dharma notes

[dharmanotes]

"It’s not something that can be done individually. We have to wake up together. And, if we wake up together, then we have a chance. Our way of living our life and planning our future has led us into this situation. And now we need to look deeply to find a way out, not only as individuals but as a collective, a species. You can no longer count on the elder generation alone. I have often said that one buddha is not enough; we need a collective awakening. All of us have to become buddhas in order for our planet to have a chance." ― Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet

#ThichNhatHanh #Dharma #Buddhism​ ​

[dharmanotes]

"However difficult the path may be at times, let us be tender with our hearts and generous with one another. May we slow down, notice the beauty around us, and return to our breath as an anchor whenever we start feeling overwhelmed or defeated. 'With mindfulness,' Thầy said, 'you can establish yourself in the present in order to touch the wonders of life that are available in that moment.'” - https://www.parallax.org/mindfulnessbell/article/practicing-generosity-of-spirit-in-challenging-times/​

[ypnhot]

I had the opportunity to attend an online meditation retreat with the Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi and others from Buddhist Global Relief this weekend. It focused on the Brahma Viharas, which translates to The Divine Abodes, and are sometimes called ‘The Four Sublime States.’ They have also been called ‘The only emotions worth having.’

Mettā, or loving-kindness. This is a deep, gentle, heartfelt concern for the wellbeing of others and is the basis of the Brahma Viharas.

Karuṇā, or Compassion is what happens when Loving-Kindness encounters Suffering. It is the sincere wish that others’ suffering is relieved and empathizing with their pain to the point where you feel it as well.

Muditā, or Sympathetic Joy, or Altruistic Joy is what happens when Loving-Kindness encounters wholesome Happiness or Joy. It is the celebration of others’ wholesome happiness and joy, sharing in their happiness and being happy that they’re happy.

Upekkhā, or Equanimity is what balances the others. It sees the larger picture and the sameness and equality and unity of all living beings.

The four work with each other and connect to each other. If you only practice one, you will become unbalanced. If you only practice loving-kindness you can become attached to the people you direct it to. If you only practice compassion you can be overwhelmed by the suffering and the compassion can turn to pity. If you only practice sympathetic joy you can lose sight of the suffering of others and become hypocritical. If you only practice equanimity you can become indifferent to the others because everything’s the same and eventually going to end, so they become unimportant.

The real benefit to meditating on these feelings and practicing them often is that you can change your character. What you think becomes what you say and what you say becomes what you do. So, the more you think about things from these points of view and feel these emotions, the more they will saturate into your everyday life until they become your instinctual reactions. When you encounter a situation that you would normally feel anger you will feel love, compassion, and equanimity with the other person and be able to calmly and wisely approach the situation.

Overall, the retreat was a really good experience and I enjoyed it greatly while learning a lot. It gave me a lot to add to my daily meditation practice and I can’t wait to continue exploring these concepts.

You can watch the entire retreat on YouTube, here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt_a6UaknGoqf4WV-y12PbmD5COzQwxKR

[wholenessblooming]

bell hooks: Pema, one of the ideas in your work that really challenges me is abandoning the hope of fruition. That’s really hard for me.

Pema Chödrön: The way I understand it is that we rob ourselves of being in the present by always thinking that the payoff will happen in the future. The only place ever to work is right now. We work with the present situation rather than a hypothetical possibility of what could be. I like any teaching that encourages us to be with ourselves and our situation as it is without looking for alternatives. The source of all wakefulness, the source of all kindness and compassion, the source of all wisdom, is in each second of time. Anything that has us looking ahead is missing the point.

Source: from lionsroar.com (Pema Chödrön & bell hooks on cultivating openness when life falls apart)

[dharmanotes]

Meta metta

[dharmanotes]

Skeletons Can Walk | Ajahn Anan

I had been initially drawn to Buddhism partially due to it's stance on not becoming defiled by “unclean” bodies or body parts. I had thought this was rooted in its not recognizing the caste system in the country it originated. I can certainly be wrong.

It's also curious to suggest taking body parts out of context or even putting them into a blender to chop them into tiny pieces and suggesting that then they are not beautiful. Context is key.

We live in a beautiful world.

#Dharma #Dhamma

[dharmanotes]

Waking Up

As we wake up in the morning and open our eyes we may like to recite the following gatha.

Waking up this morning I smile

knowing there are 24 brand new hours before me.

I vow to live fully in each moment,

and look at beings with eyes of compassion.

We can start our day with the happiness of a smile and the aspiration to dedicate ourselves to the path of love and understanding. We are aware that today is a fresh, new day, and we have 24 precious hours to live.

Let us try to get up from bed right away after following three deep breaths to bring ourselves into mindfulness. Let us not delay our waking. We may like to sit up and gently massage our head, neck, shoulders, and arms to get your blood circulating. We might like to do a few stretches to loosen our joints and wake up our body. Drinking a cup of warm water is also good for our system first thing in the morning.

Let us wash up or do what we need to before heading towards the meditation hall. Allow ourselves enough time so we will not have to rush. Enjoy the dark morning sky. Many stars are twinkling and greeting us. Take deep breaths and enjoy the cool, fresh air. As we walk slowly towards the hall, let the morning fill our being, awakening our body and mind to the joy of a new day.

- Plum Village

As we wake up in the morning and open our eyes we may like to recite the following gatha. knowing there are 24 brand new hours before me. I

[dharmanotes]

I've shifted focus to this WriteFreely blog for continued regular dharma notes:

dharma notes

notes on the way

[dharmanotes]

Looking at causes and actions rather than matters of nature of being. What am I doing rather than who am I?

[dharmanotes]

Aging, illness, and death, and what happens after are central to Buddha's initial endeavors.

[dharmanotes]

Integrity of dharma practice

[dharmanotes]

Metta Means Goodwill

"Ajaan Fuang, my teacher, once discovered that a snake had moved into his room. Every time he entered the room, he saw it slip into a narrow space behind a storage cabinet. And even though he tried leaving the door to the room open during the daytime, the snake wasn’t willing to leave. So for three days they lived together. He was very careful not to startle the snake or make it feel threatened by his presence. But finally on the evening of the third day, as he was sitting in meditation, he addressed the snake quietly in his mind. He said, “Look, it’s not that I don’t like you. I don’t have any bad feelings for you. But our minds work in different ways. It’d be very easy for there to be a misunderstanding between us. Now, there are lots of places out in the woods where you can live without the uneasiness of living with me.” And as he sat there spreading thoughts of metta to the snake, the snake left.

"When Ajaan Fuang first told me this story, it made me stop and reconsider my understanding of what metta is. Metta is a wish for happiness—true happiness—and the Buddha says to develop this wish for ourselves and everyone else: “With metta for the entire cosmos, cultivate a limitless heart.” ( Sn 1:8) But what’s the emotional quality that goes along with that wish? Many people define it as “lovingkindness,” implying a desire to be there for other people: to cherish them, to provide them with intimacy, nurture, and protection. The idea of feeling love for everyone sounds very noble and emotionally satisfying. But when you really stop to think about all the beings in the cosmos, there are a lot of them who—like the snake—would react to your lovingkindness with suspicion and fear. Rather than wanting your love, they would rather be left alone. Others might try to take unfair advantage of your lovingkindness, reading it as a sign either of your weakness or of your endorsement of whatever they want to do. In none of these cases would your lovingkindness lead to anyone’s true happiness. When this is the case, you’re left wondering if the Buddha’s instructions on universal metta are really realistic or wise.

"But as I learned from Ajaan Fuang’s encounter with the snake, metta is not necessarily an attitude of lovingkindness. It’s more an attitude of goodwill—wishing the other person well, but realizing that true happiness is something that each of us ultimately will have to find for him or herself, and sometimes most easily when we go our separate ways.

Metta Means Goodwill | Beyond All Directions

Beyond All Directions : Essays on the Buddhist Path, by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu

[dharmanotes]

Goodwill for all beings

I have goodwill for footless beings,

goodwill for two-footed beings,

goodwill for four-footed beings,

goodwill for many-footed beings.

May footless beings do me no harm.

May two-footed beings do me no harm.

May four-footed beings do me no harm.

May many-footed beings do me no harm.

May all creatures,

all breathing things,

all beings

—each & every one—

meet with good fortune.

May none of them come to any evil.

Limitless is the Buddha,

limitless the Dhamma,

limitless the Saṅgha.

There is a limit to creeping things:

snakes, scorpions, centipedes,

spiders, lizards, & rats.

I have made this safeguard,

I have made this protection.

May the beings depart. —  AN 4:67

[dharmanotes]

To My Teacher

An old grave hidden away at the foot of a deserted hill,

Overrun with rank weeds growing unchecked year after year;

There is no one left to tend the tomb,

And only an occasional woodcutter passes by.

Once I was his pupil, a youth with shaggy hair,

Learning deeply from him by the Narrow River.

One morning I set off on my solitary journey

And the years passed between us in silence.

Now I have returned to find him at rest here;

How can I honor his departed spirit?

I pour a dipper of pure water over his tombstone

And offer a silent prayer.

The sun suddenly disappears behind the hill

And I’m enveloped by the roar of the wind in the pines.

I try to pull myself away but cannot;

A flood of tears soaks my sleeves.

- Taigu Ryokan

[heresay]

“Pace yourself so that your efforts don’t totally wear you out, and particularly so they don’t wear out your good humor.”

— Thanissaro Bhikkhu

[thecalminside]

“Root out the violence in your life, and learn to live compassionately and mindfully. Seek peace. When you have peace within, real peace with others is possible.”

Thich Nhat Hanh

[dharmanotes]

Old age, sickness, and death.