Ryaku Fusatsu - Monday, 6 February, 2023

[Meian]

Dear Sangha

Please join us for the next Ryaku Fusatsu on Monday, 6 February, 2023.

This month, we will gather to re-affirm the precepts and our practice on Monday, 6 February, 2023. The history of the monthly Full Moon Ceremony is explained here: https://tinyurl.com/About-Ryaku-Fusatsu

To find your local time for Ryaku Fusatsu, please see the Treeleaf calendar, which will automatically adjust to your time zone:

https://www.treeleaf.org/now/#calendar

**THIS MONTH** the Ryaku Fusatsu ceremony will be held in the Meeting Room, which can be found here:
treeleaf.org/meet

You can also join on livestream and "any-time" after here: https://youtube.com/live/lHrzvITxXiw?feature=share

If you wish to join, please ensure you have a copy of the ceremony available -- you can download it here: https://tinyurl.com/RF-Ceremony

It is appropriate to use a small table with a bowl of water and leaf/small piece of foliage. You may also add flowers and/or a candle if you wish.

All are welcome -- there is no need to have previously taken the precepts. We hope you can join us!

gassho

[Kokuu]

Thank you all so much for coming. I am sorry my body ran out of gas for the ancestor recitation.

Here is the story I was talking about with respect to washing away harmful action:

Punnika and the Brahman's Purification

(retold in The Hidden Lamp by Florence Caplow and Susan Moon)

The slave Punnika was a follower of the Buddha and attained the first stage of awakening while carrying water from the river to her master's house. Sometime later she was again bringing water from the river when she saw the Brahman Udakasuddhika takin a ritual bath. She said to him, "I must come down to the river even on cold days like today because I am a water carrier and a slave. But why do you come to the river, even when it makes you shiver with cold? What are you afraid of?"

"You know the laws of karma," he said. "I am washing away my past evil acts."

"Who told you that would work?" she asked. "If this were true, frogs, turtles and water snakes would all go to heaven. And evildoers like pork butchers, thieves and executioners could all be cleansed by a bath. Besides, doesn't water wash away your merit too? It would be better to avoid doing evil in the first place. So spare yourself from this freezing water and go home."

The Brahman saw the truth of her words and tried to give her his robe in gratitude, but she refused. Instead she suggested that he should take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and train in the precepts. He took refuge and said to her, "Your words have washed me clean."

I believe that the original story is from the Therigatha, a collection of poems by early Buddhist nuns: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipi...2.01.than.html

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[aprapti]

thank you, Kokuu..



aprapti


sat

[Anchi]

[Tai Do]

Thank you very much, Kokuu.
Sat and recommit to the precepts with you all on the go (I had an appointment yesterday that I had forgotten and couldn’t participate live).
Thank you for sharing Punnika’s story.
Gassho
Tai Do
Satlah

[Kokuu]

Sat and recommit to the precepts with you all on the go (I had an appointment yesterday that I had forgotten and couldn’t participate live)

Thank you for joining even with the appointment, Tai Do.

Gassho
Kokuu
-sattoday-

[Tokan]

Hi all

I will sit with this shortly. I loved the story. There's just so much buddhist wisdom out there - Buddhist teachings are infinite, I vow to learn them all!

Gassho, Tokan

satlah