“The good omen I see now is like that of old.
This is an expedient employed by the Buddhas.
The present Buddha is also emitting a ray of light
In order to reveal the truth of the reality of all things.Manjusri said to the multitude.
All of you, know this, join your hands together,
And wait with one mind!
The Buddha will send the rain of the Dharma
And satisfy those who seek enlightenment.”
Lotus Sutra, Chapter I
These lines appear at the conclusion of Chapter I and in them Manjusri is reassuring the great assembly that the Buddha will reveal a great teaching. Manjusri encourages those present to wait patiently with their minds focused together on listening and preparing to receive a teaching, which will be like nourishing rain.
I selected this passage as my final subject for the last Dharma talk in February and the last talk in this series about Chapter I because of the phrase ‘wait with one mind’. I have been doing some reading lately about trends in our modern lives and the influence of technology on the way we think and live. Because we live in a world in which we are almost constantly turned on and connected we are increasingly loosing the ability or practice of waiting, being patient, and remaining focused.
We frequently think that this has lead us to be more productive because while we are waiting for one series of steps in a project to be completed we can begin or resume another project thus jumping from one thing to another, all in various stages of completion and perhaps even covering various subjects requiring different solutions. Our minds trick us into thinking that because we are not idle we are therefore getting more done. But this fractured, or splintered fragmented approach to living is actually robbing us of focus and creativity as well as mental energy; at least that is what some early research is now revealing.
While it may only take the body a few minutes to change tasks it actually takes the mind many minutes to first find a way to disengage mental focus from what was previously being expected of our brain. This disengagement is sort of like putting away thoughts but doing so in a way that will facilitate rapid recall and resumption, which are not things that our minds have a lot of prior evolutionary experience. So our mind is being expected to ‘wind down’ in ways it might not be the best suited for.
This ‘winding down’ also needs to take place even as the brain is expected to ‘wind up’ with a new project, which may or may not be something that had been worked on previously. This takes a significant toll on the brains overall ability to sustain this kind of activity as well as the energy to be creative and accurate. What generally tends to happen in research is that the brain tends to mediocrity even without the awareness of the subject.
So, our brain hides from us that while we think we may be more productive our productivity actually becomes less effective and the results are compromised in the long run.
Loosing focus or the ability to truly focus and concentrate is a common problem for many in today’s world. Yet there is no less demand to be focused, especially if we want to have a feeling of being fulfilled and living a meaningful life. While we as a society are loosing our ability to focus and concentrate, which we are replacing with multi-tasking, society as a whole is experiencing greater dissatisfaction with life. Meaning and purpose are being cited increasingly as something that people miss the most in their lives, yet previous generations did not as frequently.
There is a strong connection between focus and concentration and feeling purposeful. It is almost logical there would be that connection. If the brain is focused then the whole of the body is also and there is a unity not just of purpose and function but also of action and energy. When we are less focused we are less mindful and less aware of the entire goings on in our body and what it is experiencing.
When we sit in meditation and chant the Odaimoku we can begin to practice this focus and concentration, but it requires effort. There may be times when our chanting will be distracted and our thoughts all over the place. There is nothing abnormal about this. Over time though, as we become aware of what our mind, our body is telling us we can learn to listen and let go. Chanting is a chance to practice focus and concentration. We can wait with one mind as our life enriches itself with the sound of our chanting the sacred title of the Lotus Sutra.
Our daily practice is an activity of joining our hands together and waiting with one mind so that we can nourish our lives with the rain of the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra. I hope that you all will continue to strive in your practice. I also hope that you are increasingly able to bring the truths of Buddhism into ever greater parts of your lives. When we can fully integrate Buddhism into all aspects of our lives, we will be in greater harmony and receive greater benefits from our efforts of faith, practice and study.
