How To Overcome The Ego? By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

Bhagavan Sri Ramana used to say that all techniques of meditation and concentration presuppose the retention of the ego/mind. Bhagavan used to joke that employing the ego/mind to overcome the ego/mind is like hiring a thief, who is all dressed up as a policeman, to catch the thief. The policeman will pretend to make herculean efforts to catch the thief, give periodic reports of progress, but will fail each time (since the policeman is the thief!)

The whole thing is hilarious, is it not my friends. We are trying to gain Self-Realization with the effort and power of our mind. Yet, it is the ego/mind that is veiling the Self!

What a wonderful paradox indeed. Are you able to see it clearly?

The attempt to abandon the ego or overcome it, is itself based on egotism. Such forced efforts to discard the mind and transcend the ego end up only reinforcing the nonexistent phantom in our imagination.

What Bhagavan has pointed out is that all spiritual practices ultimately fall short as they presuppose the existence of mind. And with the mind in charge, there are infinite possibilities of experience; all kinds of experiences, including super conscious experiences.

No doubt experiences can be wonderful and joyful as well as painful. And yet where can any experience truly take us? Where can any experience take us other than in our own imagination of what it means to be happy in heaven, nirvana, moksha, singing with angels, or dancing with the gods, etc.

We cannot go anywhere other than where we are. We are always here. We are this present moment. This moment is eternal and infinite. This must be understood. This is Bhagavan’s teaching. Bhagavan’s dying words were, “Where can I go? I am Here.” Even in his last moments Bhagavan was teaching and pointing to the Self. All movement is in our imagination. If we do not move our mind, the outside movement becomes moot. When imagination comes to full stop, Self becomes Self-evident.

To see this, we need Grace. And the wise say that Grace is Always Here. And Self is Grace. And there is nothing but That. It is not possible to see this beauty with our eyes. One must recognize it is as one’s own being.

The True Seeing is only Being.

Taken from: http://luthar.com/how-to-overcome-the-ego/

translated by Robert A. F. Thurman
copyright 1976, The Pennsylvania State University

The sutra tells the story of the lay householder Vimalakirti who lives a worldly life while following the bodhisattva path, and it is famous for its razor-sharp dialogue and paradox about non-duality. It is also renowned for ridiculing those who believe women to be inferior to men on the spiritual path.


On Non-duality
This going beyond all forms of dualism, however differently it may be expressed, whether as being and non-being, or as oneness and manyness, or as this and that, or as causation and no-causation, or as form and no-form, or as assertion and negation, or as Saṁsāra and Nirvāṇa, or as ignorance and knowledge, or as work and no-work, or as good and evil, or as purity and defilement, or as ego and non-ego, or as worldly and super-worldly, ad infinitum this going beyond a world of oppositions and contrasts constitutes one of the most significant thoughts of the Mahayana. There is nothing real as long as we remain entangled in the skein of relativity, and our sufferings will never come to an end. We must therefore endeavour to take hold of reality, but this reality is not something altogether solitary. For in this case no one of us will be able to have even a glimpse of it, and if we had, it will turn into something standing in opposition to this world of relativity, which means the loss of solitariness, that is, the solitary now forms part of this world.

The Dharma-Door of Non-duality
Then, the Licchavi Vimalakirti asked those bodhisattvas, “Good sirs, please explain how the bodhisattvas enter the Dharma-door of non-duality!”

The bodhisattva Dharmavikurvana declared, “Noble sir, production and destruction are two, but what is not produced and does not occur cannot be destroyed. Thus the attainment of the tolerance of the birthlessness of things is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Srigandha declared, ” ‘I’ and ‘mine’ are two. If there is no presumption of a self, there will be no possessiveness. Thus, the absence of presumption is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Srikuta declared, ” ‘Defilement’ and ‘purification’ are two. When there is thorough knowledge of defilement, there will be no conceit about purification. The path leading to the complete conquest of all conceit is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Bhadrajyotis declared, ” ‘Distraction’ and ‘attention’ are two. When there is no distraction, there will be no attention, no mentation, and no mental intensity. Thus, the absence of mental intensity is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Subahu declared, ” ‘Bodhisattva-spirit’ and ‘disciple-spirit’ are two. When both are seen to resemble an illusory spirit, there is no bodhisattva-spirit, nor any disciple-spirit. Thus, the sameness of natures of spirits is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Animisa declared, ” ‘Grasping’ and ‘non-grasping’ are two. What is not grasped is not perceived, and what is not perceived is neither presumed nor repudiated. Thus, the inaction and noninvolvement of all things is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Sunetra declared, ” ‘Uniqueness’ and ‘character-less-ness’ are two. Not to presume or construct something is neither to establish its uniqueness nor to establish its character-less-ness. To penetrate the equality of these two is to enter non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Tisya declared, ” ‘Good’ and ‘evil’ are two. Seeking neither good nor evil, the understanding of the non-duality of the significant and the meaningless is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Simha declared, ” ‘Sinfulness’ and ’sin-less-ness’ are two. By means of the diamond-like wisdom that pierces to the quick, not to be bound or liberated is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Simhamati declared, “To say, ‘This is impure’ and ‘this is immaculate’ makes for duality. One who, attaining equanimity, forms no conception of impurity or immaculateness, yet is not utterly without conception, has equanimity without any attainment of equanimity – he enters the absence of conceptual knots. Thus, he enters into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Suddhadhimukti declared, “To say, ‘This is happiness’ and ‘That is misery’ is dualism. One who is free of all calculations, through the extreme purity of gnosis – his mind is aloof, like empty space; and thus he enters into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Narayana declared, “To say, ‘This is mundane’ and ‘that is transcendental’ is dualism. This world has the nature of void ness, so there is neither transcendence nor involvement, neither progress nor standstill. Thus, neither to transcend nor to be involved, neither to go nor to stop – this is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Dantamati declared, “‘Life’ and ‘liberation’ are dualistic. Having seen the nature of life, one neither belongs to it nor is one utterly liberated from it. Such understanding is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Pratyaksadarsana declared, “‘Destructible’ and ‘indestructible’ are dualistic. What is destroyed is ultimately destroyed. What is ultimately destroyed does not become destroyed; hence, it is called ‘indestructible.’ What is indestructible is instantaneous, and what is instantaneous is indestructible. The experience of such is called ‘the entrance into the principle of non-duality.’”

The bodhisattva Parigudha declared, “‘Self’ and ’selflessness’ are dualistic. Since the existence of self cannot be perceived, what is there to be made ’selfless’? Thus, the non-dualism of the vision of their nature is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Vidyuddeva declared, “‘Knowledge’ and ‘ignorance’ are dualistic. The natures of ignorance and knowledge are the same, for ignorance is undefined, incalculable, and beyond the sphere of thought. The realization of this is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Priyadarsana declared, “Matter itself is void. Void ness does not result from the destruction of matter, but the nature of matter is itself void ness. Therefore, to speak of void ness on the one hand, and of matter, or of sensation, or of intellect, or of motivation, or of consciousness on the other – is entirely dualistic.
Consciousness itself is void ness. Void ness does not result from the destruction of consciousness, but the nature of consciousness is itself void ness. Such understanding of the five compulsive aggregates and the knowledge of them as such by means of gnosis is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Prabhaketu declared, “To say that the four main elements are one thing and the etheric space-element another is dualistic. The four main elements are themselves the nature of space. The past itself is also the nature of space. The future itself is also the nature of space. Likewise, the present itself is also the nature of space. The gnosis that penetrates the elements in such a way is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Pramati declared, “‘Eye’ and ‘form’ are dualistic. To understand the eye correctly, and not to have attachment, aversion, or confusion with regard to form – that is called ‘peace.’ Similarly, ‘ear’ and ’sound,’ ‘nose’ and ’smell,’ ‘tongue’ and taste,’ ‘body’ and touch,’ and ‘mind’ and ‘phenomena’ – all are dualistic. But to know the mind, and to be neither attached, averse, nor confused with regard to phenomena – that is called ‘peace.’ To live in such peace is to enter into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Aksayamati declared, “The dedication of generosity for the sake of attaining omniscience is dualistic. The nature of generosity is itself omniscience, and the nature of omniscience itself is total dedication.
Likewise, it is dualistic to dedicate morality, tolerance, effort, meditation, and wisdom for the sake of omniscience. Omniscience is the nature of wisdom, and total dedication is the nature of omniscience. Thus, the entrance into this principle of uniqueness is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Gambhiramati declared, “It is dualistic to say that void-ness is one thing, sign-less-ness another, and wish-less-ness still another. What is void has no sign. What has no sign has no wish. Where there is no wish there is no process of thought, mind, or consciousness. To see the doors of all liberations in the door of one liberation is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Santendriya declared, “It is dualistic to say ‘Buddha,’ ‘Dharma,’ and ‘Sangha.’ The Dharma is itself the nature of the Buddha, the Sangha is itself the nature of the Dharma, and all of them are uncompounded. The uncompounded is infinite space, and the processes of all things are equivalent to infinite space. Adjustment to this is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Apratihatanetra declared, “It is dualistic to refer to ‘aggregates’ and to the ‘cessation of aggregates.’ Aggregates themselves are cessation. Why? The egoistic views of aggregates, being un-produced themselves, do not exist ultimately. Hence such views do not really conceptualize ‘These are aggregates’ or ‘These aggregates cease.’ Ultimately, they have no such discriminative constructions and no such conceptualizations. Therefore, such views have themselves the nature of cessation. Nonoccurrence and non-destruction are the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Suvinita declared, “Physical, verbal, and mental vows do not exist dualistically. Why? These things have the nature of inactivity. The nature of inactivity of the body is the same as the nature of inactivity of speech, whose nature of inactivity is the same as the nature of inactivity of the mind. It is necessary to know and to understand this fact of the ultimate inactivity of all things, for this knowledge is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Punyaksetra declared, “It is dualistic to consider actions meritorious, sinful, or neutral. The non-undertaking of meritorious, sinful, and neutral actions is not dualistic. The intrinsic nature of all such actions is void ness, wherein ultimately there is neither merit, nor sin, nor neutrality, nor action itself. The non-accomplishment of such actions is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Padmavyuha declared, “Dualism is produced from obsession with self, but true understanding of self does not result in dualism. Who thus abides in non-duality is without ideation, and that absence of ideation is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Srigarbha declared, “Duality is constituted by perceptual manifestation. Non-duality is object-less-ness. Therefore, non-grasping and non-rejection is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Candrottara declared, “‘Darkness’ and ‘light’ are dualistic, but the absence of both darkness and light is non-duality. Why? At the time of absorption in cessation, there is neither darkness nor light, and likewise with the natures of all things. The entrance into this equanimity is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Ratnamudrahasta declared, “It is dualistic to detest the world and to rejoice in liberation, and neither detesting the world nor rejoicing in liberation is non-duality. Why? Liberation can be found where there is bondage, but where there is ultimately no bondage where is there need for liberation? The mendicant who is neither bound nor liberated does not experience any like or any dislike and thus he enters non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Manikutaraja declared, “It is dualistic to speak of good paths and bad paths. One who is on the path is not concerned with good or bad paths. Living in such unconcern, he entertains no concepts of ‘path’ or ‘non-path.’ Understanding the nature of concepts, his mind does not engage in duality. Such is the entrance into non-duality.”

The bodhisattva Satyarata declared, “It is dualistic to speak of ‘true’ and ‘false.’ When one sees truly, one does not ever see any truth, so how could one see falsehood? Why? One does not see with the physical eye, one sees with the eye of wisdom. And with the wisdom-eye one sees only insofar as there is neither sight nor non-sight.
There, where there is neither sight nor non-sight, is the entrance into non-duality.”

When the bodhisattvas had given their explanations, they all addressed the crown prince Manjusri: “Manjusri, what is the bodhisattva’s entrance into non-duality?”

Manjusri replied, “Good sirs, you have all spoken well. Nevertheless, all your explanations are themselves dualistic. To know no one teaching, to express nothing, to say nothing, to explain nothing, to announce nothing, to indicate nothing, and to designate nothing – that is the entrance into non-duality.”

Then the crown prince Manjusri said to the Licchavi Vimalakirti, “We have all given our own teachings, noble sir. Now, may you elucidate the teaching of the entrance into the principle of non-duality!”

Thereupon, the Licchavi Vimalakirti kept his silence, saying nothing at all.
The crown prince Manjusri applauded the Licchavi Vimalakirti: “Excellent! Excellent, noble sir! This is indeed the entrance into the non-duality of the bodhisattvas. Here there is no use for syllables, sounds, and ideas.”

When these teachings had been declared, five thousand bodhisattvas entered the door of the Dharma of non-duality and attained tolerance of the birthlessness of things.

Everything is naturally perfect just as it is.

All phenomena appear in their uniqueness as part of the continually changing pattern. These patterns are vibrant with meaning and significance at every moment; yet there is no
significance to attach to such meanings beyond the moment in which they
present themselves.

This is the dance of the five elements in which matter is
a symbol of energy and energy a symbol of emptiness. We are a symbol of
our own enlightenment.

With no effort or practice whatsoever, liberation or enlightenment is already
here.

The everyday practice of Dzogchen is just everyday life itself.

Since the undeveloped state does not exist, there is no need to behave in any special
way or attempt to attain anything above and beyond what you actually are.
There should be no feeling of striving to reach some ‘amazing goal’ or
‘advanced state.’ To strive for such a state is a neurosis which only
conditions us and serves to obstruct the free flow of Mind.

We should also avoid thinking of ourselves as worthless persons – we are naturally free and
unconditioned. We are intrinsically enlightened and lack nothing. When
engaging in meditation practice, we should feel it to be as natural as eating,
breathing and defecating. It should not become a specialized or formal event,
bloated with seriousness and solemnity.

We should realize that meditation transcends effort, practice, aims, goals and the duality of liberation and nonliberation.

Meditation is always ideal; there is no need to correct anything.
Since everything that arises is simply the play of the mind as such, there is
no unsatisfactory meditation and no need to judge thoughts as good or bad.

Therefore we should simply sit. Simply stay in your own place, in your own
condition just as it is.

Forgetting self-conscious feelings, we do not have to
think ‘I am meditating’

Our practice should be without effort, without strain,
without attempts to control or force and without trying to become ‘peaceful’. If
we find that we are disturbing ourselves in any of these ways, we stop
meditating and simply rest or relax for a while. Then we resume our
meditation.

If we have ‘interesting experiences’ either during or after
meditation we should avoid making anything special of them. To spend time
thinking about experiences is simply a distraction and an attempt to become
unnatural. These experiences are simply signs of practice and should be
regarded as transient events. We should not attempt to re-experience them
because to do so only serves to distort the natural spontaneity of Mind.
All phenomena are completely new and fresh, absolutely unique and entirely
free from all concepts of past, present and future. They are experienced in
timelessness.

The continual stream of new discovery, revelation and
inspiration which arises at every moment is the manifestation of our clarity.

We should learn to see everyday life as mandala – the luminous fringes of
experience, which radiate spontaneously from the empty nature of our being.
The aspects of our mandala are the day-to-day objects of our life experience
moving in the dance or play of the universe. By this symbolism the inner
teacher reveals the profound and ultimate significance of being.

Therefore we should be natural and spontaneous, accepting and learning from everything.
This enables us to see the ironic and amusing side of events that usually
irritate us. In meditation we can see through the illusion of past, present and
future – our experience becomes the continuity of nowness. The past is only
an unreliable memory held in the present. The future is only a projection of
our present conceptions. The present itself vanishes as soon as we try to
grasp it. So why bother with attempting to establish an illusion of solid
ground? We should free ourselves from our present memories and
preconceptions of meditation. Each moment of meditation is completely
unique and full of potentiality. In such moments, we will be incapable of
judging our meditation in terms of past experience, dry theory of hollow
rhetoric. Simply plunging directly into meditation in the moment now, with our
whole being, free from hesitation, boredom or excitement, is – Enlightenment

May all beings receiving this note also receive happiness and the causes of happiness;
May they all be free of suffering, and the causes of suffering;
May they not be seperated from the bliss that is without suffering;
May they dwell in equanimity, free from attachment, hate, and aversion.

Any merit accumulated from this note is instantly dedicated to all sentient beings liberation.

Tsoru Dechen Chokhor Ling Vajrayana Buddhist Center
3239 West Trade Avenue # 10
Miami, Fl. 33133

Meditations every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 8:00 p.m.
Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Our root guru is His Eminence Tulku Tsori Rinpoche
For more information call Daniel 305-775-7541 or Jorge 786-556-3040
http://ytdr.org/en/
www.childrensmonastery.org

What Meditation Is

Meditation is a word, and words are used in different ways by different speakers. This may seem like a trivial point, but it is not. It is quite important to distinguish exactly what a particular speaker means by the words he uses. Every culture on earth, for example, has produced some sort of mental practice which might be termed meditation. It all depends on how loose a definition you give to that word. Everybody does it, from Africans to Eskimos. The techniques are enormously varied, and we will make no attempt to survey them. There are other books for that. For the purpose of this volume, we will restrict our discussion to those practices best known to Western audiences and most likely associated with the term meditation.

Within the Judeo-Christian tradition we find two overlapping practices called prayer and contemplation. Prayer is a direct address to some spiritual entity. Contemplation is a prolonged period of conscious thought about some specific topic, usually a religious ideal or scriptural passage. From the standpoint of mental culture, both of these activities are exercises in concentration. The normal deluge of conscious thought is restricted, and the mind is brought to one conscious area of operation. The results are those you find in any concentrative practice: deep calm, a physiological slowing of the metabolism and a sense of peace and well-being.

Out of the Hindu tradition comes Yogic meditation, which is also purely concentrative. The traditional basic exercises consist of focusing the mind on a single object: a stone, a candle flame, a syllable or whatever, and not allowing it to wander. Having acquired the basic skill, the Yogi proceeds to expand his practice by taking on more complex objects of meditation: chants, colorful religious images, energy channels in the body and so forth. Still, no matter how complex the object of meditation, the meditation itself remains purely an exercise in concentration.

Within the Buddhist tradition, concentration is also highly valued. But a new element is added and more highly stressed. That element is awareness. All Buddhist meditation aims at the development of awareness, using concentration as a tool. The Buddhist tradition is very wide, however, and there are several diverse routes to this goal. Zen meditation uses two separate tacks. The first is the direct plunge into awareness by sheer force of will. You sit down and you just sit, meaning that you toss out of your mind everything except pure awareness of sitting. This sounds very simple. It is not. A brief trial will demonstrate just how difficult it really is. The second Zen approach used in the Rinzai school is that of tricking the mind out of conscious thought and into pure awareness. This is done by giving the student an unsolvable riddle which he must solve anyway, and by placing him in a horrendous training situation. Since he cannot flee from the pain of the situation, he must flee into a pure experience of the moment. There is nowhere else to go. Zen is tough. It is effective for many people, but it is really tough.

Another stratagem, Tantric Buddhism, is nearly the reverse. Conscious thought, at least the way we usually do it, is the manifestation of ego, the you that you usually think that you are. Conscious thought is tightly connected with self-concept. The self-concept or ego is nothing more than a set of reactions and mental images which are artificially pasted to the flowing process of pure awareness. Tantra seeks to obtain pure awareness by destroying this ego image. This is accomplished by a process of visualization. The student is given a particular religious image to meditate upon, for example, one of the deities from the Tantric pantheon. He does this in so thorough a fashion that he becomes that entity. He takes off his own identity and puts on another. This takes a while, as you might imagine, but it works. During the process, he is able to watch the way that the ego is constructed and put in place. He comes to recognize the arbitrary nature of all egos, including his own, and he escapes from bondage to the ego. He is left in a state where he may have an ego if he so chooses, either his own or whichever other he might wish, or he can do without one. Result: pure awareness. Tantra is not exactly a game of patty cake either.

Vipassana is the oldest of Buddhist meditation practices. The method comes directly from the Sitipatthana Sutta, a discourse attributed to Buddha himself. Vipassana is a direct and gradual cultivation of mindfulness or awareness. It proceeds piece by piece over a period of years. The student’s attention is carefully directed to an intense examination of certain aspects of his own existence. The meditator is trained to notice more and more of his own flowing life experience. Vipassana is a gentle technique. But it also is very, very thorough. It is an ancient and codified system of sensitivity training, a set of exercises dedicated to becoming more and more receptive to your own life experience. It is attentive listening, total seeing and careful testing. We learn to smell acutely, to touch fully and really pay attention to what we feel. We learn to listen to our own thoughts without being caught up in them.

The object of Vipassana practice is to learn to pay attention. We think we are doing this already, but that is an illusion. It comes from the fact that we are paying so little attention to the ongoing surge of our own life experiences that we might just as well be asleep. We are simply not paying enough attention to notice that we are not paying attention. It is another Catch-22.

Through the process of mindfulness, we slowly become aware of what we really are down below the ego image. We wake up to what life really is. It is not just a parade of ups and downs, lollipops and smacks on the wrist. That is an illusion. Life has a much deeper texture than that if we bother to look, and if we look in the right way.

Vipassana is a form of mental training that will teach you to experience the world in an entirely new way. You will learn for the first time what is truly happening to you, around you and within you. It is a process of self discovery, a participatory investigation in which you observe your own experiences while participating in them, and as they occur. The practice must be approached with this attitude.

“Never mind what I have been taught. Forget about theories and prejudgments and stereotypes. I want to understand the true nature of life. I want to know what this experience of being alive really is. I want to apprehend the true and deepest qualities of life, and I don’t want to just accept somebody else’s explanation. I want to see it for myself.” If you pursue your meditation practice with this attitude, you will succeed. You’ll find yourself observing things objectively, exactly as they are–flowing and changing from moment to moment. Life then takes on an unbelievable richness which cannot be described. It has to be experienced.

The Pali term for Insight meditation is Vipassana Bhavana. Bhavana comes from the root ‘Bhu’, which means to grow or to become. Therefore Bhavana means to cultivate, and the word is always used in reference to the mind. Bhavana means mental cultivation. ‘Vipassana’ is derived from two roots. ‘Passana’ means seeing or perceiving. ‘Vi’ is a prefix with a complex set of connotations. The basic meaning is ‘in a special way.’ But there also is the connotation of both ‘into’ and ‘through’. The whole meaning of the word is looking into something with clarity and precision, seeing each component as distinct and separate, and piercing all the way through so as to perceive the most fundamental reality of that thing. This process leads to insight into the basic reality of whatever is being inspected. Put it all together and ‘Vipassana Bhavana’ means the cultivation of the mind, aimed at seeing in a special way that leads to insight and to full understanding.

In Vipassana mediation we cultivate this special way of seeing life. We train ourselves to see reality exactly as it is, and we call this special mode of perception ‘mindfulness.’ This process of mindfulness is really quite different from what we usually do. We usually do not look into what is really there in front of us. We see life through a screen of thoughts and concepts, and we mistake those mental objects for the reality. We get so caught up in this endless thought stream that reality flows by unnoticed. We spend our time engrossed in activity, caught up in an eternal pursuit of pleasure and gratification and an eternal flight from pain and unpleasantness. We spend all of our energies trying to make ourselves feel better, trying to bury our fears. We are endlessly seeking security. Meanwhile, the world of real experience flows by untouched and untasted. In Vipassana meditation we train ourselves to ignore the constant impulses to be more comfortable, and we dive into the reality instead. The ironic thing is that real peace comes only when you stop chasing it. Another Catch-22.

When you relax your driving desire for comfort, real fulfillment arises. When you drop your hectic pursuit of gratification, the real beauty of life comes out. When you seek to know the reality without illusion, complete with all its pain and danger, that is when real freedom and security are yours. This is not some doctrine we are trying to drill into you. This is an observable reality, a thing you can and should see for yourself.

Buddhism is 2500 years old, and any thought system of that vintage has time to develop layers and layers of doctrine and ritual. Nevertheless, the fundamental attitude of Buddhism is intensely empirical and anti-authoritarian. Gotama the Buddha was a highly unorthodox individual and real anti-traditionalist. He did not offer his teaching as a set of dogmas, but rather as a set of propositions for each individual to investigate for himself. His invitation to one and all was ‘Come and See’. One of the things he said to his followers was “Place no head above your own”. By this he meant, don’t accept somebody else’s word. See for yourself.

We want you to apply this attitude to every word you read in this manual. We are not making statements that you would accept merely because we are authorities in the field. Blind faith has nothing to do with this. These are experiential realities. Learn to adjust your mode of perception according to instructions given in the book, and you will see for yourself. That and only that provides ground for your faith. Insight meditation is essentially a practice of investigative personal discovery.

Having said this, we will present here a very short synopsis of some of the key points of Buddhist philosophy. We make no attempt to be thorough, since that has been quite nicely done in many other books. This material is essential to understanding Vipassana, therefore, some mention must be made.

From the Buddhist point of view, we human beings live in a very peculiar fashion. We view impermanent things as permanent, though everything is changing all around us. The process of change is constant and eternal. As you read these words, your body is aging. But you pay no attention to that. The book in your hand is decaying. The print is fading and the pages are becoming brittle. The walls around you are aging. The molecules within those walls are vibrating at an enormous rate, and everything is shifting, going to pieces and dissolving slowly. You pay no attention to that, either. Then one day you look around you. Your body is wrinkled and squeaky and you hurt. The book is a yellowed, useless lump; the building is caving in. So you pine for lost youth and you cry when the possessions are gone. Where does this pain come from? It comes from your own inattention. You failed to look closely at life. You failed to observe the constantly shifting flow of the world as it went by. You set up a collection of mental constructions, ‘me’, ‘the book’, ‘the building’, and you assume that they would endure forever. They never do. But you can tune into the constantly ongoing change. You can learn to perceive your life as an ever-flowing movement, a thing of great beauty like a dance or symphony. You can learn to take joy in the perpetual passing away of all phenomena. You can learn to live with the flow of existence rather than running perpetually against the grain. You can learn this. It is just a matter of time and training.

Our human perceptual habits are remarkably stupid in some ways. We tune out 99% of all the sensory stimuli we actually receive, and we solidify the remainder into discrete mental objects. Then we react to those mental objects in programmed habitual ways. An example: There you are, sitting alone in the stillness of a peaceful night. A dog barks in the distance. The perception itself is indescribably beautiful if you bother to examine it. Up out of that sea of silence come surging waves of sonic vibration. You start to hear the lovely complex patterns, and they are turned into scintillating electronic stimulations within the nervous system. The process is beautiful and fulfilling in itself. We humans tend to ignore it totally. Instead, we solidify that perception into a mental object. We paste a mental picture on it and we launch into a series of emotional and conceptual reactions to it. “There is that dog again. He is always barking at night. What a nuisance. Every night he is a real bother. Somebody should do something. Maybe I should call a cop. No, a dog catcher. So, I’ll call the pound. No, maybe I’ll just write a real nasty letter to the guy who owns that dog. No, too much trouble. I’ll just get an ear plug.” They are just perceptual and mental habits. You learn to respond this way as a child by copying the perceptual habits of those around you. These perceptual responses are not inherent in the structure of the nervous system. The circuits are there. But this is not the only way that our mental machinery can be used. That which has been learned can be unlearned. The first step is to realize what you are doing, as you are doing it, and stand back and quietly watch.

From the Buddhist perspective, we humans have a backward view of life. We look at what is actually the cause of suffering and we see it as happiness. The cause of suffering is that desire-aversion syndrome which we spoke of earlier. Up pops a perception. It could be anything–a beautiful girl, a handsome guy, speed boat, thug with a gun, truck bearing down on you, anything. Whatever it is, the very next thing we do is to react to the stimulus with a feeling about it.

Take worry. We worry a lot. Worry itself is the problem. Worry is a process. It has steps. Anxiety is not just a state of existence but a procedure. What you’ve got to do is to look at the very beginning of that procedure, those initial stages before the process has built up a head of steam. The very first link of the worry chain is the grasping/rejecting reaction. As soon as some phenomenon pops into the mind, we try mentally to grab onto it or push it away. That sets the worry response in motion. Luckily, there is a handy little tool called Vipassana meditation which you can use to short-circuit the whole mechanism.

Vipassana meditation teaches us how to scrutinize our own perceptual process with great precision. We learn to watch the arising of thought and perception with a feeling of serene detachment. We learn to view our own reactions to stimuli with calm and clarity. We begin to see ourselves reacting without getting caught up in the reactions themselves. The obsessive nature of thought slowly dies. We can still get married. We can still step out of the path of the truck. But we don’t need to go through hell over either one.

This escape from the obsessive nature of thought produces a whole new view of reality. It is a complete paradigm shift, a total change in the perceptual mechanism. It brings with it the feeling of peace and rightness, a new zest for living and a sense of completeness to every activity. Because of these advantages, Buddhism views this way of looking at things as a correct view of life and Buddhist texts call it seeing things as they really are.

Vipassana meditation is a set of training procedures which open us gradually to this new view of reality as it truly is. Along with this new reality goes a new view of the most central aspect of reality: ‘me’. A close inspection reveals that we have done the same thing to ‘me’ that we have done to all other perceptions. We have taken a flowing vortex of thought, feeling and sensation and we have solidified that into a mental construct. Then we have stuck a label onto it, ‘me’. And forever after, we treat it as if it were a static and enduring entity. We view it as a thing separate from all other things. We pinch ourselves off from the rest of that process of eternal change which is the universe. And then we grieve over how lonely we feel. We ignore our inherent connectedness to all other beings and we decide that ‘I’ have to get more for ‘me’; then we marvel at how greedy and insensitive human beings are. And on it goes. Every evil deed, every example of heartlessness in the world stems directly from this false sense of ‘me’ as distinct from all else that is out there.

Explode the illusion of that one concept and your whole universe changes. Don’t expect to do this overnight, though. You spent your whole life building up that concept, reinforcing it with every thought, word, and deed over all those years. It is not going to evaporate instantly. But it will pass if you give it enough time and enough attention. Vipassana meditation is a process by which it is dissolved. Little by little, you chip away at it just by watching it.

The ‘I’ concept is a process. It is a thing we are doing. In Vipassana we learn to see that we are doing it, when we are doing it and how we are doing it. Then it moves and fades away, like a cloud passing through the clear sky. We are left in a state where we can do it or not do it, whichever seems appropriate to the situation. The compulsiveness is gone. We have a choice.

These are all major insights, of course. Each one is a deep-reaching understanding of one of the fundamental issues of human existence. They do not occur quickly, nor without considerable effort. But the payoff is big. They lead to a total transformation of your life. Every second of your existence thereafter is changed. The meditator who pushes all the way down this track achieves perfect mental health, a pure love for all that lives and complete cessation of suffering. That is not a small goal. But you don’t have to go all the way to reap benefits. They start right away and they pile up over the years. It is a cumulative function. The more you sit, the more you learn about the real nature of your own existence. The more hours you spend in meditation, the greater your ability to calmly observe every impulse and intention, every thought and emotion just as it arises in the mind. Your progress to liberation is measured in cushion-man hours. And you can stop any time you’ve had enough. There is no stick over your head except your own desire to see the true quality of life, to enhance your own existence and that of others.

Vipassana meditation is inherently experiential. It is not theoretical. In the practice of mediation you become sensitive to the actual experience of living, to how things feel. You do not sit around developing subtle and aesthetic thoughts about living. You live. Vipassana meditation more than anything else is learning to live.

Taken from: http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english_5.php

Metta Sutta
( Discourse on Loving-kindness )
U Nandiya

Once the Bhagava ( Lord Buddha) was staying at the Jetavana monastery in the pleasance of Anathapindika at Savatthi. A group of monks received permission from the Lord to meditate in a distant forest during the period of Buddhist Lent. Each of the monks took shelter under a big tree as a temporary residence and an engaged themselves intensively in the practice of meditation.

On account of the spiritual power of their meditation, the tree deities could not stay in their trees-abodes above the monks, so they had to come down to the ground. Realizing that the monks would spend the whole rainy season there, the deities were much annoyed. So they tried to scare the monks away during the night by harassing them in various ways.

After living under such impossible conditions for sometime, the monks could not bear it any longer and rushed back to the Buddha and informed him about their difficulties. So the Buddha advised them to recite the text of loving kindness (Metta Sutta) and to radiate the spirit of love to all beings. On the full-moon day of Wagaung, the Buddha taught the monks the Metta Sutta. From that day till now, the full-moon day of Wagaung has been called as the ‘Great or Grand Occasion of Metta.

Encouraged by this discourse, the monks returned to their respective places. They practised in accordance with the instructions given them to permeate the entire atmosphere with radiant thoughts of love, The tree-deities were much pleased to be affected by the power of love, and so let the monks (meditators) stay without any further disturbances.

Metta

Metta is the highest need of the world today, indeed it is more needed than ever before. Because in this new world, there are sufficient materials, money and brilliant wise men and scientists. In spite of these, there is no peace and happiness. It shows that something is lacking, That is Metta.

What is the Buddhist idea of Metta? The Pali word “Metta” means “loving kindness”, not the ordinary, sensual, emotional, sentimental kind of love. Metta has been translated by modem translators into English as generous, mindness loving, loving kindness, sending out thoughts of love towards others” but according to the words of Buddha, Metta has a far wider significance, and a much more extensive implication than this. It means a great deal more than loving kindness harmlessness, sympathy.

What is love? Love is also defined in the Oxford Dictionary. According to it, love means warm affection, attachment, affectionate devotion, etc. These are synonymous terms for love and they all refer to sentimental worldly love. So, Metta has no full English equivalent. For this Metta is much more than ordinary affection or warm feelings. The Pali word Metta literally means “friendliness”, but also means love without a desire to possess but with desire to help, to sacrifice self-interest for the welfare and well being of humanity. Metta is with out any selection or exclusion. If you select a few good friends and exclude a bad person, then you have not got a perfect grasp of Metta. Indeed Metta is not only benevolent thought, but also performing charitable deeds, an active ministry for the good of one and all.

In the “Metta Sutta” the Buddha has chosen the love of a mother for her child as an example. Imagine a mother’s love when her child is hungry; she watches carefully to feed her child even be fore it asks her for food. When the child is in danger, she will risk her own life. So the Buddha taught us to love all beings as a mother loves her only child. If we can do this even to a small extent, the world will become happier and more peaceful place. In the Dighanikaya, it is said by the Buddha that almost every virtue such as unselfishness, loving sympathy and loving kindness is included in this “Metta”.

Though we talked much about Metta and repeat the formula “Sabbe satta avera hontu, abyapajjha hontu etc;. “( May all sentient beings be free from danger; may they be free from oppression etc.), without Metta how can it be effective? This passage is not to be merely recited. The Buddha does not ask us to learn any of his teachings for recitation only. So the recitation of the “Metta Sutta” is good, but the Buddha did not mean it to be merely recited. He exhorted us to follow and practise the instructions in it so that we might realize Metta as the best state of heart in the world.

Therefore do not be satisfied with the mere recitation of the “Metta Sutta” but strive to know its meaning with a view to practising it and to make it suffuse your being. That is the most essential fact. Meditation does not mean merely to think about it, but to practise it in your daily life.

Discourse of loving kindness

This discourse of loving kindness serves as a mark of protection and as a subject of meditation. In the first part of the discourse are found virtues that should be practised by anyone who desires his own welfare, and in the latter part the method of practising Metta or good will is explained in de tail. The Buddha taught us to follow and practise the following principles:

He who is skilled in doing welfare, who wishes to attain the state of calm, (Perfect tranquility) must work to be efficient, upright, perfectly upright, easy to speak to, gentle and humble.

Contended, easily supportable, having few duties, simple in livelihood, controlled in sense prudent, modest and not greedily attached to families, he must not commit even the slightest sin for which other wise men might censure him.

He must contemplate so: May all beings be happy, may all beings be secure, may all beings be happy. He must radiate the measureless thoughts of loving kindness to whatever living beings there may be; feeble or strong, tall, medium or short, small, medium or large, thin, medium or stout, seen or unseen, those dwelling far or near, those who are born and those who are to be born- may all beings, without exception, be happy.

Let none be angry with another, let him not despise anyone in any place. By means of physical and verbal provocation or by frustrated enmity, in anger or ill-will let him not wish another’s suffering.

Just as a mother would protect at the risk of her own life the life of her only son, even so let him spread boundless loving kindness to every corner of the world; above, below and across, unhindered without any obstruction, without any hatred, without any enmity.

While standing, walking, sitting or lying down, as long as he awake, without sloth (laziness) he should devote himself to this mindfulness of love. This, they say, is the “Highest Conduct” and this is called the “Noble living” (Holy life).

If the meditator, not falling into wrong-view (egoism), be virtuous and endowed with perfect insight, and expel his passion for sensual pleasure, then, of a truth, he will never be conceived in any womb again.

In the Dhammapada the Buddha said, “A beautiful word or thought which is not accompanied by corresponding acts is like a bright flower which bears no fruit. It would not produce any effect.” So, it is action, not speculation, it is practice, not theory that matters. According to the Dhammapada, “will” if it is not followed by corresponding action does not count. Therefore, practice of the “Noble Principles of the Metta Sutta” is the essence of Buddhism.

In this connexion this “Metta” or Universal Love (Loving kindness) is generally taken to exist in connexion with other people, but in reality love for self comes first. It is not a selfish love, but love for self, pure love that comes first. By having pure love or “Metta” as we defined it for self; selfish tendencies, hatred, anger, will be diminished. Therefore, unless we ourselves possess “Metta” within, we can not share, radiate, send “Metta” to others. So meditation on love “Metta” is to be started within ourselves. According to Buddhism self-love comes first. By helping ourselves, we can help others effectively. The Buddha pointed out, “If a person cannot help himself well, he cannot help others well”.

In the Dhammapada it says, “One should first establish oneself in what is proper then only he should advise another; such a wise-man will not be reproached!”. If one cannot find happiness in himself, he cannot find happiness anywhere else. It is also said that people who cannot control themselves cannot find happiness.

According to the Buddhist method, training oneself comes first. Individual perfection must be first, so that the organic whole may be perfect. The state of the outer world is a reflection of our innerselves. The world is like a great mirror, and if you look at the mirror with a smiling face, you will see your own beautiful smiling face. If you look at it with a shrinking face, you will see your own ugly face. It means that “Every action must have equal and opposite reaction.”

So if you treat the world properly, kindly, the world will treat you kindly. We should not expect other persons to treat us kindly first, we should start by ourselves treating them kindly,

This is the essence of Buddhist “Metta” Loving Kindness.

“May all beings be happy, may all beings be secure, may all beings be happy minded and may their hearts be wholesome.”

U Nandiya

Taken from: http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/ebsut029.htm

How to Meditate For A healthy Mind And Body by Frank Iamin

Learning how to meditate is the same practice among many various cultures and religions. This stays true in every aspect of practicing meditation, from learning how to breathe properly, proper posture, when to meditate, picking the correct environment, planning your meditation and understanding our thoughts and emotions. When you are just learning how to meditate don’t worry too much about every little thing. Before you can begin to unwrap the many years of programming you will have to create within yourself a great desire and sense of urgency to want to change. It is necessary that you learn how to meditate the right way to get the most from your meditation experience.

Pick Your Environment
Find a room that is quiet and free from distractions and noise. Find a comfortable area that gives you a feeling of peace and serenity. The room you choose will begin to absorb the energy you create during your meditations so if at first you don’t have a perfect spot don’t fret you will be programming the spot you choose. This will help you to reach a deeper state of meditation in a shorter amount of time as you continue to program your meditation area

When Should You Meditate
It’s a good idea to pick a consistent time each day to meditate. A good time to meditate would be in the morning before you’ve been bombarded with the stresses and demands of your day. Our daily responsibilities put us under a lot of stress and the demands make it harder for us to have a good meditation when we try to meditate and relax. Be consistent with your daily morning ritual and you will notice that your day will unfold in a much different joyful pattern.

A Meditation Plan
You must choose your meditation plan when you are just beginning. You must be in the right frame of mind to have a productive meditation. Don’t meditate as soon as you get home from a long day because you will wind up spending too much time trying to relax your mind and body. A good idea would be to take a short walk to decompress from the demands of your day. If you are tired than maybe you can take a cool shower or even an energizing fresh fruit drink. It is very important to approach your meditations with the best mindset and will help you get the most out of your meditations.

Best Position
There are many different positions you can use when you are meditating but when you are just learning how to meditate it is best if you were in a seated position. Sit on the floor on a cushion or in a chair that has a straight back. Picture the energy travelling from the ground through your body and out through your head. Envision an invisible string attached to your head, which is pulling your body upright. This will give the energy a free flowing channel to travel through
Gently place your hands on your lap with your fingers relaxed and spread apart slightly. Tuck you chin down and begin to relax you jaw and your tongue. With your mouth open slightly put your tongue against the roof of your mouth. With half open eyes look out and relax your vision by seeing but not really focusing on anything. Focus you awareness and picture yourself in a trance-like state. Do the same thing with any sounds you hear, you notice the sounds but you don’t give them any importance. They become a background symphony for the experience of the meditation, having no more importance than the background noises we hear and ignore all day long.

The Breath
When you begin to learn how to meditate you will notice that your mind is jumping rapidly from thought to thought as our minds struggle to gain control once more. You must learn to let go of these thoughts and focus your attention on your breath. To stay focused on your meditation it is a good idea to count your breaths. As you breathe deep into your belly and then breathe out consider this a count of one. Begin by counting a series of 15 to 20 breaths, this will be long enough to help you to quiet your monkey mind.

Experience the Benefits Of Meditation.
You’re starting to find that place inside yourself where you are in control and your thoughts and are guided by your intentions. That place within where the mind is no longer the master of your destiny and controller of your fate. You are beginning to relax and experience what it means to be in a basic state of goodness and joy, a boundless place of deep understanding and serenity. A level of multi-dimensional consciousness that shows you once and for all that you are more than what you see on the surface. All your former illusions of self are now breaking down and you are on a journey to discover the truly divine being you are.

Become all that you were meant to be by learning how to meditate and let go of the self defeating beliefs you have built up over the years. Use these meditation techniques everyday for the best possible results.
After meditating for many years I can tell you that the benefits of meditation can’t be denied. It is my opinion and the opinion of many studies that we all will live a longer stress free life if we just learn how to meditate . Start meditating today using the above meditation techniques . It may save your life……

Related Buddhist site: http://What-Buddha-Said.net

Verses 1-50

I prostrate myself before Govinda, the true Guru and ultimate Bliss, who is the unattainable resort of all scriptures and Vedanta. 1

Human nature is the hardest of creaturely states to obtain, even more so that of manhood. Brahminhood is rarer still, and beyond that dedication to the path of Vedic religion. Beyond even that there is discrimination between self and non-self, but liberation by persistence in the state of the unity of God and self is not to be achieved except by the meritorious deeds of hundreds of thousands of lives. 2

These three things are hard to achieve, and are attained only by the grace of God – human nature, the desire for liberation, and finding refuge with a great sage. 3

He is a suicide who has somehow achieved human birth and even manhood and full knowledge of the scriptures but does not strive for self-liberation, for he destroys himself by clinging to the unreal. 4

Who could be more foolish than the man who has achieved the difficult attainment of a human body and even manhood but still neglects his true good? 5

People may quote the scriptures, make sacrifices to the gods, perform actions and pay homage to the deities, but there is no liberation without recognising the oneness of one’s own true being – not even in the lifetime of a hundred Brahmas (countless millions of years). 6

Scripture declares that there is no hope of immortality by means of wealth, so it is evident that liberation cannot be brought about by actions. 7

So let the man of understanding strive for liberation, abandoning desire for the enjoyment of external aims and pleasures, and after becoming the pupil of a good and great teacher, let him fix his mind on the goal he indicates. 8

Sunk in the sea of samsara, one should oneself rouse oneself by holding onto right understanding until one reaches the state of the attainment of union. 9

Abandoning all actions and breaking free from the bonds of achievements, the wise and intelligent should apply themselves to self-knowledge. 10

Action is for the purification of the mind, not for the understanding of reality. The recognition of reality is through discrimination, and not by even tens of millions of actions. 11

Proper analysis leads to the realisation of the reality of the rope, and this is the end of the pain of the fear of the great snake caused by delusion. 12

The realisation of the truth is seen to depend on meditation on statements about what is good, not on bathing or donations or by hundreds of yogic breathing exercises. 13

Achievement of the goal depends primarily on a fit seeker. Things like locality and time are merely secondary in this matter. 14

So he who would know his own nature should practise meditation on the subject after taking refuge with a guru who is a true knower of God and an ocean of compassion. 15

It is the wise and learned man, skilled in sorting out the pros and cons of an argument who is really endowed with the qualities necessary for self-realisation. 16

Discriminating and dispassionate, endowed with peace and similar qualities, and longing for liberation – such is the man who is considered fit to practise seeking for God. 17

The wise talk here of four qualities, possessed of which one will succeed, but without which one will fail. 18

First is listed discrimination between unchanging and changing realities, and after that dispassion for the enjoyment of the fruits of action both here and hereafter, and then the group of six qualities including peace and of course the desire for liberation. 19

“God is the Truth and the world is unreal.” It is this realisation that is considered discrimination between the permanent and the impermanent. 20

Dispassion is the turning away from what can be seen and heard and so on in everything which is impermanent, from the body up to the highest heavenly states. 21

The settling of the mind in its goal, by turning away from the mass of objects through observing their defects again and again, is known as peace. 22

The establishment of the senses each in its own source by means of turning away from their objects is known as control. The supreme restraint is in the mind function not being involved in anything external. 23

Bearing all afflictions without retaliation and without mental disturbance is what is known as patience. 24

The holding on to the knowledge of the truth of the Scriptures and the guru’s teaching is called faith. It is by means of this that reality is grasped. 25

The continual holding onto the awareness of God alone – continually, is known as concentration – not just mental self- gratification. 26

The wish to be freed by the knowledge of one’s true nature from such bonds as seeing oneself as the agent, which are contingent on the body and created by ignorance – this is desire for liberation. 27

This desire for liberation can bear fruit through dispassion, peacefulness etc. by the grace of the guru, even when only weak or mediocre. 28

It is in a man who has strong dispassion and desire for liberation though that peacefulness and so on are really fruitful. 29

But where there is a weakness in these qualities of renunciation and desire for liberation, apparent peacefulness and such like have as much substance as water in the desert. 30

Among the contributory factors of liberation, devotion stands supreme, and it is the search for one’s own true nature that is meant by devotion. 31

Others say that devotion is inquiry into the reality of one’s own nature. He who possesses the above qualities and would know the truth about his own nature should take refuge with a wise guru who can free him from his bonds. 32

The guru should be one who knows the scriptures, is blameless and a supreme knower of God. He should be at peace in God, tranquil as a fire that has run out of fuel. He should be a boundless ocean of compassion and the friend of those who seek his protection. 33

After prostrating oneself with devotion before the guru and satisfying him with prostrations, humble devotion and service, one should ask him what one needs to know. 34

Hail, lord, friend of those who bow before you, and ocean of compassion. I have fallen into this sea of samsara. Save me with a direct glance from your eye which bestows grace like nectar. 35

I am stricken by the unquenchable forest fire of samsara and blown about by unforseeable winds of circumstances. Save me from death, for I am afraid and take refuge in you, for I know of no one else to help me. 36

Good and peaceful, great men living for the good of all, and having themselves crossed the fearful torrent of becoming, with no ulterior motive help others to cross too . 37

It is the nature of great souls to act spontaneously for the relief of the distress of others, just as the moon here of itself protects the earth parched by the heat of the fierce rays of the sun. 38

Pour upon me your sweet words, imbued with the taste of God’s bliss. They spring from your lips as if poured out of a jug, and are pleasing to the ear. For I am tormented by samsara’s afflictions, like the flames of a forest fire, Lord. Blessed are those who receive even a passing glance from your eyes. 39

How can I cross this sea of changing circumstances? What should I do, what means employ? In your mercy, Lord, show me how to end the pain of samsara, for I understand nothing. 40

As he said this, tormented by the forest fire of samsara, the great Sage looked at him with a gaze full of compassion, urging him to abandon fear, now that he had taken refuge in him. 41

Out of compassion the Sage undertakes his instruction since he has come to him for help in his search for liberation, is willing to do as he is told, is pacified of mind and calm. 42

Don’t be afraid, master. Destruction is not for you. There is indeed a means of crossing the sea of samsara, the way taken by which those who have crossed over before, and I will now instruct you in it. 43

There is a certain great means which puts an end to the fear of samsara. Crossing the sea of change by means of it, you will achieve the ultimate joy. 44

Supreme understanding springs from meditating on the meaning of Vedanta, and that is followed immediately by the elimination of the pain of samsara. 45

The practice of faith, devotion and meditation are declared by scripture to be the means to liberation for a seeker after liberation. He who perseveres in these will achieve freedom from the bondage to the body, created by ignorance. 46

Linked with ignorance, your supreme self has become involved in the bonds of non self, and from that in samsara. The fire of the knowledge born from discriminating between these two will burn out the consequences of ignorance along with its very root. 47

The disciple

Out of compassion hear this question I put to you, so that when I have heard the reply from your lips I will be able to put it into practice. 48

What exactly is bondage? How does it come about and remain? How is one freed from it? What exactly is non self? What is the Supreme Self? And how does one discriminate between them? Explain this to me. 49

The guru replied

You are indeed blessed, for you have achieved the true purpose of life and sanctified your family, in that you seek deification by liberation from the bonds of ignorance. 50

Taken from: http://www.realization.org/page/namedoc0/vc/vc_1.htm

While my dad and stepmom have been gone on their transcontinental cruise through the Panama Canal this week, I’ve been looking after their house and their “child”, a mutt named Jake. My father is very attached to Jake, and my stepmom and I often joke that Jake is really my half-brother in a dog-suit. Jake’s a mix of at least three breeds, one being a chihuahua, another a terrier and who knows what else. He’s an odd dog, prone to spontaneous and wholly inexplicable yelps. We think he might have a doggie form of Tourette’s Syndrome. You get the idea.

Regardless, with his “mama and papa” away, Jake now sleeps in my bed. And he’s quite a sleeper. He’d put a prisoner to shame with the amount of shut-eye he can rack up. But ever since he started sleeping in my bed he’s woken me up early in the morning by licking my face. Not just once, but continuously, along with my hands if they’re exposed. At first, I thought he just wanted me to get up, or to feed him or to check his puppy pad. But even after doing all these things, if I lay back down he’d nuzzle himself up to my face and start licking it again. It was almost as if he was giving me a morning bath or something.

Well, this morning I solved the mystery in what can only be described as a moment of puresatori (a Zen Japanese word akin to a moment of spontaneous enlightenment, probably best compared to the feeling you get when you suddenly solve a mathematical equation after hours of struggling to grasp its principle. In other words, that “aha!” moment). But more than simply a moment of clarity, it was also a moment of absolute connection, of perfect realization. It’s hard to describe in words, actually.

This morning at about nine a.m. Jake began his daily ablutions of my face and hands. But this time, I didn’t move. I simply lay there and let him do what he was doing. And I suddenly realized there was a deeper meaning to his behavior. Something he was trying to communicate to me. He just didn’t have a way to do it other than by example. When I finally understood what he was doing, a feeling of absolute compassion and understanding flooded into me. I actually cried when it hit me.

What was he doing? Heh. After he thoroughly licked my face and hands, he looked at me and nudged his head under my hand like he wanted me to pet him. So I did. And in that instant, as I stroked my hand down his body, continuing the motion over and over as if my hand were a giant tongue, I understood: That’s how his mother washed him when he was a puppy in the mornings and he wanted, needed, to feel that again. It was an epiphany of understanding. In that moment I absolutely grasped what he needed, what he was seeking from me, and I was able to respond. Something told me he’d been taken from his mother too early and he missed that togetherness, that bonding. I couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down my face as I stroked his soft fur again and again. His expression was one of pure contentment. Someone finally understood him. It was simply amazing.

We all just want to be held in our mothers arms, after all. To feel that safety and comfort. Jake told me what he needed the only way he could and I consider myself very fortunate that I was able to listen. To understand. Even now I tear up thinking of that moment of pure communion with another being who just wanted to be accepted and held and reassured. So simple.

He taught me a lot this morning. Not bad for a mutt, eh?

Taken from: http://yojinbo-san.blogspot.com/2010/04/just-listen.html

“Mindfulness” is the English transla­tion of the Pali word sati. Sati is an activity. What ex­actly is that? There can be no precise answer, at least not in words. Words are devised by the symbolic levels of the mind, and they describe those realities with which symbolic thinking deals. Mindfulness is pre-symbolic. It is not shackled to logic. Nevertheless, mindfulness can be experienced—rather easily—and it can be de­scribed, as long as you keep in mind that the words are only fingers pointing at the moon. They are not the thing itself. The actual experi­ence lies beyond the words and above the symbols. Mindfulness could be described in completely different terms than will be used here, and each description could still be correct.

Mindfulness is a subtle process that you are using at this very moment. The fact that this process lies above and beyond words does not make it unreal—quite the reverse. Mindfulness is the reality that gives rise to words; the words that follow are simply pale shadows of reality. So, it is important to understand that everything that fol­lows here is analogy. It is not going to make perfect sense. It will always remain beyond verbal logic. But you can experience it. The meditation technique called vipassana (insight) that was introduced by the Buddha about twenty-five centuries ago is a set of mental activities specifically aimed at experiencing a state of uninterrupted mindfulness.

When you first become aware of something, there is a fleeting instant of pure awareness just before you conceptualize the thing, before you identify it. That is a state of awareness. Ordinarily, this state is short-lived. It is that flashing split second just as you focus your eyes on the thing, just as you focus your mind on the thing, just before you objectify it, clamp down on it mentally, and segregate it from the rest of existence. It takes place just before you start thinking about it—before your mind says, “Oh, it’s a dog.” That flowing, soft-focused moment of pure awareness is mindfulness. In that brief flashing mind-moment you experience a thing as an un-thing. You experience a softly flowing moment of pure experience that is inter­locked with the rest of reality, not separate from it. Mindfulness is very much like what you see with your peripheral vision as opposed to the hard focus of normal or central vision. Yet this moment of soft, unfocused awareness contains a very deep sort of knowing that is lost as soon as you focus your mind and objectify the object into a thing. In the process of ordinary perception, the mindfulness step is so fleeting as to be unobservable. We have developed the habit of squandering our attention on all the remaining steps, focusing on the perception, cognizing the perception, labeling it, and most of all, getting involved in a long string of symbolic thought about it. That original moment of mindfulness is rapidly passed over. It is the pur­pose of vipassana meditation to train us to prolong that moment of awareness.

When this mindfulness is prolonged by using proper techniques, you find that this experience is profound, and it changes your entire view of the universe. This state of perception has to be learned, how­ever, and it takes regular practice. Once you learn the technique, you will find that mindfulness has many interesting aspects.

Mindfulness is mirror-thought. It reflects only what is presently hap­pening and in exactly the way it is happening. There are no biases.

Mindfulness is nonjudgmental observation. It is that ability of the mind to observe without criticism. With this ability, one sees things without condemnation or judgment. One is surprised by nothing. One simply takes a balanced interest in things exactly as they are in their natural states. One does not decide and does not judge. One just observes. Please note that when we say, “One does not decide and does not judge,” what we mean is that the meditator observes experiences very much like a scientist observing an object under a microscope without any preconceived notions, only to see the object exactly as it is. In the same way, the meditator notices imperma­nence, unsatisfactoriness, and selflessness.

It is psychologically impossible for us to objectively observe what is going on within us if we do not at the same time accept the occur­rence of our various states of mind. This is especially true with un­pleasant states of mind. In order to observe our own fear, we must accept the fact that we are afraid. We can’t examine our own depres­sion without accepting it fully. The same is true for irritation and agitation, frustration, and all those other uncomfortable emotional states. You can’t examine something fully if you are busy rejecting its existence. Whatever experience we may be having, mindfulness just accepts it. It is simply another of life’s occurrences, just another thing to be aware of. No pride, no shame, nothing personal at stake—what is there, is there.

Mindfulness is an impartial watchfulness. It does not take sides. It does not get hung up in what is perceived. It just perceives. Mind­fulness does not get infatuated with the good mental states. It does not try to sidestep the bad mental states. There is no clinging to the pleasant, no fleeing from the unpleasant. Mindfulness treats all expe­riences equally, all thoughts equally, all feelings equally. Nothing is suppressed. Nothing is repressed. Mindfulness does not play favorites.

Mindfulness is nonconceptual awareness. Another English term for sati is “bare attention.” It is not thinking. It does not get involved with thought or concepts. It does not get hung up on ideas or opin­ions or memories. It just looks. Mindfulness registers experiences, but it does not compare them. It does not label them or categorize them. It just observes everything as if it were occurring for the first time. It is not analysis, which is based on reflection and memory. It is, rather, the direct and immediate experiencing of whatever is happening, without the medium of thought. It comes before thought in the perceptual process.

Mindfulness is present-time awareness. It takes place in the here and now. It is the observance of what is happening right now, in the present moment. It stays forever in the present, perpetually on the crest of the ongoing wave of passing time. If you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is memory. When you then become aware that you are remembering your second-grade teacher, that is mindfulness. If you then conceptualize the process and say to your­self, “Oh, I am remembering,” that is thinking.

Mindfulness is non-egotistic alertness. It takes place without ref­erence to self. With mindfulness one sees all phenomena without references to concepts like “me,” “my,” or “mine.” For example, suppose there is pain in your left leg. Ordinary consciousness would say, “I have a pain.” Using mindfulness, one would simply note the sensation as a sensation. One would not tack on that extra concept “I.” Mindfulness stops one from adding anything to perception, or subtracting anything from it. One does not enhance anything. One does not emphasize anything. One just observes exactly what is there without distortion.

Mindfulness is awareness of change. It is observing the passing flow of experience. It is watching things as they are changing. It is seeing the birth, growth, and maturity of all phenomena. It is watch­ing phenomena decay and die. Mindfulness is watching things moment by moment, continuously. It is observing all phenomena— physical, mental, or emotional—whatever is presently taking place in the mind. One just sits back and watches the show. Mindfulness is the observance of the basic nature of each passing phenomenon. It is watching the thing arising and passing away. It is seeing how that thing makes us feel and how we react to it. It is observing how it affects others. In mindfulness, one is an unbiased observer whose sole job is to keep track of the constantly passing show of the uni­verse within. Please note that last point. In mindfulness, one watches the universe within. The meditator who is developing mindfulness is not concerned with the external universe. It is there, but in medita­tion one’s field of study is one’s own experience, one’s thoughts, one’s feelings, and one’s perceptions. In meditation, one is one’s own laboratory. The universe within has an enormous fund of informa­tion containing the reflection of the external world and much more. An examination of this material leads to total freedom.

Mindfulness is participatory observation. The meditator is both participant and observer at one and the same time. If one watches one’s emotions or physical sensations, one is feeling them at that very same moment. Mindfulness is not an intellectual awareness. It is just awareness. The mirror-thought metaphor breaks down here. Mindfulness is objective, but it is not cold or unfeeling. It is the wake­ful experience of life, an alert participation in the ongoing process of living. Mindfulness is extremely difficult to define in words—not because it is complex, but because it is too simple and open. The same problem crops up in every area of human experience. The most basic concept is always the most difficult to pin down. Look at a dictionary and you will see a clear example. Long words generally have concise definitions, but for short basic words like the and is, definitions can be a page long. And in physics, the most difficult functions to describe are the most basic—those that deal with the most fundamental realities of quantum mechanics. Mindfulness is a pre-symbolic function. You can play with word symbols all day long and you will never pin it down completely. We can never fully ex­press what it is. However, we can say what it does.

There are three fundamental activities of mindfulness. We can use these activities as functional definitions of the term: (1) mindfulness reminds us of what we are supposed to be doing; (2) it sees things as they really are; and (3) it sees the true nature of all phenomena. Let’s examine these definitions in greater detail.

1. Mindfulness reminds you of what you are supposed to be doing. In meditation, you put your attention on one item. When your mind wanders from this focus, it is mindfulness that reminds you that your mind is wandering and what you are supposed to be doing. It is mindfulness that brings your mind back to the object of medita­tion. All of this occurs instantaneously and without internal dia­logue. Mindfulness is not thinking. Repeated practice in meditation establishes this function as a mental habit, which then carries over into the rest of your life. A serious meditator pays bare attention to occurrences all the time, day in, day out, whether formally sitting in meditation or not. This is a very lofty ideal toward which those who meditate may be working for a period of years or even decades. Our habit of getting stuck in thought is years old, and that habit will hang on in the most tenacious manner. The only way out is to be equally persistent in the cultivation of constant mindfulness. When mindfulness is present, you will notice when you become stuck in your thought patterns. It is that very noticing which allows you to back out of the thought process and free yourself from it. Mindful­ness then returns your attention to its proper focus. If you are medi­tating at that moment, then your focus will be the formal object of meditation. If you are not in formal meditation, it will be just a pure application of bare attention itself, just a pure noticing of whatever comes up without getting involved—“Ah, this comes up . . . and now this, and now this . . . and now this.”

Mindfulness is at one and the same time both bare attention itself and the function of reminding us to pay bare attention if we have ceased to do so. Bare attention is noticing. It reestablishes itself sim­ply by noticing that it has not been present. As soon as you are notic­ing that you have not been noticing, then by definition you are noticing and then you are back again to paying bare attention.

Mindfulness creates its own distinct feeling in consciousness. It has a flavor—a light, clear, energetic flavor. By comparison, con­scious thought is heavy, ponderous, and picky.

But here again, these are just words. Your own practice will show you the difference. Then you will probably come up with your own words, and the words used here will become superfluous. Remem­ber, practice is the thing.

2. Mindfulness sees things as they really are. Mindfulness adds nothing to perception and it subtracts nothing. It distorts nothing. It is bare attention and just looks at whatever comes up. Conscious thought pastes things over our experience, loads us down with con­cepts and ideas, immerses us in a churning vortex of plans and wor­ries, fears and fantasies. When mindful, you don’t play that game. You just notice exactly what arises in the mind, then you notice the next thing. “Ah, this . . . and this . . . and now this.” It is really very simple.

3. Mindfulness sees the true nature of phenomena. Mindfulness and only mindfulness can perceive that the three prime characteristics that Buddhism teaches are the deepest truths of existence. In Pali these three are called anicca (impermanence), dukkha (unsatisfactori­ness), and anatta (selflessness—the absence of a permanent, un­changing entity that we call soul or self). These truths are not presented in Buddhist teaching as dogmas demanding blind faith. The Buddhists feel that these truths are universal and self-evident to anyone who cares to investigate in a proper way. Mindfulness is that method of investigation. Mindfulness alone has the power to reveal the deepest level of reality available to human observation. At this level of inspection, one sees the following: (a) all conditioned things are inherently transitory; (b) every worldly thing is, in the end, unsat­isfying; and (c) there are really no entities that are unchanging or permanent, only processes.

Mindfulness works like an electron microscope. That is, it oper­ates on so fine a level that one can actually directly perceive those realities that are at best theoretical constructs to the conscious thought process. Mindfulness actually sees the impermanent charac­ter of every perception. It sees the transitory and passing nature of everything that is perceived. It also sees the inherently unsatisfactory nature of all conditioned things. It sees that there is no sense grab­bing on to any of these passing shows. Peace and happiness cannot be found that way. And finally, mindfulness sees the inherent selflessness of all phenomena. It sees the way that we have arbitrarily selected a certain bundle of perceptions, chopped them off from the rest of the surging flow of experience, and then conceptualized them as separate, enduring entities. Mindfulness actually sees these things. It does not think about them; it sees them directly.

When it is fully developed, mindfulness sees these three attri­butes of existence directly, instantaneously, and without the inter­vening medium of conscious thought. In fact, even the attributes that we just covered are inherently unified. They don’t really exist as sep­arate items. They are purely the result of our struggle to take this fundamentally simple process called mindfulness and express it in the cumbersome and inadequate thought symbols of the conscious level. Mindfulness is a process, but it does not take place in steps. It is a holistic process that occurs as a unit: you notice your own lack of mindfulness; and that noticing itself is a result of mindfulness; and mindfulness is bare attention; and bare attention is noticing things exactly as they are without distortion; and the way they are is impermanent (anicca), unsatisfactory (dukkha), and selfless (anatta). It all takes place in the space of a few mind-moments. This does not mean, however, that you will instantly attain liberation (freedom from all human weaknesses) as a result of your first moment of mindfulness. Learning to integrate this material into your conscious life is quite another process. And learning to prolong this state of mindfulness is still another. They are joyous processes, however, and they are well worth the effort.

Taken from: http://www.shambhala.com/html/learn/features/buddhism/basics/mindfulness.cfm

Chapter 16 from Mindfulness In Plain English by H. Gunaratana Mahathera

You can expect certain benefits from your meditation. The initial ones are practical, prosaic things; the later stages are profoundly transcendent. They run together from the simple to the sublime. We will set forth some of them here. Your own experience is all that counts.

Those things that we called hindrances or defilements are more than just unpleasant mental habits. They are the primary manifestations of the ego process itself. The ego sense itself is essentially a feeling of separation — a perception of distance between that which we call me, and that which we call other. This perception is held in place only if it is constantly exercised, and the hindrances constitute that exercise.

Greed and lust are attempts to get ’some of that’ for me; hatred and aversion are attempts to place greater distance between ‘me and that’. All the defilements depend upon the perception of a barrier between self and other, and all of them foster this perception every time they are exercised. Mindfulness perceives things deeply and with great clarity. It brings our attention to the root of the defilements and lays bare their mechanism. It sees their fruits and their effects upon us. It cannot be fooled. Once you have clearly seen what greed really is and what it really does to you and to others, you just naturally cease to engage in it. When a child burns his hand on a hot oven, you don’t have to tell him to pull it back; he does it naturally, without conscious thought and without decision. There is a reflex action built into the nervous system for just that purpose, and it works faster than thought. By the time the child perceives the sensation of heat and begins to cry, the hand has already been jerked back from the source of pain. Mindfulness works in very much the same way: it is wordless, spontaneous and utterly efficient. Clear mindfulness inhibits the growth of hindrances; continuous mindfulness extinguishes them. Thus, as genuine mindfulness is built up, the walls of the ego itself are broken down, craving diminishes, defensiveness and rigidity lessen, you become more open, accepting and flexible. You learn to share your loving-kindness.

Traditionally, Buddhists are reluctant to talk about the ultimate nature of human beings. But those who are willing to make descriptive statements at all usually say that our ultimate essence or Buddha nature is pure, holy and inherently good. The only reason that human beings appear otherwise is that their experience of that ultimate essence has been hindered; it has been blocked like water behind a dam. The hindrances are the bricks of which the dam is built. As mindfulness dissolves the bricks, holes are punched in the dam and compassion and sympathetic joy come flooding forward. As meditative mindfulness develops, your whole experience of life changes. Your experience of being alive, the very sensation of being conscious, becomes lucid and precise, no longer just an unnoticed background for your preoccupations. It becomes a thing consistently perceived.

Each passing moment stands out as itself; the moments no longer blend together in an unnoticed blur. Nothing is glossed over or taken for granted, no experiences labeled as merely ‘ordinary’. Everything looks bright and special. You refrain from categorizing your experiences into mental pigeonholes. Descriptions and interpretations are chucked aside and each moment of time is allowed to speak for itself. You actually listen to what it has to say, and you listen as if it were being heard for the very first time. When your meditation becomes really powerful, it also becomes constant. You consistently observe with bare attention both the breath and every mental phenomenon. You feel increasingly stable, increasingly moored in the stark and simple experience of moment-to-moment existence.

Once your mind is free from thought, it becomes clearly wakeful and at rest in an utterly simple awareness. This awareness cannot be described adequately. Words are not enough. It can only be experienced. Breath ceases to be just breath; it is no longer limited to the static and familiar concept you once held. You no longer see it as a succession of just inhalations and exhalations; it is no longer some insignificant monotonous experience. Breath becomes a living, changing process, something alive and fascinating. It is no longer something that takes place in time; it is perceived as the present moment itself. Time is seen as a concept, not an experienced reality.

This is simplified, rudimentary awareness which is stripped of all extraneous detail. It is grounded in a living flow of the present, and it is marked by a pronounced sense of reality. You know absolutely that this is real, more real than anything you have ever experienced. Once you have gained this perception with absolute certainty, you have a fresh vantage point, a new criterion against which to gauge all of your experience. After this perception, you see clearly those moments when you are participating in bare phenomena alone, and those moments when you are disturbing phenomena with mental attitudes. You watch yourself twisting reality with mental comments, with stale images and personal opinions. You know what you are doing, when you are doing it. You become increasingly sensitive to the ways in which you miss the true reality, and you gravitate towards the simple objective perspective which does not add to or subtract from what is. You become a very perceptive individual. From this vantage point, all is seen with clarity. The innumerable activities of mind and body stand out in glaring detail. You mindfully observe the incessant rise and fall of breath; you watch an endless stream of bodily sensations and movements; you scan a rapid succession of thoughts and feelings, and you sense the rhythm that echoes from the steady march of time. And in the midst of all this ceaseless movement, there is no watcher, there is only watching.

In this state of perception, nothing remains the same for two consecutive moments. Everything is seen to be in constant transformation. All things are born, all things grow old and die. There are no exceptions. You awaken to the unceasing changes of your own life. You look around and see everything in flux, everything, everything, everything. It is all rising and falling, intensifying and diminishing, coming into existence and passing away. All of life, every bit of it from the infinitesimal to the Indian Ocean, is in motion constantly. You perceive the universe as a great flowing river of experience. Your most cherished possessions are slipping away, and so is your very life. Yet this impermanence is no reason for grief. You stand there transfixed, staring at this incessant activity, and your response is wondrous joy. It’s all moving, dancing and full of life.

As you continue to observe these changes and you see how it all fits together, you become aware of the intimate connectedness of all mental, sensory and affective phenomena. You watch one thought leading to another, you see destruction giving rise to emotional reactions and feelings giving rise to more thoughts. Actions, thoughts, feelings, desires — you see all of them intimately linked together in a delicate fabric of cause and effect. You watch pleasurable experiences arise and fall and you see that they never last; you watch pain come uninvited and you watch yourself anxiously struggling to throw it off; you see yourself fail. It all happens over and over while you stand back quietly and just watch it all work.

Out of this living laboratory itself comes an inner and unassailable conclusion. You see that your life is marked by disappointment and frustration, and you clearly see the source. These reactions arise out of your own inability to get what you want, your fear of losing what you have already gained and your habit of never being satisfied with what you have. These are no longer theoretical concepts — you have seen these things for yourself and you know that they are real. You perceive your own fear, your own basic insecurity in the face of life and death. It is a profound tension that goes all the way down to the root of thought and makes all of life a struggle. You watch yourself anxiously groping about, fearfully grasping for something, anything, to hold onto in the midst of all these shifting sands, and you see that there is nothing to hold onto, nothing that doesn’t change.

You see the pain of loss and grief, you watch yourself being forced to adjust to painful developments day after day in your own ordinary existence. You witness the tensions and conflicts inherent in the very process of everyday living, and you see how superficial most of your concerns really are. You watch the progress of pain, sickness, old age and death. You learn to marvel that all these horrible things are not fearful at all. They are simply reality.

Through this intensive study of the negative aspects of your existence, you become deeply acquainted with dukkha, the unsatisfactory nature of all existence. You begin to perceive dukkha at all levels of our human life, from the obvious down to the most subtle. You see the way suffering inevitably follows in the wake of clinging, as soon as you grasp anything, pain inevitably follows. Once you become fully acquainted with the whole dynamic of desire, you become sensitized to it. You see where it rises, when it rises and how it affects you. You watch it operate over and over, manifesting through every sense channel, taking control of the mind and making consciousness its slave.

In the midst of every pleasant experience, you watch your own craving and clinging take place. In the midst of unpleasant experiences, you watch a very powerful resistance take hold. You do not block these phenomena, you just watch them, you see them as the very stuff of human thought. You search for that thing you call ‘me’, but what you find is a physical body and how you have identified your sense of yourself with that bag of skin and bones. You search further and you find all manner of mental phenomena, such as emotions, thought patterns and opinions, and see how you identify the sense of yourself with each of them. You watch yourself becoming possessive, protective and defensive over these pitiful things and you see how crazy that is. You rummage furiously among these various items, constantly searching for yourself–physical matter, bodily sensations, feelings and emotions–it all keeps whirling round and round as you root through it, peering into every nook and cranny, endlessly hunting for ‘me’.

You find nothing. In all that collection of mental hardware in this endless stream of ever-shifting experience all you can find is innumerable impersonal processes which have been caused and conditioned by previous processes. There is no static self to be found; it is all process. You find thoughts but no thinker, you find emotions and desires, but nobody doing them. The house itself is empty. There is nobody home.

Your whole view of self changes at this point. You begin to look upon yourself as if you were a newspaper photograph. When viewed with the naked eyes, the photograph you see is a definite image. When viewed through a magnifying glass, it all breaks down into an intricate configuration of dots. Similarly, under the penetrating gaze of mindfulness, the feeling of self, an ‘I’ or ‘being’ anything, loses its solidity and dissolves. There comes a point in insight meditation where the three characteristics of existence–impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and selflessness– come rushing home with concept-searing force. You vividly experience the impermanence of life, the suffering nature of human existence, and the truth of no self. You experience these things so graphically that you suddenly awake to the utter futility of craving, grasping and resistance. In the clarity and purity of this profound moment, our consciousness is transformed. The entity of self evaporates. All that is left is an infinity of interrelated non-personal phenomena which are conditioned and ever changing. Craving is extinguished and a great burden is lifted. There remains only an effortless flow, without a trace of resistance or tension. There remains only peace, and blessed Nibbana, the uncreated, is realized.

Taken from: http://ariyavansa.org/sp-home/sp-018/

HAPPINESS

All beings desire happiness always, happiness without a tinge of sorrow. At the same time everybody loves himself best. The cause for love is only happiness. So, that happiness must lie in one. Further that happiness is daily experienced by everyone in sleep, when there is no mind. To attain that natural happiness one must know oneself. For that, Self-Enquiry, ‘Who am I?’ is the chief means. 1

CONSCIOUSNESS

Existence or Consciousness is the only reality. Consciousness plus waking we call waking. Consciousness plus sleep we call sleep. Consciousness plus dream, we call dream. Consciousness is the screen on which all the pictures come and go. The screen is real, the pictures are mere shadows on it. 2

MIND

Mind is a wonderful force inherent in the Self.

That which arises in this body as ‘I’ is the mind.

When the subtle mind emerges through the brain and the senses, the gross names and forms are cognized. When it remains in the Heart names and forms disappear… If the mind remains in the Heart, the ‘I’ or the ego which is the source of all thoughts will go, and the Self, the Real, Eternal ‘I’ alone will shine. Where there is not the slightest trace of the ego, there is the Self. 3

“WHO AM I?” – ENQUIRY

For all thoughts the source is the ‘I’ thought.

The mind will merge only by Self-enquiry ‘Who am I?’ The thought ‘Who am l?’ will destroy all other thoughts and finally kill itself also. If other thoughts arise, without trying to complete them, one must enquire to whom did this thought arise. What does it matter how many thoughts arise? As each thought arises one must be watchful and ask to whom is this thought occurring. The answer will be ‘to me’. If you enquire ‘Who am I?’ the mind will return to its source (or where it issued from). The thought which arose will also submerge. As you practise like this more and more, the power of the mind to remain as its source is increased. 4

SURRENDER

There are two ways of achieving surrender. One is looking into the source of the ‘I’ and merging into that source. The other is feeling ‘I am helpless myself God alone is all powerful and except throwing myself completely on Him, there is no other means of safety for me’, and thus gradually developing the conviction that God alone. exists and the ego does not count. Both methods lead to the same goal. Complete surrender is another name for jnana or liberation. 5

THE THREE STATES: WAKING,DREAM AND SLEEP

There is no difference between the dream and the waking state except that the dream is short and the waking long. Both are the result of the mind. Our real state is beyond the waking, dream and sleep states, called turiya. 6

GRACE AND GURU

I have not said that a Guru is not necessary. But a Guru need not always be in human form. First a person thinks that he is an inferior and that there is a superior, all-knowing, all powerful God who controls his own and the world’s destiny and worships him or does Bhakti. When he reaches a certain stage and becomes fit for enlightenment, the same God whom he was worshipping comes as Guru and leads him on. That Guru comes only to tell him ‘That God is within yourself. Dive within and realize’. God, Guru and the Self are the same. 7

SELF-REALIZATION

The state we call realization is simply being oneself, not knowing anything or becoming anything. If one has realized, he is that which alone is, and which alone has always been. He cannot describe that state. He can only be That. Of course we loosely talk of self-realization for want of a better term.

That which ‘Is’ is peace. All that we need do is to keep quiet. Peace is our real nature. We spoil it. What is required is that we cease to spoil it. 8

HEART

In the centre of the cavity of the Heart the sole Brahman shines by itself as the atman (Self) in the feeling of ‘I’-'I’. Reach the Heart by diving within yourself, either with control of breath, or with thought concentrated on the quest of Self. You will thus get fixed in the Self. 9

RENUNCIATION

Asked ‘How does a grihastha (householder) fare in the scheme of Moksha (liberation)?’ Bhagavan said, ‘Why do you think you are a grihastha? If you go out as sanyasi (ascetic), a similar thought that you are a sanyasi will haunt you. Whether you continue in the household or renounce it and go to the forest, your mind goes with you. The ego is the source of all thought. It creates the body and the world and makes you think you are a grihastha . If you renounce the world it will only substitute the thought sanyasi for grihastha and the environments in the forest for those of the household. But the mental obstacles will still be there. They even increase in the new surroundings. There is no help in change of environment. The obstacle is the mind. It must be got over whether at home or in the forest. If you can do it in the forest, why not at home? Therefore, why change your environment? Your efforts can be made even now – in whatever environment you are now. The environment will never change according to your desire’. 10

FATE AND FREEWILL

Freewill and destiny are ever existent. Destiny is the result of past action; it concerns the body. Let the body act as may suit it. Why are you concerned about it? Why do you pay attention to it. Freewill and destiny last as long as the body lasts. But jnana transcends both. The Self is beyond knowledge and ignorance. Whatever happens, happens as the result of one’s past actions, of divine will and of other factors.

There are only two ways to conquer destiny or be independent of it. One is to enquire for whom is this destiny and discover that only the ego is bound by destiny and not the Self and that the ego is non-existent.

The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, by realizing one’s helplessness and saying all the time, ‘Not I, but Thou oh Lord’ and giving up all sense of ‘I’ and mine, and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you. Complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through self-enquiry or bhakti marga (Path). 11

JNANI

A jnani has attained Liberation even while alive, here and now. It is immaterial to him as to how, where and when he leaves the body. Some jnanis may appear to suffer, others may be in samadhi; still others may disappear from sight before death. But that makes no difference to their jnana. Such suffering is apparent, seems real to the onlooker, but not felt by the jnani, for he has already transcended the mistaken identity of the Self with the body.

The jnani does not think he is the body. He does not even see the body. He sees only the Self in the body. If the body is not there, but only the Self, the question of its disappearing in any form does not arise. 12

PRACTICE, DEDICATION AND DEVOTION

In the light of the life and teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, the devotees of Arunachala Ashrama believe that spiritual practice (sadhana) is essential. Peace, joy and immortality are available to those aspirants who dedicate themselves to the practice of meditation and Self-enquiry, devotion and dedication. The Grace of the Guru is always present, but this Grace is only fully experienced by those few sincere sadhakas (spiritual aspirants) who devote their lives to the practice of the teachings.

We believe that Sri Ramana Maharshi did not live for his time alone. His presence and guidance can be experienced now just as when he was physically present. Those who turn to him with sincere aspiration and longing, those who try their best to apply his teachings, will feel his Grace and guidance. There is no doubt about this.

In Arunachala Ashrama, Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi remains the teacher and Guru. Lectures and discussions may have a place in an aspirant’s life, but Arunachala Ashrama is maintained in a manner that allows visitors and residents to absorb the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi through silence. His teachings are always being disseminated in Silence, and to hear them we must silence our mind. Lectures and discussions can obscure His silent teaching in the Heart.

“Silence is the ocean in which all the rivers of all the religions discharge themselves.”
-Thayumanavar

GURU

Sri Maharshi did say that a Guru was necessary. He also said that the Guru may not be external, as in his case. Again, upon his physical demise he said that he was not leaving, as he was never identified with the body; meaning, he is present even now.

The truth is that no one can give us liberation. The way can be pointed out, directions can be given. Our intense earnestness and total dedication to the goal is the most essential factor. If we become obsessed with this one thing – realizing Truth-Truth, a physical Guru (if necessary) and all else will be drawn to us automatically. The Guru will come to us when we are ready. We simply need to attend to making ourselves ready and the rest is automatic. For those with faith in the Maharshi’s living presence there are no doubts in this matter.

Taken from: http://www.arunachala.org/ramana/teachings/

Each week, spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra responds to Oprah.com users’ questions with enlightening advice to help them live their best lives.

Q: I need help. How do I quiet my mind when meditating? I have been trying for a long time without any success. Thank you for all the wonderful contributions you make and share with us.

— Virginia S., Cape Town, South Africa

Dear Virginia,
Thank you for the kind words. In meditation, any attempt to quiet the mind using force won’t work. The everyday mind is full of thoughts, feelings, sensations, worries, daydreams and fantasies. But at a deeper level, the mind begins in silence. Finding that level deeper than thought is the essence of meditation.

Here are some clues about how to make your meditation work:

• Have no expectations. Sometimes the mind is too active to settle down. Sometimes it settles down immediately. Sometimes it goes quiet, but the person doesn’t notice. Anything can happen.
• Be easy with yourself. Meditation isn’t about getting it right or wrong. It’s about letting your mind find its true nature.
• Don’t stick with meditation techniques that aren’t leading to inner silence. Unless you transcend the everyday mind, you aren’t truly meditating. Find a technique that works more or less automatically. In India, there are many kinds of mantra meditation, for example. Or simply follow the in and out of your breathing, not paying attention to your thoughts at all. The mind wants to find its source in silence. Give it a chance by letting go.
• Make sure you are alone in a quiet place to meditate. Unplug the phone. Make sure no one is going to disturb you.
• Really be there. If your attention is somewhere else, thinking about your next appointment, errand or meal, of course you won’t find silence. To meditate, your intention must be clear and free of other obligations.

Love,
Deepak

Each week, spiritual teacher Deepak Chopra responds to Oprah.com users’ questions with enlightening advice to help them live their best lives.

Q: I am learning about living a more spiritual life. I am slowly realizing my connection with God. I attempted meditation and had a beautiful, frightening experience. It was beautiful because it was the most beautiful light and a promise that I will have everything I most want and frightening because this light and this love came from within me and without me. I don’t believe this is a “normal” meditative experience, and it’s kept me from attempting meditation since. I’m intimidated by this experience, and though I consider it a good experience, I am concerned what may happen next time. I am concerned for my mental health, perhaps. What did I experience? How do I meditate correctly? Please leave my last name off, if this is addressed publicly. I don’t want any attention, just some guidance. Thank you for your time. Your writings have influenced me and my life immeasurably, which have influenced my guidance of my children, which can only help the future. Thank you for sharing your gifts.

— Denise, Maple Falls, Washington

Dear Denise,
Thanks for asking a question that will prove helpful to many other people. Experiences in mediation can be anything. They come unpredictably because the mind by nature is unpredictable. Labeling an experience good or bad isn’t part of the process. In meditation, we want to achieve clarity and reach deeper into ourselves. Once your mind is given the opportunity to find itself, a process begins that is complex, multifaceted and basically automatic. You don’t need to pay attention, just as you don’t stare at a bruise every minute to see how it’s healing.

I’m sorry that your first experience continues to trouble you. It might be a vivid stress and nothing more. It might be an indication of a level of consciousness that you never realized was open to you. Whatever it was, you probably won’t know and don’t need to. Meditation works over a long period, so staying the course is the most important thing.

So, what to do next? I’d suggest a simple return to meditation in the most nonthreatening way possible. Find a quiet room and a comfortable time of the day (not at night). Close your eyes and follow your breathing as it moves in and out. Do this for five minutes and then open your eyes. Lie down and rest for a few minutes more. Having performed this simple meditation for a week, or until you feel completely comfortable that nothing is going to happen of a disturbing nature, move back to your former meditation if you wish. Otherwise, there are countless meditation teachers to counsel you, especially if you continue to feel a bit doubtful or fragile inside.

Love,
Deepak

The Buddha Nature in the Context of
the Three Dharmachakras

I would like to extend my greetings and my appreciation to all of you for having taken the time to receive these instructions. I have been asked to present an introduction to Buddhism, the Buddhadharma, “the teachings of Lord Buddha.” What I wish to talk about is a very important topic from the final cycle of the teachings which Buddha Shakyamuni gave to us. The principal theme of this cycle of teachings is the Buddha nature. Before I begin discussing this subject, though, I wish to remind you that we need to be free of the three faults while listening to the holy Dharma. The three faults are compared with a vessel or cup. The first fault is being inattentive, compared with a cup turned upside down that cannot hold what is poured into it. The second fault is being inconsiderate of the contents, compared with a cup with holes in the bottom. The third fault is being distracted by disturbing emotions while receiving the teachings, compared with a cup filled with poison that contaminates anything poured into it. We need to be free of all three faults and generate the pure motivation to attain enlightenment for the welfare of all living beings without exception. We listen to the holy Dharma for this purpose and aspire to integrate the teachings in our lives accordingly.

Generally, the teachings that have come down to us from Buddha Shakyamuni are extremely vast and profound. The reason for this spread of both profundity and extent is basically the very different motivations, propensities, and capabilities of individual people. Some of the teachings that the Buddha presented were directed towards people who were very much in the midst of their daily obligations. Others were provisional teachings intended to lead a person into a deeper appreciation. And some of the teachings were about how things actually are, what we call “the definitive” or “certain section of teachings.” The vast body of instructions is generally known these days as “the three cycles” or “the three Dharmachakras.” The first cycle, which was the initial formulation of the Buddha’s experience, is concerned with the Four Noble Truths. The second cycle is known as “the teachings of no characteristics,” and the third cycle – which will be our principal theme here – is known alternatively as “complete differentiation,” “perfect delineation” or, probably more familiarly, “the teachings of the Buddha nature.”

The First Dharmachakra

The first cycle of teachings is known as the teachings on the Four Noble Truths. The First Noble Truth is basically concerned with an exposition of the suffering and frustration we experience in our lives; it grants a very clear understanding of the dismay and unsatisfactory nature of ordinary experiences in conditioned existence. In the Second Truth, Lord Buddha explained at great length the source or cause of this dissatisfaction, which fundamentally is the emotional concerns – which arise in all of us – and the process by which those motivations turn into suffering. This comes to a delineation of the workings of karma, how an action becomes a seed and produces a certain result. From that he demonstrated a way of life or path that will lead one to become free of suffering, how to live in a way that will dissolve the dissatisfaction of existence, the Third Truth, which is the path. He showed very clearly how this path would lead to the dissolution of suffering, the Fourth Truth, which has come to be known as nirvana, the “transcendence of misery.” You see from the above that the principal focus of the three cycles of teachings was on suffering – its causes, its manifestation, and its cessation. Because the context is suffering, the natural inclination and main message of the teachings is how we can become free of suffering itself.

How do we actually make use of that perspective? What do we have to do in order to clear away suffering, frustration, and the unsatisfactory nature of our lives? Lord Buddha was very careful to distinguish between the experiences we have of the world around us and the suffering – the frustration, the lack of satisfaction – in our lives, which comes from the way we interpret those experiences. It isn’t simply the world and what we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch that are the actual cause for the lack of satisfaction in our lives. It is much more the way we approach and interact with our experiences that cause a lack of satisfaction. This lack of satisfaction comes from the supposition that drives us to see ourselves always as someone who is experiencing something – we see ourselves to exist as someone in opposition to the world. From this perspective, the presence of the sense of ourselves in discordance with the world is the basis for an unhappy experience of life. So, Lord Buddha, in the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, or the first cycle of teachings, elaborated that sense we have of ourselves as existing in opposition to the world.

When we look at it, we see that experiences can arise without any need of a sense of the self. So, through calming the mind, through morality, by acting ethically in body and speech, through training the mind – learning how to restrain the mind so it doesn’t react emotionally – and through developing a calmness which allows for a development of insight into how the mind is and how we react, we come to appreciate that the sense of self, that we feel strongly to be, is actually false. However, an intellectual understanding of this is not by itself sufficient, rather insight needs to develop and grow in us until it becomes a functional and operative understanding. This is essentially the method by which one comes to be free of suffering according to the first cycle of teachings.

Generally speaking, most people have the impression that a religious life – in our context Buddhism – and a worldly or an ordinary life are contradictory, that both don’t have very much in common nor relate to each other at all. Furthermore, there is the erroneous supposition that Buddhism teaches a way to stop all experiences so that we can cease experiencing the world, so that we are free to block everything out. Both assumptions are quite wrong and show very mistaken impressions of Buddhism. In fact, the very opposite is much more so the case. Buddhism is solely concerned with how to live in a way in which we do not experience life as unsatisfactory, as meaningless. Buddhism is really focused on how we live, not about getting away from life. As I mentioned, the first of the Four Noble Truths is the truth of suffering, that life is unsatisfactory, that we do experience frustration and pain. This is valid for all of us and isn’t a teaching on how to get away from things; on the contrary, it is a teaching on how to pay attention to just what our life is made up of and how it is usually experienced. Rather than thinking up ways to escape from suffering, the approach in Buddhism is much more to understand suffering and what it means to be discontent. When we really understand what it means to be unhappy and how pain arises, then we know what to focus our attention on, namely on removing the source of dissatisfaction from our experience. And the source of dissatisfaction, according to the Buddha’s teachings, is the negative emotions we feel.

One of the principal ways we remove the negative emotions is through developing a very clear, a very ethical approach to life. We take the workings of karma into account, i.e., we appreciate that all our actions are seeds, that only and alone our actions condition us to experience specific results. If the actions are negative, the results we will inevitably experience will be painful. Therefore, far from teaching us to flee from life or to try to escape from suffering, Buddhism is actually concerned with leading us to understand what our life consists of, what suffering means, how it arises, and what we can actually do about it. The first cycle of teachings is really concerned with helping us understand the nature of dissatisfaction in our lives and shows us how to resolve that.

The Second Dharmachakra

The second cycle of teachings Lord Buddha presented is known as “being without signs,” “being without characteristics.” It deals with what our experiences are actually made of, what all the things we experience are, how they really are.

When we look at how experiences are, we see that the way they are is fundamentally different from the way we perceive and conceive of them as being. If we look at any particular phenomenon we experience – even the smallest and most insignificant object or event – we see it is made up of many, many factors which have come together to make that particular object a possibility of experience. This statement strongly suggests that there is no object present, whereas objects do exist as a coming together of many conditions. However, we do not see objects as the product of many conditions – we simply see things as independent objects. We are particularly predisposed to seeing things as independent objects, because we feel we ourselves have substantial existence. This is what is known as “clinging to a sense of an individual self.” We see ourselves in opposition to the world and consequently turn ourselves into an “own thing.” We then proceed to turn everything that makes up the world into “other things,” what is known as “the self of phenomena,” “the self we impute on all experiences.” However, when we look at what we actually experience, we see that we simply experience the coming together of many, many different factors, many different conditions, and that nothing has any existence in its own right. This is the essence of the second cycle of the teachings.

We have to be very careful here because many misconceptions can arise at this point. One might feel that saying there is no actual object present means that nothing exists. This would be quite a serious mistake. These teachings do not say that nothing exists nor do they imply that something exists. In Buddhism, we call the view believing nothing exists “nihilism” and the view believing something exists “eternalism,” the notion that things exist forever while they don’t. The view according to the Second Turning of the Wheel of Dharma or cycle of teachings does not adhere to eternalistic nor nihilistic ideas. We feel that something really exists, but when we look, we see that all experiences are simply the product of many different factors, so it can’t be the case that something really exists. On the other hand, when we say nothing exists, we are immediately confronted with our personal experience that something is going on, so we can’t say nothing exists. The point is to come to an understanding that the designations “existent” and “non-existent” are not accurate descriptions of the world, which is the reason why the second cycle of teachings is termed “the great middle way” – the great middle way goes beyond all philosophical postulates and extremes.

The way we practice the great middle way is to generate and develop what is known in Buddhism as “awakening mind,” awakening to our relationship to the world and awakening to the way the world is. Awakening to the way the world is means awakening to emptiness and awakening to our relationship to the world means awakening to compassion. So, we have the principles of loving kindness, compassion, and the awakening mind as the key principles in the second cycle of teachings. Many of you may have heard the term “emptiness” and wonder what it means. It is a key principle that needs to be understood exactly in how it works and its role in the cycle of teachings.

We cannot understand a concept such as emptiness merely through intellectual reasoning or study in any way. No matter how much we may reason philosophically, no matter what logic we may be able to come up with, the way we see and experience the world will still be in terms of existents, and just this contradicts the way the world actually is. On the other hand, we may feel emptiness refers to nothing, there being nothing, like the emptiness in a box – for instance, there is no “thing” in the box. We feel emptiness means there is nothing going on and we try to understand the world that way, which would be an even greater mistake, because it directly contradicts our own experiences in every instant.

Emptiness refers to “a middle way” and doesn’t simply mean absence or nothing, because there is a very wonderful capability or quality that arises in conjunction with the understanding of emptiness. This is what we know as Bodhichitta or, to translate it, as “awakening mind” or “awakening heart.” Bodhichitta is the natural manifestation of compassion and concern for others, which comes with the appreciation of the ineffable nature of all phenomena. So, the main theme of the second cycle of teachings is not that nothing exists or that something exists, it is that our experience is beyond any conceptualization. When we actually begin to experience the world and ourselves from that angle, then we find ourselves awakening to a very rich and wonderful engagement in the world, one that is characterized by compassion and gentleness.

In the first cycle of teachings it was taught that life is unsatisfactory. The Four Noble Truths help us understand the nature of this dissatisfaction and how to resolve it. In the second cycle of teachings it was taught that our experiences cannot be characterized, they are free of the extremes of eternalism and nihilism. The third cycle speaks about the Buddha nature.

The Third Dharmachakra

We find a very important and very wonderful teaching being presented in the Third Dharmachakra, namely that every sentient being is not fundamentally different from an awakened Buddha, that every living being has what we term “the Buddha nature.” This does not mean that there is some “thing” inside each of us that can be pointed to as “the Buddha nature,” that could grow into a Buddha. The idea that there might be something inside us of this kind is eliminative according to the teachings of the second cycle. However, the Buddha nature is nothing other than what we always and already are.

As it is, we live our lives in great confusion, and the teachings on the Buddha nature suggest this confusion. All disturbing emotions, the pain and distortions that we consider and define as “our experiences” are but incidental impurities and are not fundamentally what we in truth are. The Buddha nature is ever-present and manifests when all the confusion of ordinary experiences is cleared away; it is the empty, clear or radiant, and open mind. It is no “thing” in itself. And the empty, clear or radiant and open mind is never different from the mind of a Buddha, a Fully Awakened Being, i.e., we ourselves are not different from a Buddha, except for the presence of incidental impurities. According to these teachings, there is really no difference between the Buddha nature as taught in the third cycle and with awakening mind, which was mentioned in association with the second cycle of teachings. Awakening mind is “awakening to how the world is,” and Buddha nature is “the potential for awakening” – they are not two different things but are intricately entwined since one of the principles of awakening mind is a compassionate attitude towards ourselves and others.

You will notice that some people are naturally compassionate. It doesn’t matter who approaches them, everyone likes them, feels comfortable with and trusts them. That kind of spontaneous trust, inspiration, calm, and ease indicate the presence of the Buddha nature in that person. Some people seem to be naturally angry, aggressive, short-tempered, and so forth. The teachings say that anger isn’t the fundamental nature of an individual; the disturbing emotions are incidental impurities, adventitious stains that can be cleared away.

According to the third cycle of teachings, everybody has the Buddha nature – everybody has the potential to awaken. As individuals, there is no fundamental distinction, there is no difference between anyone, there is no basis for prejudice or discrimination present in any of us. There is also no justification to privilege one person against another, since we all fundamentally have the same nature. The only difference between us is the extent to which that nature is actually manifest or not. The more impurities or confusion we have, the less that nature manifests. The less impurities, the more that nature manifests. So, the task then becomes one of enabling the Buddha nature to manifest purely and fully in our lives. We do this by going back to the first cycle of teachings, which discusses karma, how we act, what we do on a day-to-day basis, the ethical actions of learning restraint, of learning how to perform virtue, and how to avoid non-virtue. These practices allow the Buddha nature to manifest. We can also look at the second cycle of teachings, which is principally concerned with the development of love, compassion, and the two aspects of awakening mind, awakening to our relationship to the world and awakening to how the world is. It is through the practice of these instructions that we can clear away our own confusion so that our true nature – the adamantine ground – manifests purely and fully.

Questions

Question: If Buddha nature is the fundamental reality, then why do impurities exist?
His Eminence: The point here is not an explanation of why there are the incidental impurities but on how we experience things now. In answer to your question, the incidental impurities we were discussing are an experience of ignorance, of not knowing. What does ignorance or not knowing refer to? The lack of experiential, direct understanding of how we are. That lack of understanding is present and overwhelms us, so we do not perceive ourselves or the world correctly. While our mind or essential nature is empty and clear – that is one way it is described – misunderstanding causes us to perceive emptiness as a “thing,” which we take to be a self. That assumption causes us to perceive and conceive the clarity that arises in the mind as “something else” or “other.” Both the notion of “self” and “other” are duality. It is ignorance or the misunderstanding and the propensity for duality that are the cause for incidental impurities.

Question: Rinpoche, you said that a religious life and a worldly life can be united. The teachings appear to be separate. It appears that if we learn to practice religion, we are encouraged to take vows and then have to return to worldly ways – then we’re on our own. I believe we could say we can put them together and here we are.
Rinpoche: We learn how to practice, and many practitioners spend considerable time in retreat. How do we join what we practice with how we actually are? Is that your question? Really, when we get down to it, our practice is best when it permeates every aspect of our lives and everything we do, whether we are walking, sleeping, sitting, or eating. Everything we experience becomes a reminder or an opportunity to practice mindfulness and awareness. Every interaction we have with another individual is an opportunity to practice not being self-centered or not regarding the world as originating with oneself. Being open and acknowledging the feelings and needs of another person is something we may find in the practice of taking and sending, for instance. This is what we learn to practice. It is intended to be used to completely permeate our lives so that everything we do is a response in that way.

Question: Rinpoche, would you tell us why the Four Noble Truths are called “noble.”
Rinpoche: They are called “noble truths” because they aren’t ordinary statements that are just true. They have a level of truth and profundity that makes them very special.

Question: How do we gain experience of emptiness or an understanding of what emptiness is?
Rinpoche: By studying and reflecting the teachings one will come to some understanding. A direct understanding arises when there is no longer an experience of something being understood – understanding is not separate from what is understood. That’s when the understanding of emptiness really arises.
The entire topic of emptiness needs to be approached with a great deal of caution, because there are so many misunderstandings here. People take emptiness and make it into a thing, which is one form of misunderstanding; they conceptualize it and try to load it on everything they encounter – a major deviation. So, the topic really requires heedful analysis and training. What is very important here is that you have access to and rely on instructions from an authentic teacher who can guide you in this area.

Question: How do we deal with clinging in our relationships, such as parent and child, child and parents, wife and husband, and so forth?
Rinpoche: This is a source of concern for many people, and I encourage you not to worry about this at all. Many people feel if one dispenses with clinging, one won’t have any relationships. This is not what happens. Basically, the clinging present in the relationship is the source for the problems that may arise in relationships. As one becomes clearer and more and more free of clinging, the relationship becomes deeper, closer, and less problematic.

Question: Would someone like myself, who has not gone through a period of purification practice, benefit from the Kalachakra initiation?
Rinpoche: It certainly wouldn’t be a sign of disrespect if you felt interested and wish to attend the empowerment. If you feel inspired and confident, the empowerment will likely benefit you. Nevertheless, it is best to approach it with some understanding and awareness of what it means and involves.

Question: What happens to the Buddha nature at the time of death?
Rinpoche: At the time of death, when the structures of consciousness disintegrate, we experience what we truly are, which is the Buddha nature; this occurs in the first intermediate state following the death process. If an individual has trained during life and has some experience, then at that time a practitioner becomes completely free by realizing his or her own nature.

Question: Experiencing what we are, what is that which experiences?
Rinpoche: To answer your question directly as it was posed, one would say the mind is what understands how we are. But, to be more precise, we would rather say at that point there is no differentiation between what is understood and the understanding.
Student: So, are we in a certain sense a center of awareness?
Rinpoche: In a sense.

Question: What is the most efficient method of clearing away obscurations?
Rinpoche: Generally speaking, to be present with mindfulness and awareness in every moment and every area of our lives. On the basis of that mindfulness and awareness, to do what is virtuous and to avoid what is non-virtuous. Put another way, with the basis of mindfulness and awareness, to always be motivated with the wish to be helpful to others. That will naturally lead us to engage in virtue and to avoid what is non-virtuous. More particularly, there are specific practices within the tradition, such as the preliminary practices that are very effective ways of clearing away obscurations.

Question: It seems that in order to realize the Buddha nature, it takes a great deal of practice, it is very difficult, and takes a great deal of commitment. Is the only way to do this to become a monk or nun?
Rinpoche: There isn’t a single path we could say is the path everybody should follow, because we are all very different. Some persons have greater obscurations than others, some have more abilities than others, so there isn’t a single course everyone should follow. It’s an individual matter, but it may be helpful for you to become a nun.

Thank you very much.

May virtue increase!

Presented at the Karma Kagyu Center in Toronto, Canada, 1990. Translated from Tibetan by Ken McLeod. Transcribed by Gaby Hollmann in 1990. Copyright Jamgon Kongtrul Labrang, Pullahari, Nepal, 2007.

Taken from: http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/jkrnature.htm

It is important for the meditator to have a thorough knowledge of the Five Nivarana, or the Five Mental Hindrances, since they cloud the mind, cause suffering, and are the worst enemies of Samadhi.

The mind in its natural state is extremely pure (pabhassara) and free from hindrances. However, it has been clouded because of the visiting defilements. As the Buddha has said,

“Pabhassaramidam bhikkhave cittam tanca kho

akantukehi uppakkilesehi uppakkilittham”

Meaning,

“Monks, naturally the mind is bright, but by the visit of

defilements, it is polluted.”

In this case, the words “Pabhassarmidam” and “cittam” or the ‘bright mind’ refer to the mind that is free from mental hindrances. However, it does not mean that the mind is absolutely free from defilements because if it were, there would be no need for us to get rid of them. But since it is not yet free from all defilements, it still needs purification.*

So ‘the bright mind’ means the mind without visiting impurities, which are the middle form of defilements. This mind is not yet free from the subtle form of passions which are the delicate, subtle kind of defilements. They cannot be destroyed by the power of samadhi; only wisdom (panna) can destroy them.

Therefore, nivarana or the middle level of defilements will be explained here so that the miditator will be well acquainted with them. Like the policeman who must know the name or the face of a criminal so that he can arrest the right person, the meditator must be able to identify these mental hindrances so that they can be eliminated. If the policeman does not know the criminal or his past deeds, then unless the crime is committed in his presence, he will not be able to arrest the criminal. Similarly, if the meditator does not know about these mental hindrances, then they cannot be ‘arrested’ and eliminated.

For example, a wise doctor must carefully examine his patient until the cause of disease is clearly known and understood so that he can effectively cure it; likewise, the miditator must study and know well the middle level defilements clouding his mind so that they can be easily and effectively eradicated.

These visiting defilements that cloud the mind are called “Agantuka-kilesa”. “Agantuka” means ‘visitors’, like those who come to our houses. Some agantuka are nice and they get invitations to visit. But most agantuka-kilesa that visit our minds are not invited and are always harmful; whenever they pay a visit, they sadden and darken the mind.

This agantuka-kilesa or the visiting defilements that prevent the mind from being pure is called Nivarana. “Nivarana” means ‘impediments, obstructions, or hindrances’. It is the unwholesomeness that impedes a person from accomplishing the development of the mind, obstructs one from gaining Samadhi, keeps one from being blissful, and causes suffering. This Nivarana is like robbers who block a road, preventing cars from passing through so that they can rob the passengers.

The five kinds of Nivarana are :

1. Lustful or sensual desire (Kamachanda),

2. Ill-will, hatred, or anger (Vyapada),

3. Sloth and torpor (Thina-middha),

4. Restlessness and worry (Uddhacca-kukkucca), and

5. Doubts or hesitation (Vicikiccha).

“Kamachanda” means ‘lustful or sensual desire’. Sometimes it is called “Kama-raga” or addiction to sensual desire, that is, being immediately drawn to the five sensual objects, for example, visible objects or forms, tastes, smells, sounds, and delightful touches on the bodies of the opposite sex or of the same sex.

Whosoever delights in these sensual objects will have a burning mind and will feel agitated. So this kind of defilement is called “Ragaggi” or the “Fire of passion”. It is the fire that burns the mind, darkening it so it cannot see truth. The mind overpowered by this passionate burning will torture, trouble, and disturb the owner, who will always be free from happiness.

“Vyapada” means ‘ill-will’ or ‘hatred’ and it is one kind of fire that burns worldly beings and makes them restless. It is called “Dosakkhi” or the “Fire of anger”. This kind of mental hindrance gradually grows first as “patigha” meaning ‘irritation and being discontent with any being or object’. If this feeling does not cease, it will accumulate to become “kodha” or ‘wrathful passion’ which, if not stopped, will become “Dosa” or ‘Anger’. People with dosa may scold, curse, or even hurt those whom they dislike.

Unrestrained anger will become vyapada, which is one kind of Nivarana. Excessive ill-will or hatred then escalates into a desire for retribution. The difference between ill-will and retribution is that, in ill-will the feeling may disappear after one has taken vengeance. But this is not true for retribution. With retribution there will be an escalation into an endless feud. Ill-will is like tying a knot temporarily, whereas retribution is like a permanent knot which is exceedingly difficult to untie. Hence, retribution is more harmful than vyapada. However, all are the fire of defilement which prevents the mind from being peaceful. They must be eradicated before the meditator can achieve peace of mind.

Thina-middha (sloth and torpor) is the third kind of Nivarana. Thina and Middha are not one single word and are not the same defilement but are complements of each other. They usually darken the mind together. Thina means ‘sloth’ and Middha means ‘torpor’ or ‘drowsiness’. These two defilements are like molds that destroy plants. When they control the mind, the person feels weak, dull, unwieldy, and does not want to make any effort or do any good for himself or society.

An aspirant may notice that on certain days he does not feel like meditating or does not want to perform his daily duties. Even with a lot of rest or sleep he still feels drowsy and lazy and yawns continuously. If this is not caused by physical problems, then it must be that his mind is overpowered by these two defilements and he becomes weak, dull, drowsy, and does not want to speak. He is unhappy because of the power of thina-middha. Unless they are eradicated, an aspirant cannot cultivate Samadhi.

Uddhacca-kukkuca are unwholesome mental factors and they also are complementary to cach other. “Uddhacca” means ‘restlessness’, “Kukkuca” means ‘worry’. Usually, when the mind is restless, people tend to be easily annoyed. Such people become unhappy, moody, and feel bored or irritated with the words of others and loud noises. Sometimes they are moody even when approached with polite words. Sometimes one may feel gloomy but not annoyed if he only has sloth and not torpor. But for some aspirants, uddhacca and kukkuca may occur simultaneously, so they are both restless and annoyed at the same time.

These two passions, uddhacca and kukkuca, are like viruses or flus that weaken people and make them feeble. They take hold of most people’s minds daily and make many people unhappy by disturbing their peace of mind. Currently, the government is building more and more mental hospitals for people with nervous disorders since more people in big cities are now facing various kinds of economic problems, as well as the problems of living in society. Problems caused by these two defilements are the most effective killers of people’s happiness.

So it is necessary for us to know and recognize them so that we can get rid of them easily. Unless we rid ourselves of them, they will recur day after day, making people gloomy or annoyed and preventing them from achieving happiness. Some who make attempts can rid themselves of these defilements. However, charity and observing precepts cannot destroy or eradicate mental hindrances, only Samadhi is powerful enough to eliminate them.

“Vicikiccha”, which is ‘doubt’ or ‘uncertainty’, is one of the most effective impediments to mental development. This is not an intellectual doubt, but it is doubt in relation to practice such as wondering whether merit and sin or heaven and hell exist, whether it is fruitful to practice meditation, or whether the practice really leads to spiritual progress, and so on.

A doubter of sin and merit does not perform merit making for fear of being a loser if, in reality, there is no benefit to be gained from the merit making. But at the same time he dares not do evil deeds, fearing that he will suffer if sin exist. Therefore, to be on the safe side, he does neither evil nor good deeds because of his doubts.

Sometimes one may feel uncertain about the way one is taught meditation practice, “Are the principles taught right? Is it right to sit this way? Is it right to meditate this way? Is it right to do the walking meditation this way?” With all these doubts one becomes lost in thought, absent-minded, and refuses to cultivate Samadhi, fearing that he will suffer a loss or become insane. Therefore his mind remains wavering, unsteady, and he cannot find peace. Hence, no progress in mental development can be achieved.

This is like the person with high expectations in life, but who is always afraid to make a decisions as to what kind of job he should take. If he goes into a trading business, then he is afraid of losses. If he is to be a farmer, he is afraid that the yield may not be sold. If he goes to work for the government or into private business, then he is afraid of not being successful. So he remains indecisive, doing nothing. As long as he has doubts, indecision, and perplexity, no progress is possible.

A person given to doubt, who does not know how to proceed in life or in the practice of meditation, can be compared with one who is lost in a deep forest and comes to stand at the mid-point of intersecting paths where there stands a big tiger at the entrance to each path. He cannot make a move in any direction since he is afraid of the tigers. In the same manner a person beset by doubt, either in life or in spiritual practice, cannot decide on any path. So this kind of mental hindrance must be dispelled before one’s mind can be developed.

The Five Mental Hindrances discussed above are considered hindrances to one’s peace and happiness since they cloud the mind and pollute the mind’s naturally pure state. The mind, in its truly natural state, is extremely bright and can be compared to gold, which is flawless. Gold is pure, soft (malleable), beautiful, and very valuable. But its quality will be considered the opposite and it will be devalued if it is mixed with any of the following:

1. iron (ayo)

2. copper (loham)

3. tin (tipu)

4. lead (sisam) and

5. silver (sajjham)

Similarly, the normally bright mind can be overruled by any of the Five Hindrances and this will cause the mind to be clouded, disturbed, and troubled. So the Buddha taught us to rid ourselves of these Five Hindrances by cultivating meditation. The five hindrances are the defilements that obstruct people’s progress and happiness. According to the Dighanikaya, the Buddha compared the person overpowered by these mental hindrances with:

1. A debtor,

2. A patient,

3. A prisoner,

4. A slave, and

5. A traveler in hostile terrain.

A debtor will never feel at ease. He is worried by thoughts that the creditor will ask him to repay the debt in full, the interest will increase, or the property deposit will be taken away if he does not make haste to repay the debt, and so on. So he suffers and is unhappy in the same manner as one who is obstructed by mental hindrances and who never finds real peace.

A patient suffers from disease and is prevented from being happy because of the pain, for example, a headache hurts the head and a stomachache hurts the stomach, etc. Certain kinds of illness hurt him in other parts of the body. This is just like the mind harassed by any of these five mental hindrances. As long as one is overpowered by mental hindrances, he will have nervous problems caused by the visiting defilements.

Take for example a prisoner who loses his freedom. Being in jail, he is agitated, frantic, bored, and unhappy. Likewise, a person possessed by mental hindrances is not free and it is impossible for him to make spiritual progress.

A slave can do nothing without permission. He can go nowhere because he must wait on the master and do everything ordered by him, so he suffers and is unhappy. Even the servants of today, who serve in households, are ordered to perform duties until they have no free time for themselves, not to mention the slaves of long ago who were in much worse situations. Just as slaves cannot do whatever or go wherever they want, so too, a person under the power of mental hindrances cannot do what he knows is good and right. He is unhappy because his master, Nivarana, orders him to do everything its own way; he is truly the slave of Nivarana.

A traveler in hostile terrain must go uphill and down dale, across creeks and deep chasms, face wild animals and meet with various troubles, and sometimes take no sleep and go without food because the path is wild and barren. As he wanders he feels insecure, disoriented, and afraid and he suffers throughout the long journey. Similarly, a person disturbed by any of the Five Nivarana will never be happy because each kind of Nivarana is like a hill, a creek, a chasm, a wild animal, or a wild and unknown path.

A person who can free his mind from the Five Hindrances is very lucky and virtuous since he is entering into Dhamma in Buddhism. He has passed the middle level of practice and is no longer a debtor, a patient, a prisoner, nor a slave and will arrive safely at his destination.

In short, the cultivation of Samadhi establishes peace of mind, clears the path of life, and yields more virtues than performing charitable acts and keeping the precepts pure. It is the basis for the cultivation of Insight meditation (vipassana), which is the ultimate goal in Buddhism.

Taken from: http://www.mahamakuta.inet.co.th/english/b-way%289%29.html

http://www.al-masumeen.com/quran/syed…

THE RECITOR IS SADAQAT ALI

Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) said:
‘Everything has a bride, and the bride of the Qur’an is Surrah Al Rahman’

The Holy Prophet has also said:
“Whoever reads it, Allah will have mercy on his weakness and be regarded as having thanked Allah for it”

Imam Jaffer al-Sadiq (a.s.) has said:
“Allah will brighten the face of everyone who recites it often on the day of Judgement”

Sura Rahman is often regarded as “THE BEAUTY OF THE QURAN”

This is the only Surah of the Quran in which besides men the jinn also, who are the other creation of the earth endowed with freedom of will and action, have been directly addressed, and both men and jinn have been made to realize the wonders of Allah’s power, His countless blessings, their own helplessness and accountability before Him, and have been warned of the evil consequences of His disobedience and made aware of the best results of His obedience. Although at several other places in the Quran there are clear pointers to show that like the men the jinn too are a creation who have been endowed with freedom of will and action and are accountable, who have been granted the freedom of belief and unbelief, of obedience and disobedience, and among them too there are the believers and the unbelievers, the obedient and the rebellious, as among human beings, and among them too there exist such groups as have believed in the Prophets sent by God and in the Divine Books, this Surah clearly points out that the message of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and the Quran is meant both for men and for jinn and that his Prophethood is not restricted to human beings alone.

Although in the beginning of the Surah the address is directed only to human beings, for to them only belongs the vicegerency of the earth, among them only have the Messengers of Allah been raised, and in their tongues only have the Divine Books been revealed, yet from verse 13 onward both the men and the jinn have been addressed and one and the same invitation has been extended to both.

Listen to this audio dharma talk here:
http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/

In the early centuries after the Buddha’s passing away, as Buddhism became a popular religion, the idea was formalized that there were three paths to awakening to choose from: the path to awakening as a disciple of a Buddha (s›vaka); the path to awakening as a private Buddha (pacceka-buddha), i.e., one who attained awakening on his own but was not able to teach the path of practice to others; and the path to awakening as a Rightly Self-awakened Buddha (samm› sambuddha). Each path was defined as consisting of perfections (p›ramı) of character, but there was a question as to what those perfections were and how the paths differed from one another. The Therav›dins, for instance, specified ten perfections, and organized their J›taka collection so that it culminated in ten tales, each illustrating one of the perfections. The Sarv›stiv›dins, on the other hand, specified six perfections, and organized their J›taka collection accordingly.

Download the entire teaching here: http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/StudyGuides/TheTenPerfections.pdf

The Noble Eightfold Path describes the way to the end of suffering, as it was laid out by Siddhartha Gautama. It is a practical guideline to ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachments and delusions; and it finally leads to understanding the truth about all things. Together with the Four Noble Truths it constitutes the gist of Buddhism. Great emphasis is put on the practical aspect, because it is only through practice that one can attain a higher level of existence and finally reach Nirvana. The eight aspects of the path are not to be understood as a sequence of single steps, instead they are highly interdependent principles that have to be seen in relationship with each other.

1. Right View

Right view is the beginning and the end of the path, it simply means to see and to understand things as they really are and to realize the Four Noble Truth. As such, right view is the cognitive aspect of wisdom. It means to see things through, to grasp the impermanent and imperfect nature of worldly objects and ideas, and to understand the law of karma and karmic conditioning. Right view is not necessarily an intellectual capacity, just as wisdom is not just a matter of intelligence. Instead, right view is attained, sustained, and enhanced through all capacities of mind. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things. Since our view of the world forms our thoughts and our actions, right view yields right thoughts and right actions.

2. Right Intention

While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.

3. Right Speech

Right speech is the first principle of ethical conduct in the eightfold path. Ethical conduct is viewed as a guideline to moral discipline, which supports the other principles of the path. This aspect is not self-sufficient, however, essential, because mental purification can only be achieved through the cultivation of ethical conduct. The importance of speech in the context of Buddhist ethics is obvious: words can break or save lives, make enemies or friends, start war or create peace. Buddha explained right speech as follows: 1. to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully, 2. to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others, 3. to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others, and 4. to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth. Positively phrased, this means to tell the truth, to speak friendly, warm, and gently and to talk only when necessary.

4. Right Action

The second ethical principle, right action, involves the body as natural means of expression, as it refers to deeds that involve bodily actions. Unwholesome actions lead to unsound states of mind, while wholesome actions lead to sound states of mind. Again, the principle is explained in terms of abstinence: right action means 1. to abstain from harming sentient beings, especially to abstain from taking life (including suicide) and doing harm intentionally or delinquently, 2. to abstain from taking what is not given, which includes stealing, robbery, fraud, deceitfulness, and dishonesty, and 3. to abstain from sexual misconduct. Positively formulated, right action means to act kindly and compassionately, to be honest, to respect the belongings of others, and to keep sexual relationships harmless to others. Further details regarding the concrete meaning of right action can be found in the Precepts.

5. Right Livelihood

Right livelihood means that one should earn one’s living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.

6. Right Effort

Right effort can be seen as a prerequisite for the other principles of the path. Without effort, which is in itself an act of will, nothing can be achieved, whereas misguided effort distracts the mind from its task, and confusion will be the consequence. Mental energy is the force behind right effort; it can occur in either wholesome or unwholesome states. The same type of energy that fuels desire, envy, aggression, and violence can on the other side fuel self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right effort is detailed in four types of endeavors that rank in ascending order of perfection: 1. to prevent the arising of unarisen unwholesome states, 2. to abandon unwholesome states that have already arisen, 3. to arouse wholesome states that have not yet arisen, and 4. to maintain and perfect wholesome states already arisen.

7. Right Mindfulness

Right mindfulness is the controlled and perfected faculty of cognition. It is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Usually, the cognitive process begins with an impression induced by perception, or by a thought, but then it does not stay with the mere impression. Instead, we almost always conceptualize sense impressions and thoughts immediately. We interpret them and set them in relation to other thoughts and experiences, which naturally go beyond the facticity of the original impression. The mind then posits concepts, joins concepts into constructs, and weaves those constructs into complex interpretative schemes. All this happens only half consciously, and as a result we often see things obscured. Right mindfulness is anchored in clear perception and it penetrates impressions without getting carried away. Right mindfulness enables us to be aware of the process of conceptualization in a way that we actively observe and control the way our thoughts go. Buddha accounted for this as the four foundations of mindfulness: 1. contemplation of the body, 2. contemplation of feeling (repulsive, attractive, or neutral), 3. contemplation of the state of mind, and 4. contemplation of the phenomena.

8. Right Concentration

The eighth principle of the path, right concentration, refers to the development of a mental force that occurs in natural consciousness, although at a relatively low level of intensity, namely concentration. Concentration in this context is described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, i.e. concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions. The Buddhist method of choice to develop right concentration is through the practice of meditation. The meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step. Through this practice it becomes natural to apply elevated levels concentration also in everyday situations.

Taken from: http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html

Oneself, indeed, is one’s savior, for what other savior would there be?
With oneself well controlled the problem of looking for external savior is solved, — (Dhammapada 166)

As the Buddha was about to pass away, His disciples came from everywhere to be near Him. While the other disciples were constantly at His side and in deep sorrow over the expected loss of their Master, a monk named Attadatta went into his cell and practised meditation. The other monks, thinking that he was unconcerned about the welfare of the Buddha, were upset and reported the matter to Him. The monk, however, addressed the Buddha thus, ‘Lord as the Blessed One would be passing away soon, I thought the best way to honour the Blessed One would be by attaining Arahantship during the lifetime of the Blessed One itself.’ The Buddha was pleased by his attitude and his conduct and said that one’s spiritual welfare should not be abandoned for the sake of others.

In this story is illustrated one of the most important aspects of Buddhism. A person must constantly be on the alert to seek his own deliverance from Samsara, and his ’salvation’ must be brought about by the individual himself. He cannot look to any external force or agency to help him to attain Nibbana.

People who do not understand Buddhism criticize this concept and say that Buddhism is a selfish religion which only talks about the concern for one’s own freedom from pain and sorrow. This is not true at all. The Buddha states clearly that one should work ceaselessly for the spiritual and material welfare of all beings, while at the same time diligently pursuing one’s own goal of attaining Nibbana. Selfless service is highly commended by the Buddha.

Again, people who do not understand Buddhism may ask, ‘It may be all right for the fortunate human beings, in full command of their mental powers, to seek Nibbana by their own efforts. But what about those who are mentally and physically or even materially handicapped? How can they be self-reliant? Do they not need the help of some external force, some god or deva to assist them?

The answer to this is that Buddhists do not believe that the final release must necessarily take place in one life time. The process can take a long time, over the period of many births. One has to apply oneself, to the best of one’s ability, and slowly develop the powers of self reliance. Therefore, even those who are handicapped mentally, spiritually and materially must make an effort, however small, to begin the process of deliverance.

Once the wheels are set in motion, the individual slowly trains himself to improve his powers of self-reliance. The tiny acorn will one day grow into a mighty oak, but not overnight. Patience is an essential ingredient in this difficult process.

For example, we know from experience how many parents do everything in their power to bring up their children according to the parents’ hopes and aspirations. And yet when these children grow up, they develop in their own way, not necessarily the way the parents wanted them to be. In Buddhism, we believe that while others can exert an influence on someone’s life, the individual will in the end create his own kamma and be responsible for his own actions. No human being or deva can, in the final analysis, direct or control an individual’s attainment of ‘the ultimate salvation’. This is the meaning of self-reliance.

This does not mean that Buddhism teaches one to be selfish. In Buddhism, when someone seeks, by his own effort, to attain Nibbana, he is determined not to kill, steal, tell lies, lust after others, or lose the control of his senses through intoxication. When he controls himself thus he automatically contributes to the happiness of others. So is not this so-called ’selfishness’ a good thing for the general welfare of others?

On a more mundane level it has been asked how the lower forms of life can extricate themselves from a mere meaningless round of existence. Surely in that helpless state some benevolent external force is necessary to pull the unfortunate being from the quicksand. To answer this question we must refer to our knowledge of the evolution theory. It is clearly stated that life begin in very primitive forms?no more than a single cell floating in the water. Over millions of years these basic life forms evolved and became more complex, more intelligent. It is at this more intelligent level that life forms are capable of organization, independent thought, conceptualization and so on.

When Buddhists talk about the ability to save oneself, they are referring to life forms at this higher level of mental development. In the earlier stages of evolution kammic and mental forces remain dormant, but over countless rebirths, a being raises itself to the level of independent thought and becomes capable of rational rather than instinctive behavior. It is at this state that the being becomes aware of the meaninglessness of undergoing endless rebirths with its natural concomitants of pain and sorrow. It is then that the being is capable of making its determination to end rebirth and seek happiness by gaining enlightenment and Nibbana. With this high level of intelligence, the individual is indeed capable of self-improvement and self-development.

We all know human beings are born with very varying levels of intelligence and powers of reasoning. Some are born as geniuses, while at the other end of the spectrum, others are born with very low intelligence. Yet every being has some ability to distinguish between choices or options, especially when they concern survival. If we extend this fact of survival even to the animal world we can distinguish between higher and lower animals, with this same ability (in varying degrees of course) to make choices for the sake of survival.

Hence, even a lower form of life has the potential to create a good kamma, however limited its scope. With the diligent application of this and the gradual increase of good kamma a being can raise itself to higher levels of existence and understanding.

To look at this problem from another angle, we can consider one of the earliest stories that have been told to show how the Buddha-to-be first made the initial decision to strive for Enlightenment. A great many rebirths before the Buddha was born as Siddharta, he was born as an ordinary man.

One day while traveling in a boat with his mother, a great storm arose and the boat capsized, throwing the occupants into the angry sea. With no thought for his personal safety, the future Buddha carried his mother on his back and struggled to swim to dry land. But so great was the expanse of water ahead of him that he did not know the best route to safety. When he was in this dilemma, not knowing which way to turn, his bravery was noticed by one of the devas. This deva could not physically come to his aid, but he was able to make the future Buddha know the best route to take. The young man listened to the deva and both he and his mother were saved. There and then he made a firm determination not to rest until he had finally gained Enlightenment.

This story illustrates the fact that Buddhists can and do seek the help of devas in their daily life. A deva is a being who by virtue of having acquired great merit (like the king of the devas) is born with the power to help other beings. But this power is limited to material and physical things. In our daily existence, we can seek help of the devas (when misfortune strikes, when we need to be comforted, when we are sick or afraid, and so on).

The fact that we seek the aid of these devas means that we are still tied to the material world. We must accept the fact that by being born we are subject to physical desires and needs. And it is not wrong to satisfy these needs on a limited scale. When the Buddha advocated the Middle Path, He said that we should neither indulge ourselves in luxury nor completely deny ourselves the basic necessities of life.

However, we should not stop at that. While we accept the conditions of our birth, we must also make every effort, by following the Noble Eightfold Path, to reach a level of development where we realize that attachment to the material world creates only pain and sorrow.

As we develop our understanding over countless births, we crave less and less for the pleasures of the senses. It is at the stage that we become truly self-reliant. At this stage, the devas cannot help us anymore, because we are not seeking to satisfy our material needs.

A Buddhist who really understands the fleeting nature of the world practises detachment from material goods. He is not unduly attached to worldly goods. Therefore he shares these goods freely with those who are more unfortunate than he is — he practises generosity. In this way again a Buddhist contributes to the welfare of others.

When the Buddha gained Enlightenment as a result of His own efforts, He did not selfishly keep this knowledge to Himself. Rather, He spent no less than forty five years imparting His knowledge not only to men and women but even to the devas. This is Buddhism’s supreme example of selflessness and concern for the well-being of all living things.

It is often said that the Buddha helped devotees who were in trouble not through the performance of miracles such as restoring the dead to life and so on, but through His acts of wisdom and compassion.

In one instance, a woman named Kisa Gotami went to seek the help of the Buddha in restoring her dead child to life. Knowing that He could not reason with her as she was so distressed and overwhelmed with grief, the Buddha told her that she should first obtain a handful of mustard seeds from a person who had never lost a dear one through death. The distracted woman ran from house to house and while everyone was only too willing to give her the mustard seeds, no one could honestly say that he or she had not lost a dear one through death. Slowly, Kisa Gotami came to the realization that death is a natural occurrence to be experienced by any being that is born. Filled with this realization she returned to the Buddha and thanked Him for showing her the truth about death.

Now, the point here is that the Buddha was more concerned with the woman’s understanding about the nature of life than giving her temporary relief by restoring her child to life — the child would have grown old and still have died. With her greater realization Kisa Gotami was able not only to come to terms with the phenomenon of death but also to learn about the cause of sorrow through attachment. She was able to realize that attachment causes sorrow, that when attachment is destroyed, then sorrow is also destroyed.

Therefore in Buddhism, a person can seek the help of external agencies (like devas) in the pursuit of temporal happiness, but in the later stages of development when attachment to the worldly conditions ceases, there begins the path towards renunciation and enlightenment for which one must stand alone. When a man seeks to gain liberation, to break away from the endless cycle of birth and death, to gain realization and enlightenment, he can only do this by his own efforts, by his own concentrated will power.

Buddhism gives great dignity to man. It is the only religion which states that a human being has the power to help and free himself. In the later stages of his development, he is not at the mercy of any external force or agency which he must constantly please by worshipping or offering sacrifices.

Taken from: http://www.buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/whatbudbeliev/191.htm

Section 1

Shurangama Mantra – Section 2, 3 – Slow version

Download Shurangama Mantra Memorization Guide: http://www.ayurveda-california.com/Shurangama/Shurangama_Mantra_Lines.doc

If one loses the resolve to cultivate all good roots, one is still engaging in demonic deeds. (FAS )
Deviant views and the three ‘poisons’ are the demon king. (PS 307)

When one’s inner fire departs, a demon takes possession. (Chinese saying)

In Buddhism the word translated as ‘demon’ is the Sanskrit , which means ‘bringer of death’. The Chinese translation is often explained as meaning , another character with the same sound which means to rub or polish. Therefore, it has been said:

Demons come to polish the Way,
Those on the True Way have to endure demons.
The more you get polished, the brighter you get;
You’ll be polished until you’re like the autumn moon,
Which illumines all the demon hordes in empty space.
When the demon hordes are scattered,
Then the original Buddha manifests. (TT 66)

There are Four Kinds of Demons: 1) demons which are afflictions, 2) demons which are illnesses, 3) the demon of death, and 4) heavenly demons. The first three can be said to be internal demons and the fourth, external demons.

The head of the heavenly demons is Mara the Evil One, who rules over the Sixth Desire Heaven (see Six Desire Heavens). The demons of that heaven derive their bliss from preying on the energies of other beings. They are particularly threatened by those who practice on the spiritual pathways that reach beyond their realms and finally lead to genuine enlightenment.

Mara, the king of demons, is the principal enemy of the Buddha and his Dharma. Buddha Shakyamuni himself related:

On one occasion Ananda, I was resting under the goat herd’s Nigrodha tree on the bank of the river Neranjara immediately after having reached the great enlightenment. Then Mara, the Evil One, came, Ananda, to the place were I was, and standing beside me he addressed me in the words: ‘Pass away now, Lord, from existence! Let the Exalted One now die! Now is the time for the Exalted One to pass away!’

And when he had thus spoken, Ananda, I addressed Mara, the Evil One, and said: ‘ I shall not pass away, O Evil One! until not only the brethren and sisters of the Order, but also the lay disciples of either sex shall have become true hearers, wise and well-trained, ready and learned, carrying the doctrinal books in their memory, masters of the lesser corollaries that follow from the larger doctrine, correct in life, walking according to the precepts–until they, having thus themselves learned the doctrine, shall be able to tell others of it, preach it, make it known, establish it, open it, minutely explain it and make it clear–until they, when others start vain doctrine, easy to be refuted by the truth, shall be able in refuting it to spread the wonder working truth abroad! I shall not die until this pure Dharma of mine shall have become successful, prosperous, wide-spread, and popular in all its full extent–until in a word, it shall have been well proclaimed among men!’ ( II, 120-121)

At another time, this encounter took place:

And Mara the wicked One went to the place where the Blessed One was; having approached him, he addressed the Blessed One in the following stanza: ‘Thou art bound by all fetters, human and divine. Thou art bound by strong fetters. Thou wilt not be delivered from me, O Samana.’

Buddha replied: `I am delivered from all fetters, human and divine. I am delivered from the strong fetters. Thou art struck down, O Death.’

(Mara said): ‘The fetter which pervades the sky, with which mind is bound, with that fetter I will bind thee. Thou wilt not be delivered from me, O Samana.’

(Buddha replied): ‘Whatever forms, sounds, odours, flavours, or contacts there are which please the senses, in me desire for them has ceased. Thou art struck down, O Death.’

Then Mara the wicked one understood: ‘The Blessed One knows me, the perfect One knows me,’ and, sad and afflicted, he vanished away. ( I, 11, 2)

This gives a detailed explanation of the relation between failure to follow the fundamental Buddhist moral precepts and entrance into the realms of demonic experience and, subsequently, rebirth in those realms. The Sutra also indicates that the following are fundamental ways people become susceptible to demonic influence: 1) by mistaking that which is not enlightenment for enlightenment; 2) by mistaking one who is not enlightened for one who is enlightened; 3) by being overcome by one’s own ‘demonic’ habits of mind; and 4) by being overcome by external demonic forces that are attracted to one’s own demonic tendencies.

Spiritual powers only become demonic when one becomes attached to them or when one takes them for a sign of enlightenment. They occur naturally on the meditational path as a by-product of cultivation. However, they also can occur as a sign of demonic possession. In the latter case the power is that of a demon and not that generated by the person’s own mind.

The also contains a most powerful mantra (see Shurangama Mantra) for subduing all types of demonic forces.

Taken from: http://www.drba.org/dharma/btts/9xxentrydetail.asp?wid=79

Emotions reflect intentions.
Therefore, awareness of emotions leads to awareness of intentions.
Every discrepancy between a conscious intention and the emotions that accompany it,
points directly to a splintered aspect of the self that requires healing.
Gary Zukav

PRIDE

Pride is defined as an exaggerated positive evaluation of oneself, often based on a devaluation of others. It results in a kind of attachment to oneself and aversion to others.

TRANSFORM: inferiority feelings, fears for attack create a shield, leading to isolation
WITH: observation, analysis, equanimity, courage and tong-len.
ASK: Who caused my: education, intelligence, beautiful body, money? Does someone with self-confidence need to be proud?
INTO: self-confidence, honesty with yourself & others, fearlessness, gratitude, friendship, equanimity.

“…to have greater self-awareness or understanding means to have a better grasp of reality. Now, the opposite of reality is to project onto yourself qualities that are not there, ascribe to yourself characteristics in contrast to what is actually the case. For example, when you have a distorted view of yourself, such as through excessive pride or arrogance, because of these states of mind, you have an exaggerated sense of your qualities and personal abilities. Your view of your own abilities goes far beyond your actual abilities. On the other hand, when you have low self-esteem, then you underestimate your actual qualities and abilities. You belittle yourself, you put yourself down. This leads to a complete loss of faith in yourself. So excess–both in terms of exaggeration and devaluation–are equally destructive. lt is by addressing these obstacles and by constantly examining your personal character, qualities, and abilities, that you can learn to have greater self-understanding. This is the way to become more self-aware.”
From “The Art of Happiness at Work” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.

“One of the main obstacles is our pride. This pride is an inflated state of mind and relies on our false view of the transitory collection, which focuses on the existent self, attributed to our body and mind, and distorts it. When we are on top of a very high mountain, we look down on all the lower peaks. Similarly, when we are full of pride, everyone else appears lower. We are the best and everyone else is inferior. This pride is associated with our self-preoccupation and makes us act inappropriately and disrespectfully towards others, thereby bringing us face to face with all kinds of unpleasant and unwanted experiences. As long as we feel and act as through we are the center of the universe, we will never develop real concern for others. To counteract this attitude we train ourselves always to think of them as supremely important by considering their good qualities and by reviewing our own faults and weaknesses.”
from ‘Eight Verses for Training the Mind’ by Geshe Sonam Rinchen

“Tibetans look at a person who holds himself above others, believing he is better than others and knows more, and they say that person is like someone sitting on a mountain top: it is cold there, it is hard, and nothing will grow. But if the person puts himself in a lower position, then that person is like a fertile field.”
Allan Wallace

“An authentically empowered person is humble. This does not mean the false humility of one who stoops to be with those who are below him or her. It is the inclusiveness of one who responds to the beauty of each soul. … It is the harmlessness of one who treasures, honours and reveres life in all its forms.”
Gary Zukav in ‘The Seat of the Soul‘

“What is like a smelly fart,
that, although invisible is obvious?
One’s own faults, that are precisely
As obvious as the effort made to hide them.”
His Holiness the 7th Dalai Lama in ‘Songs of spiritual change‘ (translated by Glenn Mullin)

“If we see pride among people who have no idea about Dharma, it is understandable. However, if afflictive emotions and haughtiness are present among Dharma practitioners, it is great disgrace to practice”
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

How can you be proud if you are not enlightened?
How can you be proud if even the enlightened are not?
Stonepeace

IGNORANCE

Ignorance is not only not knowing, but also includes not wanting to kn