These words are reprinted with kind permission of their author, Senkei Robertson.
What becomes clear over time is how thoroughly Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in particular, pervade everything we do in this practice. We enter by bowing and sit silently with presence and mindfulness, not just intimate with ourselves but intimate with the experience of being one with all who are present. In service we are one voice chanting, one body bowing. That which we desire to know deeply and thoroughly — wholeness and no self — is right in this very experience if we allow ourselves to fully engage. Even sitting at home on Zoom, we can access this intimate oneness. When attentively listening to a Dharma talk it’s the same. Fully present and openly listening with body, heart, and mind, is complete engagement with the speaker, ourself, and all who are also listening. Again, it’s another opportunity to allow this self to know true oneness with all. The forms of this practice and the intent behind them are all set up for us taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. All we have to do is “take” this refuge. The feast is laid out but you can’t just sit at the table, you must eat to enjoy and be nourished by it.