What Is The Middle Way?
And what, monks, is the Middle Way realized by the Thus-Come-One, which gives vision and understanding, which leads to calm, penetration, enlightenment, to Nirvana?
It is just this Noble Eightfold Path, namely: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. – The Buddha, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
Since starting this site I’ve always felt too close to write about The Middle Way. I asked a friend, Gary over at Buddha Space, if he’d share what The Middle Way meant to him. This is his fantastic reply. 108 bows to you Gary.
The Middle Way lies at the very heart of Buddhism, as indicated in the words above, taken from the Buddha’s first sermon, given by the Thus-Come-One over two-and-a-half thousand years ago in North India. Since then, Buddhism has transformed itself many times as it has spread all over the Orient from Sri Lanka to Japan, and has now taken root in the Occident, from England to Australia. Yet, despite the global nature of the Buddhadharma these days, and its diverse forms such as the orthodox Theravada, the devotional Pure Land, the esoteric Vajrayana, and the prosaic Zen, the Middle Way remains a central theme that all Buddhists take heed of, one way or another.
According to the Buddha, the Middle Way is a life lived between the extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence. Neither hedonist nor ascetic are to be imitated, for the Noble Eightfold Path weaves its way through life avoiding both these unenlightened lifestyles. To see the world in the light of the Buddhadharma is to have Right View, not only recognizing the suffering that is caused by desire, but also the Path that leads to the ending of all such suffering, based in the Right Intention to let go of lust, ill-will, and cruelty. In other words, to lead a harmless life. Right Speech, Action, and Livelihood grow out of such an intention, directing one’s lifestyle in a more selfless, rather than selfish, direction. Right Effort is the avoidance of unwholesome states and the cultivation of wholesome ones. Right Mindfulness and Concentration take this well-directed mind and hone it to the point where it is on the precipice of the great void that is known as Nirvana. The perfection of the Path (that is, the Middle Way), is the ripening of the spiritual life; it becomes a fruit ready to drop into the infinity of enlightenment…forever.
Living the Middle Way can take many different forms – not surprising when the many strands of the Buddhadharma are taken into account, along with the many types of people there are – but all are ultimately intent on its original and continuous objective: Nirvana. To cultivate a moral lifestyle hand in hand with a mindful meditative practice is to walk the Middle Way, which gives vision and understanding, as the Buddha put it. This vision is to see things as they are, rather than as we think or want them to be, and this understanding is the knowledge that in the things of the world there is no salvation or enlightenment; awakening to the silent wisdom within is to experience the calm mind that penetrates to the core of our being: the Buddha.
The Middle Way is not only the recommended manner of living given us by the Buddha; it is also the realization that beyond these limited erroneous egos and puffed-up personalities we are the Buddha. To truly walk the Middle Way is to traverse this world in the knowledge that we are already enlightened – we just have to enlighten ourselves to the fact! Openly reflecting on the Way is to share with all sentient beings this wondrous hidden truth, helping us to let go a little of our greed, hatred, and delusion, the three poisons that tie us to a life of suffering. For, as the Buddha so wisely taught all those centuries ago, it is in the walking of this Middle Way that one discovers Nirvana, releasing the pain and anguish of the ego into the serenity of our Buddha-nature.
The Middle Way
Showing posts with label Daily practice.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daily practice.. Show all posts
June 18, 2011
June 04, 2011
Who is Vajrasattva?
Who is Vajrasattva?
Tibetan: dor je sem pa.
English: the Vajra Hero.
Vajrasattva means "diamond being" or "vajra-being". Its character is as strong as a vajra. By practicing his Dharma, the follower can avoid all evil thoughts, eliminate vexations and have unlimited happiness and wisdom. Meanwhile the guardian deities will forgive them for any mistakes they have made in practicing Buddhism and bestow them a fortune that makes up for any loss. Vajrasattvathe dhyani-boddhisattva or spiritual son of dhyani-buddha, Akshobhya is also regarded as chief of the five dhyani-buddhas. He is usually represented seated on a lotus posture. He wears a crown in which there is often an image of Akshobhya, and the dress and ornaments of Dhyani-Buddhisattva. Against his breast, he generally holds vajra in his right hand; but the vajra may be balanced on its point in the palm of his hand. With the left, he holds the ghanta on his hip. If standing, he balances the vajra in his right hand against his breast, while in the left, hanging pendent, he presses the ghanta against leg. Unlike the other Dhyan-Boddhas, he is always crowned with or without his sakti whom he presses against his breast in the yab-yum attitude, with the right hand holding vajra, while the left holds the ghanta on his hip.
http://discussions-neighborhoods.ebay.com/topic/Antiques-Antiquing-Discussions/Vajrasattva/1300087401
Tibetan: dor je sem pa.
English: the Vajra Hero.
Vajrasattva means "diamond being" or "vajra-being". Its character is as strong as a vajra. By practicing his Dharma, the follower can avoid all evil thoughts, eliminate vexations and have unlimited happiness and wisdom. Meanwhile the guardian deities will forgive them for any mistakes they have made in practicing Buddhism and bestow them a fortune that makes up for any loss. Vajrasattvathe dhyani-boddhisattva or spiritual son of dhyani-buddha, Akshobhya is also regarded as chief of the five dhyani-buddhas. He is usually represented seated on a lotus posture. He wears a crown in which there is often an image of Akshobhya, and the dress and ornaments of Dhyani-Buddhisattva. Against his breast, he generally holds vajra in his right hand; but the vajra may be balanced on its point in the palm of his hand. With the left, he holds the ghanta on his hip. If standing, he balances the vajra in his right hand against his breast, while in the left, hanging pendent, he presses the ghanta against leg. Unlike the other Dhyan-Boddhas, he is always crowned with or without his sakti whom he presses against his breast in the yab-yum attitude, with the right hand holding vajra, while the left holds the ghanta on his hip.
http://discussions-neighborhoods.ebay.com/topic/Antiques-Antiquing-Discussions/Vajrasattva/1300087401
March 31, 2011
February 22, 2011
Meditative Stabilization
There is both a reason and a purpose for cultivating the meditative stabilization observing exhalation and inhalation of the breath. The reason is mainly to purify impure motivations. What exactly is to be purified? The main of these are the three poisons--desire, hatred, and obscuration. Even though we have these at all times and even though the meditator will still retain them, she or he is seeking to suppress their manifest functioning at that time. The specific purpose for cleansing impure motivations before meditation is to dispel bad motivations connected with this lifetime, such as having hatred toward enemies, attachment to friends, and so forth.
In terms of the practice I am explaining here, even the thought of a religious practitioner of small capacity is included within impure motivations; such a person engages in practice mainly for the sake of a good future lifetime. Similarly, if on this occasion one has the motivation of a religious practitioner of middling capacity--that of only oneself escaping from cyclic existence, this is also impure.
What is a pure motivation? To take as one's aim the welfare of all sentient beings. This is the motivation of a religious practitioner of great capacity. Meditators should imagine or manifest their own impure motivation in the form of smoke, and with the exhalation of breath should expel all bad motivation. When inhaling, they should imagine that all the blessings and good qualities of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in the form of bright light, are inhaled into them. This practice is called purification by way of the descent of ambrosia. There are many forms of this purification, but the essence of the practice is as just indicated.
--from Calm Abiding and Special Insight: Achieving Spiritual Transformation Through Meditation by Geshe Gedun Lodro
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In terms of the practice I am explaining here, even the thought of a religious practitioner of small capacity is included within impure motivations; such a person engages in practice mainly for the sake of a good future lifetime. Similarly, if on this occasion one has the motivation of a religious practitioner of middling capacity--that of only oneself escaping from cyclic existence, this is also impure.
What is a pure motivation? To take as one's aim the welfare of all sentient beings. This is the motivation of a religious practitioner of great capacity. Meditators should imagine or manifest their own impure motivation in the form of smoke, and with the exhalation of breath should expel all bad motivation. When inhaling, they should imagine that all the blessings and good qualities of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in the form of bright light, are inhaled into them. This practice is called purification by way of the descent of ambrosia. There are many forms of this purification, but the essence of the practice is as just indicated.
--from Calm Abiding and Special Insight: Achieving Spiritual Transformation Through Meditation by Geshe Gedun Lodro
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Deity Yoga
At the beginning of the process of deity meditation and mantra repetition one meditates on emptiness, settling the non-inherent existence of oneself and the deity through a reasoning such as that of dependent-arising--the fact that both oneself and the deity arise in dependence on their respective bases of designation. One's own final nature and the final nature of the deity are the same, an emptiness of inherent existence.
To perform deity yoga one does not just withdraw ordinary appearances and then appear as a deity but causes the mind realising emptiness itself to appear as a deity. Thus, it is essential initially to meditate on emptiness, cleansing all appearances in emptiness. One then uses that wisdom consciousness realising emptiness as the basis of emanation of a divine body. This must be done at least in imitation of a consciousness actually doing this, for meditation on a truly existent divine body, instead of helping, will only increase adherence to inherent existence. Meditated properly, the appearance of a divine figure is the sport of the ultimate mind of enlightenment, first in imitation and later in fact. (p.39)
--from Deity Yoga in Action and Performance Tantra by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa, and Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Snow Lion Publications
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To perform deity yoga one does not just withdraw ordinary appearances and then appear as a deity but causes the mind realising emptiness itself to appear as a deity. Thus, it is essential initially to meditate on emptiness, cleansing all appearances in emptiness. One then uses that wisdom consciousness realising emptiness as the basis of emanation of a divine body. This must be done at least in imitation of a consciousness actually doing this, for meditation on a truly existent divine body, instead of helping, will only increase adherence to inherent existence. Meditated properly, the appearance of a divine figure is the sport of the ultimate mind of enlightenment, first in imitation and later in fact. (p.39)
--from Deity Yoga in Action and Performance Tantra by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa, and Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Snow Lion Publications
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February 17, 2011
The Bodhisattva's Confession of Ethical Downfalls
The Bodhisattva's Confession of Ethical Downfalls
Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas
To increase the benefit of each prostration, first prostrate three times while reciting:
om namo manjushriye namo sushriye namo uttama shriye soha
Continue to prostrate while reciting the names of the Buddhas and the confession prayer.
I, (say your name) throughout all times, take refuge in the Gurus; I take refuge in the Buddhas; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha.
To the Founder, the Transcendent Destroyer, the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Enlightened One, the Glorious Conqueror from the Shaykas I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Great Destroyer, Destroying with Vajra Essence I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Radiating Light I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the King with Power of over the Nagas I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the the Leader of the Warriors I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Blissful One I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Fire I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moonlight I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, Whose Pure Vision Brings Accomplishments I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moon I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Stainless one I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Giver I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Pure One I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Bestower of Purity I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Celestial Waters I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Deity of the Celestial Waters I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Good I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Sandalwood I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the One of Unlimited Splendor I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Light I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One without Sorrow I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Son of the Desireless One I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Flower I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoyig the Radiant Light of Purity I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoyig the Radiant Light of of the Lotus I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Gem I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One who is Mindful I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Whose Name is Extremely Renowned, I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the King Holding the Banner of Victory over the Senses I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Subdues Everything Completely I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Victorious One in All Battles I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Gone to Perfect Self-control I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Enhances and Illuminates Completely I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Lotus Who Subdues All I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Enlightened One, the King with Power over Mount Meru, Always Remaining in the Jewel and the Lotus I bow down.
All you thirty-five Buddhas, and all the others, those thus gone, foe destroyers, fully enlightened ones and transcendent destroyers who are existing, sustaing and living throughout the ten directions of sentient beings' worlds -- all you Buddhas, please give me your attention.
In this life, and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, I have created, caused others to create, and rejoiced at the creation of negative karmas such as misusing offerings to holy objects, misusing offerings to the Sangha, stealing the posessions of the Sangha of the ten directions; I have caused others to create these negative actions and rejoiced at their creation.
I have created the five heinous actions, caused others to create them and rejoiced at their creation. I have committed the ten non-virtuous actions, involved others inthem, and rejoiced at their involvement.
Being obscured by all this karma, I have created the cause for myself and other sentient beings to be reborn in the hells, as animals, as hungry ghosts, in irreligious places, amongst barbarians, as long-lived gods, with imperfect senses, holding wrong views, and being displeased with the presence of a Buddha.
Now before these Buddhas, transcendent destroyers who have become transcendental wisdom, who have become thae compassionate eye, who have become witnesses, who have become valid and see with their omniscient minds, I am confessing and accepting all these actions as negative. I will not conceal or hide them, and from now on, I will refrain from committing these negative actions.
Buddhas and transcendent destroyers, please give me your attention: in this life and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, whatever root of virtue I have created through even the smallest acts of charity such as giving one mouthful of food to a being born as an animal, whatever root of virtue I have created by abiding in pure conduct, whatever root of virtue I have created by fully ripening sentient beings' minds, whatever root of virtue I have created of the highest transcendent wisdom.
Bringing together all these merits of both myself and others, I now dedicate them to the highest of which there is no higher, to that even above the highest, to the highest of the high, to the higher of the high. Thus I dedicate them completely to the highest, fully accomplished enlightenment.
Just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the past have dedicated, just sa the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the future will dedicate, and just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the present are dedicating, in the same way I make this dedication.
I confess all my negative actions separately and rejoice in all merits. I implore the Buddhas to grant my request that I may realize the ultimate, sublime, highest transcendental wisdom.
To the sublime kings of the human beings living now, to those of the past, and to those who have yet to appear, to all those whose knowledge is as vast as the infinite ocean, with my hands folded in respect, I go for refuge.
From Pearl of Wisdom - Book I compiled by Ven. Thubten Chodron.
Source
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Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas
To increase the benefit of each prostration, first prostrate three times while reciting:
om namo manjushriye namo sushriye namo uttama shriye soha
Continue to prostrate while reciting the names of the Buddhas and the confession prayer.
I, (say your name) throughout all times, take refuge in the Gurus; I take refuge in the Buddhas; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha.
To the Founder, the Transcendent Destroyer, the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Enlightened One, the Glorious Conqueror from the Shaykas I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Great Destroyer, Destroying with Vajra Essence I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Radiating Light I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the King with Power of over the Nagas I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the the Leader of the Warriors I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Blissful One I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Fire I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moonlight I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, Whose Pure Vision Brings Accomplishments I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moon I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Stainless one I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Giver I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Pure One I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Bestower of Purity I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Celestial Waters I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Deity of the Celestial Waters I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Good I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Sandalwood I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the One of Unlimited Splendor I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Light I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One without Sorrow I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Son of the Desireless One I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Flower I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoyig the Radiant Light of Purity I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoyig the Radiant Light of of the Lotus I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Gem I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One who is Mindful I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Whose Name is Extremely Renowned, I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the King Holding the Banner of Victory over the Senses I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Subdues Everything Completely I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Victorious One in All Battles I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Gone to Perfect Self-control I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Enhances and Illuminates Completely I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Lotus Who Subdues All I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Enlightened One, the King with Power over Mount Meru, Always Remaining in the Jewel and the Lotus I bow down.
All you thirty-five Buddhas, and all the others, those thus gone, foe destroyers, fully enlightened ones and transcendent destroyers who are existing, sustaing and living throughout the ten directions of sentient beings' worlds -- all you Buddhas, please give me your attention.
In this life, and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, I have created, caused others to create, and rejoiced at the creation of negative karmas such as misusing offerings to holy objects, misusing offerings to the Sangha, stealing the posessions of the Sangha of the ten directions; I have caused others to create these negative actions and rejoiced at their creation.
I have created the five heinous actions, caused others to create them and rejoiced at their creation. I have committed the ten non-virtuous actions, involved others inthem, and rejoiced at their involvement.
Being obscured by all this karma, I have created the cause for myself and other sentient beings to be reborn in the hells, as animals, as hungry ghosts, in irreligious places, amongst barbarians, as long-lived gods, with imperfect senses, holding wrong views, and being displeased with the presence of a Buddha.
Now before these Buddhas, transcendent destroyers who have become transcendental wisdom, who have become thae compassionate eye, who have become witnesses, who have become valid and see with their omniscient minds, I am confessing and accepting all these actions as negative. I will not conceal or hide them, and from now on, I will refrain from committing these negative actions.
Buddhas and transcendent destroyers, please give me your attention: in this life and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, whatever root of virtue I have created through even the smallest acts of charity such as giving one mouthful of food to a being born as an animal, whatever root of virtue I have created by abiding in pure conduct, whatever root of virtue I have created by fully ripening sentient beings' minds, whatever root of virtue I have created of the highest transcendent wisdom.
Bringing together all these merits of both myself and others, I now dedicate them to the highest of which there is no higher, to that even above the highest, to the highest of the high, to the higher of the high. Thus I dedicate them completely to the highest, fully accomplished enlightenment.
Just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the past have dedicated, just sa the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the future will dedicate, and just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the present are dedicating, in the same way I make this dedication.
I confess all my negative actions separately and rejoice in all merits. I implore the Buddhas to grant my request that I may realize the ultimate, sublime, highest transcendental wisdom.
To the sublime kings of the human beings living now, to those of the past, and to those who have yet to appear, to all those whose knowledge is as vast as the infinite ocean, with my hands folded in respect, I go for refuge.
From Pearl of Wisdom - Book I compiled by Ven. Thubten Chodron.
Source
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Medicine Buddha Sadhana
Medicine Buddha Sadhana
by Thubten Gyatso
Take Refuge and Generate Bodhicitta (three times)
To the Buddha, the Dharma and the sublime community, I go for refuge until I am enlightened. From the virtuous merits I collect by practicing giving and other perfections, may I quickly attain buddhahood in order to lead each and every sentient being into that unsurpassable state.
The Four Immeasurables
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all sentient beings never be separated from the happiness which is without suffering.
May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from both attachment and hatred, holding some close and others distant.
Cultivation of Special Bodhicitta
Especially for the benefit of all sentient beings, I will quickly, very quickly, attain the precious state of perfect and complete buddhahood. For this reason, I will practice the yoga method of guru Medicine Buddha.
Seven-Limbed Prayer
I prostrate to the Guru Medicine Buddha.
Each and every offering, including those actually performed and those mentally-transformed, I present to you.
I confess all non-virtuous actions accumulated since beginningless time.
I rejoice in the virtues of both ordinary and noble beings.
As our guide, I request you, O Buddha, to turn the wheel of Dharma until samsara ends.
All virtues, both my own and those of others, I dedicate to the ripening of the two Bodhicittas and the attainment of Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings.
Mandala Offering/Prayer of Request
I beseech you, Bhagawan Medicine Guru, whose sky-colored, holy body of lapis lazuli signifies your omniscient wisdom and compassion as vast as limitless space, please grant me your blessings.
I beseech you, compassionate Medicine Guru, holding in your right hand the king of medicines, symbolizing your vow to help all pitiful sentient beings plagued by the four hundred and twenty-four diseases, please grant me your blessings.
I beseech you, compassionate Medicine Guru, holding in your left hand a bowl of nectar, symbolizing your vow to give the glorious undying nectar--of the Dharma--which eliminates the degenerations of old age, sickness and death, please grant me your blessings.
Visualization
In the space in front of you is the divine form of Guru Medicine Buddha. He is seated on a lotus and moon cushion. His body is in the nature of deep blue light, the color of lapis lazuli. He is very serene and adorned with silk robes and magnificent jewel ornaments.
Guru Medicine Buddha's right hand rests on his right knee, palm outward in the gesture of giving realizations. His left hand rests in his lap, holding a nectar bowl of medicine that cures all ills, hindrances and obstacles.
Above the crown of Guru Medicine Buddha is a wish-granting jewel, the essence of which is Guru. Above that is Buddha Ngon.Kyen. Gyal.Po, whose body is red-colored, his right hand in the mudra of bestowing sublime realizations and his left hand in the mudra of concentration.
Above him is Buddha Cho.Drag Gya.Tso Yang, with a yellow-colored body and hands in the same mudra.
Above him is Buddha Nya.Ngam Mi.Cho.Pa, light red in color and both hands in the mudra of concentration.
Above him is Buddha Ser.Zang Dri.Me, pale yellow in color, his right hand in the mudra of expounding the Dharma and his left hand in the mudra of concentration.
Above him is the Buddha Rin.Chen Da.Wa Dang Pai.Ma Rab.Tu Gyan.Pa Zi.Ji Dra.Yang Gyi Gyal.Po, reddish-yellow in color and hands in the same mudra.
Above him is Buddha Tsan.Leg Yang.Drag, yellow in color and hands in the same mudra.
Requests to the Medicine Buddhas (Repeat each verse seven times.
After the seventh recitation, as you repeat "May your vow...," the Medicine Buddha to whom the request is made absorbs into the one below, until the single divine form of Medicine Buddha remains for the final request.)
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Tsan.Leg Yang.Drag, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Rin.Chen Da.Wa Dang Pai.Ma Rab.Tu Gyan.Pa Kya.Pa Zi.Ji Dra.Yang Gyi Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Ser.Zang Dri.Me.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Nya.Ngan Mi.Chog.Pa.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Cho.Drag Gya.Tso Yang.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Ngon.Kyen Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Man.Gyi.La Bendurya O.Gyi Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
Visualization
Granting your request, from the heart and holy body of the King of Medicine, infinite rays of light pour down completely filling your body from head to toe. They purify all your diseases and afflictions due to spirits and their causes, all your negative karma and mental obscurations. In the nature of light,your body becomes clean and clear as crystal.
The light rays pour down twice more, each time filling your body with blissful clean-clear light which you absorb.
At the heart of Medicine Buddha appears a lotus and moon disc. Standing at the center of the moon disc, is the blue seed-syllable OM surrounded by the syllables of the mantra. As you recite the mantra, visualize rays of light radiating out in all directions from the syllables at his heart. The light rays pervade the sentient beings of the six realms. Through your great love wishing them to have happiness and, through your great compassion wishing them to be free from all sufferings, they are purified of all diseases, afflictions due to spirits and their causes, all their negative karma and mental obscurations.
Recitation of the Mantra
om namo bhagawate bhekandzyai - guru bendurya prabha randzaya - tatagataya - arhate - samyaksam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - maha bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - randza samungate soha
Short Mantra
tatagataya - arhate - samyaksam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - maha bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - randza samungate soha
Feel Great Joy and Think
All sentient beings are transformed into the aspect of the Medicine Buddha Guru. How wonderful that I am now able to lead all sentient beings into the Medicine Buddha's Enlightenment.
Simplified Visualization
Visualize the Medicine Buddha Guru above the crown of your head and make the following request seven times, followed by the mantra recitation and visualization.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Man.Gyi.La Bendurya O.Gyi.Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
Mantra Recitation and Visualization for Simplified Visualization
Purifying rays of light pour down from the Guru Medicine Buddha's heart and holy body eliminating your sicknesses and afflictions due to spirits and their causes, all your negative karma and mental obscurations.
Your body is completely filled with light and becomes clean-clear like crystal. Then the rays radiate out in all directions, purifying the sicknesses and afflictions of all mother sentient beings.
The Guru Medicine Buddha melts into light and absorbs into your heart.
Dedication
Due to these merits, may I complete the ocean-like actions of the sons of the Victorious Ones. May I become the holy savior, refuge and helper for the sentient beings who have repeatedly been kind to me in past lives.
By the virtues received from attempting this practice, may all living beings who see, hear, touch or remember me--even those who say my name--at that moment be released from their miseries and experience happiness forever.
As all sentient beings, infinite as space, are encompassed by the Guru Medicine Buddha's compassion, may I also become the guide of sentient beings existing throughout all ten directions of the universe.
Because of these virtues, may I quickly become Guru Medicine Buddha and lead each and every sentient being into his enlightened realm.
Source
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Vajrasattva Sadhana
Vajrasattva Purification
From Ven. Thubten Chodron's Pearl of Wisdom, Book II
(used with permission)
Visualization
Visualize about four inches above your head an open white lotus upon which is a moon disc. Vajrasattva is seated upon this. He is white, translucent and adorned with beautiful ornaments and clothes of celestial silk. His two hands are crossed at his heart; the right holds a vajra, symbolic of great bliss; his left holds a bell, symbolic of the wisdom of emptiness. The vajra and bell together signify his attainment of the enlightened state, the inseparable unity of the wisdom and form bodies. At his heart is a moon disc with the seed-syllable HUM at its center and the letters of Vajrasattva's hundred-syllable mantra standing clockwise around its edge.
Refuge and Generating Bodhicitta (three times)
I take refuge in the Three Jewels.
I will liberate all sentient beings and lead them to enlightenment.
Thus, I will perfectly generate the mind dedicated to attaining
enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.
The Power of Regret
Recollect, with deep regret, the specific negativities you have created. Then meditate deeply on the meaning of the following:
"The negative karma I have accumulated from beginningless time is as extensive as the ocean. Although I know that each negative action leads to countless eons of suffering, it seems that I am constantly striving to create nothing but negative actions. Even though I try to avoid non-virtue and practice positive acts, day and night without respite, negativities and moral downfalls come to me like rainfall. I lack the ability to purify these faults so that no trace of them remains. With these negative imprints still in my mind, I could suddenly die and find myself falling to an unfortunate rebirth. What can I do? Please Vajrasattva, with your great compassion, guide me from such misery!"
The Power of Remedial Action
From the HUM at Vajrasattva's heart, light radiates in all directions, requesting the Buddhas to bestow their blessings. They accept the request and send white rays of light and nectar, the essence of which is the knowledge of their body, speech and mind. The light and nectar absorb into the HUM and the letters of the mantra at Vajrasattva's heart. They then fill his whole body completely, enhancing the magnificence of his appearance and increasing the brilliance of the mantra.
While reciting the mantra, visualize that white rays of light and nectar stream continuously from the HUM and mantra at Vajrasattva's heart. They flow down through the crown of your head and fill every cell of your body and mind with infinite bliss. Recite the mantra at least 21 times or more, if possible.
om vajrasattva samaya manu palaya - vajrasattva deno patita - dido may bhawa - suto kayo may bhawa - supo kayo may bhawa - anu rakto may bhawa - sarwa siddhi mepar yatsa - sarwa karma su tsa may - tsitam shriyam kuru hum - ha ha ha ha ho - bhagawan - sarwa tatagata - vajra ma may mu tsa - vajra bhawa maha samaya sattva - ah hum pey
If you have not yet memorized the long mantra, or if you are pressed for time, you may recite the short mantra at least 28 times.
om vajrasattva hum
While reciting either of the mantras, continue to visualize the flow of light and nectar and perform the following four visualizations alternately.
Purification of Body
Your disturbing attitudes and negativities in general and particularly those of the body, take the form of black ink. Sickness takes the form of pus and blood and afflictions caused by spirits appear in the form of scorpions, snakes, frogs and crabs. Flushed out by the light and nectar, they all leave your body through the lower openings, like filthy liquid flowing down a drain pipe. Feel completely empty of these problems and negativities; they no longer exist anywhere.
Purification of Speech
Your disturbing attitudes and imprints of negativities of speech take the form of liquid tar. The light and nectar fill your body as water fills a dirty glass: the negativities, like the dirt, rise to the top and flow out through the upper openings of your body: your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, etc. Feel completely empty of these problems; they no longer exist.
Purification of the Mind
Your disturbing attitudes and the imprints of mental negativities appear as darkness at your heart. When struck by the forceful stream of light and nectar, the darkness completely vanishes. It is like turning a light on in a room: the darkness does not go anywhere, it simply ceases to exist. Feel that you are completely empty of all these problems; they are non-existent.
Simultaneous Purification
Do the three above visualizations simultaneously. This sweeps away the subtle obscurations that prevent you from seeing correctly all that exists. Feel completely free of these obscurations.
The Power of the Promise
After reciting the mantra and doing the visualizations, make the following promise to Vajrasattva, specifying a period of time for which you intend to keep it:
"I shall not create these negative actions from now until ______."
Vajrasattva is extremely pleased and says, "My spiritual child of the essence, all your negativities, obscurations and degenerated vows have been completely purified."
With delight, Vajrasattva melts into light and dissolves into you. Your body, speech and mind become inseparably one with Vajrasattva's holy body, speech and mind. Concentrate on this.
Dedication
Due to this merit may I soon
Attain the enlightened state of Vajrasattva,
That I may be able to liberate
All sentient beings from their suffering.
May the precious bodhi mind
Not yet born arise and grow.
May that born have no decline,
But increase forever more.
Source
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February 16, 2011
The Ten Perfections
The ten paramis or perfections provide a highly useful framework for guiding Dharma practice in daily life. Any activity or relationship approached wisely with the primary purpose of developing the perfections in a balanced way becomes part of the practice.
The perfections also provide one of the few reliable ways of measuring the accomplishments of your life. “Accomplishments” in the realm of work and relationships have a way of turning into dust, but perfections of the character, once developed, are dependable and lasting.
This four-week retreat presents the perfections under the four factors that make up the eighth perfection, determination. These four factors—discernment, truth, relinquishment, and calm—highlight two facts. The first is that discernment is needed to convert the perfections from generic virtues into a path to awakening. Second, the path to awakening is a truth of the will: You have to want freedom, and stay true to that desire, for freedom to occur.
Each week’s video presentation will contain an exercise to develop the perfections in daily activities, and will be accompanied by readings to help broaden your understanding of what the perfections entail.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu—known as Ajaan Geoff to his students—has translated several meditation guides from Thai, and is also the author of several books, including: The Mind Like Fire Unbound, The Wings to Awakening, The Paradox of Becoming, Skill in Questions, Noble Strategy, Purity of Heart, and Meditations. He is co-author of the college textbook, Buddhist Religions. His writings and translations are available on the Internet at www.accesstoinsight.org. His Dhamma talks and other writings are also available at www.dhammatalks.org. His five-volume anthology of suttas, Handful of Leaves, is available from the Sati Center of Buddhist Studies.
Mon, 01/03/2011, 10 Perfections Week 1: Discernment 14:01
Mon, 01/10/2011, 10 Perfections Week 2: Truth 17:44
Mon, 01/17/2011, 10 Perfections Week 3: Generosity 14:37
Mon, 01/24/2011, 10 Perfections Week 4: Calm 14:16
Source-Tricycle
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Creation and Completion
Here is an article on the creation and completion stages of meditation. I hope you'll enjoy it; I thought it was a good read.
Shenpen-Osel-The Clear Light of the Buddha’s Teachings Which Benefits All Beings
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Shenpen-Osel-The Clear Light of the Buddha’s Teachings Which Benefits All Beings
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Buddha Shakyamuni Sadhana
Meditation On Buddha Shakyamuni
Prepare for this meditation by doing a few minutes of breathing meditation (focus your attention on your breath) to calm your mind. Then bring your attention to the suffering that all sentient beings undergo: the sufferings of heat and cold, hunger and thirst. Just as you experience many sufferings, remember that all mother sentient beings experience suffering at least equal to--if not greater than--your own. Determine to undertake this practice in order to awaken your own buddha-nature, quickly attain enlightenment and lead all other sentient beings to that same state of permanent, lasting happiness.
Visualization
The visualization of Lord Buddha is composed entirely of light, not mundane materials. In the space before you, at the level of your forehead, imagine a jewel-encrusted, golden throne. Each corner is supported by two snow lions with white bodies and turquoise manes and tails; these are the embodiment of bodhisattvas. On the flat surface of the throne is a fully opened lotus; this is symbolic of the awakened mind, arising from the mire of samsara. On the petals of the lotus are the flat disks of the sun and moon which serve as cushions for the Buddha, representing the Buddha's realizations of emptiness and bodhicitta. On the moon disk sits Buddha Shakyamuni.
Buddha's body is made of golden light. He is seated in the "full vajra" or lotus posture. He is dressed in the robes of a monk which do not actually touch his body, but are separated from it by about an inch. His face is very serene and beautiful; each hair on his head is individually curled to the right, not mingling with or touching others; his ear lobes are long; and his eyes are slightly opened.
His left hand rests in his lap in the meditation pose, holding a begging bowl, filled with nectar. The palm of his right hand rests on his right knee and his fingers touch the moon disk upon which he sits; this symbolizes his great control over anger, attachment and ignorance.
Taking Refuge
From your heart, recite the refuge prayer and visualize that streams of golden-white light radiate from the Buddha's body in all directions, blessing you and all sentient beings.
You may also visualize texts of Dharma teachings on thrones near the Buddha which emanate with the sounds of the teachings contained in them. Imagine teachers you have read or heard seated on similar thrones around the Buddha. Imagine also that you are surrounded in space by all sentient beings in human form; your father and male friends and relatives are seated on your right; your mother and female friends and relatives are seated on your left; those you don't know and call "strangers" reach out to the vastness of space; those you call "enemies" are seated between you and the Merit Field of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, symbolic of anger in our mindstreams that separates us from feeling loving-kindness toward all beings and hinders our advancement to full buddhahood.
Imagine that you lead all these sentient beings in reciting the refuge prayer three times:
I take refuge until I am enlightened
In the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sangha.
Through the positive potential I create by practicing generosity
and the other far-reaching attitudes,
May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Requests and Inspiration
From your heart, generate the request to the Buddha that he grant you inspiration to follow the path to full enlightenment; make this request on behalf of all living beings who are trapped in samsara.
Rays of light stream from the figure of the Buddha before you. This light enters your body and quickly removes all negativities, obscurations and hindrances, freeing you to progress quickly on the path. Imagine that this light flows not only to you, but to all living beings situated in space around you. Imagine that they all receive such inspiration and blessings as you recite the name mantra of Shakyamuni Buddha as many times as possible.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
The Blessing of Body, Speech and Mind
Imagine that rays of light stream from the crown of Buddha's head to your crown; this light purifies the negatities of your body and removes the hindrances to attaining the enlightened body of a Buddha.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Rays of light then stream from the Buddha's throat to yours, pufifying the negativities of your speech and removing hindrances to attaining the enlightened speech that communicates clearly to all sentient beings, regardless of their level or capacity.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Finally, rays of light emanate from the Buddha's heart and enter your own heart center. This light purifies the negativities of your mind and remove hindrances to the awakened, omniscient mind.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Imagine that these light rays flow to all sentient beings, helping them to quickly reach a state of supreme awareness.
Maintain this visualization for as long as you can, reciting the mantra quietly to yourself or aloud and imagine that the light continues to stream from the Buddha to you and all sentient beings. Imagine that nectar accompanies the light and nourishes you completely, such is the nature of the Dharma.
Absorption
Imagine that the teachers and their thrones dissolve into light and are absorbed into the Buddha's body. Next, imagine that the texts and their thrones dissolve similarly and absorb into the Buddha. Imagine now that the throne is absorbed into the lotus, the lotus into the sun, the sun into the moon and the moon into the body of the Buddha. Buddha now comes to the crown of your head, facing the same direction as you, dissolves into brilliant, white light and dissolves into your body through the crown of your head, filling your body once again with this brilliant light.
Feel great bliss and joy as your body, speech and mind are completely transformed. Hold this feeling for as long as you can, experiencing the removal of all hindrances and obstructions to omniscience.
From this state, imagine in the space where you are sitting, arising from emptiness are the snow lions, the throne, lotus, sun and moon disks and yourself seated upon them in the same aspect as you visualized the Buddha before. Visualize and really feel that you have attained the state of omniscience; feel the enlightened compassion and wisdom of buddhahood.
At your heart appear sun and moon disks. At the center of the moon disk, standing upright, is the syllable MUM. Surrounding this are the syllables of Shakyamuni Buddha's name mantra: tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha. Streams of light flow from the MUM and mantra at your heart center to all sentient beings, completely removing their hindrances, obstructions, wrong views, delusions and traces of ignorance and thereby transforming them into the form of the Buddha as well. Meditate in this way for as long as possible, reciting the mantra quietly to yourself.
This portion of the meditation is called "bringing the result into the path." It is a very powerful method for transforming our normal view of and how we behave in the world. The result of our practiceis to attain full enlightenment; this activity of bringing the result of buddhahood to our present state is a powerful, transformative tool. You should not imagine that your body, speech or mind are the same; they have arisen from emptiness and manifested in the form of a buddha. This activity enables you to transform yourself and surroundings into vehicles that lead to full, perfect enlightenment.
Dedication
When you have completed this meditation, dedicate the positive potential of this practice to the benefit of all living beings, that they may be liberated from the hardships of cyclic existence and placed in a state of perfect peace and happiness. Remind yourself that your initial motivation for doing this meditation is to actually attain such a state as the means to be able to lead all other sentient beings to full enlightenment.
In your daily routine, bring to mind the feeling and attitude that you felt when you were just imagining the state of buddhahood. When your activities become particularly stressful, remember that such a state comes about by grasping after your "I" or some sort of non-existent self, by putting the interests of this "self" before all other mother sentient beings. Simply remembering a peaceful, blissful state--filled with love and compassion--is often enough to relieve a stressful situation; such times can be transformed into happiness by such a rememberance.
At other times, when you want to eradicate all traces of a disturbing attitude, simply reciting the Buddha's mantra om muni muni maha munaye soha is often enough inspiration to transform that state into one of peace and happiness. Reminding yourself that you are a "Child of the Buddha" and wishing to attain happiness for yourself and others helps to gradually remove such states of mind completely. When you do so, remember to dedicate the merit or positive potential to all beings, that they might do the same.
Source
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Prepare for this meditation by doing a few minutes of breathing meditation (focus your attention on your breath) to calm your mind. Then bring your attention to the suffering that all sentient beings undergo: the sufferings of heat and cold, hunger and thirst. Just as you experience many sufferings, remember that all mother sentient beings experience suffering at least equal to--if not greater than--your own. Determine to undertake this practice in order to awaken your own buddha-nature, quickly attain enlightenment and lead all other sentient beings to that same state of permanent, lasting happiness.
Visualization
The visualization of Lord Buddha is composed entirely of light, not mundane materials. In the space before you, at the level of your forehead, imagine a jewel-encrusted, golden throne. Each corner is supported by two snow lions with white bodies and turquoise manes and tails; these are the embodiment of bodhisattvas. On the flat surface of the throne is a fully opened lotus; this is symbolic of the awakened mind, arising from the mire of samsara. On the petals of the lotus are the flat disks of the sun and moon which serve as cushions for the Buddha, representing the Buddha's realizations of emptiness and bodhicitta. On the moon disk sits Buddha Shakyamuni.
Buddha's body is made of golden light. He is seated in the "full vajra" or lotus posture. He is dressed in the robes of a monk which do not actually touch his body, but are separated from it by about an inch. His face is very serene and beautiful; each hair on his head is individually curled to the right, not mingling with or touching others; his ear lobes are long; and his eyes are slightly opened.
His left hand rests in his lap in the meditation pose, holding a begging bowl, filled with nectar. The palm of his right hand rests on his right knee and his fingers touch the moon disk upon which he sits; this symbolizes his great control over anger, attachment and ignorance.
Taking Refuge
From your heart, recite the refuge prayer and visualize that streams of golden-white light radiate from the Buddha's body in all directions, blessing you and all sentient beings.
You may also visualize texts of Dharma teachings on thrones near the Buddha which emanate with the sounds of the teachings contained in them. Imagine teachers you have read or heard seated on similar thrones around the Buddha. Imagine also that you are surrounded in space by all sentient beings in human form; your father and male friends and relatives are seated on your right; your mother and female friends and relatives are seated on your left; those you don't know and call "strangers" reach out to the vastness of space; those you call "enemies" are seated between you and the Merit Field of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, symbolic of anger in our mindstreams that separates us from feeling loving-kindness toward all beings and hinders our advancement to full buddhahood.
Imagine that you lead all these sentient beings in reciting the refuge prayer three times:
I take refuge until I am enlightened
In the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sangha.
Through the positive potential I create by practicing generosity
and the other far-reaching attitudes,
May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Requests and Inspiration
From your heart, generate the request to the Buddha that he grant you inspiration to follow the path to full enlightenment; make this request on behalf of all living beings who are trapped in samsara.
Rays of light stream from the figure of the Buddha before you. This light enters your body and quickly removes all negativities, obscurations and hindrances, freeing you to progress quickly on the path. Imagine that this light flows not only to you, but to all living beings situated in space around you. Imagine that they all receive such inspiration and blessings as you recite the name mantra of Shakyamuni Buddha as many times as possible.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
The Blessing of Body, Speech and Mind
Imagine that rays of light stream from the crown of Buddha's head to your crown; this light purifies the negatities of your body and removes the hindrances to attaining the enlightened body of a Buddha.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Rays of light then stream from the Buddha's throat to yours, pufifying the negativities of your speech and removing hindrances to attaining the enlightened speech that communicates clearly to all sentient beings, regardless of their level or capacity.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Finally, rays of light emanate from the Buddha's heart and enter your own heart center. This light purifies the negativities of your mind and remove hindrances to the awakened, omniscient mind.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Imagine that these light rays flow to all sentient beings, helping them to quickly reach a state of supreme awareness.
Maintain this visualization for as long as you can, reciting the mantra quietly to yourself or aloud and imagine that the light continues to stream from the Buddha to you and all sentient beings. Imagine that nectar accompanies the light and nourishes you completely, such is the nature of the Dharma.
Absorption
Imagine that the teachers and their thrones dissolve into light and are absorbed into the Buddha's body. Next, imagine that the texts and their thrones dissolve similarly and absorb into the Buddha. Imagine now that the throne is absorbed into the lotus, the lotus into the sun, the sun into the moon and the moon into the body of the Buddha. Buddha now comes to the crown of your head, facing the same direction as you, dissolves into brilliant, white light and dissolves into your body through the crown of your head, filling your body once again with this brilliant light.
Feel great bliss and joy as your body, speech and mind are completely transformed. Hold this feeling for as long as you can, experiencing the removal of all hindrances and obstructions to omniscience.
From this state, imagine in the space where you are sitting, arising from emptiness are the snow lions, the throne, lotus, sun and moon disks and yourself seated upon them in the same aspect as you visualized the Buddha before. Visualize and really feel that you have attained the state of omniscience; feel the enlightened compassion and wisdom of buddhahood.
At your heart appear sun and moon disks. At the center of the moon disk, standing upright, is the syllable MUM. Surrounding this are the syllables of Shakyamuni Buddha's name mantra: tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha. Streams of light flow from the MUM and mantra at your heart center to all sentient beings, completely removing their hindrances, obstructions, wrong views, delusions and traces of ignorance and thereby transforming them into the form of the Buddha as well. Meditate in this way for as long as possible, reciting the mantra quietly to yourself.
This portion of the meditation is called "bringing the result into the path." It is a very powerful method for transforming our normal view of and how we behave in the world. The result of our practiceis to attain full enlightenment; this activity of bringing the result of buddhahood to our present state is a powerful, transformative tool. You should not imagine that your body, speech or mind are the same; they have arisen from emptiness and manifested in the form of a buddha. This activity enables you to transform yourself and surroundings into vehicles that lead to full, perfect enlightenment.
Dedication
When you have completed this meditation, dedicate the positive potential of this practice to the benefit of all living beings, that they may be liberated from the hardships of cyclic existence and placed in a state of perfect peace and happiness. Remind yourself that your initial motivation for doing this meditation is to actually attain such a state as the means to be able to lead all other sentient beings to full enlightenment.
In your daily routine, bring to mind the feeling and attitude that you felt when you were just imagining the state of buddhahood. When your activities become particularly stressful, remember that such a state comes about by grasping after your "I" or some sort of non-existent self, by putting the interests of this "self" before all other mother sentient beings. Simply remembering a peaceful, blissful state--filled with love and compassion--is often enough to relieve a stressful situation; such times can be transformed into happiness by such a rememberance.
At other times, when you want to eradicate all traces of a disturbing attitude, simply reciting the Buddha's mantra om muni muni maha munaye soha is often enough inspiration to transform that state into one of peace and happiness. Reminding yourself that you are a "Child of the Buddha" and wishing to attain happiness for yourself and others helps to gradually remove such states of mind completely. When you do so, remember to dedicate the merit or positive potential to all beings, that they might do the same.
Source
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February 09, 2011
Time to Eat
What is life? Life is eating and drinking through all of our senses. And life is keeping from being eaten. What eats us? Time! What is time? Time is living in the past or living in the future, feeding on the emotions. Beings who can say that they have mentally healthy for even one minute are rare in the world. Most of us suffer from clinging to pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings, and from hunger and thirst. Most living beings have to eat and drink every second through their eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and nerves. We eat twenty-four hours a day without stopping! We crave food for the body, food for feeling, food for volitional action, and food for rebirth. We are what we eat. We are the world, and we eat the world.
The Buddha cried when he saw this endless cycle of suffering: the fly eats the flower; the frog eats the fly; the snake eats the frog; the bird eats the snake; the tiger eats the bird; the hunter kills the tiger; the tiger‘s body become swollen; flies come and eat the tiger‘s corpse; the flies lay eggs in the corpse; the eggs become more flies; the flies eat the flowers; and the frogs eat the flies...
And so the Buddha said, „I teach only two things - suffering and the end of suffering.“ Suffering, eating, and feeling are exactly the same.
Feelings eats everything. Feeling has six mouths - the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. The first mouth eats forms through the eye. The second mouth eats sound. The third mouth eats smells. The fourth mouth eats tastes. The fifth mouth eats physical contact. And the last mouth eats ideas. That is feeling.
Time is also an eater. In traditional Cambodian stories, there is often a giant with many mouths who eats everything. This giant is time. If you eat time, you gain nirvana. You can eat time by living in the moment. When you live just in this moment, time cannot eat you.
Everything is causational. There is no you, only causes and conditions. Therfore, you cannot hear or see. When sound and ear comes together, there is hearing. When form and eye meet, there is seeing.
When eye, form and consciousness meet, there is eye contact. Eye contact conditions feeling. Feeling conditions perception. Perceptions thinking, and thinking is I, my, me - the painful misconception that I see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think.
Feeling uses the eye to eat shapes. If a shape is beautiful, a pleasant feeling enters the eye. If a shape is not beautiful, it brings a unpleasant feeling. If we are not attentive to a shape, a neutral feeling comes. The ear is the same: sweet sounds bring pleasant feelings, harsh sounds bring unpleasant feelings, and inattantion brings neutral feelings.
Again, you may think, “I am seeing, I am hearing, I am feeling.” But it is not you, it is only contact, the meeting of the eye, form, and eye-consciousness. It is only the Dharma.
A man once asked the Buddha, “Who feels?” The Buddha answered, “This is not a real question.” No one feels. Feeling feels. There is no I, my, or me. There is only the Dharma.
All kinds of feelings are suffering, filled with vanity, filled with “I am.” If we can penetrate the nature of sensations, we can realize the pure happiness of nirvana.
Feelings and sensations causes us to suffer, because we fail to realize that they are impermanent. The Buddha asked, “How can feeling be permanent if it depends upon the body, which is impermanent?” When we do not control our feelings, we are controlled by them. If we live in the moment, we can see things just as they are. Doing so, we can put an end to all desire, break out bondage, and realize peace.
To understand pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings, we have to put the four foundations of mindfulness into practice. Mindfulness can transform pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings into wisdom.
The world is created by the mind. If we can control feelings, then we can control the mind. If we can control the mind, then we can rule the world.
In meditation, we relax our body, but we sit up straight, and by following our breathing of another object of concentration, we stop most of our thinking. Therefore, we stop being pushed around by our feelings. Thinking greats feeling, and feeling creates thinking. To be free from clinging to thinking and feeling is nirvana - the highest, supreme happiness.
To live without suffering means to live always in the present. The highest happiness is here and now. There is no time at all unless we cling to it. Brothers and Sisters, please eat time!
(from “Step by Step”. by Maha Ghosananda)
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The Buddha cried when he saw this endless cycle of suffering: the fly eats the flower; the frog eats the fly; the snake eats the frog; the bird eats the snake; the tiger eats the bird; the hunter kills the tiger; the tiger‘s body become swollen; flies come and eat the tiger‘s corpse; the flies lay eggs in the corpse; the eggs become more flies; the flies eat the flowers; and the frogs eat the flies...
And so the Buddha said, „I teach only two things - suffering and the end of suffering.“ Suffering, eating, and feeling are exactly the same.
Feelings eats everything. Feeling has six mouths - the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. The first mouth eats forms through the eye. The second mouth eats sound. The third mouth eats smells. The fourth mouth eats tastes. The fifth mouth eats physical contact. And the last mouth eats ideas. That is feeling.
Time is also an eater. In traditional Cambodian stories, there is often a giant with many mouths who eats everything. This giant is time. If you eat time, you gain nirvana. You can eat time by living in the moment. When you live just in this moment, time cannot eat you.
Everything is causational. There is no you, only causes and conditions. Therfore, you cannot hear or see. When sound and ear comes together, there is hearing. When form and eye meet, there is seeing.
When eye, form and consciousness meet, there is eye contact. Eye contact conditions feeling. Feeling conditions perception. Perceptions thinking, and thinking is I, my, me - the painful misconception that I see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think.
Feeling uses the eye to eat shapes. If a shape is beautiful, a pleasant feeling enters the eye. If a shape is not beautiful, it brings a unpleasant feeling. If we are not attentive to a shape, a neutral feeling comes. The ear is the same: sweet sounds bring pleasant feelings, harsh sounds bring unpleasant feelings, and inattantion brings neutral feelings.
Again, you may think, “I am seeing, I am hearing, I am feeling.” But it is not you, it is only contact, the meeting of the eye, form, and eye-consciousness. It is only the Dharma.
A man once asked the Buddha, “Who feels?” The Buddha answered, “This is not a real question.” No one feels. Feeling feels. There is no I, my, or me. There is only the Dharma.
All kinds of feelings are suffering, filled with vanity, filled with “I am.” If we can penetrate the nature of sensations, we can realize the pure happiness of nirvana.
Feelings and sensations causes us to suffer, because we fail to realize that they are impermanent. The Buddha asked, “How can feeling be permanent if it depends upon the body, which is impermanent?” When we do not control our feelings, we are controlled by them. If we live in the moment, we can see things just as they are. Doing so, we can put an end to all desire, break out bondage, and realize peace.
To understand pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings, we have to put the four foundations of mindfulness into practice. Mindfulness can transform pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings into wisdom.
The world is created by the mind. If we can control feelings, then we can control the mind. If we can control the mind, then we can rule the world.
In meditation, we relax our body, but we sit up straight, and by following our breathing of another object of concentration, we stop most of our thinking. Therefore, we stop being pushed around by our feelings. Thinking greats feeling, and feeling creates thinking. To be free from clinging to thinking and feeling is nirvana - the highest, supreme happiness.
To live without suffering means to live always in the present. The highest happiness is here and now. There is no time at all unless we cling to it. Brothers and Sisters, please eat time!
(from “Step by Step”. by Maha Ghosananda)
.
The Middle Way
The Middle Path
The road to peace is called the middle path. It is beyond all duality and all opposites. Sometimes it is called equanimity. Equanimity harmonizes all extremes. Equanimity is like the finely-tuned string of an instrument, not too tight and not too loose. It vibrates perfectly and makes beautiful music.
Equanimity means the absence of struggle. One time a great elephant jumped into a mud hole to cool off. Of course he got stuck, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank! Struggling is useless. It only makes things worse. Do not struggle with suffering. Find your own path. This is called taking refuge in the Dharma. The Dharma is the middle path.
Before the Buddha began his spiritual journey, he indulged in many kinds of sensual pleasures, but he found no lasting happiness. After that, he fasted for many weeks, untile he became pale and thin, but he found only pain. Practicing in this way, the Buddha learned that both self-indulgence and self-mortification are extremes, and extremes can never bring happiness.
Peace comes only when we stop struggling with opposites. The middle path has no beginning and no end, so we do not need to travel far on the middle path to find peace. The middle path is not only the road to peace, it is also the road of peace. It is safe, and very pleasant to travel.
(from “Step by Step” by Maha Ghosananda)
The road to peace is called the middle path. It is beyond all duality and all opposites. Sometimes it is called equanimity. Equanimity harmonizes all extremes. Equanimity is like the finely-tuned string of an instrument, not too tight and not too loose. It vibrates perfectly and makes beautiful music.
Equanimity means the absence of struggle. One time a great elephant jumped into a mud hole to cool off. Of course he got stuck, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank! Struggling is useless. It only makes things worse. Do not struggle with suffering. Find your own path. This is called taking refuge in the Dharma. The Dharma is the middle path.
Before the Buddha began his spiritual journey, he indulged in many kinds of sensual pleasures, but he found no lasting happiness. After that, he fasted for many weeks, untile he became pale and thin, but he found only pain. Practicing in this way, the Buddha learned that both self-indulgence and self-mortification are extremes, and extremes can never bring happiness.
Peace comes only when we stop struggling with opposites. The middle path has no beginning and no end, so we do not need to travel far on the middle path to find peace. The middle path is not only the road to peace, it is also the road of peace. It is safe, and very pleasant to travel.
(from “Step by Step” by Maha Ghosananda)
January 31, 2011
How to Practice Vipassana Insight Meditation
By Sayadaw U Pandita
Step-by-Step Instructions on how to do this important practice — the foundation of all Buddhist Meditations — from the famed Vipassana master Sayadaw U Pandita.
Vipassana, or insight meditation, is the practice of continued close attention to sensation, through which one ultimately sees the true nature of existence. It is believed to be the form of meditation practice taught by the Buddha himself, and although the specific form of the practice may vary, it is the basis of all traditions of Buddhist meditation.
Vipassana is the predominant Buddhist meditation practice in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an important revival of this early form of meditation practice led bythe Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. Following his death in 1982, Sayadaw U Pandita, who studied extensively with Mahasi Sayadaw, was chosen as his principle preceptor. U Pandita is one of the world's leading teachers of Vipassana meditation and has been an important influence on many Vipassana teachers in the West, including Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein of the Insight Meditation Society. He is the founder and abbot of Panditarama Meditation Centre in Yangon, Myanmar.
1. Which place is best for meditation?
The Buddha suggested that either a forest place under a tree or any other very quiet place is best for meditation.
2. How should the meditator sit?
He said the meditator should sit quietly and peacefully with legs crossed.
3. How should those with back troubles sit?
If sitting with crossed legs proves to be too difficult, other sitting postures may be used. For those with back trouble, a chair is quite acceptable. In any case, sit with your back erect, at a right angle to the ground, but not too stiff.
4. Why should you sit straight?
The reason for sitting straight is not difficult to see. An arched or crooked back will soon bring pain. Furthermore, the physical effort to remain upright without additional support energizes the meditation practice.
5. Why is it important to choose a position?
To achieve peace of mind, we must make sure our body is at peace. So it’s important to choose a position that will be comfortable for a long period of time.
6. After sitting down, what should you do?
Close your eyes. Then place your attention at the belly, at the abdomen. Breathe normally—not forcing your breathing—neither slowing it down nor hastening it. Just a natural breath.
7. What will you become aware of as you breathe in and breathe out?
You will become aware of certain sensations as you breathe in and the abdomen rises, and as you breathe out and the abdomen falls.
8. How should you sharpen your aim?
Sharpen your aim by making sure that the mind is attentive to the entirety of each process. Be aware from the very beginning of all sensations involved in the rising. Maintain a steady attention through the middle and the end of the rising. Then be aware of the sensations of the falling movement of the abdomen from the beginning, through the middle, and to the very end of the falling.
Although we describe the rising and falling as having a beginning, middle and end, this is only in order to show that your awareness should be continuous and thorough. We don’t intend you to break these processes into three segments. You should try to be aware of each of these movements from beginning to end as one complete process, as a whole. Do not peer at the sensations with an over-focused mind, specifically looking to discover how the abdominal movement begins or ends.
9. Why is it important in this meditation to have both effort and precise aim?
It is very important to have both effort and precise aim so that the mind meets the sensation directly and powerfully.
10. What is one way to aid precision and accuracy?
One helpful aid to precision and accuracy is to make a soft, mental note of the object of awareness, naming the sensation by saying the word gently and silently in the mind, like "rising, rising . . .,” and “falling, falling. . ."
11. When the mind wanders off, what should you do?
Watch the mind! Be aware that you are thinking.
12. How can you clarify your awareness of thinking?
Note the thought silently with the verbal label "thinking," and come back to the rising and falling.
13. Is it possible to remain perfectly focused on the rising and falling of the abdomen all the time?
Despite making an effort to do so, no one can remain perfectly focused on the rising and falling of the abdomen forever. Other objects inevitably arise and become predominant. Thus, the sphere of meditation encompasses all of our experiences: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations in the body, and mental objects such as visions in the imagination or emotions. When any of these objects arises you should focus direct awareness on it, and silently use a gentle verbal label.
14. During sitting meditation, what is the basic principle to follow? If another object impinges on the awareness and draws it away from the rising and falling, what should you do?
During sitting meditation, if another object impinges strongly on the awareness so as to draw it away from the rising and falling of the abdomen, this object must be clearly noted. For example, if a loud sound arises during your meditation, consciously direct your attention toward that sound as soon as it arises. Be aware of the sound as a direct experience, and also identify it succinctly with the soft, internal, verbal label “hearing, hearing.” When the sound fades and is no longer predominant, come back to the rising and falling. This is the basic principle to follow in sitting meditation.
15. What is the best way to make the verbal label?
There is no need for complex language. One simple word is best. For the eye, ear and tongue doors we simply say, "Seeing, seeing...,” or, “hearing, hearing...” or, “tasting, tasting . . . .”
16. What are some ways to note sensations in the body?
For sensations in the body we may choose a slightly more descriptive term like “warmth,” “pressure,” “hardness” or “motion.”
17. How should you note mental objects?
Mental objects seem to present a bewildering diversity, but actually they fall into just a few clear categories, such as “thinking,” “imagining,” “remembering,” “planning” and “visualizing.”
18. What is the purpose of labeling?
In using the labeling technique, your goal is not to gain verbal skills. Labeling helps us to perceive clearly the actual qualities of our experience, without getting immersed in the content. It develops mental power and focus.
19. What kind of awareness do we seek in meditation, and why?
We seek a deep, clear, precise awareness of the mind and body. This direct awareness shows us the truth about our lives, the actual nature of mental and physical processes.
20. After one hour of sitting, does our meditation come to an end?
Meditation need not come to an end after an hour of sitting. It can be carried out continuously through the day.
21. How should you get up from sitting meditation?
When you get up from sitting, you must note carefully, beginning with the intention to open the eyes: "intending, intending”; opening, opening." Experience the mental event of intending, and feel the sensations of opening the eyes. Continue to note carefully and precisely, with full observing power, through the whole transition of postures until the moment you have stood up, and when you begin to walk.
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1465
Step-by-Step Instructions on how to do this important practice — the foundation of all Buddhist Meditations — from the famed Vipassana master Sayadaw U Pandita.
Vipassana, or insight meditation, is the practice of continued close attention to sensation, through which one ultimately sees the true nature of existence. It is believed to be the form of meditation practice taught by the Buddha himself, and although the specific form of the practice may vary, it is the basis of all traditions of Buddhist meditation.
Vipassana is the predominant Buddhist meditation practice in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an important revival of this early form of meditation practice led bythe Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. Following his death in 1982, Sayadaw U Pandita, who studied extensively with Mahasi Sayadaw, was chosen as his principle preceptor. U Pandita is one of the world's leading teachers of Vipassana meditation and has been an important influence on many Vipassana teachers in the West, including Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein of the Insight Meditation Society. He is the founder and abbot of Panditarama Meditation Centre in Yangon, Myanmar.
1. Which place is best for meditation?
The Buddha suggested that either a forest place under a tree or any other very quiet place is best for meditation.
2. How should the meditator sit?
He said the meditator should sit quietly and peacefully with legs crossed.
3. How should those with back troubles sit?
If sitting with crossed legs proves to be too difficult, other sitting postures may be used. For those with back trouble, a chair is quite acceptable. In any case, sit with your back erect, at a right angle to the ground, but not too stiff.
4. Why should you sit straight?
The reason for sitting straight is not difficult to see. An arched or crooked back will soon bring pain. Furthermore, the physical effort to remain upright without additional support energizes the meditation practice.
5. Why is it important to choose a position?
To achieve peace of mind, we must make sure our body is at peace. So it’s important to choose a position that will be comfortable for a long period of time.
6. After sitting down, what should you do?
Close your eyes. Then place your attention at the belly, at the abdomen. Breathe normally—not forcing your breathing—neither slowing it down nor hastening it. Just a natural breath.
7. What will you become aware of as you breathe in and breathe out?
You will become aware of certain sensations as you breathe in and the abdomen rises, and as you breathe out and the abdomen falls.
8. How should you sharpen your aim?
Sharpen your aim by making sure that the mind is attentive to the entirety of each process. Be aware from the very beginning of all sensations involved in the rising. Maintain a steady attention through the middle and the end of the rising. Then be aware of the sensations of the falling movement of the abdomen from the beginning, through the middle, and to the very end of the falling.
Although we describe the rising and falling as having a beginning, middle and end, this is only in order to show that your awareness should be continuous and thorough. We don’t intend you to break these processes into three segments. You should try to be aware of each of these movements from beginning to end as one complete process, as a whole. Do not peer at the sensations with an over-focused mind, specifically looking to discover how the abdominal movement begins or ends.
9. Why is it important in this meditation to have both effort and precise aim?
It is very important to have both effort and precise aim so that the mind meets the sensation directly and powerfully.
10. What is one way to aid precision and accuracy?
One helpful aid to precision and accuracy is to make a soft, mental note of the object of awareness, naming the sensation by saying the word gently and silently in the mind, like "rising, rising . . .,” and “falling, falling. . ."
11. When the mind wanders off, what should you do?
Watch the mind! Be aware that you are thinking.
12. How can you clarify your awareness of thinking?
Note the thought silently with the verbal label "thinking," and come back to the rising and falling.
13. Is it possible to remain perfectly focused on the rising and falling of the abdomen all the time?
Despite making an effort to do so, no one can remain perfectly focused on the rising and falling of the abdomen forever. Other objects inevitably arise and become predominant. Thus, the sphere of meditation encompasses all of our experiences: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations in the body, and mental objects such as visions in the imagination or emotions. When any of these objects arises you should focus direct awareness on it, and silently use a gentle verbal label.
14. During sitting meditation, what is the basic principle to follow? If another object impinges on the awareness and draws it away from the rising and falling, what should you do?
During sitting meditation, if another object impinges strongly on the awareness so as to draw it away from the rising and falling of the abdomen, this object must be clearly noted. For example, if a loud sound arises during your meditation, consciously direct your attention toward that sound as soon as it arises. Be aware of the sound as a direct experience, and also identify it succinctly with the soft, internal, verbal label “hearing, hearing.” When the sound fades and is no longer predominant, come back to the rising and falling. This is the basic principle to follow in sitting meditation.
15. What is the best way to make the verbal label?
There is no need for complex language. One simple word is best. For the eye, ear and tongue doors we simply say, "Seeing, seeing...,” or, “hearing, hearing...” or, “tasting, tasting . . . .”
16. What are some ways to note sensations in the body?
For sensations in the body we may choose a slightly more descriptive term like “warmth,” “pressure,” “hardness” or “motion.”
17. How should you note mental objects?
Mental objects seem to present a bewildering diversity, but actually they fall into just a few clear categories, such as “thinking,” “imagining,” “remembering,” “planning” and “visualizing.”
18. What is the purpose of labeling?
In using the labeling technique, your goal is not to gain verbal skills. Labeling helps us to perceive clearly the actual qualities of our experience, without getting immersed in the content. It develops mental power and focus.
19. What kind of awareness do we seek in meditation, and why?
We seek a deep, clear, precise awareness of the mind and body. This direct awareness shows us the truth about our lives, the actual nature of mental and physical processes.
20. After one hour of sitting, does our meditation come to an end?
Meditation need not come to an end after an hour of sitting. It can be carried out continuously through the day.
21. How should you get up from sitting meditation?
When you get up from sitting, you must note carefully, beginning with the intention to open the eyes: "intending, intending”; opening, opening." Experience the mental event of intending, and feel the sensations of opening the eyes. Continue to note carefully and precisely, with full observing power, through the whole transition of postures until the moment you have stood up, and when you begin to walk.
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1465
How to Do Loving Kindness Meditation
Loving Kindness meditation or Metta (as it is called in Pali language) is an excellent Buddhist meditation technique for developing compassion. Regardless of any religious affiliations, it can be practiced by anyone as it is a technique of cultivating love and compassion.
The Metta meditation was given to the world by Buddha. He said that "hatred cannot coexist with Loving Kindness. It dissipates when supplanted with thoughts based on Loving Kindness."
Loving Kindness meditation is the development of unconditional or selfless love. It does not restrict itself to family and friends, or whether someone deserves it or not, but it extends itself out towards all living beings.
The practice of Metta meditation opens deeper layers of kindness, care, tenderness, concern, friendship and warm feeling towards ourselves and others.
Guided Loving Kindness Meditation Technique
Sit in a comfortable but erect posture. Be relaxed. Take a few deep breaths. Bring a gentle smile on your face to make the meditation a joyful experience.
Start focusing on the chest area around the solar plexus. It is your "heart center". Bring your awareness towards the sensations arising at your heart center.
There are 6 stages in the practice of Loving Kindness or Metta meditation -
1) Loving Kindness Starts With You
Continue to breathe gently. You can use either these phrases or make slight variations as per your choice. You can say them or mentally repeat them a few times.
May I be free from harm -- inner and outer.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be happy and free of mental suffering and distress.
May I be strong and healthy, and free of suffering and physical pain.
May I live in this world peacefully, happily, with joy and ease.
Observe how your heart responds to your suggestions. Continue with the practice gradually and there is no need to hurry. Experience the warmth of your loving intention spread towards your whole body. Enjoy the bliss that slowly fills your heart.
2) Loved One or Benefactor
Next, you can move the practice of Loving Kindness towards the person whom you look up as a person of unconditional love -- who loves you and others without the expectation of getting anything back.
It could be your mentor, someone elder, a benefactor, a parent, teacher, grandparent or guru -- someone for whom you have reverence and respect naturally. Bring their face or picture in your mind and repeat the above phrases for this person - "may he/she be safe and protected...."
3) Your Good Friend
After having strong and unconditional love toward the benefactor, now you can repeat the phrases and feeling of Loving Kindness towards a person whom you regard as your dear friend.
4) The Neutral Person
Next, you can repeat the above phrases and generate feeling of tenderness and loving care towards a neutral person -- someone with whom you neither have a strong feeling of like nor dislike.
5) The Difficult Person
After this, you can repeat the above phrases for someone with whom you have hostile feelings and resentments; someone who provokes rather unfriendly feelings within you.
It might be difficult to have a feeling of Loving Kindness towards people whom you dislike. If feelings of ill will arise and it becomes difficult to continue the practice, you can return to the benefactor and arise the feeling of Loving Kindness again. Then you can return back to this person.
Allow the phrases to spread throughout your body, heart and mind. Observe the feeling of bliss that arises by letting go of animosity and ill-will towards others.
6) All Living Beings
Next, you can generate the feeling of Loving Kindness towards all living beings. You can use these phrases or a variation of these --
May all beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all living beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all breathing beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all individuals be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all beings and creatures in existence be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
Make use of your imagination and stay with this feeling of Loving Kindness towards all beings - till you have a feeling of profound interconnectedness with all living creatures and life.
Next, you can take the Loving Kindness meditation practice towards specific living beings:
- All awakened ones and all seekers
- All the celestial beings
- All humans
- All animals
- All other beings that are in difficult places
- All beings in different planes of existence -- known or unknown
Gently come back to the rhythm of your breath. Be a bit more aware of your surroundings. Open your eyes slowly and enjoy the state of well-being for a few moments.
Laura's add on-dedication if you wish
Source
The Metta meditation was given to the world by Buddha. He said that "hatred cannot coexist with Loving Kindness. It dissipates when supplanted with thoughts based on Loving Kindness."
Loving Kindness meditation is the development of unconditional or selfless love. It does not restrict itself to family and friends, or whether someone deserves it or not, but it extends itself out towards all living beings.
The practice of Metta meditation opens deeper layers of kindness, care, tenderness, concern, friendship and warm feeling towards ourselves and others.
Guided Loving Kindness Meditation Technique
Sit in a comfortable but erect posture. Be relaxed. Take a few deep breaths. Bring a gentle smile on your face to make the meditation a joyful experience.
Start focusing on the chest area around the solar plexus. It is your "heart center". Bring your awareness towards the sensations arising at your heart center.
There are 6 stages in the practice of Loving Kindness or Metta meditation -
1) Loving Kindness Starts With You
Continue to breathe gently. You can use either these phrases or make slight variations as per your choice. You can say them or mentally repeat them a few times.
May I be free from harm -- inner and outer.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be happy and free of mental suffering and distress.
May I be strong and healthy, and free of suffering and physical pain.
May I live in this world peacefully, happily, with joy and ease.
Observe how your heart responds to your suggestions. Continue with the practice gradually and there is no need to hurry. Experience the warmth of your loving intention spread towards your whole body. Enjoy the bliss that slowly fills your heart.
2) Loved One or Benefactor
Next, you can move the practice of Loving Kindness towards the person whom you look up as a person of unconditional love -- who loves you and others without the expectation of getting anything back.
It could be your mentor, someone elder, a benefactor, a parent, teacher, grandparent or guru -- someone for whom you have reverence and respect naturally. Bring their face or picture in your mind and repeat the above phrases for this person - "may he/she be safe and protected...."
3) Your Good Friend
After having strong and unconditional love toward the benefactor, now you can repeat the phrases and feeling of Loving Kindness towards a person whom you regard as your dear friend.
4) The Neutral Person
Next, you can repeat the above phrases and generate feeling of tenderness and loving care towards a neutral person -- someone with whom you neither have a strong feeling of like nor dislike.
5) The Difficult Person
After this, you can repeat the above phrases for someone with whom you have hostile feelings and resentments; someone who provokes rather unfriendly feelings within you.
It might be difficult to have a feeling of Loving Kindness towards people whom you dislike. If feelings of ill will arise and it becomes difficult to continue the practice, you can return to the benefactor and arise the feeling of Loving Kindness again. Then you can return back to this person.
Allow the phrases to spread throughout your body, heart and mind. Observe the feeling of bliss that arises by letting go of animosity and ill-will towards others.
6) All Living Beings
Next, you can generate the feeling of Loving Kindness towards all living beings. You can use these phrases or a variation of these --
May all beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all living beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all breathing beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all individuals be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all beings and creatures in existence be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
Make use of your imagination and stay with this feeling of Loving Kindness towards all beings - till you have a feeling of profound interconnectedness with all living creatures and life.
Next, you can take the Loving Kindness meditation practice towards specific living beings:
- All awakened ones and all seekers
- All the celestial beings
- All humans
- All animals
- All other beings that are in difficult places
- All beings in different planes of existence -- known or unknown
Gently come back to the rhythm of your breath. Be a bit more aware of your surroundings. Open your eyes slowly and enjoy the state of well-being for a few moments.
Laura's add on-dedication if you wish
Source
January 29, 2011
The Bodhisattva
The story is told that when Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion, was looking at the lives of human beings upon this planet, he saw how much pain and suffering we inflict upon each other, and for a moment his compassion faltered. He almost abandoned his vow to liberate us from suffering. At that instant, his body exploded into a thousand pieces, represented in the image of the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara. If this can happen to the figure who, in Buddhism, most exemplifies compassion, then perhaps we can be forgiven for not always finding it easy to sustain a compassionate heart in the face of so much suffering in the world.
We may live in times when material, economic, and scientific progress is moving at a rate never before seen, yet our capacity to live peacefully alongside each other seems to remain elusive. When confronted with the constant evidence of so much brutality and corruption present in the world, whether this is seen on the news or experienced closer to home, it is common to feel a sense of anger and outrage, and to feel powerless to do anything to change the ignorance, greed, and hatred that motivate most of the atrocities our fellow humans inflict upon each other. Are we, individually or collectively, able to go beyond the dominance of our instinctual selfishness that reaps so much harm?
...Whatever spiritual tradition we may be part of, if we wish to live our lives with greater openness to others, and with the courage and heart to cope with adverse conditions, we have much to learn from the path of the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva, sometimes translated as "the awakening warrior," dedicates his or her life to the welfare of others and is willing to face the challenges of life to do so. The bodhisattva's way of life does not lead to a spiritual escape from the reality of the world. Rather, the bodhisattva cultivates the capacity to live within the raw reality of suffering on the ground and transform life's adverse circumstances into a path of awakening. A bodhisattva makes a clear decision to remain embodied and in relationship to life even while reaching states of awareness that go far beyond our normal reality. Such a person is said to renounce the peace of nirvana and overcome the fear of samsara. What gives this attitude to life a particular significance is that it recognizes that only through fully awakening our innate wholeness can we achieve the greatest benefit to others.
Central to this approach to life is a quality of intention called bodhichitta, often translated as "the awakening mind." The awakening mind is most often described as the clear, compassionate intention to attain the state of buddhahood for the welfare of all sentient beings. While "the awakening mind" may seem like a relatively simple phrase, its actual psychological, emotional, and social implications are huge. It is a reorientation of the whole of an individual's direction and meaning in life, rooted in a deep sense of compassion and responsibility towards the welfare of the world.
--from The Courage to Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others by Rob Preece
We may live in times when material, economic, and scientific progress is moving at a rate never before seen, yet our capacity to live peacefully alongside each other seems to remain elusive. When confronted with the constant evidence of so much brutality and corruption present in the world, whether this is seen on the news or experienced closer to home, it is common to feel a sense of anger and outrage, and to feel powerless to do anything to change the ignorance, greed, and hatred that motivate most of the atrocities our fellow humans inflict upon each other. Are we, individually or collectively, able to go beyond the dominance of our instinctual selfishness that reaps so much harm?
...Whatever spiritual tradition we may be part of, if we wish to live our lives with greater openness to others, and with the courage and heart to cope with adverse conditions, we have much to learn from the path of the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva, sometimes translated as "the awakening warrior," dedicates his or her life to the welfare of others and is willing to face the challenges of life to do so. The bodhisattva's way of life does not lead to a spiritual escape from the reality of the world. Rather, the bodhisattva cultivates the capacity to live within the raw reality of suffering on the ground and transform life's adverse circumstances into a path of awakening. A bodhisattva makes a clear decision to remain embodied and in relationship to life even while reaching states of awareness that go far beyond our normal reality. Such a person is said to renounce the peace of nirvana and overcome the fear of samsara. What gives this attitude to life a particular significance is that it recognizes that only through fully awakening our innate wholeness can we achieve the greatest benefit to others.
Central to this approach to life is a quality of intention called bodhichitta, often translated as "the awakening mind." The awakening mind is most often described as the clear, compassionate intention to attain the state of buddhahood for the welfare of all sentient beings. While "the awakening mind" may seem like a relatively simple phrase, its actual psychological, emotional, and social implications are huge. It is a reorientation of the whole of an individual's direction and meaning in life, rooted in a deep sense of compassion and responsibility towards the welfare of the world.
--from The Courage to Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others by Rob Preece
January 27, 2011
Meditation on Green Tara
MEDITATION ON GREEN TARA
Taking Refuge
I go for refuge to the Buddha,
I go for refuge to the Dharma,
I go for refuge to the Sangha. (3x)
Setting the Mind to Enlightenment
By virtue of giving and so forth,
may I become a Buddha for the benefit of all sentient beings. (3x)
4 Immeasurables
May all sentient beings have equanimity, free from attachment, aggression and prejudice.
May they be happy, and have the causes for happiness.
May they be free from suffering and causes for suffering.
May they never be separated from the happiness that is free from suffering. (3x)
7-Limbed Prayer
Respectfully I prostrate with body, speech and mind;
I present clouds of every type of offerings, actual and imagined;
I declare all the negative actions I have done since beginningless time,
and rejoice in the merit of all Aryas and ordinary beings.
Please teacher, remain until cyclic existence ends
and turn the wheel of Dharma for all sentient beings.
I dedicate the virtues of myself and others to the great Enlightenment.
Visualisation and Mantra Recitation
In the space before you, on a lotus and moondisc appears green Tara.
Her body is made of green light, transparent like a rainbow.
Her left leg is drawn up in lotus posture to symbolise control over desire.
Her right leg is extended, symbolising that she is ready to rise to the aid of all beings.
Her left hand is at her heart in the gesture of giving refuge: the palm facing outward, thumb & ring finger touching, the other fingers raised.
Her right hand is on her right knee, in the gesture of giving high realisations: the palm faces outwards, thumb & index finger touching, the other fingers pointing down.
Both hands hold a blue utpala flower.
She is very beautiful, dressed in celestial silks and smiles at you.
- Think of your problems, needs and aims and request Tara's help from your heart.
- Then she shines white light from her forehead into your forehead, eliminating problems and negativities of your body, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Next she shines red light from her throat into your throat, eliminating obstacles and negativities of your speech, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Next she shines blue light from her heart into your heart, eliminating all obstacles and negativities of your mind, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Try to feel you are now free from al hindrances and problems, and that you have received the inspiration and energy to accomplish your aims.
- Then Tara comes to the crown of your head, facing the same way as you.
- She dissolves into green light, which descends into your heart center.
- Your mind merges with Tara's' mind.
- Keep this feeling as long as possible.
Dedication
By this virtue may I soon
reach a Guru-Buddha-state,
and lead each and every being
to that state of Buddhahood.
May the precious Bodhicitta
not yet born, arise and grow
may that born have no decline
but increase forever more.
Source
Taking Refuge
I go for refuge to the Buddha,
I go for refuge to the Dharma,
I go for refuge to the Sangha. (3x)
Setting the Mind to Enlightenment
By virtue of giving and so forth,
may I become a Buddha for the benefit of all sentient beings. (3x)
4 Immeasurables
May all sentient beings have equanimity, free from attachment, aggression and prejudice.
May they be happy, and have the causes for happiness.
May they be free from suffering and causes for suffering.
May they never be separated from the happiness that is free from suffering. (3x)
7-Limbed Prayer
Respectfully I prostrate with body, speech and mind;
I present clouds of every type of offerings, actual and imagined;
I declare all the negative actions I have done since beginningless time,
and rejoice in the merit of all Aryas and ordinary beings.
Please teacher, remain until cyclic existence ends
and turn the wheel of Dharma for all sentient beings.
I dedicate the virtues of myself and others to the great Enlightenment.
Visualisation and Mantra Recitation
In the space before you, on a lotus and moondisc appears green Tara.
Her body is made of green light, transparent like a rainbow.
Her left leg is drawn up in lotus posture to symbolise control over desire.
Her right leg is extended, symbolising that she is ready to rise to the aid of all beings.
Her left hand is at her heart in the gesture of giving refuge: the palm facing outward, thumb & ring finger touching, the other fingers raised.
Her right hand is on her right knee, in the gesture of giving high realisations: the palm faces outwards, thumb & index finger touching, the other fingers pointing down.
Both hands hold a blue utpala flower.
She is very beautiful, dressed in celestial silks and smiles at you.
- Think of your problems, needs and aims and request Tara's help from your heart.
- Then she shines white light from her forehead into your forehead, eliminating problems and negativities of your body, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Next she shines red light from her throat into your throat, eliminating obstacles and negativities of your speech, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Next she shines blue light from her heart into your heart, eliminating all obstacles and negativities of your mind, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Try to feel you are now free from al hindrances and problems, and that you have received the inspiration and energy to accomplish your aims.
- Then Tara comes to the crown of your head, facing the same way as you.
- She dissolves into green light, which descends into your heart center.
- Your mind merges with Tara's' mind.
- Keep this feeling as long as possible.
Dedication
By this virtue may I soon
reach a Guru-Buddha-state,
and lead each and every being
to that state of Buddhahood.
May the precious Bodhicitta
not yet born, arise and grow
may that born have no decline
but increase forever more.
Source
The Point of Meditation
"The point of Buddhist meditation is not to stop thinking, for cultivation of insight clearly requires intelligent use of thought and discrimination. What needs to be stopped is conceptualisation that is compulsive, mechanical and unintelligent, that is, activity that is always fatiguing, usually pointless, and at times seriously harmful"
-Allan Wallace
-Allan Wallace
January 25, 2011
Loving Kindness
In his closing discussion on loving-kindness, Buddhaghosa asks: "What is the proximate cause of loving-kindness?" The answer is the observation of lovableness in the person to whom you are attending.
Bring to mind right now someone whom you find lovable. It could be a person you have a romance with, or a child, or a dear friend, or a great teachersomeone to whom your heart would leap like a deer in the forest if this person were to walk through the door, someone whose presence is so lovable that a gladness arises on seeing him or her. If you can sense that in a dear friend, then try to seek out the lovableness of a neutral person. Then, finally, when you break down all the barriers, see it in a person who has done you injury.
It's a great key if you can seek out something to love, even in the enemy. Bear clearly in mind that this does not endorse or embrace evil. The crucial point here is to be able to slice through like a very skilled surgeon, recognizing vicious behavior that we would love to see annihilated as separate from the person who is participating in it. The doctor can be optimistic. A cure is possible: the person is not equivalent to the action or the disposition. Moreover there is something there that we can hold in affection, with warmth. That really seems to be a master key that can break down the final barrier and complete the practice.
One way of approaching this is to look at the person you hold in contempt, and try to find any quality he might share with someone you deeply admire and respect. Is there anything at all noble to be seen, any thing that would be akin to what a truly great spiritual being would display? Focus on that: There is something there that you can love. The rest is chaff, that hopefully will be blown away quickly, to everyone's benefit. It is as if you could see a little ray of light from within, knowing that its source is much deeper than the despicable qualities on the outside. That light is what you attend to. (p. 112)
--from The Four Immeasurables: Practices to Open the Heart by B. Alan Wallace, edited by Zara Houshmand
Bring to mind right now someone whom you find lovable. It could be a person you have a romance with, or a child, or a dear friend, or a great teachersomeone to whom your heart would leap like a deer in the forest if this person were to walk through the door, someone whose presence is so lovable that a gladness arises on seeing him or her. If you can sense that in a dear friend, then try to seek out the lovableness of a neutral person. Then, finally, when you break down all the barriers, see it in a person who has done you injury.
It's a great key if you can seek out something to love, even in the enemy. Bear clearly in mind that this does not endorse or embrace evil. The crucial point here is to be able to slice through like a very skilled surgeon, recognizing vicious behavior that we would love to see annihilated as separate from the person who is participating in it. The doctor can be optimistic. A cure is possible: the person is not equivalent to the action or the disposition. Moreover there is something there that we can hold in affection, with warmth. That really seems to be a master key that can break down the final barrier and complete the practice.
One way of approaching this is to look at the person you hold in contempt, and try to find any quality he might share with someone you deeply admire and respect. Is there anything at all noble to be seen, any thing that would be akin to what a truly great spiritual being would display? Focus on that: There is something there that you can love. The rest is chaff, that hopefully will be blown away quickly, to everyone's benefit. It is as if you could see a little ray of light from within, knowing that its source is much deeper than the despicable qualities on the outside. That light is what you attend to. (p. 112)
--from The Four Immeasurables: Practices to Open the Heart by B. Alan Wallace, edited by Zara Houshmand
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Showing posts with label Daily practice.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daily practice.. Show all posts
What is the Middle Way?
>> June 18, 2011
What Is The Middle Way?
And what, monks, is the Middle Way realized by the Thus-Come-One, which gives vision and understanding, which leads to calm, penetration, enlightenment, to Nirvana?
It is just this Noble Eightfold Path, namely: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration. – The Buddha, Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
Since starting this site I’ve always felt too close to write about The Middle Way. I asked a friend, Gary over at Buddha Space, if he’d share what The Middle Way meant to him. This is his fantastic reply. 108 bows to you Gary.
The Middle Way lies at the very heart of Buddhism, as indicated in the words above, taken from the Buddha’s first sermon, given by the Thus-Come-One over two-and-a-half thousand years ago in North India. Since then, Buddhism has transformed itself many times as it has spread all over the Orient from Sri Lanka to Japan, and has now taken root in the Occident, from England to Australia. Yet, despite the global nature of the Buddhadharma these days, and its diverse forms such as the orthodox Theravada, the devotional Pure Land, the esoteric Vajrayana, and the prosaic Zen, the Middle Way remains a central theme that all Buddhists take heed of, one way or another.
According to the Buddha, the Middle Way is a life lived between the extremes of self-denial and self-indulgence. Neither hedonist nor ascetic are to be imitated, for the Noble Eightfold Path weaves its way through life avoiding both these unenlightened lifestyles. To see the world in the light of the Buddhadharma is to have Right View, not only recognizing the suffering that is caused by desire, but also the Path that leads to the ending of all such suffering, based in the Right Intention to let go of lust, ill-will, and cruelty. In other words, to lead a harmless life. Right Speech, Action, and Livelihood grow out of such an intention, directing one’s lifestyle in a more selfless, rather than selfish, direction. Right Effort is the avoidance of unwholesome states and the cultivation of wholesome ones. Right Mindfulness and Concentration take this well-directed mind and hone it to the point where it is on the precipice of the great void that is known as Nirvana. The perfection of the Path (that is, the Middle Way), is the ripening of the spiritual life; it becomes a fruit ready to drop into the infinity of enlightenment…forever.
Living the Middle Way can take many different forms – not surprising when the many strands of the Buddhadharma are taken into account, along with the many types of people there are – but all are ultimately intent on its original and continuous objective: Nirvana. To cultivate a moral lifestyle hand in hand with a mindful meditative practice is to walk the Middle Way, which gives vision and understanding, as the Buddha put it. This vision is to see things as they are, rather than as we think or want them to be, and this understanding is the knowledge that in the things of the world there is no salvation or enlightenment; awakening to the silent wisdom within is to experience the calm mind that penetrates to the core of our being: the Buddha.
The Middle Way is not only the recommended manner of living given us by the Buddha; it is also the realization that beyond these limited erroneous egos and puffed-up personalities we are the Buddha. To truly walk the Middle Way is to traverse this world in the knowledge that we are already enlightened – we just have to enlighten ourselves to the fact! Openly reflecting on the Way is to share with all sentient beings this wondrous hidden truth, helping us to let go a little of our greed, hatred, and delusion, the three poisons that tie us to a life of suffering. For, as the Buddha so wisely taught all those centuries ago, it is in the walking of this Middle Way that one discovers Nirvana, releasing the pain and anguish of the ego into the serenity of our Buddha-nature.
The Middle Way
Who is Vajrasattva?
>> June 04, 2011
Who is Vajrasattva?
Tibetan: dor je sem pa.
English: the Vajra Hero.
Vajrasattva means "diamond being" or "vajra-being". Its character is as strong as a vajra. By practicing his Dharma, the follower can avoid all evil thoughts, eliminate vexations and have unlimited happiness and wisdom. Meanwhile the guardian deities will forgive them for any mistakes they have made in practicing Buddhism and bestow them a fortune that makes up for any loss. Vajrasattvathe dhyani-boddhisattva or spiritual son of dhyani-buddha, Akshobhya is also regarded as chief of the five dhyani-buddhas. He is usually represented seated on a lotus posture. He wears a crown in which there is often an image of Akshobhya, and the dress and ornaments of Dhyani-Buddhisattva. Against his breast, he generally holds vajra in his right hand; but the vajra may be balanced on its point in the palm of his hand. With the left, he holds the ghanta on his hip. If standing, he balances the vajra in his right hand against his breast, while in the left, hanging pendent, he presses the ghanta against leg. Unlike the other Dhyan-Boddhas, he is always crowned with or without his sakti whom he presses against his breast in the yab-yum attitude, with the right hand holding vajra, while the left holds the ghanta on his hip.
http://discussions-neighborhoods.ebay.com/topic/Antiques-Antiquing-Discussions/Vajrasattva/1300087401
The Dhammapada
>> March 31, 2011
Here is a very good resource for The Dhammapada. I got this link from Buddha Forum.
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Meditative Stabilization
>> February 22, 2011
There is both a reason and a purpose for cultivating the meditative stabilization observing exhalation and inhalation of the breath. The reason is mainly to purify impure motivations. What exactly is to be purified? The main of these are the three poisons--desire, hatred, and obscuration. Even though we have these at all times and even though the meditator will still retain them, she or he is seeking to suppress their manifest functioning at that time. The specific purpose for cleansing impure motivations before meditation is to dispel bad motivations connected with this lifetime, such as having hatred toward enemies, attachment to friends, and so forth.
In terms of the practice I am explaining here, even the thought of a religious practitioner of small capacity is included within impure motivations; such a person engages in practice mainly for the sake of a good future lifetime. Similarly, if on this occasion one has the motivation of a religious practitioner of middling capacity--that of only oneself escaping from cyclic existence, this is also impure.
What is a pure motivation? To take as one's aim the welfare of all sentient beings. This is the motivation of a religious practitioner of great capacity. Meditators should imagine or manifest their own impure motivation in the form of smoke, and with the exhalation of breath should expel all bad motivation. When inhaling, they should imagine that all the blessings and good qualities of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, in the form of bright light, are inhaled into them. This practice is called purification by way of the descent of ambrosia. There are many forms of this purification, but the essence of the practice is as just indicated.
--from Calm Abiding and Special Insight: Achieving Spiritual Transformation Through Meditation by Geshe Gedun Lodro
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Deity Yoga
At the beginning of the process of deity meditation and mantra repetition one meditates on emptiness, settling the non-inherent existence of oneself and the deity through a reasoning such as that of dependent-arising--the fact that both oneself and the deity arise in dependence on their respective bases of designation. One's own final nature and the final nature of the deity are the same, an emptiness of inherent existence.
To perform deity yoga one does not just withdraw ordinary appearances and then appear as a deity but causes the mind realising emptiness itself to appear as a deity. Thus, it is essential initially to meditate on emptiness, cleansing all appearances in emptiness. One then uses that wisdom consciousness realising emptiness as the basis of emanation of a divine body. This must be done at least in imitation of a consciousness actually doing this, for meditation on a truly existent divine body, instead of helping, will only increase adherence to inherent existence. Meditated properly, the appearance of a divine figure is the sport of the ultimate mind of enlightenment, first in imitation and later in fact. (p.39)
--from Deity Yoga in Action and Performance Tantra by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsong-ka-pa, and Jeffrey Hopkins, published by Snow Lion Publications
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The Bodhisattva's Confession of Ethical Downfalls
>> February 17, 2011
The Bodhisattva's Confession of Ethical Downfalls
Prostrations to the Thirty-Five Buddhas
To increase the benefit of each prostration, first prostrate three times while reciting:
om namo manjushriye namo sushriye namo uttama shriye soha
Continue to prostrate while reciting the names of the Buddhas and the confession prayer.
I, (say your name) throughout all times, take refuge in the Gurus; I take refuge in the Buddhas; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha.
To the Founder, the Transcendent Destroyer, the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Enlightened One, the Glorious Conqueror from the Shaykas I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Great Destroyer, Destroying with Vajra Essence I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Radiating Light I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the King with Power of over the Nagas I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the the Leader of the Warriors I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Blissful One I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Fire I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moonlight I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, Whose Pure Vision Brings Accomplishments I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Moon I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Stainless one I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Giver I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Pure One I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Bestower of Purity I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Celestial Waters I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Deity of the Celestial Waters I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Good I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Sandalwood I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the One of Unlimited Splendor I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Light I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One without Sorrow I bow down.
To the One Thus Gone, the Son of the Desireless One I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Flower I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoyig the Radiant Light of Purity I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, Who Understands Reality Enjoyig the Radiant Light of of the Lotus I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious Gem I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One who is Mindful I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Whose Name is Extremely Renowned, I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the King Holding the Banner of Victory over the Senses I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Subdues Everything Completely I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Victorious One in All Battles I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Gone to Perfect Self-control I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Glorious One Who Enhances and Illuminates Completely I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Jewel Lotus Who Subdues All I bow down
To the One Thus Gone, the Foe Destroyer, the Fully Enlightened One, the King with Power over Mount Meru, Always Remaining in the Jewel and the Lotus I bow down.
All you thirty-five Buddhas, and all the others, those thus gone, foe destroyers, fully enlightened ones and transcendent destroyers who are existing, sustaing and living throughout the ten directions of sentient beings' worlds -- all you Buddhas, please give me your attention.
In this life, and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, I have created, caused others to create, and rejoiced at the creation of negative karmas such as misusing offerings to holy objects, misusing offerings to the Sangha, stealing the posessions of the Sangha of the ten directions; I have caused others to create these negative actions and rejoiced at their creation.
I have created the five heinous actions, caused others to create them and rejoiced at their creation. I have committed the ten non-virtuous actions, involved others inthem, and rejoiced at their involvement.
Being obscured by all this karma, I have created the cause for myself and other sentient beings to be reborn in the hells, as animals, as hungry ghosts, in irreligious places, amongst barbarians, as long-lived gods, with imperfect senses, holding wrong views, and being displeased with the presence of a Buddha.
Now before these Buddhas, transcendent destroyers who have become transcendental wisdom, who have become thae compassionate eye, who have become witnesses, who have become valid and see with their omniscient minds, I am confessing and accepting all these actions as negative. I will not conceal or hide them, and from now on, I will refrain from committing these negative actions.
Buddhas and transcendent destroyers, please give me your attention: in this life and throughout beginningless lives in all the realms of samsara, whatever root of virtue I have created through even the smallest acts of charity such as giving one mouthful of food to a being born as an animal, whatever root of virtue I have created by abiding in pure conduct, whatever root of virtue I have created by fully ripening sentient beings' minds, whatever root of virtue I have created of the highest transcendent wisdom.
Bringing together all these merits of both myself and others, I now dedicate them to the highest of which there is no higher, to that even above the highest, to the highest of the high, to the higher of the high. Thus I dedicate them completely to the highest, fully accomplished enlightenment.
Just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the past have dedicated, just sa the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the future will dedicate, and just as the Buddhas and transcendent destroyers of the present are dedicating, in the same way I make this dedication.
I confess all my negative actions separately and rejoice in all merits. I implore the Buddhas to grant my request that I may realize the ultimate, sublime, highest transcendental wisdom.
To the sublime kings of the human beings living now, to those of the past, and to those who have yet to appear, to all those whose knowledge is as vast as the infinite ocean, with my hands folded in respect, I go for refuge.
From Pearl of Wisdom - Book I compiled by Ven. Thubten Chodron.
Source
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Medicine Buddha Sadhana
Medicine Buddha Sadhana
by Thubten Gyatso
Take Refuge and Generate Bodhicitta (three times)
To the Buddha, the Dharma and the sublime community, I go for refuge until I am enlightened. From the virtuous merits I collect by practicing giving and other perfections, may I quickly attain buddhahood in order to lead each and every sentient being into that unsurpassable state.
The Four Immeasurables
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all sentient beings never be separated from the happiness which is without suffering.
May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free from both attachment and hatred, holding some close and others distant.
Cultivation of Special Bodhicitta
Especially for the benefit of all sentient beings, I will quickly, very quickly, attain the precious state of perfect and complete buddhahood. For this reason, I will practice the yoga method of guru Medicine Buddha.
Seven-Limbed Prayer
I prostrate to the Guru Medicine Buddha.
Each and every offering, including those actually performed and those mentally-transformed, I present to you.
I confess all non-virtuous actions accumulated since beginningless time.
I rejoice in the virtues of both ordinary and noble beings.
As our guide, I request you, O Buddha, to turn the wheel of Dharma until samsara ends.
All virtues, both my own and those of others, I dedicate to the ripening of the two Bodhicittas and the attainment of Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings.
Mandala Offering/Prayer of Request
I beseech you, Bhagawan Medicine Guru, whose sky-colored, holy body of lapis lazuli signifies your omniscient wisdom and compassion as vast as limitless space, please grant me your blessings.
I beseech you, compassionate Medicine Guru, holding in your right hand the king of medicines, symbolizing your vow to help all pitiful sentient beings plagued by the four hundred and twenty-four diseases, please grant me your blessings.
I beseech you, compassionate Medicine Guru, holding in your left hand a bowl of nectar, symbolizing your vow to give the glorious undying nectar--of the Dharma--which eliminates the degenerations of old age, sickness and death, please grant me your blessings.
Visualization
In the space in front of you is the divine form of Guru Medicine Buddha. He is seated on a lotus and moon cushion. His body is in the nature of deep blue light, the color of lapis lazuli. He is very serene and adorned with silk robes and magnificent jewel ornaments.
Guru Medicine Buddha's right hand rests on his right knee, palm outward in the gesture of giving realizations. His left hand rests in his lap, holding a nectar bowl of medicine that cures all ills, hindrances and obstacles.
Above the crown of Guru Medicine Buddha is a wish-granting jewel, the essence of which is Guru. Above that is Buddha Ngon.Kyen. Gyal.Po, whose body is red-colored, his right hand in the mudra of bestowing sublime realizations and his left hand in the mudra of concentration.
Above him is Buddha Cho.Drag Gya.Tso Yang, with a yellow-colored body and hands in the same mudra.
Above him is Buddha Nya.Ngam Mi.Cho.Pa, light red in color and both hands in the mudra of concentration.
Above him is Buddha Ser.Zang Dri.Me, pale yellow in color, his right hand in the mudra of expounding the Dharma and his left hand in the mudra of concentration.
Above him is the Buddha Rin.Chen Da.Wa Dang Pai.Ma Rab.Tu Gyan.Pa Zi.Ji Dra.Yang Gyi Gyal.Po, reddish-yellow in color and hands in the same mudra.
Above him is Buddha Tsan.Leg Yang.Drag, yellow in color and hands in the same mudra.
Requests to the Medicine Buddhas (Repeat each verse seven times.
After the seventh recitation, as you repeat "May your vow...," the Medicine Buddha to whom the request is made absorbs into the one below, until the single divine form of Medicine Buddha remains for the final request.)
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Tsan.Leg Yang.Drag, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Rin.Chen Da.Wa Dang Pai.Ma Rab.Tu Gyan.Pa Kya.Pa Zi.Ji Dra.Yang Gyi Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Ser.Zang Dri.Me.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Nya.Ngan Mi.Chog.Pa.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Cho.Drag Gya.Tso Yang.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Ngon.Kyen Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Man.Gyi.La Bendurya O.Gyi Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
Visualization
Granting your request, from the heart and holy body of the King of Medicine, infinite rays of light pour down completely filling your body from head to toe. They purify all your diseases and afflictions due to spirits and their causes, all your negative karma and mental obscurations. In the nature of light,your body becomes clean and clear as crystal.
The light rays pour down twice more, each time filling your body with blissful clean-clear light which you absorb.
At the heart of Medicine Buddha appears a lotus and moon disc. Standing at the center of the moon disc, is the blue seed-syllable OM surrounded by the syllables of the mantra. As you recite the mantra, visualize rays of light radiating out in all directions from the syllables at his heart. The light rays pervade the sentient beings of the six realms. Through your great love wishing them to have happiness and, through your great compassion wishing them to be free from all sufferings, they are purified of all diseases, afflictions due to spirits and their causes, all their negative karma and mental obscurations.
Recitation of the Mantra
om namo bhagawate bhekandzyai - guru bendurya prabha randzaya - tatagataya - arhate - samyaksam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - maha bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - randza samungate soha
Short Mantra
tatagataya - arhate - samyaksam buddhaya - tayata om bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - maha bhekandzyai bhekandzyai - randza samungate soha
Feel Great Joy and Think
All sentient beings are transformed into the aspect of the Medicine Buddha Guru. How wonderful that I am now able to lead all sentient beings into the Medicine Buddha's Enlightenment.
Simplified Visualization
Visualize the Medicine Buddha Guru above the crown of your head and make the following request seven times, followed by the mantra recitation and visualization.
The fully realized destroyer of all defilements, fully completed Buddha, having fully realized the absolute truth of all phenomena, Buddha Man.Gyi.La Bendurya O.Gyi.Gyal.Po.La, to you I prostrate and go for refuge, to you I make offerings.
May your vow to benefit all sentient beings now ripen for myself and others.
Mantra Recitation and Visualization for Simplified Visualization
Purifying rays of light pour down from the Guru Medicine Buddha's heart and holy body eliminating your sicknesses and afflictions due to spirits and their causes, all your negative karma and mental obscurations.
Your body is completely filled with light and becomes clean-clear like crystal. Then the rays radiate out in all directions, purifying the sicknesses and afflictions of all mother sentient beings.
The Guru Medicine Buddha melts into light and absorbs into your heart.
Dedication
Due to these merits, may I complete the ocean-like actions of the sons of the Victorious Ones. May I become the holy savior, refuge and helper for the sentient beings who have repeatedly been kind to me in past lives.
By the virtues received from attempting this practice, may all living beings who see, hear, touch or remember me--even those who say my name--at that moment be released from their miseries and experience happiness forever.
As all sentient beings, infinite as space, are encompassed by the Guru Medicine Buddha's compassion, may I also become the guide of sentient beings existing throughout all ten directions of the universe.
Because of these virtues, may I quickly become Guru Medicine Buddha and lead each and every sentient being into his enlightened realm.
Source
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Vajrasattva Sadhana
Vajrasattva Purification
From Ven. Thubten Chodron's Pearl of Wisdom, Book II
(used with permission)
Visualization
Visualize about four inches above your head an open white lotus upon which is a moon disc. Vajrasattva is seated upon this. He is white, translucent and adorned with beautiful ornaments and clothes of celestial silk. His two hands are crossed at his heart; the right holds a vajra, symbolic of great bliss; his left holds a bell, symbolic of the wisdom of emptiness. The vajra and bell together signify his attainment of the enlightened state, the inseparable unity of the wisdom and form bodies. At his heart is a moon disc with the seed-syllable HUM at its center and the letters of Vajrasattva's hundred-syllable mantra standing clockwise around its edge.
Refuge and Generating Bodhicitta (three times)
I take refuge in the Three Jewels.
I will liberate all sentient beings and lead them to enlightenment.
Thus, I will perfectly generate the mind dedicated to attaining
enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.
The Power of Regret
Recollect, with deep regret, the specific negativities you have created. Then meditate deeply on the meaning of the following:
"The negative karma I have accumulated from beginningless time is as extensive as the ocean. Although I know that each negative action leads to countless eons of suffering, it seems that I am constantly striving to create nothing but negative actions. Even though I try to avoid non-virtue and practice positive acts, day and night without respite, negativities and moral downfalls come to me like rainfall. I lack the ability to purify these faults so that no trace of them remains. With these negative imprints still in my mind, I could suddenly die and find myself falling to an unfortunate rebirth. What can I do? Please Vajrasattva, with your great compassion, guide me from such misery!"
The Power of Remedial Action
From the HUM at Vajrasattva's heart, light radiates in all directions, requesting the Buddhas to bestow their blessings. They accept the request and send white rays of light and nectar, the essence of which is the knowledge of their body, speech and mind. The light and nectar absorb into the HUM and the letters of the mantra at Vajrasattva's heart. They then fill his whole body completely, enhancing the magnificence of his appearance and increasing the brilliance of the mantra.
While reciting the mantra, visualize that white rays of light and nectar stream continuously from the HUM and mantra at Vajrasattva's heart. They flow down through the crown of your head and fill every cell of your body and mind with infinite bliss. Recite the mantra at least 21 times or more, if possible.
om vajrasattva samaya manu palaya - vajrasattva deno patita - dido may bhawa - suto kayo may bhawa - supo kayo may bhawa - anu rakto may bhawa - sarwa siddhi mepar yatsa - sarwa karma su tsa may - tsitam shriyam kuru hum - ha ha ha ha ho - bhagawan - sarwa tatagata - vajra ma may mu tsa - vajra bhawa maha samaya sattva - ah hum pey
If you have not yet memorized the long mantra, or if you are pressed for time, you may recite the short mantra at least 28 times.
om vajrasattva hum
While reciting either of the mantras, continue to visualize the flow of light and nectar and perform the following four visualizations alternately.
Purification of Body
Your disturbing attitudes and negativities in general and particularly those of the body, take the form of black ink. Sickness takes the form of pus and blood and afflictions caused by spirits appear in the form of scorpions, snakes, frogs and crabs. Flushed out by the light and nectar, they all leave your body through the lower openings, like filthy liquid flowing down a drain pipe. Feel completely empty of these problems and negativities; they no longer exist anywhere.
Purification of Speech
Your disturbing attitudes and imprints of negativities of speech take the form of liquid tar. The light and nectar fill your body as water fills a dirty glass: the negativities, like the dirt, rise to the top and flow out through the upper openings of your body: your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, etc. Feel completely empty of these problems; they no longer exist.
Purification of the Mind
Your disturbing attitudes and the imprints of mental negativities appear as darkness at your heart. When struck by the forceful stream of light and nectar, the darkness completely vanishes. It is like turning a light on in a room: the darkness does not go anywhere, it simply ceases to exist. Feel that you are completely empty of all these problems; they are non-existent.
Simultaneous Purification
Do the three above visualizations simultaneously. This sweeps away the subtle obscurations that prevent you from seeing correctly all that exists. Feel completely free of these obscurations.
The Power of the Promise
After reciting the mantra and doing the visualizations, make the following promise to Vajrasattva, specifying a period of time for which you intend to keep it:
"I shall not create these negative actions from now until ______."
Vajrasattva is extremely pleased and says, "My spiritual child of the essence, all your negativities, obscurations and degenerated vows have been completely purified."
With delight, Vajrasattva melts into light and dissolves into you. Your body, speech and mind become inseparably one with Vajrasattva's holy body, speech and mind. Concentrate on this.
Dedication
Due to this merit may I soon
Attain the enlightened state of Vajrasattva,
That I may be able to liberate
All sentient beings from their suffering.
May the precious bodhi mind
Not yet born arise and grow.
May that born have no decline,
But increase forever more.
Source
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The Ten Perfections
>> February 16, 2011
The ten paramis or perfections provide a highly useful framework for guiding Dharma practice in daily life. Any activity or relationship approached wisely with the primary purpose of developing the perfections in a balanced way becomes part of the practice.
The perfections also provide one of the few reliable ways of measuring the accomplishments of your life. “Accomplishments” in the realm of work and relationships have a way of turning into dust, but perfections of the character, once developed, are dependable and lasting.
This four-week retreat presents the perfections under the four factors that make up the eighth perfection, determination. These four factors—discernment, truth, relinquishment, and calm—highlight two facts. The first is that discernment is needed to convert the perfections from generic virtues into a path to awakening. Second, the path to awakening is a truth of the will: You have to want freedom, and stay true to that desire, for freedom to occur.
Each week’s video presentation will contain an exercise to develop the perfections in daily activities, and will be accompanied by readings to help broaden your understanding of what the perfections entail.
Thanissaro Bhikkhu—known as Ajaan Geoff to his students—has translated several meditation guides from Thai, and is also the author of several books, including: The Mind Like Fire Unbound, The Wings to Awakening, The Paradox of Becoming, Skill in Questions, Noble Strategy, Purity of Heart, and Meditations. He is co-author of the college textbook, Buddhist Religions. His writings and translations are available on the Internet at www.accesstoinsight.org. His Dhamma talks and other writings are also available at www.dhammatalks.org. His five-volume anthology of suttas, Handful of Leaves, is available from the Sati Center of Buddhist Studies.
Mon, 01/03/2011, 10 Perfections Week 1: Discernment 14:01
Mon, 01/10/2011, 10 Perfections Week 2: Truth 17:44
Mon, 01/17/2011, 10 Perfections Week 3: Generosity 14:37
Mon, 01/24/2011, 10 Perfections Week 4: Calm 14:16
Source-Tricycle
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Creation and Completion
Here is an article on the creation and completion stages of meditation. I hope you'll enjoy it; I thought it was a good read.
Shenpen-Osel-The Clear Light of the Buddha’s Teachings Which Benefits All Beings
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Buddha Shakyamuni Sadhana
Meditation On Buddha Shakyamuni
Prepare for this meditation by doing a few minutes of breathing meditation (focus your attention on your breath) to calm your mind. Then bring your attention to the suffering that all sentient beings undergo: the sufferings of heat and cold, hunger and thirst. Just as you experience many sufferings, remember that all mother sentient beings experience suffering at least equal to--if not greater than--your own. Determine to undertake this practice in order to awaken your own buddha-nature, quickly attain enlightenment and lead all other sentient beings to that same state of permanent, lasting happiness.
Visualization
The visualization of Lord Buddha is composed entirely of light, not mundane materials. In the space before you, at the level of your forehead, imagine a jewel-encrusted, golden throne. Each corner is supported by two snow lions with white bodies and turquoise manes and tails; these are the embodiment of bodhisattvas. On the flat surface of the throne is a fully opened lotus; this is symbolic of the awakened mind, arising from the mire of samsara. On the petals of the lotus are the flat disks of the sun and moon which serve as cushions for the Buddha, representing the Buddha's realizations of emptiness and bodhicitta. On the moon disk sits Buddha Shakyamuni.
Buddha's body is made of golden light. He is seated in the "full vajra" or lotus posture. He is dressed in the robes of a monk which do not actually touch his body, but are separated from it by about an inch. His face is very serene and beautiful; each hair on his head is individually curled to the right, not mingling with or touching others; his ear lobes are long; and his eyes are slightly opened.
His left hand rests in his lap in the meditation pose, holding a begging bowl, filled with nectar. The palm of his right hand rests on his right knee and his fingers touch the moon disk upon which he sits; this symbolizes his great control over anger, attachment and ignorance.
Taking Refuge
From your heart, recite the refuge prayer and visualize that streams of golden-white light radiate from the Buddha's body in all directions, blessing you and all sentient beings.
You may also visualize texts of Dharma teachings on thrones near the Buddha which emanate with the sounds of the teachings contained in them. Imagine teachers you have read or heard seated on similar thrones around the Buddha. Imagine also that you are surrounded in space by all sentient beings in human form; your father and male friends and relatives are seated on your right; your mother and female friends and relatives are seated on your left; those you don't know and call "strangers" reach out to the vastness of space; those you call "enemies" are seated between you and the Merit Field of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, symbolic of anger in our mindstreams that separates us from feeling loving-kindness toward all beings and hinders our advancement to full buddhahood.
Imagine that you lead all these sentient beings in reciting the refuge prayer three times:
I take refuge until I am enlightened
In the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sangha.
Through the positive potential I create by practicing generosity
and the other far-reaching attitudes,
May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings.
Requests and Inspiration
From your heart, generate the request to the Buddha that he grant you inspiration to follow the path to full enlightenment; make this request on behalf of all living beings who are trapped in samsara.
Rays of light stream from the figure of the Buddha before you. This light enters your body and quickly removes all negativities, obscurations and hindrances, freeing you to progress quickly on the path. Imagine that this light flows not only to you, but to all living beings situated in space around you. Imagine that they all receive such inspiration and blessings as you recite the name mantra of Shakyamuni Buddha as many times as possible.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
The Blessing of Body, Speech and Mind
Imagine that rays of light stream from the crown of Buddha's head to your crown; this light purifies the negatities of your body and removes the hindrances to attaining the enlightened body of a Buddha.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Rays of light then stream from the Buddha's throat to yours, pufifying the negativities of your speech and removing hindrances to attaining the enlightened speech that communicates clearly to all sentient beings, regardless of their level or capacity.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Finally, rays of light emanate from the Buddha's heart and enter your own heart center. This light purifies the negativities of your mind and remove hindrances to the awakened, omniscient mind.
tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha
Imagine that these light rays flow to all sentient beings, helping them to quickly reach a state of supreme awareness.
Maintain this visualization for as long as you can, reciting the mantra quietly to yourself or aloud and imagine that the light continues to stream from the Buddha to you and all sentient beings. Imagine that nectar accompanies the light and nourishes you completely, such is the nature of the Dharma.
Absorption
Imagine that the teachers and their thrones dissolve into light and are absorbed into the Buddha's body. Next, imagine that the texts and their thrones dissolve similarly and absorb into the Buddha. Imagine now that the throne is absorbed into the lotus, the lotus into the sun, the sun into the moon and the moon into the body of the Buddha. Buddha now comes to the crown of your head, facing the same direction as you, dissolves into brilliant, white light and dissolves into your body through the crown of your head, filling your body once again with this brilliant light.
Feel great bliss and joy as your body, speech and mind are completely transformed. Hold this feeling for as long as you can, experiencing the removal of all hindrances and obstructions to omniscience.
From this state, imagine in the space where you are sitting, arising from emptiness are the snow lions, the throne, lotus, sun and moon disks and yourself seated upon them in the same aspect as you visualized the Buddha before. Visualize and really feel that you have attained the state of omniscience; feel the enlightened compassion and wisdom of buddhahood.
At your heart appear sun and moon disks. At the center of the moon disk, standing upright, is the syllable MUM. Surrounding this are the syllables of Shakyamuni Buddha's name mantra: tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha. Streams of light flow from the MUM and mantra at your heart center to all sentient beings, completely removing their hindrances, obstructions, wrong views, delusions and traces of ignorance and thereby transforming them into the form of the Buddha as well. Meditate in this way for as long as possible, reciting the mantra quietly to yourself.
This portion of the meditation is called "bringing the result into the path." It is a very powerful method for transforming our normal view of and how we behave in the world. The result of our practiceis to attain full enlightenment; this activity of bringing the result of buddhahood to our present state is a powerful, transformative tool. You should not imagine that your body, speech or mind are the same; they have arisen from emptiness and manifested in the form of a buddha. This activity enables you to transform yourself and surroundings into vehicles that lead to full, perfect enlightenment.
Dedication
When you have completed this meditation, dedicate the positive potential of this practice to the benefit of all living beings, that they may be liberated from the hardships of cyclic existence and placed in a state of perfect peace and happiness. Remind yourself that your initial motivation for doing this meditation is to actually attain such a state as the means to be able to lead all other sentient beings to full enlightenment.
In your daily routine, bring to mind the feeling and attitude that you felt when you were just imagining the state of buddhahood. When your activities become particularly stressful, remember that such a state comes about by grasping after your "I" or some sort of non-existent self, by putting the interests of this "self" before all other mother sentient beings. Simply remembering a peaceful, blissful state--filled with love and compassion--is often enough to relieve a stressful situation; such times can be transformed into happiness by such a rememberance.
At other times, when you want to eradicate all traces of a disturbing attitude, simply reciting the Buddha's mantra om muni muni maha munaye soha is often enough inspiration to transform that state into one of peace and happiness. Reminding yourself that you are a "Child of the Buddha" and wishing to attain happiness for yourself and others helps to gradually remove such states of mind completely. When you do so, remember to dedicate the merit or positive potential to all beings, that they might do the same.
Source
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Time to Eat
>> February 09, 2011
What is life? Life is eating and drinking through all of our senses. And life is keeping from being eaten. What eats us? Time! What is time? Time is living in the past or living in the future, feeding on the emotions. Beings who can say that they have mentally healthy for even one minute are rare in the world. Most of us suffer from clinging to pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings, and from hunger and thirst. Most living beings have to eat and drink every second through their eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin, and nerves. We eat twenty-four hours a day without stopping! We crave food for the body, food for feeling, food for volitional action, and food for rebirth. We are what we eat. We are the world, and we eat the world.
The Buddha cried when he saw this endless cycle of suffering: the fly eats the flower; the frog eats the fly; the snake eats the frog; the bird eats the snake; the tiger eats the bird; the hunter kills the tiger; the tiger‘s body become swollen; flies come and eat the tiger‘s corpse; the flies lay eggs in the corpse; the eggs become more flies; the flies eat the flowers; and the frogs eat the flies...
And so the Buddha said, „I teach only two things - suffering and the end of suffering.“ Suffering, eating, and feeling are exactly the same.
Feelings eats everything. Feeling has six mouths - the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind. The first mouth eats forms through the eye. The second mouth eats sound. The third mouth eats smells. The fourth mouth eats tastes. The fifth mouth eats physical contact. And the last mouth eats ideas. That is feeling.
Time is also an eater. In traditional Cambodian stories, there is often a giant with many mouths who eats everything. This giant is time. If you eat time, you gain nirvana. You can eat time by living in the moment. When you live just in this moment, time cannot eat you.
Everything is causational. There is no you, only causes and conditions. Therfore, you cannot hear or see. When sound and ear comes together, there is hearing. When form and eye meet, there is seeing.
When eye, form and consciousness meet, there is eye contact. Eye contact conditions feeling. Feeling conditions perception. Perceptions thinking, and thinking is I, my, me - the painful misconception that I see, hear, smell, taste, touch, and think.
Feeling uses the eye to eat shapes. If a shape is beautiful, a pleasant feeling enters the eye. If a shape is not beautiful, it brings a unpleasant feeling. If we are not attentive to a shape, a neutral feeling comes. The ear is the same: sweet sounds bring pleasant feelings, harsh sounds bring unpleasant feelings, and inattantion brings neutral feelings.
Again, you may think, “I am seeing, I am hearing, I am feeling.” But it is not you, it is only contact, the meeting of the eye, form, and eye-consciousness. It is only the Dharma.
A man once asked the Buddha, “Who feels?” The Buddha answered, “This is not a real question.” No one feels. Feeling feels. There is no I, my, or me. There is only the Dharma.
All kinds of feelings are suffering, filled with vanity, filled with “I am.” If we can penetrate the nature of sensations, we can realize the pure happiness of nirvana.
Feelings and sensations causes us to suffer, because we fail to realize that they are impermanent. The Buddha asked, “How can feeling be permanent if it depends upon the body, which is impermanent?” When we do not control our feelings, we are controlled by them. If we live in the moment, we can see things just as they are. Doing so, we can put an end to all desire, break out bondage, and realize peace.
To understand pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings, we have to put the four foundations of mindfulness into practice. Mindfulness can transform pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral feelings into wisdom.
The world is created by the mind. If we can control feelings, then we can control the mind. If we can control the mind, then we can rule the world.
In meditation, we relax our body, but we sit up straight, and by following our breathing of another object of concentration, we stop most of our thinking. Therefore, we stop being pushed around by our feelings. Thinking greats feeling, and feeling creates thinking. To be free from clinging to thinking and feeling is nirvana - the highest, supreme happiness.
To live without suffering means to live always in the present. The highest happiness is here and now. There is no time at all unless we cling to it. Brothers and Sisters, please eat time!
(from “Step by Step”. by Maha Ghosananda)
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The Middle Way
The Middle Path
The road to peace is called the middle path. It is beyond all duality and all opposites. Sometimes it is called equanimity. Equanimity harmonizes all extremes. Equanimity is like the finely-tuned string of an instrument, not too tight and not too loose. It vibrates perfectly and makes beautiful music.
Equanimity means the absence of struggle. One time a great elephant jumped into a mud hole to cool off. Of course he got stuck, and the more he struggled, the deeper he sank! Struggling is useless. It only makes things worse. Do not struggle with suffering. Find your own path. This is called taking refuge in the Dharma. The Dharma is the middle path.
Before the Buddha began his spiritual journey, he indulged in many kinds of sensual pleasures, but he found no lasting happiness. After that, he fasted for many weeks, untile he became pale and thin, but he found only pain. Practicing in this way, the Buddha learned that both self-indulgence and self-mortification are extremes, and extremes can never bring happiness.
Peace comes only when we stop struggling with opposites. The middle path has no beginning and no end, so we do not need to travel far on the middle path to find peace. The middle path is not only the road to peace, it is also the road of peace. It is safe, and very pleasant to travel.
(from “Step by Step” by Maha Ghosananda)
How to Practice Vipassana Insight Meditation
>> January 31, 2011
By Sayadaw U Pandita
Step-by-Step Instructions on how to do this important practice — the foundation of all Buddhist Meditations — from the famed Vipassana master Sayadaw U Pandita.
Vipassana, or insight meditation, is the practice of continued close attention to sensation, through which one ultimately sees the true nature of existence. It is believed to be the form of meditation practice taught by the Buddha himself, and although the specific form of the practice may vary, it is the basis of all traditions of Buddhist meditation.
Vipassana is the predominant Buddhist meditation practice in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. At the beginning of the twentieth century, there was an important revival of this early form of meditation practice led bythe Venerable Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. Following his death in 1982, Sayadaw U Pandita, who studied extensively with Mahasi Sayadaw, was chosen as his principle preceptor. U Pandita is one of the world's leading teachers of Vipassana meditation and has been an important influence on many Vipassana teachers in the West, including Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein of the Insight Meditation Society. He is the founder and abbot of Panditarama Meditation Centre in Yangon, Myanmar.
1. Which place is best for meditation?
The Buddha suggested that either a forest place under a tree or any other very quiet place is best for meditation.
2. How should the meditator sit?
He said the meditator should sit quietly and peacefully with legs crossed.
3. How should those with back troubles sit?
If sitting with crossed legs proves to be too difficult, other sitting postures may be used. For those with back trouble, a chair is quite acceptable. In any case, sit with your back erect, at a right angle to the ground, but not too stiff.
4. Why should you sit straight?
The reason for sitting straight is not difficult to see. An arched or crooked back will soon bring pain. Furthermore, the physical effort to remain upright without additional support energizes the meditation practice.
5. Why is it important to choose a position?
To achieve peace of mind, we must make sure our body is at peace. So it’s important to choose a position that will be comfortable for a long period of time.
6. After sitting down, what should you do?
Close your eyes. Then place your attention at the belly, at the abdomen. Breathe normally—not forcing your breathing—neither slowing it down nor hastening it. Just a natural breath.
7. What will you become aware of as you breathe in and breathe out?
You will become aware of certain sensations as you breathe in and the abdomen rises, and as you breathe out and the abdomen falls.
8. How should you sharpen your aim?
Sharpen your aim by making sure that the mind is attentive to the entirety of each process. Be aware from the very beginning of all sensations involved in the rising. Maintain a steady attention through the middle and the end of the rising. Then be aware of the sensations of the falling movement of the abdomen from the beginning, through the middle, and to the very end of the falling.
Although we describe the rising and falling as having a beginning, middle and end, this is only in order to show that your awareness should be continuous and thorough. We don’t intend you to break these processes into three segments. You should try to be aware of each of these movements from beginning to end as one complete process, as a whole. Do not peer at the sensations with an over-focused mind, specifically looking to discover how the abdominal movement begins or ends.
9. Why is it important in this meditation to have both effort and precise aim?
It is very important to have both effort and precise aim so that the mind meets the sensation directly and powerfully.
10. What is one way to aid precision and accuracy?
One helpful aid to precision and accuracy is to make a soft, mental note of the object of awareness, naming the sensation by saying the word gently and silently in the mind, like "rising, rising . . .,” and “falling, falling. . ."
11. When the mind wanders off, what should you do?
Watch the mind! Be aware that you are thinking.
12. How can you clarify your awareness of thinking?
Note the thought silently with the verbal label "thinking," and come back to the rising and falling.
13. Is it possible to remain perfectly focused on the rising and falling of the abdomen all the time?
Despite making an effort to do so, no one can remain perfectly focused on the rising and falling of the abdomen forever. Other objects inevitably arise and become predominant. Thus, the sphere of meditation encompasses all of our experiences: sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensations in the body, and mental objects such as visions in the imagination or emotions. When any of these objects arises you should focus direct awareness on it, and silently use a gentle verbal label.
14. During sitting meditation, what is the basic principle to follow? If another object impinges on the awareness and draws it away from the rising and falling, what should you do?
During sitting meditation, if another object impinges strongly on the awareness so as to draw it away from the rising and falling of the abdomen, this object must be clearly noted. For example, if a loud sound arises during your meditation, consciously direct your attention toward that sound as soon as it arises. Be aware of the sound as a direct experience, and also identify it succinctly with the soft, internal, verbal label “hearing, hearing.” When the sound fades and is no longer predominant, come back to the rising and falling. This is the basic principle to follow in sitting meditation.
15. What is the best way to make the verbal label?
There is no need for complex language. One simple word is best. For the eye, ear and tongue doors we simply say, "Seeing, seeing...,” or, “hearing, hearing...” or, “tasting, tasting . . . .”
16. What are some ways to note sensations in the body?
For sensations in the body we may choose a slightly more descriptive term like “warmth,” “pressure,” “hardness” or “motion.”
17. How should you note mental objects?
Mental objects seem to present a bewildering diversity, but actually they fall into just a few clear categories, such as “thinking,” “imagining,” “remembering,” “planning” and “visualizing.”
18. What is the purpose of labeling?
In using the labeling technique, your goal is not to gain verbal skills. Labeling helps us to perceive clearly the actual qualities of our experience, without getting immersed in the content. It develops mental power and focus.
19. What kind of awareness do we seek in meditation, and why?
We seek a deep, clear, precise awareness of the mind and body. This direct awareness shows us the truth about our lives, the actual nature of mental and physical processes.
20. After one hour of sitting, does our meditation come to an end?
Meditation need not come to an end after an hour of sitting. It can be carried out continuously through the day.
21. How should you get up from sitting meditation?
When you get up from sitting, you must note carefully, beginning with the intention to open the eyes: "intending, intending”; opening, opening." Experience the mental event of intending, and feel the sensations of opening the eyes. Continue to note carefully and precisely, with full observing power, through the whole transition of postures until the moment you have stood up, and when you begin to walk.
http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1465
How to Do Loving Kindness Meditation
Loving Kindness meditation or Metta (as it is called in Pali language) is an excellent Buddhist meditation technique for developing compassion. Regardless of any religious affiliations, it can be practiced by anyone as it is a technique of cultivating love and compassion.
The Metta meditation was given to the world by Buddha. He said that "hatred cannot coexist with Loving Kindness. It dissipates when supplanted with thoughts based on Loving Kindness."
Loving Kindness meditation is the development of unconditional or selfless love. It does not restrict itself to family and friends, or whether someone deserves it or not, but it extends itself out towards all living beings.
The practice of Metta meditation opens deeper layers of kindness, care, tenderness, concern, friendship and warm feeling towards ourselves and others.
Guided Loving Kindness Meditation Technique
Sit in a comfortable but erect posture. Be relaxed. Take a few deep breaths. Bring a gentle smile on your face to make the meditation a joyful experience.
Start focusing on the chest area around the solar plexus. It is your "heart center". Bring your awareness towards the sensations arising at your heart center.
There are 6 stages in the practice of Loving Kindness or Metta meditation -
1) Loving Kindness Starts With You
Continue to breathe gently. You can use either these phrases or make slight variations as per your choice. You can say them or mentally repeat them a few times.
May I be free from harm -- inner and outer.
May I be safe and protected.
May I be happy and free of mental suffering and distress.
May I be strong and healthy, and free of suffering and physical pain.
May I live in this world peacefully, happily, with joy and ease.
Observe how your heart responds to your suggestions. Continue with the practice gradually and there is no need to hurry. Experience the warmth of your loving intention spread towards your whole body. Enjoy the bliss that slowly fills your heart.
2) Loved One or Benefactor
Next, you can move the practice of Loving Kindness towards the person whom you look up as a person of unconditional love -- who loves you and others without the expectation of getting anything back.
It could be your mentor, someone elder, a benefactor, a parent, teacher, grandparent or guru -- someone for whom you have reverence and respect naturally. Bring their face or picture in your mind and repeat the above phrases for this person - "may he/she be safe and protected...."
3) Your Good Friend
After having strong and unconditional love toward the benefactor, now you can repeat the phrases and feeling of Loving Kindness towards a person whom you regard as your dear friend.
4) The Neutral Person
Next, you can repeat the above phrases and generate feeling of tenderness and loving care towards a neutral person -- someone with whom you neither have a strong feeling of like nor dislike.
5) The Difficult Person
After this, you can repeat the above phrases for someone with whom you have hostile feelings and resentments; someone who provokes rather unfriendly feelings within you.
It might be difficult to have a feeling of Loving Kindness towards people whom you dislike. If feelings of ill will arise and it becomes difficult to continue the practice, you can return to the benefactor and arise the feeling of Loving Kindness again. Then you can return back to this person.
Allow the phrases to spread throughout your body, heart and mind. Observe the feeling of bliss that arises by letting go of animosity and ill-will towards others.
6) All Living Beings
Next, you can generate the feeling of Loving Kindness towards all living beings. You can use these phrases or a variation of these --
May all beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all living beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all breathing beings be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all individuals be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
May all beings and creatures in existence be happy, safe, healthy and lead a joyful life.
Make use of your imagination and stay with this feeling of Loving Kindness towards all beings - till you have a feeling of profound interconnectedness with all living creatures and life.
Next, you can take the Loving Kindness meditation practice towards specific living beings:
- All awakened ones and all seekers
- All the celestial beings
- All humans
- All animals
- All other beings that are in difficult places
- All beings in different planes of existence -- known or unknown
Gently come back to the rhythm of your breath. Be a bit more aware of your surroundings. Open your eyes slowly and enjoy the state of well-being for a few moments.
Laura's add on-dedication if you wish
Source
The Bodhisattva
>> January 29, 2011
The story is told that when Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of compassion, was looking at the lives of human beings upon this planet, he saw how much pain and suffering we inflict upon each other, and for a moment his compassion faltered. He almost abandoned his vow to liberate us from suffering. At that instant, his body exploded into a thousand pieces, represented in the image of the thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara. If this can happen to the figure who, in Buddhism, most exemplifies compassion, then perhaps we can be forgiven for not always finding it easy to sustain a compassionate heart in the face of so much suffering in the world.
We may live in times when material, economic, and scientific progress is moving at a rate never before seen, yet our capacity to live peacefully alongside each other seems to remain elusive. When confronted with the constant evidence of so much brutality and corruption present in the world, whether this is seen on the news or experienced closer to home, it is common to feel a sense of anger and outrage, and to feel powerless to do anything to change the ignorance, greed, and hatred that motivate most of the atrocities our fellow humans inflict upon each other. Are we, individually or collectively, able to go beyond the dominance of our instinctual selfishness that reaps so much harm?
...Whatever spiritual tradition we may be part of, if we wish to live our lives with greater openness to others, and with the courage and heart to cope with adverse conditions, we have much to learn from the path of the bodhisattva. The bodhisattva, sometimes translated as "the awakening warrior," dedicates his or her life to the welfare of others and is willing to face the challenges of life to do so. The bodhisattva's way of life does not lead to a spiritual escape from the reality of the world. Rather, the bodhisattva cultivates the capacity to live within the raw reality of suffering on the ground and transform life's adverse circumstances into a path of awakening. A bodhisattva makes a clear decision to remain embodied and in relationship to life even while reaching states of awareness that go far beyond our normal reality. Such a person is said to renounce the peace of nirvana and overcome the fear of samsara. What gives this attitude to life a particular significance is that it recognizes that only through fully awakening our innate wholeness can we achieve the greatest benefit to others.
Central to this approach to life is a quality of intention called bodhichitta, often translated as "the awakening mind." The awakening mind is most often described as the clear, compassionate intention to attain the state of buddhahood for the welfare of all sentient beings. While "the awakening mind" may seem like a relatively simple phrase, its actual psychological, emotional, and social implications are huge. It is a reorientation of the whole of an individual's direction and meaning in life, rooted in a deep sense of compassion and responsibility towards the welfare of the world.
--from The Courage to Feel: Buddhist Practices for Opening to Others by Rob Preece
Meditation on Green Tara
>> January 27, 2011
MEDITATION ON GREEN TARA
Taking Refuge
I go for refuge to the Buddha,
I go for refuge to the Dharma,
I go for refuge to the Sangha. (3x)
Setting the Mind to Enlightenment
By virtue of giving and so forth,
may I become a Buddha for the benefit of all sentient beings. (3x)
4 Immeasurables
May all sentient beings have equanimity, free from attachment, aggression and prejudice.
May they be happy, and have the causes for happiness.
May they be free from suffering and causes for suffering.
May they never be separated from the happiness that is free from suffering. (3x)
7-Limbed Prayer
Respectfully I prostrate with body, speech and mind;
I present clouds of every type of offerings, actual and imagined;
I declare all the negative actions I have done since beginningless time,
and rejoice in the merit of all Aryas and ordinary beings.
Please teacher, remain until cyclic existence ends
and turn the wheel of Dharma for all sentient beings.
I dedicate the virtues of myself and others to the great Enlightenment.
Visualisation and Mantra Recitation
In the space before you, on a lotus and moondisc appears green Tara.
Her body is made of green light, transparent like a rainbow.
Her left leg is drawn up in lotus posture to symbolise control over desire.
Her right leg is extended, symbolising that she is ready to rise to the aid of all beings.
Her left hand is at her heart in the gesture of giving refuge: the palm facing outward, thumb & ring finger touching, the other fingers raised.
Her right hand is on her right knee, in the gesture of giving high realisations: the palm faces outwards, thumb & index finger touching, the other fingers pointing down.
Both hands hold a blue utpala flower.
She is very beautiful, dressed in celestial silks and smiles at you.
- Think of your problems, needs and aims and request Tara's help from your heart.
- Then she shines white light from her forehead into your forehead, eliminating problems and negativities of your body, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Next she shines red light from her throat into your throat, eliminating obstacles and negativities of your speech, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Next she shines blue light from her heart into your heart, eliminating all obstacles and negativities of your mind, do some mantras: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA
- Try to feel you are now free from al hindrances and problems, and that you have received the inspiration and energy to accomplish your aims.
- Then Tara comes to the crown of your head, facing the same way as you.
- She dissolves into green light, which descends into your heart center.
- Your mind merges with Tara's' mind.
- Keep this feeling as long as possible.
Dedication
By this virtue may I soon
reach a Guru-Buddha-state,
and lead each and every being
to that state of Buddhahood.
May the precious Bodhicitta
not yet born, arise and grow
may that born have no decline
but increase forever more.
Source Read more...
The Point of Meditation
"The point of Buddhist meditation is not to stop thinking, for cultivation of insight clearly requires intelligent use of thought and discrimination. What needs to be stopped is conceptualisation that is compulsive, mechanical and unintelligent, that is, activity that is always fatiguing, usually pointless, and at times seriously harmful"
-Allan Wallace
Loving Kindness
>> January 25, 2011
In his closing discussion on loving-kindness, Buddhaghosa asks: "What is the proximate cause of loving-kindness?" The answer is the observation of lovableness in the person to whom you are attending.
Bring to mind right now someone whom you find lovable. It could be a person you have a romance with, or a child, or a dear friend, or a great teachersomeone to whom your heart would leap like a deer in the forest if this person were to walk through the door, someone whose presence is so lovable that a gladness arises on seeing him or her. If you can sense that in a dear friend, then try to seek out the lovableness of a neutral person. Then, finally, when you break down all the barriers, see it in a person who has done you injury.
It's a great key if you can seek out something to love, even in the enemy. Bear clearly in mind that this does not endorse or embrace evil. The crucial point here is to be able to slice through like a very skilled surgeon, recognizing vicious behavior that we would love to see annihilated as separate from the person who is participating in it. The doctor can be optimistic. A cure is possible: the person is not equivalent to the action or the disposition. Moreover there is something there that we can hold in affection, with warmth. That really seems to be a master key that can break down the final barrier and complete the practice.
One way of approaching this is to look at the person you hold in contempt, and try to find any quality he might share with someone you deeply admire and respect. Is there anything at all noble to be seen, any thing that would be akin to what a truly great spiritual being would display? Focus on that: There is something there that you can love. The rest is chaff, that hopefully will be blown away quickly, to everyone's benefit. It is as if you could see a little ray of light from within, knowing that its source is much deeper than the despicable qualities on the outside. That light is what you attend to. (p. 112)
--from The Four Immeasurables: Practices to Open the Heart by B. Alan Wallace, edited by Zara Houshmand
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