All my past and harmful karma
Born from beginningless greed hate and delusions
I now fully avow
All my past and harmful karma
Born from beginningless greed hate and delusions
I now fully avow
All my past and harmful karma
Born from beginningless greed hate and delusions
I now fully avow
I take refuge in Buddha
I take refuge in Dharma
I take refuge in Sangha
I take refuge in Buddha the fully awakened one
I take refuge in Dharma the compassionate teaching
I take refuge in Sangha the harmonious community
I have completely taken refuge in Buddha
I have completely taken refuge in Dharma
I have completely taken refuge in Sangha
I think we most often look at taking refuge rather than going through repentance. Yet this part of our practice is the beginning of our path. Someway or another we become aware that the wobbly wheel has cause. In other words we see cause and effect in a manner that is neither here nor there or taken for granted.
This may be a singular event that offers insight into Dharma as interconnectedness. This wow or awe, is beyond the pale like a solid becoming intertwined strings of energy conjuring deeper view/meaning.
Buddha tells two stories of insight in the forest. One is stumbling over a vine and the other perceiving a vine as a snake. The question is what are the teachings of these two stories. In the former the vine is hidden under other other objects and not seen one catches a foot and stumbles, This sign or teaching is inmo or thus, as in this just happened to me. We could say I am so clumsy and/or I need to watch my step– right effort. In the second story a group watching their steps see a snake on a tree ahead of them and move off the path and around the tree. In doing so, seeing the snake from a different perspective it becomes a vine. Here, the right effort enlightens the right view. In taking action we may stumble and misperceive. Knowing this offers us the opportunity to recover and rectify. If we see and experience behavior that increasing the suffering in self and others we can reroute our actions.
Repentance is acknowledging that we have acted with greed, hate or delusion suffering– It exists. What do we do about it? There are four steps, one to acknowledge it, second to understand it, the third is to identify the steps to reduce it happening in the future, and the fourth to vow to take the steps necessary to make it happen– The Four Noble Truths lead to the Noble Eightfold Path.
The step that refers to Right Effort underscores a companion action to repentance– making amends. So we acknowledge, identify cause and effect and make restitution when possible. This is bringing us back to an uprightness offered by Thict Nhat Hanh. These steps combined mean we renew our vows wrapping ourselves in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Sangaku