
Lama Eric Speaks at the Oregon House of Representatives Opening Ceremony
KCC sangha member and Oregon House Representative for the 45th district, Thuy Tran, invited Lama Eric to speak to the Oregon House of Representatives, at their Opening Ceremony on April 14th.
Lama Eric offered this:
As Buddhists we endeavor to live and act in accordance with the Three Trainings which are the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. The Three Trainings are ethics, meditation, and wisdom. When we do so, we as individuals, and as smaller and greater communities, experience greater peace, fellowship and well-being.
For ethics: May we and all beings, cease speech and actions that are harmful to ourselves and others, and may we increasingly embrace speech and actions that are beneficial. In doing so we strive to engage with honesty, integrity and altruism in each and every interaction.
In our meditations we seek greater clarity of mind and openness of heart. Entering deliberations imbued with clarity and compassion, may we seek to understand one another and hold each other in kindness and with respect, as we seek skillful compromise for the greatest good of all.
And with wisdom, may we acknowledge the truth of interdependence, understanding that no single being or greater entity exists in isolation. We abide as an interconnected web where the vibrations in any domain will inevitably ripple forward and impact all others. Suffering and discontent can never be confined by any artificial borders we might draw. If we wish for peace and happiness for ourselves, we must also aspire to ensure it for others.
On behalf of the grateful citizens of the grand state of Oregon, I thank you for your efforts. May your important work here be an example of selfless service for the benefit of all, none excepted. I will leave with some well-known aspirations, with slight adaptations for this occasion:
May all beings under our care
Who are plagued by challenges of body and mind
Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy
By virtue of our legislative merits.
May the frightened cease to be afraid
And those bound be freed;
May the powerless find power,
And may people think of benefitting one another.
For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may we too abide
To dispel the difficulties of the world.
You can see Lama Eric’s address here.