Recorded in 1994.
(This track starts with three sounds of the bell, and a few moments to sit in silence. You may like to stand up when the guidance begins, or to stay kneeling or sitting.)
(Speaking starts at 3 mins 20)
I.
In gratitude, I bow to my ancestors in my blood family, through all generations
(BELL: you may like to bow deeply, or practice a prostration while the contemplation is read)
I see my father and my mother, whose blood and flesh and vitalities are present in me, circulating in my veins, and nourishing every cell in me. Through my parents I see my grandpa, grandma on the paternal side as well as on the maternal side. Their energy has entered me with all expectations, all experiences and wisdom transmitted from so many generations of ancestors. I carry in me the life, the blood, the experiences, the wisdom, the happiness and the sorrow of all generations. The suffering and the elements that are to be transformed, I am practicing to transform. I open my heart and my flesh and bones to receive the energy of insight, of love, and of experiences transmitted to me by all my ancestors. I have roots in my father, my mother, my grandfather, my grandmother and all my ancestors. I am only the continuation of my ancestral lineage. Please support me, protect me, and transmit to me more of your energy. I know where children and grandchildren are, ancestors are. I know that parents always love and support their children and grandchildren, although it happens sometimes that they are not able to express that love and support due to difficulties that they encountered. My ancestors have built up a way of life that has expressed gratitude, joy, confidence, respect, and loving-kindness. As a continuation of my ancestors, I bow down to the ground and receive the energy of my ancestors. Please support, protect me, and give me more strength.
(BELL: stand up again)
II.
In gratitude, I bow to my ancestors in my spiritual family
(BELL: you may like to bow deeply, or practice a prostration while the contemplation is read)
I see in myself my teacher, the one who shows me how to love and to understand; how to breathe, to smile, and to forgive, and live deeply in the present moment. I see through my teachers all teachers over many generations, all bodhisattvas, and the Buddha Shakyamuni, the one who started my spiritual family over 2,600 years ago. I see the Buddha as my teacher and also my spiritual ancestor. I see the energy of the Buddha and that of several generations of teachers has entered me, and is creating peace, joy, understanding, and loving-kindness in me. I know the energy of the Buddha has deeply transformed the world. Without the Buddha and all my spiritual ancestors, I would not how to practice and to bring peace and happiness into my life and into the life of my family and society. I open my heart and my body to receive the energy of understanding, loving-kindness, and protection from the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha over many generations. I am the continuation of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. Please, transmit to me your infinite source of energy of peace, stability, understanding, and love. I vow to practice to transform the suffering in me and in the world, and to transmit your energy to future generations of practitioners.
(BELL: stand up again)
III.
In gratitude, I bow to this land and ancestors who have made this land available to me and to us
(BELL: you may like to bow deeply, or practice a prostration while the contemplation is read)
I see that being held, protected, and nourished by this land and all living beings that have been there with all their efforts to make life easy and possible for all of us. I see all those who have made this country into a land of refuge for so many people of so many origins and colors, by their talent, perseverance, and love – those who have worked hard to build schools, hospitals, roads, to protect human rights, to develop science and technology, and to fight for freedom and social justice. I see myself touching my ancestors who have lived for a long time on this land; who have known how to live in peace and harmony with nature, protecting mountains and forests, animals, vegetation and minerals of this land. I feel the energy of this land penetrate my body and soul, supporting me, accepting me. I vow to cultivate and to maintain this energy and transmit it to future generations. I vow to contribute my part in transforming violence, hatred, and delusion that still lie deep in the collective consciousness of this society, so that all the future generations will have more safety, and joy, and peace. Please support and protect me.
(BELL: stand up again)
IV.
In gratitude and compassion, I bow down to transmit my energy to those I love
(BELL: you may like to bow deeply, or practice a prostration while the contemplation is read)
All the energy I have received I now want to transmit to my father, my mother, to all the ones I love, to all the ones who have suffered and worried because of me and for my sake. I know I have not been mindful enough in my daily life. I also know that those who love me, they have had their own difficulties. They have suffered because they did not have a favorable environment for their development. They were not lucky. I am transmitting my energy to my mother, my father, my brothers, my sisters, to my beloved ones, my husband, my wife, my daughters, and my sons, so that their pain will be relieved, so that he or she can smile and feel the joy of being alive. I want him, I want her, to be healthy and joyful. I know when she is happy, I will also be happy. I know, as he is happy, I will also be happy. I feel I no longer have any resentment towards him, towards her, now. I pray all ancestors in my blood family, as well as in my spiritual family, to channel energy to him, to her, to protect and support him or her. I no longer see myself as a separated self from him or her. I have become one with the person I love, with the persons I love.
(BELL: stand up again)
V.
In understanding and compassion, I bow down to reconcile myself with the people who have made me suffer
(BELL: you may like to bow deeply, or practice a prostration while the contemplation is read)
I open my heart and send my energy of understanding and loving-kindness to the ones who have made me suffer so much, who have destroyed much of my life and the life of those I love. I know now that that person, these people, have undergone a lot of suffering themselves, their heart overloaded with pain, anger, and hatred. I know a person who suffers so much, always makes people around suffer. I know they may have been unlucky, since they were still a child, and did not have the chance to be cared for and be loved. Life and society have given them so much hardship. They have been wronged and abused by society. They have not been guided in the path of mindful living. They have accumulated wrong perceptions about life, about me, about us, and have wronged us and the people I love. I pray to the ancestors in my blood family and my spiritual family to channel to him, to her, to these people who have made us suffer, the energy of love and protection, so that their hearts will be able to receive the nectar of love and bloom like a flower. I pray that that person could be transformed, so that he or she could experience the joy of living, so that he or she will not continue to make himself or herself suffer and make the others suffer. I see his suffering, her suffering, their suffering and do not want to see the suffering drag on. I do now want to hold any feelings of hatred or anger in myself regarding these persons. I do not want that person to suffer. I do not want them to suffer. I channel my energy of love and understanding to him, to her, to them and ask all my ancestors to help him, to help her, to help them.
(BELL: stand up again)
VI.
In gratitude and compassion I bow down to my ancient spiritual roots
(BELL: you may like to bow deeply, or practice a prostration while the contemplation is read)
I see myself as a child sitting in a church or the synagogue, ready for a sermon, or the performance of the ceremony of yom kippur or the holy communion. I see my priest, my pastor, my minister, my rabbi, and the people in the congregation. I know it was difficult at times to be there, and to do the things I did not understand and I did not want to do. I know communication was difficult and I did not get any joy or nourishment from the teaching and the rituals. I was nervous and impatient because of the lack of communication and understanding between my spiritual family and me, I have left my rabbi, my pastor, my synagogue, my church, and I have lost contact with my spiritual ancestors and disconnected from them. I know there are jewels in my spiritual tradition, and the spiritual life of that tradition has contributed greatly to the stability, and joy, and peace of my ancestors over several generations. I know many people who embody my spiritual traditions have not succeeded in transmitting to me, to us, the values of the tradition. I want to go back to them sometime in the future to help rediscover the spiritual values in my ancient tradition, for my own nourishment and for the nourishment of my children and their children. I want to connect again with my ancient spiritual ancestors, and let the spiritual energy flow freely back to me again. I see Moses, I see Jesus, as my spiritual ancestor, and I see teachers over many generations in the traditions also as my spiritual ancestors. I want to bow down to all in this present moment.
(BELL: stand up again)
My dear friends, if we continue this practice of bowing down, we will get transformation and healing.
(BELL, BELL)
Join the conversation