe – the pumpkin is nothing less than a miracle. Mindfulness in each breath, each step, each bite of pie (pumpkin pie or apple pie) awakens gratitude and happiness right in the present moment.
The path of practice is also supported by the mindfulness trainings – the Five Mindfulness Trainings for lay friends, the Ten Mindfulness Trainings for monastics – and by three foundational principles:
• Brahmacarya (pure conduct) – leaving home in order to devote oneself wholeheartedly to the path of liberation.
• Precepts (discipline) – not external commandments, but means of protecting freedom and safety born from mindfulness.
• Contentment (simple living) – living simply, knowing what is enough to sustain practice and to recognize the wonders of life.
Precepts do not limit freedom; on the contrary, they increase freedom and peace, helping each person to step towards “setting out beyond all paths” – the boundless sky of freedom in the heart.
