A video to sit with

[Kyonin]

We are only a small part of the universe. But at the same time we are the whole universe.

What are we? What's beyond?

Lets just sit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17jymDn0W6U

[Jundo]

Thank you, Kyonin.

Buddhists tend not to think only of "near" or "far", "now" or "long ago"... not even for the most distant times and places. Buddhists pierce simultaneously the deep intimacy, wholeness, singularity of all times and spaces as one.

A traditional image of such is from the Avatamsaka (Flower Garland/Huayan) Sutra. Taigen Leighton recounts this story about Fazang, a great teacher of Huayan Buddhism ...

Another time, Fazang illustrated the Huayan teachings for Empress Wu by constructing a hall of mirrors, placing mirrors on the ceiling, floor, four walls, and four corners of a room. In the center he placed a Buddha image with a lamp next to it. Standing in this room, the empress could see that the reflection in any one mirror clearly reflected the reflections from all of the other mirrors, including the specific reflection of the Buddha image in each one. This fully demonstrated the unobstructed interpenetration of the particular and the totality, with each one contained in all, and with all contained in each one. Moreover, it showed the nonobstructed interpenetration of each particular mirror with each of the others.

...

A frequently cited expression of this vision of reality is the simile of Indra’s Net from the Avatamsaka Sutra, which was further elaborated by the Huayan teachers. The whole universe is seen as a multidimensional net. At every point where the strands of the net meet, jewels are set. Each jewel reflects the light reflected in the jewels around it, and each of those jewels in turn reflects the light from all the jewels around them, and so on, forever. In this way, each jewel, or each particular entity or event, including each person, ultimately reflects and expresses the radiance of the entire universe. All of totality can be seen in each of its parts.

http://archive.thebuddhadharma.com/i...henomenal.html

It is a bit like your toes and your nose, your skin and your bones, your mind and your heart, debating each other about which one is the real "you".

Gassho, J

[Heisoku]

I loved the video Kyonin thanks.
Thank you Jundo for putting this in perspective! I can handle the 'then' in 'now', but I still need to work on the 'there' in 'here'. Gassho.

[Kyonin]

Thank you, Jundo.

[Mp]

Very nice Kyonin ... I enjoyed that.

Gassho,
Michael

[Risho]

That was really, really cool. Thanks Kyonin.

Gassho,

Risho

[Shokai]

Thank you :02.47-tranquillity: