The Community of Things
“…All the utensils of the monastery and in fact everything that belongs to the monastery should be cared for as though they were the sacred vessels of the altar.”
The details escape me but I remember the gist of an article written by my teacher years ago. It was about the community of things, how everything is here to serve us; the floor that holds us up, the chair that supports us, the myriad things in everyday life that one uses without thought or thank you. A sangha of things. I like to think of that, that I am surrounded and served by a community of things; the candle burning in the dark of the morning, the smell of incense, the little sofa I bought at Good Will for fifteen dollars. My cat. A favorite kitchen knife. The river birch trees with blowing flags of Tibet. The cars in the lot. The neighborhood, the country, the world, the whole universe that holds it all.
In the beautiful Buddhist psalm-like prayer, the Bodhisattva’s Vow, the one who prays it looks at the universe and sees that it is all “the never-failing manifestation of the mysterious truth of Tathagata…the marvelous revelation of the glorious light.” Those who realize this:
“Extend tender care, with a worshipping heart,
Even to such beings as beasts and birds.
This realization teaches us that our daily food and drink,
Clothes and protections of life are the warm flesh and blood,
The merciful incarnation of Buddha.
Who can be ungrateful or not respectful
Even to senseless things, not to speak of a human”.
I understand this prayer not only as the realization of the ‘virtuous masters’ but also as a directive for me.
This whole world is a monastery and everything in it, above and below is Divine Love made tangible. All is sacred vessel to be cared for on the altar of the world. My mind extends to that great beyond and then comes back to the mundane in my daily living,
the knife, the plate, the vacuum cleaner, the car, the small community of things.
A Buddhist grace before meals begins, ‘We reflect on the effort that brought us this food and consider how it comes to us.’ I adapt it and say it sometimes during the day, I reflect on this pen, this floor, this road, this shoe and consider how it comes to me. “Who can be ungrateful or not respectful even to all things including human beings?”
Author: Ho Getsu Sen Gen
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