I am the owner of my karma.
I am heir to my karma.
I am born of my karma.
I am related to my karma.
Whatever karma I create,
whether good or evil,
that I shall inherit.
May each of us find our true path and learn from our mistakes (karma) and
accept each other's evolutionary pathway and not feel, show, or express
disapproval with the choices the other makes.
May we feel compassion instead of hatred, love instead of anger, and an
acceptance not only of others but of ourselves as well. May each of us do all of
the above in a mindful way.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Three Bodies
In Buddhism, there is a teaching called the "three bodies" (sanjin), also called the "three properties" or the "three enlightened properties". These are the three kinds of form that a buddha may manifest as: 1) the Dharma Body (dharmakaya or hosshin) is the form in which a buddha transcends physical being and is identical with the undifferentiated unity of being or Suchness (Skt. tathata, Jp. shinnyo); 2) the Bliss or Reward Body (sambhogakaya or hojin) is obtained as the "reward" for having completed the bodhisattva practice of aiding other beings to end their suffering and having penetrated the depth of the Buddha's wisdom. Unlike the Dharma Body, which is immaterial, the Bliss Body is conceived of as an actual body, although one that is still transcendent and imperceptible to common people; 3) the Manifested Body (nirmanakaya or ojin) is the physical form in which the Buddha appears in this world in order to guide sentient beings. It is considered that the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, is nirmanakaya. Honen believed that Amida is sambhogakaya....
Let Your Love Flow
Let your love flow outward through the universe, To its height, its depth, its broad extent, A limitless love, without hatred or enmity. Then as you stand or walk, Sit or lie down, As long as you are awake, Strive for this with a one-pointed mind; Your life will bring heaven to earth.Sutta Nipata
Taming The Tiger Within
Rebellion and Stubborness are a serious problem in my paractice.
Review Lovingkindness and Lojong as an antidote.
Research antidote practices for these... Seems likely a teacher could help with this.
Review Lovingkindness and Lojong as an antidote.
Research antidote practices for these... Seems likely a teacher could help with this.
A Recollection
I am the owner of my karma.I am heir to my karma.I am born of my karma.I am related to my karma.Whatever karma I create, whether good or evil, that I shall inherit.
Teacher Obstacles
Studying under a teacher for a few years makes me nervous.Who could I trust with my precious beautiful idea? I know it is only awhile and Buddha did it. I just feel a little like rebelling against the idea.I always seem to fight rebellion in me.
It is a major obstacle and needs to be thoroughly studied....think of the trouble it causes. Not a pretty picture!
It is a major obstacle and needs to be thoroughly studied....think of the trouble it causes. Not a pretty picture!
Teacher Student Relationship
Question them only to understand better...never to make a point. Self is the one trying to make points...No Self is with the teacher.
That is "meeting" a teacher.
What question can a teacher be an answer for?
How will I know what to do?
How can I go though it?
Experiencing something...not doing something.
How can I discover this path?
Is this possible?
Different from a dialogue........ training and tools etc are being transmitted.
Need a teacher for the path. Bad karma not to get one.
The Puritan and the Cowboy.Puritan is fixed to rules.Cowboy follows his own way.
That is "meeting" a teacher.
What question can a teacher be an answer for?
How will I know what to do?
How can I go though it?
Experiencing something...not doing something.
How can I discover this path?
Is this possible?
Different from a dialogue........ training and tools etc are being transmitted.
Need a teacher for the path. Bad karma not to get one.
The Puritan and the Cowboy.Puritan is fixed to rules.Cowboy follows his own way.
Sword Of Perfect Wisdom
Sword of Perfect Wisdom
The Sharp Sword of Prajnaby Judy LiefMahayana is referred to as "the great vehicle" of Buddhism because it is vast and challenging and open to everyone. At the heart of the mahayana path are compassion and wisdom, or prajna. For the practitioner, the challenge is how to bring these two together.Prajna is a Sanskrit word literally meaning "best knowledge," or "best knowing." Prajna is a natural bubbling up of curiosity, doubt and inquisitiveness. It is precise, but at the same time it is playful. The awakening of prajna applies to all aspects of life, down to the tiniest details. Our inquisitive interest encompasses all levels, from the most mundane, such as how do I turn on this computer, up to such profound levels as, what is the nature of reality?Prajna is symbolized in many ways: as a book, a sun, a vase of elixir, as a catalytic spark. One of the main ways prajna is symbolized is as a sword. When you think of a sword, it may make you feel a little uncomfortable. A sword can be dangerous and if you do not handle it properly, you can get hurt. So depicting prajna as a sword points to knowledge that's threatening. Why is prajna threatening? Because prajna is the means by which we perceive emptiness, or shunyata, it undermines our very notion of reality and the limits we place on our world view. Opening to the vastness and profundity of shunyata requires us to let go of our petty-mindedness and self-clinging completely.Many sutras deal with the topic of prajna. One of the most beloved is the extremely concise and elegant exposition known as the Heart Sutra, which is recited daily by Buddhists of many traditions. In such famed and provocative phrases as, "No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind … no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path … no wisdom, no attainment, no nonattainment," the Heart Sutra, step by step, precisely and systematically-almost surgically-removes any and all barriers separating us from the vivid experience of shunyata.The sharpness of prajna cuts at many levels. In the mundane sense, prajna represents a sharpening of perception and inquisitiveness. As we go about our lives, and particularly as we enter a spiritual path, we are always raising questions. We are always trying to understand. Instead of just accepting a superficial understanding, we think deeply and ask, "What do I really understand? Does any of this make any sense whatsoever?" Prajna has this quality of creative doubt-not just accepting things based on authority or hearsay, but continually digging deeper. In addition to being sharp, swords have sharp points and they are able to puncture. The sharp-pointed sword of prajna punctures all sorts of delusions, all sorts of self-deception, all sorts of false understandings and false views. This puncturing quality of prajna is abrupt and immediate. It catches you by surprise. Perhaps you are a new practitioner exploring the dharma, studying these interesting new things and starting to practice meditation. Suddenly prajna sneaks up on you and you feel skewered. You are caught. Prajna has caught you in the act, whether it's the act of self-absorption, the act of being bloated, or the act of lying to yourself. Prajna is a lying-free zone. Whenever we try to remove ourselves from the present, immediate reality of things, we're setting ourselves up as a target for this puncturing quality of prajna.You could say that prajna is a defense mechanism. If we keep bloating and bloating, at some point we are punctured by prajna and the whole thing collapses. That's good, but at the same time, this sharpness and puncturing quality can be seen as a threat. We are threatened by the possibility of being found out, but since prajna is our own inherent insight, who are we being found out by? By ourselves! It is not that someone else is going to say, "Oh, I know your number." Through prajna, deep down we actually know what's going on: we know our own number. To continue to fool ourselves takes effort. If we don't work to keep fooling ourselves, pretending that we don't really know what is going on, then sooner or later we are going to be skewered. You could view all this as a bit of a warning: as soon as you enter the Buddhist path and start practicing meditation and studying the dharma, you are picking up this sword of prajna. Now that you have this sharp thing, this sword that skewers and cuts through ego trips of all sorts, you have to deal with it.The sword of prajna has two sharp sides, not just one. It's a double-bladed sword, sharp on both sides, so when you make a stroke of prajna it cuts two ways. When you cut through deception, you are also cutting through the ego's taking credit for that. You're left nowhere, more or less. The more mindfulness you develop, the more powerfully the sword of prajna cuts. Once you have this sword, it cuts every possibility of escape. But no one is doing this to you-it is your own intelligence, not some cosmic boogey man. The stroke of prajna is like hara-kiri. As you are holding the sword, you take your back stroke, getting ready to attack-and you find you've sliced yourself in two. Prajna never stops cutting. If you are pruning a plant, you can just say, "I'll just prune, prune, prune and then I'll have this little twig left over to grow back." But prajna keeps cutting and keeps cutting, so there's nothing left over, just this sword, slicing and slicing.Prajna does not allow us to make a credential or ground out of anything. We could create credentials out of anything we do, including spirituality or the Buddhist tradition or the practice of meditation. We could use any of those things in our usual, conventional way of building credentials, building identity, trying to be special. We could say, "Now I'm a spiritual person who does blabbady-blah-blah." The response of prajna is, "Well, that's fine. You can say that, but you know that it doesn't hold a lot of water. You know that it's not all that solid." The sword of prajna cuts through our clinging to solid ground. Another image for prajna is the sun: the sun of prajna is illuminating our world. If we're inquisitive, if we're attentive, a kind of natural illumination happens. There is light shining on the dark corners and a sense of being under the spotlight, totally exposed. What is funny is that we actually think we can hide. How could we think that? How could we think that we actually don't know who we are? But a lot of times we take the approach of not really wanting to look too closely at ourselves or at our lives. We just look the other way and move on. However, there's no corner where the sun of prajna isn't shining. Prajna is like having a sun shining all around, everywhere, never setting. Once you open up to prajna, to this fundamental inquisitiveness, it tends to burst into full flame. It is like a little spark dropped into a pile of dry leaves. Once there is that little spark, that little bit of insight, that little bit of suspicion we actually know more than we think we do-it explodes, it's all consuming.Prajna is represented iconographically by the feminine deity Prajnaparamita and the masculine deity Manjushri. Prajnaparamita is depicted as a beautiful feminine deity with four arms. Two arms are folded on her lap in the classic posture of meditation, and her two other arms hold a sword and a book. Through these gestures, she manifests three aspects of prajna: academic knowledge, cutting through deception, and direct perception of emptiness. As the masculine deity personifying knowledge, Manjushri is also depicted holding a sword. Sometimes he also holds a vase filled with the elixir of knowledge, which symbolizes direct intuitive insight. The sword is the activity of prajna and the vase is the receptive aspect of learning. Sometimes Manjushri holds a book and a flower. The book symbolizes scholarly learning and the flower represents the organic unfolding of prajna, which like a flower, naturally opens and blossoms. It does not need to be forced. Prajna has to do with cultivating inquisitiveness of mind, cultivating deep understanding that is not a mere credential but transforms who we are altogether. How can prajna be cultivated? The process of deepening our understanding is referred to as the three levels of prajna, or the three prajnas. These are called hearing, contemplating, and meditating.The first prajna, hearing, is based on being open to new information, gathering knowledge, and really trying to listen. Although it is called hearing, in addition to listening with one's ears, it also includes reading and observing through all our senses. When you hear the dharma or listen to the teachings, you are supposed to be like a deer in the woods. You hear a noise-footsteps on leaves-and you don't know if that noise is a hunter or a mountain lion. At that moment your senses perk up completely. You are focused and ready to leap from danger, if need be. You are absolutely alert and absolutely tuned into the environment. That quality of refined alertness and attention is the quality of hearing. You need to listen to the teachings as though your life depended on it. That is the proper way to go about the first prajna.However, at this point, we see knowledge as something that's separate from us, an object out there that we are trying to figure out how to deal with. To go deeper, we turn to the second prajna, contemplating. Once we've heard or read or experienced something, contemplation means really chewing it over. We continually question what we have heard, looking at it from different angles, taking time to explore it. I remember my teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, saying that if you really understand the teachings, you should be able to describe them to your grandmother in a way that she can hear it. That's pretty challenging-you can't just march in and lay out your cookie-cutter talk or your many layers of lists and terms. You have to have chewed things over and really thought it through. You need to get to the point where you can express the teachings in your own words, your own images. You need to find your voice, and that takes time. That is the idea of contemplation.Studying the Buddhist teachings is not like going to school, where you take one course after another. In the Buddhist tradition, you take one or two things and you study them over and over and over. You take a topic and you come back to it and come back to it. You work with it your whole life. Over and over you come back to a few basic ideas, and each time there's a deepening of your understanding. The process of contemplation is a long-term relationship, like that of an old married couple. It does not happen quickly; it takes time.The third prajna is called meditating. This is the point where you have studied something so thoroughly, looked into it so completely, that it's not separate from you anymore. It is part of who you are, down to your very bones and marrow. The prajna of meditation means that you have actually digested the teachings. There's no need to try to call the dharma down from somewhere, or make an effort to reconstruct it, because it's already there. It's in your cells and your DNA. Hearing is like putting a morsel of food in your mouth. Contemplating is like swallowing that food and starting to digest it and seeing whether it gives you indigestion or not. Meditating is when you've already digested it and that food is a part of you. It cannot be separated from you; it is completely incorporated in your being. You have taken the essence and you've discarded anything that's irrelevant, the same as we do with the food we eat or the air we breathe. The whole process is as natural as eating.Usually we think that knowledge means having all the answers, but the quality of prajna is more like having all the questions. The phrase Trungpa Rinpoche used over and over again was, "The question is the answer." We're looking in the wrong direction if we think some path or some teacher or some book or some practice is going to provide us with "the ultimate answer." What we really should be looking for is the ultimate question. We could learn to trust our questioning mind. We could learn to trust our insight without reducing it or pinning it down into our conventional categories. In fact, prajna can't be pigeonholed. That would be like trying to put the sun into a pigeonhole. It simply doesn't work. What is this knowledge that can't be possessed, that we can't hold, that isn't our credentials, that isn't an object? What is this knowledge that seems to only appear when we're not trying to grasp it? What is that knowledge that seems to come from nowhere? What is this knowledge that is inspiring, but at the same time threatening? What is this knowledge that challenges us to recognize what we know but prefer to keep buried? What is this penetrating insight that leads us to the direct experience of emptiness?Fundamentally prajna is big questioning mind. It is big questioning, not even mind.Judy Lief is a senior teacher (acharya) of Shambhala Buddhism.She is the author of Making Friends with Death: A Buddhist Guide toEncountering Mortality.
The Sharp Sword of Prajnaby Judy LiefMahayana is referred to as "the great vehicle" of Buddhism because it is vast and challenging and open to everyone. At the heart of the mahayana path are compassion and wisdom, or prajna. For the practitioner, the challenge is how to bring these two together.Prajna is a Sanskrit word literally meaning "best knowledge," or "best knowing." Prajna is a natural bubbling up of curiosity, doubt and inquisitiveness. It is precise, but at the same time it is playful. The awakening of prajna applies to all aspects of life, down to the tiniest details. Our inquisitive interest encompasses all levels, from the most mundane, such as how do I turn on this computer, up to such profound levels as, what is the nature of reality?Prajna is symbolized in many ways: as a book, a sun, a vase of elixir, as a catalytic spark. One of the main ways prajna is symbolized is as a sword. When you think of a sword, it may make you feel a little uncomfortable. A sword can be dangerous and if you do not handle it properly, you can get hurt. So depicting prajna as a sword points to knowledge that's threatening. Why is prajna threatening? Because prajna is the means by which we perceive emptiness, or shunyata, it undermines our very notion of reality and the limits we place on our world view. Opening to the vastness and profundity of shunyata requires us to let go of our petty-mindedness and self-clinging completely.Many sutras deal with the topic of prajna. One of the most beloved is the extremely concise and elegant exposition known as the Heart Sutra, which is recited daily by Buddhists of many traditions. In such famed and provocative phrases as, "No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body, no mind … no suffering, no origin of suffering, no cessation of suffering, no path … no wisdom, no attainment, no nonattainment," the Heart Sutra, step by step, precisely and systematically-almost surgically-removes any and all barriers separating us from the vivid experience of shunyata.The sharpness of prajna cuts at many levels. In the mundane sense, prajna represents a sharpening of perception and inquisitiveness. As we go about our lives, and particularly as we enter a spiritual path, we are always raising questions. We are always trying to understand. Instead of just accepting a superficial understanding, we think deeply and ask, "What do I really understand? Does any of this make any sense whatsoever?" Prajna has this quality of creative doubt-not just accepting things based on authority or hearsay, but continually digging deeper. In addition to being sharp, swords have sharp points and they are able to puncture. The sharp-pointed sword of prajna punctures all sorts of delusions, all sorts of self-deception, all sorts of false understandings and false views. This puncturing quality of prajna is abrupt and immediate. It catches you by surprise. Perhaps you are a new practitioner exploring the dharma, studying these interesting new things and starting to practice meditation. Suddenly prajna sneaks up on you and you feel skewered. You are caught. Prajna has caught you in the act, whether it's the act of self-absorption, the act of being bloated, or the act of lying to yourself. Prajna is a lying-free zone. Whenever we try to remove ourselves from the present, immediate reality of things, we're setting ourselves up as a target for this puncturing quality of prajna.You could say that prajna is a defense mechanism. If we keep bloating and bloating, at some point we are punctured by prajna and the whole thing collapses. That's good, but at the same time, this sharpness and puncturing quality can be seen as a threat. We are threatened by the possibility of being found out, but since prajna is our own inherent insight, who are we being found out by? By ourselves! It is not that someone else is going to say, "Oh, I know your number." Through prajna, deep down we actually know what's going on: we know our own number. To continue to fool ourselves takes effort. If we don't work to keep fooling ourselves, pretending that we don't really know what is going on, then sooner or later we are going to be skewered. You could view all this as a bit of a warning: as soon as you enter the Buddhist path and start practicing meditation and studying the dharma, you are picking up this sword of prajna. Now that you have this sharp thing, this sword that skewers and cuts through ego trips of all sorts, you have to deal with it.The sword of prajna has two sharp sides, not just one. It's a double-bladed sword, sharp on both sides, so when you make a stroke of prajna it cuts two ways. When you cut through deception, you are also cutting through the ego's taking credit for that. You're left nowhere, more or less. The more mindfulness you develop, the more powerfully the sword of prajna cuts. Once you have this sword, it cuts every possibility of escape. But no one is doing this to you-it is your own intelligence, not some cosmic boogey man. The stroke of prajna is like hara-kiri. As you are holding the sword, you take your back stroke, getting ready to attack-and you find you've sliced yourself in two. Prajna never stops cutting. If you are pruning a plant, you can just say, "I'll just prune, prune, prune and then I'll have this little twig left over to grow back." But prajna keeps cutting and keeps cutting, so there's nothing left over, just this sword, slicing and slicing.Prajna does not allow us to make a credential or ground out of anything. We could create credentials out of anything we do, including spirituality or the Buddhist tradition or the practice of meditation. We could use any of those things in our usual, conventional way of building credentials, building identity, trying to be special. We could say, "Now I'm a spiritual person who does blabbady-blah-blah." The response of prajna is, "Well, that's fine. You can say that, but you know that it doesn't hold a lot of water. You know that it's not all that solid." The sword of prajna cuts through our clinging to solid ground. Another image for prajna is the sun: the sun of prajna is illuminating our world. If we're inquisitive, if we're attentive, a kind of natural illumination happens. There is light shining on the dark corners and a sense of being under the spotlight, totally exposed. What is funny is that we actually think we can hide. How could we think that? How could we think that we actually don't know who we are? But a lot of times we take the approach of not really wanting to look too closely at ourselves or at our lives. We just look the other way and move on. However, there's no corner where the sun of prajna isn't shining. Prajna is like having a sun shining all around, everywhere, never setting. Once you open up to prajna, to this fundamental inquisitiveness, it tends to burst into full flame. It is like a little spark dropped into a pile of dry leaves. Once there is that little spark, that little bit of insight, that little bit of suspicion we actually know more than we think we do-it explodes, it's all consuming.Prajna is represented iconographically by the feminine deity Prajnaparamita and the masculine deity Manjushri. Prajnaparamita is depicted as a beautiful feminine deity with four arms. Two arms are folded on her lap in the classic posture of meditation, and her two other arms hold a sword and a book. Through these gestures, she manifests three aspects of prajna: academic knowledge, cutting through deception, and direct perception of emptiness. As the masculine deity personifying knowledge, Manjushri is also depicted holding a sword. Sometimes he also holds a vase filled with the elixir of knowledge, which symbolizes direct intuitive insight. The sword is the activity of prajna and the vase is the receptive aspect of learning. Sometimes Manjushri holds a book and a flower. The book symbolizes scholarly learning and the flower represents the organic unfolding of prajna, which like a flower, naturally opens and blossoms. It does not need to be forced. Prajna has to do with cultivating inquisitiveness of mind, cultivating deep understanding that is not a mere credential but transforms who we are altogether. How can prajna be cultivated? The process of deepening our understanding is referred to as the three levels of prajna, or the three prajnas. These are called hearing, contemplating, and meditating.The first prajna, hearing, is based on being open to new information, gathering knowledge, and really trying to listen. Although it is called hearing, in addition to listening with one's ears, it also includes reading and observing through all our senses. When you hear the dharma or listen to the teachings, you are supposed to be like a deer in the woods. You hear a noise-footsteps on leaves-and you don't know if that noise is a hunter or a mountain lion. At that moment your senses perk up completely. You are focused and ready to leap from danger, if need be. You are absolutely alert and absolutely tuned into the environment. That quality of refined alertness and attention is the quality of hearing. You need to listen to the teachings as though your life depended on it. That is the proper way to go about the first prajna.However, at this point, we see knowledge as something that's separate from us, an object out there that we are trying to figure out how to deal with. To go deeper, we turn to the second prajna, contemplating. Once we've heard or read or experienced something, contemplation means really chewing it over. We continually question what we have heard, looking at it from different angles, taking time to explore it. I remember my teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, saying that if you really understand the teachings, you should be able to describe them to your grandmother in a way that she can hear it. That's pretty challenging-you can't just march in and lay out your cookie-cutter talk or your many layers of lists and terms. You have to have chewed things over and really thought it through. You need to get to the point where you can express the teachings in your own words, your own images. You need to find your voice, and that takes time. That is the idea of contemplation.Studying the Buddhist teachings is not like going to school, where you take one course after another. In the Buddhist tradition, you take one or two things and you study them over and over and over. You take a topic and you come back to it and come back to it. You work with it your whole life. Over and over you come back to a few basic ideas, and each time there's a deepening of your understanding. The process of contemplation is a long-term relationship, like that of an old married couple. It does not happen quickly; it takes time.The third prajna is called meditating. This is the point where you have studied something so thoroughly, looked into it so completely, that it's not separate from you anymore. It is part of who you are, down to your very bones and marrow. The prajna of meditation means that you have actually digested the teachings. There's no need to try to call the dharma down from somewhere, or make an effort to reconstruct it, because it's already there. It's in your cells and your DNA. Hearing is like putting a morsel of food in your mouth. Contemplating is like swallowing that food and starting to digest it and seeing whether it gives you indigestion or not. Meditating is when you've already digested it and that food is a part of you. It cannot be separated from you; it is completely incorporated in your being. You have taken the essence and you've discarded anything that's irrelevant, the same as we do with the food we eat or the air we breathe. The whole process is as natural as eating.Usually we think that knowledge means having all the answers, but the quality of prajna is more like having all the questions. The phrase Trungpa Rinpoche used over and over again was, "The question is the answer." We're looking in the wrong direction if we think some path or some teacher or some book or some practice is going to provide us with "the ultimate answer." What we really should be looking for is the ultimate question. We could learn to trust our questioning mind. We could learn to trust our insight without reducing it or pinning it down into our conventional categories. In fact, prajna can't be pigeonholed. That would be like trying to put the sun into a pigeonhole. It simply doesn't work. What is this knowledge that can't be possessed, that we can't hold, that isn't our credentials, that isn't an object? What is this knowledge that seems to only appear when we're not trying to grasp it? What is that knowledge that seems to come from nowhere? What is this knowledge that is inspiring, but at the same time threatening? What is this knowledge that challenges us to recognize what we know but prefer to keep buried? What is this penetrating insight that leads us to the direct experience of emptiness?Fundamentally prajna is big questioning mind. It is big questioning, not even mind.Judy Lief is a senior teacher (acharya) of Shambhala Buddhism.She is the author of Making Friends with Death: A Buddhist Guide toEncountering Mortality.
Meditation Travels
Someone recently asked me what happens in my meditation, if I go anywhere else. Well, sometimes I seem to go up to a black space...alone. I found this quote on a Buddhist Thought of the Day on Google.There I was, poised in space, a disembodied eye, invisible, incorporeal, seeing but not seen. - R. Gordon Wasson, 1957It's a LOT like that sometimes. I think it is just a state though and do not pay it much attention. Strange! R. Gordon Wasson seems to be some mushroomeater or something! I don't do that!
“Remember me when it rains, I am always near.
Remember me when you are troubled, I will calm your fear. Remember
me when you cry, I will always hear.”
In a materialistic motivation we may enter into spiritual practice to improve
our own lives...reduce our own suffering. But as a process of maturation
during the selfish path, we can gain insight into what we are and what is
really going on. (Or surely, a better choice of perception than is commonly taught to
us, but is which is equally plausible...enough for me at least.)
We are not what we think we are. It is a delusion. Perfect Wisdom can show
you another view.
A view where you are an interdependent part of the whole. Karma is a real
power that propels all. And you have no inherent self. Everyone you
encounter is doing the same thing, so there is no need to worry over them.
You are not Buddhist because of anything other than that is your Karma. Is
not for gain. It is your lucky smooth path. Seeing it is precious human life...be
that happily.
Remember me when you are troubled, I will calm your fear. Remember
me when you cry, I will always hear.”
In a materialistic motivation we may enter into spiritual practice to improve
our own lives...reduce our own suffering. But as a process of maturation
during the selfish path, we can gain insight into what we are and what is
really going on. (Or surely, a better choice of perception than is commonly taught to
us, but is which is equally plausible...enough for me at least.)
We are not what we think we are. It is a delusion. Perfect Wisdom can show
you another view.
A view where you are an interdependent part of the whole. Karma is a real
power that propels all. And you have no inherent self. Everyone you
encounter is doing the same thing, so there is no need to worry over them.
You are not Buddhist because of anything other than that is your Karma. Is
not for gain. It is your lucky smooth path. Seeing it is precious human life...be
that happily.
Avalokitesvara
Thus have I heard at one time. The Buddha dwelt at Vulture Peak together with a sangha of one hundred thousand monks and nuns, and seventy thousand bodhisattvas. At that time the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara arose from her seat among the assembly and went up to the Buddha. Facing him she joined her palms together and bowed respectfully. With reverence she said, "I wish to explain for this assembly the bodhisattva's Heart of Perfect Wisdom which is the Universal Womb of Wisdom."Then the Buddha said, "Excellent, excellent, Great Compassionate One!"Then Avolokitesvara entered into her meditation and coursing in Perfect Wisdom observed that all five aggregates are empty of own-nature. Arising from her meditation she said:"The nature of form is empty, emptiness is form. Form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form. That which is form is empty, that which is emptiness is form. Feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness are also like this. The nature of consciousness is empty, emptiness is consciousness. Consciousness is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from consciousness. That which is consciousness is empty, that which is emptiness is consciousness."These dharmas are marked with emptiness, neither arising nor ceasing, neither tainted nor pure, neither increasing nor decreasing. Therefore in emptiness there is no form, no feelings, no perceptions, no mental formations, no consciousness, no eye, ear, nose, taste, or touch; no realm of eyes and so on up to no realm of mind-consciousness; no ignorance and no extinction of ignorance, and so on up to no old age and death; no suffering, no origin of suffering, no end to suffering, no path, no wisdom and also no attainment."With nothing to attain the bodhisattvas depend on Perfect Wisdom and their minds are without any hindrance. Without any hindrance no fears exist. Far removed from perverted thought they are awake. All the Buddhas in the past, present, and future depend on Perfect Wisdom in attaining their unsurpassed complete and perfect awakening."Therefore, know the Perfection of Wisdom is the great mantra, is the bright mantra that can remove all suffering, and is true not false."Therefore proclaim the Perfect Wisdom mantra. Proclaim the mantra that says:"GATE, GATE, PARAGATE, PARASAMGATE, BODHI, SVAHA!"Heart SutraTrsans. By Gil FronsdalHe is a beautiful teacherhttp://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/
Teacher
A good teacher would be someone you will listen to when you are rabidin emtional reaction. Someone who can and will cut through your self.
Shantideva
Whatever joy there is in this worldAll comes from desiring others to be happy,And whatever suffering there is in this world,All comes from desiring myself to be happy.But what need is there to say much more?The childish work for their own benefit,The Buddhas work for the benefit of others.Just look at the difference between them!"May I become food and drink in the eons of famine for those poverty-stricken suffers.May I be a doctor, medicine and nurse for all sick beings in the world until everyone is cured.May I become never-ending wish-fulfilling treasures materialising in front of each of them as all the enjoyments they need.May I be a guide for those who do not have a guide, a leader for those who journey, a boat for those who want to cross over, and all sorts of ships, bridges, beautiful parks for those who desire them, and light for those who need light.And may I become beds for those who need a rest, and a servant to all who need servants.May I also become the basic conditions for all sentient beings, such as earth or even the sky, which is indestructible.May I always be the living conditions for all sentient beings until all sentient beings are enlightened."
Buddha on the Ideas
While the Tathagata, in his teaching, constantly makes use of conceptions andideas about them, disciples should keep in mind the unreality of all suchconceptions and ideas. They should recall that the Tathagata, in making use ofthem in explaining the Dharma always uses them in the semblance of a raft thatis of use only to cross a river. As the raft is of no further use after the river iscrossed, it should be discarded. So these arbitrary conceptions of things andabout things should be wholly given up as one attains enlightenment.-Buddha
In The Middle
Weird translation but worth it....It could saythat your determination and your strong beliefwill naturally lead you to the station of stillness,at the very centre of your own body.It is the gateway of The Middle Waythat will lead you to the real existence of truth upon truth,through centre upon centre inside.
Tathagatagarba
Tathagatagarba Buddha NatureFor us to achieve enlightenment – the basic cause is our tathagatagarba,the element of enlightenment we possess within.http://home21.inet.tele.dk/eyas/pages/teachings/saturday_teachings/20_dec_2003.htmTadagata BuddhaThe Buddha referred to himself as the Tathagatha, the 'thus gone one'- the one who has reached enlightenment.Nothing is a thing.No Self in me or Buddha or any seintient being.
Question Of Buddha Nature
What is the question?Is it:Nature of good and evil? Nature of Peace and Chaos?What is our essensce?What am I?Where did I come from?How can I possibly awaken?What is the difference between Buddha Nature and a Self?I am feeling like Buddha Nature is not so much about being anything or being nothing. It is what is when we stop being...when we stop following Selfish thoughts...we trade our Great Selfishness for silence, stillness, awareness. Open to the present moment.
Buddha Nature
I will be thinking about Buddha Nature with a podcast by Ken McLeod.
You can find it at http://www.unfetteredmind.org/
You can find it at http://www.unfetteredmind.org/
Lam Rim
THE JEWEL ORNAMENT OF LIBERATION: The Wish-fulfilling Gem of theNoble Teachingsby Gampopa, translated by Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen Rinpoche, fore. byH.H. the Dalai Lama, ed. by Ani K. Trinlay ChodronSnow Lion Publicationshttp://www.snowlionpub.com/search.php?isbn=JEORLI
Four Noble Efforts
In Buddhist psychology, there are three application of effort. The first one is instigativeeffort. This is always present and is the effort of the mind to go to an object. Itinitiates attention and behavioral responses. It can be wholesome or unwholesome. Thesecond is sustained effort. This is also ever-present and is the effort of the mind tosustain awareness on an object to examine it. Along with sustained effort is thepotential for becoming attached to the object being examined, and this isunwholesome-it is a root cause of suffering. These two forms of effort operate intandem.By far, the most frequent occurrence of these two forms of effort isunwholesome, that is, conditioned by greed, ill-will or ignorance/delusional thinking.The third form of effort is noble effort, or, as it is termed in the Noble Eightfold Path discourse.The following represent these efforts:The Noble Effort of noticing the arisen unwholesome thought and renouncing it. Thisreflects the effort to notice and interrupt thoughts generated by greed, hatred orignorance.The Noble Effort of noticing unarisen unwholesome thoughts and prevent their arising.This effort is more sophisticated, requiring deeper mindfulness that notices thepotential arising of greed, hatred or ignorance, interrupting the developing cycle beforethe unwholesome thought is attached to or identified with.The Noble Effort to notice unarisen wholesome thoughts and support their arising. Thiseffort uses mindfulness to allow the antidotes to greed, hatred or ignorance to arise,those being generosity, lovingkindness and wisdom, in all their manifestations.The Noble Effort to notice already arisen wholesome thoughts and sustain their arising.This effort is also a challenge, as it requires ongoing mindfulness, a vigilance that simply registers what has arisen without craving and clinging; and ongoing flow of just beingwith the moment. This final wholesome effort is what leads to liberation fromsuffering.
Love Your Enemy
Assailed by afflictions, we discover Dharma
And find the way to liberation. Thank you, evil forces!
When sorrows invade the mind, we discover Dharma
And find lasting happiness. Thank you, sorrows!
Through harm caused by spirits we discover Dharma
And find fearlessness. Thank you, ghosts and demons!
Through people's hate we discover Dharma
And find benefits and happiness. Thank you, those who hate us!
Through cruel adversity, we discover Dharma
And find the unchanging way. Thank you, adversity!
Through being impelled to by others, we discover Dharma
And find the essential meaning. Thank you, all who drive us on!
We dedicate our merit to you all, to repay your kindness.
Gyalwa Longchenpa
And find the way to liberation. Thank you, evil forces!
When sorrows invade the mind, we discover Dharma
And find lasting happiness. Thank you, sorrows!
Through harm caused by spirits we discover Dharma
And find fearlessness. Thank you, ghosts and demons!
Through people's hate we discover Dharma
And find benefits and happiness. Thank you, those who hate us!
Through cruel adversity, we discover Dharma
And find the unchanging way. Thank you, adversity!
Through being impelled to by others, we discover Dharma
And find the essential meaning. Thank you, all who drive us on!
We dedicate our merit to you all, to repay your kindness.
Gyalwa Longchenpa
Pray All Day
May each of us find our true path and learn from our mistakes (karma) and
accept each other's evolutionary pathway and not feel, show, or express
disapproval with the choices the other makes.
May we feel compassion instead of hatred, love instead of anger, and an
acceptance not only of others but of ourselves as well. May each of us do all of
the above in a mindful way.
accept each other's evolutionary pathway and not feel, show, or express
disapproval with the choices the other makes.
May we feel compassion instead of hatred, love instead of anger, and an
acceptance not only of others but of ourselves as well. May each of us do all of
the above in a mindful way.
Let It Be
When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will
see, there will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be.
And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will
see, there will be an answer, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light, that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I wake up to the sound of music, mother Mary comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.
Let it be, let it be, .....
Albert EinStein Thinks About Buddhism
The religion of the future will be a cosmic religion. It should
transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering
both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious
sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual
as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description…If there is
any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be
Buddhism.
Albert Einstein
transcend personal God and avoid dogma and theology. Covering
both the natural and the spiritual, it should be based on a religious
sense arising from the experience of all things natural and spiritual
as a meaningful unity. Buddhism answers this description…If there is
any religion that could cope with modern scientific needs it would be
Buddhism.
Albert Einstein
HHDL's Mind Training Verses 4-6
Verse 4
When I encounter beings of unpleasant character And those
oppressed by intense negative karma and suffering, As though
finding a treasure of precious jewels, I will train myself to cherish
them, for they are so rarely found.
Verse 5
When others out of jealousy Treat me wrongly with abuse and
slander, I will train myself to take the defeat upon myself And
offer the victory to others.
Verse 6
Even if one whom I have helped, Or one in whom I have placed great
hope, Gravely mistreats me in hurtful ways, I will train myself to
view him as my sublime teacher.
When I encounter beings of unpleasant character And those
oppressed by intense negative karma and suffering, As though
finding a treasure of precious jewels, I will train myself to cherish
them, for they are so rarely found.
Verse 5
When others out of jealousy Treat me wrongly with abuse and
slander, I will train myself to take the defeat upon myself And
offer the victory to others.
Verse 6
Even if one whom I have helped, Or one in whom I have placed great
hope, Gravely mistreats me in hurtful ways, I will train myself to
view him as my sublime teacher.
HHDL's Mind Training Verses 1-3
Verse 1
By thinking of all sentient beings as even better than the wish-
granting gem for accomplishing the highest aim may I always
consider them precious.
Verse 2
Wherever I go, with whomever I go may I see myself as less than all
others, and from the depth of my heart may I consider them
supremely precious.
Verse 3
May I examine my mind in all actions and as soon as a negative
state occurs, since it endangers myself and others, may I firmly face
and avert it.
By thinking of all sentient beings as even better than the wish-
granting gem for accomplishing the highest aim may I always
consider them precious.
Verse 2
Wherever I go, with whomever I go may I see myself as less than all
others, and from the depth of my heart may I consider them
supremely precious.
Verse 3
May I examine my mind in all actions and as soon as a negative
state occurs, since it endangers myself and others, may I firmly face
and avert it.
Lojong Proverbs
by Ken McLeod
http://www.unfetteredmind.com/
First, train in the preliminaries.
Treat everything you perceive as a dream.
Find the consciousness you had before you were born.
Let even the remedy itself drop away naturally.
Stay in the primeval consciousness, the basis of everything.
Between meditations, treat everything as an illusion.
As you breathe in, take in and accept all the sadness, pain, and negativity of the whole world, including yourself, and absorb it into your heart. As you breathe out, pour out all your joy and bliss; bless the whole of existence.
Understand your attachments, your aversions, and your indifference, and love them all.
Apply these proverbs in everything you do.
When practicing unconditional acceptance, start with yourself.
When everything goes wrong, treat disaster as a way to wake up.
Take all the blame yourself.
Be grateful to everyone.
Don't worry- there's nothing real about your confusion.
When something unexpected happens, in that very moment, treat it as a meditation.
Work with the Five Forces. The Five Forces are: 1.Be intense, be committed. 2. Familiarization - get used to doing and being what you want to do and to be. 3. Cultivate the white seeds, not the black ones. 4. Turn totally away from all your ego trips. 5.Dedicate all the merits of what you do for the benefit of others.
Practice these Five Forces and you are ready for death at any moment.
All teachings have the same goal.
Follow the inner witness rather than the outer ones.
Always have the support of a joyful mind.
Practicing even when distracted is good training.
Always observe these three points: 1. Regularity of practice. 2. Not wasting time on the inessential. 3. Not rationalizing our mistakes.
Change your attitude, but stay natural.
Do not discuss defects.
Don't worry about other people.
Work on your greatest imperfection first.
Abandon all hope of results.
Give up poisonous food.
Don't be consistent.
Don't indulge in malicious gossip.
Don't wait in ambush.
Don't strike at the heart.
Don't put the yak's load on the cow.
Remember - this is not a competition.
Don't be sneaky.
Don't abuse your divine power for selfish reasons.
Don't expect to profit from other people's misfortune.
In all your activities, have a single purpose.
Solve all problems by accepting the bad energy and sending out the good.
Renew your commitment when you get up and before you go to sleep.
Accept good and bad fortune with an equal mind.
Keep your vows even at the risk of your life.
Recognize your neurotic tendencies, overcome them, then transcend them.
Find a teacher, tame the roving mind, choose a lifestyle that allows you to practice.
Love your teacher, enjoy your practice, keep your vows.
Focus your body, mind, and spirit on the path.
Exclude nothing from your acceptance practice: train with a whole heart.
Always meditate on whatever you resent.
Don't depend on how the rest of the world is.
In this life, concentrate on achieving what is most meaningful.
Don't let your emotions distract you, but bring them to your practice.
Don't let your practice become irregular.
Train wholeheartedly.
Free yourself by first watching, then analysing.
Don't feel sorry for yourself.
Don't be jealous
Stay focused.
Don't expect any applause.
http://www.unfetteredmind.com/
First, train in the preliminaries.
Treat everything you perceive as a dream.
Find the consciousness you had before you were born.
Let even the remedy itself drop away naturally.
Stay in the primeval consciousness, the basis of everything.
Between meditations, treat everything as an illusion.
As you breathe in, take in and accept all the sadness, pain, and negativity of the whole world, including yourself, and absorb it into your heart. As you breathe out, pour out all your joy and bliss; bless the whole of existence.
Understand your attachments, your aversions, and your indifference, and love them all.
Apply these proverbs in everything you do.
When practicing unconditional acceptance, start with yourself.
When everything goes wrong, treat disaster as a way to wake up.
Take all the blame yourself.
Be grateful to everyone.
Don't worry- there's nothing real about your confusion.
When something unexpected happens, in that very moment, treat it as a meditation.
Work with the Five Forces. The Five Forces are: 1.Be intense, be committed. 2. Familiarization - get used to doing and being what you want to do and to be. 3. Cultivate the white seeds, not the black ones. 4. Turn totally away from all your ego trips. 5.Dedicate all the merits of what you do for the benefit of others.
Practice these Five Forces and you are ready for death at any moment.
All teachings have the same goal.
Follow the inner witness rather than the outer ones.
Always have the support of a joyful mind.
Practicing even when distracted is good training.
Always observe these three points: 1. Regularity of practice. 2. Not wasting time on the inessential. 3. Not rationalizing our mistakes.
Change your attitude, but stay natural.
Do not discuss defects.
Don't worry about other people.
Work on your greatest imperfection first.
Abandon all hope of results.
Give up poisonous food.
Don't be consistent.
Don't indulge in malicious gossip.
Don't wait in ambush.
Don't strike at the heart.
Don't put the yak's load on the cow.
Remember - this is not a competition.
Don't be sneaky.
Don't abuse your divine power for selfish reasons.
Don't expect to profit from other people's misfortune.
In all your activities, have a single purpose.
Solve all problems by accepting the bad energy and sending out the good.
Renew your commitment when you get up and before you go to sleep.
Accept good and bad fortune with an equal mind.
Keep your vows even at the risk of your life.
Recognize your neurotic tendencies, overcome them, then transcend them.
Find a teacher, tame the roving mind, choose a lifestyle that allows you to practice.
Love your teacher, enjoy your practice, keep your vows.
Focus your body, mind, and spirit on the path.
Exclude nothing from your acceptance practice: train with a whole heart.
Always meditate on whatever you resent.
Don't depend on how the rest of the world is.
In this life, concentrate on achieving what is most meaningful.
Don't let your emotions distract you, but bring them to your practice.
Don't let your practice become irregular.
Train wholeheartedly.
Free yourself by first watching, then analysing.
Don't feel sorry for yourself.
Don't be jealous
Stay focused.
Don't expect any applause.
Today's Buddhist Thought
The purest doctrines, such as those of Ramana Maharshi, Padma
Sambhava, Huang Po and Shen Hui, just teach that it is sufficient by
analysis to comprehend that there is no entity which could have
effective volition, that an apparent act of volition when in accord
with the inevitable can only be a vain gesture and, when in discord, the fluttering of a caged bird against the bars of his cage. When he
knows that, then at last he has peace and is glad. Non-volitional
living is glad living.
'All Else is Bondage; Non-Volitional Living'
- Wei Wu Wei
Sambhava, Huang Po and Shen Hui, just teach that it is sufficient by
analysis to comprehend that there is no entity which could have
effective volition, that an apparent act of volition when in accord
with the inevitable can only be a vain gesture and, when in discord, the fluttering of a caged bird against the bars of his cage. When he
knows that, then at last he has peace and is glad. Non-volitional
living is glad living.
'All Else is Bondage; Non-Volitional Living'
- Wei Wu Wei
Keep This On Your Mind
Not to commit any harm,
To do good,
And to purify one's mind:
This is the teaching of the awakened ones.
To do good,
And to purify one's mind:
This is the teaching of the awakened ones.
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