THE SUTRA ON THE FULL AWARENESS OF BREATHING

WE ARE TRULY PRESENT

(Gatha to be read before beginning Kinh Hanh)

We are truly present our hearts established in mindfulness

For sitting meditation, kinh hanh and reciting the sutras

May the three jewels and the holy nagas

Support this meditation centre with its four sanghas

Protecting them from the eight misfortunes and the three paths of suffering

May the four sounds and the three worlds be permeated by the great favour

May there be no place in the world at war

May the winds be favourable, the rain seasonable and the people’s hearts at peace

May the practice of the sangha be steady and diligent

Ascending the ten bhumis without hardship

May the Sanghakaya live in peace, joy and newness

The refuges and the precepts bringing happiness and wisdom

The wisdom of the Awakened mind shines out like the full moon

The body of the Awakened One is as pure and clear as lapis lazuli

The Awakened One in the world never ceases to save beings from suffering

Nowhere is there Awakened mind which lacks love and compassion

Please sisters establish your mindfulness to recite the name of the Buddha

Namo Sakyamunaye Buddhaya

(stand up and practise circumambulation while recollecting the Buddha)

PROSTRATIONS

Teaching and living the way of awareness in the very midst of suffering and confusion, Sakyamuni Buddha the Awakened One, to whom we bow in gratitude. (B)

Seed of awakening and loving kindness in children, sprouts and all beings, Maitreya, the Buddha to be born, to whom we bow in gratitude. (B)

Cutting through ignorance, awakening our hearts and our minds, Manjusri the bodhisattva of great understanding to whom we bow in gratitude. (B)

Working mindfully, working joyfully for the sake of all beings, Samantabhadra the bodhisattva of great action, to whom we bow in gratitude. (B)

Seeing the Buddha in everyone, Sadaparibhuta, the bodhisattva of constant respect, to whom we bow in gratitude. (B)

Showing the way fearlessly and compassionately the stream of all our ancestral teachers, to whom we bow in gratitude. (BB)

I touch the earth

Having turned to the Tathagata,

The lighthouse which is able to shine over the ocean of suffering.

Lord of Compassion, in your love embrace us.

Today we sincerely determine to return home.

We your disciples

Owe much gratitude to parents, teachers, friends and all beings,

Which we have not yet had the opportunity to repay.

Looking at the three realms and the four quarters,

We see how all species are drowning in an ocean of misfortune.

It wakes us with a start and we are frightened.

Although we have turned in the right direction,

The shore of awakening still lies far away.

Fortunately everywhere in this world

Can be found the hand of the Compassionate One bringing relief.

With all our heart we return and take refuge.

We aspire to be disciples of the Tathagata,

To unify our body and our mind,

To kneel at the foot of the Buddha's throne

And to let go of all attachment.

Wholeheartedly and with great respect

We ask to receive the wonderful teachings

And we shall diligently practise every day,

Nourishing precepts and concentration to maturity,

So that the fruit of bodhi may be fully realised in the future.

We ask the great favour of the bodhisattva to protect us day and night

And we bow our heads to ask Buddha, Dharma and Sangha to show us their compassion.

We know clearly

That the obstacles of our karma are still heavy,

That the merit from our virtues is still frail,

That our perceptions are often wrong

And that the root of wisdom in us is still not yet solid.

The impurities of our mind still arise very easily.

Our listening, contemplation and practice are not yet really firm.

In this moment we trust in the lotus throne

And with our five limbs on the earth

We pray that the infinite loving-kindness

Will open its heart

So that we too may open our hearts.

We your disciples

From countless lives in the past,

Because we were not able to recognise the basis of the mind which is clear and pure,

Chased after worldly things.

Our actions of body, speech and mind have been impure.

We have drowned in ignorant cravings,

Jealousy, hatred and anger.

Now thanks to the great bell ringing out we have awakened

And we are determined with all our heart to renew our body and our mind.

All the wrongdoings, all the mistakes and the faults

We ask you to wash them completely clean.

We your disciples in this moment

Make a deep aspiration

To put an end to our old habit energies

And for our whole life to take refuge in the sangha.

We ask the Buddha to place his hand in protection over us

So that compassion and loving-kindness will help us.

We promise that when we practise meditation,

When we practise Dharma discussion,

When we stand, when we walk,

When we cook and when we wash dishes,

When we lie, when we sit, when we are working,

When we wash clothes, walk slowly,

When we recite the names of Buddhas and bodhisattvas,

When we light incense and touch the earth,

Every step will bring peace and joy to the world,

Every smile will be resplendent with freedom.

We shall live mindfully in every moment

Which is to show people

The way of liberation from suffering.

We promise to see the pure land

Lying under every step we take.

We promise to be in touch with the ultimate dimension

In every contact we have,

To take steps on the soil of reality,

To breathe in the air of true emptiness,

To light up wisdom,

Making resplendent the wonderful mind,

To draw aside the curtain of ignorance.

Our body and mind will be peaceful and happy,

Free and at leisure

‘Til the time when we leave this life

And then our heart will not be caught in regret,

Our body will not be in pain,

Our thoughts will not be darkened by ignorance,

Our mindfulness will be clear and bright,

Our six senses will be calm

And our body relaxed

As when entering meditative concentration.

If it is necessary to be born again

We shall be disciples of the Tathagata,

Continue in the career of rescuing beings

Bringing them all to the shore of awakening,

Realising the three bodies, the four wisdoms,

Using the five eyes, the six miracles,

Realising thousands of appropriate bodies,

Being present at one time in the three worlds,

Coming in and going out in freedom,

Helping all beings to transform,

Not abandoning anyone,

Bringing all to the shore of no regression.

Worlds are without limit.

Living beings are infinite.

Action and afflictions

Are also infinite.

I wish that my aspirations may also be like that

Eventually becoming infinite.

I bow to the Buddha as I make this determination

To practise to maintain virtue

And share the merit with countless living beings,

In order to repay fully the gratitude I owe,

And to teach the practice everywhere in the three realms.

I pray that I with all species of living beings

May fully realise the great awakened understanding.

TAKING REFUGE.

I take refuge in the Buddha, the one who shows me the way in this life.

I take refuge in the Dharma, the way of understanding and love.

I take refuge in the Sangha, the community which lives in harmony and awareness. (B)

Since I have taken refuge in Buddha,

I see clearly a path of beauty in the world.

Since I have taken refuge in Dharma,

I am learning and practising ways of transformation.

Since I have taken refuge in Sangha

I have the Sangha to shine light on my practice

And support me on the path of practice.(B)

Taking refuge in the Buddha in myself,

I aspire that all people

May recognise the awakened nature

And quickly realise bodhicitta

Taking refuge in the Dharma in myself,

I aspire that all people

Can grasp firmly the ways of practice

and together go on the path of transformation.

Taking refuge in the Sangha in myself

I aspire that all people

May build four-part sanghas to transform