"Gatha" (a Sanskrit term for "song" or "verse") are little verses, often recited right before or after a daily activity, which help keep us mindful of its sacred nature ... even if the action is most mundane, reminding us how miraculous they are, and how all support our life and practice ... from eating to work to going to the toilet to washing the face.
Some that we recite about Treeleaf, especially during our Rohatsu Retreat, are these:
VERSE ON ENTERING BATH
Bathing the body,
may all living beings
be clean in body and mind,
pure and shining within and without.
VERSE FOR TOOTH BRUSHING
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,
I vow to speak purely and lovingly.
When my mouth is fragrant with
right speech,
A flower blooms in the garden of the heart.
VERSE FOR FACE/HAND WASHING
Washing the face/hands,
I vow with all beings
To pierce the pure Dharma gate
Forever undefiled
VERSE ON ENTERING TOILET
Defiled or immaculate,
increasing or decreasing--
these concepts exist only in our mind.
The reality of interbeing is unsurpassed.
VERSE AFTER EACH OF THE FOREGOING
Using the (bath / tooth brush/
wash basin / toilet)
I vow with all beings
To pierce defilement
clearing greed, anger and ignorance.
We also have a Meal Gatha, before eating, to remind us of the sacredness of all that went into our food, both in the growing and the consuming and all in between:
(Hands in Gassho) This food comes from the efforts
of all sentient beings past and present,
and is medicine for nourishment of our Practice-Life.
We offer this meal of many virtues and tastes
to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,
and to all life in every realm of existence.
May all sentient beings in the universe
be sufficiently nourished.
That is an abbreviated version of a portion of our Meal Chants for Oryoki eating ritual.
Each can be recited out loud or silently within, with hands in Gassho or just Gasshoing within.
Reciting Gatha is one of our "Recommended 'At Home' Liturgies' (LINK)" for those folks who wish to add such lovely practices to their daily life.
In fact ... one can make their own Gatha for ANYTHING, and they can have a bit of good humor in doing so ... which is exactly what Treeleafers have done for fun and personal inspiration:
Gassho, J
stlah
Some that we recite about Treeleaf, especially during our Rohatsu Retreat, are these:
VERSE ON ENTERING BATH
Bathing the body,
may all living beings
be clean in body and mind,
pure and shining within and without.
VERSE FOR TOOTH BRUSHING
Brushing my teeth and rinsing my mouth,
I vow to speak purely and lovingly.
When my mouth is fragrant with
right speech,
A flower blooms in the garden of the heart.
VERSE FOR FACE/HAND WASHING
Washing the face/hands,
I vow with all beings
To pierce the pure Dharma gate
Forever undefiled
VERSE ON ENTERING TOILET
Defiled or immaculate,
increasing or decreasing--
these concepts exist only in our mind.
The reality of interbeing is unsurpassed.
VERSE AFTER EACH OF THE FOREGOING
Using the (bath / tooth brush/
wash basin / toilet)
I vow with all beings
To pierce defilement
clearing greed, anger and ignorance.
(Hands in Gassho) This food comes from the efforts
of all sentient beings past and present,
and is medicine for nourishment of our Practice-Life.
We offer this meal of many virtues and tastes
to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,
and to all life in every realm of existence.
May all sentient beings in the universe
be sufficiently nourished.
Each can be recited out loud or silently within, with hands in Gassho or just Gasshoing within.
Reciting Gatha is one of our "Recommended 'At Home' Liturgies' (LINK)" for those folks who wish to add such lovely practices to their daily life.
In fact ... one can make their own Gatha for ANYTHING, and they can have a bit of good humor in doing so ... which is exactly what Treeleafers have done for fun and personal inspiration:
Gassho, J
stlah
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