Open Your Heart
"Someone from the retreat said that she has been listening to various Buddhist teachings and found that they emphasize duhkha or human suffering so much that they depress her and she has a hard time listening to them."
[Sojong Reminder for The Month of Lunar New Year/Losar 15/2 from Anam Thubten]
Dear Dharma Friends,
Just a few days ago, we finished a weekend meditation retreat in the city of San Diego. While there, dharma friends invited me to walk on the beach and show me the charms of the city. It is situated on the very southern tip of California with a perfect Mediterranean climate. Palms trees abound like elegant hostesses welcoming travel weary guests from all directions. Spanish style homes with red tile roofs are everywhere, creating an almost luminescent atmosphere. People enjoy evening dinner with long tables outside while watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean. It’s easy to feel romantic there by falling in love with life, nature, the world, and existence itself.
Someone from the retreat said that she has been listening to various Buddhist teachings and found that they emphasize duhkha or human suffering so much that they depress her and she has a hard time listening to them. She requested that I remember to teach about how to celebrate life. It was a great reminder for me to not get too lost in the contemplation of the pain of this world. There certainly is a need to witness the duhkha around us in order to cultivate love and compassion, but it is also important to learn how to bring joy into our hearts through our spiritual practice. Otherwise, we might miss the whole point of being in this human incarnation.
There are many simple things in this life that make us joyous like listening to music, taking a walk in the woods, cooking with loved ones, sharing time with good friends, and dancing freely for no reason. The truth is that there are these simple things make us deeply ecstatic and they don’t cost too much either. I wonder when was the last time some of us danced? In the end, joy is state of our mind that comes into being at the moment we allow ourselves to celebrate life.
When our mind is lost in the thoughts of past or future, we end up thinking too much about our own life. Those thoughts can retrigger our old pain or discontentment. We need to make an effort here and there to take our attention away form the past and future, to allow ourselves to be in the present moment, and to love life in each breath. There is a ceremony in Vajrayana know as Ganachakra. It is a feast in which we deliberate life through awakening to the sacredness of all things. It is often accompanied with music, songs, and mudras. In our daily life, we can perform our own version of Ganachakra through allowing our heart to open to life in the present moment. The gentle smile on Buddha’s face is a wordless sermon that beckons us to celebrate.
We’re about to enjoy the lunar New Year. Many cultures in Asia will embrace this occasion by spending time with their loved ones, sharing their best food, and wearing their finest clothes. Our sojong is happening in conjunction with it. Let’s take this time to hold the sacred intention to bring more joy into our everyday life.
With palms joined, Anam Thubten