Cattāri Brahmavihārā

Posted by: Michael | 03/26/2014

Buddha Vacana ~ A Workable Mind

85. I know not of any single thing so unworkable as the undeveloped mind. Indeed, the undeveloped mind is an unworkable thing. I know not of any other single thing so workable as the developed mind. Indeed, the developed mind is a workable thing.

Anguttara Nikaya I.4

I have read this verse so many times and yet I have not fully understood it. What does it mean to develop the mind so that it is workable? I clearly don’t know but it gives me hope that whatever work I am doing to purify the mind and heart will-little by little-make it easier to tame and train. Reading these words I get the distinct impression that our work here doesn’t need to be thought of in terms of a superhuman labor but rather a garland of moments devoted to the development of skillfulness and wholesome qualities. May we all find true and lasting peac

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Posted by: Michael | 03/25/2014

All Religions are Man Made

I had the pleasure of speaking with an 84 year old Albanian Korean War veternan on the bus this morning as I took my daughter to school. It might be a thing which is unique to New York but people often ask us where we are from when they hear us speaking–the fact that I usually speak to them in Italian while they respond in Spanish with allof us at times switching between English, Italian and Spanish makes us a confusing site to behold for anyone. Anyway, this older gentleman, who I have seen for months but always assumed was Latino, heard me speaking to my daughter in Italian and asked me where I was from. Thus began our twenty minute conversation in which I discovered he spoke 7 languages, went to school in Italy and was a Muslim. It was here that, rigght before I surprised him by reciting the first ayah of the Suratul Fatihah with him, that he let it be known that he thought that all religions were man made-an opinon to which I immediately assented and continued on with our conversation.

Only later did I take some time to reflect on this oft-heard maxim and ponder about what people are really trying to express when they say it. For years I assumed it was. Blanket rejection of religion and of a moral/ethical dimension to our existence but, the more I think about it, the more I have come to believe that it is simply a reaction (and a diplomatic one at that) against religious systems which ask for complete and total adherence to dogma withou room for individual expression and interpretation. What else could it truly mean? I suppose that it is possible that former believers in a cruel and jealous God could arrive at such an idea with some surprise but, be tha as it may, it seems that those who say this offer it as an olive branch and a bridge to others despite whatever their true beliefs may be.

My apologies for rambling on because I found myself finishing this ten hours after I started and well after I had lost the thread but I hope it is useful to t least pass the time if nothing else.

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Posted in Daily Practice | Tags: aging, God, Islam

Posted by: Michael | 03/24/2014

Happy Uposatha – Rebuilding the Practice

Today is the uposatha and it will be the second I have observed after a long hiatus. Slowly, slowly I am beginning to put the pices of my practice back together as I integrate a real understanding that life will not simply acquiesce to my ideas and plans and that the true Dhamma can face and overcome the crises and emergencies of life–even if though it may take a modicum of pain and suffering to realize this. Nonetheless I am happy and feel blessed to be able to undertake the observance (even if only imperfectly) and to be able to rely on the support of my Dhamma friends and family far and wide. May your practice bring you peace and contentment and may you realize the Deathless!

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Gratitude, Theravada, Uposatha | Tags: dhamma friend, gratitude, kayana-mitta, uposatha

Posted by: Michael | 03/23/2014

Buddha Vacana ~ The Power of Virtue

82. Here in the world
One should train carefully in virtue,
For virtue when cultivated
Brings success near at hand.

The careful one should guard virtue,
Desiring the three types of happiness –
The praise of others, wealth,
And heaven after death.

The virtuous one makes many friends
Because of self-restraint,
But the immoral one, practising evil,
Is estranged from his friends.

The immoral one gains only ill-repute
And bad reputation,
The virtuous gains reputation,
Fame and praise.

Virtue is the foundation, the forerunner,
The origin of all that is good and beautiful,
And therefore one should purify one’s virtue.

Virtue is the control, the restraint
And the delighting of the mind,
And thus the place where all the Buddhas cross over.
Therefore, one should purify one’s virtue.

Virtue is a mighty power,
Virtue is a sharp weapon,
Virtue is the supreme adornment,
Virtue is a wonderful armour.

Virtue is a sturdy bridge,
Virtue is an unsurpassed perfume,
Virtue is the best ointment,
Sending fragrance in all directions.

Virtue is the foremost provision,
Virtue is food for the journey,
Virtue is the best vehicle
For going in any direction.

Therigatha 608-616

As I look closer at the mechanisms and systems of salvation presented in various Sufi lineages as they compare to the Buddhadhamma I am both heartened to see the same concern for purity of virtue and strengthened in my confidence in the Buddha. I feel that their is benefit for me to participate with the Sufi groups that I have made contact with so far as I will continue to be in relationship to Islam for as long my wife and family are around. Anyway, I will have more to say on that later but these verses really struck me today and I wanted to share them. Sukhitaa hontu!

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Gratitude, Parenting, Practice at Work, Theravada | Tags: buddhadhamma, sufism, virtue

Posted by: Michael | 03/21/2014

When Not to Practice

The last several months have been an odyssey of disappointment, fear and anxiety and although the conditons and circumstances that have brought me to react in such aversive ways have not ceased I awoke today feeling slightly better. It is as if I have managed somehow to scramble atop a rocky outcropping where I can survey the ocean of delusion and take a brief moment to relax and recover before the next storm swamps me and dashes me under once more.

So, this morning as I was meditating and observing the breath as it moved through the body I realized how much tension I had been holding in various areas. In fact there were few areas that didn’t feeling like buzzing hornets’ nests. Ib realized that I have been living in this state of perpetual discomfort for months on end and, because I have not dedicated myself to the practice as I have in the past, I was allowing these unhealthy energy patterns to dig themselves deeply into my body and mind. I can only imagine the harm I have been doing myself but the silver lining may just be that I can begin anew with the intention to practice well and often motivated by true self-love and concern rather than amistaken sense of machismo and bravado.

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Dukkha, Formal Meditation, Parenting, Practice at Work, Theravada | Tags: daily life, Dukkha, meditation, practice

Posted by: Michael | 03/20/2014

Buddha Vacana ~ A Teaching for My Son, A Teaching for Myself

79. Look not to faults of others,
Nor to their omissions and commissions.
But rather look to your own acts,
To what you have done and left undone.

When one looks down on another’s faults,
And is always full of envy,Ukp
One’s defilements continually grow;
Far is one from their destruction.

If only you would do what you teach others,
Then, being yourselff controlled,
You could control others well.
Truly, self-control is difficult.

You yourself must watch yourself.
You yourself must examine yourself,
And so, self-guarded and mindful,
O monk, you will live in happiness.

Dhammapada 50, 253, 159, 379

My wife asked me to share some Dhamma that she had been reading in one of Ven. Thanissaro’s books with my son today and, although her recommendation was good I feel that the erudite and cerebral style of the venerable’s writing might be lost on my six year old. As I was pondering this point I decided to see what today’s Dhammapada verses might be and stumbled on the above. Beautiful. Simple. Terse. And just whatTan Geoff had been talking about. Serendipity.

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Parenting, Practice at Work, Theravada | Tags: Dhamma, Dhammapada, parenting

Posted by: Michael | 03/19/2014

Notions of God on the Path

For myself, it has been many years since I seriously gave credence to the believe in God as a creative force (a first mover) and as capable of offering me salvation and forgiveness without any intentional act (apart from supplication or devotion) on my part. And yet, raising children in this culture and with a spouse who comes from a strong Muslim background (even if she follows the teachings of the Buddha) means that I now am faced with trying to negotiate a safe passage through the God question for my children.

Let me first say that doing so is only necessary because I am unwilling to destroy the family ties that bind us all together which is precisely what would happen if I were to raise my children solely as Buddhists. So, like all else in my life, the problem is one of my choosing. Haviong said that it remains to be seen how I can ask my son to observe the fast of Ramadhan and participate in the obligatory prayers at that time without providing a way for him to understand God in a sense that is not altogether removed from the Dhamma.

In my mind I can conceive of the all-knowing mind of Allah as being analogous to the unfailing operation of kamma and the tariqa, or path to peace, as the Dhamma. As long as God is viewed as an impersonal force then I believe I can make sense of this in a way that doesn’t require deception and can serve to bond my family to the traditions of their forebearers. In keeping with this I have also contacted a Sufi order in my area to discuss my ideas and learn more about how I might explain the religion and its practices to my son. Besides, there is so much I admire about Sufi and Islamic adab (manners and ethics) that I feel it cannot but benefit us all. Strange goings on to be sure but necessary if I wish to live with greater integrity.

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Parenting, Theravada, Tisarana | Tags: adab, Allah, Buddha, Dhamma, tariqa

Posted by: Michael | 03/17/2014

Appreciation

Even now, across the ruins of a day spent in mad pursuit of gain, I can yet appreciate last night’s Dhamma talk. Yesterday was the first uposatha day that I had observed in some time and I felt strangely ill and achy for most of the day (this may have been due to the cold I am fighting but fasting always brings such things to the surface) so it was difficult for me to keep my attention on the talk at all. Nonetheless I was inspired by the reminder to continually and purposefully seek to brighten the mind by reflecting on the goodness in our life: our opportunities, comforts, teachers, etc… Nothing new but I am grateful for it.

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Posted by: Michael | 03/16/2014

Buddha Vacana ~ Uposatha Day

75. If you take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, no fear or trembling will ever arise.

Samyutta Nikaya I.220

On this uposatha day I have stumbled into this verse and am both puzzled and intrigued. I have taken refuge but have yet been assailed by fear so I must not be understanding this as intended by the Lord. May we all seek to learn the Dhamma of our hearts and wipe away the grime of delusion.

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Posted in Aditthana, Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dana, Dhamma, Theravada, Tisarana, Uposatha | Tags: refuge, Tisarana

Posted by: Michael | 03/15/2014

So Many Faults

I have been burdened lately with an acute awareness of my many failings whether they be moral, ethical, professional, personal, parental or otherwise. I don’t believe I’m writing this in a attempt to justify myself or convince myself to offer blanket forgiveness to myself (as strange as that grammatical construction may sound). Rather I think that, as these realizations arise I should take them for what they are worth, resolve to do better, forgive and move on. Unfortunately, it feels as if these unacknowledged, half-buried misdeeds have accreted like so much dust and dirt on a window and it may take some work to clean it all away with the soap and water of forgiveness and determination. Sabbe satta sukhita hontu!

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Forgiveness, Parenting, Practice at Work, Restlessness and Remorse, Theravada | Tags: forgiveness, mindfulness, striving