Fall Festival 2024 ~ Day 1
Oct 25, 2024
31 July 2024
During the Festivals although the subject matter is deep the the atmosphere is so light. Everywhere you see the truth that practicing Buddha's teachings makes you happy.
Another extraordinary day of teachings with Gen-la Dekyong focusing on a deeper explanation of four lines at the heart of the Heart Sutra:
Form is empty,
Emptiness is form,
Emptiness is not other than form,
Form also is not other than emptiness.
Using the text The New Heart of Wisdom, and sharing advice and instructions received directly from Venerable Geshe-la, we are guided to a practical understanding of each line.
Gen-la uses beautiful examples and analogies that came from our Guru's heart and that have the power to help us understand these profound topics. The whole day feels very powerful and blessed.
During the Festivals although the subject matter is deep the the atmosphere is so light. Everywhere you see the truth that practicing Buddha's teachings makes you happy. We find an inner enjoyment that comes from cultivating peaceful, loving and wise minds.
People enjoy many different aspects of the Festivals. Between sessions laughter and joy rings out from the many cafes, and everywhere you look people are helping, talking, laughing or quietly relaxing. Some people enjoy walking through the tranquil woods to the bay, or taking a bigger walk up Birkrigg common or to the ice cream van at Bardsea. In the evening after puja, people enjoy being with friends at the beach talking over the day before returning to their tents and rooms for a peaceful sleep.
It is so easy to meet people and make new friends at festivals. Many people enjoy volunteering, with a real feeling of camaraderie, and it is easy to get chatting to others in the queue or over meals.
When we wake from our dreams we understand that everything we experienced was just an appearance to our dreaming mind. Buddha said you should know that all phenomena are like dreams.