May 9, 2023
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Shit Happens
Sometimes, shit happens and you just gotta breathe and do things you never expected to do or thought possible. Like, say, ripping your own underwear off angrily and aggressively in the trailhead bathroom and throwing them away. (Not bc I shit myself.) (Phrasing? Is this what they call a hook?) Anyway… I did not do an “on the mat practice” yesterday but definitely performed the union of body…
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Shit Happens
Sometimes, shit happens and you just gotta breathe and do things you never expected to do or thought possible. Like, say, ripping your own underwear off angrily and aggressively in the trailhead bathroom and throwing them away. (Not bc I shit myself.) (Phrasing? Is this what they call a hook?) Anyway… I did not do an “on the mat practice” yesterday but definitely performed the union of body…
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Why do we struggle with rest?
By nature, by molding, I am a thinker. I analyze, postulate, and predict. This way of life has worked for me professionally. I have been described as a high achiever, accomplished, driven, “smarty pants”, a general go-getter. I have enjoyed a long professional career in the mental health field and seen as an expert in autism and autism related areas. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave room for…
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Intimate Conversations with KP
Do you struggle with rest? I’m not just talking about getting enough sleep at night. I am talking about complete psychological, social and spiritual rest, the kind that leads to a good night’s sleep. If you do, then join me for an open and honest discussion about why we struggle so hard with rest. While this is a zoom event, there will not be a recording of it. And this is the last time Intimate…
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The Four Reflections (part 3 of 4)
Reflect on the impermanent nature of our mind
Ordinary people’s minds are restless. In our mind, we have constant chatter of our thoughts, which are always wandering around. The Buddha tells us that all things in the universe undergo four phases of change. For material things, they go through formation, continuation, deterioration, and annihilation. For living beings’ bodies, they go through birth, aging, illness, and death. For our thoughts, they are constantly arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing. Because our thoughts are always changing, it’s difficult for us to develop wisdom. The Buddha wants us to reflect on our thoughts and learn to concentrate our mind on spiritual cultivation so that we can bring forth our innate Buddha nature and wisdom.
Every day, when we engage with our surroundings, our mind gives rise to all kinds of thoughts. Yet, thoughts are temporary. Here’s a story to illustrate this.
One day, a cultivator was walking outdoors and saw a pond with a blooming lotus flower. Joy arose in his mind. He stopped to enjoy the beautiful lotus flower. While he was immersed in this beautiful scenery, a farmer came to the pond and, with his shovel, swiftly removed the lotus flower.
The cultivator asked, “The lotus flower was so beautiful. It was doing fine in the pond, why did you remove it?”
The farmer responded, “You are a cultivator, and your mind should be tranquil. How come you are attracted to this lotus flower and let it disturb your mind?”
Upon seeing the lotus flower, the cultivator gave rise to a thought of joy. As he was enjoying the flower, his thought abides in joy. When the farmer suddenly removed the lotus flower leaving the pond with muddy water, the cultivator’s thought changed, and his joy ceased.
Such is the nature of our thoughts. As the external circumstances change, our thoughts, in responding to them, also change and give rise to love, affection, empathy, revenge, arrogance, shame, etc. These thoughts come and go. When we give rise to a wholesome thought, such as aspiring to spiritual cultivation or wanting to do good deeds, it is easily disturbed by afflictions and ignorance that arise in our mind, which then cause us to lose that wholesome thought. The four phases of change, arising, abiding, changing, and ceasing, keep on repeating in our mind. This is why we easily forget the Dharma we’ve learned and make slow progress on our spiritual cultivation. The Buddha wants us to reflect on our thoughts, see how they arise, abide, change, and cease, be aware of their impermanent nature, and practice focusing our mind on spiritual cultivation when encountering distractions. Only when our mind is calm and steady can our Buddha nature manifest and we develop wisdom.