Invocations: Words Carry Spirit
___________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
( 2 ) Invocations: Words Carry Spirit
I N V O C A T I O N S,
Sacred Poetry, Prayers and
Blessings for a Good Spirited Start
In’Voca ~ Vocal / Voice: a call to gather; to call in the Spirits
( an "Invocation" - from the Latin verb In’vo’care "to call in" )
"Just the Rational,
Deeply appreciating the Mystical
and the Mystical,
Deeply flavoring the Rational."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
...what follows next is certain to be a very Non-Rational section of teachings...
|
WORDS carry SPIRIT: POETIC VOICES of WELCOME Words of Namaste & Shalom • OM & The One • Sanskrit, Pali & Hebrew
Read Now or Wait till Later on, please Manually Scroll Down & Read 'Invocations' Slowly - it’s a long Sacred Poetry section to be slowly grazed very leisurely, very contemplatively over many, many re-visits ~or~ move on now to more 'cognitive' sections on Buddhist philosophy. • Buddhist “Taking RUFUGE Verses” are at end of this section To Read more Here just Manually SCROLL▼DOWN & Contemplate
|
 |
please wait for image to load
Never, at no time, in any way is anyone ever expected or persuaded
to take any vows or say unfamiliar words ~ these words ‘work’ only if
it comes truly from deep in your own heart - Affirmations of the Heart.
You are always encouraged here to Question absolutely everything !
POETRY alwaYs was always Prayer
☼ Prayer always was always POETrY
Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins
with some form of an 'intent'-dedication of universal blessing
in the name of The Relational Oneness
The One Infinite Togetherness
all sizes, shapes, colors & contents included
One Size Fits All
N A M A 'S T E
▲
~ I Am ~
forever freshly reborn
into this very moment
will it unfold
open up
flower into
beingness?
or sadly stay within
its own 'imagined' limits?
~ John de Ruiter ~
______________
________________
"Grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference."
~ Reinhold Niebuhr 1934; AA version in 1939 by Bill W.
_________________________________
_____________________________
"And then the day came
when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful
than the risk it took to blossom"
~ Anais Nin ~
_______________________________
__________________________________
"With the drawing forth of this Love
and the voice of this Calling . . .
We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring will be
to arrive where we started,
And know the place for the first time
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
is that which was the beginning"
~ T. S. Elliot - Four Quartets ~
______________________________
_________________________________
" I love you, gentlest of Ways –
you who ripened us ...
as we wrestled with you."
~ Rainer Rilke ~ Paris 1908
~~ ☼ ~~
~~~~~~~~~~
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
I'm "Am-ing" – I'm "Is-ing" – I'm "Isness" itself
”Nama’ste”– is the One main greeting in everyday India –
a way of 'deep welcoming' - and it is profoundly saying to us
" I See Directly Into You - and - Meet In You ,
'That' Which Meets Me - and - Sees Into Me "
_________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Question: “Grandfather - What is Destiny ? ”
“DESTINY is every step we’re taking
and going thru right now - to get 'there'.”
~ Grandfather Bearheart, contemporary Creek Elder
Savor the Journey too – it's in every step –
for "The Journey itself - IS the Destination!"
_________________________________________________________
"Just as a drop of water falling into the great ocean
Is never depleted even before the ocean ever dries up –
Likewise, with the full 'Intent' I now dedicate to Awakening,
will never be depleted before my Enlightenment is fully attained."
~ Buddha Shakyamuni
____________________________________________________________________________
Your Mind got you Here thru a long series of Changes.
Your Mind certainly CAN change & transform even more !
It can be Free and at Total Peace all by itself !
All it really needs is the right 'software' download
and an effective 'method' to actively practice it with.
____________________________________________________
"By learning the ‘Path of Wisdom-Silence’ you can
Break through the illusory world of 'worldly' words
(and break through the world of 'other-worldly' words too)
So that The Wordless Flower of 'Just Being' may bloom.
Just allow yourself to become suddenly still, inside & out,
So that you may pierce through the thin shell of the 'World',
And now fill the entire cosmos with your own truly Free Mind.
So the healing of you & thus the healing of the world may begin."
~ Zen-master Ji Aoi Isshi – 13th century Japan
__________________________________________________________________________
the present moment is so elusive
every time I 'look' for It,
I am looking away from It
~ The Tao ~
___________________________
__________________________________
"The Present Moment 'As It Is' -
is my 'religion' and my 'prophet'.
I have to be very careful with it."
~ Akasa Levi ~
__________________________________________
_______________________________________
▲
So Do You Really Want To See?
Here's a very old Buddhist metaphor
A Holy Rant About What's True & Not True
Note: There is No Truth in any of this !
" One should not mistake the Finger,
which only serves as a 'guide'
that points ► at the Moon,
( which only 'symbolizes' The Truth )
as the real Moon itself."
The Finger is not the Moon. Obviously.
The Buddha's Teachings' only point.
They are not True. They are not The Truth.
To really See • Know • Realize the Truth
One has to experience "IT" - for & by one's own,
and individually, personally See & Be way beyond
even those monks and yogis who handed-down
from teacher to pupil, priceless Sacred Teachings.
'Sacred' yes – but still only 'second-hand truths'
which yes, still can very successfully point –
but ONLY can 'point' to > the Supreme Truth.
It has to be your very OWN 'experience' of Truth.
You Can Do This or Why Would The Buddha Teach It ?
With strong regard for individual spiritual-experiences,
an open heart and free thought and creative expression,
"The Laughing Buddha Sangha" strives to be both erudite,
enlightening and entertaining in it's relation to the "illusory".
~ Akasa Levi, DhMA ~ founder / sadhu / guide / kalyana mita / mentor / fool
___________________________________________________________________
All Spiritual Sangha Friends are temporarily 'guided' by the same Buddha 'Moon'
Luminously finger-pointing out the very same Dharma 'moon' to each other
Radiating a kindness of the same Metta moon-glow onto each other
Please my friend, pass the moon’s green cheese - feed each other
Seeing the light of ONE Dharma-Truth here now but Empty of Other
( We are all simply 'Moonpointers', that's all )
________________________________
___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
You may wish to take a pause here and Return to TABLE of CONTENTS ~
-or- just keep Reading more Here – just Manually SCROLL▼DOWN and Enjoy !
~ Because here we begin to enter the various versions of the more 'reverential' stuff . . .
Esoteric Omniverse Blessings and The Buddhist ‘Refuge’ Verses in The Three Jewels
which may not relate to all students at this time. If you wish, move on to another section.
Note: Beginner’s classes focus mainly on the Meditation practice, not ritual-making.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Sentient ~ you will hear this particular word used often in Buddhist Teachings or in Blessings
SENTIENT ( a sentient being ) pronounced: sen.shee.ent [ Latin: sen'tire "to feel" ]
We have the very rare experienece in nature of receiving a human birth to now work with consciously
and reflectively at this time. Humans are the only creatures that are capable of 'self-reflecting'.
All sentient beings do want to live !
All sentient beings want to live in safety and comfort
All sentient beings are capable of responding articulately to emotions
All sentient beings are capable of sustained reflecting on perceptions
All sentient beings are capable of responding to sensations and feelings
All Life is Sentient. If a creature is alive it is sentient to some degree.
sentient synonyms: animate, alive, living, suffers, pleasures, emotional,
pain, hurt, feeling, sentimental, responsive, sensitive, perceptive, aware.
All Life is Sacred. Human-life is here to steward all Life.
Want to know your life's purpose? – To Support All Life !
Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf
In ten directions everywhere,
throughout the Sea of Lands.
My every little hair-tip encompasses
oceans of past, present and future.
So, too, there is a huge Sea of Buddhas,
a huge Sea of Buddha Lands –
Patiently pervading them all,
I practice for seas of endless time.
~ Ryokan 1758-1831
“ The Buddha’s Dharma Teachings are deep and lovely.
I wish to Practice with my body, my speech and my mind that Dharma.
I now have an auspicious chance to see, study, and to fully practice it.
I vow to realize its true meaning for the sake of all other sentient beings !
Wish, Now, Vow.”
~ An Ancient Buddhist Verse of Refuge Intent ~
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings"
Each evening around dusk, hundreds walk through Bodhgaya or
Dharamsala India – all carrying candles & chanting The Bodhisattva Prayer –
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings"
in Tibetan or Sanskrit or Pali or Hindi – over and over again. This prayer
has become the Buddhist anthem. You hear it muttered from old women,
belted out by toddlers, and chanted by monks through loud speakers:
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings."
Your own ‘enlightenment’ is good for everybody !
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings."
( Try saying it in English – over n’ over . . . )
~ Pico Iyer
________________________________________
___________________________________________
|
please wait for Kwan Yin picture to load
The Asian Kwan Yin Bodhisattva is the Mother-Goddess of Compassion,
Kindness & Mercy – sort of the Buddhist Virgin of Guadalupe
KWAN YIN :: In Chinese Guan.yin ( ku'an-yin )
is The Bodhisattva of Compassion & Mercy
as venerated by almost all Asian Buddhists, usually in a motherly form.
Literally it is The One Who "Observes the Sounds (or Cries) of the World"
______________________________________________________________
Our Lady The Virgin of Guadalupe is a 16th century Roman Catholic icon of Mexico depicting
an apparition of The Virgin Mary. It is Mexico's most beloved religious and cultural image –
– the major cultural symbol of so significant an importance to the overall Mexican identity.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is the second most visited
Roman catholic shrine in the world after the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is known in Mexico as "La Virgen Morena",
which means "The Brown-Skinned Virgin" ( The Black Madonna ).
Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast Day is celebrated each December 12,
commemorating the account of her appearances to Saint Juan Diego
on the Hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531.
___________________________________________
Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins
with some form of an 'intent'-dedication of universal blessing.
~ An Intent-Dedication of Blessing ~
- training my mind in self-less generosity -
“I once again say these Words with
a boundless grateful appreciation
that I can actually sit and practice
– here –
in the safety of my secure-surround.
With Loving-Kindness,
I again fully dedicate any personal value
gained for me by this meditation sitting
to the worthy benefit & well-being
of all that lives ~
In the name of Oneness,
The One Togetherness”
~ remembering ~
”we-are-all-connected”
everything is connected
THE B1G ONE
( One not Two )
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
In our 'everyday-mind', it's usually about TWO or more....
In our 'awakened-mind', it's always all about the one ONE.
Ultimately, the universal ‘One’ truly is the only sacred ‘surround’ of one’s own self.
What ‘else’ could an infinite-indivisible ‘container’ of the One Living Beingness be?
With our ‘Oneself’ awake, observant & fully mindful, one gains a single-pointed,
universal mastery that is a challenge for one to carry. Yet, there is no ‘Other’ One.
*Note about The ONE: You do not ever have to do 'anything'
about your relationship with The ONE - or do anything TO The ONE
in that you are ALREADY One with The ONE. So relax.
That's quite nice to know, and that's just the way it is.
Again, relax into your already established 'religiosity'
and know you are not just an integral part of The One,
but You are intrinsically and innately itself The ONE !
Just try n' be a kinder, gentler, more-patient-you.
____________________________________
♦ "MAY PEACE BE UPON YOU" ♦
NAMASTE • SHALOM • SALAAM • GASSHO • ALOHA
Shalom: one peace, completeness, wellbeing, fulfillment,
safety, health & prosperity of all individuals and all nations
"Shalom Alei'chem" (Hebrew) • "Salamu Alay'kum" (Arabic)
Shalom or Salaam is the same greeting: "Peace Be Upon You"
_____________________________________________________________
♦ what follows is based upon a very ancient psychological and meta-physical formula
towards a circular spiritual 'unity’ kabalah-mandala - plus we had a little creative fun
in constructing & celebrating this orb of One. Read it out loud softly to yourself,
only if you wish. It’s all simply an ‘experiment’ - never, at no time, in any way,
is anyone expected or persuaded to take vows or say unfamiliar words.
_________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
~ OMNIVERSE BLESSING ~
”So I say "Na'maste & Shalom"
and see everyone & greet every One at Once !
When I greet just you • I greet the whole Universe !
There is "Only One ONE" – The Incomparable Non-Duality
'UNIVERSE' is One-Undivided-Seamless-Infinite-Wholeness
It is impermanent, unpredictable, unstable simply by Nature itself
In this Big ONE there is One Frequency called 'Life-Consciousness'
If a 'Form' is Living - it is 'Conscious' to some degree. I really Honor that
All Individual 'Conscious-Minds' - are One within 'The Conscious Big ONE'
That is why all Life is so very Sacred, Precious and Protected. I Honor that
Life has Reactive 'Feelings' and is potentially capable of 'Evolving'. I Honor that
"THAT IT IS" - is the Invisible, Indivisible, Inexpressible, Infinite, Ineffable "THAT"
"The Great Name" for All of IT –ONE– 'I' experience It as I AM THAT.
The Big THIS that IS - The Big IS that is THIS – ALL ONE – We ARE THAT
Abba ~ Adonai ~ Allah ~ Arun ~ Atma ~ Aum ~ Bhagwan ~ Brahma ~ Deus ~ Deva ~ Devi
Eck ~ Elohim ~ Ema ~ Existence ~ Father ~ Force ~ God ~ Great Spirit ~ Ground of Being
Ha’Shem ~ Jah ~ Life ~ Love ~ Mahaloa ~ Ahura Mazda ~ Big Mind ~ Mother ~ The Name
Now ~ The One ~ Olorun ~ Pele ~ The Presence ~ The Present ~ Ra ~ Ram ~ Sacred
Satnam ~ Self ~ Shekhinah ~ Shen ~ Shiva ~ Source ~ Spirit ~ Tao ~ Tat Tvam Asi ~
This ~ That ~ Thus ~ Truth ~ The What Is ~ Wakan’tanka ~ The Word Manifest
YHVH – Yahweh (pre-incarnate) and Ye’hoshua – Yeshua (incarnate)
alphabetically inscribed intentionally for absolutely no hierarchical order
Here & Now, in salutation to ALL that is Conscious-Energy
I say "Na'maste" and honor & greet Every-Mind at once !
When in Peace I honor & greet just you with no agenda
Purely I greet the whole vast Universe at once as One
May ALL Beings Be Safe, Peaceful, Healthy, Free,
Liberated, Luminous, Joy-filled, Nourished
and Happy Within !”
Sabbe Satta Sukki Hontu !
"Namaste Buddha Kabalah" Seferot Mandala by Akasa Levi ~
________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
• In Hebrew & Sanskrit Mantras •
of the Middle East & Asian Deity-based Traditions
Ado’nai is the Basic Name of God
" Ado'nai Elo'haynu Ado'nai E'chad "
The Hebrew name ‘ADONAI’ literally means 'THE ONE'
( It is pronounced as Ahh – doe – noy )
A Designation: Not really a proper 'name' at all which is unpronounceable
“Adonai” is saying The ‘Name’ of the Oneness that is “The One”
“Adonai” is the one n' only "IT", “Adonai” is the one "THAT" or ‘Thine’
“Adonai” is the one n' only "IS", “Adonai” is the One that is "THE ONE"
“Adonai” is the highest consciousness-formless-spirit in the Human Mind
Oneness-ness
– There is nothing ‘outside’ the One –
Infinite. No ‘outside’, period. Outside of What ?
__________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
ATMAN YHVH
YHVH – the Hebrew letters for "I AM THAT I AM"
'Yod-Heh Vav-Heh' • Yah-Weh • literally "To Be"
Yahweh (Hebrew) = Jehovah (Christian) = Jah (Rastafari)
Yahweh (pre-incarnate) & Ye’hoshua - Yeshua (incarnate)
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
So similarly, in these Sanskrit traditions of India
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
knowing that I AM ~ is all I need to know
– a conscious AM-ness that is 'is-ing' –
I'm "am-ing" – I'm "is-ing" – I'm "isness" itself
I AM "Being", that is 'Being-ness' Be-ing . . .
in Buddhist Pali-language "Becoming-ness"
because Everything is in a state of Becoming:
That's what 'Existence' is ~ The Manifestation.
A state of 'Manifesting'. A state of 'Becoming'.
Coming into Existence, Going out of Existence.
Arising & Falling ~ just like the Breath.
That's why 'Meditation' in Buddhism
is called 'Bhavana'
which simply means 'Becoming' –
We're Sitting Just Watching 'The Becoming'.
Right There with The Becoming-ness Unfolding
or the "Observational-study of The Process of Becoming"
( observing attentively the whole process of what arises in consciousness –
and how it unfolds and affects you - and sitting in stillness non-reactive to it.
Not doing anything with it. And yet, noticing whatever you DO do with it – or not. )
The primordial holy OM mantra-sound pronounced AUM
AUM • aha • HUNG resonating in the deep mystical tone
OM expresses "As It Is" • Tat Tvam Asi • "Thou art That"
Buddha-Nature is The Jewel in The Lotus
Buddha "As It Is" Buddha
~ Om Mani Padme Hum ~
( pronounced Aum Mani Peh'meh Hung )
__________________________
You, who came into existance,
selected this particular time
in millions of years of history
of the earth as your life
Now all of you are here together
to unite your deepest wishes for
manifesting peace at this time
Each small power of one's prayer
assembles together with other prayers
and enables 'the light of wishes'
to extend and cover the whole earth
So first, you bathe in the light and savor it
Then,
let's radiate the light & love to the world
with your Lightened-heart
Now, entirely, wishes for world peace
become as one
You are in the greatest of blessings
and glory, calmly and purely
~ Gayuna Sun'dima
_______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
|
NAMA•STE ◊ The Name There IS only ONE. One whole Wholeness. One-Vast-Boundless-Endless- Edgeless-Infinite-Wholeness. No 'Other' ONE. Neti-Neti ! means Not 'This – Not 'That' ! Most 'religions' call it indescribable, incomparable, inexpressable, this ineffable ONE. Einstein, who looked like
a happy version of God ~ simply called it 'Universe'. |
 |
ALL world-teachings agree on: that 'Consciousness' is Non-Dual. BUT 'Mind' isn't.
Ego-Mind makes 'survival-separations'. Sure, there are many thought-'particles',
neurons zipping around in my head as 'content' - but the Big Picture 'Context' ~
~ ahh, that is the vast All One Whole Universal Consciousness Frequency.
All these mere 'words' all mean the same thing. ONE.
So I say 'Namaste' and greet everybody At Once! ~ Akasa Levi
___________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
All At Once ~ It's All about Oneness ~ not much else to remember
____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real " ~ The Buddha
"One easily made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one." ~ Amaji Meera
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
never, at no time, in any way is anyone ever persuaded or expected to take a Beginner's Refuge Initiation
Saying I'm a "Buddhist" is sort of a handy, usable 'working-title'
When one Goes for “Refuge” and ‘becomes’ a Buddhist
( a Student of the Buddha’s Way and a student of the Dharma-Teachings
and a student of the monastic and lay Sangha as a practice support-system
and for ongoing guidance – and a student mainly of ones own mindfulness.)
~~~~~~~~~ One Makes a Formal REFUGE Intent ~~~~~~~~
Namo Tassa Bhag’avato Ara’hato Samma Sam-Bud’dhassa !
Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Pure-Minded One, the Self-Awakened One
That Fully-Realized One ~ Perfectly Enlightened by Himself
in the purity of his truth of thought, word and deed, in his wisdom and his empathy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May I attain enlightenment, for the benefit of all sentient beings!
May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings!
I Take the Three Refuges in The Three Jewels of
Buddha . Dhamma . Sangha . Sara’nang Gac’chami
~ above repeat three times ~
I go for 'Refuge' to The Buddha-Presence,
The Dharma-Teachings & The Sangha-Community
~ below repeat mantras three times or over n’ over ~
~ Sat’nam ~
In The Name of Truth
~ Om Shanti ~
Be Peace
~ A’himsa, A’himsa ~
Do no harm, Be non-violent
~ Om Mani Padme Hum ~
Buddha-Nature is The Jewel in The Lotus
Sabbe Satta Sukki Hontu !
May All Beings Be Happy !
dhan’ya vād -or- shuk’riyā ~ thank you
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May Wisdom & Compassion Forever Flourish !
. . . don't forget that every day is a Holy Day
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________