What followed was a nice long debate on various theological topics. It always feels good to pull on that knowledge base - the original Apocalypse of Peter that was slated to end the Bible until someone realized that it said that "the Jews" would also escape the world of the dead (Hades - NOT the Hell most people think of, which was essentially invented in Dante's Inferno) in the end, Covenant eschatology (the view that the predicted calamity Yeshua Bar Yoseph described was NOT some event far in the future, but instead happened in 70 A.D. when the Romans razed the Temple in Jerusalem (in effect literally the end of the world for the Jewish people),
the fact that the Emperor Nero was called "the Beast" in his own time partially because of his sicko amusement of playing "a kind of game in which, covered with the skin of some wild animal, he was let loose from a cage and attacked the private parts of men and women, who were bound to stakes {and I would assume leaving them to bleed to death - LWWD}." (The Lives of the Caesars, 6.29), other reasons why it's painfully obvious the Book of Revelations is a tirade against the Roman empire, the whole "666 vs. 616" controversy (it turns out someone did a BIG flub in translation at some point along the way), Bart Ehrman, Karen Armstrong, Mithras, Simon Magus, the questionable nature of Paul/Saul of Tarsus's "conversion", etc.
2 hours of fun to me. Like all good debate (IMHO, and that of my buddhist traditions), it ended with everyone being further educated.
Now, to finally finish up about Lucinda's Sukavati -
Jann Jackson led it masterfully. Her explanation of what the Sukavati is about, and about what tonglen is before leading a session for Lucinda, was about was brilliant. Personally, I idolize Jann, and hope that if I reach 60, I can be even half the pressence that she is.
There were boxes of tissue being passed around, which were needed. I was on Dorje Kasung duty, being one of the people who was supposed to monitor the room to gauage the comfort of the attendees. I admit, I was having a hard time doing my role when in my direct line of sight was a photo of Lucinda (which I had found and shared with the Int'l sangha, btw - glad to be of help) that was symbolically burned at the end. Looking and seeing it there made me well up.
On the somewhat lighter side, the 4 core members of the Milarepa chorus - myself, Larry Fallon, Susan Page, and my MI Ken Rawie- stood up to sing a concluding dedication prayer that we've been ending practices with for quite a while. It's actually quite beautiful, I think:
"All you sentient beings
I've had a good or bad connection with
as soon as you have left
this confused dimension
may you be born in the West is Sukavahti
and once you're born there
complete the bhumis and the paths."
While our performance started out rough (we started a half-octave lower than we'd ever rehearsed), by two lines in, we'd found our stride again.
It felt right to do that.
After the Sukavati itself, there was a reception. It was great to catch up with people, especially the sizable contingent from the Baltimore area (including Jann).
I didn't get to talk to everyone I wanted to, though (sorry Megan, fer instance).
But such is life. Anyway, the whole experience just brought it home a little more how precious and rare this life is, and how it can go away quickly.
I feel a need to both practice more and also spend more time with my friends and tell them I love them while there is still time.
Bodhi Svaha.
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