"Adulting in the Dharma” Retreat Reflections
By Aaron Ouyang
Winter 2016
On December 10, 2016, I had the opportunity to travel up to Ukiah and visit the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in order to do a bit of Chan meditation and listen to some Dharma teachings. In the Chan-lineage of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, CTTB is one of the largest monastic communities in the United States. And the retreat I attended, “Adulting in the Dharma” was led by Reverend Heng Sure at the nearby Sudhana Center. Reverend Heng Sure was born and raised in Midwest, yet is well-versed in the knowledge of the Dharma and Chinese language, thus he was able to illuminate many principles using everyday language.
The audience consisted of around 80 participants from many different backgrounds. Using multimedia, Reverend Heng Sure gave many examples of Dharma role models who exemplified qualities of compassion and responsibility. One notable example that stuck out for me was a well-known children's television show host, Mr. Rogers. After lectures and slides, everyone formed small groups of 3-5 people to discuss how to connect what they learned with their lives.
What resonated with me most during the retreat was a song that Reverend Heng Sure performed on the guitar. The lyrics of the song consisted of an English translation of a verse Venerable Master Hsu Yun wrote up upon his awakening. It goes:
The cup hit the floor with a ringing sound,
That echoed in the air,
Empty space, too, broke to bits,
And my mad mind stopped right there. [Youtube video of song]
“And my mad mind stopped right there!” – How simple yet how wonderful that feeling must be! Over the course of the next few weeks, I kept reciting and contemplating this verse—an inspiration to be happy and the master of my mind at all times. As an experiment, I kept a daily log to record my emotional score everyday (happy: 1, unhappy: 0, half-half 0.5). If I was unhappy that day, I jotted down the reasons why. Each time I reviewed the log, I found that my negative emotions were triggered by external trifles; the root of these emotions were my mad mind contaminated by greed, hatred or stupidity. Can I be vigilant and watch my mad mind every moment before it makes me unhappy? If I can see the mind’s workings and stop using it unskillfully, couldn’t I find real freedom of mind? Wouldn’t my days be happier? The awakening sound from a fallen cup is a metaphor for meto also wake up. I hope to be more awake and cultivate samadhi through a daily meditation practice.
Finally, I wish that more people would have the opportunity to benefit from the Buddha’s teachings in 2017.
It’s a new year—a new start for transforming our minds.
Namo Amitabha!
By Aaron Ouyang
Winter 2016
On December 10, 2016, I had the opportunity to travel up to Ukiah and visit the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in order to do a bit of Chan meditation and listen to some Dharma teachings. In the Chan-lineage of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, CTTB is one of the largest monastic communities in the United States. And the retreat I attended, “Adulting in the Dharma” was led by Reverend Heng Sure at the nearby Sudhana Center. Reverend Heng Sure was born and raised in Midwest, yet is well-versed in the knowledge of the Dharma and Chinese language, thus he was able to illuminate many principles using everyday language.
The audience consisted of around 80 participants from many different backgrounds. Using multimedia, Reverend Heng Sure gave many examples of Dharma role models who exemplified qualities of compassion and responsibility. One notable example that stuck out for me was a well-known children's television show host, Mr. Rogers. After lectures and slides, everyone formed small groups of 3-5 people to discuss how to connect what they learned with their lives.
What resonated with me most during the retreat was a song that Reverend Heng Sure performed on the guitar. The lyrics of the song consisted of an English translation of a verse Venerable Master Hsu Yun wrote up upon his awakening. It goes:
The cup hit the floor with a ringing sound,
That echoed in the air,
Empty space, too, broke to bits,
And my mad mind stopped right there. [Youtube video of song]
“And my mad mind stopped right there!” – How simple yet how wonderful that feeling must be! Over the course of the next few weeks, I kept reciting and contemplating this verse—an inspiration to be happy and the master of my mind at all times. As an experiment, I kept a daily log to record my emotional score everyday (happy: 1, unhappy: 0, half-half 0.5). If I was unhappy that day, I jotted down the reasons why. Each time I reviewed the log, I found that my negative emotions were triggered by external trifles; the root of these emotions were my mad mind contaminated by greed, hatred or stupidity. Can I be vigilant and watch my mad mind every moment before it makes me unhappy? If I can see the mind’s workings and stop using it unskillfully, couldn’t I find real freedom of mind? Wouldn’t my days be happier? The awakening sound from a fallen cup is a metaphor for meto also wake up. I hope to be more awake and cultivate samadhi through a daily meditation practice.
Finally, I wish that more people would have the opportunity to benefit from the Buddha’s teachings in 2017.
It’s a new year—a new start for transforming our minds.
Namo Amitabha!
