Some Words of Gratitude

Firstly, I think the best place for me to start from is gratitude. When reflecting on how my Buddhist practise has changed me, gratitude immediately springs forth. Having said that I think my experience of gratitude has changed a lot; prior to my involvement with the Nottingham Buddhist Centre, around a year and a half ago now, whenever I’d gained something or maybe I’ve been on the receiving end of someone's generosity, I felt mostly indebted. Now this wasn’t gross as such, but I certainly didn't feel gratitude in its true gravitas. I can say that with confidence because I actually know when I’ve been on the receiving end of true generosity - a giving that gives for the sake of giving, not for anything in return - because I feel love. This is most infectious, and I particularly experience such generosity amongst the Sangha. Not to say that I don’t experience this kind of generosity outside the spiritual community - I certainly do - but I just wanted to distinguish this rather different mode, to that of the transactional default we might be used to. It’s this love, or rather I prefer the Buddhist term Metta, that I feel most grateful for actually.

Both Metta & gratitude are part of the four Brahma Viharas, in other words two of the four infinites. What I mean by that is it has no limits, there is no limit to how much one can experience gratitude or can act out of Metta - act out of loving kindness. They can be infinitely cultivated.

Now I'd read about Buddhism for a while before actually going to or practicing in any Buddhist context. And I think actually it’s my experience of Metta, of Sangha, of communicating with other Buddhists, with spiritual friends & community, that has been a really integral part of my development. And the most wonderful thing is that it can still go on. 

Despite this most difficult scenario we find ourselves in of illness and enforced isolation, we can still experience Sangha and friendship. I’ve been so struck by the level of communication that I've been having via platforms such as ZOOM. If I’m honest, at the beginning of this lockdown, I was pretty anxious about not being able to physically go to the Buddhist Centre. I was really not a tech person, and prior to this I'd avoided online communication outside what was absolutely necessary. Now I’ve been doing Puja via YouTube live, studying via Zoom, and it’s great! Of course it’s never going to be the same as being physically present amongst the Sangha, but it comes some of the way there, and I think as Buddhists that Go for Refuge to the Three Jewels, we have a sense of responsibility to keep those channels of communicating the Dharma open, in whatever we can.

This is just one way in which Buddhist practise has helped me not only to cope, but actually to grow amongst challenging circumstances.

Zac Pomphrey