So with the permission of all the monks more senior than myself,
I'd like to start by inviting everyone to settle yourselves into a comfortable position for a short meditation practice.
We close our eyes as gently as possible,
Taking a few moments to settle our whole body into a position by which we feel we could sit for a long,
Long time without needing to adjust our posture at all,
Taking a few moments to scan down through the whole of our body to make sure each and every muscle in our body is as relaxed as possible,
Starting from the top of our head,
Moving down to the muscles of our face and allowing them to become soft.
We take special care to make sure that the way we've closed our eyes is as gentle as possible and let our shoulders drop,
Relaxing both arms,
Our trunk,
Both legs,
All the way down to our feet and our toes,
And also we relax the mind by letting go of all distractions in the outside world while tuning in to the spiritual ambience at the closing of the day,
Especially on this special night of International Vesakapuja or Vesak Day,
Until it's almost as if the whole of our body seems to have melted away into the atmosphere around us.
So we take the opportunity to let our mind come to rest somewhere within this empty space of our body,
Picking up on the energy of collective inspiration we've shared by joining together on this special occasion,
Held only once a year,
When all the different denominations of Buddhism have the chance to gather together.
Even those of us who prefer to admire the teachings of Buddhism from a distance still have the chance to join as well,
To have first-hand experience of what it really feels like to work with the mind,
To purify the mind,
Toward a pathway of enlightenment,
In the same way exemplified by the Buddha himself 2,
612 years ago.
And this harmonious sense of peace inside us,
Which we build up through our meditation together,
Is something precious to our world.
For those of us who are new to this practice,
We can start by approximating the peace inside ourselves by bringing the focus of our attention gently down to a place inside the space of our body,
Somewhere around about the level of our solar plexus,
Connecting with a feeling of peace there.
Or if necessary,
We can conjure up a sense of brightness inside us,
Something like the full moon,
A twinkling star,
Or something like the flickering candlelight,
Which we are about to see all around us in a few moments.
Peace inside us is the origin of peace more widely in the world,
Something which lately the world has been crying out for.
According to the General Secretary of the United Nations,
Antonio Guterres,
Who visited the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini in October 2023,
In his Vesak Day message for this year,
The peace encouraged by Buddhism is something that brings understanding among peoples,
Engenders harmony,
Especially with outbreaks of armed conflict in many places in the world,
Pushing the world into famine,
If we can be guided by the spirit of Vesak,
We will have renewed faith in what can be accomplished as a united human family,
To build a more peaceful and sustainable future.
So if we can channel this peace inside ourselves,
Then the peaceful teachings advocated by Buddhism,
Whether it be tolerance,
Compassion,
Or service to humanity,
Will be a touchstone of solace and strength which can be shared more widely in the world.
Peace inside us,
Our practice of meditation,
And the unity fostered by all the different strands of Buddhism coming together,
Like a single sun in the sky,
Will allow us to bridge differences,
Rise above narrow self-interest,
Work together in solidarity for a more peaceful world.
As we recover the pathway within ourselves that was mentioned by the Buddha in the Mahasattipatthana Sutta,
As the shared path of practice,
Known as the Ekayano Makko,
Which the Buddha called a direct path that can lead us all to the end of mental impurities,
And as we move towards the part of the ceremony where we get to light candle lanterns for ourselves,
And share the candle light across the entire field of light,
We keep the light within ourselves bright and radiant.
And for those of us who wish to be close to the Buddha,
We can keep the Buddha close,
By visualizing an image of the Buddha within ourselves,
A recollection practice that in Buddhism is known as Bhuttanussati,
In order to achieve the supreme sight of the Buddha or Dasanuttariya,
And this will help to keep alive in us the sense of unity and harmony and peace within Buddhism on this full moon day of Vesak,
Which we are celebrating this evening.
As we continue to meditate for a few more moments now in silence.
