Monday is a full moon. This day is set aside traditionally for the Fusatsu ceremony, where we contemplate our basic life intention. We’ll be celebrating this on Sunday. We look at what ways we continue to be led by our habits of mind and activities that are contributing to our own and other’s suffering. We bring awareness to these. Then we atone for them. This all helps to remind us of and strengthen our intention. Actually, more than just an intention, by engaging this practice we shift our orientation from following habits to living according to vow. This is, a Great Vow to wake up to unskillful habits so that we can choose other ways to respond to circumstances. Seeing that we have a choice in how we respond opens us to so many possibilities. Every day is a series of choice points. Releasing ourselves from automatic and into presence, allows us to choose in the direction of happiness and the causes of happiness. What comes along with decreasing suffering, is increasing peace. The Buddha’s motivation to save all beings from suffering led to a Great Vow. That is the work, the way of life of a Bodhisattva, one who lives in all the difficulties of the world with the intention to bring peace to their own hearts and the hearts of all beings, through the words and actions. These are our tools to do this. We begin with ourselves. What better way is there to live? Please join us this Sunday for Fusatsu.
