Sunday, 15th March, 8pm AEDT Recitation of the
14 Mindfulness Trainings

Dear COS Family.

You are welcome to join Daya, Jan and Adam, for the recitation of the
14 Mindfulness Trainings.
If you would ever like to read two of the Trainings during the ceremony please contact us at: compassionateoceansangha@gmail.com
You don't have to be a member of the Order of Interbeing to read the Trainings.
In his book, Interbeing (4th ed, p20), Thich Nhat Hanh tells us that these Trainings have evolved from the 10 precepts in the Sutra Spoken to the King of the Ocean, in the Chinese canon. These precepts have been extended by Thich Nhat Hanh to be more relevant to today and to address suffering in our time.
They are called 'Mindfulness Trainings' rather than 'precepts' because they are practices for us, not rules. They guide and protect us as we look at each one to find its relevance in our own daily life.

Our theme for March is "The Insight That Brings Us To The Other Shore"
Understanding the Sutra: verses 1 and 2:
Avalokiteshvara, while practicing deeply with
the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,
suddenly discovered that all of the five Skandas are equally empty
and with this realization he overcame all ill-being.
Listen Shariputra
This Body itself is Emptiness
And Emptiness itself is this Body
This Body is not other than Emptiness,
And Emptiness is not other than this Body.
The same is true of Feelings,
Perceptions, Mental Formations
And Consciousness.
What is the insight that brings us to the Other Shore?
The insight is when we understand that everything is empty of a separate self. Thus we can’t describe anything as permanent, pure or having a self. And they also cannot be characterized as being impermanent, impure or lacking a self. This teaching is also found in the Diamond Sutra.