Joy in Gratitude
Sojong Reminder from Anam Thubten
Dear Dharma friends,
​
Joy is very precious, but it can’t just be purchased at the market. It is said that joy is actually a natural part of the spiritual practice in the Buddhist teachings. Joy can be cultivated by practicing a simple method known as “remembrance of the Buddha” through which one visualizes the golden Buddha smiling, with all of the enlightened attributes of abiding in equilibrium and peace. There are even ceremonies or sadhanas where one visualizes such a Buddha that allows our mind to be permeated with joy.
By simply cultivating joy, there can be more of a sense of happiness in our everyday life. So it would be very worthwhile to resolve to bring more joy to each day by practicing gratitude. For example, one of the best times to practice gratitude is before a meal. In the Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, the monastics will chant verses to offer the meal to Buddhas or the lineage masters with a sense of gratitude to them and the Dharma. However, in our modern culture, many people do not have formal prayers before the meal. Still, we could all simply sit in silence with gratitude for mother nature - the sun, the rain, the earth - and to the people who work on the farm to produce our food.
Now and then, we might like to have a meditation where we sit in silence and practice gratitude for the Dharma itself and for all of the amazing conditions that brought us to this path. We could also feel gratitude to the lineage masters whose teachings have changed our lives, and even to the sangha of noble Dharma friends who are walking together with us on this path of great mystery. Then, we could also be grateful for so many advantageous conditions which often elude our awareness. If we ever dance, now and then it would be nice to be grateful that we have this healthy body that can move with grace and dance with life. When we’re drinking our coffee, we could sit and contemplate its rich color and aroma, while feeling grateful for such good fortune.
Many of us do not live in a place plagued with famine and violence like some do. Millions of people are currently living under oppressive conditions that make everyday life extremely difficult. We often just hear or read news about these circumstances. Therefore, now and then we should take the opportunity to realize how fortunate we are and to count our blessings. Finding Dharma is the greatest fortune that can happen to us.
During this sojong, we might like to just review the past month and see where we’ve lost awareness, acknowledge all of the progress that we’re making, and end with deep gratitude to Dharma.
With palms joined,
Anam Thubten
​