"Heartbeat of the Temple" - The 24 hour hour prayer vigil

My teacher Jetsunma describes the 24 prayer hour Prayer Vigil that she established 30 years ago as the "Heartbeat of the Temple."  Every day and night over a 24 hour period 7 days a week one of our community is in the prayer room praying for world peace and and end to suffering. It's amazing to be part of this prayer vigil and really does make it a precious place of intentional prayer and meditation. I describe it as a humming space-place - at all hours of the night and day.  I thought I'd give you a birds eye view of my experience participating in the vigil.

The vigil is held in the main prayer room which also the main place visitors come - day and night. All are welcome. Many people come to sit in meditation, others to make offerings of food, candles, incense and prayers, and others just to look...it's an environment full of diverse populations. And then there are those who are directly participating in the vigil - in two hour sessions. So here I was at midnight participating in the vigil. Ani Dara had lent me her car to make the journey. I was all rugged up upon arrival: fortunately it was nice and cosy in the prayer room. Once I started my vigil my predecessor could leave ... leaving me, myself and I...in this beautiful space. Here is the doorway and entrance to the prayer room.

And here's a more spacious view of the space with John who followed on from me when I had finished my turn at 2am.

 There are three altars in the prayer room - that's the Tara Altar you can see facing John. Here is a close-up of the central statue of Tara and some of the 21 Taras that surround her.

And the two other altars are the Three Kaya Altar - and the Shakyamuni Buddha Altar surrounded by a 1000 smaller Buddha statues. For some reason I like taking pictures of things on angles!

This environment is naturally conducive to practice which is reinforced by the crystals with presence!

To begin my session I set myself up on some comfy cushions with my IPAD with mala beads in hand to help focus that wandering mind of mine. It's one mantra per bead. Like 'Om Mani Padme Hung' - the mantra of compassion. There's 108 beads on a mala but you only count 100 - the other 8 being the forgetful part.

And off I go! In each session there's some task to do while still undertaking prayers/mantras. My task on the midnight shift was to empty the water bowls. That's 8 buckets of water and a lesson on impermanence - or simply mindful pratice in emptying water bowls! I have to confess some spillage occurred. Oh well.

Other points of interest for me around the prayer room are the table where the clock and incense is located ( I periodically check how time is travelling and may light some incense to inspire me) and another table that has the visitors book and the prayer request book (which I might write in) and a framed certificate showing who has sponsored the prayer vigil that week.

The past month we have had a mantra accumulation of the 'Om Mani Padme Hung' mantra to antidote the Ebola epidemic and here's the book devoted to that and some mantra accumulations.

Finally there is the important table upon which the weekly prayer vigil sheet is placed. The prayer vigil used to be a huge white board/planner - and now it's this wee page of pencil - now nearly replaced by an IPAD where you can electronically sign up to the prayer vigil.

Common practice books are also conveniently located on this table. And behind this table is where Ani Aileen sits -  audio-sound-visual recorder extraordinaire - otherwise known as Ani NBC.

I thought I'd check out what perspective Ani Aileen has in this seat and discovered the sacred mixing board and the IPOD sound system that softly plays Jetsunma's singing chants.

Here is a more immediate sounding board - the drums we use in the different parts of our practice. They both have a good booming sound.

The prayer room is a world in itself - and yet its a world reaching beyond the walls through intentional profound wishes on behalf of all beings. None of this would have been possible without Jetsunma. These two seats convey for me Jetsunma's presence in the prayer vigil room - a presence that helps me with my practice. They are two different kinds of seats -Jetsunma's more informal teaching seat (behind which is the video screen that Ani Aileen runs Jetsunma's teachings on) - and Jetsunma's more formal teaching throne.

After waving goodbye to John at the end of the shift I dedicate my efforts with a prayer that Jetsunma wrote that I find very beautiful: "By this effort may all beings be free of suffering, may their minds be filled with the nectar of virtue. In this way may all causes resulting in suffering be extinguished and only the light of compassion shine throughout all realms."

Thank you Jetsunma.