Cattāri Brahmavihārā

Posted by: Michael | 03/01/2019

Covetousness and Avarice

“He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have.”
― Socrates

I’ll catch myself sometimes complaining in thought about the size of my apartment. Somewhere during this I’ll then think about friends and acquaintances who have larger, nicer homes and I feel a sense that I haven’t succeeded as a husband and father. This can, at times, be exacerbated by my kids’ and wife’s vocal protestations about our cramped living quarters. In fact, my wife is constantly looking at real estate, fantasizing about better digs.

But, when I stop to think about it, what really is lacking? We have a safe home where we can eat, sleep and relax. If we had more money we could spend more of it on a bigger place but what would that do in the end? Would we all suddenly become happy and contented? Some problems would go away and new ones would arise. That’s it.

I am still trying to practice gratitude and it has helped me to see my greed and discontent more clearly. May we all learn to use and be content with our circumstances.

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Gratitude, Sensual Desire, Theravada | Tags: avarice, contentment, covetousness, greed

Posted by: Michael | 02/27/2019

Happy Uposatha – True Forbearance

Once, Mahatma Gandhi encountered a man trying to carry three suitcases at a British railway station. Gandhi offered to help him and carried two of them. Upon arriving at the man’s home, Gandhi set the suitcases down and they fell over. The man was so upset that he slapped Gandhi. Gandhi didn’t respond. When the man opened his bag to pay him, Gandhi explained that he had helped him not in hope of payment, but because he saw him struggling. Hearing this, the man felt tremendous regret.

Excerpt from: “Change of Heart: The Bodhisattva Peace Training of Chagdud Tulku” by Lama Shenpen Drolma.

Reading such accounts is hard not to immediately compare and find oneself lacking. I know I’ve yet too much pride to be able to accomplish such a feat of humility without harboring ill will but it is an aspiration of mine.

Whether I’m tired, sick or hungry may I never retreat or stop striving. May I ever be concerned with the true welfare of all.

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Posted in Bodhisattvayana, Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Forgiveness, Khanti, Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism, Uposatha | Tags: aspiration, bodhicitta, forbearance

Posted by: Michael | 02/26/2019

In Memoriam: Eva Pearl Schulz

I recently learned that the eighteen year-old daughter of someone I know committed suicide this weekend. I can’t adequately imagine the pain and vertiginous sense of loss they must all feel.

If you have a practice of dedicating merit please dedicate it to Eva Pearl Schulz.

If you chant mantras please consider chanting the Ksitigarbha mantra:

OM AH KSITI GARBHA THALENG HUM

For some context, I found the following that I thought might be of benefit to anyone who stumbles upon this post. Carl Becker in his book, “Breaking the Circle: Death and the Afterlife in Buddhism” examines the ethics of suicide from the Pure Land tradition:

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with taking one’s own life, if not done in hate, anger, or fear. Equanimity or preparedness of mind is the main issue. The important consideration here is not whether the body lives or dies, but whether the mind can remain at peace and in harmony with itself. . . . the early Buddhist texts include many cases of suicide that the Buddha himself accepted or condoned. . . . suicide is never condemned per se; it is the state of mind which determines the rightness or wrongness of the suicide situation.

https://www.andrewholecek.com/suicide-from-a-buddhist-perspective/

May Eva Pearl Schulz be guided and protected as she journeys to the next world.

May she enjoy peace and find solace there.

May she recall her generosity and goodness

May she someday soon make an end to suffering.

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Posted in Buddhism, Dhamma, Dukkha, Pure Land, Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism | Tags: dedication of merit, Eva Pearl Schulz, in memoriam, ksitigarbha, suicide

Posted by: Michael | 02/25/2019

Flow

The tide seems to have come in come: my desire to practice and the supportive conditions have conspired to make what would otherwise a horrible situation into a lesson in Dhamma. The crux of it is, though, that there can be no half measures: for this type of work to happen there had to be a willingness to learn and smooth out ones rough edges not fit mere hours, days or months but for lifetimes numbering into the hundreds of thousands. And, why, you may ask, is this something to willingly take on? Clearly, I have no good answer but it seems to me any other pursuit would be empty. You see, for me, there just is no other way to make sense of it: why develop boundless love and wisdom to make an end to suffering and then abandon countless beings?

Regardless, I may yet be drunk on my aspirations so let us see if my resolve changes when the challenges involve my health and life itself. Until then, I’m not much more than a pretender.

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Posted in Bodhisattvayana, Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Karuna, mahayana, Metta, Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism | Tags: aspiration

Posted by: Michael | 02/22/2019

We Believe

Abbiamo tutti dentro un mondo di cose: ciascuno un suo mondo di cose! E come possiamo intenderci, signore, se nelle parole ch’io dico metto il senso e il valore delle cose come sono dentro di me; mentre chi le ascolta, inevitabilmente le assume col senso e col valore che hanno per sé, del mondo com’egli l’ha dentro? Crediamo di intenderci; non ci intendiamo mai!

We all have a world of things inside of ourselves: each one of us, his own world of things! And how can we understand each other, sir, if in the words that I say I put the meaning and the value of things as they are within me; while those who listen to them, inevitably take them with the sense and with the value they have for themselves, of the world as they have inside themselves? We believe we understand each other; we never understand each other!

Luigi Pirandello dal libro “Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore”

And, I would add, not only do we not understand each other but we are even strangers to ourselves…

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Posted in Dhamma

Posted by: Michael | 02/22/2019

Humility and Criticism

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What am I afraid of? Being taken advantage of? Being a rube? Not being a “man” or being emasculated? Myriad excuses and ad hoc defenses of bristling hostility vie for my attention but what are they trying to protect? Criticism only hurts when I’m trying desperately to preserve this graven image of myself wrought out of the four elements and the endless babbling of the brook of consciousness.

In other words, why should I not always be thankful for criticism? If it hurts, there is yet work to be done and fault finding of any kind, whether it be “true” or not, directs the brush to those areas that need more work. I have always been concerned with trying to first decide if criticism was justified before proceeding to the next step of accepting it and internalizing it but it now seems that I should first check in and see if it hurts. If it does I can be gracious for the ghost I’ve received before unwrapping it further to see if there is any more bounty to be had.

For example, let’s say someone tells me I’m a horrible singer. Does it hurt? Yes, it still does so I must be attached to the idea that I have our should have a nice voice. Then I can proceed to unpack it further. Am I singing to be heard by others or for myself alone? Is holding others hostage to my impromptu performance something that I feel good about? Do I want to continue to sing around people who are so clearly irritated by it? Is there any good reason besides the pursuit of my own pleasure to continue?

This is just an example from my own life and you will almost certainly find your answers to the questions differ but the point is that criticism can be central to the path of seeing through our pride and arrogance. At least, it seems that way to me.

May we humble ourselves before the light of truth and extricate ourselves from the web of suffering.

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Gratitude, Lojong, Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism | Tags: acceptance, criticism, fault-finding

Posted by: Michael | 02/21/2019

To Be of Service

It may seem strange, it certainly does to me, that a person could formulate the intention to pursue sammasambodhi without really understanding that it would be a path of service as well as of wisdom. In fact, with so very far to go, and so much delusion, it seems like most of my practice at this point is one of service and cultivation of the brahmaviharas.

May I ever recall my intention to benefit beings and strive to learn and cultivate the Dhamma in this and all future lives. May I always be reborn in favorable training circumstances so that I may develop the paramis and may I never abandon beings.

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Posted in bhavana, Bodhisattvayana, Buddha, Buddhism, Dhamma, Karuna, Metta, Mudita, Theravada, Tibetan Buddhism | Tags: sammasambodhi, service

Posted by: Michael | 02/20/2019

While

Great Middle Way

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While doing something else, recite the Holy Name.

Don’t do something else while reciting the Name.

—Honen

om amideva hrih, namu amida butsu, a mi da phat, amitoufo, namo amitabhaya

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Posted in Dhamma

Posted by: Michael | 02/20/2019

Putting Attention where It Belongs

It seems to me that, when the incontrovertible arising of dukkha becomes known, the only practice that is of value is to make it one’s object of attention. Not mantra, nor metta nor anything that would lead my attention away. For years I have tried to focus on anything but the dukkha as it arises in the moment. I have made plans and programs of practice; all without ever having esbirros the success I’d imagined. But, in dukkha there is the problem and, when held correctly, there is the answer.

In times of desperation, call out to devas, Buddhas and bodhisattvas but, when the mind can collect itself and had the strength to look, the dukkha that arises should be my object. Instantly, so many other types of suffering drop away and I can calmly learn the lessons of this suffering.

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Posted in Buddha, Buddhism, Daily Practice, Dhamma, Dukkha, Theravada | Tags: appropriate attention, suffering

Posted by: Michael | 02/18/2019

Criticism

One of my teachers, Geshe Doga, said that there is never any reason for us to get upset if we are criticized. We should look inside ourselves and check whether the criticism is true or not. If it isn’t true, the other person’s words are like empty, meaningless noise, and there is no need to get upset about them. But if we check and find that the criticism is true, we can grate-fully accept it as helpful advice for our spiritual development.