Entering the Inconceivable

bows

Fusatsu is a beautiful ceremony that can be highly transformative. We start with repenting for past actions that we admit were often dictated by a very conditioned and limited understanding of our life situation. Next, we ask for the help of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and renew our bodhisattva vows. Through these vows we enter a world that often seems inconceivable. Yet this transcendent world is exactly the one that we need to become familiar with if we want to live our life to the full.

The ceremony involves a lot of bows; and when you really give yourself to them the world of the inconceivable may suddenly dawn upon you. When you bow, all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas bow; in fact, the whole universe bows. And when you chant the vows, countless Buddhas and bodhisattvas chant those vows. Can you take that in? If you do, even the most mundane activity, like working in the garden, preparing food, dusting a table, or saying hello to someone, becomes transcendent activity.

In some ways, we’re never alone anymore. We can enter the world of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas any time. We only need to shed our ideas about ourselves and pay close attention. It’s helpful, too, to be reminded of the inconceivable now and then. So we do this ceremony regularly to not miss out on what is really going on in this life and to remember who is actually living it.

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