Talk given in Spanish with English translation by Ananta.
Exploring Sangharakshita’s foundational talks - ‘The Awakening of the Bodhi Heart’ and ‘The Meaning of Conversion in Buddhism' - Virasiddhi opens the 2023 Triratna Pan-American Order Convention by looking at how we can help bring about among us the arising of the Bodhichitta (’the deep, heart wish for all beings to awaken to the true nature of reality').
Virasiddhi delights with a range of mythic stories to make the point that we do not need lots of sophisticated education or new teachings to achieve this goal. And he follows Sangharakshita by focussing on Vasubandhu's four critical factors for developing this Bodhi heart:
- Recollection of the Buddhas. The transformative journeys of Buddhas - from ordinary people with imperfections to the attainment of Enlightenment - serve as powerful reminders of our own potential, achievable within a single lifetime.
- Observing the Defects of Samsara. Recognizing that the inherent sufferings of samsara ('ordinary, painful, conditioned existence from birth, illness and aging to the emotional turmoil of death and separation') can pave the way to detachment, renunciation, and a diminishing desire for this kind of life.
- Observing the Suffering of All Beings. While the act of witnessing suffering is straightforward, accepting it is a profound challenge, often leading to a dual instinct: the impulse to engage and help, and the urge to withdraw and retreat.
- Observing the Qualities of the Tathagata. Virasiddhi, echoing Sangharakshita, suggests that imbibing the Buddha’s (Tathagata's) qualities can be achieved through practices like sadhana (a profound kind of meditation) or puja (ritual), especially those associated with Shantideva’s 'Bodhicaryavatara'.
In unpacking Vasubandhu's factors, Virasiddhi highlights the delicate balance between acknowledging the widespread suffering and the redemptive power of contemplation. This balance, this subtle tension between engagement and renunciation, sets up the conditions within us for the ‘explosion of the heart' which gives the great gathering of Order members its theme. He closes by prompting us all to consider: in what way, if at all, does or own experience of heightened internal intensity pave the way for this kind of positive transformative explosion in our own lives?
A wonderful, though-provoking and ultimately encouraging talk to remind us of our direction of travel as Buddhists following the path to liberation for ourselves and others.
Recorded at Abadía Benedictina de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles, Ahuatepec, Mexico, October 2023.
PAN-AMERICAN CONVENTION 2023
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