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Brandon Handley 0:00
What is going on Brandon Handley here today with do the voice of a generation have a little bit of fun as I've got some guests over this weekend but uh, you know, what I haven't done for you for a little bit was do a solo podcast and what I'm what I want to do is catch up catch you up a little bit with the Buddhism, stuff that we've been doing over on Facebook, I've had to push off for the past couple weeks, you know one of them. But I've got another that we did on Facebook with a Reverend Samurai and we did the Three Jewels of Buddhism. And if you're not familiar with what they are, and they're called three areas, which we can turn to, for refuge, right, these three jewels or refuges are essential to the Buddhist teachings. In the Buddhist times, when people wanted to ordain and become Buddhist, they formally took up refuge in these three jewels. The jewels are places where we turn toward in order to cultivate mindfulness and loving kindness. They are three different ways in which we may take refuge

Unknown Speaker 1:23
in our path,

Brandon Handley 1:25
and practice and I love the fact of the idea of refuge is somewhere we can go to find solace to be at peace, to be at ease to not worry so much about nearly anything else. As a matter of fact, you know, what I really want to do is, is, while we're here right now, is look up refuge and see what the dictionary version of this is. So that we can really just share what it is so shelter or protection from danger or distress, a place that provides shelter or protection, and something to which one has recourse and difficulty. So these three jewels of Buddhism are places in which you or a practicing Buddhist may go and find Rhys bite recourse away from a place that they're feeling challenged. The first of these three jewels is the Buddha. When we hear the term Buddha, when you hear the term Buddha, and we often think of the historical Buddha, however, taking refuge in the Buddha is less about the man who awakened and more about taking refuge in the Buddha hood with us. The Buddha taught that we all have the seed of awakening that needs to be watered if we are to liberate ourselves. taking refuge in the Buddha means turning toward the Buddha seed within we tune into the seeds of wisdom and compassion already presence cultivating these qualities and resting with them this I think he depending on when you listen to this and just recently released a podcast actually know what I didn't release this podcast, I forgot to record it during the conversation, ah the trials and tribulations of your own podcasting. The idea and is that we are all Buddhas, you are a Buddha. Simply waking up to that idea. Right? So he says taking refuge is less about the man who awakened and more about taking refuge in the Buddha hood within us you are that Buddha within, you know, I'll even I'll even line this up somehow to Napoleon hills thinking grow rich. And what he calls the mastermind is the ability to call upon others mentally as if they were in the room with you. Right. And in. In essence, what you're doing in that situation is you are vibrating yourself to that level of somebody or something within your own imagination. And when you do that, you're able to just kind of call forth from the ether and ether and sit into that space. So you have the ability should you choose to say In Buddhist light to sit in Christ light right in nature and that is you know kind of mastermind that's what they're talking about here by taking refuge in the Buddha hood with a you have it within you you are that seed you are that as they would say in Hinduism, thou art that. And you've had that seed that needs to be watered in cultivation is such a such an amazing word. You find it a lot as a matter of fact, I've got it over here in the eaching that I spend, I spend usually a little bit of everyday with most days and going through it and the idea of cultivating that greatness within you. Right and and tuning into that seed of wisdom, compassion, it's already within you, and resting in that space and being fine. Again, refuge.

Brandon Handley 5:57
Right, relax into it, relax into it. So you have the Buddha within you, you are a Buddha take refuge and knowing that cultivate that and be with it, rest with it, the Dharma. The second of the Three Jewels is the Dharma, or way. The Dharma is both Buddhist teachings and actual actions associated with the teachings. The Buddhist teaching offer a safe place a safe way of being taking refuge in the Dharma means that we study the Buddhist teachings and put forth the effort to utilize the Dharma in our lives. we meditate, take the precepts, and cultivate wholesome qualities, acting and living in this way is a true refuge in that we do not cause harm to others or ourselves and are able to find safety in the teachings. So the Dharma is both the teachings and the actual actions on if you ever heard anybody say, I've got to go do my dharma. And I was always confused. I was like, how do you do your Dharma? If that's the teaching the the words right that there's not necessarily a doctrine, but the teachings and the ways. But I think that with any type of teaching, anything you do, you must embody it. You must take action, you must live those teachings, not simply read, regurgitate, and mentally, you know, rehash and go over these things over and over. utilize it, put it into your life. And again, you know, meditate and cultivate wholesome qualities, acting and living in this way is a refuge. If you're not in acting in any way to do harm to others for yourself, how often do you find yourself just beating the shit out of yourself for something so trivial, something so small, that with anybody else with any friend of yours, you would say, everything's gonna be fine your grade, you didn't do it on purpose, that type of thing. So I love it. So your Dharma is your teachings in action. And just knowing that, that that is a practice and knowing that that's the life that you're living with intention is like, that doesn't leave room for guilt. There is no harm if you're living in this way. So there's refuge in that because you're not going to kind of be torn as to whether or not you're living in the right way. And within purpose, and your purpose is to your purpose in your actions or to live the Dharma. The Sangha, this is one of my favorites, right, the third and final today. of the Three Jewels in Buddhism is the Sangha. The Pali word Sangha refers to the community of practitioners. Traditionally, the Sangha is the community of monks and nuns. For laypeople Asana is simply a community of people on the path with you. It may be members of local meditation center, friends, that you've made in your practice, or those who sit on a retreat with to take refuge in OSI is to engage with the community of meditators. community is important in Buddhism as it is in many religious and spiritual traditions. Our meditation practice is often personal, intimate, but engaging with others is just as important. When we turn toward the Sangha, we are able to learn from others offer to help others and to use our practice to engage with others mindfully. practicing with the community often helps us to see things and in new ways working Other things which we had not previously considered. I don't know about you. But there's so many times as this final line, right is going to a new community and having somebody having a conversation with somebody, and them explaining something you thought you were thoroughly, intimately knowledgeable about, and they, they put a little spin on it. And you say to yourself, wow, I hadn't thought about it that way. And your life has changed, your life has changed for, right, forever. That's the power of just a simple community being able to reach out there

Brandon Handley 10:49
and do it in an opening way, in an open way, where you are receptive to new ideas where you are receptive to somebody else's way of thinking. And the idea of diversity is that many people from different backgrounds, many different perspectives, many different cultures, are going to allow for you to see things in a way that you had not, as, as it says here, previously considered. The other idea is that is people on the path with you, but also the people on the way, you know, people on the way to the community, that there, there's some excitement about right there, you know, people that you can see coming from a distance like, Oh, my God, I never thought that they were going to come to this community, I'm so excited to share some time with them and be with them. I don't know that. Susan, I really think that way. That's the way I think about it, though, you know, you see some people coming along the way or you're along the path with them, as they're talking about, as lay people, the community people that are on the path with you, you and I've met today, you and I have spent some time with each other, you are here with me on this podcast, or maybe you're here in the video rendition. And we're spending a little bit of time with each other. And so that means, you know, we're we're along the path with each other, it doesn't mean we're going to the same place. means we're walking with each other for a moment, which means that we are here together for a moment. Now, it doesn't have to be forever. Does that mean that's one of the things I think that a lot of people get caught up on or hung up on? People come into your life, they're just they're likely just as quick to leave? What did you learn from that person? What kind of experience Did you have with that person? Hopefully, what were you able to offer to them as well? And how did the time that you spent with each other, you know, possibly benefit the world. I'm just kind of, you know, looking at this over again, and also, you know, our meditation is often personal, intimate. I think what's even just as powerful is to meditate with a community knowing that just for a moment that your minds are in the same space and place and you're meditating together, there's a power in that, I don't know that you've ever had the experience of, of watching, maybe a concert, right? I remember, I remember sitting at MPC boys concert years ago. And, you know, up on the we're probably you know, three rows up or whatever, you know, three levels up and you can see the main floor and the main floor. The piece I forget what the hell it was for us. I think it was a Hello nasty tour. But their their stage would like move left and right. And it was like you could see the bodies moving to follow the concert and you could literally see like this Ying Yang, you know energy because of just how it worked, right? So you see energy in motion bodies in motion and people in motion. And and I say that because you know, you see you see that? vibration, you see that energy in motion in people and it's very intense to be able to see that now. I know I brought that up in this one. I forget what minds and motion together. Right. So those people work together in unison. They had different kinds of objectives. They're returning different ways but they were there together an in unison and seeing seeing that outside of you is pretty It's pretty cool. I've seen it in a number of other different scenarios or if you go to raves or been to parties like that you can see people kind of dancing to the same beat. You see them dancing emotion, I'm sure that you always hear people talking, you know, Mark marching to the same beat. But some, you know, there's, there's something to seeing people liberated by music and dancing and motion and seeing that community in action together, same idea of even quietly meditating with each other, just that energy, driving through all of you at that same time. mines in refuge

Brandon Handley 15:43
right in the Buddha, and living their dharma. So the Three Jewels ladies and gentlemen of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, we should be Samurai that is going live October 17. To finish up our last one for a little bit anyways, and that'll be the Eightfold noble path. Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this one. And perhaps catching up with you on Facebook. Pete, feel free to join us for the Eightfold noble path. All right. Have a great evening, day life. Do whatever you're doing.

Unknown Speaker 16:29
Take it easy.

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