Here is a poem by Basho, the great 17th century Japanese haiku poet:
An ancient pond
A frog jumps in –
Splash!
“An ancient pond” creates the setting. You might imagine tall grasses adorning the water’s edge and old-growth oak surrounding a fairly large body of water.
Maybe this pond is your mind when you sit in meditation – calm and keen at the same time.
“A frog jumps in” is a flash across the screen of your eyes. And your meditative mind is open to receive it – no memories, no planning, no fantasies or judgments get in the way.
“Splash” comes quickly, rippling through your meditative mind. You are one with the sound of water.
Then, perhaps, you move on to meet whatever comes next – calmly, keenly and insightfully.
7/22/2009
6/29/2009
Coming Home
Sometimes it happens that we stumble upon this home -- perhaps while listening to music, sitting still in a garden, of simply looking into a blue sky -- we call it a miracle, a once-in-a- lifetime experience. But then we don't know how to find it again. And we don't know that home is right where you are, in your ordinary life.
A meditation practice teaches how to come home any time you want to.
A meditation practice teaches how to come home any time you want to.
6/28/2009
Coming Home
Meditation gives you a taste of who you really are, your essential nature. I like to call it home. It feels like home. You know you're getting there when the muscles in your body relax, the breath is slow and steady, emotions are in neutral and your internal talk isn't pressured -- it simply comes and goes.
Many of us walk around feeling homeless because we have not found that home. Sadly we're not
taught how to look for it.
Many of us walk around feeling homeless because we have not found that home. Sadly we're not
taught how to look for it.
4/18/2009
No Self and Shame
I like the way you, Charlie, connect "no self" with the capacity to release yourself from shame. And the experience of no self arises as the meditative observer becomes steadier, more able to stake a claim, to mental space. We observe our internal thought, feel the body sensations that accompany it and simply be with it until they fade or change or show signs of instability.
Barbara
Barbara
4/11/2009
Acting From Shame
That you said you would do it and you did it, is great! And you felt competence pleasure, which is an important awareness.
Recall, however, that everything is interconnected. An action arising from shame will affect the action itself; for instance, you might put yourself down as you act from shame. And that’s not positive.
What is truly positive is that you weren’t totally caught up in shame.
If an emotion is too powerful it overrides other emotions. When that happens, it’s important to look for the presence of other feeling states (body sensations indicative of an emotion.) Might your procrastination also include anger? Might you also feel love or compassion for the person who will be affected by your action? Get clear. The result will be that shame will have less prime time. And that’s positive
Recall, however, that everything is interconnected. An action arising from shame will affect the action itself; for instance, you might put yourself down as you act from shame. And that’s not positive.
What is truly positive is that you weren’t totally caught up in shame.
If an emotion is too powerful it overrides other emotions. When that happens, it’s important to look for the presence of other feeling states (body sensations indicative of an emotion.) Might your procrastination also include anger? Might you also feel love or compassion for the person who will be affected by your action? Get clear. The result will be that shame will have less prime time. And that’s positive
3/25/2009
Can shame serve a positive purpose?
Shame is one of the destructive emotions. When it arises inside you (all of us experience it from time to time) look closely and see how your very body shrinks in size. A serious bout of shame makes you shut down, close up shop, and try to disappear. Self-hate is also likely to arise. Then you can’t adequately deal with what is occurring – or even learn from it.
No, I don’t believe that shame can serve a positive purpose. Dependent on its severity, however, it can be more or less destructive.
I do believe that healthy pride – the polar opposite of shame – is a good antidote for shame. The challenge is to enter into a meditative state when you feel shame so that you can be aware of the internal talk and any body sensations that arise. Doing this you don’t hide, instead you are keenly present. You are bigger than your shame.
In another step, while you’re meditating, you can look for the seeds of healthy pride inside you by calling forth the memory of an incident in which you showed a particularly good skill – and allow yourself to know what can be called competency pleasure. Hear the positive internal talk and the good body sensations that come with that pleasure and let a slight smile spread across your lips.
What a remarkable learning to realize the polarity exists and you can choose which side you’re on – even if only for a few brief moments.
No, I don’t believe that shame can serve a positive purpose. Dependent on its severity, however, it can be more or less destructive.
I do believe that healthy pride – the polar opposite of shame – is a good antidote for shame. The challenge is to enter into a meditative state when you feel shame so that you can be aware of the internal talk and any body sensations that arise. Doing this you don’t hide, instead you are keenly present. You are bigger than your shame.
In another step, while you’re meditating, you can look for the seeds of healthy pride inside you by calling forth the memory of an incident in which you showed a particularly good skill – and allow yourself to know what can be called competency pleasure. Hear the positive internal talk and the good body sensations that come with that pleasure and let a slight smile spread across your lips.
What a remarkable learning to realize the polarity exists and you can choose which side you’re on – even if only for a few brief moments.
3/18/2009
Homesickness means that we have left our home and long for the caring that came with it – or we have left our mother’s womb and long for unconditional caring.
Freud recognized that somewhere very deep inside we all have that longing. And he wrote about an “oceanic” feeling that many adults have – like being held and rocked in a universal womb. As meditators, we say this oceanic feeling happens when we are held in the Oneness that is our spiritual home.
The womb and the ocean and the Oneness in which we are all held are reflections of each other.
Freud recognized that somewhere very deep inside we all have that longing. And he wrote about an “oceanic” feeling that many adults have – like being held and rocked in a universal womb. As meditators, we say this oceanic feeling happens when we are held in the Oneness that is our spiritual home.
The womb and the ocean and the Oneness in which we are all held are reflections of each other.
2/23/2009
Feeling homesick
I believe that many of us actually walk around feeling homesick because we have never has even a quick glimpse of the home that is the larger whole. If it happens sometime that we do get that quick glimpse, whether in meditation, prayer, or by simply looking up into the blue sky, we call it a miracle. Then we might realize that something important is missing from our everyday lives, and we begin the search for the larger whole, spirit, or for simple awareness. Still, we have no real idea of what they’re looking for. The experience is actually beyond words.
2/13/2009
It feels like home
Meditation gives us a glimpse of the larger whole. Most of you have had that glimpse – even for a brief moment. It’s a place of great concentration and great clarity. I like to call it home. It feels like home. You know you’re there when your shoulders drop, the muscles in your body relax, the muscles in your face relax, the breath is slow and steady, internal talk isn’t important and you are deeply at peace.
12/28/2008
Self-blame
Let's begin where we began and ended in the last newsletter: We human beings, like all the beings on this earth, are basically good. Why? Because there is nothing right or wrong with life; life "just is."
Sitting in meditation over time, we realize that we "just are" much like a tree in the woods or a bird in flight. We are life. Even if our internal voice keeps making noise, we sense the stillness that is also present. It is all around us and it is in us. That basic stillness is just what is needed to work with destructive emotions.
Self-blame is the thinking part of a particularly destructive emotion called shame. You might, for example, hear yourself thinking: "I shouldn't have (please fill in the space)." If those words come with a body sensation such as a flushing of the face, a shrinking feeling across the whole body, or a desire to flee, you are in the emotion called shame.
We are often ashamed of being ashamed, so we find ways to hide from shame - not to know it exists. Hiding out diminishes our strength and actually gets in the way of any effort to right the wrongs we human beings do.
If, however, we return to the "just is" experience, we discover how to befriend shame, and even more important, how to let it go.
Sitting in meditation over time, we realize that we "just are" much like a tree in the woods or a bird in flight. We are life. Even if our internal voice keeps making noise, we sense the stillness that is also present. It is all around us and it is in us. That basic stillness is just what is needed to work with destructive emotions.
Self-blame is the thinking part of a particularly destructive emotion called shame. You might, for example, hear yourself thinking: "I shouldn't have (please fill in the space)." If those words come with a body sensation such as a flushing of the face, a shrinking feeling across the whole body, or a desire to flee, you are in the emotion called shame.
We are often ashamed of being ashamed, so we find ways to hide from shame - not to know it exists. Hiding out diminishes our strength and actually gets in the way of any effort to right the wrongs we human beings do.
If, however, we return to the "just is" experience, we discover how to befriend shame, and even more important, how to let it go.
11/30/2008
Basic Goodness
We human beings, like all the beings on this earth, are basically good. Why? Because there is nothing right or wrong about life; life just is.
According to Chogyam Trungpa, basic goodness is like a sneeze. "When you sneeze there is no time to think about good or bad. The sneeze just is. The simple capacity to have your own personal experience is basic goodness. It does not have to be compared to basic badness."
To access the felt experience of basic goodness we sit in meditation, and slowly, as we let go of thoughts in the mind and feelings in the body, the "just is" feeling arises. Realizing our basic goodness is an important step toward skillfully managing self-blame, and that will be the focus of our January Meditation Morning.
We are fundamentally good. Why? Because we are Life, and Life is fundamentally good
We just are.
How comforting.
Join me at Bryn Mawr College on December 13th for meditation and a talk on Basic Goodness.
According to Chogyam Trungpa, basic goodness is like a sneeze. "When you sneeze there is no time to think about good or bad. The sneeze just is. The simple capacity to have your own personal experience is basic goodness. It does not have to be compared to basic badness."
To access the felt experience of basic goodness we sit in meditation, and slowly, as we let go of thoughts in the mind and feelings in the body, the "just is" feeling arises. Realizing our basic goodness is an important step toward skillfully managing self-blame, and that will be the focus of our January Meditation Morning.
We are fundamentally good. Why? Because we are Life, and Life is fundamentally good
We just are.
How comforting.
Join me at Bryn Mawr College on December 13th for meditation and a talk on Basic Goodness.
10/30/2008
Full Day Mindfullness Meditation Retreat
5 Reasons to Join Me
- To experience a whole day in silence. It's a powerful release from the talk habit and an entry into a new level of intimacy with your self, with others who are also silent, and with the natural world.
- To increase your power of concentration, which is the ability to focus your attention on something and keep if there for as long as needed. That's the state meditators call being in samadhi.
- To enhance the clarity of your 6 sense gates -- hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, body sensations and thoughts in the mind. Clarity of mind, for instance, enhances your thinking -- your ability to discriminate simply and precisely.
- To develop equanimity. I liken it to watching a herd of buffalo off in the distance. Or it's listening to your children argue without any investment in the outcome -- as long as they don't hurt each other. Sometimes bearing witness is all that's needed for life to take care of itself.
- To experience the delight of meditating with others.
9/26/2008
No Agenda
We come to our Meditation Mornings to sit. At best we sit as if we were rocks, each of us with our own center of gravity. We have no other agenda except to be aware.
It's a strange thing to do, to sit. People "relax" "waste time" or "hang out" but most never - not once in a life time - do they sit with awareness.
Sitting is a powerful act, even a rebellious act since it is an alternative to the frantic busyness in our culture.
And it takes great courage. "Stuff" comes up, be it physical discomfort, the confused mind, or deep loneliness. Our egos rebel and we become antsy, irritated. Then our minds scream GET UP.
Even so, we sit. Our sangha friends support us; we couldn't do it without them. And the Dharma tells us that generations of other meditators have let go of the same demons.
It's a strange thing to do, to sit. People "relax" "waste time" or "hang out" but most never - not once in a life time - do they sit with awareness.
Sitting is a powerful act, even a rebellious act since it is an alternative to the frantic busyness in our culture.
And it takes great courage. "Stuff" comes up, be it physical discomfort, the confused mind, or deep loneliness. Our egos rebel and we become antsy, irritated. Then our minds scream GET UP.
Even so, we sit. Our sangha friends support us; we couldn't do it without them. And the Dharma tells us that generations of other meditators have let go of the same demons.
9/05/2008
Suchness
If you could choose, where would you be right now?
In the relative world? That's where we spend most of our lives. This world takes a myriad of forms including galaxies, ants, and human beings. Birth and death are as basic as pleasure and pain. In meditation we observe the relative inside us in our internal talk, in body sensations that come with emotions, and in our internal imagery. Living in the relative is an incredible trip - and very far from easy.
With an ever-so-subtle shift in focus it's possible, once you know how, to sense the absolute. You might, for instance, be looking at waves rolling toward the shore when, in a flash, you see those waves as part of a larger whole, the ocean. Or you might be looking at a clear blue sky and suddenly sense the immensity of the universe. A peek into the absolute often comes with awe - and the realization that simply being alive is more than enough.
Bringing that realization back to your daily activities you merge the absolute with the relative. That's the world of suchness.
In the relative world? That's where we spend most of our lives. This world takes a myriad of forms including galaxies, ants, and human beings. Birth and death are as basic as pleasure and pain. In meditation we observe the relative inside us in our internal talk, in body sensations that come with emotions, and in our internal imagery. Living in the relative is an incredible trip - and very far from easy.
With an ever-so-subtle shift in focus it's possible, once you know how, to sense the absolute. You might, for instance, be looking at waves rolling toward the shore when, in a flash, you see those waves as part of a larger whole, the ocean. Or you might be looking at a clear blue sky and suddenly sense the immensity of the universe. A peek into the absolute often comes with awe - and the realization that simply being alive is more than enough.
Bringing that realization back to your daily activities you merge the absolute with the relative. That's the world of suchness.
8/12/2008
Building a Meditation Practice
How is your meditation going? Are you finding the twenty to thirty minutes each day that's needed to build a practice? If not, try to make meditation the first thing you do in the morning. Yes, I know that might mean having to get up earlier, but I do believe it's worth it.
I roll out of bed each morning, make a quick stop in the bathroom and then roll on to my zafu or cushion (you may wish to use a chair). I set the time on a small alarm clock, assume the posture, close my eyes and meditate.
My favorite meditation these past few weeks (I have many favorite meditations) has been to look for a place in the body where I feel particularly relaxed. That's fairly easy in the morning. I tend to focus on the stillness in my abdomen. I stay aware of that object for some moments and then I add to it some awareness on the blank screen in front of my closed eyes. You can try this. Often you'll find wavy forms in black or white - or in color. Alternatively you might see a gray blank screen with no movement.
With your awareness on both relax and blank, you are more likely to move into a deep meditative state.
Enjoy! and let me know how it works..
I roll out of bed each morning, make a quick stop in the bathroom and then roll on to my zafu or cushion (you may wish to use a chair). I set the time on a small alarm clock, assume the posture, close my eyes and meditate.
My favorite meditation these past few weeks (I have many favorite meditations) has been to look for a place in the body where I feel particularly relaxed. That's fairly easy in the morning. I tend to focus on the stillness in my abdomen. I stay aware of that object for some moments and then I add to it some awareness on the blank screen in front of my closed eyes. You can try this. Often you'll find wavy forms in black or white - or in color. Alternatively you might see a gray blank screen with no movement.
With your awareness on both relax and blank, you are more likely to move into a deep meditative state.
Enjoy! and let me know how it works..
8/06/2008
Knowing Peace
Sometimes we human beings get caught in negative thoughts and that causes us much unhappiness. You might hear yourself say, "I can't do anything right." Or, with great anger, "How can he be so selfish?" You might even hear, "Why doesn't she understand that I'm right and she is wrong."
When we listen to these negative thoughts in meditation we observe that they can come in bursts of anger and streams of frustration. We observe that they can be directed outward toward others or inward toward the self.
Caught in illusion, many people assume that this negativity is their problem. And they assume they have to get rid of it to feel happy. Negativity isn't a thing can be owned. Instead it's an activity that comes and goes.
7/14/2008
What does it mean to spend a day sitting in meditation?
For me it means
- Sitting in noble silence, which is a way to know people without having to go through a forest of words.
- A chance to study the mind, which includes listening to my internal talk and slowly, as my meditation deepens, finding those precious gaps when I am silent within.
- The ah ha that sometimes arises within -- as if my eyeglasses have suddenly been washed super-clean, in this way revealing a world that is radically clear, bright and vibrant.
6/27/2008
Daylong Mindfulness Meditation Retreat
5 Reasons to Join Me
- To experience a whole day in silence. It's a powerful release from the talk habit and an entry into a new level of intimacy with your self, with others who are also silent, and with the natural world.
- To increase your power of concentration, which is the ability to focus your attention on something and keep if there for as long as needed. That's the state meditators call being in samadhi.
- To enhance the clarity of your 6 sense gates -- hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, body sensations and thoughts in the mind. Clarity of mind, for instance, enhances your thinking -- your ability to discriminate simply and precisely.
- To develop equanimity. I liken it to watching a herd of buffalo off in the distance. Or it's listening to your children argue without any investment in the outcome -- as long as they don't hurt each other. Sometimes bearing witness is all that's needed for life to take care of itself.
- To experience the delight of meditating with others.
5/28/2008
Know Your Demons
We all have our demons. Let's imagine yours takes the form of an unhappy marriage. Buddhist psychology teaches that this demon lives inside you even though it appears to exist outside - in your partner.
To meet your unhappy-marriage demon sit in meditation and place your awareness on the part of the body where you have sensations that come with emotions. If you're not sure where that is, focus on the face, the neck, and the front of the torso. That's where these body sensations tend to arise, although not always.
Now bring an unhappy marital moment to mind. Perhaps you sense tightness in the neck and shoulders, and for you that indicates anger. Focus in again and you discover a feeling of heaviness in the whole body and a teary feeling around your eyes. It's clear that your demon is both angry and sad. Listen to your internal talk to hear what your demon is saying that is angry or sad.
One day you decide to offer the demon a cup of sweet tea and it works! Now the demon is less absorbing and you have the oomph to find other ways to live in your marriage.
To meet your unhappy-marriage demon sit in meditation and place your awareness on the part of the body where you have sensations that come with emotions. If you're not sure where that is, focus on the face, the neck, and the front of the torso. That's where these body sensations tend to arise, although not always.
Now bring an unhappy marital moment to mind. Perhaps you sense tightness in the neck and shoulders, and for you that indicates anger. Focus in again and you discover a feeling of heaviness in the whole body and a teary feeling around your eyes. It's clear that your demon is both angry and sad. Listen to your internal talk to hear what your demon is saying that is angry or sad.
One day you decide to offer the demon a cup of sweet tea and it works! Now the demon is less absorbing and you have the oomph to find other ways to live in your marriage.
4/29/2008
An Ocean of Awareness
Most of us live in a very small pond of awareness because we're trapped in our internal talk - mostly in the stories we tell ourselves. These stories function like filters that limit what we see, hear, feel, taste, smell, and think. Often we're not even aware that the filters exist.
To expand into an ocean of awareness, we use one-pointed awareness. It actually dissolves the filters and exposes our six senses to life as it truly is. Aiming one-pointed awareness toward a black bird's whistle we hear a subtle inflection or the sound of silence.
To expand into an ocean of awareness, we use one-pointed awareness. It actually dissolves the filters and exposes our six senses to life as it truly is. Aiming one-pointed awareness toward a black bird's whistle we hear a subtle inflection or the sound of silence.
3/21/2008
Want to Study the Ego?
When all is quiet try setting aside 20 minutes to meditate on your internal talk. You can do this by placing your awareness somewhere between your two ears and the back of your head. Don’t make the talk happen, just listen. This puts you in the present, which is where you need to be to explore the ego.
Do you hear talk about the past? Is it a happy memory? Or are you caught in a re-run of an unhappy time. Try not to get lost in either. In this listening mode you are simply observing how the ego arises in internal talk.
You might, instead, be someone who enjoys fantasies. Maybe you’re imagining islands in the sun, or a lover who offers just what you need. This is another ploy to keep you so riveted that there’s no room for life outside the ego.
Perhaps you’re addicted to planning for the future. Do you make lots of lists? Do you rehearse the exact words of a future conversation? This is the ego’s craving for certainty. It denies you the openness of mind that is ready to receive the new.
Lastly, you might hear yourself repeatedly making judgments such as: “How could I have been so stupid,” or “He’s a fool”. Please know that the ego’s judgments can’t survive if you stop believing in them.
Do you hear talk about the past? Is it a happy memory? Or are you caught in a re-run of an unhappy time. Try not to get lost in either. In this listening mode you are simply observing how the ego arises in internal talk.
You might, instead, be someone who enjoys fantasies. Maybe you’re imagining islands in the sun, or a lover who offers just what you need. This is another ploy to keep you so riveted that there’s no room for life outside the ego.
Perhaps you’re addicted to planning for the future. Do you make lots of lists? Do you rehearse the exact words of a future conversation? This is the ego’s craving for certainty. It denies you the openness of mind that is ready to receive the new.
Lastly, you might hear yourself repeatedly making judgments such as: “How could I have been so stupid,” or “He’s a fool”. Please know that the ego’s judgments can’t survive if you stop believing in them.
2/25/2008
Looking In
There's a belief in our culture that looking in makes people self-centered, disengaged and separate. Looking out is often considered more engaged and even healthier. The reality is almost a complete reversal.
Looking in, we observe how ideas - our story lines and judgments - actually do keep us self-absorbed. For instance, you might hear yourself frequently judging others, which separates you from them. Or you might hear yourself interpret a new experience so that it fits into an old story line. That separates you from what is.
However, with time, meditation, and great patience, you can experience moments when all ideas and judgments fade. In the silence that arises, you might realize that behind all your opinions and story lines is fear - and behind the fear are some very tender feelings. These are very big tender feelings since everyone has them.
Looking in deeply is to know that we are One.
Looking in, we observe how ideas - our story lines and judgments - actually do keep us self-absorbed. For instance, you might hear yourself frequently judging others, which separates you from them. Or you might hear yourself interpret a new experience so that it fits into an old story line. That separates you from what is.
However, with time, meditation, and great patience, you can experience moments when all ideas and judgments fade. In the silence that arises, you might realize that behind all your opinions and story lines is fear - and behind the fear are some very tender feelings. These are very big tender feelings since everyone has them.
Looking in deeply is to know that we are One.
1/21/2008
Who Am I?
If I ask who you are, you might say; “I’m a lawyer,” “I’m an extrovert,” or “I’m depressed.” But certainly you are more than any of these labels.
So you try again. “Well, I’m also simply me, a human being, a self.”
And so I ask you to show me where your self is. Can we find it in your brain? If you look inside you will see neurons that fire across synapses in a very complicated neurological system. Surely, that’s not you. Nor can you find it in your heart, your liver or spleen. These organs are all very important; they work together to make you happen. But none of them is you.
“Hmmm,” you say: “Perhaps I can find myself in my personality – in my own thoughts and feelings. That’s certainly me. I can’t imagine that anyone else has my particular thoughts and feelings.”
That’s true, I add, but if you watch closely, particularly in meditation, you will realize that your thoughts and feelings are ever changing. They are not any kind of solid or permanent thing. Anger, fear, gratitude, love, sadness, come in waves of experience. Tell me, where are you in all this?
“Ah,” you say, “I get it! I am not any one of these things. Instead I’m the activity! “I’m not a noun, I’m a verb.”
So you try again. “Well, I’m also simply me, a human being, a self.”
And so I ask you to show me where your self is. Can we find it in your brain? If you look inside you will see neurons that fire across synapses in a very complicated neurological system. Surely, that’s not you. Nor can you find it in your heart, your liver or spleen. These organs are all very important; they work together to make you happen. But none of them is you.
“Hmmm,” you say: “Perhaps I can find myself in my personality – in my own thoughts and feelings. That’s certainly me. I can’t imagine that anyone else has my particular thoughts and feelings.”
That’s true, I add, but if you watch closely, particularly in meditation, you will realize that your thoughts and feelings are ever changing. They are not any kind of solid or permanent thing. Anger, fear, gratitude, love, sadness, come in waves of experience. Tell me, where are you in all this?
“Ah,” you say, “I get it! I am not any one of these things. Instead I’m the activity! “I’m not a noun, I’m a verb.”
12/17/2007
The Fourth Noble Truth
The Fourth Noble Truth, also called the Eight Fold Path, teaches how to use the Dharma in everyday life. More subtly, it teaches that each of us is a Buddha waiting to emerge.
The path unfolds in three sections: Wisdom, Morality and Concentration.
This month we focus on Wisdom and a teaching called Right Understanding. In this context Right doesn't mean being correct, instead it suggests experiencing the world through the eyes of the Dharma. And understanding doesn't mean rational thinking; instead it's the intuitive knowing that comes from the gut - in a flash and often in meditation. In our culture, however, gut knowing isn't trusted, often goes unrecognized, and certainly isn't cultivated. On the meditative path it emerges as a precious gift.
With Right Understanding we intuit that everyone and everything in our impermanent world arises, manifests and fades. Self-preoccupation starts dissolving, and one day we realize we suffer less and are more content. Then comes the moment when we intuit that everyone and everything in this world are One. Thich Nhat Hanh used the word inter-are to describe the same intuition. This has profound implications for how we live everyday life.
This series on the Four Noble Truths relies on teachings by the Venerable Ajahn Sumedho. www.amaravati.org/
The path unfolds in three sections: Wisdom, Morality and Concentration.
This month we focus on Wisdom and a teaching called Right Understanding. In this context Right doesn't mean being correct, instead it suggests experiencing the world through the eyes of the Dharma. And understanding doesn't mean rational thinking; instead it's the intuitive knowing that comes from the gut - in a flash and often in meditation. In our culture, however, gut knowing isn't trusted, often goes unrecognized, and certainly isn't cultivated. On the meditative path it emerges as a precious gift.
With Right Understanding we intuit that everyone and everything in our impermanent world arises, manifests and fades. Self-preoccupation starts dissolving, and one day we realize we suffer less and are more content. Then comes the moment when we intuit that everyone and everything in this world are One. Thich Nhat Hanh used the word inter-are to describe the same intuition. This has profound implications for how we live everyday life.
This series on the Four Noble Truths relies on teachings by the Venerable Ajahn Sumedho. www.amaravati.org/
11/15/2007
The Third Noble Truth
In previous newsletters we discussed the First Noble Truth, which states that suffering is part of life. In our culture we call it discontent or stress. We also discussed the Second Noble Truth, which says that the cause of this stress is attachment to desire whether it is continuously wanting or not wanting, grasping or loathing.
Now we move on to The Third Noble Truth. It teaches that it is possible to put an end to such stress. The first step is to contemplate or investigate attachment to desire as it plays itself out in our culture, in individuals, and in your particular mind. Ask: Does attachment to desire create happiness? No judgment, just investigation.
The second step is to meditate. Here’s one way to do it: Bring your awareness to internal talk and listen for the stress or discontent it sometimes causes. Then bring your awareness to body sensations such as anger, jealousy or the shame. Often they accompany internal talk. Then pinpoint one such body sensation, and soak into it for about twenty or thirty seconds.
This procedure may have to happen once, a dozen times, or several hundred times before you deeply realize the nature of stress; namely, that it repeatedly arises, manifests, and fades. Stress is impermanent, you are impermanent, and the world around us is impermanent. As this truth seeps deeply into your psyche, suffering itself diminishes.
Now we move on to The Third Noble Truth. It teaches that it is possible to put an end to such stress. The first step is to contemplate or investigate attachment to desire as it plays itself out in our culture, in individuals, and in your particular mind. Ask: Does attachment to desire create happiness? No judgment, just investigation.
The second step is to meditate. Here’s one way to do it: Bring your awareness to internal talk and listen for the stress or discontent it sometimes causes. Then bring your awareness to body sensations such as anger, jealousy or the shame. Often they accompany internal talk. Then pinpoint one such body sensation, and soak into it for about twenty or thirty seconds.
This procedure may have to happen once, a dozen times, or several hundred times before you deeply realize the nature of stress; namely, that it repeatedly arises, manifests, and fades. Stress is impermanent, you are impermanent, and the world around us is impermanent. As this truth seeps deeply into your psyche, suffering itself diminishes.
10/17/2007
The Second Noble Truth
Last month I wrote about the first of the Four Noble Truths, which states that human suffering is a fact of life. Among its many forms, people can suffer from chronic stress, deep sadness, out-of-control anger, unbridled fear, and/or physical pain. The reality is that our world offers trouble as well as happiness.
The Second Noble Truth says that suffering has a cause; namely, the attachment to desire. As you know, there is no end to the range of things we can desire or crave. Indeed, we can easily become enslaved to craving. However, craving in itself doesn't cause suffering. Rather it is our attachment to craving. All of us need to eat. It's not being able to let go of the desire for food that's the problem.
Through meditation we can learn to let go. It's like opening up a tightly closed fist gently and with respect for our human imperfection. In so doing we don't get rid of the object of our craving; be it food, love or money. Rather, we simply let them be. And slowly we are released from craving. Free at last.
The Second Noble Truth says that suffering has a cause; namely, the attachment to desire. As you know, there is no end to the range of things we can desire or crave. Indeed, we can easily become enslaved to craving. However, craving in itself doesn't cause suffering. Rather it is our attachment to craving. All of us need to eat. It's not being able to let go of the desire for food that's the problem.
Through meditation we can learn to let go. It's like opening up a tightly closed fist gently and with respect for our human imperfection. In so doing we don't get rid of the object of our craving; be it food, love or money. Rather, we simply let them be. And slowly we are released from craving. Free at last.
9/19/2007
The First Noble Truth
In one of his first teachings the Buddha offered The Four Noble Truths. The first of these truths states that all of us at some time or other will experience suffering, be it a vague sense of discontent or serious illness. Our world, after all, contains trouble as well as happiness.
Please don't look at this fact from a personal perspective; it is not about your dissatisfaction with work or my aches and pains. Rather it's a fundamental insight into the nature of life.
The First Noble Truth also advises us to deeply understand the nature of suffering. Doing so we realize that at minimum all of us know sadness, fear, and discontent. We also become aware of how these feelings come and go. They are impermanent. Grounded in these insights, the actions we take in response to suffering are likely to arise from wisdom.
Please don't look at this fact from a personal perspective; it is not about your dissatisfaction with work or my aches and pains. Rather it's a fundamental insight into the nature of life.
The First Noble Truth also advises us to deeply understand the nature of suffering. Doing so we realize that at minimum all of us know sadness, fear, and discontent. We also become aware of how these feelings come and go. They are impermanent. Grounded in these insights, the actions we take in response to suffering are likely to arise from wisdom.
9/03/2007
Stillness and Movement
Sense the stillness of a tree whether the day is windy or windless. Look up at the sky and notice the blue spaciousness across which clouds can wander. Go to the beach and listen for the quiet that sometimes occurs between the crashing of waves. Enjoy a perfectly still fall day and imagine all the activity that lies beyond our senses.
Watch for the moment of rest that lies between the out-breath and the next in-breath. Notice the instant of quiet between waves of internal talk. Be aware of sadness and the second when it fades. And by all means, awaken to the bursts of joy that come with being alive. They, too, arise, manifest, fade, and are again born.
Watch for the moment of rest that lies between the out-breath and the next in-breath. Notice the instant of quiet between waves of internal talk. Be aware of sadness and the second when it fades. And by all means, awaken to the bursts of joy that come with being alive. They, too, arise, manifest, fade, and are again born.
8/09/2007
Listening to Internal Talk
When you're feeling sad or lonely consider the possibility that these feelings are a gateway to the present moment. Then sit in a quiet place and listen to your internal talk - what you hear internally in the here and now.
For most people internal talk takes place somewhere between the two ears toward the back of the head (though having said that, you might hear it somewhere else in the body). Maintain the focus on that location and don't attempt to make talk happen. Simply listen and it will arise.
Soon you may realize that internal talk is very repetitive, much like a broken record. This isn't the kind of thinking that can solve a problem. Instead it's an automatic, conditioned response - a habit all of us fall into. There really isn't any "new" thinking that's taking place when you're in that old habit.
For most people internal talk takes place somewhere between the two ears toward the back of the head (though having said that, you might hear it somewhere else in the body). Maintain the focus on that location and don't attempt to make talk happen. Simply listen and it will arise.
Soon you may realize that internal talk is very repetitive, much like a broken record. This isn't the kind of thinking that can solve a problem. Instead it's an automatic, conditioned response - a habit all of us fall into. There really isn't any "new" thinking that's taking place when you're in that old habit.
6/25/2007
Knowing and Not Knowing
Have you ever noticed the wave of pleasure that arises when someone appreciates what you're saying? That wave is likely to be more intense when a teacher or a supervisor asks a question and you give the right answer. This need to know is very powerful. In fact we can get "addicted" to the pleasure that knowing triggers.
Have you noticed the wave of discomfort that arises when someone doesn't appreciate what you're saying or when you give your supervisor the wrong answer? Falling into not knowing while trying to get things right can trigger confusion, which is a kind of psychic pain.
Try exploring what happens when, with awareness, you allow yourself not to know. Being neither right nor wrong is like taking a vacation. It frees us from craving the pleasure that comes with knowing and the pain that comes with failing to know
Have you noticed the wave of discomfort that arises when someone doesn't appreciate what you're saying or when you give your supervisor the wrong answer? Falling into not knowing while trying to get things right can trigger confusion, which is a kind of psychic pain.
Try exploring what happens when, with awareness, you allow yourself not to know. Being neither right nor wrong is like taking a vacation. It frees us from craving the pleasure that comes with knowing and the pain that comes with failing to know
5/29/2007
Sitting…Part II
At some time during your meditative journey it’s very likely that you will hear yourself say: “Sitting is hard. My back aches, my mind won’t slow down, and I’m certainly not feeling relaxed. So why in the world am I spending my time meditating?”
This is a defining moment for a meditator because it offers the opportunity to commit to the path even with its difficulties. Sitting is a way to pare down life to the simple. With nothing to distract it’s more likely you will learn how your particular personality works. You may, for instance, hear your internal voice complain about the discomfort.
You may also become aware of certain body sensations, perhaps a tension in your muscles, which for you signifies anger. Continuing to sit, it’s also possible that you will see or imagine an image. Much to your surprise it’s of you and you’re dumping a can of orange paint on the head of the meditation teacher! The idea is so absurd that a bubbly laughter arises from deep inside. Then, quite remarkably, your whole body relaxes and you know you have moved through your anger. “Just think,” you say to yourself, “I almost cut the sit short!”
After the exhilaration of the moment dies down, it might be that both your anger and your physical pain return. That’s when you realize there’s a lot more to learn.
Click on the word Comments to see what others have said and share your experience or question.
This is a defining moment for a meditator because it offers the opportunity to commit to the path even with its difficulties. Sitting is a way to pare down life to the simple. With nothing to distract it’s more likely you will learn how your particular personality works. You may, for instance, hear your internal voice complain about the discomfort.
You may also become aware of certain body sensations, perhaps a tension in your muscles, which for you signifies anger. Continuing to sit, it’s also possible that you will see or imagine an image. Much to your surprise it’s of you and you’re dumping a can of orange paint on the head of the meditation teacher! The idea is so absurd that a bubbly laughter arises from deep inside. Then, quite remarkably, your whole body relaxes and you know you have moved through your anger. “Just think,” you say to yourself, “I almost cut the sit short!”
After the exhilaration of the moment dies down, it might be that both your anger and your physical pain return. That’s when you realize there’s a lot more to learn.
Click on the word Comments to see what others have said and share your experience or question.
5/22/2007
Sitting Part I
What does it mean to “sit” in meditation? Primarily it means to have a sitting practice. Developing one includes establishing a regular time, a special place, and a quiet surround. For some of us those conditions are hard to come by, and we have to make do with less. Even under the best of circumstances establishing a practice can be a challenge. It is much like training to become a long distance runner; when the body becomes habituated, not only is the routine easy, sitting down on the cushion is like coming home.
Here are some suggestions: Make it your intention to meditate daily, and try not to blame yourself when you miss a day, a week, or even several months. Self-blame will make it less likely that you will return. Figure out what time of day is best for your particular body, and then keep to it until the body itself expects to meditate at that moment. I found the key to establishing a practice when I learned to move from my early morning bed, with a quick stop in the bathroom, directly to the cushion.
You also need to choose an object to meditate on. Since meditation is a means of exploring who you are and how you perceive the world, it makes sense to focus on your mind/body process. To do this choose one of your six senses; hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, feelings in the body, or thoughts in the mind—after all it’s through your senses that you know yourself and the world.
If you make hearing the object of your meditation, place your attention at your two ears, close your eyes, and listen with awareness. More informally, I enjoy meditating on sound in crowded restaurants. What is initially loud noise can become a symphony. I recall a time in one restaurant when I heard a conversation to my left arise and subside while laughter on my right pierced the flow. In front came the rattle of dishes as a waitress cleared a table, and behind it all was the happy hum of people enjoying themselves.
Click on the word Comments to see what others have said and share your experience or question.
Here are some suggestions: Make it your intention to meditate daily, and try not to blame yourself when you miss a day, a week, or even several months. Self-blame will make it less likely that you will return. Figure out what time of day is best for your particular body, and then keep to it until the body itself expects to meditate at that moment. I found the key to establishing a practice when I learned to move from my early morning bed, with a quick stop in the bathroom, directly to the cushion.
You also need to choose an object to meditate on. Since meditation is a means of exploring who you are and how you perceive the world, it makes sense to focus on your mind/body process. To do this choose one of your six senses; hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling, feelings in the body, or thoughts in the mind—after all it’s through your senses that you know yourself and the world.
If you make hearing the object of your meditation, place your attention at your two ears, close your eyes, and listen with awareness. More informally, I enjoy meditating on sound in crowded restaurants. What is initially loud noise can become a symphony. I recall a time in one restaurant when I heard a conversation to my left arise and subside while laughter on my right pierced the flow. In front came the rattle of dishes as a waitress cleared a table, and behind it all was the happy hum of people enjoying themselves.
Click on the word Comments to see what others have said and share your experience or question.
4/12/2007
Impermanence...Part III
How does awareness of our ever-changing emotions affect daily life? A woman I know who is a meditator, and the mother of a ten-year-old boy, sheds some light on the question.
"Sometime late in the afternoon my son, Danny, got antsy and began to run around the living room. Fairly soon I heard my daughter cry. Danny had tripped her. After a mild rebuke, I tried to divert his attention by suggesting that he play a game on his Xbox. You would have thought I told him to eat worms! He stomped and screamed at me, and before I knew it, I was screaming back at him. In my effort to calm him down, I became as out-of-control as he was.
"If only I had remembered to watch my emotions rise, manifest and fade instead of grabbing on and riding them like a bucking bronco. I got thrown and trampled in the process!!!! How I wish I had watched that bucking bronco instead of hopping on!"
This Mom responded to her son's fleeting mood as if it were a mighty force that had to be conquered. In so doing she pumped lots of energy into that late afternoon fiasco. The good news is that she was aware of it and so not completely lost. I wonder what would have happened if she had, as she wished, stepped aside and simply observed her own upset.
What happens for you?
"Sometime late in the afternoon my son, Danny, got antsy and began to run around the living room. Fairly soon I heard my daughter cry. Danny had tripped her. After a mild rebuke, I tried to divert his attention by suggesting that he play a game on his Xbox. You would have thought I told him to eat worms! He stomped and screamed at me, and before I knew it, I was screaming back at him. In my effort to calm him down, I became as out-of-control as he was.
"If only I had remembered to watch my emotions rise, manifest and fade instead of grabbing on and riding them like a bucking bronco. I got thrown and trampled in the process!!!! How I wish I had watched that bucking bronco instead of hopping on!"
This Mom responded to her son's fleeting mood as if it were a mighty force that had to be conquered. In so doing she pumped lots of energy into that late afternoon fiasco. The good news is that she was aware of it and so not completely lost. I wonder what would have happened if she had, as she wished, stepped aside and simply observed her own upset.
What happens for you?
3/23/2007
Impermanence...Part II
While we know intellectually that our world is impermanent, our mental software leads us to believe in permanence. We see the stars above us as ever lasting even though we know that each one is burning up. We behave toward the earth as though it is permanent even though evidence is mounting that it is fragile.
How can we give up the illusion of permanence and more fully experience life as ever changing? Clearly we can use our minds to be in touch with change, noting perhaps, changing weather patterns or the growing height of our children. The trouble is that intellectual knowing does only a little to change our mental software.
Meditative skills do more. They teach us how to relax into life, and that, in itself, starts to reshape our minds. When a pain arises, we loosen our muscles rather than tighten them. When anger emerges we allow plenty of room for it to manifest, fade, and perhaps emerge again. When troublesome thoughts plague we stay aware and let them to do their dance.
Cherishing the moment we actually hear the sound of falling rain or see the beauty of a sunset. Along the way we might also gain insight into a poignant truth about our world – if it weren’t for impermanence neither you nor I would be here now.
How can we give up the illusion of permanence and more fully experience life as ever changing? Clearly we can use our minds to be in touch with change, noting perhaps, changing weather patterns or the growing height of our children. The trouble is that intellectual knowing does only a little to change our mental software.
Meditative skills do more. They teach us how to relax into life, and that, in itself, starts to reshape our minds. When a pain arises, we loosen our muscles rather than tighten them. When anger emerges we allow plenty of room for it to manifest, fade, and perhaps emerge again. When troublesome thoughts plague we stay aware and let them to do their dance.
Cherishing the moment we actually hear the sound of falling rain or see the beauty of a sunset. Along the way we might also gain insight into a poignant truth about our world – if it weren’t for impermanence neither you nor I would be here now.
2/20/2007
Impermanence
We are mostly unaware of the reality of change in our everyday lives. There are times, for instance, when we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror and wonder, with surprise and even shock, what happened to the youngsters we once were. Where did the time go? While we know intellectually that change is constant, our mental software leads us to believe in permanence.
During meditation this software is redesigned. We become aware that everything that exists is ever changing including our emotions. A feeling of peace can quickly be followed by fear or any one of a number of emotions. And sadness can be followed by love. There is no permanence here. Such body-based awareness means that we are less likely, in our everyday lives, to get stuck in one or another feeling.
When we meditate on the flow of thought we notice that there are moments of rest. The flow isn't permanent. Meditating on physical sensations, be it the rhythm of the breath or the beating of the heart, once again we are aware of restful moments. Even pain doesn't last forever; studying it, we realize that it arises, manifests, and fades.
Not that insight into impermanence offers an easy ride. It teaches that change is both constant and unpredictable, which means that whether you are kind or ruthless sometimes life goes well and sometimes it goes badly.
During meditation this software is redesigned. We become aware that everything that exists is ever changing including our emotions. A feeling of peace can quickly be followed by fear or any one of a number of emotions. And sadness can be followed by love. There is no permanence here. Such body-based awareness means that we are less likely, in our everyday lives, to get stuck in one or another feeling.
When we meditate on the flow of thought we notice that there are moments of rest. The flow isn't permanent. Meditating on physical sensations, be it the rhythm of the breath or the beating of the heart, once again we are aware of restful moments. Even pain doesn't last forever; studying it, we realize that it arises, manifests, and fades.
Not that insight into impermanence offers an easy ride. It teaches that change is both constant and unpredictable, which means that whether you are kind or ruthless sometimes life goes well and sometimes it goes badly.
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