| Thought for the day: June 3, 2008 A small amount of accomplishment requires a great deal of effort, and should be guarded like a precious gem |
| Thought for the day: June 6, 2008 Thought is energy. Practicing meditation can help one to look beneath thought and feel the flow of energy that supports it. If we can do this we will find ourselves observing energy flows rather than individual thoughts. By working with these flows of energy we can change the way we think. This transformation of thought is a very positive experience |
| Thought for the day: June 8, 2008 If you are alert you can choose what you want to think about. If you are not alert you will be caught up and entangled by thoughts, just like a fish in a net. Alertness is a very important aspect of mind training. It will help us to meditate effectively and live our lives effectively. Alertness during post meditation will assure that we do not become entangled in activities and relationships that are not supportive of our goals. When alertness is lax, we become weighted down by activities and idle interactions with people that produce nothing positive. The function of alertness is to help us discriminate the profitable from the unprofitable; whether it be in the coarse affairs of our daily lives or meditation's subtle energy currents. |
| Thought for the day: June 10, 2008 Force should be avoided in meditation. When we meditate, or take vows, we should always be mindful of our ability and motivation. A clear focus for extended periods of time in meditation takes time to develop. If we sit for and hour or more and our mind is wandering half the time, it is probably better to sit a shorter length of time more often throughout the day. Another way to strengthen our meditation is to be keen to recognize moments when our mind is pliable and make every effort to squeeze in a sit. I myself have often hidden in construction sites, bushes, peoples' yards, parks, etc when I spontaneously felt my mind open and clear for meditation. Scheduled meditation is very important; but earn those Brownie points by doing extra work when you can. |
| Thought for the day: June 11, 2008 Meditation is not something that you "do." If it were something you "do" it would be a contrived state, which it is not. Meditation is the art of uniting with those conditions that will bring about awareness of the mind's nature. You cannot do it from your side alone. In stillness the mind becomes like a mirror that will allow you to see those conditions without grasping or labeling them. This kind of seeing is not an imputed state, wherein you imagine a path based on what you have read and heard. It is seeing stripped of all mental constructs. This seeing can only happen when the mind surrenders and allows the magic to work. All great struggles end in surrender. This is not giving up because of laziness, or lack of ambition; but rather the result of an effort that is so sincere and tenacious that you realize its futility. |
| Thought for the day: June 12, 2008 As our meditation deepens and the clouds of disturbing thoughts settle; it can be tempting to follow what is perceived as a wholesome thought, perhaps a dharma teaching we heard or read or a pleasant remembrance of our guru. Feeling free to engage wholesome thoughts is a common mistake and one to guard aagainst All thoughts, both wholesome and unwholesome must dissolve if we are to engage properly with the topic of meditation. |
| Thought for the day: June 19, 2008 If the thoughts that give rise to disturbing emotions had power within themselves, they would have that power all the time. A particular thought may cause you to become angry, for example, and it seems like the thought has the power to make you angry. However, if you deliberately give rise to that thought another day, it will not move you. The same is true for lust, hatred, jealousy, self doubt, and many other emotions that disturb the balance in our lives. A very good technique for becoming less vulnerable to undesirable thoughts is to consciously give rise to them when all is well and the mind is bright, happy, and stable. If we look at particular thoughts that disturb us, bringing it up again and again in our clear bright mind, we will become less and less vulnerable to them and eventually completely free of them. If there is no foothold for them, they will not visit us. |
| Thought for the day: June 13, 2008 Precepts, Samadhi, and Wisdom, are three pillars of cultivating the Way. Precepts are the code of ethics and morality that form the foundation of Buddhist practice. If one is strong in one's precepts, one is not easily shaken by bumps and mistakes along the way. They are a great friend in times and need when overwhelmed by obstructions and the hazards that will surely arise as one's practice matures. Samadhi is concentration in the sense of absorbed and deep concentration. It is like a powerful beam of light that can penetrate the ten directions. Wisdom guides the light, pointing it in the direction that will lead to proper knowledge and proper views. |
| Thought for the day: June 17, 2008 A Chan Master once undertook the instruction of a novice who was having great difficulty in detaching himself from the persons of his former, secular life. "You cannot serve the Dharma until you sever these bonds," said the Master. "You must destroy these possessive relationships! Kill them! Regard them as if they no longer existed!" The novice asked, "But my parents? Must I slay them, too?" And the Master replied, "Who are they to be spared?" "And you, Master," said the novice, "must I kill you, too? And the Master smiled and said, "Don't worry. There is not enough of me left for you to get your hands on." |
| Thought for the day: June 24, 2008 A saying goes, "Beware of too much cleverness." It is often tempting to use clever argument to justify within oneself actions that are not beneficial as beneficial. The truth can be twisted to justify just about anything. Rather than put oneself through such mental contortions it is usually best to give it up. |
| Thought for the day: June 26, 2008 Once your emotions got you, Reason may as well be on holiday. |
| Thought for the day: June 27, 2008 Have you not seen the man of the Way, Who has cut off learning and in his leisure does nothing Who does not reject false thinking or seek Reality? And the empty Body of illusion is the Dharma body. This is the opening verse of Yung Chia's Song of Enlightenment. One who mistakenly assumes such freedom before earning it is creating an impossible barrier for himself. |
| Thought for the day: June 28, 2008 Karma ended and emotions empty, defines a Buddha. Karma defiled and emotions turbid, This verse is from the Sixth Patriarch Sutra. This sutra also teaches that within a single negative emotion or thought is the seed of enlightenment; and if in the instant of its arising you can seize it, the true nature of mind will be revealed and karma and afflictions ended. Within each and every thought that we have is the seed of enlightenment. |
| Thought for the day: June 28, 2008 Teachings such as Mahamudra and Chan that advise letting them go or letting them dissolve into empty space also point out the importance of the cultivation of merit and virtue, compassion, and a broad altruistic path to make this achievable. Unfortunately, this part of the teaching is often not given sufficient attention while meditation is overemphasized. This is a common mistake and why many are plagued by similar undesirable thought patterns arising again and again in their meditation. |
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