My dear Blue Lotus Family;
Some nights, sleep escapes me and my heart is too heavy as I think of the wounds of this world and how much suffering and struggle that I see everywhere.
Because of this, everyday I wake up and ask myself how I can add more love to the world.
I’ve done this for as long as I can remember.
Once I ask this question, I’ve learned to listen closely and observe inside and outside myself for the answer and it always shows up. Recently a new idea emerged.
I often spend time thinking and sending loving-kindness to all of you, my dear Blue Lotus Family, and I am so profoundly grateful each and every one of you. The spiritual refuge of our temple and the community we¹ve all built is so beautiful and I love to think about all the people we have served and how much love we¹ve poured into ourselves and then the world as a result. This fills me with happiness as I watch “my wish” come true.
As an expression of my most sincere gratitude, it¹s with great joy that I wish to announce a rare opportunity to experience something truly wonderful.
I¹ve asked my fellow Monastic’s to help me honor and help all of you in an ancient and beautiful way.. By reciting the Ratana Sutta 10,000 times in your honor over the next 50 days, starting the 26th of October immediately following our precepts ceremony. This is an enormous challenge for us, we will be chanting more than 4 hours per day, first in the morning from 6-7:30AM everyday and for 1.5 hours before our evening classes on Monday and Wednesday. We will be concluding the changing with a special ceremony when visiting monks join us in a full 24 hour non-stop chanting of the Ratana Sutta.
This is an incredible opportunity for you to truly deepen your heart and connect to the practice in an entirely new way and I urge you to come and join in any way that you can. You may come for one time, or you can come everyday. You can sit and meditate, you can join in and learn the chant, you can study the translation as we go, or you can simply come experience the beautiful moment any way you would like. No right or wrong, good or bad exists here.
The Ratana Sutta is so beautiful and has been chanted for more than 2500 years delivering blessings and healing to our world. Each verse of the chant is so moving and important. My favorite part of the chant is translated as “by this truth, may there be happiness”.
In Buddhism, chanting is the traditional means of preparing the mind for meditation and I would take this one step further and say that experiencing these sacred teachings in this way will prepare you for a lifetime of compassion, service and deep felt peace.
The chant will be to spread peace and gratitude to each one of our Blue
Lotus Community, and we are also offering you the opportunity to dedicate some of the chanting time to yourself, your loved ones, our planet, or anything else that feels right for you. We have a sign up sheet in the Temple and are so happy to offer this opportunity to send some extra special blessings wherever you need it.
Can you imagine for a moment how much love we will all exchange by participating in this exactly as the Buddha and his monks did over 2500 years ago!
Please contact the office or call for any further deals. 815-337-7378
And of course as the Ratana Sutta wishes for us, “May there be happiness”.
Sending you all big love,
Bhante Sujatha