from Mushin
Whenever we chant the full lineage during service, we are formally remembering the ancestors who established and maintained these teachings for our benefit. A list of almost one hundred and fifty Buddha ancestors are named. Considering what the term lineage refers to, we can appreciate even more fully how many millions of ancestors we actually have in this practice, if we include not only the ones who are named, but all those unnamed who practiced and supported them to keep this spiritual tradition alive and vital up until now. We consider, too, all those in our own lives who have carried us to this practice. We honor those who inspired us, as well as those who are part of the difficult conditions that left us looking for a better way to live. We wend our way to this practice in response to so many conditions, just as did the Buddha and all our ancestors. How unique they all were, just as we are.
We’ll be working on a sangha project for the next few weeks, to print the ancestral lineage by hand. As a sangha member you are invited to add your effort to this by printing the name of one of the ancestors on the chart. This is one way to appreciate our indebtedness as we practice to realize and manifest these teachings in our own lives. The times available are listed below under Special Announcement: Ancestor Names.
