Cattāri Brahmavihārā

Posted by: Michael | 08/15/2015

Theravadin Tonglen

So, my on again, off again relationship with tonglen looks to be on again. I think this is largely as a result of my involvement in the pan-Buddhist practice community DharmaPaths.com. This andthe fact that I’m finding my regular Buddho breath and metta bhavana practices just aren’t cutting it at curing through the aversion and animosity that are the inevitable results of an extended family vacation.

For those of you who may not be familiar worth tonglen practice, or is the practice of taking on the suffering of others with the in-breath and offering your goodness, peace and merit on the out-breath. Obviously, from a strict Theravadan approach, the first thing that seems completely wrong about this practice is everything. You can’t take away someone’s suffering anymore than you can give them your merit but i don’t think this was ever the point. Rather, the Mahayana masters who developed tonglen recognized that an alchemy of the heart takes place when we imagine taking the hurts and problems from someone and giving them our good qualities.

So, for the time being, I’ll be using the giving and taking practice in place of my normal metta bhavana practice and I’ll let you know how it works. In the mean time, does anyone have experience with this practice or know of any teachers who are available online?

Leave a Comment

Posted in Buddhism, Karuna, Lojong, Tibetan Buddhism | Tags: compassion, giving and taking, Tonglen

Posted by: Michael | 08/14/2015

Happy Caribbean Uposatha

It’s an Uposatha day and, if you didn’t already know it, I’m on vacation in Costa Rica as I write this. I had almost decided that I wouldn’t bother observing today because it would be “too hard” and the conditions wouldn’t be supportive but, as I began to write, my mind changed.

For those of you who don’t know, the Uposatha has its roots in pre-Buddhist traditions (or so I’m told) and the lunar observance day was adopted by the Buddha as a day of intensified practice and study (see the Uposatha Sutta). My own experience with the observance has been long and varied but over the years I have come to appreciate it as an integral part of the practice.

Through the years I have found that I have not always been able to devote my full attention to study and contemplation on the Uposatha but it had always served as an excellent opportunity to cultivate the paramis of renunciation (nekkhama), effort (virirya), resolve (aditthana) and patience (khanti) if nothing else. So, although I mai not be able to contemplate the Dhamma all day long or commit to extra sittings may I at least cultivate qualities that will lead to the end of suffering. Sukhita hontu!

4 Comments

Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Nekkhama, Parami, Theravada | Tags: observance, renunciation

Posted by: Michael | 08/14/2015

Karuna and Khanti Parami

225. If anyone abuses you to your face, strikes you with a fist, throw clods of earth at you, beats you with a stick or gives you a blow with a sword, you must put aside all worldly desires and considerations and train yourself like this: “My heart will be unwavering. No evil words shall I speak. I will live with compassion for the good of others, with a kindly heart, without resentment.” Thus must you train yourself.

Majjhima Nikaya I.124

I must day that the verse above really hot home with me today and I was fortunate to be able to turn it over in my mind throughout the course of the day and, even more so, to have spent the lady ten minutes or so of my evening meditation reflecting on it. It was really on tonight’s session that the verse revealed itself to me as soaking boot sorely to the the necessity of developing compassion on the path but that provisional to doing so is a modicum of skill in forbearance and restraint; in other words khanti is a conditio sine qua non of karuna.

No great insight there I suppose but it helped me to address and overcome the hurt uand resentment I felt tonight at the mother who twice promised my son on his birthday today that she would send her kids right over to celebrate. Luckily he has an excellent disposition and is quick to forgive but patient forbearance was sorely needed before I could offer forgiveness and compassion to her.

1 Comment

Posted in Buddhism, Dhamma, Karuna, Khanti, Parami, Theravada | Tags: compassion, forgiveness, paramitas, patience

Posted by: Michael | 08/13/2015

Metta for the Difficult Person

If you’re familiar with the traditional way in which metta bhavana is taught these days (as based on the Visuddhimagga) then you may be familiar with the idea of learning to develop it by using classes of people: oneself, the benefactor, one’s patents, close friends, neutral people and difficult ones. In the traditional approach that many of us have learned we are asked to move through these classes slowly and not moving on until we have been able to successfully feel goodwill towards each type of person.

Although I think this recommendation had great merit I have found that, when pressed for time as I usually am, I rarely make it beyond my circle of friends and family before my half hour rings out. Yes, I do intend to work with metta bhavana in longer sits but it seems to me there is also a place for working with the difficult person when conditions aren’t quote perfect. Apropos of that I decided tonight to spend my evening session primarily devoted to cultivating metta for the person who is giving me the most difficulty at present even though he isn’t here and doesn’t even know what he’s doing (poor guy).

In order to do so I have been relying on some techniques I picked up during my acquaintance with lojong practices and the excellent book A Truthful Heart by Jeffrey Hopkins. I find that by reflecting on the fact that my enemy only wants happiness and does not want to suffer just as I want happiness and not suffering helps to pretty open the doors of my heart. Further, I can reflect that this person has carted for me as a mother, protected me like a father, been a beloved son or daughter and my brother or sister throughout infinite aeons which helps me tap into a feeling of warmth while recognizing how temporary and fragile the current state of affairs is.

Which brings me to my question: how do you parce metta for the difficult person? How do you open your heart and overcome anger and resentment?

Leave a Comment

Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Lojong, Metta, Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism | Tags: loving-kindness, open heart

Posted by: Michael | 08/11/2015

Knowing the Dhamma by Heart

223. I have taught the Dhamma in full, and if one understands the meaning of even a stanza of four lines of Dhamma, and is set on living in accordance with it, one may be called widely learned, one who knows Dhamma by heart.

Anguttara Nikaya II.177

Shared via Buddha Vacana for Android
http://www.buddhavacana.net

I often find myself worrying about how well I’m practicing when I am knocked out of my routine (aka on vacation) but this verse really gives me solace.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Buddha, Buddha Vacana, Buddhism, Dhamma, Theravada | Tags: refuge, slave, vacation

Posted by: Michael | 08/11/2015

Dharma Paths Forum Is Live

The latest iteration of PAD is live in is current incarnation as http://www.dharmapaths.com. we hope to make a private sub-forum for PAD but the forum will serve as a place for kalyana-mitta to practice together even though we may be separated by thousands of miles. We are pan-Buddhist but just ask that you have taken refuge and use your real name. Much thanks to David Snyder, Paul Davy, Michael Filusch, Ben O’Loughlin and everyone else who has made this a possibility.

Leave a Comment

Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Parisa Abhaya Dana, Theravada | Tags: kalyanamittata, spiritual friends

Posted by: Michael | 08/09/2015

Vacation Practice

I always find it particularly difficult to maintain a strong and focused practice during vacations and this time is no different. I have, at least, been managing a single sit a day and sometimes two but have not been able to keep hold of the same intensity of effort nor the thread of intention. And although Buddho is still a great basis for formal practice I feel like I may need to switch to metta of the cushion to help deal with the arising of aversion and irritation that seems to go hand in hands with the pure pursuit of sensual pleasure on family vacation. Feeling kind of like a ship adrift at sea so wish me luck and be well.

1 Comment

Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Meditation Word, Metta, Parenting, Theravada | Tags: sense pleasure, vacation

Posted by: Michael | 08/09/2015

A Freed Mind

220. One whose mind is freed does not argue with anyone, he does not dispute with anyone. He makes use of the conventional terms of the world without clinging to them.

Majjhima Nikaya I.500

Shared via Buddha Vacana for Android
http://www.buddhavacana.net

Leave a Comment

Posted in Buddha, Buddha Vacana, Buddhism, Dhamma, Theravada

Posted by: Michael | 08/08/2015

The Benefits of Metta

219. Eleven advantages are to be looked for in the freedom of mind through the practice of love, by making love grow, by making much of it, by making love a vehicle and basis, by persisting in it, by becoming familiar with it, and by establishing it well. What eleven? One sleeps happily and wakes happily, one has no bad dreams, one is dear to be both human and non-human beings, one is guarded by the gods; fire, poison and swords do not affect one, the mind concentrates quickly, the complexion is clean, one dies without bewilderment, and if one develops no further, one will reach at least to the Brahma world.

Anguttara Nikaya V.342

Shared via Buddha Vacana for Android
http://www.buddhavacana.net

Leave a Comment

Posted in Buddha, Buddha Vacana, Buddhism, Dhamma, Metta, Theravada | Tags: loving-kindness, metta

Posted by: Michael | 08/06/2015

Seeing One Side of Things

217. “Once there was a certain king in this very city of Savatthi. He called someone, saying: ‘Come my good man, go and gather together in one place all the men in Savatthi who were born blind.’ ‘Very good,’ said the man, and he did as the king commanded, and when he had done so the king said to him: ‘ Now, my good man, show these blind men an elephant.’ ‘Very good,’ said the man, and he did as the king commanded.
He presented one blind man with the head of the elephant, one with the ear, one with the tusk, another the truck, the foot, the back, the tail and the tuft of the tail, saying to each other as he did so, ‘O blind man, this is an elephant.’ Having done this, the man went to the king and said: ‘Sire, the elephant has been presented to the blind men. Do what you will.’ So, the king went to the blind men and said to each, ‘ Oh blind men, have you seen the elephant?’ ‘Yes, Sire, we have,’ said the men. ‘Then tell me what an elephant is like.’
Then the one who had been presented with the head said: ‘An elephant is like a pot.’ The one who has been presented with the ear said: ‘ An elephant is like a winnowing basket.’ They said the tusk was like a ploughshare, the truck was like a plough pole, the body was like a granary, the foot like a pillar, the back like a mortar, the tail like a pestle, and the tuft of the tail a broom. Then they began to argue, shouting as they did: ‘It is!’ ‘It is not!’ ‘An elephant is not like that!’ ‘Yes, it is!’ Soon they began to hit each other, and the king was delighted with what he saw.
In the same way, wanderers of other sects are blind, they do not see, they do not know the skillful or the unskillful. They do not know what Dhamma is, or what Dhamma is not. And because of their ignorance they are by nature argumentative, quarrelsome, squabbles, each insisting it is thus.”
Then understanding this, the lord spoke this verse:

How they cling and how they wrangle,
Yet claim to be recluses and Brahmins.
Quarrelling and clinging to their opinions,
They only see one side of things.

Udana 68

Shared via Buddha Vacana for Android
http://www.buddhavacana.net

Leave a Comment

Posted in Buddhism, Dhamma, Theravada