Releasing Life Ceremony (Bang-Seng) is a Buddhist tradition of releasing, improving or extending life of living beings. It is usually carried out in a ceremony where living things such as birds, animals, or fish that are destined for slaughter are released into the wild and given another chance for life. This ceremony teaches us that all life is precious and inspires us to be more compassionate, gentle, and kind towards others. The Releasing Life Ceremony consists of a prayer service where the merit of this compassionate deed is transferred to the participants who get to release their very own fish or release one on behalf of a ailing friend, a newborn child, a deceased loved one, or for other personal reasons. Included were prayers for one our member's mother who just recently suffered a stroke as well as a new addition to our extended family baby Blake. May you all be well.
Do you think that the sages, the spiritual masters are ordinary, or do you think there are extraordinary? Do you think they are special, unique, or do you think they are just normal? If you think the masters are just normal, you will never reach enlightenment. If you think the masters are extraordinary, you will never reach enlightenment. If you think that the masters are normal, you will not pursue the goal of spiritual practice correctly. In Zen tradition, this is illustrated in almost graphic ways. “The one who set their mind on the goal of enlightenment is to practice as if their hair was on fire and they’re looking for a lake into which to dive into”. It is with this urgent energy that one is to pursuit Enlightenment. So, if you think masters are just ordinary, you won't have the necessary energy to pursue it. If you think masters are extraordinary. You won't even start the journey. “Ah, these lofty goals are for a select group of people, some special fantastic spiritual V...