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| Thought for the day: May 2, 2008 Each thought has duration, an arising, abiding, and ceasing. Thoughts mark time; where there is no thought, time stands still. When we practice meditation we try to stretch the space between thoughts. As the gap between thoughts increases, our meditation grows deeper. For the accomplished meditator a hour may seem like only a few seconds. In modern times, the great Master Hsu Yun once entered meditation during a lecture he was giving as he waited for the translator to finish. He sat for almost three weeks and when he came out of his meditation was wondering where everyone had gone. He had no conception of the time that had elapsed. |
| Thought for the day: May 3, 2008 A time should be set everyday for meditation. This is very important. However, the time should be flexible so that it can be adjusted and pushed forward or back to accommodate the demands of our lives. Start with an amount of time that is comfortable and increase it gradually, being careful not to cause fatigue. While it is important to have a dedicated amount of time each day for meditation, one should not work too hard. This may sound strange, but it is not. Reaching meditative awareness is very subtle and does not happen by force. Overexertion is as common an error as laxity. |
| Thought for the day: May 4, 2008 Meditation can occur at any moment of one's life, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. It is not dependent on a meditative posture or particular attitude of mind. Because this fact is so difficult to see, we practice meditative postures and mental disciplines to familiarize ourselves with what the meditative mind is like. Once we see this it is easier to become meditatively aware during the common acts of daily life. The important point here is to assume an attitude that enlightenment is before you every moment and you simply are missing it. Having this point of view will help you become more keenly aware of your everyday mind and you will begin to sense the awesome potential that is hidden within it. |
| Thought for the day: May 5, 2008 If you want to become enlightened you must first make yourself available. |
| Thought for the day: May 6, 2008 Practicing the dharma is an escape from samsara; but one must be careful not to view this as an escape from ones responsibilities. Whether one is in a monastery, college, or work environment, etc., obstacles will be the same. Leaving one position and going into another only changes the wrapping, while what's inside remains the same. It is best to view our current position in life as our monastery and look for opportunities right where we are. Thinking a particular situation in life unsuitable for practice is a mistaken view often rooted in laziness. The same person who thinks this way would be asleep in a monastery. |
| Thought for the day: May 7, 2008 Active minds meditate better in an open space like a desert, while torpor prone minds do better in a forest. But, since we do not always have the choice, we can choose to make our surroundings according to what suits our temperament. A person given to anxiety, for example, might do better in a room with few objects and furniture, while a mind that needs stimulation might thrive in a room with many objects to gaze upon. |
| Thought for the day: May 8, 2008 Meditation may seem like drudgery; but if you practice it during good times, you will find it an unassailable place of refuge when times are bad. |
| Thought for the day: May 9, 2008 When we focus on our topic of meditation we should avoid labeling thoughts as good or bad. Generally, whatever distracts our attention from the topic of meditation is taking energy away from where it should be focused. Sometimes it is tempting to be more tolerant of distractions we may view as wholesome and allow ourselves to be entertained by holy musings. This is a mistake. However, if such a dharmic thought persistently enters your meditation; perhaps it would be wise to write it down and set time aside to devote several meditations to it alone. Good ideas certainly do occur during meditation; but never allow them to hijack your current session. By practicing like this one can avoid the pitfalls of being too rigid or to loose while one strives for the proper viewpoint. |
| Thought for the day: May 10, 2008 The sangha is very important. When we get together at dharma teachings or for meditations our gathering form a sangha. Such a group of like minded individuals share the common goal of self realization. It is a time to come together and share ideas and inquire from one another aspects of the teaching we may not understand. Often time we will find that what is a knotty question for us another sees clearly and visa versa. This is why the Buddha encouraged forming sanghas. Casual talk is to be avoided during sangha gatherings, especially with members of the opposite sex. It is tempting to conceal a selfish intention in lofty words. Sangha gatherings are to know the Buddha's teachings; not know one another. If we can harness our natural instincts we might learn something from the discipline. I am sure AA meetings have the same problem, and other groups , as well. |
| Thought for the day: May 11, 2008 "Be still and know I am God," is a Psalm of David. Most would say it is "Christian," but that is only a particular way of looking at it. Many teachings from all religions get trapped by the confines of our narrow mind's habitual tendency to judge and categorize. This throws a veil over the teaching's intent. By doing so we often shut ourselves out of the beauty and meaning of other traditions. |
| Thought for the day: May 12, 2008 Regarding earning money, a disciple of my Teacher, Master Hsuan Hua, follows the following principle which he attributes to lessons learned in life and from our teacher: Always put people first not money... If you put people first money will come...... |
| Thought for the day: May 13, 2008 Tolerance will enable you to see another's viewpoint. Dismissing others or trying to shut them out of your mind because they are unpleasant, blocks off the kind of seeing that is necessary to understand their viewpoint. If you do this the same kind of problems with people will arise again and again. However, tolerance will help you to learn from unpleasantness and attract less of it into your life. |
| Thought for the day: May 14, 2008 When Buddhism argues the five aggregates (form, feeling, perception,impulses, and consciousness) are not "one" nor "many" they are not referring to a numerical sense of "one" or "many" as in there is one tree in the forest or their are many tress in the forest. This kind of relativity has no meaning in this argument. "Many" in this sense is not a quality that is stable which is what we are looking for here. If I say there are "many" M&M chocolates in my hand, "many" is not a stable reference because if we next look at the chocolate in my hand relative to the chocolate in a factory, it becomes an insignificant amount. If we are looking at several tons of M&Ms and all were trucked away save one handful we might say there are "none" left. The argument of "one" and "many" in the Buddhist philosophical sense refers to a single "M&M," for example, being singular or plural, in the sense of compounded or uncompounded. The same argument applies to all objects of mind and thought. The conclusion is that they are neither and therefore only exist provisionally and are not ultimately real. This is all explained in the opening of the Adornment of the Middle Way in the Audio section. |
| Thought for the day: May 15, 2008 When in meditation you have quieted your busy mind and have become established in peaceful stillness, ask yourself who it is that is aware of this stillness. When you stir the mind with this thought, excluding all others, this is vipasana, or insight meditation. The former quiet and peaceful state is samatha, quiescence meditation. Generally speaking, one first practices samatha until one can easily sit undistracted in stillness. Later, when distracting thoughts have lost their power to lead the mind away from its center, one introduces vipasana. As one's skill develops the two become inseparable. |
| Thought for the day: May 16, 2008 We are constantly manipulating our material world to suit our needs. Tree are moved, dams are built, lots are cleared, etc.; obstacles are removed, barriers created, air is conditioned or heated. The material world offers everything we need to live; it is just a matter of manipulating it. In similar manner, our mental world has within it everything we need to realize the enlightened nature of the mind; it is just a matter of learning how to manipulate what we already have. Take for example sexual desire. Sutras teach that although this desire leads to great enjoyment, ultimately it increases desire. . However, if through meditation this energy is directed away from the lower channels, being careful not to block it in the process, and allowed to dissolve within the energy channels, far more joy is attained than if we allowed it to flow out. And, this positive experience frees the mind. In similar manner, anger can be contemplated and manipulated through meditation to yield positive results. It is just energy, and just as material energy can be harnessed to benefit man's world, so too, the energy of anger can be directed and harnessed to yield positive results. The same is true for all that goes on in our mental world. The ordinary mind has all the potential for enlightenment; it is only a question of matter (no pun intended) directing everyday energies. |
| Thought for the day: May 17, 2008 When it is said that the seed of enlightenment is within each and every thought; what does this mean? Why is it that we are all not enlightened? We all certainly have thoughts, and yet instead of becoming enlightened by them, we tend to become more and more entangled. Each thought leads to another and thus we have a head full of many thoughts. This diversity of thought exists because we follow one thought to the next and a single thought soon leads to a diversity of thought. This diversity of thought leads to a dissipation of energy, like a light beam being diffused by a lens. If through meditation we can learn to turn thought around instead of following it, the light that goes out is reversed and shines within. In other words, when we look into thought and inquire into its source, asking ourselves, "from where does this thought arise,?" the habit of thought leading us outside will gradually be broken. When this occurs we will discover the power of a single thought to illumine within. |
| Thought for the day: May 18, 2008 Discursive thinking should not be confused with analytical meditation. Discursive thinking is a distraction, being led about by thoughts and desires that enter the mind. When intruding thoughts lead us away from our meditation topic and consume our mental energy in discursive thought our meditation is broken until our natural self consciousness brings us back. This is called falling into the "guest" position. Once we drop whatever it was that distracted us and resume our meditation, we once again assume the "host" position. Analytical meditation, on the other hand, is reasoned contemplation, which can be discursive, about a single topic. As long as our inner dialogue or reasoning remains on topic, we are engaged in analytical meditation. When sutras teach us to abandon all thinking, they are not referring to placing our mind on a philosophical or logical concept and reasoning it out in analytical mediation. On the contrary, sutras encourage us to practice this kind of meditation so that we can balance concentration with understanding. |
| Thought for the day: May 18, 2008 "Fox doubts" is a Buddhist term referring to the kind of self doubt that often blocks a decision to practice the dharma or a particular dharma before one even begins. It comes in the guise of self doubt, doubting one's worthiness or ability, and if it is not recognized and cast aside, it can lead to slowed progress or no progress. If the effort is sincere and the intention is right, never fear stepping off a hundred foot cliff. |
| Thought for the day: May 19, 2008 If you cannot refrain from judging people, judge them like a junk collector viewing a trash heap, always looking for what may be of value. |
| Thought for the day: May 20, 2008 Prozac is like LSD; just as the person on LSD thinks he is "awakened," but really isn't; Prozac, and similar drugs, make you think you're OK, but you really aren't. It is best to stay away from mind altering drugs of all kinds. But, if you have to take anti depressants to function, learn to meditate, as well. If you do this you will eventually build the inner support you need to wean yourself from antidepressants and find happiness that arises spontaneously without support. It's the mind's nature. |
| Thought for the day: May 22, 2008 Being someone that others can learn from often means that we must put aside our inclination to teach. Those who want to teach (and do) often have the least to say; while those who are busy working on themselves teach almost inadvertently, by example. A lifestyle that others can admire is a much stronger message than a bunch of words plucked from a book, no matter how true they may be. |
| Thought for the day: May 23, 2008 Concentration is gathering all thoughts to a single point. Wisdom is knowing where to direct it. |
| Thought for the day: May 24, 2008 If one accepts the fact that the Path is going to be difficult and that personal sacrifice is necessary, then one can seek comfort within the discipline and achieve that. However, to look for an easy way to practice is a mistake. If you paint over rotten wood it looks like new wood, but when you need it most it falls apart. |
| Thought for the day: May 25, 2008 Balance discipline with understanding or your discipline will be blind and ineffective. For this, it is important to realize the importance of study and analytical reasoning of what is studied. This will give rise to the conviction necessary to practice fully engaged, with reasoned understanding of the road ahead and why you are travelling it. |
| Thought for the day: May 26, 2008 I have been listening to HH Dali Lama recordings lately and everytime I listen to them I am inspired anew. His well reasoned analyses and insights into the human condition and why it is important to care about our plights has an appeal that is impossible to ignore. His approach which avoids meaningless words like "miraculous" (which cannot explain anything) and his appeal to reason and logic cannot help but engage anyone who takes the time to listen. Below is a link to some of his teachings. |
| Thought for the day: May 27, 2008 Mindfulness is keeping the mind on topic. Practicing it throughout the day will benefit one's spiritual practice even though our daily activities may not be "spiritual." This is because the placement necessary to carry on ordinary activities is no different from the placement necessary to engage in spiritual practice. We are simply directing the focus inward rather than outward. |
| Thought for the day: May 28, 2008 Just as a yogi who practices asanas knows the importance of strengthening his entire body to perform asanas properly; so too the mind's nature is more readily understood by those who practice a balanced path. The strength and power of the dharma is best realized in the combination of its many aspects. The Buddha emphasized this in core teachings such as the Six Paramitas: Giving, Morality, Patience, Vigor, Samadhi (meditation,) and Wisdom. In this example, it is often tempting to view meditation as the most potent; and this is evidenced today by the many meditation centers whose main focus is that. However, in monastic environments, all six receive equal emphasis and this is the example we should follow. |
| Thought for the day: May 29, 2008 My Teacher, Master Hsuan Hua, often told his disciples: "Everything is a test to see what you will do; if you don't recognize what is before your face, you will have to start anew." Nothing in life happens by chance; life teaches. If we keep our eyes open, we can learn from the most ordinary affairs of our lives. If I learned anything as a monk studying under my teacher, it is to prepare when it seems like nothing is going on. I often take time during dull moments and ask myself what is going on beneath the surface. I know that every moment of every day is very much alive, and try my best to engage my mind when it seems like there is nothing to engage in---because I know there is. If we do this, then when our course of life brings an opportunity for growth we will recognize it and not fail the test. If we don't exercise our mind when nothing is going on, then when something is we will fail. |
| Thought for the day: May 30, 2008 Do not be a "Holy Fool," as Leo Tolstoy might say; always check your beliefs with sound reason. To follow a teacher simply because he is popular is not only a disservice to you, it is also disrespectful to qualified teachers. Good teachers expect their disciples to make conclusions based on their own study of the doctrines they teach and their own meditation experience. |
| Thought for the day: May 31, 2008 When we go for refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and the Sangha, The Triple Jewel, we are in a sense like a refugee who because of various reasons, political etc., who flees his country and looks for protection in another. This is an analogy that HH Karmapa used to illustrate Taking Refuge in his lecture here in Washington yesterday. I think it is a very good one. If we follow the teachings of the Buddha, the dharma, we are honoring its author the Buddha. If we associate with others with similar viewpoints, we are keeping company with the Sangha. When we engage in the above practices we are under the protection of the Triple Jewel, much like a political refugee who follows and respects the rules of his adopted country and its leaders is under their protection. |