Vipassanā as a Method and a Change of Heart

We begin the day by paying our respects to the Triple Gem—the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha—but the Buddha pointed out that the highest kind of praise and reverence for a teacher was not just to recite their virtues or make offerings of flowers and gifts to them. The highest kind of reverence for a teacher is embodied in carrying out their teachings. Thus, to actually practice the Dhamma is the most beautiful and complete way of showing our respect, our gratitude to the Buddha. To embody the Triple Gem is the best way of paying respect to the Triple Gem. So, we recite the verses of respect, reverence and homage. We also recollect the essential teachings: going through the Buddha’s analysis of nature, body and mind, learning how to see it clearly, how to understand it as it is, how to examine our experience—we learn how our mind fabricates its experience of the world and how to see that process clearly and free the heart from confusion about it. …