Finding Refuge In 2022

Who knows what 2022 will bring? Today is the anniversary of the January 6th assault on the U.S. capital. Last year, who could have predicted that? Sometimes I'm so sad or exhausted or afraid. I just want to take refuge. Do you ever feel that? There's just always so much going on. But what if refuge is right here, right now? What if the Wizard was right, and all we have to remember to do, to get home - to find refuge - is close our eyes, tap our ruby slippers together, and be present?

Transcript

Hey,

Everyone,

This is Judy Cohen and this is Wake Up Call 333.

And it's the first wake up call of 2022.

So happy new year.

And also not so happy January 6th.

Yeah,

I guess today's anniversary of the assault on the US Capitol will always be a marker.

So just marking that as well.

I think it's good to mark.

It's good not to forget.

And it feels good to me anyway,

That the the next chapter of the Dhammapada,

Which we've been studying is chapter 14 and it's called the Buddha.

What is this all about?

Chapter 14 speaks to this very powerful reminder of what are called in mindfulness,

The three jewels,

Buddha,

Dharma,

And Sangha and Buddha in this case,

Not an external person,

Maybe in most cases or in all cases,

Not an external person,

But rather the awakened parts of ourselves,

The parts of ourselves that are not searching for something different,

But are here right now,

Observing whatever comes our way moment to moment and that are when that thing is difficult or very difficult,

Like January 6th or the pandemic or our sorrows or our fears,

The part of us that can turn towards that and just say this too,

This sadness,

This fear,

This frustration.

All of this is just part of being alive in this moment,

In these times,

And I'm here for it.

So that sense of Buddha and then Dharma,

The teachings that we study that help us remember to be there and how to be there in this moment.

And then Sangha,

The communities we spend time in where we're intentionally trying to wake up,

Like this community where we're here together to wake up.

So my favorite two verses of chapter 14 and maybe the gist of the chapter are people threatened by fear go to many refuges,

To mountains,

To forests,

To parks,

To shrines,

To trees,

And none of these is a secure refuge.

None is a supreme refuge because not by going to such a refuge is one released from all suffering.

But when someone goes for refuge to the Buddha,

Dharma,

And Sangha and sees with right insight the arising of suffering,

The overcoming of suffering,

And the path leading to the end of suffering,

Then this is the secure refuge.

This is the supreme refuge.

By going to such a refuge,

One is released from all suffering.

So I love going to the mountains for refuge.

I love going to the forest.

I live at the edge of the forest.

I love parks.

I love trees.

And I also love going to shrines.

I've been hoping to go to my favorite shrine next week,

Which is Spirit Rock,

Our wonderful meditation center here in Northern California.

And when I go to take a deep breath of the mountain air,

Or if I go to the beach,

The sea air,

I go to relax.

And I would say there is fear involved too.

I go when I need a break,

When I'm off kilter,

When I need rest,

And I'm concerned that if I don't get it,

I'll burn out or I'll keep motoring on and exhaust myself.

And I have other refuges that I go to when fear arises in the present moment,

When something happens.

The cookie jar is a refuge.

The occasional glass of wine,

The hot tub,

You know,

Places that I go to feel better.

So maybe if you do,

If you go to the mountains or the forest or in the park for refuge,

Or if you go to a shrine that you love,

Or if you break out the ice cream or that good bottle of scotch on occasion,

These are places that we think of as refuge that we go to feel better or that we go to,

To not feel worse.

But then eventually we return.

And maybe you're even doing that this week from some beautiful physical refuge,

Which is great.

I hope you got to the mountains or the beach or the park over the holidays.

I hope you had some good cheer,

Whatever flavor that took.

But if you did,

Or if you ever have,

Then you know that whether the return is easy or not,

It's a return.

It's not a permanent reduction or elimination of that suffering,

That discomfort.

And sometimes the sense of refuge comes along back home,

But,

Or back to the present moment,

But not for long,

Or at least not for ever,

Which is what chapter 14 is saying.

Not by going to such a refuge as one released from all suffering,

But going for refuge to the Buddha,

Dharma,

And Sangha,

To that Buddha inside of ourselves,

That person that's willing and able to just be present and teachings that we're studying to being together,

This collective,

Other communities that we're in that are waking up by going there and seeing the suffering that arises and how we can overcome it by just letting go of wanting it to be different and the path that we can follow that will really help us to do that.

That's the supreme refuge where one is released from all suffering.

So yesterday I got the news,

The very sad news that a team member here at Warrior One will be moving on to focus on their own practice,

Which is of course something I want to wholeheartedly support.

But it was a hard thing to hear,

And there were many consequences.

And as I was listening to the news from the team member,

I had this urge,

First I had the urge to cry,

And then I had this urge to find refuge elsewhere.

Right?

Because so much arose,

Emotions,

Swirling emotions and thoughts,

And this urge to find refuge someplace else,

It was really strong.

I wanted to pack up and get out to Spirit Rock or walk into the forest or go get a cookie or pour a glass of wine last night.

But there was no place to go,

Right?

Because there never is.

Right?

I just tried to remember that,

And I was reading this chapter already,

Which was perfect,

And I tried to just stay with the thoughts and stay with the emotions and stay with all of that discomfort and just be with it because what's the alternative?

And not just to stay with it,

To really to put out my hands and to open to it and not to act,

Which I didn't do a very good job of not acting,

But to not act,

Not to seek refuge from the moment,

But to seek refuge in the moment,

In the discomfort,

In the difficulty,

In the Buddha inside,

If you will.

Right?

One of my very favorite moments of this was when my daughter was really little.

She was about three and we were at a big fancy dinner for my grandmother's 80th birthday.

So I was mother and I was granddaughter and I was also daughter and sister and everybody was all dressed up,

Including Emily and my daughter in her little party dress and her pink Mary Janes and everything's great.

And then a split second later,

And she turned to me and she said,

Mommy,

I don't feel well and without any thought process kicking in and all,

I put out my hands.

Sorry for the really yucky image here,

Right?

But you would do this if you were a parent and also a granddaughter,

Not wanting to spoil your grandmother's birthday.

I put out my hands and she just threw up into my hands.

Right.

And that's what we have to do.

Isn't it?

Because there it is again in every moment,

The perfect opportunity to put out our hands.

To take refuge in the present moment and all of its discomfort and frustration sitting right there in your old desk chair.

And for me and my old gray leggings and my blue sweatshirt with a plate already too full,

And then putting out my hands to this news or for you putting out your hands to whatever is happening in your life and taking refuge in the present moment.

You know,

Being the Buddha in that present and just very simply,

Not easily and simply turning toward whatever is happening and opening our hearts and opening our hands and just saying,

Yes,

This too.

Yes,

This too.

So let's sit.

Yeah,

And finding that stability for yourself,

A posture that enables you to just be here right now.

And finding the breath if that's supportive or the sounds in your space if that's supportive.

Breath or sound as refuge.

This present moment as refuge.

And maybe there's something really hard for you in your life right now,

And it's almost impossible to imagine just being with it.

And maybe letting go of any imagination and just simply being with whatever comes up.

And maybe it's a really joyful moment for you.

Maybe there's things happening in your life that are giving you pleasure and great joy and be there for that too.

You know,

We can turn away from joy as well and don't do that either.

And whether it's the most sorrowful or fearful or disappointing or frustrating thing or whether it's the most joyful thing or whether it's anything in between,

Just being with whatever is happening in the sense of feeling into it,

Opening the heart,

Opening the hands and just saying,

Yes,

This too.

This is just how it is right now.

Now it will always be just how it is right now.

This is just how it is right now.

And if it's part of your practice or if you're interested in bringing in this gesture as part of your practice,

You can put your hands together at the heart in what's called Anjali Mudra and just bow to this present moment and to,

Yeah,

To your own willingness to be here.

Thanks everybody for being here on the Wake Up Call.

Great to see you.

Happy new year.

Stay safe out there.

Take good care.