Cattāri Brahmavihārā

Posted by: Michael | 02/01/2013

The Unkindness of Others

With reason or for seemingly none we have all had to deal with less than kind people in our lives. As someone who would like to think of themselves a dedicated to pursuing and cultivating a heart of kindness and compassion I must confess that I am quite easily moved to anger and resentment when anyone directs the same at me. Now, I have gotten better at containing and restraining myself in word and deed but the fire still smolders in the embers below and it scares me to realize how quickly my anger can catch fire given a slip of mindfulness.

I don’t really have much more of an observation to make on this except that the state of affairs calls fro more practice so as not to get caught up in such unskillful states but, if anyone is reading this and would like to share what they do when confronting unkindness to prevent the arising of unskillful states and cultivate the arising of metta or karuna I would love to hear it. Sukhitaa hontu!

Where Does Unkindness Come From?, January 1, 2013 (nalonmit.wordpress.com)
Unkind words (108plus.wordpress.com)

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Posted in Buddhism, Dhamma, Forgiveness, Formal Meditation, Karuna, Metta, Theravada | Tags: anger, Cardiovascular Disorders, Conditions and Diseases, Earth, health, Insult, love, People, Relationships, resentment, unkind, unkindness

Posted by: Michael | 01/31/2013

The End of the World – No Safety in Samsara

It’s not hard to be depressed about the state of the world today and to contemplate the very real possibility that human civilization as we know it may be on the brink of catastrophic collapse. Even just writing it I am gripped fear and can feel the cold tendrils of panic reaching up from my feet and wrapping themselves around my legs on their inexorable advance to my heart. For as long as I can remember being an individual I have had this fear for our planet and now that I have kids myself it has only intensified. But, what can one person do about a problem that threatens all beings on Earth?

Suffice it to say that, materially, I am pretty much impotent and although that doesn’t take the sting out of it I can at least focus on what can be done. The Dhamma is really the only true refuge and regardless of whether I die of a heart attack or in a riot, die I must and so must all who are born including my son, daughter and wife. Nothing I could ever do will keep them with me forever nor can anything conditioned ever be fixed. If you fix the hole in the ozone there will always be something else to threaten us. There is no safety in samsara and the best patrimony and education I can give to my children is the Dhamma for it too is subject to the eternal law of anicca. Buddham Dhammam Sangham namassami.

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Posted in Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Parenting, Theravada | Tags: Buddha, climate change, Dhamma, environment, ozone layer, refuge, saddha, safety, samsara, Sangha

Posted by: Michael | 01/30/2013

Grounding in the Breath

I have been volunteering to help set up and break down for a beginning meditation class for the last several Tuesdays and I must admit that I have benefited immensely from it. Despite having to slog through intense drowsiness I was really inspired by the admonition to maintain an awareness of the breath while speaking (as one aspect of breath awareness that we are asked to cultivate at all times). So, I quickly made a resolve to return at least some of my attention to the breath every time I open my mouth to speak. In the space of a few short hours I have already dropped the breath completely and even forgotten it outright but I am unphased and intent on keeping the practice up. I resolve to at least take three conscious breaths before I speak to help ground me in the moment and remind me of my commitment to cultivating the breath.

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Posted in Aditthana, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Theravada | Tags: Anapanasati, breath, meditation, speech

Posted by: Michael | 01/29/2013

Rites and Rituals

This morning as I walked out the door of my son’s school and adjusted my cap back onto my head I realized that the ritual of rmoving one’s hat as a sign of respect is an anachronism in 2013 in NYC. And, despite this, I continue to do so and even teach my son to do so. Why? To be honest I’m not so sure but it certainly feels important to continue to do so. In many ways it is an empty ritual that reminds me to act in deference to others. I suppose that may be the reason that I continue to hold onto such rituals and still adhere to outdated ideas of chivalry such as holding doors and always being sure that any women with whom I’m walking are away from the curb. Yes, I have offended many a woman but it is a risk I’m willing to take to extend kindness.

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Posted in Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Theravada | Tags: chivalry, Dhamma, rites, rituals

Posted by: Michael | 01/28/2013

The Unimpressive Breath

Returning to the breath during one’s daily life seems like a simple enough proposition the first time you hear it but almost a decade later I still find myself at times both bewildered and uncertain about how to proceed. Why? Probably because returning one’s awareness to the breath can seem so basic that I often have felt as if I’m not really “doing” anything. And, when it comes down to it, I have always wanted to feel as if I was doing the practice-a fact which may explain why I have been so attracted to nekkhama practices like the uposatha and fasting.

When there is resistance I know on a very gross level that “I am practicing.” Not much in the way of close attention is needed. The same goes for practices that have a heavy discursive component: you know you’re practicing metta when you’re repeating the phrases in your mind ad nauseam. But, my crude conceptions of the practice just smacks of bhava tanha. What’s really interesting to me is that when I practice in this way I often feel a resistance or deep, smoldering aversion which I have hitherto regarded as something to be seen and put to the side (at best) or plowed through (in my mosth benighted states). Now, when working with the breath (even when I am playing with the perceptions verbally) I have yet to feel this kind of build up of aversion. Rather, as the breath smooths out we are instructed to breathe through blockages and spread the ease of the breath throughout the body. It seems as if I really have an idea of what my teacher and Ajahn Thanissaro mean when they equate anapanasati with metta bhavana. By taking care of the breath, by returning to it and checking in, I am really (if non-verbally) cultivating metta for myself. Not such a bad thing to do on a Monday morning. Metta!

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Posted by: Michael | 01/26/2013

Happy (Imperfect) Uposatha

It’s another Saturday uposatha and even though I managed to be out of bed by 4:30am to get in a good amount of formal sitting and despite having recited the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta and the karaniya metta sutta later in the morning I still feel as if something is lacking in my observance. The fact that I had to practice the guitar and therefore broke the seventh precept may have something to do with it or it could be the fact that I have spent the day stuck in a tiny East Village apartment with my son, daughter, wife and, now, my mother-in-law as well.

I guess what amazes me is that even 40 minutes of seated meditation and fifteen minutes of chanting didn’t do enough to cement the feeling of the observance in my mind. I know some people prefer a weekend observance day but I always find that it is harder to hold onto the thread when my day is spent looking after the kids and doing family stuff. Nonetheless, I am grateful to have the opportunity to practice and take the atthasilā, regardless of how imperfectly I do so.

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Posted in Buddhism, Dhamma, Formal Meditation, Theravada, Uposatha | Tags: atthasilā, broken precept, dhammacakkappavattana sutta, Dharma, Gautama Buddha, health, holidays, meditation, Noble Eightfold Path, precepts, uposatha

Posted by: Michael | 01/25/2013

Fortunate Rebirth

Somehow I always seem to forget that anicca is sewn into the fabric of samsara. I was coasting along for the last week or so on a spiritual high of sorts: my meditations were really satisfying and my daily life practice was proceeding smoothly. And, then, I got a head cold that has refused to give up. For the better art of the last two days I have been unable to feel the breath and my morning anapanasati session completely fell apart. So I decided to try to focus on the gratitude and appreciation I have for this life and the opportunity to meet the Dhamma. And, guess what? No fireworks there either. So it’s good to remember in times like this that there are phases to the practice and to consider this as a purification phase. When I pause to consider how fortunate I am to have met with the Dhamma any disappointment I may experience in attempting to practice seems insignificant. Buddham dhammam sangham namassami.

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Posted in Dhamma | Tags: anicca, appreciation buddha, Dhamma, gratitude, Sangha

Posted by: Michael | 01/24/2013

Dropping Words into the Darkness

During the last few days I have been reflecting a lot on the idea and practice of self-forgiveness. In the past I have always practiced forgiveness with a mental sledgehammer and just whacked away at myself by repeating a phrase such as “I ask forgiveness for any harm I have done” or “May I forgive myself completely.” I must admit that this was definitely helpful at times, especially when my mind state was really heavy and crude but as it would settle I found that this heavy-handed technique just created more tension and stress. So this morning I experimented with the idea of just dropping the words into the well of darkness and listening for their echoes as they bounced around in the depths. In this way I was able to incline my heart towards forgiveness and listen (feel) the responses that came back. Trying to describe it now is pretty hard as I kind of intuited my way in but it is a technique I intend to work with more so hopefully, at some later time, I will be able to articulate exactly what I was doing.

Nonetheless, the fact remains that today’s sit represented a real shift away from forcing and into probing. The idea of setting an intention, mentally enunciating it and waiting to see how the heart-mind and body respond has really proven to be a revelation to me and has completely reinvigorated my practice. Silly maybe but for years I really believed that the only tool in the box worth using was a hammer…

May we see ever more clearly and may we know the peace of Nibbana in this very life!

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Posted in Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Forgiveness, Formal Meditation, Restlessness and Remorse, Theravada | Tags: Buddhism, forgiveness, health, intention, khama, Mental Health, Nibbana, Nirvana, religion, Religion and Spirituality, spirituality, Stress

Posted by: Michael | 01/23/2013

Good Morning

This morning, despite the cold, I was able to follow through with my plan begin sitting almost immediately upon waking. For the time being I only intend to sit and follow the breath for ten minutes before moving on to my usual morning routine of toothbrushing, coffee drinking, etc. It’s definitely far too early to tell what, if any, real impact this will have upon my practice but I like the idea of getting in touch with the body and breath before I have a chance to adulterate my mind state with work anxieties or other online ephemera as that is how I usually start my day. Furthermore there is something attractive about foregoing comforts such as coffee and sitting down and making friends with the experience of waking up. I suppose I should update my daily practice page now this idea has begun to gain momentum. Sukhi hotu!

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Posted in Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Formal Meditation, Theravada | Tags: body, breath, daily practice, formal sitting, meditation, morning meditation, routine

Posted by: Michael | 01/22/2013

Sharing the Dhamma

I have recently been asked to share links to online Dhamma resources that I have found valuable by a family member who is suffering a great deal and is looking for relief. Of course my first thought was to send them to Access to Insight but upon further consideration I began to doubt that first impulse. In a way it would be like leading someone in search of pearls to the ocean’s shore and telling them that they can be found in the water.

I think that my main problem with simply leading someone to the Dhamma is that, in our society at least, it is often thought of solely as meditation. In other words the Dhamma can all too easily be seen as a technique to help change one’s perceptions and to be more relaxed. And although these are great things I don’t know how deep they can go or how durable they are in absence of dana and sila. The gradual path is just so that one first needs to integrate the teachings into one’s daily life to a point where samma samadhi is even possible. Without samma kammanto, samma ditthi and samma vaca I just cannot imagine meditation producing truly lasting and beneficial results.

I have heard it said that Right View comes first so I think I will structure the collection I am putting together here on this blog in the following way:

-An article or two that discusses the Dhammacakkappavattana sutta
-A Dhamma talk on the same

-Articles and Dhamma talks on the importance of gratitude/appreciation.

-Articles and talks on dana.

-Articles and talks on metta as a daily life attitude (as oppolsed to a concentration practice). A copy of the karaniya metta sutta.

-Articles and talks on sila and the benefits of keeping them.

I think that in this way someone who is busy and does not yet have much time for formal meditation can lay the groundwork for such practices and significantly improve the quality of their life in the here and now. I hate to even give the appearance of being in a position to teach but perhaps I will also offer a some suggested practices that I have found useful which help me to cultivate dana, sila and metta parami. May I ever be humble and may this be of some benefit.

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Posted in Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dana, Dhamma, Forgiveness, Formal Meditation, Parenting, Theravada | Tags: appreciation, dana, gratitude, katannu, metta, samma ditthi, samma kammanto, samma sankappo, samma vaca, sharing dhamma, sila