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| Thought for the day: October 1, 2007 "When the disciple is ready the teacher appears," is a saying often repeated to comfort those who feel they are in need of a teacher and yet seem to be unable to find one. Today, in an increasingly mobile society, with great teachers like HH Dali Lama and many others lecturing and giving initiations throughout the West, it would seem that the saying has lost some of its meaning. But, this is not the case. For each individual a teacher is only a teacher if he can bring about meaningful positive change. While it is true that we can see the physical appearance of great masters more readily than in former times, if we are not ripe for receiving the teachings they offer, our attendance at teachings will be little more than a social event. |
| Thought for the day: October 2, 2007 "Karmic propensities" or "vasanas" are our built in disposition to act as we do. They are both a support and obstruction to understanding depending upon the nature of these propensities. These dispositions are both shallow and deep, and thus are major and minor obstructions. Both shallow and deep obstructions can ultimately find its root in fundamental ignorance which in turn is rooted in a desire mind that takes as "self" the independent "I" which views itself as a separate and distinct individual. An example of a shallow obstruction would be a disposition to be excessively shy; but keep in mind shallow dispositions are as numerous as people on the planet. Continuing on with this example, shyness is considered shallow because it can be cured by conventional means using modern techniques either with the help of a psychiatrist or by oneself through self analyses and an honest determination and effort. An example of a deeply rooted obstruction would be sexual desire. This is not to be confused with sexual expression rooted in genuine love for one's partner. Sexual desire is conditioned by beginningless sexual activity in past lives and this one, heavily associated with pleasant physical sensations, that enforce the wrong view of the individual "I" and its link with the physical body. Unlike "shyness," sexual desire is a deeply rooted obstruction we all share. It is, together with desire for nutriment, the primary reason we are born as human beings and cannot escape the spinning wheel of birth and death. As gross sexual desire is gradually transformed, more subtle and positive expressions of this energy will become an aid to realization rather than blocking it. Teachings on no self, emptiness, dependent origination, and other core Buddhist teachings will gradually step out of the realm of mere concepts to genuine aspects of our being as real to us as our own arm or leg. In summing up, "karmic propensities" are positive and negative. We briefly discussed by way of example two negative examples of karmic propensities, one deep and one shallow. The point is that until karmic propensities that enforce the wrong view of an individual self is uprooted we will not gain access to the deeper meaning of the sutra text no matter how much we study them. On the other hand, if we make a real effort to control our desires and eliminate our faults, in proportion to our effort, our mind will gradually become more sensitive to its unobstructed nature enabling us to dive beneath the surface of the Buddha's teachings. |
| Thought for the day: October 3, 2007 Meditation is very powerful when practiced everyday with right motivation. It only takes as little time as a half hour to one hour to bring about a dramatic change in one's viewpoint. And yet, it is surprising that one of the most common excuses for not meditating is that there is no time for it. Time for the gym yes, but meditation no. I remember when I was a spiritual weakling. Five minutes of meditation was too much, I wiggled and fought with myself waiting for the ordeal to end. But, I was persistent, and gradually extended my five minutes to ten, ten to fifteen and continued on through the months and years until I began to enjoy it. While I still have no accomplishment, I can honestly say that I enjoy meditation and look forward to it everyday. If you cannot find time to meditate, no matter how hard you try, I have a suggestion for you, one that I heard at a gym as two champion weight lifters argued: One suggested to the other: "You should shut yourself in a dark closet and say to yourself, "let's get together."" |
| Thought for the day: October 4, 2007 Children can benefit if parents teach them meditation before reaching their teen years. This creates a very strong disposition towards meditation that will support them later on in life even if they quit many years in between. "Dispositions" or vasanas are seeds that are very powerful in a young fertile mind. Meditation for children should be simple and short and taught in conjunction with a basic outline of Buddhist philosophy so that children understand the purpose of what they are doing. Breath awareness or mantra recitation are excellent beginning practices. I thought of this today after a dinner last night with PT Lama, a Nepalese who is now a Los Angeles businessman about 35 years old. I taught him English when he was a Buddhist monk in Nepal 25 years ago. He remarked to me that those early years as a monk have given him a sanctuary where he can always retreat and get grounded while in the confusion of the world. |
| Thought for the day: October 5, 2007 During meditation there are basically three things going on: the meditation topic, the mind resting upon it, and everything else. If any particular of the "everything else" becomes strong enough to lead to discursive thinking, then we are no longer engaged by the topic of meditation. This is called, "falling into the guest position." In active everyday life, this can be likened to going to the kitchen and forgetting why you went there. |
| Thought for the day: October 6, 2007 Mantras are no magic wand. They must be used skillfully with right intention and focus. Reciting mantras while the mind wanders elsewhere is a cause of stupidity. Putting the faculty of discriminative thinking in handcuffs without a sense of purpose needlessly handicaps the mind. When correctly used mantras are maintained without effort, silently flowing in the background of awareness. Their function is a stabilizing effect as they neutralize scattered discursive thought allowing the mind to more clearly contemplate the topic of meditation. In this sense, mantras can be viewed as the vehicle that brings the topic of meditation to the forefront of mind and keeps it there |
| Thought for the day: October 7, 2007 A sincere application of effort is the most important component of practice. If the heart is sincere the path becomes clear. |
| Thought for the day: October 8, 2007 Like water, the mind naturally flows to the lowest point. This is the predicament of the desire mind and why it is not a reliable guide. Is it any wonder why the teachings advise "go against the flow?" Those free spirited individuals who advocate "being free" (ala 1960's hippie generation,) are taking freedoms they have not earned and rather than "being free" are setting the stage for increased bondage as they continue to enforce the link to the desire mind that harnesses them to the spinning wheel of birth and death. The same "desire mind" that leads to continuous turning in samsara, when correctly channeled through meditation and right thought and action, is like a river whose energy is harassed through dams and levies. Such a river can illuminate cities and irrigate fields. The same desire mind that causes us to turn endlessly in ignorance, when properly directed, will lead to freedom from the false views of self. |
| Thought for the day: October 9, 2007 The ability to recognize a wrong position and step away from it is important for both beginning and advanced dharma practitioners. My teacher often said: "some people cannot be taught." He meant by this that there are those who tenaciously cling to wrong views and use all means of cleverness to justify it. This walled up attitude does not allow for change and teachers do not waste time on such students. Advanced students are subject to more subtle, but nevertheless dangerous, false views. In fact, in warning to advanced students, the Shurangama Sutra devotes over one hundred pages on how to recognize and eliminate these false views. |
| Thought for the day: October 10, 2007 The habitual tendency of the mind to find security in a "position" regarding things and events is very strong. If someone offends us, for example, we think in terms of I will behave this way or that way when I see this person, or, if I catch my partner cheating I will do this or that, or, if I don't get promoted at my job I will do such and such. A lot of energy is spent imagining different life situations and picturing how best to act in them. This is a disease of the mind. Endless discrimination about things and events presupposes an inability to spontaneously act in the best way. Is it any wonder why the great Chan master Seng Chao said, "Discrimination makes a corpse of life which it then handles?" The Master is not advocating spiritual laziness here, as with New Age or hippie "let it be" attitude. What he is advocating is maintaining a taut state of awareness that does not allow the mind to slip into these kind of discriminations to begin with. Rather than constantly engage the mind with position seeking regarding things and events, we can release ourselves of this burden by becoming what Chinese philosophers call the true man of no fixed position. This is accomplished by maintaining a constant and strong sense of inquiry, always asking "to whom are these thoughts arising" rather than what should I do about them. This constant inquiry will gradually lead to a strong faith in oneself and one's ability to spontaneously respond to situations. Gradually, the mind that constantly busies itself with the endless particulars of daily life will give way to a deeper and constant sense of inquiry into the nature of the mind itself. |
| Thought for the day: October 11, 2007 Birth into this world is extremely painful. After we are physically born, the journey begins that will determine our future rebirth and direction of spiritual evolution. Heaven is up and hell is down and our decisions in this life effect both this life and the next. Basic ignorance causes us to make choices today that lead to suffering tomorrow. Knowledge of the way, help us to make choices that may be difficult in the short term and better in the long term. The same mind makes both choices. A Chinese saying goes: "If bitter cold does not strike to the bone, how can the plum blossoms be fragrant?" Like birth into this body, the way to liberation from the false views that associate us with it is not easy. Anyone who preaches a quick and easy way is selling fish eyes as real pearls and their teachings should be disregarded. Those who turn away from the 'easy" way and seek out the way of effort and responsibility for themselves, will attract the correct path by their very willingness to walk it. |
| Thought for the day: October 12, 2007 A saying goes, "In the affairs of others even the fool is wise, but in one's own affairs even saints make mistakes." It is far easier to teach the dharma than practice it, and teachers should make a special effort to honor their students by living by their own teachings. A teacher is in a far more difficult position than a student, because in addition to himself, he is taking on the responsibilities of others. The dharma is a dharma of no excuses or exceptions, and students who find themselves turning a blind eye to their teachers faults should make sure their teacher is not doing the same thing. If he is, the student should move on. |
| Thought for the day: October 13, 2007 Complement meditation practice with a good amount of reading everyday. Study of the authentic Buddhist teachings will help to keep the meditation correct. I often find it helpful to read aloud if I become tired or distracted while reading the Buddhist text which can at times be tedious. Rereading foundation scriptures from time to time will enable one to gain new insights as ones practice matures. There are many layers of meaning in the Sutras that are seldom revealed all at once. Sometimes I hear people discuss the Chan or Zen school as the "meditation school" as if study were not part of this path. Having spent ten years in a Chan monastery headed by the lineage holder of this school, I know the value of study. In our monastery, the period of time required for study equalled that of meditation. |
| Thought for the day: October 14, 2007 A saying goes: "the intellect makes a good servant, but poor master." The intellect is a tool that can aid our practice by helping us dismantle the false views that create the association of "I" as a personal self, or it can be used by the desire mind to enforce it. When integrated with wisdom, intellectual reasoning can gradually convince us that the view of ourself as separate distinct individuals, inhabiting a world of other separate distinct individuals, is without basis in reality. However, when the intellect becomes entangled with the desire mind, it cleverly devises ways to justify desire and wrap us even tighter in its grip. Because the intellect is a two edged sword, we should frequently use our wisdom mind to reflect on our thinking and see where it is leading. Throughout the day, there are countless thought patterns that are unprofitable and can be discarded. We can make these less frequent by taking a proactive approach and learning to keep the mind engaged in profitable reflection. Over time this will lead to the habit of being consciously mentally engaged. |
| Thought for the day: October 15, 2007 It is said that one should not make vows one is unable to keep The reason is obvious: if you break a vow you have not only committed a negative action, but also broken your intention. Vows are very powerful tools that can give greater focus to our practice by bringing more commitment to the path. As a monk I made many vows. One vow I made I made with a fellow monk. It was to eat only one coconut bowl of food a day. We both kept this vow for several years. It served us well to cut back greed for food. Others made vows of silence. Some vowed to memorize sutra texts. Others vowed to sleep sitting up to curb laziness. Whatever the vow, ego should be out of the picture. My teacher turned down many of his students' requests to make vows that he thought were based on ego. One student wishing to make a vow of silence he advised that he would be granted permission only when he could stop talking to himself. I was allowed to fast for world peace; but many students' request to fast were denied. Always have a clear intention before making a vow as this will make it easier to keep. |
| Thought for the day: October 16, 2007 Leave the empty moments in life empty. How often we pick up the phone, turn on a TV or radio, or look for something to read, the moment we find ourselves unengaged. Doing so we disturb the rest the mind needs. If the mind is allowed to rest during these moments, it will gradually become accustom to it and the impulse to do otherwise will no longer arise. |
| Thought for the day: October 17, 2007 Our language contains many assumptions that condition our thought and enforce the idea of ourselves as existing outside the mind body complex. For example, we say "my arm hurts," "I am stressed," "I am depressed," as if there were a self that possesses the mind body complex. But, if we look into it, we cannot find any owner, or "I" above and beyond the mind body complex. The same faulty assumption occurs with phenomena of the world. We talk about chairs and tables as if they were real existent things independent of their parts. We talk about the legs of the chair, the seat of the chair, etc., as if there were a chair possessing these parts. But, independent of the parts we do not find any chair. |
| Thought for the day: October 19, 2007 The Taoist say that the sage knows activity, but prefers stillness. The Buddhists find stillness in activity. |
| Thought for the day: October 20, 2007 A saying goes: "Say what you mean, and mean what you say." Words are our representatives and should be well chosen and few. Once spoken, they no longer belong to us and have a life of their own. If one is not clear about what one has to say, it is best to say nothing. Words spoken without precision are subject to manipulation and can also cause confusion. Because what we say to another can (like a ships rudder) set the direction of that person, we should be clear that our speech is well principled. Stepping away from philosophically conceptualizing right speech; we come against the everyday problem of expressing our feelings, feelings we ourselves are often not clear about. Indeed, even the great dharma teachers, so skilled in lofty debate and full of learning, are humbled by human feelings and forced back to earth. How could we ordinary people be any different? Unlike rational ideas, feelings are inherently difficult to frame into words. Their complex nature cannot be put in a box and handed to another. Although feelings are often forced into categories like love, hate, anger, etc., they really don't belong to any category. Because feelings are a soup of many thoughts and emotions, it is difficult to can them and slap on an ingredients label. |
| Thought for the day: October 21, 2007 Repentance is a very powerful dharma, one that is very familiar in monastic communities, but obscure outside of them. This is very unfortunate, as a little swallowed pride and humility will often be all that is necessary to loosen a burden that might otherwise be carried along indefinitely. Reform is intimately linked to repentance and gives it depth. It is not enough to say I made a mistake, but a resolve not to make the same mistake again is the other half. Together, they lead to proper conduct. In our monastery we did the "Eighty-Eight Buddha Repentance Ceremony daily. This is a ceremony we did as a group, repenting in a general way for offences such as anger, lying, and wronging others. It was the custom for individuals to repent for specific issues publicly before sutra lectures, and if a single person was involved, with that person present. Repentance and reform are not easy, but it is less difficult than carrying around an unnecessary weight. |
| Thought for the day: October 22, 2007 Feelings are unreliable indicators of true states of being. Their foundation is often extremely fragile and subject to winds of change. Feelings of good or bad about oneself should always be examined and leveled off. Genuine change is a very gradual process and, like the growth of a child, goes unnoticed on a day by day basis. The change brought about by daily events both favorable and unfavorable, gain and loss, success and failure, are to be absorbed and looked at with evenness of mind and impartial awareness. Making the mind like a mirror, unmoved by what appears before it, and yet fully aware, the practitioner maintains an even mind on the long road to self discovery. Unlike a mirror, however, he does not fail to act (when necessary) in response to conditions. |
| Thought for the day: October 24, 2007 Some say "follow your instincts," when what they may mean is "follow your intuition." Instinct is rightly associated with "animal instinct" and as human beings it is what drives us to maintain our bodies and multiply. But, in doing so, instinct, also creates a strong sense of individuality and attachment to self. This drives us to achieve, with disregard to others, as if we were the most important people in the world. In the end, even if successful, happiness will elude us because our "success" rests on the shaky foundation of the false view of the "individual." Indeed, the comfortable lifestyles of many psychiatrists is supported by the feeling of being alone that drives many "successful" people to see them. But, help is on the way, and it comes packaged as 'intuition" which if cultivated will help us to realize that we are not alone, but rather intimately connected with everyone else. "Intuition" is as subtle as "instinct" is coarse and is closely linked with wisdom. Intuition is difficult to see because it is often blocked by instinct. It is cultivated through meditation, moral and ethical discipline, and philosophical inquiry. It speaks quietly, but you will hear it if you can stop talking to yourself long enough to listen. This inner ear picks up sounds that escape reason. Because this is so, it is wise to balance out analytical inquiry with the cultivation of wisdom/intution as one unravels the tangle of ignorance that obscures the self-nature. |
| Thought for the day: October 25, 2007 Happiness is something that we all seek. This is a common quest of all mankind; and one that continues to elude us all. Often, it is found, or we think we have found it, but like a mirage in the desert it disappears. Books are written to explain the illusory nature of happiness, and for the most part these can be summed up in a few words from an old saying: "Looking for happiness in external people, things, and events, is like looking for a horse while riding it." It is almost common knowledge that happiness comes from within. This is not just words of the wise, but street smarts, as well. And yet, the world turns because people just don't act as if they believe it. Why is this? Are we afraid that if we turned off our motor long enough to discover happiness within, we would not be able to start it again? Do we think that if we stopped following the endless bombardment of stimulation that wants us to believe that if we do not get the latest car, gadget, outfit, etc. or run off to the most hip yoga class, or meet that special person, or listen to Mr. Enlightened's discourse---etc. etc. etc.---we will be left in the parking lot? Probably so; but it is not true. We only think that way because we have been conditioned to think that way. We can stop anytime. Just turn off the motor. |
| Meditation need not be confined to our own meditation cushion. There are many moments throughout the day when we have a few spare minutes here and there that can be used to strengthen our practice. The thought, "I have already done my practice today," should never be allowed to prevent one from taking such and opportunity. The other day I saw a man sit down on a bench on a crowded beach walk and quietly meditate for a half hour or so and absorb himself in meditation. I thought, "Ah, my brother!" as this is something I often do (accept I often put on shades, and he didn't.) While on layover at the Singapore airport I thought I was seeing things when, while wandering about at 3 AM, I saw a sign that read, "Meditation Room." That was nice!---kept me out of the shops for awhile. While it is important to have a meditation schedule, it need not be set in stone. There are as many opportunities to meditate outside our schedule as there are to snack between meals. Taking advantage of these moments in between will help us to focus more quickly and go deeper when we do sit down for our daily practice. |
| Thought for the day: October 27, 2007 Those with few rules make themselves vulnerable to anxiety. Many of us have experienced a small taste of anxiety when we have gone to a restaurant with an elaborately long menu. Everything looks good and we are flooded with choices which make it difficult to decide. A person on a diet or a vegetarian, for example, has a far easier time. Throughout our active lives we sometimes have more opportunity than we can easily process and this leads to stress and anxiety. Simplifying our lives is a key component of being stress free. This requires setting up some basic guidelines and sticking to them. Much as a dieter might with respect to food, a person seeking to be free of anxiety should consider narrowing down choices. Instead of thinking more, more, more, think less, less, less, with regard to activities that tend to scatter energy. The Buddha taught that "fewness of wishes" is an important virtue to cultivate. It is simple logic that he who wants less is happy with less. This is because one who has realized "fewness of wishes" has realized an important fact of life, and that is that the mind's hankerings are endless and the "more, more, more," philosophy can only lead to frustration, because enough will never be realized. |
| Thought for the day: October 28, 2007 Don't concern yourself with accomplishing the most; but only trying your best. |
| Thought for the day: October 30, 2007 During quiet moments throughout the day, when there is nothing to do, observe how the mind habitually gives rise to ideas. Whether it is picking up the phone, turning on the TV, listening to the radio, or any number of diversions, the mind wants something to sink its teeth into. When the mind is engaged with work or anything else demanding its attention, these ideas seldom interfere; but as soon as the mind is disengaged, even for a moment, it quickly seeks diversion. These are excellent moments to practice self-inquiry by asking oneself, "Who am I." Rather than pick up the phone, or pick up that magazine, etc., practice inquiry and ask who it is that wants to do these things. If one practices this form of inquiry, it will quickly be realized that all the thoughts arising pertain to an individual self. The thoughts do not pertain to your parents, friends, or anyone else but yourself. These thoughts arising are intimately associated with the particulars of your life as an individual. By continually discarding these kind of thoughts, they will eventually subside and one will sink deeper in to correct contemplation. If one continually turns outward, thinking of this and that during free moments, the nature of the mind will continue to hide behind the very outward seeking it is engaged in. To engage the mind in continual outward turning is to "be like an ant crawling around the outside of a watermelon never discovering the sweetness of the fruit inside." However, by simply watching the rise and fall of thoughts and impulses to act, without following them, one can get beneath the surface and deepen inquiry. |
| Thought for the day: October 31, 2007 Psychedelic drugs have been used by many cultures as a means to achieve self realization. There are some "Buddhists" that have also advocated their use (Buddhist in quotes for a reason.) While some peoples may have realized some advantages to the use of these drugs, one must keep in mind it is in the context of a much broader context of discipline peculiar to various tribes. Outside of this context the power of these drugs is questionable, at best. For a Buddhist to resort to psychedelics is a mistake, for nowhere in Buddhist literature are they advocated as an aid to self realization. Many years ago I discussed psychedelic drugs with Sangye Tenzin Lama. He knew I had come to Nepal from Hawaii and asked me: "You have come from Hawaii, right?" I answered, "Yes." he then said: "I have seen a video on Hawaii. Your knowledge is different from mine, in the same way as one who experiences the mind through realization and one who experiences it through drugs. While a video can tell me something of what Hawaii is like, it can never equal the experience." He went on to say that some may be inspired to enter the path of genuine meditation through the use of psychedelics, and that this is useful, but only if they leave the use of drugs behind. A penny on the track is not going to stop the freight train of karma. While one may feel compassionate and wise while under the influence of psychedelics, it is unlikely others feel you are. And, developing compassion and wisdom for the sake of benefiting others is the point of the Buddhist path. |