Metta Sutta
May 24th, 2010 | 303 Comments
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.
Just Listen
April 24th, 2010 | 194 Comments
Just Listen
Sometimes we try too hard to find the answers. We think, the harder we search the more likely we are to discover what we seek. But more often than not the truth comes to us from the most unlikeliest of places. From the most unexpected teachers.
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.
Lovingkindness meditation
January 17th, 2010 | 446 Comments
Lovingkindness meditation
The Metta Bhavana, or Development of Lovingkindness, practice is one of the most ancient forms of Buddhist practice, one that has been passed down in an unbroken line for over 2,500 years.
We’re often taught as children that we should love others. Religious teachings say, for example, that we should “love others as ourselves.” But how do we learn to love others? And what happens if we don’t particularly like, never mind love, ourselves? The development of lovingkindness meditation practice is the practical means by which we learn to cultivate love for ourselves and others.
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