The weekend is used to produce the Rainbows magazine, a online version will be available in the summer
The theme of the family events is Kamma and Sila
Heres some of the activities we did during the weekend:-
we also sang the song karma police by radiohead although I'm not sure what this all about!
So we are very lucky to able to use the retreat center and have the time and space to come together like this.
One of the opportunities of a weekend like this gives, is to come
together and share our lives. This a great chance to practice tolerance,
patience and understanding.
In order to make life simple we agree to follow the five precepts - which are:-
1. not harming anything -
which can mean looking after one another.
2. not to steal - which can also mean to be honest and share things.
3. no sexual misconduct- which can also mean be honest in a relationship,
being kind to your friends.
4. not lying- which can also mean speaking in a kind and receptive
way.
5. no drugs or alcohol- another way of saying is to keep your mind
alert and mindful.
The 5 precepts are another word for sila or morality. Now depending where you are in the buddhist scheme of things you can keep different levels of precepts - the guest at abm keep 8 and I keep 10, sister keeps a lot more and the monks keep 227.
The precepts are guidelines you agree to follow when you come here - its very simple - they are not commandments, they are not there to make you feel guilty if you break them, they are for understanding the Buddhas teaching and yourself.
What goes with the precepts is refuge in the triple gem - the buddha, dhamma and sangha, that is awareness , the truth and the community of people that use this way of understanding.
A game to explore the 5 precepts
The key points for the weekend were
1)cause and effect
2) thought plus energy( intention) = action
3)Volition ad intention
4) Choice (Values, moderation, renuciation)
Dhammapada
Phenomena are preceded by
the heart,
ruled by the heart,
made of the heart.
If you speak or act
with a corrupted heart,
then suffering follows you --
as the wheel of the cart,
the track of the ox
that pulls it.
Click here for the definition of cause and effect
So kamma is about cause and effect...
So you can see the cycle of cause and effect. So this is how go about creating Kamma - creating action - when we do not have refuge in Buddha, refuge in awareness, each cause creates and effect and each effect creates a cause and so on.
With awareness we can start to see this process and we can choose do something about it.
So the Buddha talks
about two types of effects wholesome (good) and unwholesome (bad)
How do you think we know whether some action is good or bad?
So this goes back to the precepts about what we spoke about last night.
Another of looking at this is to ask yourself what actions would
you least like have done to yourself?
Any ideas
What actions would you most like to have done to yourself?
Any ideas?
So the key is what is the result of your actions?
you can always ask yorself the question:-
What would the Buddha do (wwtb)?
So this morning we looked at
how any action has a cause and effect -
And how any actions can produce a good effect and/or bad effect
The buddha defined it interms of light and dark
i) dark with a dark result,
- GOOD
(ii) bright with a bright result, BAD
(iii) dark and bright with a dark and bright result, CHOPSEY KAMMA
(iv) neither dark nor bright with a neither dark nor bright result.
- RESULT of Meditation
So how do we know what type
of action, produces what type of result.
Here is an example - a person walks into a kitchen there is another
person in the kitchen there is a knife on the table.
What do you think could happen
know - lets here some examples?
And what do you think the result of that action could be?
In Buddhism we use the word
“intention” - it’s a big word which means to choose
to do something for some specific reason.
We can choose to use a knife to kill someone, or chop a piece of
cheese for a monk or nun.
So in a very complicated world
- how do we make this choice.
Any ideas?
We make choice on what we’ve be taught, learnt and when we get old enough we can investigate the very choice, by feeling and understanding the effect and then by giving it values or judgments from our own experience.
A story about kamma
Once upon a time there was
a king who went to the market place for a walk. You know, these
things happen in fables! As the king observed the vendors, he heard
one of them calling out “ I sell wisdom! I sell wisdom!”
The king was very surprised, and he approached the man saying “so
then, you sell wisdom? At what price can you give me some?
“I have some for 100 crowns, some for 1000 crowns and some
for 10,000 crowns” answered the merchant.
The king smiled and asked for 10,000 crowns worth of wisdom
For 10,000 crowns said the
merchant; very well here it is
“do what you do, but think of the consequences”
The king was somewhat surprised at having to pay so much for an
advice which seemed to him so simple, but he laughed heartily and
returned to the palace repeating the phrase he had been given.
The next day he was still staying it over and over again, half jokingly
“do what you do but think of the consequences”
The hour came when he was customarily shaved by his barber. The
barber came in, prepared everything as usual and picked up the razor
to begin working. At that moment the king remembered the phrase
which he had bought in the market-place, and wanting to joke he
said to his barber with a grave and moralizing tone
“do what you do, but think of the consequences”.
Much to his surprise, he saw the barber fall to his knees before
him, saying “ forgive me, sire, it is not my fault, it was
the ministers who ordered me to cut you throat, it was not my wish”
The king hid his surprise, and assuming a knowing attitude, he listened
to the plot. The barber told him everything and the king punished
the ministers, If he had not bought 10,000 crowns worth of wisdom,
he would have had his throat cut.
Story from complete works - second birth Omraam Michael
Aivanhov
Page190
So here we are were heading towards
the end of the weekend and we have seen that every action has a
cause and effect and that we can choose whether that action has
a good/bad or no result.
As some of you may remember from last years theme about the senses the whole direction of the Buddhas teaching is towards non-sense, towards action that come from stillness, towards non-action.
So how is it possible to escape from creating action the answer is with awareness.
Why do we react to certain situation is because we have a memory and then that memory helps us make a choice, we either like something, dislike something or a not bothered by it.
can we speak from silence and move from stillness?
The Theme is Good -Evil and The Way It Is
Rainbows 2nd-5th May
Family weekend 27-29th June
Family Camp 16th-25th August
Young Persons Retreat 21st-23rd November
Creative Weekend For Adults 19th-21st December