We
are now in the time of the Autumn Equinox, when we are moving into a period of
longer nights and shorter days, and our northern hemisphere is bedding down for the
winter to come.
Our internal states often mirror the outer, so it’s natural for us
to seek more time for quiet reflection during this period. I think you will
find it helpful if you increase your meditation through the upcoming months.
At
CityZen, we have a candlelight ceremony in which we create two altars, one
bright and one dark to celebrate this turning time. The idea is that on Monday
night meditation you’re invited to bring something to place on each altar.
· For the dark altar you
might consider bringing something that represents a question in your life, a memory
or problem that feels impenetrable or feels immutable to change. Representative
objects might be: root vegetables, a bare branch, a figure of Jizo or Ksitigarbha[i], a picture of an ancestor, dark
candles, or dark flowers.
· For the bright, it might be
something you turn towards, a symbol of refuge such as a figure of Buddha or Avalokitshevara[ii],
white flowers, a candle, a green bough, or a picture of an ancestor.
By
including both the dark and the bright on the altars we celebrate the whole of
life; all the things that brought us to this moment now.
[i]
Ksitigarbha (Sanskrit: क्षितिगर्भ Kṣitigarbha) is a
bodhisattva primarily
revered in East Asian
Buddhism, usually depicted as a Buddhist monk in the
Orient. The name may be translated as "Earth Treasury", "Earth
Store", "Earth Matrix", or "Earth Womb". Ksitigarbha
is known for his vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings
in the six worlds
between the death of Gautama
(Sakyamuni) Buddha and the rise of Maitreya Buddha, as well
as his vow not to achieve Buddhahood
until all hells
are emptied. He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell beings, as
well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children and
aborted fetuses in Japanese culture. Usually depicted as a monk with a halo
around his shaved head, he carries a staff to force open the
gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling
jewel to light up the darkness.
In Japan, Ksitigarbha, known as Jizō, or
Ojizō-sama as he is respectfully known, is one of the most loved of all
Japanese divinities. His statues are a common sight, especially by roadsides
and in graveyards. Traditionally, he is seen as the guardian of children, and
in particular, children who died before their parents. Since the 1980s, he has
been worshipped as the guardian of the souls of mizuko, the souls of
stillborn, miscarried
or aborted foetuses, in the ritual of
mizuko kuyō (水子供養,
lit. offering to water children).
Jizō statues are sometimes accompanied by a
little pile of stones and pebbles.The statues can sometimes be seen wearing
tiny children's clothing or bibs, or with toys, put there by grieving parents
to help their lost ones and hoping that Jizō would specially protect them.
Sometimes the offerings are put there by parents to thank Jizō for saving their
children from a serious illness. Jizō's features are commonly made more
baby-like to resemble the children he protects.
[ii]
Avalokiteśvara (Sanskrit: अवलोकितेश्वर lit. "Lord who
looks down") is a bodhisattva
who embodies the compassion
of all Buddhas.
This bodhisattva is variably depicted as male or female, and may also be
referred to simply as Kanzeon (Japanese), or Guānyīn
(Chinese).
According to recent research, the original form
was Avalokitasvara with the ending a-svara ("sound,
noise"), which means "sound perceiver", literally "she who
looks down upon sound" (i.e., the cries of sentient beings who need her
help; a-svara can be glossed as ahr-svara, "sound of
lamentation"). This is the exact equivalent of the Chinese translation Guānyīn.