Spiritual Death and Spiritual Rebirth are sometimes hard to explain. These two are parts of the fivefold Triratna system of practice, which you have probably come across, if only in these writings. The other three; Integration, Positive Emotion and Receptivity, are easier to understand, at least initially, as we are more used to the words. Previously, I have talked about Spiritual Death and Spiritual Rebirth in terms of Ordination. This year we have had three members of our Sangha go off to the wilds of Spain as Mitras, and return as Order Members. This is one of the ways we can look at the System of practice, as steps on a progressive path, a vertical movement eventually culminating in Enlightenment. However, we can also view the System of Practice as a horizontal process, with each step being continuously encountered in our everyday lives.
This pair, of Spiritual Death and Spiritual Rebirth are normally seen as a linked pair. One has to go through a Death phase to achieve a Rebirth. This is the process where we have to let go of something we are clinging to, and reach out to something new that maybe, for the moment, is just out of our grasp. This gives us the opportunity to dwell in the gap between the thing let go of and the thing yet to be held to tightly again. This is a liminal state, neither one thing or the other, a Bardo. This gap can often appear to us to be painful and we try to quickly move to the new state. But it is worth being aware of this state and staying with it, so that we can come to understand the many times in our lives when we have too quickly rushed past this opportunity. This is an opportunity for growth, taking more time to consider the Dukkha in which we find ourselves, offer us much.
Although they may sound unusual to us, Urgyen Sangharakshita was quite clear and deliberate in choosing the names for these two stages of the Path. The names have a strong emotional resonance with us, birth and death are the two fixed points in our human existence, that bookend our lives. These two points we are often keen to forget, and put to the back of our minds. However, we do need to bring these points to mind, and we can do this by looking for their reflection in the many changing life experiences that we face. Each death/rebirth pair offers us a chance to dwell in a Bardo, a space where we can learn and grow our understanding about the human condition. We must learn to enjoy these times and face them with equanimity.
We have been improving the Buddhist Centre over the 15 years we have been in Friars Bridge Road. We have made it a nice place to learn and practice the Dharma, but there is a limit to what we can do with our current Centre. The Centre is now getting too small for us to hold all our different activities and to small too hold us all when we have a big event, that we would all like to attend.
We have looked at all sorts of buildings to try to find something that would be suitable and that meets most of the requirements that we have identified. You are probably well aware that we have found a place that would do, not perfect, but good enough for us to take on and turn it into a beautiful Buddhist Centre, a Buddha Land, that will serve the Ipswich Sangha for many years to come. A few weeks ago we engaged with a bidding process for the property, a number of other interested parties also did the same. We did not know whether we would be successful and in fact it looked like those other parties were in a better position to purchase the property. So as a group, we were in a Bardo, not knowing whether to be excited or down-beat about our prospects of having a new Centre. At the end of last week we revised our bid downwards because of issues with the property, a move that involved much discussion in the Council. These discussions resulted in the formation of a stronger resolve that this property was really the best that we had seen in the last five years of looking. We were also buoyed and heartened by the amount of enthusiasm the Ipswich Sangha has shown and the accompanying generosity. So it was clearly worth holding our position and continue to dwell in that Bardo of not knowing, you could call it a process of Integration and holding Positive Emotion during a difficult time.
I am pleased to now tell you that all that effort has born fruit and we are confirmed as the winning bid. There are still many steps along the way to owning the building, still many things that can go wrong. If you have ever bought a property then you will know that we must be patient before the full rejoicing can begin. It is said that buying a property is one of the most stressful times of our modern lives, and buying a property that is so important, and forms a large part of so many peoples lives, significantly raises the stakes.
Many of us have grown up, in a spiritual sense, at FriarsBridge Road. We have become attached to it in many ways. It may seem convenient, comfortable like a pair of old slippers we keep at the door. We may have built our habits around it, we may live nearby and changing what we do can seem a great deal of inconvenience. This move to a new Centre will indeed impact us all, and maybe give us the opportunity to put our Buddhist understanding and wisdom to the test.
The new Centre is a much larger building and this alone will affect how we run classes, when we run them and provide us with new opportunities that we cannot imagine. These new opportunities will present us with individual challenges, of whether we can rise to the rebirth that change carries. For a while we maybe in a Bardo, seeing this change as a problem, maybe even a threat to the ordered and regimented life that we currently enjoy.
For some of us the prospect of a new Centre will be easier, and they will eagerly grasp the opportunities on offer. Many of us will be in-between, and experience both these poles.
The opportunities that moving to a new Centre for spreading the Dharma in Ipswich offers are exciting. More people can learn about Buddhism and practice together. We will have the chance to have a Buddhist residential Community and maybe even some work possibilities. If such ideas come to maturity then these would complete the three C’s I explored last month.
We have moved around Ipswich many times over the 40+ years we have been holding classes in the town. Each time we have regrettably lost people, but we have also gained many more. In this way, the size of the Ipswich Sangha has grown, and the Dharma is now reaching many more people. Giving a refuge from the difficulties of the modern world and helping people progress on their spiritual paths.
Finally a short appeal. If you have been ‘sitting on the fence’ about making a pledge to financially support the new Centre, then luckily it is not too late. We will also need support and help in many other ways as the dream of a New Centre turns into a reality.
Don’t forget that we have a pre-holiday weekend retreat coming up in a few days, it will be a great way to recharge yourself, ready for the coming winter. If you haven’t been on retreat before then do have a chat with a friendly Order Member, who will be happy to tell you more about going on retreat.
Bodhivamsa, December 2024
