Himalayalamadoc6.docx
Dear Reader:
This rambling story begins with a 'Search' --
Spiritually speaking, that's a very classic way to start.
At one's Core, something got lost and one goes out
to try'n find it. Don't we all kinda' relate with that ?
Mullah Nasarudin ....
_____________________
" We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the very first time."
~ T.S. Eliot
___________
The Road Not Taken --- Robert Frost, 1926
---------------------------------------------------------
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And I'm sorry I could not travel both.
And so being only one traveler, long I stood
And looked down each road as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then I took the other road just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first road for another day,
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
-- I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
_______________________________
MYSTERY of MYSTERIES ~ I lost my Mom to breast cancer when I was eight. My whole future relationship with woman-essence, women’s bodies and with women’s souls changed. So did my relationship with Death. The Son with no one to come home to - everyone in a home where everybody’s clothing had the salty smell of tear soaked dampness. For now, because of then, for when I’m keeping all that for me to explore with Doctor Max Zugger, the Don Rickles of psychiatry. At the time though, I experienced a suddenly new phenomena very few kids get to have: Real ‘Death’ up close. Death lived with my family in Far Rockaway, New York. Death had a room upstairs. Death ate at the table, Death sobbed with everyone sobbing with it. No alternative weekends with a divorced parent. No back-button. No click Undo. No relief from sob stories told half in English, half in German about “How talented… “How gifted… your Mother was… She was the maestro Rubakian’s best piano student. She was a young painter’s delight with our little farm up in Woodstock… and of course, the eminent reality of Carnegie Hall and all. I sat on the floor and watched. I sat on the grass and watched. I was bored -- and overcame the tedium and boredom taking an uninvolved interest in what I was watching since that was what was currently available. So I just watched. No ‘story’ with it. I just watched. Watching was all too real for me to be a voyeur. And that’s for me and Doctor Zugger too, for now: to be in the presence of all that. Death by Default -- Whew !
I developed a child’s un-informed notion that - “So maybe there were bona fide resurrection ‘Miracles’ out there. That would bring Beatrice back and stop the random outbursts of continual sobbing. So at ten years old I began to practice and perform stage Magic, to see if there was such a thing. Anyway, I didn’t like the reedy clarinet or the clarinet teacher who smelled funny. God forbid, I should turn my back on the oh so sacred piano. It was funny how all the music teachers had really flakey dandruff and smelled funny - and no store-bought, standard hobby took my interest or my heart. I was very good at being critical, complaining and k'vetchy. Surprisingly, this was the beginnings of an oddly developing Wisdom - if’ the ability’ was apprehended in time. It usually isn’t and the kid becomes a ‘crank’. If it is, the kid learns that ‘Wisdom’ Really Likes ‘Wisdom’ - and the kid will search the world over for confirmation that he ‘Knows’ - and that he is highly desirable and is worthy of being loved for that. He soon found that nobody gave a shit. Unfortunately the wounded, narcissistic, gifted kid had become cynical, contemptuous and disdainful - and could simply get lost out there - go downstairs for a pack of smokes and never return --
Just around the corner of my being, a Pre-Bar Mitzvah kid, with a smelly Hebrew teacher, I started hanging around with some older boys who were local amateur magicians and a few performing stage 'pro's -- after my Dad would really check them out first. But wait, there’s more ! Besides being the son of an extraordinarily talented, almost worshipped, deceased classical pianist and painter -- I was also the physically undeveloped, seemingly talentless, disinterested, chubby son of an athletic, muscular NYPD police officer who sang German and Italian opera on Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour on TV as The Singing Patrolman ( back in the 1950’s you’d never say ‘Cop’ ). Through Whitey the antique dealer who was a magician, I met my first real teaching ‘mentors’ in the City, where they clustered at Harry Houdini’s old shop upstairs near Penn Station. My God, the company I kept ! I never saw it that way. What I saw was that these guys, they kinda of 'knew' stuff - stuff that ‘ordinary’ people didn’t know. Esoteric stuff. I found that I genuinely, thoroughly, wasn’t ordinary. Uncommon or Non-ordinary it was called. Back in the 50’s I was pretty alone in all this -- all of us magi still are. Soon, as the teenage Mr.Magic, I got booked to do children’s birthday parties on weekends, earning pocket and later, gas and date money for college at SUNY Running In the background to all this was, of course, a Certified Wicked Witch of the West Jewish Stepmother that Doctor Zugger has already reserved for a waterboarding in Milton’s Purgatory. I’m currently attempting to share the dharma teachings with my less resistive clients, students and myself: on boundless appreciation, unconditional acceptance and the authentic magic of continual forgiveness. Keep forgiveness mindfully in front of you, and keep try’in…
At the movies, James Hilton’s 1939 "Lost Horizon" jump started ‘something’ really serious buried deep in my soul when I was sixteen. My first 'contact' with The Dalai Lama. It brings a slight swelling behind my eyes even now as I write this. Weekly, I soaked in a young Jean Shepard’s heady late night, late 50's WOR jazz/talk radio show in the Village ( New York City ), where he read from the "Amazing Adventures of Doctor Fu Manchu" and lots of Tao and Zen poetry. I started to grow a tiny teenage goatee, hung around the Art Room crowd, explored the social dangers of wearing black and read Kerouac. Forget high school sports, me and The Exotic Esoteric were off and running! In 1959 I concluded high school with Paul Reps’ "Zen Flesh Zen Bones", the Buddhist-theories of D.T. Suzuki and lots of Alan Watts "The Wisdom of Insecurity". There’s ‘wisdom’ in insecurity ? Why that title of all things ? It really made me ‘question’ it all. I learned that Buddhists laugh a lot and are still willing to give voice to ‘impermanence' and 'uncertainty in an Age of A-Bomb Anxiety and devastating Hollywood Blacklisting. In 1959 the winter snows were just melting as the young Tibetan Dalai Lama and a small horseback party began the final crossing into exile in India. His Holiness has never been home since.
SUNY, the State University of New York in the heating-up Sixties, revealed to me the tight-assed academia, the ill-conceived struggles for misunderstood meanings of Western philosophy, that I didn’t ‘get’ anyway - and the permissive, easy-going spaciousness of Eastern ‘emptiness’. Emptiness is the ‘joy’ of uncertainty 'realized’. Living in Greenwich Village after being a journalist in the U.S.Army ( Desert Storm: First / 81st Armored Division, PIO information specialist 63’-65’ ) I was right there with another generational shift I witnessed at the poetic heroic wane of the Beat-era -- and my ‘Self’ becoming ‘consciously’ reconstituted with my own beginnings, of my own authentic Hippie soul. The birth of a fledgling bodhisattva - a few old ones still here - new stock arriving all the time.
My personal archetype was as ‘The Outsider’ - that was quite clear. I was / I still am an acquired taste for a few - but the Wunderkind me was soon making expensive visual magic at a TV commercial production company directing pilot spots. It so happened that I smoked some outstanding weed one day in ’68, and left for a long sojourn in Europe and points unknown. "Freedom From the Known" as Krishnamurti deliciously and disturbingly called it. In Israel I just kept meeting people coming back from India - and they said “India Man, You gotta go, Man - You gotta go ! - That’s the ‘real’ Holy Land!.” Further East, the compass pointed the direction I needed. I met lotsa’ helpful Indiana Jones- types along the Silk Route when it was still archeologically intact.
I wasn’t aware then, that I was traveling with a spiritual ‘dedicated purpose’, a holy 'intent' as Lama taught me later. I traveled in an old Russian mini-bus, overland thru the thick snows of Eastern Turkey, the Shah’s Iran and many months of a restorative, recuperative layover with the Jewish community in Herat, Afghanistan during the brutal winter 1972-73. I kept observing a subtly different, ‘alternative’ cultural paradigm out there. Asia was not Kansas anymore, Coney. It certainly wasn’t the South Shore of Long Island where I was raised W.J.M., either. Here, people looked right into your ‘mind’. They can read you. In India they had a legacy of deeply observing and comprehending the human mind - a very complete, ancient ‘science-teaching’ about the true nature of mind. No ‘churches’ that suppressed it.
At the Eastern Pakistani/Indian border in Amritsar, a seasoned ex-patriot American yogi said to me, unsolicited - “Hey Man, Just skip Hinduism altogether, my friend, and go straight to Dharamsala and hang around with the Buddhists” - “You’ll end up a Buddhist anyway, from what I see in you...” He gave me the address of a very special ‘Teacher’ to visit there, and literally vanished. Weeks later I ambled down a crooked little street high up in the thick pine covered foothills of Northern India, past a flock of laughing Tibetan Buddhist monks full of horseplay, back from their visit to The Dalai Lama’s residence up the hill -- and ‘Lost Horizon’ became a reality.
After a plate of mo-mo dim sum, I went to pay, and discovered the teacher’s address deep in my shoulder bag. As described, I found an alley, then a door, knocked - and a voice said “Come in”. Sitting in full lotus on the floor nursing a single-burner propane stove and tea, was the same yogi guy I met at the border ! He looked up at me, smiled, then laughed and said “You made it!” - “Good, I have some people for you to go way up into the hills here to meet”…
Well, Mr. Magic, let me praise you - Way to go !
You ‘showed up’ for yourself again… Whew !
_____________________________________
"Eighty percent of ‘success’ is just showing up ! ”
~ Woody Allen
_________________________________________
Dear Reader:
The Journey IS the Destiation ~
Success is a Journey, not a Destination.
Whatever the motives, good or bad --
If you do not change directions,
you may end up where
you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
______________________________
Each chapter of this site is concluded
with theme-related quotes and poetry.
Be inspired with your own enjoyment
______________________________-
“Whatever the Question ~
Love and Kindness is the Answer”
“ If you wish to experience peace
- provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
- cause another to know that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.”
~ H.H.The Dalai Lama
“There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.” ~ Mother Teresa
_______________________________
"Good timber
does not
grow with ease.
The stronger the wind,
the stronger the trees." ~ Willard Marriot
Grandfather Bearheart, a Creek elder said ~
"Destiny is every step we’re
going thru right now to get there."
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care." ~ Cavett Robert
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
"If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again." ~ William Penn
“Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness ? “ ~ Anna Douglas
“If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.” ~ Gandhi
“Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.” ~ Voltaire – 1750
__________
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way. ~ Nick Rath
The End is Insight
___________________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_____________________________________
"I am astounded by people
who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find
your way around Chinatown. ~ Woody Allen
Discovering ~
The Net of Interrelatedness,
including all of “Life”
in our very own Heart.
Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the Joy
that includes Everything –
the Love that includes Hate
the Peace that includes the War. ~ metta zetty
And you are to love ALL those
who are your 'Aliens' –
for you yourselves
were once aliens in Egypt. ~ Deuteronomy 10:19
The opposite of love is not hate –
it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness –
it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy –
it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death –
it's indifference. ~ Elie Wiesel
In her 1965 essay
"The Imagination of Disaster",
Susan Sontag said …
…that modern Americans
live in an age of extremes –
under continual threat
of two equally fearful,
but seemingly opposed, destinies –
Unremitting Banality and
Inconceivable Terror.
You must Fearlessly
DO Something Meaningful !
♦Ω♦
The End is Insight
_______________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_______________________________
"I am astounded by people who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
~ Woody Allen
BACKUP
Quotes
222 Himalayan Diary
~ end ~
_______
UPDATE: 2001 /2004 ~
This Is The End of PART ONE -
for the supportive purpose
of cultivating your own ‘Search’...
“ Thieves go to other thieves
to learn their trade. Come”,
Rumi says: “I’ll teach you thievery.
You’ll learn how to steal your soul back.”
I will add another cliff hanging
‘spiritual’ installment in due time…
hope you enjoyed it so far..!
♦Ω♦
The End is Insight
_______________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_____________________________________
UPDATE: This Story -- 2016 ~ Confession: Joyfully, THIS is it - for this blog ‘Monk Story’ entry. Confidentially, secretly, contradictorily - I grew up and into not being a great lover of the public performing surround, and they of me - even tho’ I hid it. I fashioned myself into a grumpy, gifted with humor, grouchy curmudgeon, a la Dr. Max. It was an amusing cover. I never made the necessary efforts to cultivate my life towards YouTube, or other online venues ( like indigenous people who would absolutely not allow their picture to be taken for fear they might be scrutinized by their enemies too closely ). I’d be seen as a spiritual ‘Fakir’- Arabic for ‘Fake’. That I didn’t just completely love life and just totally love people. People would experience me as an in-human, disdainful, contemptuous fraud. A privileged, nettled, spiritual sociopath of sorts. How would you like to come to me for counseling ? Thieves go to thieves to learn their trade. Come, Rumi says: “I’ll teach you thievery. You’ll loran how to steal your soul back.” I was always too insecure for that. So I didn’t wrk at a public career. I got very involved with my private life of seeing and guiding people privately. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in early 2014. I can retire at any time should I want to. Truthfully, and Joyfully, to make a turn of phrase: There’s no Love Lost - as there’s a good and plenty supply of really fine, veteran, senior meditation teachers, and mindfulness trainers, and young upcoming guiding teachers of the Buddha’s Dharma - that now abundantly populate and abound in the land. Thank you Joseph Goldstein. The Vipassana Mindfulness schools of the Theravada tradition are particularly lookin’ good .. 1-310-450-2268
_______________________________
Each chapter of this site is concluded
with theme-related quotes and poetry.
Be inspired with your own enjoyment.
"Good timber
does not
grow with ease.
The stronger the wind,
the stronger the trees." ~ Willard Marriot
"Success is a journey, not a destination.
Whatever the reasons, good or bad,
If you do not change directions,
you may end up where
you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
"Destiny is every step we’re
going thru right now to get there."
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek elder
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
“Whatever the Question ~
Love and Kindness is the Answer” ~ H.H.The Dalai Lama
_________________________________________________________
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care."
~ Cavett Robert
" If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again."
~ William Penn
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.
~ Voltaire – 1750
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness?
~ Anna Douglas
If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.
~ Gandhi
Discovering ~
The Net of Interrelatedness,
including all of “Life”
in our very own Heart.
Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the Joy
that includes Everything –
the Love that includes Hate
the Peace that includes the War. ~ metta zetty
And you are to love ALL those
who are your 'Aliens' –
for you yourselves
were once aliens in Egypt. ~ Deuteronomy 10:19
The opposite of love is not hate –
it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness –
it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy –
it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death –
it's indifference. ~ Elie Wiesel
In her 1965 essay
"The Imagination of Disaster",
Susan Sontag said that modern Americans
live in an age of extremes –
under continual threat of two equally fearful,
but seemingly opposed, destinies –
Unremitting Banality & Inconceivable Terror.
You must Fearlessly
DO something meaningful !
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way.
~ Nick Rath
♦Ω♦
The End is Insight
_______________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_______________________________
"I am astounded by people who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
~ Woody Allen
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a single "Oiy".
"Success is a journey, not a destination." ~ Lao Tzu
"If you do not change directions,
you may end up where you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
"Destiny is every step we’re going thru right now to get there."
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek elder
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent
about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King
If you think you are too small
to make a difference,
you've never been in bed
with a mosquito.
~ Will Rodgers
Remember - Grains of sand
can start an avalanche.
~ Marianne Baillieu
If we don't fight hard enough
for the things we stand for –
at some point we have to recognize
that we don't really stand for them.
~ Senator Paul Wellstone
“Arise all you women
that have strong hearts –
whether your baptism be
that of water or tears!
From the bosom
of the devastated Mother Earth,
an earthy voice full of buried sons
goes up with our own.
Disarm, Disarm, Disarm !
The sword of murder
is not the balance of justice."
~ Excerpt from Julia Ward Howe's proclamation
that created Mother's Day in 1870
In her 1965 essay
"The Imagination of Disaster",
Susan Sontag said that modern Americans
live in an age of extremes –
under continual threat of two equally fearful,
but seemingly opposed, destinies –
Unremitting Banality & Inconceivable Terror.
You must Fearlessly
DO something meaningful !
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way.
~ Nick Rath
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a single "Oiy".
"Success is a journey, not a destination." ~ Lao Tzu
"If you do not change directions,
you may end up where you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
"Destiny is every step we’re going thru right now to get there."
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek elder
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
These self-indentifed ‘Seekers” that we are ~ We’re insecure ‘Uncommon’, ‘Non-ordinary’ people: sensitive, creative, cognative, savvy, individualistic, intelligent people - consciously higher-consciousness oriented people - artistic, intellectual, or even the burgeoning of the Spiritual. Non-traditional people, non-mainstream, non-Matrix lifestyle - uncommon, non-ordinary - I’m a very individual person, I cater to my own sense of being 'civilized', compassionate and inward oriented with integrity as well. And who also has an insatiable curiosity... and almost above all, I know ‘funny’…
__________________________________________________________
"I am astounded by people who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
~ Woody Allen
for Roshi - a poem
I never really understood
what he said
but every now and then
I find myself
barking with the dog
or bending with the irises
or helping out
in other little ways
~ Leonard Cohen - Singer/Songwriter
This poem was written by Leonard in honor of
his 100 year old Los Angeles meditation teacher,
Joshu Sasaki Roshi of Mount Baldy Zen Center.
For over eighty years
I yelled Katsu ! to no avail.
And now, while dying,
Once more to shout “Kwatz” !
Won't change a damn thing.
~ Kokei Sochin Zenji (1515–1597)
'Kwatz' is Japanese for 'Eureka'
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a single "Oiy".
"Success is a journey, not a destination." ~ Lao Tzu
"If you do not change directions,
you may end up where you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
"Destiny is every step we’re going thru right now to get there."
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek elder
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain Nothingness.
And then what do you have?
*Bupkis.
~ The Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist ~
* Bupkis: is defined as "Nothing" in Yiddish
________________________________
Everyone knows the End of the Story.
The End of the Story is 'Right Now'.
.:: The END ::.
~ a lotus flower to you ~
“Sit Meditation. See Much Better.
Dharma-Study It. See Through It.
You've Set Yourself Free ! Wheee !”
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT TAKING ONE! "
Buddhist Therapy:
It’s been done
very effectively
for 1000’s of years….
"Remember, the 'illusion'
merely has the appearance
of existing from its own side.
♦ "Remember... the 'illusion'
has only the ‘appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side, you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
C:\Users\Levi\Desktop\ZenTrance CLASS BOOK 11.08.doc
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible
that 'what is' is brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real"
~ Henri Van Zeyst
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
The fact that 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
~and~
Since everything is but an 'Apparition' –
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
You might as well just burst out laughing!
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD)
two versions from The Choying Dzod
"The ‘Real’ does not die –
the ‘Unreal’ never lived.
Thoughts are not Reality."
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
" Good timber does not grow with ease. . .
The stronger the wind ~ the stronger the trees."
~ Willard Marriot ~
Why are you so unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything
you think about,
And of everything you do,
Is for your "Self" –
And there isn't one.
~ Wei Wu Wei
"We shall not cease f exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the very first time..." ~ T.S. Eliot
"Eighty percent of ‘success’ is just showing up !” ~ Woody Allen
_____________________________________________________
"Good timber
does not
grow with ease.
The stronger the wind,
the stronger the trees." ~ Willard Marriot
"Success is a journey, not a destination." ~ Lao Tzu
"If you do not change directions,
you may end up where you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
"Destiny is every step we’re going thru right now to get there."
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek elder
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
"Our dance is so 'our' dance.
We rarely hear the ‘inward’ music,
but we are all dancing to it nevertheless,
directed by the One who teaches us,
the pure joy of the Sun, our dance master." ~ Rumi
"Let the lover be disgraceful,
crazy, absent-minded.
Someone sober will worry
about events going badly.
Let the lover be.
Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the ‘barriers’ within yourself
that you have built against love.
Come out of the limited circle of ‘time’
And into the boundless circle of love." ~ Rumi
~ Jelaluddin Rumi - 1207-1273
Sufi mystic poet from Eastern Persia
in what is now Afghanistan
“Whatever the Question ~
Love and Kindness is the Answer” ! ~ The Dalai Lama
_________________________________________________________
WE’RE ‘UNCOMMON’ PEOPLE: Sensitive, creative, individualistic, intelligent people - higher-consciousness oriented people - artistic, intellectual, or even spiritual. Non-traditional, non-mainstream, non-Matrix lifestyle - uncommon, non-ordinary - a very individual person,living their own sense of being 'civilized', compassionate and inward oriented with integrity as well. And who also have an insatiable curiosity...
__________________________________________________________
UPDATE: 2001 /2004 ~
This Is The End of PART ONE -
for the express purpose
of cultivating your search...
I will add another cliff hanging
‘spiritual’ installment in due time…
hope you enjoyed it so far..!
~ end ~
UPDATE: 2016 ~ Joyfully, THIS is it. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in early 2014. Truthfully, and Joyfully, to make a turn of phrase: There’s no Love Lost as there’s a good and plenty supply of fine senior meditation teachers and mindfulness trainers and young upcoming guides in the Buddha’s Dharma that now abundantly populate and abound in the land … 310-450-2268
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care."
~ Cavett Robert
" If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again."
~ William Penn
.
.. so here’s some valid Humanitarian web-links
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.
~ Voltaire – 1750
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me -
What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care."
~ Cavett Robert
" If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again."
~ William Penn
... so here’s some valid Humanitarian web-links
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.
~ Voltaire – 1750
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness?
~ Anna Douglas
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me -
What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.
~ Gandhi
Discovering the net of interrelatedness –
including all of life in our very own heart
Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the joy
that includes everything –
the love that includes hate
the peace that includes the war.
~ metta zetty
And you are to love all those
who are your 'aliens' –
for you yourselves
were aliens in Egypt.
~ Deuteronomy 10:19
Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness?
~ Anna Douglas
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me -
What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.
~ Gandhi
The opposite of love is not hate –
it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness –
it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy –
it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death –
it's indifference.
~ Elie Wiesel
Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent
about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King
If you think you are too small
to make a difference,
you've never been in bed
with a mosquito.
~ Will Rodgers
Remember - Grains of sand
can start an avalanche.
~ Marianne Baillieu
If we don't fight hard enough
for the things we stand for –
at some point we have to recognize
that we don't really stand for them.
~ Senator Paul Wellstone
Arise all you women
that have strong hearts –
whether your baptism be
that of water or tears!
From the bosom
of the devastated Mother Earth,
an earthy voice full of buried sons
goes up with our own.
Disarm, Disarm, Disarm !
The sword of murder
is not the balance of justice."
~ Excerpt from Julia Ward Howe's proclamation
that created Mother's Day in 1870
In her 1965 essay
"The Imagination of Disaster",
Susan Sontag said that modern Americans
live in an age of extremes –
under continual threat of two equally fearful,
but seemingly opposed, destinies –
Unremitting Banality & Inconceivable Terror.
You must Fearlessly
DO something meaningful !
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way.
~ Nick Rath
“ May you and I and all beings live with a peaceful loving heart
and enjoy a healthy, happy body and mind ! “
" I love you, gentlest of Ways –
you who ripened us ...
as we wrestled with you."
~ Rainer Rilke
♦Ω♦
The End is Insight
_______________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_______________________________
"I am astounded by people who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
~ Woody Allen
for Roshi - a poem
I never really understood
what he said
but every now and then
I find myself
barking with the dog
or bending with the irises
or helping out
in other little ways
~ Leonard Cohen - Singer/Songwriter
This poem was written by Leonard in honor of
his 100 year old Los Angeles meditation teacher,
Joshu Sasaki Roshi of Mount Baldy Zen Center.
For over eighty years
I yelled Katsu ! to no avail.
And now, while dying,
Once more to shout “Kwatz” !
Won't change a damn thing.
~ Kokei Sochin Zenji (1515–1597)
'Kwatz' is Japanese for 'Eureka'
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a single "Oiy".
Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain Nothingness.
And then what do you have?
*Bupkis.
~ The Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist ~
* Bupkis: is defined as "Nothing" in Yiddish
________________________________
Everyone knows the End of the Story.
The End of the Story is 'Right Now'.
.:: The END ::.
~ a lotus flower to you ~
Sit Meditation. See Much Better. Dharma-Study It.
See Through It. You're Set Free ! Wheee !
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT TAKING ONE! "
Buddhist Therapy:
It’s been done
very effectively
for 1000’s of years….
"Remember, the 'illusion'
merely has the appearance
of existing from its own side.
♦ "Remember... the 'illusion'
has only the ‘appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side, you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
C:\Users\Levi\Desktop\ZenTrance CLASS BOOK 11.08.doc
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible
that 'what is' is brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real"
~ Henri Van Zeyst
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
The fact that 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
~and~
Since everything is but an 'Apparition' –
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
You might as well just burst out laughing!
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD)
two versions from The Choying Dzod
"The ‘Real’ does not die –
the ‘Unreal’ never lived.
Thoughts are not Reality."
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
" Good timber does not grow with ease. . .
~ Willard Marriot ~
Why are you so unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything
you think about,
And of everything you do,
Is for your "Self" –
And there isn't one.
~ Wei Wu Wei
"Good timber
does not
grow with ease.
The stronger the wind,
the stronger the trees." ~ Willard Marriot
"Success is a journey, not a destination." ~ Lao Tzu
"If you do not change directions,
you may end up where you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
"Destiny is every step we’re going thru right now to get there."
~ Grandfather Bearheart, Creek elder
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
"Our dance is so 'our' dance.
We rarely hear the ‘inward’ music,
but we are all dancing to it nevertheless,
directed by the One who teaches us,
the pure joy of the Sun, our dance master." ~ Rumi
"Let the lover be disgraceful,
crazy, absent-minded.
Someone sober will worry
about events going badly.
Let the lover be.
Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the ‘barriers’ within yourself
that you have built against love.
Come out of the limited circle of ‘time’
And into the boundless circle of love." ~ Rumi
~ Jelaluddin Rumi - 1207-1273
Sufi mystic poet from Eastern Persia
in what is now Afghanistan
“Whatever the Question ~
Love and Kindness is the Answer” ! ~ The Dalai Lama
_________________________________________________________
WE’RE ‘UNCOMMON’ PEOPLE: Sensitive, creative, individualistic, intelligent people - higher-consciousness oriented people - artistic, intellectual, or even spiritual. Non-traditional, non-mainstream, non-Matrix lifestyle - uncommon, non-ordinary - a very individual person,living their own sense of being 'civilized', compassionate and inward oriented with integrity as well. And who also have an insatiable curiosity...
__________________________________________________________
UPDATE: 2001 /2004 ~
This Is The End of PART ONE -
for the express purpose
of cultivating your search...
I will add another cliff hanging
‘spiritual’ installment in due time…
hope you enjoyed it so far..!
~ end ~
UPDATE: 2016 ~ Joyfully, THIS is it. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in early 2014. Truthfully, and Joyfully, to make a turn of phrase: There’s no Love Lost as there’s a good and plenty supply of fine senior meditation teachers and mindfulness trainers and young upcoming guides in the Buddha’s Dharma that now abundantly populate and abound in the land … 310-450-2268
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care."
~ Cavett Robert
" If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again."
~ William Penn
... so here’s some valid Humanitarian web-links
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.
~ Voltaire – 1750
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care."
~ Cavett Robert
" If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again."
~ William Penn
... so here’s some valid Humanitarian web-links
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.
~ Voltaire – 1750
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness?
~ Anna Douglas
If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.
~ Gandhi
Discovering the net of interrelatedness –
including all of life in our very own heart
Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the joy
that includes everything –
the love that includes hate
the peace that includes the war.
~ metta zetty
And you are to love all those
who are your 'aliens' –
for you yourselves
were aliens in Egypt.
~ Deuteronomy 10:19
The opposite of love is not hate –
it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness –
it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy –
it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death –
it's indifference.
~ Elie Wiesel
Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent
about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King
If you think you are too small
to make a difference,
you've never been in bed
with a mosquito.
~ Will Rodgers
Remember - Grains of sand
can start an avalanche.
~ Marianne Baillieu
If we don't fight hard enough
for the things we stand for –
at some point we have to recognize
that we don't really stand for them.
~ Senator Paul Wellstone
Arise all you women
that have strong hearts –
whether your baptism be
that of water or tears!
From the bosom
of the devastated Mother Earth,
an earthy voice full of buried sons
goes up with our own.
Disarm, Disarm, Disarm !
The sword of murder
is not the balance of justice."
~ Excerpt from Julia Ward Howe's proclamation
that created Mother's Day in 1870
In her 1965 essay
"The Imagination of Disaster",
Susan Sontag said that modern Americans
live in an age of extremes –
under continual threat of two equally fearful,
but seemingly opposed, destinies –
Unremitting Banality & Inconceivable Terror.
You must Fearlessly
DO something meaningful !
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way.
~ Nick Rath
“ May you and I and all beings live with a peaceful loving heart
and enjoy a healthy, happy body and mind ! “
" I love you, gentlest of Ways –
you who ripened us ...
as we wrestled with you."
~ Rainer Rilke
♦Ω♦
The End is Insight
_______________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_______________________________
"I am astounded by people who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
~ Woody Allen
for Roshi - a poem
I never really understood
what he said
but every now and then
I find myself
barking with the dog
or bending with the irises
or helping out
in other little ways
~ Leonard Cohen - Singer/Songwriter
This poem was written by Leonard in honor of
his 100 year old Los Angeles meditation teacher,
Joshu Sasaki Roshi of Mount Baldy Zen Center.
For over eighty years
I yelled Katsu ! to no avail.
And now, while dying,
Once more to shout “Kwatz” !
Won't change a damn thing.
~ Kokei Sochin Zenji (1515–1597)
'Kwatz' is Japanese for 'Eureka'
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a single "Oiy".
Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain Nothingness.
And then what do you have?
*Bupkis.
~ The Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist ~
* Bupkis: is defined as "Nothing" in Yiddish
________________________________
Everyone knows the End of the Story.
The End of the Story is 'Right Now'.
If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.
~ Gandhi
The opposite of love is not hate –
it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness –
it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy –
it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death –
it's indifference.
~ Elie Wiesel
Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent
about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King
.:: The END ::.
~ a lotus flower to you ~
Sit Meditation. See Much Better. Dharma-Study It.
See Through It. You're Set Free ! Wheee !
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT TAKING ONE! "
Buddhist Therapy:
It’s been done
very effectively
for 1000’s of years….
"Remember, the 'illusion'
merely has the appearance
of existing from its own side.
♦ "Remember... the 'illusion'
has only the ‘appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side, you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
C:\Users\Levi\Desktop\ZenTrance CLASS BOOK 11.08.doc
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible
that 'what is' is brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real"
~ Henri Van Zeyst
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
The fact that 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
~and~
Since everything is but an 'Apparition' –
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
You might as well just burst out laughing!
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD)
two versions from The Choying Dzod
"The ‘Real’ does not die –
the ‘Unreal’ never lived.
Thoughts are not Reality."
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
" Good timber does not grow with ease. . .
The stronger the wind ~ the stronger the trees."
~ Willard Marriot ~
Why are you so unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything
you think about,
And of everything you do,
Is for your "Self" –
And there isn't one.
~ Wei Wu Wei
The Road Not Taken --- Robert Frost, 1926
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And I'm sorry I could not travel both.
And so being only one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one road as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then I took the other road, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first road for another day,
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Dear Reader:
This rambling story begins with a 'Search' --
Spiritually speaking, that's a very classic way to start.
At one's Core, something got lost and one goes out
to try'n find it. Don't we all kinda' relate with that ?
Mullah Nasarudin ....
_____________________
" We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the very first time." ~ T.S. Eliot ______________________________________________
The Road Not Taken --- Robert Frost, 1926
------------------------------------------------------
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And I'm sorry I could not travel both.
And so being only one traveler, long I stood
And looked down each road as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then I took the other road just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first road for another day,
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
-- I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
______________________________
Himalayan Diary of an American Buddhist Monk, Kathmandu, Nepal 1974
" We shall not cease from exploration, And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the very first time..." ~ T.S. Eliot
Himalayan Monk Story.docx
The Road Not Taken --- Robert Frost, 1926
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And I'm sorry I could not travel both.
And so being only one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one road as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.
Then I took the other road, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first road for another day,
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
ZenTrance CLASS-BOOK
The Laughing BUDDHA SANGHA RESOURCE-Site
sabbe sank'hara a.nicca
"whatever is constructed is deconstructable"
emotional suffering is taking 'the impermanent' for 'the permanent'
" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real "
~ Gautama The Buddha
Mindfully Awakening the Compassionate-Insight Naturally Deep Within Us All
"One easily-made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE Reality.
You must always be prepared to bravely leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Meeraji
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it !
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~
All sentient beings are essentially Buddhas.
As with water and ice, there is no ice without water.
Apart from conscious beings, there are no Buddhas.
Not knowing how close the truth really, really is,
we struggle to seek it so far away ~
You yourself are Buddha-mind !
Buddha is here now. In you !
~ Hakuin Ekaku Zenji ~
This is the MAIN-Site TABLE of CONTENTS for Your Own STUDY
" Mindfulness meditation is 'practicing' how to fully experience being in the present moment "
____________ ^ _____________
q(~?~)p
THE LAUGHING BUDDHA SANGHA
nourishing an iconoclast intelligence
________________________________
_____________________________________
( A ) TABLE of CONTENTS You ARE Here !
for Quick Access to Specific Major Sections
click on any Underscored Section Title
then Manually Scroll to Read in that section
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
( B ) Brief SUMMARY :: Quick-Overview
▲ Here's ALL You'll Need to Know about
the Weekly Meditation & Dharma Classes
_______________________________________
( C ) TIPS "HOW TO MAX YOUR BEST USE
of the rest of this humongous STUDY-SITE”
( D ) and the Buddha.Blogs©
for additional programs & our most current updates
_______________________________________
_______________________________________
( 1 ) INTRODUCTION To 'Traditional' Buddhisms
“Buddha’s BIG Disclaimer” for an Iconoclast's Path
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING !
– " Widely 'Accepted' does not mean it is Real " –
• “Does this Path have a Heart?” 'Humanistic Heretics'
• Waking Up the 'Iconoclast' Within: a true Buddhism
is not a search for God or the Divine or Immortality !
• What keeps Buddhism 'kosher', non-authoritive,
clear, clean & honest. It has to be your Discovery !
• "EHI-PASSI-KO" means: a totally open teaching to
question, a fearless invitation to closely examine it.
• Ingredients: Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
_______________________________________
( 2 ) ‘INVOCATIONS’: WORDS carry SPIRIT
POETIC VOICES of WELCOME & NAMA’STE
• Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins with some form of 'intent'-dedications
of Universal Blessing – inspiring us at the Beginning.
Savor this section very Slowly – You really must be
in the mood ~ it's a long-ish Sacred Poetry Section. Maybe graze leisurely over many re-visits –or- just
move on now to more Details on Meditation and
the Wild Wiles of Our Monkey Mind & Willingness.
• The ancient Buddhist “Taking RUFUGE Verses”
are found only at the end of this particular section.
_______________________________________
( 3 ) Entering The "BUDDHISM" CLASS:
What are you getting yourself into here?
Meditation Class & Dharma Study
Buddha ~ The Joyous Iconoclast
"Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' Whatsoever"
Please definitely PERUSE THIS WHOLE SECTION ~ thanks
• How to Attend for the FIRST TIME.
• Have You a Deep Love of Learning?
• There’s An Eccentric-Edge’ to this Odd Class !
• The 'Nature' of the Student that just might benefit
• BE WELCOME FOR A ONE TIME VISIT & SEE ...
• Beginner's COMMITMENT - Six Weeks of Class
a steady student attendance - a sincere, solid, start
• C a u t i o n: for 'The Spiritually Sensitive'
• What Consistently Motivates Us? – the poet Rilke
said ... "To Love the Questions Themselves! "
• “IF” ~ a mindfulness-intent poem by Rudyard Kipling
• 'Darkness' - no matter how ominous & intimidating
_______________________________________
( 4 ) The MEDITATION pages ~ part 1.
Maybe PERUSE THIS SECTION Too
• NEW to BUDDHIST-Styles of MEDITATION ?
• What about more Experienced Meditators ?
• Poetic Analogies illuminating Meditation
• Excellent DEFINITIONS of MEDITATION
• About "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS"
• How ‘Insight-Awareness Meditation’ Works
_______________________________________
( 5 ) The MEDITATION pages ~ part 2.
• HOW to MEDITATE :: It’s all about ‘Practice’
• What is “Mindfulness” Awareness-Meditation?
• True SILENCE & Stillness & More Waiting . . .
~ This is a fairly LONG section ~
_______________________________________
( 5a ) The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
• Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. 'Breathing' & 'Thinking'
• Helpful Meditation Sitting Tools & Encouragement
• ON 'PRACTICE' - sitting meditation is a Training !
• Many Meditation Learning-Quotes & some Myths
• ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE - catching a ‘felt-sense’
• Having only a “GOOD ENOUGH Meditation Practice
_______________________________________
( 6 ) Thoughts on ‘THOUGHTS’ & ‘THINKING’
• m i n d f u l n e s s - to become fully conscious
• Everything Is a "Practice Opportunity"
• Learning-Quotes on the ‘Nature of Thought’
• The WHOLE of the Practice is about ‘Waking Up’
_______________________________________
( 7 ) “The Path of NO EXPECTATIONS”
• Why Are You So Unhappy?
• “Expectations” Disappointments & Other Demands
• Old Wounds of Disappointment & Unmet Idealisms
• Zen-founder Bodhi-Dharma & his first disciple
_______________________________________
( 7a ) CONTROL - Letting Go & Calling Off 'Seeking'
• How a Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
• On Trying To FIND "Yourself" – The Big Pursuit
• Anti-Expectation Learning-Quotes & Stories
_______________________________________
( 8 ) is Next: Manually SCROLL a short way back up
to the of start of this MAIN Table of Contents ▲
( 8 ) Who was The BUDDHA - Question Authority !
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• Who was The BUDDHA ? - Question Authority !
• " BELIEVE NOTHING ! " - Constantly Question !
• Take a Quote-Scroll down Buddha's Maverick Path
_______________________________________
( 9 ) About BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST
Iconoclasts: “Angelic Troublemakers”
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• Gently QUESTION Everything ! That’s really hard.
• “BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST” on Belief-Breaking
• DEFINITIONS: Buddha was a pioneering ‘Radical’,
Iconoclast, Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist,
Rebel, Maverick & Good-Hearted Heretic - ideas which
certainly may disturb some of us... Viewer Discretion
is Advised - “Buddha was a Godless-Atheist” - it's true.
• Is There God or No God? No Self. No Soul. Nothing?
• Learning-Quotes with an edgy Iconoclastic bite.
_______________________________________
( 10 ) What is The DHARMA ? Question Reality !
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• DHARMA :: DEFINITION of this often-used word.
• “Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent”
• Learning-Quotes of DHARMA-Truth
• "Hsin Hsin Ming" Zen's most beloved teaching-poem
The Great Way is not difficult - have no preferences !
• So – What Was It ? What did Buddha Awaken to ?
_______________________________________
( 11 ) What is The SANGHA: Spiritual Community
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• What is SANGHA ? – Non-Isolation & Open Sharing
• Being Open to PRACTICE-SUPPORT? Nourishment?
• Good Dharma-friends? • Satsang • Having a consistent
ongoing meditation group(s) in your own life?
_______________________________________
( 12 ) TEACHER Biography • Photo
• “Kalyana Mitta” – 'Spiritual Friends & Mentors'
• The Seven Qualities of a Good Friend
• "The Road Less Traveled" Robert Frost’s poem
• Mentoring: a Dharma teacher's prime purpose
_______________________________________
( 13 ) The Big DETAILS • Evening Programs
Please try n' PERUSE THIS WHOLE SECTION ~ gracias
This is a much fuller version than the Brief Summary
• Meditation INSTRUCTION Schedule & Program
• DA' HOUSE RULES & Housekeeping
• WHAT to BRING • CLASS FEE • WHEN to START
• 6 Week Beginner's Class-Commitment
• BOOK - "A PATH WITH HEART" Jack Kornfield
• BIG HUGE QUESTIONS ? ...or HESITATIONS ?
• About BRINGING an INTERESTED FRIEND
• LOCATION DIRECTIONS • About RETREATS
_______________________________________
( 14 ) The Big BOOK List & Book Archive:
“Buddhist Books for Your Next 50 Years”
one of the best beginner's Buddhist book-lists online
YOU are only 'expected' to read but one book for
your Beginner's Meditation Class: "A Path With Heart".
This BookList is for an enriched good lifetime of reading
• About 'WORDS' ! - very little reading expectations
• Your Introduction to BASIC Buddhist Books
• CORE BOOKS: highly recommended ‘classic’ reading
• Books of POETRY that inspire Heart-Awakening
• Dharma 'Classics' - early Western writings
• Sri Ramana Maharshi, J. Krishnamurti & D.T. Suzuki
the modern 'Godfathers' of the "Inquiry Into The Self "
• FREE Buddhist Readings & Resources, Links,
Booklets, books, print out FREE Online teachings
• ‘Book-Lovers’ USED BOOKS available Online –
• About "Out of Print" Books; an endangered species
• Spiritual-oriented Bookstores: Westside L.A. area
_______________________________________
( 15 ) FILMS – for contemplation or just fun
• Buddhist or Dharma or Consciousness-themes
• Best Western Films / Best Asian & Foreign Films
_______________________________________
( 16 ) The ARTS, SPRITUALITY & MEDITATION
ART-MAKING & Art-making meditators
• ART :: it's Ancient Relationship with Meditation
• The Benefits to art-maker's mindfulness & awareness
• NO 'BELIEFS' - just observing, watching, witnessing,
Reality without 'beliefs', without buying-in or compromise
• Silly ZEN Story: "The Purpose of Meditation Training"
• “ARTIVIST” Film Festival - first international festival
of humanitarian-conscious filmmakers for global causes.
_______________________________________
( 17 ) CONTACT INFORMATION & Associations
• Making "ACTS of METTA" engaged loving-kindness
• "How Can I Personally Be Helped?" You Can !
Other Laughing Buddha-BLOGs are here. . .
• Have QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS ?
• and .. Where's UPDATED Current Information ?
• "How Can I Personally Help?" Yes, You Can !
• some very good Humanitarian web-links here
• and some much APPRECIATED ASSOCIATIONS
• Retreat Centers: Regional & International
• Other Local Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups
• more empathy-based learning quotes
• and a last rim-shot of Zen funnies –
WEB SITE officially ENDS just below that point
with some great Optional ARCHIVES to get into...
______________________________
Click Here takes you down to The END
of this MAIN Resource-Site
"Like a handsome tree –
Come to Meditation slow
with the heart of youth
and grow slowly into it.
Why are you impatiently
in such an irritable hurry?
'Results' are simply a useful illusion.
An illusion of 'Appearances' none the less."
The LAUGHING BUDDHA SANGHA offers a very eclectic “Inquiry into Self” practice,
combining the cool, calm 'observation' approach of traditional Vipassana Mindfulness
Meditation – with the 'crazy wisdom' irrationality of Zen Non-Duality realizations which
short-circuits the obsessive self-involved, self-absorbed, self-identified ego-mind.
" One easily-made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE Reality.
You must always be prepared to bravely leave your reality for a greater one." ~ Meeraji
" . . ever noticed, that it's Always NOW " ~ Alan Watts ~ suggests you repeatedly keep noticing this
______________________________________________________________________________________
“There are No Answers” Our practice, as Rilke says:
is "To Love the Questions themselves! "
"True ‘generosity’ towards the Future - is to give everything now - to the Present." ~ Camus
" You don't have to see the whole staircase – just take the first step in faith " ~ M.L.King
" Whatever the Question ~ Love and Kindness is the Answer!" ~ The Dalai Lama
__________________________________________________________________________________________
"Tradition should be a guide, not a jailer."
~ W. Somerset Maugham “The Razor’s Edge” 1931
" You began as a ‘creation’.
Now become a Creator.
Never just wait at a barrier "
Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi Rumi ( 1207–1273 )
13th century Persian poet, mystic, Islamic jurist and theologian
" Good timber does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind ~ the stronger the trees."
~ Willard Marriot
" Eighty percent of success is just showing up! "
~ Woody Allen
" The Greatest Risk Is Not Taking One "
"While one person hesitates because they 'feel' inferior & ‘think’ insecure thoughts –
the other is just busy making mistakes a p l e n t y - and becoming quite superior"
~ The Tao
ultimately . . .
" All philosophies are 'mental fabrications'.
There has never been a single philosophy
by which one could enter the True-essence of things."
~ The Buddhist Yogi Nagarjuna ( India, 1st century AD )
WISDOM-GNOSIS ~ WISDOM KNOWS
Wisdom really likes Wisdom. It thrives on it.
Wisdom when Awakened likes to stay Awake !
Wisdom when Awakened prefers Wisdom to my old EgoSelf.
Wisdom when Awakened begins to replace my neurosis & inner-noise.
Wisdom when Awakened expands and multiplies ! Wisdom changes me.
Section ( 1 ) Here's What's In This Introduction
What's an ICONOCLAST ?
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING !
An 'Image-Breaking' INTRODUCTION: Buddhism is an Iconoclastic Path*
• HOTEI ( Ho-Tay ) The Laughing Buddha a very popular Buddhist folk-image
• “Does this Path have a Heart?” 'Humanism' : a wise head & warm heart.
• A Buddha: a spiritually liberated person entirely through their very own efforts
• What's a Paradigm – I always hear this word now?
• Waking Up the 'Iconoclast' Within - the true 'Heretic' still fast asleep within us
• Buddha’s BIG Disclaimers – "Widely 'Accepted' does not mean it is Real"
• Buddhism is not a search for God ! A Good, Holy life is possible without Deity
• What keeps Buddhism 'kosher', non-authoritive, non-cultish, clear and honest ?
• "EHI-PASSI-KO" - a totally open, fearless invitation to take nothing on "Belief"
• The Ingredients are found world-wide: Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
• Graze slowly awhile, there are very challenging statements in here ~or~
move on now to 'information-type' sections on Details of ‘Meditation’ itself.
If so, click back to TABLE of CONTENTS on Navigation-bar.
~ currently ~
please always phone to confirm
the current OPEN Class Evening
The “BUDDHISM” Class
Vipassana Insight Meditation
“The PATH OF NO EXPECTATIONS”
• OPEN Weekly Evening Class
• LIMITED Study-Group Nite for
core-students with Akasa Levi
7:30 - 9:30 PM • 310-450-2268
Definitely, a much more way
Outside-The-Box-Buddhism !
• Join our OPEN Ongoing Classes at Any Time
" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real "
~ The Buddha ~ 500 BC
"One easily made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
"Mindfully Awakening the Compassionate-Insight Naturally Deep Within Us All"
"If we approach the wildness of our mind
like a skilled horse-whisperer ~
using gentleness, compassion, and kindness -
we return to our wise natural state
of calm expansiveness
that is always available to us."
~ Pema Chodron
" In All the Infinite Fullness that 'Creation' has to offer,
The Abundant 'Hotei Bu-Dai' is the very most Satisfied of All
and he can generously offer you the Design of your own Desires
through The Practices of Non-Attached Joy ! " Ask about this Program
HOTEI ( Ho-Tay ) The Laughing Buddha, for a thousand years,
a very visible, popular folk-image in Chinese Buddhism – where Hotei
is often called Bu-Dai ( pronounced Pu-Tai ) - dubbed The Kind-Hearted
One or The Loving One or The Friendly One. Bu-Dai or "The Laughing
Buddha" has become so fully incorporated into Asian Buddhist culture –
and he seems to be based on a real, eccentric Chinese Chan Zen monk
living in the time of the Liang Dynasty of 908 AD. Reminds us to be Happy !
Wherever one goes on the modern globe, Hotei's ever-present image
as little or big statues, paintings or necklace amulets – grace magnificent
Asian temples, and also very ordinary businesses & homes. Most Chinese
gift shops have a full stock of Buddha-statues - not the silent yoga-seated
'Meditative Buddha' - but the storekeeper will lead you to a large section
full of ceramic statues - stout, laughing, shaven-headed fat men in monk's
robes with a large, exposed, pot belly symbolic of satisfaction, abundance
and good luck ! The abdomen is considered the Seat of the Soul, 'Hara'
or 'Chi' in Chinese mythology - and so the large tummy can be taken as
a metaphor expressing Budai's very complete, contented soul - allowing
his wisdom, generosity and open kind-heartedness to freely flow.
please wait for image to load... hold your breath ~
A world-wide, popular folklore belief about Budai is – that if a person rubs Hotei-Budai's belly – it can bring forth
sure happiness and prosperity for them. You can actually see the finger-rubbings on most of the old statues of him.
He is usually shown with a huge cloth sack over his shoulder – smiling or laughing uproariously, thus his nickname
"The Laughing Buddha". He has 'realized' the Truth of Non-Attachment & Generosity and now Laughs. Yet he
carries a simple monk's begging bowl to still represent his truly simple Buddha-nature – a wandering monk who
goes around and takes away the sadness from all the people of this world – swept away off into his tiny bowl.
Yet Hotei Bu-Dai carries that awesomely huge cloth sack which never empties – that he keeps full with picked up
bits of meaningless rubbish that magically turn into many precious items that he gladly gives away to those in need
of nourishment or good cheer – finely grown rice plants to the poor promising wealth, sweets and little cakes for
unhappy children, food for the hungry, small pet animals for the lonely – and especially healing potions & medicines
for all the woes of the world. Sometimes his miraculous sack can even be filled with little children, that have crawled
out and across his huge belly – as children are seen as some of the most precious of creations. As the Patron Saint
of the weak, the abused, mothers & children – in his wanderings, Budai is said to be always giving free food to poor
people and Zen monks – and only asking a single penny from devoted Buddhist lay practitioners he meets. One fine
day a monk walks up to Budai and asks, "What is the real meaning of Zen?" Budai suddenly drops his big bag on
the ground. "And how does one actually realize Zen?" the monk further asks. Without a word, Budai then suddenly
hoists up his gargantuan big bag again - and just silently walks on his way... Bring a Hotei Budai home sometime.
Budai's welcome & friendly presence has become a 'Symbolic Deity' of generosity, wise contentment & wholesome
abundance – a bit like Saint Francis or Ganesh the Elephant for Hindus – as he nurtures the realization of Tolerance,
he helps humans to heal & bring Heaven to Earth. Symbolic-images often touch an immediate chord beyond words.
Some say of the Laughing Buddha – of Hotei's such benevolent nature, that he is to be fully regarded as an actual
incarnation of the evolving Bodhisattva that is predicted to develop into The Buddha Maitreya ( The Coming Buddha
of The Far Future ). But all claims are only symbolically metaphorical. None of these beliefs form any part of any
traditional Buddhist doctrines, but are more of an inspirational folk-practice. Ancient "positive affirmation-work"
in pictures, icons and stories for us on the Way. Funny how it really does work ! Break the Silence with Laughter...
"The ICONOCLASTS" – the mavericks, innovators,
rebels, rule-breakers, heretics and ground shakers –
an 'Iconoclastic-tone' always flavored Buddhist Wisdom.
ICON ~ an Icon or Image & CLASTIC ~ To Break
* Definition: a 'view-opposing' to the ordinary accepted:
one who challenges or 'breaks-with' traditional 'beliefs',
customs, rituals, religious practices, icons, dogma or Deity.
Maybe a new healthy mind-set or paradigm is working.
"To Break" ( and to make Paradigms )
"Buddha's Awakening Caused a Paradigm Shift" – "What's a Paradigm" – I always hear this word?
Since the late 1960s, the word Paradigm ( Greek: para-dime - "to show as a whole pattern" ) has referred
to the prevailing thought pattern – a 'Mindset' – a 'conceptual prototype' – in any scientific, organizational,
or philosophical discipline or as even an unconscious cultural mind-set – that is still a working through a
theoretical framework ( a dharma ) of that particular school of thought withinthat frame - which theories,
laws, and the 'experiments' performed ( meditation or advanced yogas ) in support of them are formulated.
Buddhism is a paradigm, Christianity is a paradigm. Jew. The world is full of all sorts of 'prevailing' pradigms.
A Good American, Democrat, Republican, Science, Islam, Mormon. They do not abide in peace. That's obvious.
" What is accepted by the majority of people
– does not mean it is Real " ~ The Buddha – 500 BC.
" It is still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or with ‘illusion’.
But remember – that to choose one,
is to let go of the other !" ~ The Tao
Paradigm is "a whole pattern or model". A currently accepted 'paradigm' of thinking would be the standard model
of physics. A Paradigm Shift is a sociology of knowledge: like when Einstein's radical physics first became the
hot 'New Physics' of what is to be observed, the kind of questions & probings for answers. Now, today, the most
current model of physics has now included, and yet eclipsed Einstein, for an even 'newer' current paradigm we
use today. An important point: a Paradigm is "a whole pattern or model" – An Absolutist WHOLE WORLD VIEW.
Like when the whole world view of indigenous tribal people was totally INTACT and had its powers potent before
'first contact' with a radically different peoples such as Europeans. With a broken paradigm their powers diminished.
We must always know that a 'new paradigm' which replaces an 'old paradigm' is certainly not necessarily better –
because the criteria of judgement is solely WITHIN the 'whole operational-context' of that particular paradigm itself.
Paradigms like religions & politics have so much 'within-ness' within them. It comes down to what's working for you?
Simple common analogy: a paradigm is a 'habit of reasoning' or, The Box in the commonly over-used phrase
"thinking outside the box". Thinking inside The Box encompasses the thinking of normal science and thus inside
the Box is analogous with a paradigm. Now, "Thinking outside the box" would be called 'revolutionary science'.
Revolutionary science is usually unsuccessful, and only rarely leads to new paradigms. Yet when they really are
'proven' successful, they lead to large scale paradigm shifts in the scientific, philosophical or cultural world-view.
Buddha was the first religious teacher ever to declare that everything bar none was impermanent including Self,
Soul and even God. This is still quite heretical & revolutionary (especially today). Yet a new paradigm's happening!
~ some parts of this are from Wikipedia, some not ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm ~ read more on your own
_______________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
yet in all good healthy, heady philosophy we always must remember that we are simply 'people' also
A Path with Heart
Keep me away
from the wisdom
which does not cry,
the philosophy
which does not laugh,
and the greatness
which does not bow
before little children
~ Kahlil Gibran
________________
some more
Welcoming Words ...
"Everyone has the 'possibility', the ‘potential’
to peacefully shape the future of humanity –
Absolutely Everyone !
Everyone has some ‘potential’ to create
a more peaceful & compassionate world,
by creating a more peaceful
and compassionate inner-world –
Each within themselves ! "
~ The 14th Dalai Lama
“Be not afraid of absurdity –
do not shrink from the fantastic !
Within a dilemma –
Choose the most unheard-of,
the most audacious solution !
De l'audace! De l'audace!
Et encore de l'audace ! Be audacious !“
"Be not afraid of absurdity –
do not shrink from the fantastic !
De l'audace! Be audacious!"
~ Karen Blixen, author of "Out of Africa"
audacious [ aw day shuss ] Latin: audax "bold", "to dare" – daring,
bold or fearless, especially in challenging assumptions or conventions
synonyms: brave, courageous, risky, impudent, cheeky, even foolhardy ...
"Our deepest fears are like dragons
guarding our deepest treasure."
~ Rainier Rilke
“A spiritual warrior chooses 'A Path with Heart' and follows it.
He 'knows', because he 'sees' – he sees that his life will be over
altogether too soon. He really knows that nothing is more important
than anything else is. It all is. And then he rejoices and laughs.
A path is only a 'path' - and there is no affront, to oneself or to others,
in dropping it - if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path
closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.
Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question –
“ Does this Path have a Heart? ”
If it does, the path is good - If it doesn't - It is of no use.”
Mucho Gracias ~ Grateful Thanks to Don Carlos Castaneda & Mike at The Phoenix.
The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge – First Edition (1968)
and simply just consider . . .
"Even tho' the Buddhist Practice Path is really always
all about a truly Uncompromised 'Awakening' –
either all at once – or as a gradual Awakening over time –
yet you certainly CAN do this !
. . . or WHY would The Buddha ever even have taught it
– If it couldn’t be done? Duh ?"
~ Bhante Kassapa – Rockhill Hermitage, Sri Lanka ~
"Duh?" was learned from his years of teaching Westerners
All sentient beings are essentially Buddhas.
As with water and ice, there is no ice without water.
Apart from conscious beings, there are no Buddhas.
Not knowing how close the truth really, really is,
we struggle to seek it so far away ~
You yourself are Buddha-mind !
Buddha is here now.
~ Hakuin Ekaku Zenji
¬________________________________
REBEL~SAINTS !
"Buddhism" is an Iconoclastic Spiritual Path –
untemptable, unseducible, uncompromising –
about buying in or selling out the integrity of Truth.
A true Iconoclasm is gradually and mindfully cultivated
from the heart of a concerned, compassionate, courageous Heart.
"The ICONOCLASTS" - Mavericks & the cultural revolutions they've led:
The innovators, rule-breakers and ground shakers – independent-minded
individuals of singular vision - bold, uncompromising, some even irreverent.
Through freedom of expression and their passions - those who have fully
lived by their own 'heretical' rules and transformed the cultural landscape."
~ Robert Redford, from the Sundance documentary interview series
" Every community needs a group of angelic troublemakers "
~ Bayard Rustin, black activist social reformer
DEFINITIONS :: iconoclast: image-breaker; to break the mold
The Buddha was a pioneering "Iconoclast" • Definition: one who challenges
or 'breaks-with' traditional 'beliefs', customs or religion - de-constructing blind 'faith-based'
religious practices, Deity or dogma - “an image-breaker” from Greek: Icon + klan, to break;
"A-theist": without Theos - 'God-less'; "A-gnostic": without proven 'knowledge' of - (Gnosis);
"Heretic or Heterodox": an Opposite - a 'view-opposing' to the accepted; "Radical": 'the edge':
cutting-edge, far out, extreme fringe, essential, at the root of, uncompromising, revolutionary.
“Dharma Teachings” keep Waking Up the true Iconoclast within -
Be it Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist, Rebel or the true Heretic still fast asleep within us,
or maybe only semi-conscious now inside some of us – offering it needed 'legitimacy' & courage
to really guiltlessly thrive well. It's totally OK not to 'believe' in God – the Buddha didn't.
Thinking very differently is scary. The historical Gautama The Buddha was an Atheist.
"A-theist": without Theos – a 'God-less' person - Without 'Belief' in God or the Divine or
even an Intelligent Design(er) as just NOT a necessary component of his Practice Path.
( betcha' didn't know that, did ya' ) God is simply not necessary. It’s really totally up to you.
In Asia, more advanced-levels of Buddhist practice have simply known that for millennia –
Here in the West we just found that out last Tuesday. For some, Deity can be irrelevant.
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING ! – WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW !
Historically, Buddhism publicly touched gently on the Deity issue – lightly & lovingly.
For those who did need a God – there were always plenty of God(s) & Goddesses –
but for those who were dedicated students of 'non-self' inquiry & 'emptiness' – and they
just did not need this Deity-relationship, there was the freedom of a non-dependent mind.
To take up or take on "Buddhism" is to have a 'relationship' with a whole Civilization.
In fact, a whole series of philosophical civilizations, which have so influenced the lives
of myriads of human beings in so many lands. Buddhism was never 'Jihad' or imperialist.
Buddhism never proselytized or was coercive or conversionary. It's missionaries simply
taught people the Dharma – with a full understanding that the 'spiritual realizations' or
rewards were yours alone to experience. Here we hope to offer you a deep core.
___________________________________________________-_________________________
Buddhism’s Big Disclaimers
2000 BC: The early Hebrew iconoclasts ( image-breakers ) were known
for abandoning 'accepted beliefs' in the many Desert Gods & carved idols -
each with their own separate attributes & powers – distilling them down
to ONE invisible, indivisible, all-purpose Creator-God named J'Yahweh.
500 BC: The Buddha, a pioneering iconoclast ( an image-breaker ), known
for abandoning the many, many Hindu Gods, rituals - and even cutting loose
from the invisible ONE indivisible Creator God named Brahma – empirically,
pragmatically, but lovingly deconstructed & fully dismantled by the Buddha ~
"Buddha's advanced-level of spiritual practice
is absolutely not a search for God or the Divine."
~ Buddhist author Henri Van Zeyst
It is a totally 'humanistic' path – totally in one's own hands, wise head & warm heart.
With the Buddha's Enlightenment, a great spiritual-revolutionary was awakened !
He became an authentically liberated, free person entirely thru his very own efforts.
"No God(s), No Soul & No Self". Nothing 'There' -or- 'Here'. A Good, Sacred, Holy Life
is entirely possible without Deity. Humanistically: Humankind can certainly Enlighten
itself by itself - without Divine Intervention, reliance or relevancy – was one of the
Buddha's most noteworthy & useful contributions to Existential Humanistic History.
Today: Life, lovingly fully attentive to the Present-Moment. It’s pretty full as it is.
We’ve had a pretty full ‘Past’-tense that ‘Was’ but still has us captured as if it IS.
But it Ain’t. All there is, IS the 'Present Moment' and Buddha suggests we Wake Up
to that fact of Reality. By the use of wise selected ‘memory’ we can utilize the 'Past',
but not take it for Real anymore. Memory is so flawed. We need the Clarity-energy
just to be here in the ever-present Moment. Welcome to Now. Discover some peace.
___________________________________________________-________________________
Uncompromisingly – we are again reminded that . . . .
" Buddhist meditation has 'Nothing' to offer you –
other than what is in THIS very moment. That’s all.
God(s), Goddesses, religion and the ego-self can
certainly tempt you with so, so, so much more! "
~ Henri Van Zeyst
" I tore myself away from
the safe comfort of ‘certainties’
only through my love for Truth –
and Truth rewarded me."
~ Simone de Beauvoir
" It is still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or with ‘illusion’.
But remember that to choose one
is to let go of the other!
Can you bear the loss? "
~ The Tao
Down in Section # 9 - and also in the Archive on 'Great Doubt' –
AND, “You can’t just become “A Buddhist” – because that’s just
a ‘label’ or a ‘name’ - a big identity-‘concept’ held in the 'relative mind'.
Most spiritual teachings or rituals are like that: very useful good ‘words’.
A ‘name’ and a ‘form’ ( nama-rupa ). Very convenient ‘labels’ & ‘beliefs’.
The Truth: ‘You’ simply Are as you are – present – for this very moment.
Now, living in Peace with this ‘moment’ is still not becoming a ‘Buddhist’
either – but truly becoming a living Buddha ! Instantly.
For just this present moment. How long is a ‘moment’ ? “
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya - “Buddha of The Moment “
Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a 'Buddhist'
– instead, use it to be a better "Whatever-you-already-Are"
~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
"EHI-PASSI-KO"
buddhism & good ole western 'empiricism'
In India’s ancient Pali language Ehi.pass.iko
means 'come and take a good close look'
Basically as humans – 'Words', are our main symbols of meaning
–– and are all that we human beings really ‘have’ ! It’s all we got.
( Body Gestures, Tones, Spoken & Written Word, Music & The Arts )
Looking around to choose a 'Spiritual Path' you can settle into and sincerely
'practice' for awhile, and learn about yourself, your mind ? The Buddha offered
an open invitation to empirically inspect, question, fully scrutinize, and even
to openly criticize – totally everything he said - to arrive at the Heart of Truth.
The 'Words' in this quite odd Buddhist-site come from many true
and authentic sources – and just May Be ALL You'll Ever Really Need
to 'Awaken' & 'Enlighten' Yourself. Read in Here & Have a ‘Realization’ !
How 'fundamental' is that ? ( pun intended ) It's all right in here ! We copied
these written words out to put them before you, to hand to you. The Buddha
said in the Pali language of ancient India "Ehi-passi-ko" – which literally
means “Come, See, Really Check It Out First – Believe Nothing”.
And what ‘Words’ they are! Enough incite-ful, insightful words in just
this Buddhist-site here – even if you never do arrive at our doorstep to attend
our classes – here's enough words from many different angles, to spur you
into genuine 'Realizations' toward an empirical, continuing Awaken.ment.
There's Nothing here to ‘Believe’ in – Buddhists don’t do ‘Belief’.
"EHI-PASSI-KO" means 'take a close look' - an open invitation to inspect,
question, scrutinize, and if need be, even to criticize the Dharma teachings
before accepting any of it - there is nothing 'religious' or 'mysterious' here.
The Dharma's wisdom is sober & crystal clear. It's genuine as solid real gold.
In places it's gentle or philosophical, in others it's challenging or even playful.
The Buddha himself often said: "Do NOT accept what I say only through
mere respect towards me. Just as the true purity of gold is only ascertained
by very thorough testing, weighing or rubbing - likewise may the true Dharma
be accepted by you - only after very close scrutiny." ... and a trial-period
of actual ‘on the cushion’ Practice. This open, fearless assertion of allowing
the whole of the teaching to be closely examined – gives an honest, clean,
strong experiential validity to Buddha's Truths. Take nothing on "Belief".
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"Reality"...what a concept !
~ Robin Williams
If you don't want
to see Reality
– you can't.
~ Sam Wagstaff, art collector
Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
Empiricism ~ Latin: 'experientia' (the word 'experience')
like referring to a 'physician' whose skills derive from practical experience - compared
to instruction in just dogma & doctrine. The Buddha too, was called 'The Great Physician'.
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The European Backstory: The 'Protestant Reformation' is the Western Christianity that
is not subject to Papal authority – fundamentally it's 'Scripture' itself ( rather than Church
interpretations of scripture ) as the only source of revealed truth – and also that salvation
can be achieved through God's grace alone. Again, no central Church. So in the more
'global' 1600's, with lots of Vatican Catholic missionizing abroad, an active 'Reformation'
and a cultural 'Restoration' in play – empirical, experiment-based 'Science' now had a
much more free opportunity to explore and to grow into a truer knowledge !
In Western philosophy, "Empiricism" is a theory of knowledge, emphasizing the crucial
role of 'observable experiments' – and those aspects of scientific knowledge closely
related to evidence, especially sensory perception – and are formed through 'deliberate
experimental arrangements' ( meditation is experimental ) while diminishing the value
of innate 'imaginative-thoughts'. All speculations and theories must be tested against
observations of the natural world, rather than resting solely on an 'concept-making',
intellectual reasoning, self-proclaimed intuition or revelation – hence, 'Science' as a
prardigm itself, is considered to be purely Empirical in nature ( we're too good at it )
( And so is Buddhism – it's Scientific ) So, we're currently undergoing 'the process' of
bringing 'Heart' back to 'Science' – and healing the Betrayal of Heart by 'Religion'.
The famous Greek philosophers - 350 BC - rejected adherence to "the dogmatic
doctrines of their day", preferring instead to go with the more pure "observation
of phenomena as perceived in experience" ~and~ experiencing itself experiencing
the perceived. In 1689 John Locke's "Empiricism" said: for any knowledge to be
properly deduced or even inferred – it is to be gained ultimately from one's own
sense-based reference to one's own experience. BTW, 'Empiricism' is usually
contrasted with the other close philosophical school of thought – "Rationalism"
which asserts that much knowledge is attributable to 'Reason' that is independent
of the senses ( 'Higher-Intellect' ) – even the European 'Rationalists' ( Descartes,
Spinoza & Leibniz ) – yet all were also strong advocates of the radical Empirical
"Scientific Method" of their day. Locke, for his part, held that some knowledge
(e.g. knowledge of Spirit or God's existence) could be arrived at through intuition
and intellectual-reasoning alone. Some important European philosophers to study
associated with Empiricism include Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke,
George Berkeley, David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari,
Emanuel Kant. ( Who are these people? search and read in Wikipedia )
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Arthur Schopenhauer (1800) was a German philosopher best known for his work
"The World as Will & Representation" – the way in which we experience the world.
His critique of Kant, his creative solutions to the problems of human experience,
and his explication of the limits of human knowledge. His metaphysical theory is
the foundation of his influential writings on psychology, aesthetics, ethics, and
politics which influenced Friedrich Nietzsche, Wagner, Ludwig Wittgenstein,
Sigmund Freud and others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schopenhauer
So, still a central concept in the scientific-methods of today, is that all evidence
must be 'empirically-based' – that is, on E V I D E N C E that is Observable by the
( developed / refined ) senses. So be it both the 'natural' and the 'social sciences'
that are 'testable' using observation or experiment derived from our experiences.
– "Our ongoing continual 'mindful' experiential-observation practice for life".
"Experience itself is the sole teacher of Truth".
~ Michał Sedziwoj - 1605 - Polish alchemist, physician and philosopher
There are "Experiences" derived from sense impressions as a person's life proceeds.
There are two sources of our ideas: sensation and reflection. Our knowledge of 'things'
is a perception of ideas that are in accordance or discordance with each other, which
is very different from a quest for a fixed 'certainty' of ole' Descartes. Or of many 'religions'
of today. Buddha taught that there is No Certainty on any level of existence. An extreme
Empiricist theory known as Phenomenalism – says a 'physical-object' is a kind of intricately
cobbled-together 'construction' out of our experiences & meta-experiences. Instant by instant
it is again repeatedly put-together by our brain from pixels, refreshing the screen. All told,
very commendable, indigenously, naturally evolved, Western-realized philosophical strides
that took place during the 1600s to 1800s as the start of our contemporary 'new thought' surge.
Of course they never became publically popular – 'emotional'-mindsets never want the details.
( Also read Wikipedia's piece on "Empiricism" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empiricism )
Most Wikipedia topics have links to get you to all these names & ideas. From whatever various
parts of the world were touchpoints of origin for you – Don't lose it ! – Experience your history !
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click for TABLE of CONTENTS
Altruism ~ It is the English form of the French word 'Altru.isme' ~
created by the mid-19th-century French philosopher & sociologist Auguste Comte from the Italian
word Altrui, meaning “of or to or for Others” < French altruisme< Italian altrui< Latin alter: "Other".
"That which has to do with other people". One who has care & concern with Others is an Altruist [n].
Al·tru·is·tic [ altroo-ístik ] adjective. Altruism: Devotion to the welfare of others – 'Bodhichitta' is
Metta-Karuna Karma. The New Testament says: "Greater love hath no man…" Altruistic Behavior.
Darwin was aware of altruistic social behavior even in animals, and how this phenomenon challenged
and was later included in his theory of 'natural selection'.
• Selflessness: unselfishness, self-sacrifice, humanity, philanthropy - an attitude or way of behaving
marked by unselfish, charitable, caring concern for the welfare of others. Being aware of other people.
• Belief in Acting for Others' Good: the belief that acting for the benefit of others is right and good.
the antonym would be: selfishness, self involved, self-centeredness, narcissism, careless disregard.
Bodhi-chitta is our 'Basic Goodness',
an altruistic enlightenment-potential we all innately have ~
Already the Enlightened Compassionate Mind is now Manifesting !
In Buddhism, Bodhi-chitta is the wish to attain Complete Enlightenment ( that is, Buddhahood ) in order
to be of better benefit to all human beings – beings who are now trapped in Cyclic-Existence ( Samsara:
m = ng, pronounced Sang-sara) and have not yet reached the Four Levels before Buddhahood. One who
has Bodhichitta as the mindfully-aware, conscious primary motivation for all of their life-activities
is called a 'Bodhi-sattva' pronounced Bow-dee sot.ver –– Bodhi-citta or Bodhi-chitta: kinda' 2 spellings,
best pronounced Bow-dee – chit.ta Literally, "An Awakening-Mind Being". A person who has Bodhicitta.
( Bodhi.chitta is a combination of the Pali / Sanskrit words bodhi and chitta. Bodhi means a Buddha-like,
sometimes almost a Buddha-level 'Awakening' or 'Enlightenment'. Chitta may be translated as 'Mind' or 'Spirit'
- a Moment of Mind; a general word for a 'mind-moment'; a 'mind of enlightenment' or a 'spirit of awakening'. )
Bodhichitta may also be defined as the 'Union of Compassion and Wisdom'. While the Compassion and
Wisdom aspects of Bodhichitta are actually highly dependent on each other, in the Mahayana tradition they
are often referred to as:
• Relative Bodhichitta: in which the practitioner works for the good of all beings as if it were for his own good.
• Absolute or Ultimate Bodhichitta: which refers to the wisdom of Shunyata - a Sanskrit term often translated
as 'Emptiness', though the alternatives 'openness' or 'spaciousness' probably convey the idea better to
Westerners). The concept of "Shunyata" in Buddhist thought does not refer simply to 'a nothingness', but can
refer to freedom from 'attachments' - where the mind is not occupied with Identity-Making with Things or Ideas,
particularly attachment to the idea of a static "Self" ( or any Self or Soul ) – and fixed ideas about the world and
how it 'should' be. The classic text on Shunyata is the Mahayana 'Prajnaparamita Sutra' discourse referred to
as "The Heart Sutra" ( See The Heart Sutra Project in our Archive ) The term Bodhichitta in its most fulfilled
sense, a Complete Buddha, would combine the best of both:
• The arising of spontaneous & limitless compassion for all sentient beings, and
• The falling away of the attachment to the 'illusion' of an inherently existent "Self."
Some Bodhichitta practices emphasize The Absolute ( Vipassana-Wisdom practice ) – yet others emphasize
the Relative and Relational ( Metta-Karuna practice: Loving-kindness, Empathic Compassion to all others ) –
but both aspects are essential to develop on the path to enlightenment – highly dependent on each other
The 'Relative' without the 'Absolute' can degenerate into pity and sentimentality –
while the 'Absolute' without the 'Relative' can lead to nihilism and lack of desire
to engage Other sentient beings for their benefit.
Bodhichitta may be viewed as having different levels: one useful classification is that given by Patrul Rinpoche
in his book Words of My Perfect Teacher. He states that the lowest level is The Way of the King, who primarily
seeks his own benefit but who recognizes that 'his' benefit depends crucially on the benefits had by that of his
kingdom and his subjects. The middle level is The Path of the Boatman, who ferries his various passengers
across the river and simultaneously, of course, ferries himself as well. The highest level is of The Shepherd,
who makes sure that all his sheep arrive safely ahead of him - and places their welfare above his own.
He has a profound concern for well-being others.
~ excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta - visit Wikipedia, a free public encyclopedia – read more
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"All this Buddhist Bodhisattva & Bodhichitta Altruism-stuff
just sounds like too much of my 'giving myself away' ~
heck, I'm still just finding myself. I'm no St. Francis yet . . . "
Well said – If you still 'need' a payoff for your
practicing of expanded kindness & compassion ...
and many of us still do – besides inner-peace
We still need some interim spiritual support on
our way to a fearless, free & joyful emptiness
Then know this . . .
Here's a Witty Reward for Our Compassion Practice:
We need to Accept
all unenlightened beings –
if we wish to meet all the Buddhas
that they will become.
~ Stonepeace Monk
I need to put up with two or three caterpillars,
if I want to get to know them as butterflies later.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
then & only then,
When I see I am Nothing – that is Wisdom.
When I see I am Everything – that is Love.
And between these two, my life flows.
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
Here is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
I N V O C A T I O N S,
Sacred Poetry, Prayers and
Blessings for a Good Spirited Start
In’Voca ~ Vocal / Voice: a call to gather; to call in the Spirits
( an "Invocation" - from the Latin verb In’vo’care "to call in" )
"Just the Rational,
Deeply appreciating the Mystical
and the Mystical,
Deeply flavoring the Rational."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
“ The Buddha’s Dharma Teachings are so deep and lovely.
I wish to Practice with body, speech and mind that Dharma.
I now have a chance to see, study, and to fully practice it.
I vow to realize its true meaning for the sake of all beings !
Wish, Now, Vow.” ~ An Ancient Buddhist Verse of 'Refuge' Intent
POETRY alwaYs was always Prayer
☼ Prayer always was always POETrY
Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins
with some form of an 'intent'-dedication of universal blessing
in the name of The Relational Oneness
The One Infinite Togetherness
all sizes, shapes, colors & contents included
One Size Fits All
N A M A 'S T E
▲
~ I Am ~
forever freshly reborn
into this very moment
will it unfold
open up
flower into
beingness?
or sadly stay within
its own 'imagined' limits?
~ John de Ruiter ~
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________________
"Grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference."
~ Reinhold Niebuhr 1934; AA version in 1939 by Bill W.
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"And then the day came
when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful
than the risk it took to blossom"
~ Anais Nin ~
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"With the drawing forth of this Love
and the voice of this Calling . . .
We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring will be
to arrive where we started,
And know the place for the first time
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
is that which was the beginning"
~ T. S. Elliot - Four Quartets ~
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" I love you, gentlest of Ways –
you who ripened us ...
as we wrestled with you."
~ Rainer Rilke ~ Paris 1908
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
I'm "Am-ing" – I'm "Is-ing" – I'm "Isness" itself
”Nama’ste”– is the One main greeting in everyday India –
a way of 'deep welcoming' - and it is profoundly saying to us
" I See Directly Into You - and - Meet In You ,
'That' Which Meets Me - and - Sees Into Me "
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Question: “Grandfather - What is Destiny ? ”
“DESTINY is every step we’re taking
and going thru right now - to get 'there'.”
~ Grandfather Bearheart, contemporary Creek Elder
Savor the Journey too – it's in every step –
for "The Journey itself - IS the Destination!"
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"Just as a drop of water falling into the great ocean
Is never depleted even before the ocean ever dries up –
Likewise, with the full 'Intent' I now dedicate to Awakening,
will never be depleted before my Enlightenment is fully attained."
~ Buddha Shakyamuni
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Your Mind got you Here thru a long series of Changes.
Your Mind certainly CAN change & transform even more !
It can be Free and at Total Peace all by itself !
All it really needs is the right 'software' download
and an effective 'method' to actively practice it with.
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"By learning the ‘Path of Wisdom-Silence’ you can
Break through the illusory world of 'worldly' words
(and break through the world of 'other-worldly' words too)
So that The Wordless Flower of 'Just Being' may bloom.
Just allow yourself to become suddenly still, inside & out,
So that you may pierce through the thin shell of the 'World',
And now fill the entire cosmos with your own truly Free Mind.
So the healing of you & thus the healing of the world may begin."
~ Zen-master Ji Aoi Isshi – 13th century Japan
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the present moment is so elusive
every time I 'look' for It,
I am looking away from It
~ The Tao ~
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"The Present Moment 'As It Is' -
is my 'religion' and my 'prophet'.
I have to be very careful with it."
~ Akasa Levi ~
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▲
So Do You Really Want To See?
Here's a very old Buddhist metaphor
A Holy Rant About What's True & Not True
Note: There is No Truth in any of this !
" One should not mistake the Finger,
which only serves as a 'guide'
that points ► at the Moon,
( which only 'symbolizes' The Truth )
as the real Moon itself."
The Finger is not the Moon. Obviously.
The Buddha's Teachings' only point.
They are not True. They are not The Truth.
To really See • Know • Realize the Truth
One has to experience "IT" - for & by one's own,
and individually, personally See & Be way beyond
even those monks and yogis who handed-down
from teacher to pupil, priceless Sacred Teachings.
'Sacred' yes – but still only 'second-hand truths'
which yes, still can very successfully point –
but ONLY can 'point' to > the Supreme Truth.
It has to be your very OWN 'experience' of Truth.
You Can Do This or Why Would The Buddha Teach It ?
With strong regard for individual spiritual-experiences,
an open heart and free thought and creative expression,
"The Laughing Buddha Sangha" strives to be both erudite,
enlightening and entertaining in it's relation to the "illusory".
~ Akasa Levi, DhMA ~ founder / sadhu / guide / kalyana mita / mentor / fool
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All Spiritual Sangha Friends are temporarily 'guided' by the same Buddha 'Moon'
Luminously finger-pointing out the very same Dharma 'moon' to each other
Radiating a kindness of the same Metta moon-glow onto each other
Please my friend, pass the moon’s green cheese - feed each other
Seeing the light of ONE Dharma-Truth here now but Empty of Other
( We are all simply 'Moonpointers', that's all )
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Sentient ~ you will hear this particular word used often in Buddhist Teachings or in Blessings
SENTIENT ( a sentient being ) pronounced: sen.shee.ent [ Latin: sen'tire "to feel" ]
We have the very rare experienece in nature of receiving a human birth to now work with consciously
and reflectively at this time. Humans are the only creatures that are capable of 'self-reflecting'.
All sentient beings do want to live !
All sentient beings want to live in safety and comfort
All sentient beings are capable of reflecting on perceptions
All sentient beings are capable of responding to sensations and feelings
All sentient beings are capable of responding emotionally and articulately
Life is sentient. If a creature is alive it is sentient to some degree.
sentient synonyms: animate, alive, living, breathing, emotional,
feeling, sentimental, responsive, sensitive, perceptive, aware.
All Life is Sacred. Human-life is here to steward all Life.
Want to know your life's purpose? – To Support All Life !
Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf
In ten directions everywhere,
throughout the Sea of Lands.
My every little hair-tip encompasses
oceans of past, present and future.
So, too, there is a huge Sea of Buddhas,
a huge Sea of Buddha Lands –
Patiently pervading them all,
I practice for seas of endless time.
~ Ryokan 1758-1831
“ The Buddha’s Dharma Teachings are deep and lovely.
I wish to Practice with my body, my speech and my mind that Dharma.
I now have an auspicious chance to see, study, and to fully practice it.
I vow to realize its true meaning for the sake of all other sentient beings !
Wish, Now, Vow.”
~ An Ancient Buddhist Verse of Refuge Intent ~
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings"
Each evening around dusk, hundreds walk through Bodhgaya or
Dharamsala India – all carrying candles & chanting The Bodhisattva Prayer –
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings"
in Tibetan or Sanskrit or Pali or Hindi – over and over again. This prayer
has become the Buddhist anthem. You hear it muttered from old women,
belted out by toddlers, and chanted by monks through loud speakers:
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings."
Your own ‘enlightenment’ is good for everybody !
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings."
( Try saying it in English – over n’ over . . . )
~ Pico Iyer
please wait for Kwan Yin picture to load
The Asian Kwan Yin Bodhisattva is the Mother-Goddess of Compassion,
Kindness & Mercy – sort of the Buddhist Virgin of Guadalupe
KWAN YIN :: In Chinese Guan.yin ( ku'an-yin )
is The Bodhisattva of Compassion & Mercy
as venerated by almost all Asian Buddhists, usually in a motherly form.
Literally it is The One Who "Observes the Sounds (or Cries) of the World"
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Our Lady The Virgin of Guadalupe is a 16th century Roman Catholic icon of Mexico depicting
an apparition of The Virgin Mary. It is Mexico's most beloved religious and cultural image –
– the major cultural symbol of so significant an importance to the overall Mexican identity.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is the second most visited
Roman catholic shrine in the world after the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is known in Mexico as "La Virgen Morena",
which means "The Brown-Skinned Virgin" ( The Black Madonna ).
Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast Day is celebrated each December 12,
commemorating the account of her appearances to Saint Juan Diego
on the Hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531.
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Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins
with some form of an 'intent'-dedication of universal blessing.
~ An Intent-Dedication of Blessing ~
- training my mind in self-less generosity -
“I once again say these Words with
a boundless grateful appreciation
that I can actually sit and practice
– here –
in the safety of my secure-surround.
With Loving-Kindness,
I again fully dedicate any personal value
gained for me by this meditation sitting
to the worthy benefit & well-being
of all that lives ~
In the name of Oneness,
The One Togetherness”
~ remembering ~
”we-are-all-connected”
everything is connected
THE B1G ONE
( One not Two )
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
In our 'everyday-mind', it's usually about TWO or more....
In our 'awakened-mind', it's always all about the one ONE.
Ultimately, the universal ‘One’ truly is the only sacred ‘surround’ of one’s own self.
What ‘else’ could an infinite-indivisible ‘container’ of the One Living Beingness be?
With our ‘Oneself’ awake, observant & fully mindful, one gains a single-pointed,
universal mastery that is a challenge for one to carry. Yet, there is no ‘Other’ One.
*Note about The ONE: You do not ever have to do 'anything'
about your relationship with The ONE - or do anything TO The ONE
in that you are ALREADY One with The ONE. So relax.
That's quite nice to know, and that's just the way it is.
Again, relax into your already established 'religiosity'
and know you are not just an integral part of The One,
but You are intrinsically and innately itself The ONE !
Just try n' be a kinder, gentler, more-patient-you.
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♦ "MAY PEACE BE UPON YOU" ♦
NAMASTE • SHALOM • SALAAM • GASSHO • ALOHA
Shalom: one peace, completeness, wellbeing, fulfillment,
safety, health & prosperity of all individuals and all nations
"Shalom Alei'chem" (Hebrew) • "Salamu Alay'kum" (Arabic)
Shalom or Salaam is the same greeting: "Peace Be Upon You"
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♦ what follows is based upon a very ancient psychological and meta-physical formula
towards a circular spiritual 'unity’ kabalah-mandala - plus we had a little creative fun
in constructing & celebrating this orb of One. Read it out loud softly to yourself,
only if you wish. It’s all simply an ‘experiment’ - never, at no time, in any way,
is anyone expected or persuaded to take vows or say unfamiliar words.
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~ OMNIVERSE BLESSING ~
”So I say "Na'maste & Shalom"
and see everyone & greet every One at Once !
When I greet just you • I greet the whole Universe !
There is "Only One ONE" – The Incomparable Non-Duality
'UNIVERSE' is One-Undivided-Seamless-Infinite-Wholeness
It is impermanent, unpredictable, unstable simply by Nature itself
In this Big ONE there is One Frequency called 'Life-Consciousness'
If a 'Form' is Living - it is 'Conscious' to some degree. I really Honor that
All Individual 'Conscious-Minds' - are One within 'The Conscious Big ONE'
That is why all Life is so very Sacred, Precious and Protected. I Honor that
Life has Reactive 'Feelings' and is potentially capable of 'Evolving'. I Honor that
"THAT IT IS" - is the Invisible, Indivisible, Inexpressible, Infinite, Ineffable "THAT"
"The Great Name" for All of IT –ONE– 'I' experience It as I AM THAT.
The Big THIS that IS - The Big IS that is THIS – ALL ONE – We ARE THAT
Abba ~ Adonai ~ Allah ~ Arun ~ Atma ~ Aum ~ Bhagwan ~ Brahma ~ Deus ~ Deva ~ Devi
Eck ~ Elohim ~ Ema ~ Existence ~ Father ~ Force ~ God ~ Great Spirit ~ Ground of Being
Ha’Shem ~ Jah ~ Life ~ Love ~ Mahaloa ~ Ahura Mazda ~ Big Mind ~ Mother ~ The Name
Now ~ The One ~ Olorun ~ Pele ~ The Presence ~ The Present ~ Ra ~ Ram ~ Sacred
Satnam ~ Self ~ Shekhinah ~ Shen ~ Shiva ~ Source ~ Spirit ~ Tao ~ Tat Tvam Asi ~
This ~ That ~ Thus ~ Truth ~ The What Is ~ Wakan’tanka ~ The Word Manifest
YHVH – Yahweh (pre-incarnate) and Ye’hoshua – Yeshua (incarnate)
alphabetically inscribed intentionally for absolutely no hierarchical order
Here & Now, in salutation to ALL that is Conscious-Energy
I say "Na'maste" and honor & greet Every-Mind at once !
When in Peace I honor & greet just you with no agenda
Purely I greet the whole vast Universe at once as One
May ALL Beings Be Safe, Peaceful, Healthy, Free,
Liberated, Luminous, Joy-filled, Nourished
and Happy Within !”
Sabbe Satta Sukki Hontu !
May All Beings Be Happy !
"Namaste Buddha Kabalah" Seferot Mandala by Akasa Levi ~
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• In Hebrew & Sanskrit Mantras •
of the Middle East & Asian Deity-based Traditions
Ado’nai is the Basic Name of God
" Ado'nai Elo'haynu Ado'nai E'chad "
The Hebrew name ‘ADONAI’ literally means 'THE ONE'
( It is pronounced as Ahh – doe – noy )
A Designation: Not really a proper 'name' at all which is unpronounceable
“Adonai” is saying The ‘Name’ of the Oneness that is “The One”
“Adonai” is the one n' only "IT", “Adonai” is the one "THAT" or ‘Thine’
“Adonai” is the one n' only "IS", “Adonai” is the One that is "THE ONE"
“Adonai” is the highest consciousness-formless-spirit in the Human Mind
Oneness-ness
– There is nothing ‘outside’ the One –
Infinite. No ‘outside’, period. Outside of What ?
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ATMAN YHVH
YHVH – the Hebrew letters for "I AM THAT I AM"
'Yod-Heh Vav-Heh' • Yah-Weh • literally "To Be"
Yahweh (Hebrew) = Jehovah (Christian) = Jah (Rastafari)
Yahweh (pre-incarnate) & Ye’hoshua - Yeshua (incarnate)
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So similarly, in these Sanskrit traditions of India
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
knowing that I AM ~ is all I need to know
– a conscious AM-ness that is 'is-ing' –
I'm "am-ing" – I'm "is-ing" – I'm "isness" itself
I AM "Being", that is 'Being-ness' Be-ing . . .
in Buddhist Pali-language "Becoming-ness"
because Everything is in a state of Becoming:
That's what 'Existence' is ~ The Manifestation.
A state of 'Manifesting'. A state of 'Becoming'.
Coming into Existence, Going out of Existence.
Arising & Falling ~ just like the Breath.
That's why 'Meditation' in Buddhism
is called 'Bhavana'
which simply means 'Becoming' –
We're Sitting Just Watching 'The Becoming'.
Right There with The Becoming-ness Unfolding
or the "Observational-study of The Process of Becoming"
( observing attentively the whole process of what arises in consciousness –
and how it unfolds and affects you - and sitting in stillness non-reactive to it.
Not doing anything with it. And yet, noticing whatever you DO do with it – or not. )
The primordial holy OM mantra-sound pronounced AUM
AUM • aha • HUNG resonating in the deep mystical tone
OM expresses "As It Is" • Tat Tvam Asi • "Thou art That"
Buddha-Nature is The Jewel in The Lotus
Buddha "As It Is" Buddha
~ Om Mani Padme Hum ~
( pronounced Aum Mani Peh'meh Hung )
__________________________
You, who came into existance,
selected this particular time
in millions of years of history
of the earth as your life
Now all of you are here together
to unite your deepest wishes for
manifesting peace at this time
Each small power of one's prayer
assembles together with other prayers
and enables 'the light of wishes'
to extend and cover the whole earth
So first, you bathe in the light and savor it
Then,
let's radiate the light & love to the world
with your Lightened-heart
Now, entirely, wishes for world peace
become as one
You are in the greatest of blessings
and glory, calmly and purely
~ Gayuna Sun'dima
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NAMA•STE ◊ The Name
"Our dance is so 'our' dance.
We rarely hear the ‘inward’ music,
but we are all dancing to it nevertheless,
directed by the One who teaches us,
the pure joy of the Sun, our dance master." ~ Rumi
~ Jelaluddin Rumi - 1207-1273
Sufi mystic poet from Eastern Persia
in what is now Afghanistan
There IS only ONE.
One whole Wholeness.
One-Vast-Boundless-Endless-
Edgeless-Infinite-Wholeness.
No 'Other' ONE. Neti-Neti !
means Not 'This – Not 'That' !
Most 'religions' call it
indescribable,
incomparable,
inexpressable,
this ineffable ONE.
Einstein, who looked like
a happy version of God ~
simply called it 'Universe'.
ALL world-teachings agree on: that 'Consciousness' is Non-Dual. BUT 'Mind' isn't.
Ego-Mind makes 'survival-separations'. Sure, there are many thought-'particles',
neurons zipping around in my head as 'content' - but the Big Picture 'Context' ~
~ ahh, that is the vast All One Whole Universal Consciousness Frequency.
All these mere 'words' all mean the same thing. ONE.
So I say 'Namaste' and greet everybody At Once! ~ Akasa Levi
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All At Once ~ It's All about Oneness ~ not much else to remember
____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________
" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real " ~ The Buddha
"One easily made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one." ~ Amaji Meera
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never, at no time, in any way is anyone ever persuaded or expected to take a Beginner's Refuge Initiation
Saying I'm a "Buddhist" is sort of a handy, usable 'working-title'
When one Goes for “Refuge” and ‘becomes’ a Buddhist
( a Student of the Buddha’s Way and a student of the Dharma-Teachings
and a student of the monastic and lay Sangha as a practice support-system
and for ongoing guidance – and a student mainly of ones own mindfulness.)
~~~~~~~~~ One Makes a Formal REFUGE Intent ~~~~~~~~
Namo Tassa Bhag’avato Ara’hato Samma Sam-Bud’dhassa !
Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Pure-Minded One, the Self-Awakened One
That Fully-Realized One ~ Perfectly Enlightened by Himself
in the purity of his truth of thought, word and deed, in his wisdom and his empathy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May I attain enlightenment, for the benefit of all sentient beings!
May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings!
I Take the Three Refuges in The Three Jewels of
Buddha . Dhamma . Sangha . Sara’nang Gac’chami
~ above repeat three times ~
I go for 'Refuge' to The Buddha-Presence,
The Dharma-Teachings & The Sangha-Community
~ below repeat mantras three times or over n’ over ~
~ Sat’nam ~
In The Name of Truth
~ Om Shanti ~
Be Peace
~ A’himsa, A’himsa ~
Do no harm, Be non-violent
~ Om Mani Padme Hum ~
Buddha-Nature is The Jewel in The Lotus
Sabbe Satta Sukki Hontu !
May All Beings Be Happy !
dhan’ya vād -or- shuk’riyā ~ thank you
May Wisdom & Compassion Forever Flourish !
. . . don't forget that every day is a Holy Day
( 3 ) Entering The "BUDDHISM" CLASS: What are you getting into?
Entering The "BUDDHISM" CLASS
for Meditation & Dharma Study
Buddha ~ The Joyous Iconoclast
Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' Whatsoever
Please PERUSE THIS WHOLE SECTION ~ thanks
• How to Attend for the FIRST TIME.
• Have You a Deep Love of Learning?
• There’s A Very Eccentric-Edge’ to this Odd Class !
• The 'Nature' of the Student that just might benefit
• BE WELCOME FOR A ONE TIME VISIT & SEE ...
• Beginner's COMMITMENT - Six Weeks of Class
a steady student attendance - a sincere, solid, start
• C a u t i o n: for 'The Spiritually Sensitive'
• What Consistently Motivates Us? – the poet Rilke
said .. "To Love the Questions Themselves! "
• “IF” ~ a mindfulness poem by Rudyard Kipling
• 'Darkness' - no matter how ominous & intimidating
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
Be Open to a truly Liberated Present Moment of an Infinite 'Now' ! ~ Alan Watts
~ BUDDHA ~
The JOYOUS ICONOCLAST
Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' Whatsoever
" Do not accept my teachings simply because I am called The Buddha "
________________________________________________________________________________
“ What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real ”
~ Gautama The Buddha ~
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_______________________________________________________________________________________
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Deep eclectic, ongoing ‘Conversations’ into the Dharma, Truth,
Wisdom, Empathy, Reality, and your OWN Awakening process.
"Inquiry into Self" Practice - combining the cool, calm sobriety
and observation approach of traditional Vipassana Mindfulness
with the 'crazy wisdom' irrationality of Zen Non-Duality – which
short-circuits the obsessive self-involved, self-identified mind.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Rumi says ...
"Learning your Spirit all Anew ~ well, at first –
almost everyone else must be bound and dragged here.
Only a very few rare ones, really do come entirely on their own"
" If you are irritated by every little rub,
how will you ever be polished ? "
~ Rumi
S u p r e m e C a u t i o n
S u p r e m e C a u t i o n:
for 'The Spiritually Sensitive'
These Unorthodox Buddhist Classes
Will Offer Some Challenging, Refreshing, Risky,
even 'Radical' Spiritual Considerations of Reality !
Sorry, we are sorta’ playing 'Spiritual Hardball' here,
but with lots n’ lots of compassionate tender Heart
to soften, loosen & unhinge the tenacious grip
of the illusory false "belief" in an ego-self -
and its obsessive demands for 'reasons',
un-examined 'antidotes' & comfort-zones
for the ego's mentally 'imagined' soul.
Instead of taking a ‘position’,
as an alternative path –
we offer some ancient,
sophisticated concepts
pointing ►the way towards
the poetic insights of simple,
liberated, pure Awareness.
_______________
"Good timber
does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind ~
the stronger the trees."
~ Williard Marriott
_________________
The Spiritual Warrior always weilding The Question
What's "Motivating" Me?
since Buddhist Practice is all about mindfulness of 'Intention' & 'Motivation'
Rilke . . .
“Be very patient toward all that is
unsolved in your own heart.
Try to love the 'Questions' themselves,
like locked rooms and like books
that are written in a foreign language.
Do not, just right now, go ‘seeking’
for the elusive ‘Answers’.
The 'Answers' which cannot just be
given over & handed to you -
because then you would not be able
to actually ‘live’ them yourself.
And the point is to ‘live’ everything –
experiencing everything yourself.
At present, you in particular, need
to live the Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually,
without even noticing it, live along
some day into the true Answer.
Your answer.”
~ Rainer Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" Paris 1908
Again, traveller, you have come
a long way led by that same star.
But “The ‘Kingdom of The Wish”
is at the other end of the night.
May you fare well, companero –
let us journey together joyfully,
Living on catastrophe,
eating the pure light.
~ Thomas McGrath “Epitaph” 1916-1990
if . . mindful skillful-means
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, but don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, but don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.
If you can dream –
and not make dreams your master,
If you can think –
and not make thoughts your aim.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools –
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you - but none too much.
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And –which is more– you'll be a Man, my son !
~ Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936
was awarded the first Nobel Prize
in Literature in the English language
in memory of Albert Joseph Levy 1915-2005
a requisite from every Father to every Son –
who first read it to me before my "Bar Mitzvah
rite of passage" initiation ritual into Adulthood.
“Whatever the Question ~ Love & Kindness is always the Answer!”
~ The 14th Dalai Lama
"One does not become enlightened
by naively 'imagining' images of light,
but by making the mind's darkness conscious."
"The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable, and therefore not popular."
~ Carl Jung
'Darkness' - no matter how ominous and intimidating -
Darkness is not a 'thing' or a 'force' – it is merely the absence of Light.
Darkness is the concealment of the Goodness / God-ness
So 'Light' need not combat and overpower
darkness in order to displace it.
Simply, where Light is, darkness is not.
A thimbleful of Light will therefore
banish a roomful of darkness.
Bring in your Light !
One need not go 'defeat' the 'Darkness' in the world –
One need only bring to Light its potential for Goodness
~ The Luba'vitcher Rebbe
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"Our deepest fears are like dragons
guarding our deepest treasure."
~ Rainier Rilke
" Nothing in life is to be feared – it is only to be understood "
~ Marie Curie
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"If one's thoughts towards 'spirituality'
were of the same passionate intensity
as those of a couple falling in 'love' –
one would become a Buddha right now,
in this very body, in this very life."
~ from The Love Poems of the Sixth Dalai Lama ( 1703 AD )
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]
“La vraie generosite envers l'avenir consiste a tout donner au present.”
“True ‘generosity’ towards the Future - is to give everything to the Present.”
~ Albert Camus
( 4 ) The MEDITATION pages Part 1.
( 4 ) NEW to BUDDHIST-Styles of MEDITATION ?
• Learning Quotes about meditation
• Names in use of our Buddhist Meditation-style.
• What about more Experienced Meditators ?
• Poetic Analogies illustrating Meditation
• Excellent DEFINITIONS of MEDITATION
• How Insight Awareness Meditation Works
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
~ currently ~
please always phone to confirm
the current evening of the week
The “BUDDHISM” Class
Vipassana Insight Meditation
“The PATH OF NO EXPECTATIONS”
A Path of Abundant ‘Practice Opportunities’
• OPEN Monday Night Class with Akasa Levi
• LIMITED Study-Group Nite with core-students
7:30 - 9:30 PM • Santa Monica • 310-450-2268
Best phone times – on any day – Noon to 6pm
Join our OPEN Ongoing Classes at Any Time
" Mindfulness meditation is 'practicing' how to fully experience being in the present moment "
‘Meditation’
Seeing better in Silence
To study the Buddha-Way is to study the Self.
To study the self - is to forget the self.
To forget the self - is to be Enlightened
by the Ten Thousand Dharmas.
To be Enlightened by the
Ten Thousand Dharmas is to be Free of
one's body and mind and those of others.
Even no trace of Enlightenment remains,
and this Traceless Enlightenment
is continued forever. . . .
~ Dogen, 1200 -1253 'Enlightenment as Everyday Life'
Only the 'idea' of a Self remains
Floating on a sea of cells –
Only heartbeats short of Eternity
In breath after breath only do we dwell.
~ Mike Garofalo 'Above the Fog'
The Lotus has its roots in the mud,
Grows up through the dirty deep water,
And rises to the surface.
It blooms into perfect beauty
and purity in the sunlight.
It is like the mind unfolding
into perfect joy and wisdom.
~ The Lotus Sutra
All human 'evil' comes from merely this:
a man's being unable to sit still in a room.
~ Blaise Pascal – 1654
Solitude is such a beautiful thing !
but it really needs someone to tell you
that 'solitude' is such a beautiful thing.
~ Honore de Balzac – 1840
Buddhist • Vipas’sana • Insight • Awareness
Sati-pat’thana • Mindfulness • Meditation Practice
These are the various Names in use that our Buddhist Meditation
is often referred to. It is a Silent Sitting-style 'Yoga of The Mind'.
Gradually training yourself to just Sit Still. Attentively ‘Mindful’ of the flow of the mind-process.
Watching – Witnessing – Observing without Reacting. Softly allowing Stillness to overcome you.
A “Dharma Satsang” is a Sangha-Group Discussion or Dialogue on Meditation & Dharma Practice.
We will also help you understand the ancient sacred psychologies of the basic Indian root-traditions
of traditional Buddhist Vipassana, Hindu Raj Yoga, Advaita Jnana Yoga, Tibetan Dzogchen practice,
and the wonderfully irrational Zen practices with a touch of pithy Tao. Thought that characterizes Asia.
“People ask me what I’m doing these days, and I tell them ‘I sit at home a lot’ and they think
I’m on a big sofa somewhere watching the tely - funny isn’t it” ( the meditators erupt in laughter )
~ John Lennon from a talk at Zen Center of NYC 1979. John was a long-time meditator.
" Meditation helps to keep us from so
identifying with our own 'movies of the mind'."
~ Joan Borysenko, M.D.
In the quietness we come to simply realize that
Whatever 'It' is - It's just a 'Thought'
The "Secret of the Receptive"
Must be sought in Stillness.
Within Stillness there remains
The 'potential' for action.
But if you force empty sitting,
Holding dead images in mind,
The tiger runs, the dragon flees !
How can the healing-elixir be given?
~ Sun Bu-er, Chinese Zen-Taoist Woman
Tiger & Dragon elements are used in Chinese medicine
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The moon is one –
but on agitated water
it produces many reflections.
Ultimate Reality is One –
yet seen through a mind
agitated by thoughts,
it ‘appears’ to be many.
Complexity appears –
ripples radiating across
what was once
a still pond.
~ The Ramayana ~
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________________
Your true ‘Authentic Being’
is always shining and free !
But human beings go make
a ‘Something’ out of absolutely Nothing.
And get so attached to that non-something
– and then automatically enter the ocean
of ‘suffering’ of that illusory 'something'.
Only without 'attachment-thinking'
can you return to your true non-self
which is the authentic 'no' self.
Practice "Dont-Know-Mind".
Practice "No-Surprise-Mind".
The mountain is always blue.
White clouds coming and going.
~ Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn ~
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Tricky Stuff, this Zen Mind
If you want to be truly free
Get to know your 'No Self'
Consciousness that is no
longer self-conscious Self.
But how? Just 'Know' that
‘The Real’
has no form, no appearance,
No root, No basis, No abode,
But it is lively and buoyant
It responds with versatile facility.
But how? Just 'Know' that
Its function cannot be located
Therefore when you look for it,
You become further from 'It'
When you seek 'It' - since 'It' isn't
You turn away from ‘It’ all the more.
~ Rinzai / Linji
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~ another famous moon-analogy ~
Enlightenment is like
the moon reflected on the water.
The
Moon
does not get wet
nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great,
the moon is reflected
even in a puddle a single-inch-wide.
The whole moon and the entire sky !
Are reflected in one single
little dew-drop on the grass.
~ Zenmaster Dogen 13th century AD
________________________________
~ here's some good DEFINITIONS of meditation
MED•I•TATE – Latin: medi’tatus – from MEDI - to be right here in the MIDDLE OF -
and yet be of neither this side nor that side; 'to be meta-physically poised on the fence'
– exquisitely balanced. To be in an alert semi-trance-like state of relaxed observation,
where physical action is voluntarily suspended. This enhances the ability to deeply
observe, witness, consider, contemplate or simply watch without judgment, without
commenting or the impulsive 'need' to arrive at any choice or any decision or simply
to arrive anywhere. The meditator develops the ability to 'space-out' (space-in) while
being fully mindful & keenly awake, reducing that nagging 'obsessive' thought activity;
an alert, wakeful but deeply restful attentiveness without the driven impulse to action;
to be serene, sublime, divine, tranquil and be calmly passive BUT by voluntary choice
– until a Wisdom-Informed Intent of a 'skillful action' that is entirely appropriate to the
situation naturally arises & unfolds. "Becoming a true disciple of your own Awareness".
Ideally, to be more & more free of 'self-identified', self-conscious thinking – by choice.
To allow a letting-go – and to just sit there free of 'compulsive' desire, impulse and
attachment. The Ideal Meditation: all ‘demands’ cease – to be still and at peace.
~ Akasa Levi
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♦ Insight Meditation ( ‘Vipassana’ in Pali-language of the original Buddhist teachings )
is the simple and direct practice of ‘moment-to-moment’ mindfulness. Through careful
sustained observation, we experience directly for ourselves the ever-changing flow of the
mind/body process. This keen awareness leads us to accept more fully the pleasure and
pain, fear and joy, sadness and happiness that life inevitably brings to all our ‘experiences’.
As insight-awareness deepens, we develop greater equanimity & peace in the face of change.
Wisdom & Compassion increasingly become the major guiding principles ‘informing’ our lives.
~ Joseph Goldstein
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♦ Practicing Meditation Is To Keep The Heart Open - Coming to our senses & opening
our hearts - is the sacred work of meditation. Meditation is a way of experiencing the world
without aggression and fear. A path of cultivating sanity and generating compassion, which
leads to peace in ourselves – which we can then, each individually, extend boundlessly and
un-compromisingly out into the world.
Meditation, is in itself, an 'act of resistance' to the inhumanity of violence, war and misguided
human politics – whether you feel it is a ‘just’ political environment or not. How do you keep
your heart open in the face of anger, fear, disappointment and sorrow? During meditation we
experience ways spiritual practice can realistically express our love of life & bring a peaceful
co-existence to this world – in a skillful, responsible pro-active way - as we ‘train’ ourselves
outside of our usual framework of time & space and daily responsibility - and then go back in !
~ Sharon Salzberg
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♦ Getting Into the ‘Gap’ – to abide in, to be in the more Open Spaces and subtle PAUSES
that are between the dots • • • ( non-thought ) - you just simply need much more Inner-Silence.
Silence that gradually takes root in your very being – innately & calmly allowing you much more
e x p a n s i v e • • • spacious room inside to simply see, to allow –
a continual, natural Waking-Up of your Deeper Awareness now being Wisdom-‘Informed’ just
as you read here now - and explore the Dharma-teachings here together in Heart, in Clarity
and in Reality – Instead of yapping, we are 'Gapping' our way through our very own conscious
Re-awakening, Self-Awakening Process – always a spacious present moment of right Now.
Pause now. Observe this mind as it is right now – not some 'fiction' about some 'other' mind, some
past / future-mind that you could've had. See the fiction of all these 'minds'. Then begin to notice
the vast all-pervading 'Observing-Consciousness' that is behind ALL these ‘mind-states’
you're experiencing.
~ Billy Bo Sat
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♦ Meditations we DO NOT teach: FYI for those who've inquired about guided imagery,
visualization-practices, darshan, diksha, empowerments, initiations or incarnation-work,
Tantra, or Mantra and the protection, teachings & blessings of tutelary Deities or Yidams.
A Yidam is a very specific Bodhisattva-mind-form or a Deity-mind-form – organically integrated in
the student's very basic nature or character-potential to become a Buddha - in this or a future-life.
This initiation-empowered or self-discovered ‘archetype’ precisely corresponds to the individual
psychological temperament of each person. Archetypically, it’s finding your inner-Spirtit-guide-muse.
The student uses a mantra and initiated-meditation to visualize the outstanding characteristics of the
Yidam - until he or she achieves complete inner union with it. According to the Tantra.yana practice
traditions, a Yidam is considered as the truest-emanation of the student-practitioner's very own mind,
the state of being indestructibly, inculcated, bonded now with the inherently Pure & Liberated Mind.
The Laughing Buddha Sangha does not offer these valuable Vajrayana Devotional Deistic practices.
We would be happy to refer you to other amenable Mahayana Buddhist teaching-settings that do.
about insight-awareness meditation
Highly Refining the 'Cognitive'...
only one of the ways insight-awareness works
This is a Buddhist-style 'Insight' Practice ( not guru-
devotion, diksha or samadhi ) that can be ‘experienced’
even by the beginning meditator. It flexibly combines
3 Insight-Inquiry approaches together: The keen,
but ever so gently focused sobriety & 'observation'
approach of (1) Theravada Vipassana-Mindfulness
– which can become very soft, so nakedly-bare and
receptively vulnerable in it's 'witnessing', in it's ‘non-
comparing’ clear 'Looking'. Rebirthing the innocent
eyes of a child. We need intuitive inner-strength to
carry this delicate ‘3rd Eye’ that Sees and Knows.
This is contrasted, supported, protected, fearlessly
made sturdy by the more radical 'argue-as-you-might'
indefinable "Crazy Wisdom" irrationality of the abstract
(2) Zen sensibility – teamed with India's razor-sharp
(3) Advaita Non-Duality & it's loving but relentless,
uncompromising 'Inquiry' approach – that lets your
'stories' & 'reasons' get mindfulness ‘recognition’ while
insightfully wearing themselves down by themselves
at the same time - into nothing but empty ‘Realization’.
So you can experience directly – right within yourself
how you so tenaciously maintain the False Belief’ in
an "Ego-Self". A 'Belief" that totally believes in 'Itself',
if not coercing itself to believe in itself. There’s often
bitter concealed resentment or outright despair. That
'self' has to constantly sell it ‘self’ ON itself & can’t
it just be desirable just as it is. ‘Believing’ itself a failure.
That’s grounds for indignation on top of deep insecurity.
Suffering a life of searching for a reflected ‘desirability’
in just about everything/anyone. Self has a full time job.
As the meditator (you) - begins to install and apply
and refines for yourself a new mind set of Dharma
within the meditation - these polar opposite schools:
vulnerable Mindfulness and powerful Zen-Advaita now
awake with built-in, ready to use tools - that ‘knows’
more precisely “what IT is” arising in this-very-moment
of consciousness. In as well as out of meditation. In
a penetrating, but in a kind, totally non-aggressive,
'observation' mode - in calm, compassionate watching.
This quiet, meditative, enhanced-seeing may yet yield
spontaneous Insight at a level of such clarity that
the Reality of the Real now becomes fully Awake and
Aware ! And you’re Freeeee of it ! ( for longer & longer
extended periods ) Actually, it frees itself ! You do zip.
OK: What is it that really works here - is the way this
whole mind-set - is ‘set up’. Holy Good Cop, Holy Bad
Cop. Gradually it happens in the “process” of frequent
meditation practice – that there is a soft, open, totally
'safe' middle-zone (mindfulness) – protected by two
adorable tough guy 'resilient' Zen zones flanking it
on either side. This mid-zone allows an innocent,
non-reactive, unconditional 'seeing', allowing
the 'Ego' to be yielding, calm & un-resistive.
Unsuspecting: we’re gonna’ compassionately
bait & catch the Ego fish. It’s gonna prefer the Dharma.
Both approaches are openly skillful & so necessary as
supportive allies: otherwise how could you possibly
dare to engage and entertain such 'radical' thinking
such 'radical' thinking about even the possibility of
'obsolescing' the existence of a wily, cowering or
macho or elusive Ego-Self's totally survival-oriented
maneuvers to exist & persist. Ego just won't tolerate
leaving. It won’t let go. Just look at what happened
any other time we tried. We'd cave, crumble and get
crushed. We're swimming our individual Unreality
upstream against currents in a society that takes Ego
as being so potentially, profitably Real? Try gentle
Meditation? “Give it up - are you kidding” snaps Ego.
BUT then Ego falls in love with the WISDOM of Dharma.
Ego found the Dharma out there somewhere. Now it’s
Ego’s new prize. I’m going to learn Wisdom. I’m going
to get busted. Wisdom tells me ‘Wisdom’ is not for sale.
Mindfulness, Zen and Advaita certainly can short-
circuit the chronic, so obsessively ‘self-identified',
'self-absorbed-mind' – that takes 'itself' as being
so Real. Meditation undermines that ! At an optimum:
Ego-Self becomes more irrelevant & ‘goes natural’
till it opts to gracefully obsolete by early retiring itself !
At a minimum: the Ego-Self so 'likes' what happened
to it, it now feels so included, so talked about in this
“Venture' of Ego-less-ness” ( Wisdom likes Wisdom )
Hearing its name all the time now, Ego gets to be the
center of your attention. That it naively joins forces with
the Victor (Dharma-Vijaya) and agrees to learn Dharma
(a new toy), sit meditation and hopelessly hope for the
best that’ll survive. Result: the gradual growth into a
very Good Person - with a twinkle in their eye.
Ego becomes your pet instead of your master or jailor.
Through Meditation - fresh new brain chemistry
actually happens – for a much more calm, naturally
expanded & tremendously strengthened Awareness.
As one develops a 'Dharma'-Informed Mind instead –
through skillful Wisdom-study, a lovingly-persistent
deep questioning, and an unromantic de-mystifying,
open-minded, caring, passionate investigation into
the True Nature of Reality - nourished by a rich, kind,
non-cynical, genuine Empathy. Self obsoletes Self.
Hey, talk about self-sacrifice ! Doing yourSelf in . . .
Creating a fearless 'life of compassionate practice'
continuously dedicated to your own Awakening process,
each one of us at our own pace - that will extend
spontaneously, boundlessly towards the welfare and
happiness of all other living, feeling, struggling beings.
You'll get it. They'll get it. Everyone can Awaken !
~ Akasa-maitreya
______________________________________________
"It's not You that wakes up ~
It is Reality itself that wakes up.
The Truth itself wakes up.
'You' are not enlightened –
'Enlightenment' is Enlightened."
~ Adyashanti
A Silly Satori
Enlightenment: Early Laughing Stream-Entry Stages
'Enlightenment' just simply steps out into the Light for you.
When you 'recognize' Enlightenment in you ~ Enlightenment is already lit up !
More n' more the Light is on. A quiet light. You learn greater humility in its presence.
You have more and more consecutively-mindful enlightened-moments in a row. AhHa !
The Insights of AhHa ! AhHa ! AhHa ! consecutively becomes Ha Ha ! Ha Ha ! Ha Ha !
The genuine essence of an 'Adventure'
is that one just really doesn't know the outcome.
The essence of an evolving 'Spiritual' Adventure
is that one shouldn't need to know the outcome -
and that one absolutely can’t know the outcome!
And that there really aren't any 'outcomes'.
~ Alexander Carpenter ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
'Chance' favors the prepared mind. Prepare yourself. ~ I Ching
( 5 ) The MEDITATION pages 2. This is a Long Section
( 5 ) HOW to MEDITATE: It’s about ‘Practice’
• What is “Mindfulness” Awareness-Meditation?
• True SILENCE & Stillness & Still More Waiting...
( 5a ) The BASIC MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. Mindfulness
• Helpful Meditation Sitting Tools & Encouragement
• ON 'PRACTICE' - sitting meditation is a Training!
• Many Meditation Learning-Quotes
• ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE catching a ‘felt-sense’.
• .... just a “GOOD ENOUGH" Meditation Practice
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
Like a handsome tree –
Come to Meditation slow
with the heart of youth
and grow slowly into it.
Why are you impatiently
in such an irritable hurry?
Time is simply a useful illusion.
An illusion of appearances none the less.
How to Meditate:
How to Meditate:
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
If you forget this –
attaining Enlightenment
will be the least of your problems.
~ The Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist
"Become a True Disciple
of your Own Silent Awareness"
Instead of 'trying' to become something other than I am,
I realize fully what is already here now. Pure 'Is-ness'.
Inner-Stillness itself - is what Awakens
your Deep Radiant Heart of Grace and Wisdom
All you have to do is - learn how to really Sit Still,
to calmly fully experience and to mindfully observe everything.
Non-Reactively – Look Deeply – See Clearly.
Silence ‘informed’ by the Dharma does all the rest !
~ above quote by the revered late Mahapadya Aggamaha Pandita
Sri Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Maha Nayake Thera
of the Amarapura Sadhammavamsa Maha Nikaya Lineage.
August 24, 1896 until July 18,1998, at 102 years. Whew!
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
This Is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
True Silence is not the absence of Sound ~
True Silence is the absence of 'Self'.
~ Anthony de Mello
The Meditative Ideal While Simply Sitting There:
Sit very Still: Just Allow total ‘Stillness’ to overcome you
while Everything is Fully Experienced.
Everything is simply Mindfully Witnessed / Observed ...
Nothing is Blindly Reacted or Responded To –
until an Appropriate Good Intention arises in the mind –
Mindfully prompting a Wholesome Good Action or Inaction
______________________________________________
But of course you probably will react & you probably will
blindly, impulsively get caught up in the Dharma ‘Drama’ Story
of your life for awhile yet - so patiently just keep on meditating.
Giving yourself plenty of patient blessings of compassion and
forgiveness for yourself & others - which you may not do now,
but will certainly do it, if you do the Awareness practice a bit.
Then how can the Heart-Mind not Open like a Wide Sky ?
________________________________________
~ Stillness ~
If you ignore its simple profundity,
you can never ‘Practice Stillness’.
Like the Great Void,
It is Perfect and lacks nothing,
nor has any excess.
If you differentiate,
you will miss its Suchness.
Cling not to external-causes
– nor stay in the Void.
'Distinctions' ceases if you can be simply impartial.
'Stillness' comes when all disturbances are stopped within.
Clinging to Stillness is also a mistake.
If you cling to opposites, how will you ever know the One?
~ Third Patriarch of Zen - Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T'san
For the listener,
who listens in the snow,
And, be nothing himself,
Beholds
Nothing that is not there
and the 'Nothing' that is.
~ Wallace Stevens
Do Nothing – Just Sit There !
Simply wait, without asking for anything.
You say you want the pleasantness of meditation and you want to go there quickly ?
Don't be hasty. Go at your own pace. You may try imagining you are connected to
someone - it may be pleasant - but your meditation will stop with your imagination.
Rejoice when peace comes to you gently. Certainly you will advance to the next step.
Meditation has no shape or form. Methods aren't necessary.
If you tie yourself to a method or technology, it will bring limitations.
Of course, there are 'the basics'. The basics need frequent practice.
It is like eating food – it comes naturally and is available to everyone.
But table manners and diets are particular to each and every culture -
and so one adjusts how one eats based on what they are taught.
So what was once simple becomes complicated.
But no matter how you eat it, the food is still tasty, isn't it ?
Simply, rejoice from the heart when you eat delicious food !
But sometimes, you may wish to visit another culture and
experience their ways. Sometimes it is useful to do this.
It is the same with meditation. If it is useful to you, then try it.
Do you need a meditation training-certificate ?
That just shows you have money to spend.
Nothing is proven with written-qualifications or saying you are
at such and such a level. Do you really think your meditation
can't advance without another class or workshop ?
You will only reach meditation by doing it.
The first step is the Heart's request for peace.
When that feeling comes, your heart finds a place
to settle even if you are walking –
or sitting with eyes open or closed.
As for my method, I simply sit ... and wait.
Not for any particular thing ... I just wait.
Unintentionally, one waits with expectations,
looking for experiences or results. This is asking.
This is the imagination.
Provide the space for your Heart to ask for peace.
And then simply wait, without asking for anything.
~ Gayuna Sun'dima from Burma
______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
"The Baby Buddha" Inside Each of Us Becomes Quiet –
– as they say in Zen: "The first aim of sitting down
to meditate is to stop the baby from crying."
What is “Mindfulness” Insight-Awareness Meditation?
Simple: In practicing this particular style of Buddhist silent-sitting meditation – it becomes
gradually possible for you to have the ‘experience’ that everything is noticed & quietly ‘observed’.
Have you ever just stood there and ever so calmly, quietly, silently looked at something? A flower.
Just simply looked. Before thought intrudes. Of course you have. Well, it’s simply that. In our
meditation-style called Vipassana Insight Meditation: everything you silently ‘experience’ counts –
it all becomes a "Noticing and observing, hearing and feeling sensations, witnessing meditation" –
In this ‘non-doing’, ‘just being’ of silence and stillness. Letting things be as they are. Just look.
Just allowing yourself to experience. Allow experience. Permit experience. Nothing to “do”.
"Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance
of the present experience as it is.
'Realization' isn't more complicated than that !
It is opening to, or receiving the present moment,
pleasant or unpleasant – just as it is –
–– non-judgmentally ––
without either clinging to it - or rejecting it."
~ Sylvia Boorstein
__________________________________________
“An ongoing Practice of
Meditative Inquiry into the 'Self' –
is always, totally a ‘fresh start’ every moment
Self-inquiry will not transform the mind. It will not make of you ‘anything’
else that you are not already. It will over time, dissolve the False Belief that
you 'are' this body, this mind, this ‘history’. Only just STOP for one moment
to see how it feels to just simply BE ! And then Stop again. And then again.
Just that. Stop.
And all the rest will be taken care of.”
" The mantra I continuously say to myself is –
I Will STOP Searching Outside ! "
both quotes ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi ~ Arunachala 1931
( 5a ) The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
( 5a ) The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
• Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. 'Breathing' & 'Thinking'
• Helpful Meditation Sitting Tools & Encouragement
• ON 'PRACTICE' - sitting meditation is a Training !
• Many Meditation Learning-Quotes & some Myths
• ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE - catching a ‘felt-sense’
• Having only a “GOOD ENOUGH Meditation Practice
m•i•n•d•f•u•l•n•e•s•s
'mindfulness practice' is
continually preparing the mind
to become fully conscious
___________________________________________________
The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. review them many times
“I once again say these words with a boundless grateful appreciation
that I can actually sit and practice here in the safety of my own surround –
With much loving-kindness, I again fully dedicate all personal-value gained
by this meditation sitting to the benefit & well-being of all that lives.”
Learning to tolerate and/or deeply appreciate my very own developing inner-stillness.
My stillness allows me to observe, to 'see' better, to see thru what formerly seemed so very solid.
My own constant seeing this 'transparency' brings it's 'reality' into serious question. My grip relaxes.
My constant cultivating of ‘Wisdom-mind’ itself, dissolves the illusory drama. I now set myself free !
Ideally: there is no demand, there is no urgency to 'get' anything while meditating.
Ideally: there is no demand, there is no urgency to 'do' anything while meditating.
Ideally: there is no demand, there is no urgency to 'be' anything while meditating.
If there is 'demandingness' while meditating – that is the way it is. Just Notice It.
This is the ancient practice of 'Becoming Un-demanding'
♦ "If you don't clearly understand that ‘whatever’ appears IS meditation -
Then what can you achieve by applying a divine or spiritual ‘antidote’?
’Ideas’ and ‘conceptions’ are not abandoned by just discarding them –
but are spontaneously freed by themselves when they 'recognize'
and 'realize' themselves as simply only an illusion."
~ The Dakini Niguma 1025 AD
"Remember... the 'illusion'
has merely ‘the appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side - you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"It's not You that wakes up ~
It is Reality that wakes up.
The Truth itself wakes up.
'You' are not enlightened –
'Enlightenment' is enlightened."
~ Adyashanti
"Sitting meditation is simply just sitting quietly,
calmly waiting for enlightenment to simply be.
It's the 'waiting' and the 'wanting' that's the problem "
~ Akasa-Maitreya
When I experience Sound & Hearing, I know that I am Hearing.
When I experience Sight & Seeing, I know that I am Seeing.
When I experience Sensation & Feeling, I know that I am Feeling.
When I experience Thought & Thinking, I know that I am Thinking.
'Intimacy with Breath'
a back-to-breath method ~
Remember: That everything feels like it feels.
You must find out
whether the mountains,
rivers, grass, and forests
exist in your own mind
or exist outside it.
Analyze the ten thousand things,
dissect them minutely,
and when you take this to the limit
you will come to the Limitless.
When you search into it
you come to the end of search.
Where thinking goes no further
and distinctions vanish.
When you crumble the Citadel of Doubt,
then the Buddha is simply yourself.
~ Dai’kaku
The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible.
That's the 'What Is'
that is ordinarily brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real –
‘real’ or ‘not-real’
is still a concept for you
until the 'Real' is Real.
~ Henri Van Zeyst
To TRAIN yourself in Meditation is to train yourself OUT of blind-sided Reactivity
and then the 'thought-objects' in your mind just don't get to you as much anymore.
the thought-objects in your mind just don't take you over as much anymore.
Less n' less do you get so 'caught-up' in your stuff . . you Observe them instead.
Observing BUT Not Reacting gives you the mindful-pause to loosen the tenacious grip
that thoughts 'seem' to have, appear to have. This is The Practice of Non-Reactivity.
There IS the Actual ‘Object’ & the Actual Seeing-Neurons that actually See.
But No Actual ‘See-er’. A ‘See-er’ is just an ‘Idea’ in the mind. Just more Neurons.
What about “It” ? Whatever “It” is.
“Please, this you must begin to understand: When you meditate –
that no matter what “It” is – “It” is only the mental “object” of the moment.
It’s a brief ‘meditation’ in the Impermanence of this immediate mind-moment.
The object is held as an ‘imago-in-mind’, a retained after-image of the thing.
That is what is there – and thus “It” becomes THE ‘meditation’ – but so does
everything else in that moment count too. The whole breadth & width
of what I can see -‘glimpsing’ - in that very moment. And possibly and
more importantly, maybe including a pure, uncluttered, clear Insight
into my ‘thoughts’ about what I experience – and maybe not.
Mostly, what is experienced is just simply more ‘thinking’.
What ( I ) experience is usually, really not the object itself –
but ( my ) ‘experience’ of ( my ) experience of it –
back-up storage, only a photo-copy in the brain.
Nothing Real here at all.
Just Neurons & Pixels.
In the beginning “I” didn’t recognize & realize that yet!”
INSIGHT-MINDFULNESS:
Observing the thought-feeling-experience cycle –
It's a Practice we 'practice'. Most of the time.
At some point the practice fully takes 'us' over.
That's what they call being 'enlightened'.
Practicing toward another level
of human development.
The MEDITATION Practice: It's a Practice we 'practice'. Sitting very still & just Observing
with a non-tinkering, non-fixing, hands-off sort of experiential 'watching' –– Watching the
"Re-Active-Mind" – just watching it unfold - training ourselves to not linger in thought
too long or 'thinking' will getcha'. That's why we come back to breath. Breath is your
homepage – That's all we're doing! Observing. Observing. Observing the whole process.
Observing with the next 'Mindful-Mind-Thought' that occurs - Mindfulness-Mind right
on the heels of what you just thought...a 'mindful-thought', a 'just-watching' may occur or
may not occur - you can't make yourself have a 'mindful thought'. All you're doing in
meditation is training yourself to sit still -- training to allow the possibility of 'observing'
to arise naturally – if it does. You can't make yourself have 'good' meditation sittings.
Sitting there may be accompanied by 'patience' or it may be accompanied by 'restlessness'.
Whatever 'happens' happens. You just sit it thru. But if you do happen to mindfully notice
that 'that' was a 'reactive' thought or a 'take action' thought, or a 'sad' or 'angry' thought,
well then you did. That's a much better setup for the next time a 'reactive' thought arises.
You'll notice the 'Cues' quicker and quicker and quicker – instead of the 'reactive-thought'
just turning into an unconscious, un-observed impulsive thought or action – mindlessly.
For instance: like sitting there meditating and feeling an itch - then comes a couple of jabs
of quick reactive-thoughts 'itch' and 'scratch' and the hand impulsively darts to it - instead
of mindfully just sitting there in motionless meditation and just observing - experiencing
the whole thought-feeling-cycle: sensation/reactive-thought/reactive-action - all that quickly.
Meditation slows you down & increases 'awareness' at the same time. Now as a meditator you
just sit it out and merely watch/observe. THEN you make the fully mindful, conscious decision
to scratch - and slowly raise the arm - feeling the weight of the arm - approach the itch - observing
any and all other thoughts along the way - emotions of anticipation before you actually do scratch –
and then go scratch! Ahhh! Observing the thought-emotions of relief and whatever else arises ...
and then go back to the breath. And simply start again. Till the next naturally occurring 'interruption'
of your attention to breath. Attention shifts to the new event happening in the mind. You observe.
This "Insight Meditation" is not about a 'discipline' of dismissing all thoughts so you can remain
uninterrupted at breath. No. All 'happenings' - thoughts, sensations, feelings, emotions are 'objects'
of Mindfulness Meditation. Gradually, 'mindful-attention' to each thought or action attentively follows
and pervades your daily life of normal movement and thought. For right now that is all we are doing.
'Mindfulness' is a full time job. An attentive daily Zen of Everything – from waking to sleeping.
Gradually, you get to notice more and more 'detail' about the thoughts you have - that were only
hardly noticed before in a much more 'blind', impulsive, shallow way. Actually, meditation develops
a similar mental awareness like a blind person - the other senses become very acute. Soon you
really do see the 'un-reality' of most of your own 'thinking' and stop believing your own 'mind' –
as things become more transparent to you – and not 'real' and not really the 'truth'. All those
'I-me-mine' thoughts loose much of their 'solid' power over you. The veils of painful delusion thin.
That's what we all want –– to 'suffer' much much less. I just want peace and quiet inside me.
About SENSATIONS In The Body: When you sit very still in meditation, the body, breath, diaphragm
and muscles really relax and often deeply let go. And sometimes even very painful toxins get released.
The body relaxes, the body FEELS lots of different sensations that normal movement covers over
under normal circumstances or the mind filters them out. When you meditate you risk feeling yourself
– and risk getting to really know your own mind ! So when you report what the sensations and
loosened contractions and released tensions felt like after meditation - that's what those feelings and
sensations were. A very common occurrence. Don't try to interpret – they're all just 'experiences'.
Keep it simple - all will be revealed as you cultivate a life-time career of sitting meditation. Patience !
In sitting meditation we gradually build healthy 'tolerances' to all sorts of thoughts, sensations and
emotional feelings. Tolerances and Openings - not denials or escapes. On the way towards cultivating
these physical and mental tolerances, we might experience many discomforts along the way.
That's just the pains of a human being undergoing the process of transformative-change.
"Using a thorn to take out a thorn"- Stay open. Just continue to practice.
"The Only Way Out is Through!" – sagely advice says the Tao – it's true.
Be brave and don't quit. Continue to sit regularly. Love yourself for doing this Practice.
And be supremely patient with yourself – on your way towards Ordinary Everyday Grace.
Again, Remember to Remember ~ Whatever 'It' is – 'Its' just a “Thought”.
♦ "If you don't clearly understand that ‘whatever’ appears IS meditation -
Then what can you achieve by applying a divine or spiritual ‘antidote’?
’Ideas’ and ‘conceptions’ are not abandoned by just discarding them –
but are spontaneously freed by themselves when they 'recognize'
and 'realize' themselves as simply only an illusion."
~ The Dakini Niguma 1025 AD
"Remember... the 'illusion'
has merely ‘the appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side - you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"It's not You that wakes up ~
It is Reality that wakes up.
The Truth itself wakes up.
'You' are not enlightened –
'Enlightenment' is enlightened."
~ Adyashanti
"Sitting meditation is simply just sitting quietly,
calmly waiting for enlightenment to come"
~ Akasa-Maitreya
ON 'PRACTICE' – If you’ve ever 'trained' or 'practiced' anything – please understand
that sitting meditation is simply a Training. You 'train' by practicing. Then you get results.
Meditation is less strenuous, much easier than yoga, martial arts, music. But you still gotta 'practice'
by actually sitting down with dedicated intent, in a sincere formal manner to meditate! You practice.
BUT NO ONE’S SAID YET THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A TIME-CRUNCH / DEADLINE TO DO THIS IN.
ENLIGHTENMENT IS THE SAME FOR THE TURTLE OR THE HARE. TAKE AS LONG AS YOU WANT.
GO AHEAD, ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE A ‘BAD’ MEDITATOR FOR AWHILE. YOU’LL IMPROVE !
STAY WITH IT, STAY INTERESTED IN YOUR AWARENESS-DEVELOPMENT. Somehow PRACTICE.
Shi-kan-taza – Zen for: Just Sitting ! Just sit still and let Stillness overwhelm you...
Like building, stretching and strengthening a muscle or posture in Yoga – in meditation practice
you hafta’ practice doing ‘reps’ right through all the many distractions, discomforts and resistances.
Practice right through all the "talk-myself-out-of-it-thinking". Wanna’ play in The Enlightenment Band?
You gotta’ practice your instrument! As Buddha said ~ "Beyond all the Resistances lies Freedom."
Please, SIT meditation at home regularly to train & strengthen the Mindful-Awareness-Mind-Muscle !
Frequent Home-sitting Meditation - is take-home work for us to keep refining our understanding of
the mind while in meditation-mode & while in everyday mindful-life. The Practice of Mindful Presence.
So make it happen – make a beginner's 'steady date' with your mind to be in 'meditation mode'.
• Make One Evening a Week at class – Your ‘Quiet Time’ for Dharma-Insight & Meditation training.
That's 2 class-hours weekly – and that may actually be the very best way to seriously begin practice.
To “sit” a REAL meditation with some real meat on the bone – in that you're really starting to cultivate
your own frequent steady 'home practice' of sitting meditation. Probably a total of 4 hours a week.
fer' instance: a 'sit' of perhaps 30 minutes, 35 min., or 40 min. ~ but not over that, it's over kill ...
and not under that, except for 'relaxation', or you don't get enough cycles of experience-time in.
2hr Weekly Class ( ½hr sit in class) + plus ½hr + ½hr + ½hr sits at home
that = 3 or 4 or 5 sits a week between class & home. It's a Yoga to be Practiced....
• Group Class is "Being in Stillness with Silent Group Support" – for 6 weeks. Half silent. Half talking
Then simply 'listening' deeply into the Dharma discussion or ask lots of Questions – either.
• Learning How to Be Still. Could just simple 'Silence' be simply enough 'spirituality' for you?
"There may be more to learn
from climbing the same mountain a hundred times –
than by climbing a hundred different mountains." ~ The Tao
What do you mean by saying to me "You're Repetitious" Well, you are.
REPETITION: And, Meditation Practice does get 'Repetitious'. It is supposed to.
On ALL levels. Sitting meditation, Dharma study & reading does take consistent immersion, and yes –
experiencing your own Repetitions, your own Patterns – here or somewhere – as they become more
conscious to mindful awareness. It is good to see & experience our Repetitions - as that IS what most
of our lives are made up of: well it is, isn't it? Mostly monkey-mind mini crisis-filled repetitious chatter –
so now, with this insight-meditation practice, we get treated to it all the more vividly ! See the Patterns.
We have to see it to let go of it ! We have to see it a lot, repetitiously recognized to let go of it !
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
‘Consistent-Immersion’ is a key part of the Meditation-Inquiry process. We really get to keep seeing
the 'make-believe', illusory-solidity of stuff thru sitting & after sitting - having more & more penetrating
insight into their true Empty nature ( to be explained only in class - as 'Emptiness' is very misconceived ).
"We are in the 'Here-Now' NOW learning to appreciate the Emptiness instead of reviling the Boredom".
Being that ‘Meditation’ is a passive-activity and prone to boredom or restlessness in the beginning –
this is a crucially important ‘experience’ to discuss during the teaching portion of class: we’ll save it for then.
And on another level, there is real 'spiritual' development enhanced by the constant gentle ‘repetitions’
of the key core-Dharma-teachings that back-up, support and 'inform' your meditation practice. So we offer
you the open-ended opportunity to sit with us weekly – now committed to practice simply by your own
good intentions & sincere attempts to sit meditation steadily at home – and absorb all the Dharma that will
someday replace all our non-sense.
You will come to the very end of how many versions, variations and long-tellings of your 'Story' that you've
consistently witnessed and penetratingly observed in your sittings – experiencing their Emptiness – each
accompanied much more these days with a loving compassion and kindness towards yourself – as the
'appearance' of their momentary ‘existence’ is shortened – and even getting e m p t i e r - the grip loosening,
the 'transparency' increasing – the Un-real becomes obvious – as your innate Wisdom grows in gentle peace.
REPETITIONS of Teaching-material: From time to time as you ‘work’ your way through this rich and dense
teaching-site – you’ll notice some quotes, poems or aphorisms that will be Repeated because we are assuming
that not all people will read thru all the many sections of this site & may miss some key or relevant elements:
so we’ve repeated them.
See, Repetition is Good:
"There may be more to learn
from climbing the same mountain a hundred times –
than by climbing a hundred different mountains." ~ The Tao
A guy dashing along 57th Street in NYC –
quickly asks another passerby -
"How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"
The other man quickly responds,
"Practice, practice, practice!"
~ an old 1920's vaudeville joke
that experienced 'meditators' never, ever forget
Siddartha the seeker asks Kamala,
the beautiful courtesan, for her favors -
She asks what he can do to earn his way.
He answers:
"I can fast, I can wait, and I can meditate,
and with those, I have everything .... "
~ from Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha – 1922
And then I just sit down some more and wait –
allowing 'Stillness' to take me over again.
What else can one do?
I can learn to meditate & I can learn to wait.
Questioner ~ "Ji, Do you teach people who come to you how to be 'meditators' ?
Munindra-ji ~ "No, I teach people how to be 'waiters' – just like in a tea shop.
The waiter stands there and simply 'waits' to be called to your table.
How to have 'patience' and really learn to just wait – sitting/waiting.
While waiting - to grasp at nothing - to want nothing ! Just observe.
To just 'wait it out'. To simply sit there, meditate and wait."
~ Sri Anagarika Munindra
training to wait
something Americans do very poorly
The genuine essence of an 'Adventure'
is that one just really doesn't know the Outcome.
The essence of an evolving 'Spiritual' Adventure
is that one shouldn't need to know the outcome -
and that one absolutely can’t know the outcome!
And that there really aren't any 'outcomes'.
~ Alexander Carpenter
__________________________________________________________
while you’re painfully “sitting” meditation there, see if you notice that . . .
"Personal suffering does not arise
from the 'experiences' we have -
but from our reaction to them."
~ Sri Anagarika Munindra
"Physical 'pain' is Real. It bleeds. It hurts.
Psychological 'suffering' is a 'voluntary pastime'.
A person will renounce any pleasure you like -
but they still will not give up their 'suffering'.
It makes them rather special."
~ G. I. Gurdjieff ( Paris 1925 )
‘Thoughts’ are not Real. Body-Sensations are.
Thoughts then trigger Fear-Anxiety-sensations.
Fear-Anxiety-sensations then trigger more negative Thoughts
– and then Observe what happens.
The combination seems so ‘real’
You Feel it – • –You 'React' to it
And you begin to create even more Suffering –
There you go, taking the Unreal for Real again.
Taking the Impermanent for Permanent again.
Please, don’t believe your own mind !
Whatever 'It' is – 'It' too shall pass –
And it wasn't even Real.
~ S.N. Goenka ( India 1974 )
Tips on having simply just a “good enough” meditation
don't coerce it . . . only if you know that . . .
When I experience Sound & Hearing, I know that I am Hearing.
When I experience Sight & Seeing, I know that I am Seeing.
When I experience Sensation & Feeling, I know that I am Feeling.
When I experience Thought & Thinking, I know that I am Thinking.
This Basic 'Context' ~ as a beginner try n' not to stray too far from noticing these
basic forms of 'experiencing'. Nevertheless, ( Story ) 'Content' is entirely another
matter to be explored through many Dharma-talks, and Satsang dialogue in class
& with Dharma-friends. 'Naming', 'Noting' & 'Labeling' will come along later on.
Remember ultimately: Whatever 'It' is – 'Its' just a “Thought”.
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
‘NOTING’ & ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE is where you catch a ‘Felt-Sense’,
a ‘glimpse’ of ‘where’ in cognitive-activity ( ‘thinking’ ) you’ve been –
a ‘recall’ just before you head on back to the “base-breath awareness”
and start again in being with breath again, and again – till you’re just not.
So, Where 'were' you? What did you glean, pick up about where you were?
• mad • sad • bad • glad • scared-mind • wanting-mind • rejecting mind • judging-mind
• angry-mind • joyous-mind • ping-pong mind • restless-mind • numb-mind • resenting-mind
• contracted-mind • sleepy-mind • relaxed-mind • alert-mind • appreciative-mind • attentive-mind
• tight-mind • critical-mind • guilty-mind • scolding-mind • easy-mind • compassionate-mind • kind-mind
• try n' keep to simple ‘noticing’ • keep the ‘noticing’ very generic as above • don't analyze/psychologize
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do not get caught up into the “content” of mind:
the swirl of “thoughts”, of thinking, the 'story'-line, 'the narrative', the details.
When beginning to Note: JUST NOTE ‘thinking’ or 'feeling' or 'hearing' and if it's emotion, 'emotion'.
Simply ‘get’ the full felt-sense of the emotional tone or texture of that which you find yourself ‘noting’ –
allow ‘noting’ to be spontaneous – notice if you go ‘stalking’ the mind, 'trying' to note what's going on.
If you are not noticing any details about your experiences, notice that. Noting that 'happens' naturally.
Hold back the 'interpretive-intellect' stuff for satsang-discussion or your own therapy session.
~ Akasa Levi
“But don’t do too much Noticing
especially in the beginning . . .
~or~
'Noticing' will just become more 'Thinking'.
Learning to leave the witness be.”
~ Sensei Rand
Can you Notice a 'PATTERN', a tone, a texture, a shape –
without getting caught & lost in the pattern's 'content' ?
At first, just notice if there’s a pattern there, or a tone there...
– in the beginning that’s enough – otherwise . . .
Great Expectations, Old Objects of Desire – then getting sunk.
Sinking into a chain-link of old reactions to the story-content.
Because when blind reactions are arising – the ‘past’ arises.
We are 'out of attention' – caught up in ‘story’ content
and into the fickle, fragile fictions of ungrounded emotionality.
*The ‘Mindfulness Practice’ is here to cultivate my capacity 'To Notice'.
To Notice when I am out of attention and to then come back to attention
in the full Present Moment – but not necessarily to hold or 'stay' in attention.
. . . having a “good enough meditation”
This is a big crucial difference here ... in our type of Mindfulness Meditation
Cultivating a 'generous mind' - that simply says it's 'good enough'
to be simply present in the moment when I am present in the moment.
That’s enough. I simply practice a “good enough meditation”.
But I do practice !
BUT don't, don't, don't try to notice it all – just have simple-successes.
A series of generic labeled, simple 'noticings' is good enough, even better –
That's what keeps stimulating the awareness-learning curve of HOW to notice.
Not too much noticing or 'noticing' will become 'thinking'.
Where there’s too much note-ing or 'noticing' it’ll become just more 'thinking'.
And this ‘thinking’ is Thinking that thinks it’s not ‘thinking’ !
It could be come obsessive vigilance. Too complicating. As usual.
Too much red-alert all the time. Too much thinking about ‘thinking’.
That'll spin you back into self-judgment – becoming too self-conscious.
The gradual success in the ability to come back to base-attention
is more important for the meditator, rather than to staying in attention –
for that is a set up to slide into being lost in content, judgment and fear again.
Meditation practice that is simply 'good enough' – rather than a ‘perfected’ one.
Meditation practice that is SIMPLY 'Good Enough' is the key here!
~ notes from teachings by Yvonne Rand, Sensei
______________________________________________________________________________
Sensei also says ~
The real ‘Relationship’ is cultivating a courageous relationship with Fear.
Resting with ease with Dont-Know-Mind... no longer arguing with What Is.
" Everything Changes, Nothing Remains the Same – I now go with the flow".
I'm clear on this: My 'relationship' to my 'experience' has to change.
It always is - anyway. Cultivating and having a s p a c i o u s n e s s
around 'What' I am experiencing.
There is NO situation that is in itself 'inherently' Difficult.
The only 'mindstream' I can mind is my own 'mindstream'.
Then you start to "love the Questions themselves".
That's where the real healing of heart begins.
~ Yvonne Rand, Sensei
( 6 ) Thoughts on ‘THOUGHTS’ & ‘THINKING’:
More Preparing The Mind
The Mind-Power of ‘Understanding’
is what really does it ! 'Correct-View'.
Students ask ‘Then What does DO it ?’ – Well, it’s not actually the meditation,
or the ‘spirituality’ ~ they greatly assist ~ but it’s really the "Understanding" -
the Purity of the 'Understanding' itself, a very, very Smart-Dharma, what is called:
The Correct View of Reality - like in 'Not Taking the Impermanent for Permanent'.
A View that is now thinking with 'Clarity' itself working in your mind, on your mind.
Clusters of Dharma-Truths that are much smarter than the stubborn old Ego-Self is.
Because the ole’ suffering Ego-Self is a very rigid, fearful, fixed, inflexible, suspicious,
outdated mind-set, really kinda’ dumb a lot. It's a Brain Wash: practicing the Buddha’s
Dharma means you’re getting smarter & clearer – much too clear to be suffering in the
same old way you used to . . . put in new Dharma-software, Mind fixes itself. Freeee ! ~ Billy Bo Sat
"Remember, the 'illusion'
merely has the appearance
of existing from its own side."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
m•i•n•d•f•u•l•n•e•s•s
'mindfulness practice' is
continually preparing the mind
to become fully conscious
MINDFULNESS: Mind - Full - To Be Full with Mind
A Mind NOT Full of Blah, Blah, Blah or New Age 'Happy-Talk'.
The Whole of The Mind is Filled with a Keen Attentiveness
to the immediate situation at hand in the Present Moment.
"Be Mindful so you don't stumble, the path is slippery".
Mindfulness Practice in Buddhist Meditation is where
the meditator's attention is gradually & gently trained to
return again & again - and remain more & more in the Present
Moment - without the meditator being so interrupted by old thoughts
disguised as new thoughts, or by sights, sounds or bodily sensations.
The Present Moment is - or can be - still relatively damage-free.
Free-Choice is - or can be - still available. Goodness can prevail.
Staying more in the Present gradually allows the meditator
to more fully experience the Dharma of this very Moment
with more complete clarity ~to~ absolute clarity
As It Is
in Reality.
The meditator then knows "what's what" for sure.
Seen as a 'fiction' - the crippling grip of the 'Past' is loosened,
the narrow investment in the 'story' is diminished even more.
The Present is 'experienced' as All There Is.
'Thoughts' in the Present of a 'Possible Future'
can have appropriate perspective & clarity
and an absence of painful, limiting anxiety.
But - It Takes some Willing Training
But - There-in lies the Healing.
Training to Heal One's Self.
Action reflects belief and thought.
We are shaped by our thoughts –
We 'become' what we think.
When the mind is clear, joy follows
like a friendly shadow that never leaves.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
The mind is everything. What we think we become.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future.
Train the mind to be attentive only to the present moment.
~ Buddha - The Dhammapada ~
So you should view this fleeting world:
As a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
As a flickering lamp,
a phantom and as a dream.
~ The Diamond Sutra
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
The fact that 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
~and~
Since everything is but an 'Apparition' –
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
You might as well just burst out laughing!
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD)
two versions from The Choying Dzod
Everything is a 'Practice Opportunity' !
The Perfect Way knows no 'difficulties' –
Except that it refuses to make 'preferences'.
Only when freed from hate and love,
It reveals itself fully and without disguise.
A tenth of an inch's difference, however,
And Heaven and Earth are set infinitely apart –
If you wish to see The Way before your very own eyes,
– Have no fixed thoughts either for or against anything.
~ Sosan Canchi Zenji ~ "I Don't Want To Give Up My Preferences"
‘Wake Up’ by practicing Waking Up !
Awakening through your very own Buddha-Mind !
~ What An Excellent "Practice Opportunity"
Sorry, Now No More 'Preferences' - Now Everything Is a "Practice Opportunity".
Long-time Meditators ‘pause’ many times in doing/being their ‘Everyday Practice' –
( what Gurdjieff called a ‘Stop Exercise’ - so the student could continually Wake Them Self Up )
"Mindfully-Observing" instead of just Impulsively, Blindly Reacting
"Mindfully-Observing" that Everything Is a "Practice Opportunity".
"Mindfully-Observing" that absolutely everything ‘experienced’ or
imaginable or friendly or fearful, of one's own self or of other people, places,
things, thoughts, feelings, emotions - pleasure or pain - delightful or dreadful –
precious or polluting – ALL of it. Absolutely ALL situations without exception !
"Mindfully-Observing" that Everything is a "Practice Opportunity".
Begin to see it All as simply an immediate, authentic, genuine "Practice Opportunity"
No matter what it is – No matter how it feels or sounds or looks or tastes or smells –
No matter what you or others think, opinionate or analyze about it. Whatever it is –
If it's right there in front of you, observe & use it as an "Insight Practice Opportunity".
Deep Inner-Mind Insight is Cultivated Through a Conscious Awakening 'Practice'.
A very healthy sort of intense 'self-conscious'-awareness that nurtures not negates.
A Healthy Continually Conscious Conscience ~ mindfully relaxed, good with itself.
The more you Attentively and Mindfully Observe a 'person', 'thing'
or 'situation' – the more you really get to ‘See’ – that it's not the ‘person’
or it’s not the ‘thing’ itself that’s ‘doing’ it - but it's absolutely all happening
in HOW you ( in particular ) relate to it: HOW you react to it. Respond to it.
Adverse to it or Embrace it. Each case is nuanced and minutely different.
“No, it’s not at all Real” - it’s all in your head, it’s your movie. 'Get' that.
The ball’s always in your lap – it’s your Dharma-Drama. It always was . . .
You can't change others. It’s all your ‘Story’. It's getting old, isn't it?
So now just open to it - See the almost-to-full 'Transparency' of it all !
So start somewhere ~ start to really go 'make up' with yourself –
Begin to Love yourself for even doing this awkward inner-practice
and for the sake of all other conscious beings, Wake Yourself Up !
Wake Up by simply practicing Waking Up ! 'A Practice Opportunity'.
Waking Up will sort of become your favorite Hobby !
Meditation assists you to see thru the veils of the illusion and the 'story' of it.
The thinner, more worn and more tattered and more threadbare it gets –
it just doesn't hold up anymore. It looses strength. The more likely you are
to simply let go of it, it drops away along the Way and – eventually you’re
forgetting what you let go of ....and be free.
Lesson learned: no more karma on this one.
“Transparently-Free”. Why thin as Air, my dear.
Bhante Sudu Hom'Dru ~ 'Why Is The Medicine Buddha Blue?'
"There is nothing either 'bad' or 'good' –
– but 'thinking' makes it so."
~ William Shakespeare
We don't think thoughts – Thoughts 'think us' – I’m being ‘thunk’ !
It's a revealing & disturbing Buddhist-teaching on our 'programing' &
the karma of unconscious-conditioning that still always spooks me
into keep meditating – 'practicing' to become very observant.
My thoughts might get me – hijack me – they often do.
I use a mindful 'quiet-vigilence' – more sweetly of late . . .
~ Akasa Levi
Again, always remember that ~ beautiful, ugly, limiting or inspiring
In the quietness we come to simply realize that
Whatever 'It' is – It's just a "Thought"
___________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately, what many people believe to be 'thinking'
is actually 'rearranging preferences and prejudices'.
~ Albert Einstein
"You've heard of Deja-Vu – now how about Vuja-De:
I always have this very strange feeling
that I've never been here before !"
~ Stephen Wright
"The ‘Real’ does not die –
the ‘Unreal’ never lived.
Thoughts are not Reality."
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
____________________________
_______________________________
__________________________________
“Seek only the simple Truth
of your Actual Nature just as it is –
in this ever-present-moment of Now”
Observe this mind as it is right now – not some 'fiction'
about some 'if-only-mind', 'past-mind', 'future-mind',
'shoulda-woulda-coulda-mind' that you could've had.
See the fiction of all these 'minds' – Then begin to notice
a seamless, vast all-pervading 'Observing-Consciousness'
that is behind ALL these ‘mind-states’ you're experiencing.
It's sort of 'out there' – maybe just off to the side for right now,
just past your peripheral vision. Available and ready any time . . .
All your mind needs for awhile, is the right dharma 'software' and
a Meditation 'Method' to silently practice it with. You don't need
slavish devotion to a guru, an organization, or a strict doctrine
or an arduous discipline or an official 'religion'. No crutches.
Try to be mindfully 'observant' & witness The Present Moment
as your 'religion' of choice. And don't 'seek' – just allow the
'Observing' to simply happen ! – refined by Meditation.
Informed by the Dharma. Engaged in Practice by you.
All and everything else is totally accommodated
in the incomparable, awesome presence of the
Present Moment AS IT IS - forever NOW.
~ WOW ~
Billy Bo Sat
and .. Remember to remember that
It's All a 'Practice-Opportunity'.
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
This Is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Awakening
The Wisdom-Mind:
or 'Bodhi' (as in Bodhi Tree)
or 'Buddhi' (as in Buddha)
are Sanskrit root-words that
simply mean: TO AWAKEN.
Like we're in a Deep-Sleep . .
well, being Buddhist-Awake
is about a Deep Waking-up !
_______________________________
The whole of the 'Practice'
is about Waking-up! (1.)
And the 'quality' (2.) of your
Wake-up & your continuing
ongoing Waking-ups.
And both can be developed.
Both can be ‘mindfully’ cultivated.
In having a 'heart-commitment'
to a frequent Meditation Practice,
you get to try out 'Waking-up'
again & again, over n' over.
That's a big part of this Practice.
Everybody gets a realistic chance
to repeatedly try n’ become
a Buddha.
But you’ve gotta' Practice in
your own Way
& have lot'sa loving Patience.
Be Kind & Gentle
to your Baby Buddha
there inside your sweet self.
You're precious cargo.
The Whispered Way ~ Advice from the Ancient Yogis
“If you don't understand
that ‘Whatever’ appears
in your meditation –
IS the ‘meditation’ ITSELF –
– is the whole focus of
the meditation in that moment.
What can you achieve by
applying spiritual ‘antidotes’?
Perceptions, conceptions,
false ideas and notions
are not abandoned
by simply discarding them –
but they spontaneously
free themselves –
when fully recognized,
fully understood -
and fully 'realized'
as only an illusion."
~ The Niguma Dakini Yogini ( 1025 AD )
"Through your very own self-occurring intrinsic awareness
Now in ultimate meeting with the Great 'Mother Awareness',
You will reach the citadel of primordial Buddha-hood"
“The Garland of Views” ~ the teachings of Padmasambhava ( 8th century )
( 7 ) "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS"
"Individual people stumble over pebbles, never over mountains."
~ Emilie Cady
please wait for image to load
( 7 ) "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS"
• Why Are You So Unhappy?
• “Expectations” / Disappointments & Other Demands
• Old Wounds of Disappointment & Unmet Idealisms
• Zen-founder Bodhi-Dharma & his first disciple
• "Hsin Hsin Ming" Zen's most beloved teaching-poem
The Great Way is not difficult / have no preferences !
____________________________________________
( 7a ) CONTROL . . . < click over there
• CONTROL – Letting Go & Calling Off The Struggle
• How a Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
• On Trying To FIND "Yourself" – The Big Pursuit
• Expectation-Softening, Learning-Quotes & Stories
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
~ a mind without
urgency
~ a mind without
demands
or else it's . . .
The Ego-Entitlement Demon expressed as
~ "The I-Must-Have-It-Mind" ~
a mind that will eat me up alive !.. because
"I have important 'preferences' to maintain..."
"I must always be In Control..."
"I must always be Right..."
"I am not very conscious that I am this way"
Becoming User-Friendly with Disappointment, Flaws, Failure, Upset and even Universal Betrayal
♦ "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS" – developed by our former Buddhist monk Akasa Levi.
– It is a rational, sane, scientific, 'experience'-based Wisdom-approach utilizing Insight Meditation Practice
and Compassionate Critical-thinking as "A Path of No Expectations" - for 'allowing' an intuitive, natural,
spontaneous 'Awakening into Awareness' to simply happen! ( after it happens: ‘practice’ does still continue )
"Why are you so unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything
You think about,
And of everything you do,
Is for yourself –
And there isn't one."
~ Wei Wu Wei
“Expectations”
Disappointments
& Other Demands on the Ever-Present Moment
“Buddha taught the total Impermanence of ALL Conditioned Things:
Desiring, Obsessing, Grasping, Clinging & Attaching brings Suffering.
One of my primary ‘practices’ is: I cheerfully, EXPECT to be Disappointed.
But truly ‘Cheerfully’. But if by chance, it is a surprising and truly delightful
event for me in my mind, I fully enjoy it for those brief moments – but when
I see I am starting to adhere to the experience – sticky like fresh coconut paste.
‘Mindfulness’ tells me “don’t go get attached” - or you will be disappointed again.
How is it, you Americans say, ‘Back to square one’. Back to my breath. Start again.
This is where the “No Surprise” mantra comes in.” Choose you attachments carefully.
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
"All philosophies are 'mental fabrications'.
There has never been a single doctrine
by which one could enter
the True-essence of things."
~ The Buddhist Yogi Nagarjuna
India, 1st century AD
( well, now isn’t that disappointing ! )
. . . And then my teacher disappointed me ~
“Sorry, but you can’t become “A Buddhist” – that’s just
merely a ‘label’ or a ‘name’ – a big identity-‘concept’ held in the mind.
Most spiritual teachings or rituals are like that: very useful good ‘words’.
A ‘name’ and a ‘form’ ( nama-rupa ). Very convenient ‘labels’ & ‘beliefs’.
The Truth: ‘You’ simply Are as you are – present – for this very moment.
Now, living in Peace within this ‘moment’ is still not becoming
a ‘Buddhist’ either – but truly becoming a living Buddha ! Instantly.
For just this moment. How long is a ‘moment’ ? “
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya ( 1896–1998 ) “A Buddha for The Moment “
Don't try to use what you learn
from Buddhism to be a 'Buddhist' –
– instead, use it to be a better
"Whatever-you-already-Are"
~ His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama
The genuine essence of an 'Adventure'
is that one just really doesn't know the outcome.
The essence of an evolving 'Spiritual' Adventure
is that one shouldn't need to know the outcome -
and that one absolutely can’t know the outcome!
And that there really aren't any 'outcomes'.
~ Alexander Carpenter ~
"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns –
I am thankful that thorns have roses." ~ Alphonse Karr
" There is
No 'Way'
That It Is
Supposed
To Be ! "
~ Sri Anagarika Munindra
____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Beware
But ~ Be Aware of All "EXPECTATIONS" Arising in Your Mind ! ! !
– even of this 'method' presented here - if it ‘promises’ to do it for you . . .
'The Old Bruises of Unmet Idealisms'
'The Old Wounds of Disappointment'
'The Old Scars of Discouragement'
'The Old Wounds of Abandonment'
'The Old Wounds of Resentment'
'The Old Wounds of Grieving
Heck, They're Only Just "Thoughts"
But They'll Just About Kill-off Anything.
~ Ka Ching
" If you are irritated by every rub,
how will you ever be polished ? " ~ Rumi
"EXPECTATIONS Disappoint . . .
The 'nice' well-mannered students soon left. Only the misbehaved
stayed. Maharaj was definitely physically and philosophically wild.
Besides, this teacher even looked bad-ass mean like Bodhidharma !
Some of the best teachers disappoint: they test your faith, make you
sorta’ fight to actually stay the course. It does separate the wheat from
the chaff. Maharaj, glowering with anger, was always tossing people
out of the room. “Maharaj doesn’t want you to come back here – ever”
And yet, the rare “few” seekers always did return. Maharaj would laugh
and twinkle galore – like a never seen before ‘new’ friend had just arrived.
Jeez, you might think that Maharaj was having a senior moment, or pissed
off or quite provocative - a skinny old man chain smoking bede cigarettes,
throwing oranges at students like the crazy ole' monkey he looked like –
and that his sharp unyielding Non-Duality teachings were too confusing –
all that is – IF you happened to overlook that perpetual loving, truly wise
enlightened embrace in his eyes that let you, us – and also himself –
really KNOW that this present moment was absolutely perfect just As It Is -
and sorta’ funny too ...and he made such smart, mystical, but real sense."
~ a satsang student's comments after being
with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay for
awhile in 1978. Maharaj died in 1981 at age 84.
When I see I am Nothing – that is Wisdom.
When I see I am Everything – that is Love.
And between these two, my life flows.
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharajhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisargadatta_Maharaj
" I wouldn’t join a club that would have me for a member " –
– translates itself to me as: I'm just not that worthy . . .
Because I wouldn’t ‘take in’ & really ‘value’ the teachings
of any spiritual teacher fool enough to have me for a student ...
~ Guy Indabak
"The wilder a boy was,
the higher Pa would praise him...
Pa praised me –
Pa would've praised you too."
~ Kris Kristofferson
"The Lotus has its roots in the mud,
Grows up through the dirty deep water,
And rises to the surface.
It blooms into perfect beauty and purity in the sunlight.
It is like the mind unfolding to perfect joy and wisdom."
~ The Lotus Sutra
What is Karma ? action/reaction, cause & effect
Every action has consequences: gotta' pay attention !
____________________________________________________________________________
“Karma” means you don’t get away with nothing, dharling !
No matter what the good reasons, rationalizations or justifications –
special circumstances or situations, even good excuses ALL count...
Does it still have a charge on it for you? Or them?...
Everything always counts till it doesn't, dharling.”
~ Mme. Ruth Denison - http://fr.dharma.org/ij/archives/1997a/ruth.htm
and http://www.sandyboucher.net/dancing.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Denison
So you'll finally Know what it means: a short-read up on Karma
and Buddhist Karma at ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma
Oh For The Life Of A Sardine
by Charlie Chaplin from the film "Limelight" 1952
When I was three my nurse told me
About reincarnation ...
And ever since I've been convinced,
Thrilled with anticipation
That when I leave this earth
It makes my heart feel warm
To know that I'll return
In some other form.
But I don't want to be a tree
Sticking in the ground –
I'd sooner be a flea.
I don't want to be a flower
Waiting by the hour
Hoping for pollens to alight on me.
So when I cease to be
I want to go back, I want to go back,
I want to go back to the sea!
Oh for the life of a sardine!
That is the life for me!
Cavorting and spawning every morning
Under the deep blue sea.
To have no fear for storm nor gale.
Oh to chase the tail of a whale!
Oh for the life of a sardine!
That is the life for me!
____________________________
___________________________________
That's all any of us are: amateurs.
We don't live long enough to be anything else.
~ Charles Chaplin
'SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES'
and Entitlement Expectations
'Entitlement' - I thought you said 'Enlightenment'
___________________________________
"When you just stop 'e x p e c t i n g'
Realizations & Reality to manifest for you
through a very 'special experience',
or with a 'specific' definable form,
or through a secret ‘esoteric teaching’,
or even a highly 'enlightened' teacher –
you will then discover True Reality
showing up within every experience
and shining through all manifest forms."
~ metta zetty
“Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the joy
that includes everything –
the love that includes hate
the peace that includes the war”
~ metta zetty
The brilliant Buddhist Non-Attachment
"Teachings On Emptiness"
can 'save' you
from being caught up
in any ‘notion’ whatsoever –
'spiritual' or otherwise.
But IF you get caught in the
'Notion’ of Emptiness itself,
Nothing can save you !
~ Thay
~ TAO ~
The Tao does not speak.
The Tao does not blame.
The Tao does not take sides.
The Tao has no expectations.
The Tao demands nothing of others.
The Tao is not Jewish.
Accept misfortune as a blessing.
Do not wish for perfect health
nor a life without problems.
Otherwise, what would you talk about?
~ both ‘Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist’
"Praise and blame,
gain and loss,
pleasure and sorrow ~
come and go like the wind.
To be happy –
rest like a Giant Tree,
in the midst of them all."
~ The Buddha
“good enough meditation”
This is a big crucial difference here ...
in our type of Mindfulness Meditation.
Cultivating a 'generous mind' –
that simply says
it's 'Good Enough'
to be present in the moment
when I am present in the moment.
That’s enough.
I simply practice a
“good enough meditation”.
But I do practice !
~ Sensei Yvonne Rand
"Enlightenment does not come from
some spiritual shakti pat on the head.
You might still remain a complete dummy.
The Buddha's style of Enlightenment
only comes through 'Understanding'.
When you understand fully - you 'get it' -
What you painfully didn't understand.
What you didn't understand falls away
and you are free of it.
Now apply that to everything -
and you'll be free of it all.
And it'll all still be around for you to enjoy 'it',
but just not be so attached to it."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
To Become Enlightened
Is to be comfortable with the flow of life.
If you're feeling sad, you're not trying to talk yourself out of it.
If you're feeling happy, you're not trying to hold on to that feeling.
Everything simply 'is what it is' - without the additional charge
of 'stories', past associations, traumas and conditioned patterns
intruding on the experience of each moment. You are simply 'here'.
You will still have desires, but they won't turn into cravings.
You will still have resistances, but they won't turn into aversions.
You'll become fully present with each emotion, each experience.
You'll find that any emotion, no matter what it is –
when fully experienced – becomes 'equanimity'.
~ Kiara Windrider
The Story of Bodhi-dharma
and his First Disciple ~
When the eccentric old Indian Zen-master Bodhi-dharma
relocated to China in the 6th century AD – the young monk who
was to be the future Second Patriarch of Zen came to visit him
in his cave. Bodhi-dharma would not even talk to him.
To show that he was genuinely sincere in his quest, the young
monk cut off his left arm and presented it to Bodhi-dharma.
Now, seeing this,
Bodhi-dharma spoke at last & asked him, "What do you want?"
The young monk said, "My mind is not rested.
Please pacify it for me."
Bodhi-dharma said, "Now bring me your mind and I will pacify it."
"But I cannot find my 'Mind' when I go look for it."
"THERE," said Bodhi-dharma, "I have pacified it for you."
The young monk was doubly stumped – and Enlightened !
He went on to become the renown Second Patriarch of Zen.
In the "beginner's mind" there are many possibilities. ~ The Tao
Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things – this is the best season of your life.
"After a few years of meditation practice
we can even learn how to
occasionally ignore ourSelves.
And what a relief that can be !"
~ Wes Nisker
The ignorant mourn the deaths of loved ones.
The wise mourn that they themselves are still alive
and still in love with their illusory "selves."
~ Chinese Aphorism
To be FREE of Desire and Attachment –
is to be Free OF “The Attachment” to
'Being Free' of Desire and Attachment.
~ Ram Dass, our good friend & spiritual elder ~ who also said
"If you think you’re Enlightened –
spend a week with your family."
(7a) control: striving, seeking and searching
• CONTROL – Letting Go & Calling Off The Struggle
• How a Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
• On Trying To FIND "Yourself" – The Big Pursuit
• Expectation-Softening, Learning-Quotes & Stories
the addiction of being in control
LETTING GO & CALLING OFF 'THE STRUGGLE'
_______________________________________________________________________
"The most difficult thing for 'spiritual seekers' to do is to stop struggling:
demanding, defining, controling, striving, seeking and searching.
Why?
Because in the absence of complex struggle –
you simply wouldn't know who you think 'you' are.
'You' so defines itself through it's 'identification'
with the whole 'my struggle story'.
In Stopping: 'You' loose the stubborn separateness –
In Stopping: 'You' loose your resistive, defended 'special-ness'.
'You' loose your artificially 'conceived' boundaries, you loose yourself. Scary !
'You' looses the illusory 'dream' you have lived through all your life. It lets go.
_______________________________________________________________________________
It is only when your love and desire for Truth outweighs the personality's
compulsive need for preserved 'security' - that you can begin to stop struggling
and now be swept up into the wide open arms of an ever unfolding revelation of
the Truth and Freedom of Pure Being.
_______________________________________________
There is a very Simple Secret to being happy.
Just let go of your 'demand' on this moment.
Any time you have a demand on the moment
to give you something or remove something,
there is suffering. You're Arguing with 'What Is' –
Your demands keep you chained to the 'dream-state'
of the conditioned mind. The desire to 'control' is,
ultimately, our unwillingness to just be awake.
~ all above edited notes from an Adyashanti satsang 2001
( "What ME ? - give up Control & my always Needing to be Right ?" )
How A Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
“A hollow dry whole coconut shell with a morsel of succulent food inside -
is attached to a long thin rope stretching across the ground - a small hole
just big enough to slip an open monkey's hand into, but not big enough
to remove the hand - IF the hand is clenched in a fist around the food.
The native huntsmen silently wait behind a bush for a hungry monkey.
The monkey could get free - But that would mean letting go of the food.
You hang on to this, you hold on to that – tenaciously !
Like a forest monkey with a closed fist in a narrow coconut trap.
Your fear, your rage, your resentment, your need to control & be right !
You just won't let it go. You argue and complain. You fully defended !
And you yourself defined by your suffering anguish. Just bars in a prison
that you build for your Soul. Open your monkey-hand and just let go." ~ Akasa Levi
"You Need To Be Somebody
Before You Can Be Nobody" ~ Jack Engler
" Self-Inquiry Mediation
is not a path that leads you anywhere !
It is a path that Stops you in your tracks
~ right in the present moment ~
so that you can fully discover
directly, for yourself –
Who or What you truly are
right in the Now "
~ Gangaji ~
“You can 'know' it - IN the mind,
but you cannot possibly
express it in words
through the mind.
No one can.”
Sages say that Non-Self is 'beyond' the mind –
and yet the 'realization' is within the mind.
It's simply that the mind just cannot "Think" it –
it just cannot ‘conceptualize’ it. It is non-cognitive.
It just cannot be 'thought' of BY the mind in the mind –
and yet - only the mind alone can fully Realize 'It'. ~ Ramana
( ok, maybe the rare art-maker, mystic, poet, performer, composer, songwriter, thinker, yogi etc. )
__________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Ahhh ! Here’s the really BIG one
The Humungous one . . .
The Hum-Dinger of them all !
♦ below is from the " WHO AM I ?" • " WHAT AM I ?"
Basic Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi ( India,1938 )
– On Trying to FIND "Yourself"
this piece below will either be Disappointing or Enlightening for you, for sure !
“ There is no ‘Try’ – There is either ‘Do’ or ‘Not Do’ - No Try.” ~ Yeoda
_______________________________________________________________________
“Trying to FIND ‘Yourself’ – seems to be the #1 Westerner's obsession
in coming to India: ‘To find MY-Self’ - and you're looking in all the wrong places.
It is not any 'where'– neither inside nor outside ! Not Anywhere –
You ARE Awareness! 'Awareness' is actually another name for the real 'You'.
The I AM - The You that is not 'you'. Since you ARE 'Awareness' i t s e l f,
there is no need to 'attain' or cultivate it. It's already there! All that you have
to do is to give up being stuck on the vast multitude of other distracting things.
If one simply gives up the 'grasping' of - always being caught-up by attentions
to 'them' - like clutter - becoming unstuck - then pure awareness alone remains.
It is NOT the giving up of the physical 'Object(s)' of your attention themselves -
it is the 'giving up' of the misguided, grasping, obsessive, stuck 'Attention'
that you unconsciously, repeatedly and habitually keep placing ON the Object.
It's the Wrong Object: Look Within. Be Free of all 'relationships' with Objects -
Here, right now, in this very moment - see that pure awareness alone is what
remains. Within pure awareness, enjoy your 'objects' of mind or body or the
'world' - just do not be attached to them. 'Awareness' alone is what remains.
Unless you make tremendous efforts, you will not be convinced that this 'Effort'
of 'stopping' - and repeatedly loosening your 'grip' will take you anywhere
( failure ). The 'Self' is so pseudo, falsely self-confident – that unless it is
totally discouraged { Zen does this } in that Self-'Belief' - And it is an actual
"Belief" in Itself – it will not give Itself up. So a mere intellectual, mental or
verbal conviction "to give mySelf up" is not enough. Only 'Experience' Alone
can show the absolute 'nothingness' of the Self-image.
_______________________________________________
Nature is seamless. Any thought 'divisions' are simply for the convenience
of the isolated mind – compartments which need 'comparison' - simply in order
to realistically and practically understand things in the everyday world, just to live.
But Nature, itself, is actually of one-impersonal-fabric - it comes up perpetually
changing - but unceasing as a Single Event – like the moon, like clouds and
like the weather - only to melt back into the emptiness of pure sky and space
once again in the same way.
Sages say that Non-Self is 'beyond' the mind - and yet the 'realization' is within
the mind. It's simply that the mind just cannot "Think" it - just cannot ‘conceptualize’ it.
It just cannot be 'thought' of BY the mind in the mind - and yet - only the mind alone
can fully Realize 'It'. Now how are these contradictions to be reconciled? Inquire.
Keep up your practice of Inquiry into true nature of this thing you call Self."
______________________________________________________________________
* "There is no greater Mystery than this –
That we keep seeking "reality" –
though in fact we are Reality.
We think that there is 'something' hiding Reality
and that this must be destroyed before Reality is gained.
How ridiculous! A day will dawn when you will laugh
at all your past efforts. That which will be the day
you laugh, is also here and now. We are Reality."
~ all above - Sri Ramana Maharshi - Arunachala - South India (1938)
________________________________________________________
"Reality" cannot be avoided, if only because it is All That Is -
including all of our own untapped potentiality, and all of our
as yet unperceived, unrecognized and unnamed dimensions
of being. Allowing ourselves the freedom to 'intuit' this understanding,
and thus to feel our way into the Immediacy of the Real is the greatest act
of faith and insight we can individually muster. It is a courageous step that
will be richly rewarded with nothing less than the Essence and totality of All That Is.
~ metta zetty
"You are all Buddhas ~
There is nothing you need to achieve.
Just open your eyes."
~ Osho – "You are all Buddhas – sleeping, dreaming, but you are all Buddhas all the same.
My function is not to make Buddhas out of you, because you are already that,
but just to help you remember it, to remind you."
"Standing back
to view
all of 'nothing'..."
If I could jus' walk away from me ?
an old Velvet Underground – Lou Reed lyric
from the song about a young "Candy Says"
"Candy says ~ I still hate the 'quiet places'
That cause the smallest taste of what will be.
Candy says ~ I still hate the big 'decisions'
That cause endless revisions in my mind...
~ endless anxieties ~
So, I’m jus' gonna watch the blue birds
fly over my shoulder. No more hate...
I’m jus' gonna watch them pass me by.
Maybe when I’m much older –
What do you think I’d see
If I could jus' walk away from me?"
~ Lou Reed ~
____________________________________________
We asked an elder Brentwood psychoanalyst
who was himself a student of Freud in Vienna:
"What is the main and most difficult aspect of doing therapy?"
His response "Resistance, and resistance, and more resistance"
~ in menmory of Rudy Eckstein
"It is as though you have a Miraculous Eye
That sees All Forms –––
But does not yet see 'Itself'.
This is how your proud intellectual mind is –
Its bright light of brilliant intelligence
penetrates everywhere,
and engulfs everything,
possessing it all –––
So why,
why does your mind
still yet not know itself ?"
~ Zenji Foy'an
AN IRRITABLE BUDDHA ~
"Why are you still Suffering by Resisting 'Awakening' ?
Do you think you can't handle your own impending Sainthood ?
You are already on your Way to being a Holy-person, a Yogi,
or becoming an Everyday Awakened Bodhisattva in this very life.
Riding the 21st Century Spiritual Express to Nowhere. My friend,
you’d rather go in circles. Actually good, keep up the connection.
But you still 'suffer' in holy frustration and depressed ‘identities’ –
simply because you're almost already 'here' Now – peek-a-boo –
It comes n’ goes – and you just don't integratively ‘Know’ it yet.
Or even trust it – or Be it, if you do. “You can’t handle the Truth”.
Ohh, that ole' Ego, that "Survival of Self" conflict is suffering so.
Meanwhile, son, just pretend to be a Buddha: it’s a noble practice.
Pre-Stream-Entry, yes, yes – 4 more joyously terrifying levels to go.”
~ Ole' Buddhist Joe
A monk and Zen-master Ja'ko-ji meet on a bridge.
The monk is flustered, exasperated and frustrated.
He says to the master - "I'm so very close now –
but Enlightenment's eluding me & driving me nuts –
sometimes I'm "there" - sometimes I'm not "there".
Zen-sensei Ja'ko interupts him saying ...
"... but at least you do know that you're here."
The master then walks off.
The monk is flabbergasted.
'The Collected Stories of What Ja'ko-ji Said'
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be ?
You are a child of God.
Your ‘playing small’ does not serve the world.
There is nothing ‘enlightened’ about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
a God that is within us. It's not just in some of us -
it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission
to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Marianne Williamson ~ “A Return to Love”
Correction: This quote is often found on the net incorrectly credited
to Nelson Mandela. He simply quoted it in his Inauguration Speech, 1994.
"The goal is to make the ego
as strong - and yet as small as possible" ~ C.G. Jung
Our best traditions and thinkers tell us that happiness is found in "the small" –
in celebrating the details of everyday life and living wisely with limits. They
teach us the joys of simplicity and modesty, and that by embracing diminishing
experiences, we can make our suffering truly sacred. By promoting a sound,
wholesome existence for both the individual and society this perennial teaching
offers a viable alternative to the visible, grandiose thinking that is responsible
for so many of our personal and global problems.
In our own exploring this archetype of the Small,
our aim will be to understand
why very little
is needed
to be happy.
Practicing ‘Silence’ is one possible true Opening to
a truly liberated ”Present Moment of an Infinite Now”.
It's all about NOW ... when or what else could it be about ?
‘Now’ is very Real. And only in 'Now' is it Real.
If even Real is Real. Now, there ‘really’ is Nothing else.
Stay in Touch. Stay in the Now as much as ya’ can, man !
~ Billy Bo Sat
( 8 ) Who was The BUDDHA briefly . . .
( 8 ) Who was The BUDDHA ? – Question Authority !
• " BELIEVE NOTHING ! " – Constantly Question !
• Take a Quote-Scroll Down Buddha's Maverick Path
• BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST: see next section
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
‘BUDDHA’_______________________
Question Authority !
“ What is accepted
by the majority of people -
does not mean it is Real ”
" Believe nothing on the faith of 'traditions' –
even though they have been held in honor
for many generations and in diverse places.
Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it.
Do not believe in the 'faith' of the prophets of the past.
Do not believe what you yourself have 'imagined',
persuading yourself that a ghost or a 'god' inspires you.
Believe nothing on the sole authority of your elders or priests.
After careful examination - know what you yourself have tested
and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto."
~ Gautama The Buddha ~ 5th century B.C. ( short Kalama Sutra version )
Respect ‘authority’ - since you are not the ultimate authority.
Question ‘authority’ - since You are to be the ultimate authority.
Always find the ‘Middle Path’ in between.
~ Stonepeace
"If we don't question what we ‘believe’,
we're destined to live it out."
~ Byron Katie
¬
"Gautama The Buddha Shakyamuni"
The former Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Gotama)
of the Shakya Tribal Clan in Nepal - North India
Birthplace: Kapilvastu, Nepal 563 BC
Awakened: Uruwala, India 528 BC
a small oasis that became Bodh GayaDied@80: Kusinara, India 483 BC
Never to be re-incarnated or
resurrected again. Done. Gone.
Job-commission fully completed.
'Para-Nirvana' fully blown away
Nibbana: 'to blow out' like a flame
We do have his Maha Dharma
to use for Practice. Use it well.
The Maha Bodhi Maha Vihara
An ancient single temple tower sits to the East
of the foot of The Sacred Bodhi Tree under whose
arms Siddhartha Gautama the 'Buddha-to-be' sat
vowing to remain there till Enlightenment occurred
The Buddhist Holy Ground Zero
The holiest place in all of Buddhism
is simply sitting quietly, calmly directly
under this ancient beloved Bodhi Tree
where a noble prince, Siddhartha
who was the 'Buddha-to-be' –
sat that momentous full moon night
in May around 500 BC, some 2500
short years ago – and by morning
he Awakened to Enlightenment
as his contribution to the benefit
of all living beings.
That giant tree still stands
at a bend in the dry river in the
small desert village of Bodh Gaya,
Northeast India on the Varanasi-side.
This most holy of places, Buddha'gaya,
is Buddhism's Mecca or Jerusalem.
♦ 'The Buddha' ( from Budhi / Bodhi: to Awaken in classical Sanskrit )
a Buddha is only the 'way-pointer', a self-evolved 'human model', the founding-teacher.
Now gone 2500 plus years. An intelligent, savvy, compassionate, pioneering man –
dedicated to a 'Humanist' view of life and all existence.
A 'prophet' of sorts, not a God. Definitely a 'heretic'.
"Buddha's advanced spiritual practice is not a search for God or the Divine."
It is a totally 'humanistic' path – totally in one's own hands, head & heart.
¬
With the Buddha's Enlightenment, a great 'spiritual-revolutionary' awakened !
He became an authentically free person entirely through his very own efforts.
~ Henri Van Zeyst
The mantra I continuously say to myself is –
"I Will Stop Searching Outside."
~ Sri Ramana Maharshi 1879-1950
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
That 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
"Since everything is but an 'Apparition',
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
Again, you might as well just burst out laughing!"
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD) from The Choying Dzod
A sweet little Asian legend
– it's just a legend . . .
They say, when the Buddha was born,
he sprang easily out of his mother's hip,
walked seven steps, on seven lotus pads
that appeared instantly under his feet,
He pointed to the sky with one arm raised -
and the other to the ground - and he said:
"Heaven above, Earth below
I am in between them - but not of them -
I am completely, truly Awakened."
... Can we too – ‘be between’ & ‘not of’ ?
Are Buddha and You the Same or Different?
~ Zenmaster Seung Sahn – Soen Sah Nim
______________________
A new student asked
The Buddha,
Are you The Messiah?
"No", answered The Buddha.
Are you a Deva-Deity-God?
"No", responded Buddha.
Then are you a mystic?
"No", Buddha replied.
Then are you a healer?
the student persisted.
"No, I am not a healer."
Then what are you?
he asked, exasperated.
"I am Awake", Buddha replied.
______________________________________________
"A common mistake is to think that 'your' reality, is THE Reality –
You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
______________________________________________________
Siddhartha Gautama in Sanskrit, or Gotama in Pali, was a spiritual teacher from ancient India and
the founder of Buddhism. He is recognized by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha ( Samma-sambuddha )
of our age. The precise nature of such a supreme Buddha whether "merely" human or a transcendental,
immortal, god-transcending being - is differently construed in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.
Theravada tends to view him as a super-human personage of supreme teaching skill & wisdom (uncon-
tactable after his physical death), whereas Mahayana Buddhism goes further and tends to see him as
a projection of an eternal, ultimate principle of Buddhahood (see Dharmakaya), present in all phenomena,
immortal and transcendent.
Gautama, also known as Shakyamuni literally means “silent sage of the Shakya clan” – is the key figure
in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules were said to have been summarized
after his death and memorized by the monastic Sangha. Passed down by oral tradition, the Tipitaka, the
collection of teachings attributed to Gotama, was committed to writing some centuries later. The commen-
taries to the Tipitaka tell the story of Siddharta Gautama, Prince of Kapilavastu, who lived during 6th cen-
tury B.C. He was born on Vaisakha Poornima. The history of his family - The Ikshvaku Dynasty is traceable
way back to pre-Ramayana times. Renouncing the life and responsibility of a king, Siddhartha Gautama
sought a solution to human misery. Ever in the midst of the great Indian religious and spiritual traditions,
he again noticed what was most needed by all people – Dharma teachings and Non-violence. He sought
a direct path to salvation. He was a lone pathfinder who inspired the religions that eventually spread to
China, Japan, and to the United States and Europe as late as the 20th Century.
Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddharta_Gautama
(9) BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST ..............please wait for image to load
( 9 ) About BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST
• Iconoclasts: “Angelic Troublemakers”
Question Everything ! That’s the really hard part.
• “BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST” - Image & Belief-Breaking
• DEFINITIONS: The Buddha was a pioneering ‘Radical’,
Iconoclast, Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist, Rebel,
Maverick & Good-Hearted Heretic - which disturbs some...
• Is There a God or No God? No Self. No Soul. Nothing?
• "The Buddhist absence of 'Attachment' is not Apathy
• Learning-Quotes with an Iconoclastic flavor-bite
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
"The real accomplishment in life
is the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior’.
– a ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way
to balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human."
~ Carlos Castaneda
‘ICONOCLAST’__________________
Question Everything !
563 - 483 B.C.
The Buddha's tragedy:
He died a philosopher -
’They’ made him a God.
See, 'They' did it again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Robert G. Brown
"The ICONOCLASTS" - Mavericks & the cultural revolutions they've led:
The innovators, rule-breakers and ground shakers – independent-minded
individuals of singular vision - bold, uncompromising, some even irreverent.
Through freedom of expression and their passions - those who have fully
lived by their own 'heretical' rules and transformed the cultural landscape."
~ Robert Redford, from the Sundance documentary interview series
" Every community needs a group of angelic troublemakers "
~ Bayard Rustin, black activist social reformer
DEFINITIONS:
The Buddha was a pioneering "Iconoclast" • Definition: one who challenges
or 'breaks-with' traditional 'beliefs', customs or religion - de-constructing blind 'faith-based'
religious practices, dogma or Deity - “an image-breaker” from Greek: Icon + klan, to break;
"A-theist": without Theos - 'God-less'; "A-gnostic": without proven 'knowledge' of - (Gnosis);
"Heretic or Heterodox": an Opposite - a 'view-opposing' to the accepted; "Radical": 'the edge':
cutting-edge, far out, extreme fringe, essential, at the root of, uncompromising, revolutionary.
“Dharma Teachings” keep Waking Up the true Iconoclast within -
Be it Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist, Rebel or the true Heretic still fast asleep within us,
or maybe only semi-conscious now inside some of us – offering it needed 'legitimacy' & courage
to really guiltlessly thrive well. It's totally OK not to 'believe' in God – the Buddha didn't.
Thinking very differently is scary. The historical Gautama The Buddha was an Atheist.
"A-theist": without Theos – a 'God-less' person - Without 'Belief' in God or the Divine
or even an Intelligent Design(er) as NOT a necessary component of his Practice Path.
( betcha' didn't know that, did ya' ) God is simply not necessary. It’s totally up to you.
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING ! – THEN JUST KNOW !
___________________________________________________________-______
~ please dismantle & handle this with xtra care ~
The ‘Dharma-Wisdoms’ really do Dismantle 'Beliefs' in an Ego-Self,
God & Other Big Burdensome Cultural Grand Illusions & Stories.
Are you open to that ? Others may not be. That's their concern. Not yours. Be very Respectful.
And always Remember as The Dalai Lama says . . .
"Above All - Be Extra Kind, Be Extra Tolerant to All Beings"
_____________________________________________________¬______
“ AND, “You can’t just become “A Buddhist” – because that’s just
a ‘label’ or a ‘name’ - an big identity-‘concept’ held in the 'relative mind'.
Most spiritual teachings or rituals are like that: very useful good ‘words’.
A ‘name’ & a ‘form’ ( nama-rupa ). Very convenient ‘labels’ & ‘beliefs’.
The Truth: ‘You’ simply Are as you are – present – for this very moment.
Now, living in Peace with this ‘moment’ is still not becoming a ‘Buddhist’
either – but truly becoming a living Buddha ! Instantly.
For just this moment. How long is a ‘moment’ ? “
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya “Buddha of The Moment “
Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a 'Buddhist' –
instead, use it to be a better "Whatever-you-already-Are."
~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
'Self-Inquiry' practice will not make of you
'anything' that you are not already,
but it will, over time, destroy the false belief
that 'you' are this body, this mind, this story, this life.
This 'false belief' is the root cause
of all human suffering whatsoever.
~ John Sherman
In Buddha's teachings there is
No ‘One’ & No ‘Thing’ to "Believe" in.
Buddhists don't do "Belief " ! ( and even that’s a ‘belief’ )
The Buddha fully discovered by himself - for himself ( he almost didn’t teach )
that any 'belief' in a divine authority, scripture or reliance on a God or a Creator
is simply just not necessary – and can be totally irrelevant for a pure, complete,
liberated, full Awaken.ment into Goodness and the attaining of a final Nirvana Peace –
this was as cutting-edge 'Radical' back then, as it is fundamentally right now today !
They didn't burn, hang or ostracize people for 'Heresy' in the tolerance of ancient India.
A pure "Humanist", and not a devotional deistic-practitioner –
and now socially 'out-of-caste' - The Buddha was now fearlessly able to say
" Be a Lamp Unto Yourself –
Look Entirely Inwards for
Your Own Unconditional Liberation "
The Buddha was not Divine, nor a 'messiah' –
The Buddha couldn't “save” anyone ( 520 BC )
Buddha said there is just nothing there to 'save'.
No Self. No Soul. Nothing. Nada. Just Nothing There. ( sorry )
The core-essence of the most difficult of all Buddhist Wisdom-practices is –
"Working with Impermanence & Anxiety"
The core-essence of the most difficult of all Buddhist Compassion-practices is –
"Working with Resistance & Separation"
_______________________________________________________________________________¬______
"Buddha's advanced spiritual practice
is not a search for God or the Divine."
♦ "The real ‘Question’ is not - whether or not - there is or is not a God –
But, what is a particular individual person’s need for a 'Belief’ in a God."
~ Henri Van Zeyst ~
That's the real big Question we each must ask ourselves individually.
It's all personally subjective. 'Objectivity' is hearsay prior to Realization.
Universal 'speculations' absolutely can't be satisfyingly 'answered' from
a ‘relative’ personal-emotional 'need' - or a relative point-of-limited-view.
In Buddhist practice, what we DO is deeply observe and identify our own
'need-based' desires, clingings & attachments & our own bound-relationship
with 'False Beliefs' - and the dysfunctional-means we use to hold onto them.
____________________________________________________________________________¬______
Henri Van Zeyst, one of my most iconoclastic mentors, described ‘Buddha’
as a “Compassionate Godless Atheist & Good-Hearted Maverick Heretic”
– and that went and disturbed some of the Western students very greatly.
Westerners on the whole, carry a chaotic, undefined, confused ‘wound’
in their unexplored, cultural & personal unresolved God-relationship.
That can be gently opened up, sweetened and authentically healed
through the Dharma's understanding and compassionate wisdom.
Henri said you can train yourself to get used to –
what he called The Absence. ~ Akasa Levi
♦ "The Buddhist absence of 'Attachment' -
is not necessarily at all, in any way,
the absence of profound loving."
~ Nayake Maha Thera Ananda Maitreya ~
" There is no God –
there is only Godliness ! "
~ Osho Rajneesh
"Buddhist meditation has 'Nothing' to offer you –
other than What Is - in THIS very moment.
God(s), goddesses, gurus, religion & the ego-self
can certainly tempt you with so, so much more."
~ Henri Van Zeyst
♦ "Remember... the 'illusion'
has only the ‘appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side, you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible
that 'what is' is brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real"
~ Henri Van Zeyst
“ Who was born first – 'You' or 'The World'?
As long as you give first place to ‘The World’
– you are bound by it.
Once you realize, beyond all trace of doubt,
that the ‘world’ is simply 'experienced' in you –
– and not 'you' in the world –
and so, right then and there, you are free of it !
Of course, your 'body' remains in the world and
'of ' the world – you still can serve the world –
you can certainly enjoy the world –
but YOU are not d-e-l-u-d-e-d by it.”
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
Who IZ the Creator ?
Me or Ye ? Us.
Brahma created the Universe
and is presently fast sleep,
sublimely supine in Vishnu's giant palm.
Brahma's job as Creator is All Done.
The Universe is still here & functioning.
Shiva & Kali - Dance Lords of All Change
manage the work-a-day tasks of the 'World'
Ha-Shem !
You and I 'think' we "create" and therefore we DO.
'Live our thoughts' every impermanent moment of ‘em.
Big Screen E-Bay-bought tastes n' all. Is this the deal Real?
Brahma we just don't acknowledge much. Shiva surrounds us.
Jah'weh, Shiva, Kali, Shen, Shekina, Arun, Ha'shem, Wakan’tanka,
I thank, celebrate & serve You All for being here & inviting me to exist.
~ Sowan Sota Panna Yogi
___________________________________________________________________________________
"the unreal is unreal"
~ the last dying words to his students
of Zenmaster Hsuang Tzang (1335 AD)
"Reality"...what a concept !
~ Robin Williams
"One of the advantages of being 'disorderly'
is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."
~ A.A. Milne
"The real accomplishment in life
is the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior’.
– a ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way
to balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human."
~ Carlos Castaneda
"If you're going to 'try', go all the way.
Otherwise don't even start.
This could mean losing girlfriends,
wives, relatives, jobs.
And maybe your mind.
It could mean not eating for three or four days.
It could mean freezing on a park bench.
It could mean jail. It could mean derision.
It could mean mockery, isolation.
By the way, Isolation is the gift.
All the others are a test of your endurance.
Of how much you really want to do it.
And you'll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds.
And it will be better than anything else you can imagine.
If you're going to try, go all the way.
There is no other feeling like that.
You will be alone with the gods.
And the nights will flame with fire.
You will ride life straight to perfect laughter.
It's the only good fight there is."
~ Charles Bukowski
(10) What is The DHARMA ?
( 10 ) What is The DHARMA ? – Question Reality !
• DHARMA :: DEFINITION of this often-used, popular word.
• “Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent”
• Learning-Quotes of DHARMA-Truth
• "Hsin Hsin Ming" Zen's most beloved teaching-poem
The Great Way is not difficult - have no preferences !
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion
keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom
keep informing your Compassion."
The Buddha as Manjusri Lord of Wisdom with Sword & Scripture
‘DHARMA’
Question Reality !
Knowing 'others' is intelligence.
Knowing 'yourself' is true wisdom
~ Lao Tse
" TO KNOW THY SELF – CONSTANTLY QUESTION."
~ Heracletus the Greek ~
This Is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
~ definition ~
“Dharma: I see this Asian word all over now, on TV, all around me these days ...“
♦ WHAT is the “DHARMA” ? ( Sanskrit ) a Complete set of "Wisdom-Truth-Teachings" according
to Traditional Buddhism: a Way, a Tao, a Path, a Logic; 'The Science of Objective Reality'; Pragmatic Psychology;
'The Natural Laws of Reality' – 'Observations' based on Empirical Reason open to Rational Discussion & Inquiry.
Dharma: The Truth about "the way things really are" – not as we wish, want, project or fantasize them to be.
True 'Dharma' is a non-mystical, non 'emotional'-based, non-theistic Truth. An 'Impersonal' Truth. The 'Laws' of
Objective Reality. Mr. Spock & the Trekkies would just love this! The Buddhist Dharma is a Logic and a Science.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"The Dharma-Teachings" are simply about deeply 'learning-in' a new program – and sweating out the toxic old
programmed conditioning and self-limitations & resistances. Surrendering to a self-taught re-education practice,
a willing Brain Washing – a 'conversion'. Don't get spooked ! All spiritualities, religions and psychotherapies work
this way. They always have. Out with the bad, in with the good. It's just that they so quickly get misused and then
abuse. That's a particular human problem. After the Buddha died, 'Buddhism' never had an absolute or authoritive
leader ( not even a Dalai Lama is in charge ). Still, Buddhism's brilliant philosophy was always a close second to
kindness & compassion – and has remained leaderlessly so. Then ask yourself alone, one question –
“ Does this Path have a Heart? ” – If it does, the path is good - If it doesn't - It is of no use.”
Meditating and studying the Dharma-teachings is like installing a new set of software - a new software download
that continuously updates itself – and eventually becomes an 'operating system' all by itself – upon more & more
steady Applied Practice and Awakened 'Realizations' – both in and out of sitting meditation. "Dharma" means the
'Laws' of Objective Reality – Reality is an everyday phenomena, isn't it? Often it happens when you're not looking.
Awareness is all any good spirituality or personal improvement regimen is all about. Any of 'em you can name.
'Dharma' is the Buddha's teaching-regimen that he imparted as applied 'working theories' for you to inform your
mind with a wholesome Dharma – as you study, as you meditate, and as you live your everyday life. Gradually
the 'Dharma-informing' of your mind replaces the misconceived old 'programmed conditioning of the mind as it
still somewhat is now – tired, worn out, old, outdated software and clinging to sad stories that you usually use to
define, operate and run your life with.
Your self-investment in the 'ego-mind' illusion is tremendous & tenacious. The Dharma is about 'considering'
that absolutely everything is 'Impermanent' and that the survival-obsessed 'ego-self'' is just not a skillful very
sophisticated software tool that hardly works well anymore - much less even being 'Real'. So with your frequent
meditation practice at home, and some Dharma-theory study, and especially the 'Spirit' of the Dharma that you
begin to carry around with you in your everyday Heart-Mind – integrated with your good-character – available
for any situation – a long welcomed overwrite just might happen as you download more and more Dharma.
"Dharma-Mind" begins to grow and develop in wise, powerful and ready-to-go skillful and compassionate ways.
Most of all - Find a really clear, no-strings-attached Dharma, any GOOD Dharma that 'works' for you, challenges
you, intelligently supports your better-nature – and then with your whole heart 'work' that program. Because of
the 'Laws of Impermanence': you can count on Change occuring. It's gauranteed ! 'Potential' lives by Change.
And again - be brave and don't quit. Continue to sit regularly. Love yourself for actually doing the practice.
Constantly keep the practice rolling around in your mind. And be supremely patient - and keep the faith !
" Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference."
~ Reinhold Niebuhr 1934; AA version in 1939 by Bill W.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
~ impermanence ~
"So should you view this fleeting world:
as a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
a flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream."
~ The Diamond Sutra
What is the whole of Buddha's "Dharma - Truth - Teaching"?
What it's all about in one very hard-to-bear sentence –
♦ “ Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent ” ♦
~ and internalizing this core 'realization' very seriously!
And remembering to ‘recognize’ this ‘Realization’
whoever, wherever you are - whatever you’re doing,
very consciously, very wisely, very kindly, very mindfully –
while standing up, walking, sitting down or lying back.
“Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent ”
sabbe sank'hara a.nicca
"whatever is composed is decomposable"
A Big Mis-take: "Taking the 'Impermanent'
for 'Permanent' resulting in Suffering"
which is the basic core of what the Buddha mainly taught.
Observing our perpetual ‘process’ of 'Attachment'
"Am I attached?" is the big Question. Ask it gently, gently.
Can we have a non-attached Mind yet a passionately
empathic & compassionate, tender, loving Heart ?
and again . . .
The Buddhist absence of 'Attachment' -
is not necessarily at all, in any way,
the absence of profound loving."
~ Sri Ananda Maitreya
"Anicca, Anicca, Anicca" • 'Impermanence'
The damn hardest mantra there ever is ~
The FULL Realization of uncompromising,
unarguable, unambiguous, unequivocal,
unmistakable, undeniable, indisputable,
explicit, obvious, definite, plain & clear -
total, absolute 'Impermanence'.
~ Venerable Sudu Hom'dru ~
“Exactly, Totally, Absolutely”
~ Contemporary way over-used American vernacular
“This is Not 'Mine',
This I am Not,
This is Not My 'Self'.”
Maha-Rahulovada Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya #62
“ It is not ‘What’ or ‘Who’ I am ~ but simply that I Am.”
The simple ‘fact’ that I simply am, not that ‘I am’ a name or identity.
~ Sri Ramana
"I tore myself away from the safe comfort of ‘certainties’ –
Only through my love for Truth .. and Truth rewarded me."
~ Simone de Beauvoir
“This above all:
To thine own self be true,
for it will follow, as the night the day,
thou then canst not be false to any man."
~ Polonius to his son Laertes ~
William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Being True to yourself is the beginning of
your relationship with the rest of the world.
"Certainly, the Buddha taught many people
in the compromised, relative 'Duality-World',
the teachings of being Kind and Skillful –
helping them avoid karma-mistakes in
everyday life & to acquire spiritual-merit.
Yet, to a very few others he taught
uncompromised 'Non-Duality' & ‘Emptiness’
that some people find profoundly frightening."
~ The Yogi Milarepa – 1100 AD
"There is suffering - but no 'one' who suffers.
'Doing' exists - although there is no 'doer'.
'Extinction' is - but no extinguished 'person'.
Although there is a 'Path' - there is no 'goer'."
~ The Vissuddhimagga ( 5th century AD )
"There is neither 'creation' nor 'destruction',
neither 'destiny' nor 'free will',
neither 'path' nor 'progress'.
This is the final Truth."
~ Sri Ramana
"What I love about Taoism is that it talks
about how everything is made of 'energy'.
The 'Tao' is basically energy. It's not a god.
It's not any-thing 'in particular'.
And yet you can tap into it.
You can create things from it.
We are made from it
and we return to it."
~ Wendi Moore-Buysee
In the future they will compare the 'Reality' to the photo
instead of comparing the the photograph to the Reality.
~ Alfred Steiglitz, pioneer photographer
"It is always still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or join with ‘illusion’.
But remember that to choose one -
is to let go of the other.
Can you bear the loss?"
~ The Tao
"The Hsin Hsin Ming" text from 600 AD China, with its first line ~
'The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences'
– is one of the most beloved chant-verse-poems of all Zen meditation traditions
– as well as being its core-teaching. It is also the first full-length authentic text
of Zen-practice when it was created by Seng-ts'an, The 3rd Chinese Zen Patriarch.
"The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent –
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the Truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood,
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
__________________________________________________
The Way is perfect like vast space
where nothing is lacking and nothing in excess.
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject
that we do not see the true nature of things.
Live neither in the entanglements of outer-things,
nor in inner-feelings of emptiness.
Be serene in the oneness of things and such
erroneous views will disappear by themselves.
When you 'try' to stop activity by passivity
your very effort fills you with activity.
As long as you remain in one 'extreme' or the other
you will never know Oneness.
__________________________________________________
Those who do not live in The Single Way
fail in both activity and passivity,
assertion and denial.
To deny the reality of things
is to miss their Reality
To assert the emptiness of things
is to miss their Reality.
The more you talk and think about it,
the further astray you wander from the truth.
Stop talking and thinking,
and there is nothing you will not be able to know.
To return to the root is to find meaning,
but to pursue appearances is to miss the source.
At the moment of inner enlightenment
there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness.
The changes that appear to occur in the empty world
we call 'real' only because of our ignorance.
Do not search for the truth –
only cease to cherish opinions.
__________________________________________________
Do not remain in the 'dualistic' state.
Avoid such pursuits carefully.
If there is even a trace of this and that,
of right and wrong –
the mind-essence will be lost in confusion.
Although all dualities come from The One,
do not be attached even to this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in The Way,
nothing in the world can offend.
And when a thing can no longer offend,
it ceases to exist in the old way.
__________________________________________________
When no 'discriminating-thoughts' arise,
the old mind ceases to exist.
When 'thought-objects' vanish,
the 'thinking-subject' vanishes:
As when the mind vanishes, objects vanish.
Things are 'objects' because of the subject (mind):
the 'mind' (subject) is such because of things (object).
Understand the R-e-l-a-t-i-v-i-t-y of these two
and The Basic Reality: 'The Unity of Emptiness'.
In this Emptiness the 'two' are indistinguishable
and each contains in itself the whole world.
If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine,
you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion.
___________________________________________________
To live in The Great Way is neither easy nor difficult.
But those with 'limited views' are fearful and irresolute:
the faster they hurry, the slower they go.
And clinging (attachment) cannot be limited:
Even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment
is to go astray.
Just let things be in their own way –
and there will be neither coming nor going.
Obey the nature of things ( your own nature )
and you will walk freely and undisturbed.
__________________________________________________
When thought is in bondage the truth is hidden –
for everything is murky and unclear.
And the burdensome practice of judging
brings annoyance and weariness.
What benefit can be derived
from distinctions and separations?
__________________________________________________
If you wish to move in The One Way
do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas.
Indeed, to accept them fully
is identical with true Enlightenment.
The wise man strives to no goals
but the foolish man fetters himself.
There is One Dharma, not many.
Distinctions arise
from the clinging needs of the ignorant.
To seek Mind with the mind ( discriminating-mind )
is the greatest of all mistakes.
__________________________________________________
Rest and unrest derive from illusion.
With Enlightenment there is no liking and disliking.
All dualities come from ignorant inference.
They are like dreams or flowers in air –
foolish to try to grasp them.
Gain and loss, right and wrong,
such thoughts must
finally be abolished at once.
__________________________________________________
If the eye never sleeps,
all dreams will naturally cease.
If the mind makes no discriminations,
the "ten thousand things" are as they are –
of single essence.
To understand the mystery of this One-essence
is to be released from all entanglements.
When all things are seen equally –
the 'timeless-mind-essence' is reached.
No comparisons or analogies are possible
in this causeless, relationless-state.
Consider movement stationary
and the stationary in motion.
Both movement and rest disappear.
When such 'dualities' cease to exist,
'Oneness' itself cannot exist.
To this Ultimate-Finality
no law or description applies.
__________________________________________________
For the Unified-Mind in accord with The Way
all self-centered striving ceases.
Doubts and irresolutions vanish
and life in True Faith is possible.
With a single stroke we are freed from bondage:
Nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing.
All is empty, clear, self-illuminating,
with no exertion of the mind’s power.
Here thought, feeling, knowledge
and imagination are of no value.
In this world of Suchness
there is neither 'self' nor 'other-than-self'.
To come directly into harmony with this Reality
just say when doubt rises "Not Two".
In this 'not two' nothing is separate,
nothing is excluded.
No matter when or where,
Enlightenment means entering this Truth.
And this truth is beyond extension
or diminution in time and space:
In it a single thought is ten thousand years.
__________________________________________________
Emptiness here, Emptiness there,
but the Infinite Universe
stands always before your eyes.
Infinitely large and Infinitely small –
No difference, for definitions have vanished
and no boundaries are seen.
So too with Being and Non-Being.
Don’t waste time in doubts and arguments
That have nothing to do with this.
One thing, All things –
move among and intermingle without distinction.
To live in this Realization
is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.
To live in this Faith is the road to non-duality,
because the Non-Dual is one with The Trusting-Mind.
___________________________________________________
Words!
The Way is beyond language –
for in it there is
no yesterday
no tomorrow
no today. "
~ Translated from the Chinese by Richard B. Clarke
and our thanks to Alan Clements for printing & distributing it
Paula Gable's COMMENTARY says: The original poem "Hsin Hsin Ming", or “Trust in Mind”
This premier enlightenment-poem is attributed to Seng-ts'an, The Third Patriarch of Zen Buddhism,
who lived in the late Sixth Century AD. In it he warns of the many pitfalls of practice: you are as far
from inner-freedom as heaven is from earth. And throughout, where it is a grand teaching-poem
about Non-attachment as the 'working practice' and the prime Key to authentic freedom & joy.
( 'Non-attachment' as an idea can be confusing when first introduced to the beginning-student's mind...)
"Remaining in 'duality', you'll never know of Unity.
And not to know this Unity lets 'conflict' lead you far astray.
When you assert that things are 'real' - you then miss their True Reality."
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Chinese word 'Hsin' means Mind. It also means Heart, and also means Warning.
The Hsin Hsin Ming points to the basic Buddhist conviction that at the true bottom of
all phenomena lies the 'One-Mind', the 'Buddha-Mind', the 'Universal-Consciousness'
which is one with our authentic true-nature. It is the understanding that we are not
isolated beings, but all connected in mystery and miracle in the deepest way possible.
The great sage Seng-ts'an teaches us from his very own direct experience.
Another version says:
"The Great Way Is Not Difficult
to those who are not attached to their own 'preferences'.
Let go of longing and aversion and everything will be perfectly clear.
Yet, when you grasp and cling to a hair's breadth of distinction,
heaven & earth are set far apart.
If you want to Realize the truth, don’t be for or against anything.
The struggle between good and evil is the primal-disease of the mind.
Not grasping its deeper meaning you just trouble your mind’s serenity.
But because you constantly 'select' and 'reject' –
you can’t really perceive its True Nature."
I’d have to admit that I don’t always stay centered – even though a fundamental part
of my Zen meditation practice is the intention to do so. Yet, when I fail to remain centered,
completely at ease - I know that’s OK too. For, another important part of Zen practice is
“not being attached to our preferences.” Not being attached to my preference to be cool,
calm and collected – rather than hot, agitated and scattered. Both calm and agitated are
natural parts of the human condition, as are cool and hot, collected and scattered. It’s not
that one is “good” and the other is “bad.” Instead, each of these elements in these so-called
“dualistic pairs” simply are. We don’t need to judge them. And, if we can learn to suspend
the judgment and just 'experience' them directly, as the two parts of a single whole, we can
release our suffering as we open our lives to this new awareness of the Absolute Oneness of Being.
This is the essence of what I believe the “Hsin Hsin Ming” aspires to teach us. “The Great Way is
not difficult for those who are unattached to their preferences. Let go of all longing and aversion
and everything will become perfectly clear.” NOTICE that Seng-ts'an did NOT say, “The Great Way
is not difficult for those who have no preferences.” Because, we ALL have preferences – and
none of them are absolute. And they are naturally shed like a snakes's skin according to season.
I prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla. But if the cook at dinner serves vanilla ice cream, I will
still be very grateful and will enjoy it immensely – since I’m not-attached to my 'preference'
of chocolate ice cream as the only right type of ice cream to eat. “The Great Way is not difficult
for those who are unattached to their preferences.”
It is so important to understand that non-attachment does not mean apathy. Rather, apathy is
the near enemy of non-attachment. Apathy leaves us shriveled and dry and disillusioned. Apathy
causes us to withdraw from life and live it less abundantly. To care less: Apathy says “I don’t care”.
Non-attachment says “I care deeply but I’m not attached to how things should be. I’m always very
interested in how things are and could be. In this way, non-attachment calls us to more life –
more joy, more inspiration and more possibilities. Non-attachment teaches us to rejoice in this very
precious, very present moment, rather than cling to the past, or dread the future. In traditional Taoist
& Zen Buddhist terms, the teaching of non-attachment calls us to surrender our lives to The Great Way.
In traditional Western theological language it teaches us to “Let go and let God.”
“Let go and let God” is a refrain that is heard frequently in Twelve-Step Recovery programs such as
Alcoholics Anonymous. It is the understanding that we are not individually at the center of the universe.
We are not in control. We are part of the endless stream of life that moves in us, around us, everywhere.
At times we can do much better to align ourselves to this stream of life – rather than to stubbornly swim
upstream against the current. Then again, radicalism makes for great change. But first we have to let go
of the last rock to which we are clinging, and release ourselves into this vast stream of swift-moving water
that will eventually flow into a deep, still sea of love, peace and joy. The only thing we have to do is let go
of our 'attachment' to 'preferences'. ~ Paula Gable, UU Ministries: all commentary above
*
So .. What Was It ?
What did the Buddha Awaken to ?
What the Buddha Awakened to
was the "Universal Law of Absolute Impermanence".
When unrecognized, like any illness, it causes psycho-physical Suffering:
a painful domino effect-cycle of desire, grasping, attachment and loss - thru
a self-created 'survival' chain-reaction called Inter-Dependent Origination:
a complex, massive web of cause & effect of un-dealt-with, unresolved,
unconscious karmic conditioning. A 'programming' where Everything depends
on everything else. In other words, "It's happening and you just don't know it."
You need to wake up to Awaken, remain Awake to See that the whole IS simply
the sum of the 'parts', but only for you. You gave all those parts precious names
and extraordinary significance and meaning: See the parts and whole for what
they really are: empty - just stuff. Stuff. Impersonal but True. Feelings? Observe it.
The 'Enlightenment', the Awakening ( Bodhi - "to awaken" ) of the Buddha was simultaneously his liberation
from suffering ( dukkha ) and his insight into the true nature of the universe – particularly the nature of the
lives of conscious ‘sentient beings’ ( humans & animals). What the Buddha awakened to was the truth
of Dependent Origination – the Buddhist 'Unified Field Theory' . . .
This is the 'Understanding' that any phenomenon ‘exists’ only because of the ‘existence’ of other phenomena in
an incredibly complex web of cause and effect covering time past, time present and time future. This concept
of a 'web' is symbolized by Indra's Net, a multi-dimensional spider's web, on which lies an infinite amount of dew
drops or jewels – and in these are reflected the reflections of all the other drops of dew ad infinitum.
Stated in another way, everything depends on everything else. For example, a human being's existence in any
given moment is dependent on the 'condition' of everything else in the world ( and indeed the universe ) at
that moment – but, conversely, the condition of everything in the world in that moment depends in an equally
significant way on the 'character' and 'condition' of that human being. Everything in the universe is interconnected
through the web of cause and effect – so that the whole and the parts are mutually inter-dependent.
The character and condition of entities at any given time are intimately connected with the character and condition
of all other entities that superficially may appear to be unconnected or unrelated. All inter-related & co-conditioned.
Because all things are thus conditioned, in flux, ever in movement and transient: impermanent (anicca), they
have no stable, no 'real' independent identity (anatta) and so do not truly ‘exist’, though to ordinary developed
minds this 'appears' to be the case. All phenomena are therefore fundamentally insubstantial and ‘empty’ (sunya).
In our everyday-level of experience, this Loss disappoints most human beings conditioned by unmanagable desires
and 'attachment' and they suffer. Learning the Dharma may reverse this aggitating or depressing condition. Or it may
not at this time as all 'conditionings' are certainly different from the 'desire' for security. There are Twelve Links of
Conditioned Existence. In this application of pratitya-samutpada, each link is conditioned by the preceding one, and
itself conditions the succeeding one. A karma-game of dominos. Practice awareness to see beyond the grossly obvious.
Wise human beings, who ‘See Things As They Are’ (yatha-bhuta-ñana-dassana), obsolete attachment and clinging,
transform the energy of desire into awareness and understanding, and eventually transcend the 'conditioned realm'
of attaching to form and become Buddhas.
also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratitya-samutpada
When this is – that is.
When this is here – that is here.
From the arising of this – comes the arising of that.
When this isn't – that isn't.
When this isn't here – that isn't here.
From the cessation of this – comes the cessation of that.
Imasming sati, idang hoti.
Imass’ uppādā, ida uppajjati.
Imasming asati, idang na hoti.
Imassa nirodhā, idhang nirujjhati.
___________________________________
_____________________________________
(11) What is The SANGHA: it's community
( 11 ) What is SANGHA ? – Non-Isolation
• Are You Being Open to Practice-SUPPORT ?
To Spiritual Community? To Sangha?
• Sangha / Satsang .. Definition
• The Journey: to find, nourish and cultivate
wise, kind, good Dharma-friends
• The Buddha's "Rhinoceros Sutra"
• 'Connection' is our natural state
Allowing Yourself to Be ‘Supported’
You can’t do this journey alone !
• FREE Meditation-Practice Consultation:
Personal Support from our teacher.
• Encoragement to keep sitting Regularly...
• "Sell your cleverness" ~ Rumi poem
• "Stop thinking this is all there is, says Morford
You are part of a huge groundswell now"
• Having a consistent ongoing meditation
group for 'practice-support'
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
‘Sangha’_______________________
Non-Isolation
"Just as a drop of water falling into the great ocean
Is never depleted even before the ocean ever dries up –
Likewise, with the full 'Intent' I now dedicate to Awakening,
will never be depleted before my Enlightenment is fully attained."
~ Buddha Shakyamuni
♦ The Sangha / Satsang / Support:
Sincere & dedicated 'truth-seekers' –
who have a willing, supportive, shared,
local common spiritual-ground together
Sat: 'truth' • Sang: a 'community' with a focused intent. Sat-Sang-ha: to Sit Together in Truth.
Sincere & dedicated 'truth-seekers' who have a shared, 'identified', common spiritual-ground –
Companions on the Path: be it lay people or ordained monks & nuns – be it a Buddhist practice,
Advaita, Sufi, Red Road, Wicca, Gnostic, Abra'hamic, Indigenous or some other spiritual tradition
that has history and endured. They have 'Refuge'. ( "communities of faith" contemporary usage:
an open, honest, truth-sharing 'faith-based community'. We’re on our way to spoiling this word also )
"Spiritual Friendship" ~ a "good friend", a "virtuous friend", a "noble friend", an "admirable friend"
and most certainly, the 'Teacher' as a “Kalyana-Mitta” will be found in the next section that follows.
"Again, traveler - you have come a long way led by that star.
But the 'Kingdom of The Wish' is at the other end of the night.
May you fair well, compan'ero - Let us journey together joyfully,
Living on catastrophe, eating the pure light." ~ Thomas McGrath
__________________________________________________________
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of that candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared. ~ The Buddha
We are all birthed into a ‘Sangha’ - into 'sacred community'.
It's called the 'World'. It is flowing – it feels and it moves. ~ Adyashanti
In a properly organized group no 'faith' is required.
What is required is simply a little trust and even that
only for a little while, for the sooner a person begins
to verify for them-self all that they learn, the better it is. ~ G. I. Gurdjieff
_______________________
_________________________
___________________________
From The Buddha's
"Rhinoceros Sutra"
Friend, Journey to where one can
find & cultivate good Dharma-friends:
Those who are intelligent, learned
in clear, non-dual Dharma-Wisdom.
With their own mastery of the kind,
compassionate Dharma in Practice -
with freedom from 'misconceived' actions.
What the wise call 'Becoming Noble Beings'.
If one should find such wise, caring companions –
Well-behaved, open, kind, strong, rich with integrity -
Those practicing the overcoming of all 'internal-dangers' -
with a loving, kind mind, with delight at the prosperity of others -
Becoming content at heart, independent, attentive and mindful.
Understanding the Dharma, abandoning delusion & false belief,
unopposed to the whole world, unhindered by the entire world –
One should certainly journey the Way together in noble Sangha.
___________________________________________
Laying aside all violence towards all beings,
not harming even one amongst them,
benevolent and sympathetic with a loving, kind mind,
contented, one should wander alone like the wild rhinoceros.
If one should find a wise companion, a well-behaved, strong fellow,
who practices kindness, impartiality, mercy, freedom from impulses
– then overcoming all dangers, one should wander along with him,
satisfied at heart, mindful. Let us walk together like a pair of rhinoceros.
If one should not find a good companion, a well-behaved fellow,
then like the king who has abandoned the realm that he had conquered,
one should wander alone like the noble solo wild rhinoceros.
~ The Gandhari "Rhinoceros Sutra" ( Khargavisana-sutra excerpt )
____________________________________
The real accomplishment in life is
the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior'.
A ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way to
balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human.
~ Carlos Castaneda
Good timber
does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind –
the stronger the trees.
~ Williard Marriott
'Connection' is our natural state . . .
When plagued with a sense of unworthiness, it is easy to feel deficient and to see
the outside love of another person as the only possible solution to one’s plight.
Meditation tends to work against this assumption of 'deficiency' by restoring the
innate capacity for connection from the inside. It is like a stealth bomber that
sneaks through all the defenses and illuminates the central fortress of the heart.
In doing this, it challenges the common assumption of our culture about where
'connection' comes from. In the Buddhist view, connection is already present.
We are not as 'separate' and 'distinct' as we think we are.
'Connection' is our natural state – we just have to re-learn to permit it.
~ from psychiatrist Mark Epstein’s book, "Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart:
A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness" – Mark is one of a growing number of
psychotherapists trying to integrate Buddhism with the concepts of Western
psychology in an effort to help people change their views and their lives.
___________________________________________________
"East is East, and West is West,
and never the twain shall meet –
until Earth and Sky stand presently
at God’s great Judgment Seat.
But then there is neither East nor West,
nor Border, nor Breed, nor Birth – when
two strong, good men stand face to face,
tho’ they come from the ends of the earth !"
~ Rudyard Kipling
__________________________________
" Aho Mitakuye Oyasin "
( Lakota language: a popular greeting that says
"To all My Relations & Relationships & Relatings" )
If the people lead,
then the leaders will follow !
We Are One Planet,
We Are One People,
We Are One Mind,
We Are One Spirit!"
~ Robert 'Standing Eagle' Marshall,
"We Are All Related" Foundation
• What is SANGHA for ?
PRACTICE-SUPPORT
& ENCOURAGEMENT
• Allowing Yourself to Be ‘Supported’
In Your Practice By Your Practice
and By Your Fellow Meditators.
You can’t do this alone ! Why try?
A Sincere Inner-Inquiry: Are you a willingly 'Supportable'-type of person ?
Supportable - Do you reach out for meditation-practice support naturally?
A core characteristic of these 'Questions' comes up often in meditation class,
individual by individual over time – as meditator’s practices gradually progress.
Please do some gentle Inner-Inquiry here: With or Without ‘Judging-mind’ – yet just
notice if it’s there. How you ‘do allow’ or you ‘don’t allow’ yourself to be “supportable”.
How you avoid ‘support’ - or just don’t even know that support is available to you in all
that you do, and how you just go doggedly on – off on your own. Alone . . . These are
only some of the hidden, isolative scenarios of how people approach the difficult sides
of ‘spiritual practice’ – the Insight Meditation side – unwilling to engage the blissful inner-
devotee of Existence itself, simply the feel-good de-contraction side. There are both sides
you know – The ‘Devotional’ Side, and The Deep ‘Introspective-Insight’ Side. So please
ask yourself, inquire into how you do continually cultivate mutual collaboration on your
pilgrimage to Awakening. How you can become supportable in your inner-inquiry practice
of more & more frequently awakening Insight. Keep inviting others to relate with you . . .
Awareness-Practice is a very deep and personally engaging 'immersion' practice
to actually involve yourself in, within your self – actually getting IN there for sure! Scary !
That takes a sort of bravery ... and Ego is your ally, not your enemy. Ego will let your
silly Buddhist ‘practice’ go as FAR as you want it to - Ego will make sure your survive.
Developing an ‘Awareness’ meditation practice does require an intelligently gentle, steady, willing
practice at your own pace, gradually developing a constantly re-newable patience within yourself
- and really, lots of kind, encouraging support from others - from both fellow-meditators –
Sangha - as well as your own individual PERSONAL “living” teacher(s) – not just some warm,
inspiring, but yet absent teacher in a ‘book’, or a deceased yogi or ascended-master. The whole
of the Buddhist Path and its spiritual practices, here or elsewhere, eventually becomes a totally
“Live Event” for you. Only another living, in-person, ‘live’ human-being can do that with you !
And .. You certainly can have more than one teacher – just make sure they are actually alive
( or were living when you studied with them ) and that you can sit and have tea with them at
sometime and have an everyday, normal conversation – sadly, distant big celebrity 'teachers'
very often aren't accessible after a certain point. Asses your Sangha needs: Do you still need
to ‘feel connected’ to something really Big – or is small yet personal ‘connectivity’ enough?
"When I see I am Nothing - that is Wisdom.
When I see I am Everything - that is Love.
And between these two, my life flows." ~ Nisargadatta
Allowing yourself to be 'supportable' in your meditation practice by opening into live, human contact is the
true ‘Sangha-part’ of the practice. Please, softly push against those tight tendencies to being so 'resistive'
or 'isolated' on your Inner-Journey – all masked up in just being a little shining face in a big huge crowd – all
goodie two shoes n' all. Please step right up, ask questions, ask for support, and ask how to volunteer your
support if possible. Think How Can I Help. Think Community. Think Universally. Think Getting Beyond Yourself.
You Definitely Won’t Be Alone. And also, the people are usually quite nice. You need to ask where the entry is...
French - Nous oublions aisément nos fautes lorsqu'elles ne sont sues que de nous !
English - We forget our faults too easily - when they are known to ourselves solely alone !
~ Francois Duc de La Rochefoucauld
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
The Whole of the Buddhist Sangha and Practice on its Path,
here or elsewhere, eventually becomes a totally ‘Live Event’.
The ‘Buddha’ is way gone – the ‘Dharma’ is a gracious gift of insight-filled words in pioneering
books, and now CDs, both Asian and Western teachers are crisscrossing the comprehensions
of the Net offering pod-cast classes and other Online instant accesses. Sitting-Sanghas are now
prolific and abundant. The Buddha’s Dharma is vitally here in the West to stay ! And yet –
you yourself actually do live locally somewhere, and your own neighborhood Sangha is the live,
fleshy part of the practice. A Haiku: “Sitting in meditation group someone’s feet smells.” Authentic
practice really can not be ‘electronic’ except for a little ‘net’ while before you want or need to go to
a live weekly Dharma sitting-group meditation. You involve live people in your life when you practice
meditation with a group. It’s that or be a spiritual shut-in. Or just wander as an ‘un-identified’ walker.
“Live Sangha” is a rich, wonderful sort of 'group therapy' – you with other human beings, everybody’s
warts and all – and you get to overcome numerous barriers that once got erected through you – but
are not you – and they serve you no wholesome support no more - and now can be allowed to trickle
away like so much loose sand. And you find you can live quite well without it. Yet “live-group” Sangha
practice is exposing – and you will find that you can handle that. Quite well, actually. Come join in
with a Sangha. The only snakes in your mailbox are in your head. Allow yourself to be welcome.
Short of being a full-blown Buddha –
You always should have a consistent
ongoing meditation group for 'practice-support',
or your meditation just falls apart. Ploop ! ~ Ka-Ching
Having the Courage to accept & receive ENCOURAGEMENT: We all need all the the encouragement
we can get in order to continue our practice effectively – Vipassana-Mindfulness is an 'inquiry' meditation
style that keeps asking you to constantly Question, look, inquire and train to be non-reactive and to gently,
yet continuously observe 'within' - and practice being mindfully awake in each moment...
mindful of whatever arises in the mind's eye of your experience.
Typical 'Yoga' class-styles of a more 'inspiring / popular' relaxation-meditation are much easier – stillness
after strenuous movement. Buddhist 'Insight-Awareness' meditation is certainly much less soothing –
sorry – and it asks you to consider philosophies that coach you to going against the grain & swim upstream.
Encouragement is 'spurring-you-on' to practice. Be strong. Keep giving this 'encouragement' yet another
chance to merge with you. PRACTICE-SUPPORT: Allowing Yourself to Be Supported In Your Practice
FREE Meditation-Practice Consultation & Support
• "Sangha-Minded Mind Seeks Support"
So, HERE's an INVITATION for you . . .
But do you personally know how to accept a bona-fide, sincerely offered,
genuine rooty-tooty invitation? Just pick up the phone! That'll do it.
An Ongoing Personal Invitation from The Laughing Buddha Sangha
~ free and freely offered ! Really . . .
Dear Dharma Friends ~
To those of you who currently meditate with us now, or have been ongoing with us before,
and also for beginners who’ve just begun to explore 'Practice' . . this is absolutely for real !
In the Good Spirit of Sangha "Practice-Support" ~ please be sincerely invited to phone me about
meditation-consultation – freely offered – or with any questions on meditation practice you may have,
or additional instruction or tips, or any foggy confusions or unclear areas of practice or on the working
philosophy or 'unstructured' approach we use, or getting clarity about your concerns or notions about
'spiritual' growth and what it is, or further reading & study etc. Caution: it does mean being in contact.
Please DO NOT judge the amount of times a week you sit meditation, or do not judge the quality of your
attentiveness, or a dozen other imaginary, self-limiting thoughts about why you shouldn’t accept this
invitation or worst, whether you even ‘deserve’ it. If you simply want to do ‘practice’ and have some
difficulties ‘practicing’, but you are unwilling to quit on yourself – just call in. That's why it's called
"practice" rather than called "perfect". Be a bit brave ! Don't be shy or hesitant - or feel I'd be a bit
bothered. Please Bother Me ! If you get the voice-mail, I'll get back to you, or we'll arrange a mutually
workable phone-time to talk. Let us see together where this gesture of support goes with us.
It could work out fine ! . . . all my metta-karuna to you ~ Akasa Levi
Just pick up the phone and call. Noon to 6pm best phone times M-F. 310-450-2268
Try n’ SIT Meditation at home more regularly to train & strengthen the awareness-mind!
____________________________________________________________________________
"If milk is churned then one gets butter,
and one can use that butter, and it is very beneficial.
But, if one doesn’t do that and just leaves the milk there,
then eventually the milk is going to go bad –
and one will end up with neither butter nor milk nor anything.
So, similar to that, we have this wondrous human rebirth & human body-mind
which makes it possible for us to 'practice' and attain the 'highest realizations'.
But although it is such an absolutely perfect basis for this practice –
if we don’t use it, actualize it – then eventually it will just be lost like
so much excess when we move on to somewhere else in this life."
~ Khen Rinpoche
___________________________________________________________________________________
ENCOURAGEMENT TO KEEP SITTING MEDITATION Regularly...
PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT 'MEDITATION' IS NOT 'SPIRITUAL' IN ITSELF !
Let's just de-mystify that up front, each for ourselves – Meditation is just a 'Tool' –
Silent Sitting Meditation is a valuable psycho-physical phenomena - in that Silent
Meditation awakens - sets up a w-I-d-e-r opening - gradually builds a wider conscious
space, room for the Spiritual to arise into ... for wisdom to arise on its own –
if and when it's ready – on it's own time. So learn how to just let it be Still inside.
Yet, you must hear and must study the Wisdom Teachings, but you can't force Wisdom !
So learn how to just let it be Still inside. The 'Wisdom-Spirit' will eventually appear
in it's own time. Your job is to keep the access door open & clear - and it does take
an increasing, gradual but consistent meditation sitting-practice - sitting right thru
the junk that also arises! As the mind get's more silent & peaceful - in the long run -
given steady practice - Silent-Awareness meditation really works !
HOW LONG? - Consistent meditation - a 25 minutes / to a half-hour daily sitting,
or just a few times a week, or every-other-day is really necessary to build-in and
develop a "mindfulness-region" in the newly developing 'meditative-brain'.
HOW DOES IT WORK? - a new, 'Aware'-part of the mind that now becomes strongly
preferred - rather than the 'old chaotic neurotic part' that has caused you so much trouble.
Then, with fairly regular sitting practice, when the old part arises - the NEW part will
automatically, mindfully kick in. This new default-mode kicking in will eventually happen
quicker and quicker. And stay longer & longer. Meditation is done for most of your life.
Meditation is too slow an ongoing 'process' to just fix what needs to be fixed and then
drop the meditation. Meditation does not work well for crisis-mode. After relief, it might.
Meditation is a human-style evolutionary process. Evolving out of being crisis-prone.
So we totally honor your coming here and your taking-on your life-challenges!
Our job is to support you in observing those life-challenges... sitting 'em through.
By simply sitting still with yourself. Hey, we are all here on the same journey...
You know quite well, deep within you --
That there is only a single magic,
a single power, a single salvation ...
and that single force is called 'Loving'.
Well then, you must also love your 'suffering' too!
Do not resist it, do not deny it, do not flee from it.
It is your aversion to it that hurts, nothing else. ~ Hermann Hesse
'Aversion' is a big main ingredient to observe in Buddhist practice –
to observe it well over repeated 'witnessings' of it. A lot thru sitting.
There is 'Pain' - and there is your 'Aversion' to Pain. It's not the pain
that we're working on - that's not the main focus of observation - it's
the tendency to slip into Aversion that we re working with.
There is a start to healing. Seeing 'it', 'Aversion', for precisely
what it is from it's side, not yours – and beginning to forgive it
for what it is from your side. As Hesse says:
"It is your aversion to it that hurts, nothing else." – a bit tricky.
The continual 'Practice of Forgiveness' is almost always the cure!
______________________________________________________________________
"Sell your cleverness
and buy bewilderment." ~ Rumi
From a Sufi Contemplation: Journey Into The Garden of The Heart
Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.
Cleverness is mere opinion,
Bewilderment is intuition.
The spiritual path wrecks the body
And afterwards restores it to health.
It destroys the house to unearth the treasure,
And with that treasure builds it better than before.
The day you were born, a ladder was set up
to help you escape from this world.
Keep walking, though there’s no place to get to.
Don’t try to see through the distances.
That’s not for human beings.
Move within, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and just begin reading,
Take down a musical instrument, instead.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of other ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Love is that flame that once kindled, burns everything -
and only the mystery and the journey remain.
We rarely hear the inward music,
but we’re all dancing to it nevertheless. ~ Mevlana Jellaludin Rumi 1300 AD
_________________________________________________________
"Stop thinking this is all there is... Realize that for every on-going war
and religious outrage and environmental devastation there are a thousand
counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and
beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale,
from flower box to cathedral...
Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh
and just throw in the karmic towel... Realize that this is the perfect moment
to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal
volume – right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious
and conflicted and bilious... there's your opening. Remember magic. And,
finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly
small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift,
the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable."
~ Mark Morford - from San Francisco Sun magazine
(12) TEACHER Biography
( 12 ) TEACHER Biography • Photo
• “Kalyana Mitta” – 'Spiritual Friends & Mentors'
• The Seven Qualities of a Good Friend
• "The Road Less Traveled" Robert Frost’s poem
• Mentoring: A Dharma Teacher's Purpose
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
“daily-life itself as sacred-relationship”
"spiritual friendship" ~ a good friend,
a virtuous friend, a noble friend,
an admirable friend, a spiritual friend.
____________________________________
" Don't walk in front of me, I may not always follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not always lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend." ~ Albert Camus
As a 'mentor' or "spiritual-friend" the traditional Theravada Buddhist teacher
is often referred to in South Asia meditation-settings as a 'Kalyana Mitta'.
It is a Pali term that literally and simply means "A Loving Good Friend".
It is often used to describe someone in the guide-teacher-mentor-role.
"Hey Coach, can I see you 'bout something?" Availability & Access.
The 'Teacher' as a Kalyana-Mitta
_________________________________________________
What's "the teacher thing" all about anyway - and the
particularly different form of it in Theravada Buddhism.
Traditional 'orthodox' Theravada Buddhism does not really ever use the over-exposed,
now tainted-word 'Guru' or even suggest a hierarchical arrangement, a mystical-position
on the basis of some sort of reincarnation, or even a God-related 'authority'. 'Kalyana Mitta'
is a Pali (a Sanskrit-derivative) term that literally means "A Loving Friend" ( Friend-Loving;
‘Mitta’ as in ‘Metta’ ) It is often used to describe someone in the so valuable guide-teacher-
teamleader-mentor-role. AND - it also can refer to absolutely anyone at all on the Practice
Path of Dharma who is a simply a friend, guide, supporter or especially a 'practice' co-traveler,
a traveling companion on The Way – making it all the more possible for true Sangha bonds
to grow strong & healthy, as well as fully providing an inclusive enough trusting and truly
safe-setting for a really fruitful exploration of Dharma-understanding to bud, flower & bloom.
This deepens the overall development of “Daily-life itself as sacred-relationship” - one of
the Ultimate Awakenings as a supreme 'Practice Opportunity' ~ Yup, simply a Good Friend.
♦ One of Buddha's close students once said to him ~
"It seems, venerable sir – that half the holy life
is having good spiritual friends –
like in our Sangha."
The Buddha immediately replied:
"In fact, the whole of the holy life
is having good spiritual friends !"
_____________________________________________
Each of us can benefit greatly from having Dharma-friends as allies,
who genuinely Support the practice of our own individual spiritual journey.
In Buddha's words, he said:
"The qualities of a Good Friend, brethren, is one who ~
1. willingly does what is hard to do ( seva - service )
2. generously gives what may be hard to give ( dana - generosity )
3. listens, and un-resistingly hears what is hard to hear or bear
4. openly and bravely shares their own secrets with you
5. honorably keeps others’ secrets, and does not judge
6. when in obvious need, forsakes one not, but is available
7. distains or despises not, when one is in ruin, but comforts
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And, so sorry I could not travel them both
And being only one traveler, long I stood
And looked down each road as far as I could
Then I took the other road, though just as fair
But with leaves no step had yet trodden bare
Because it was grassy and it wanted wear
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I …
I chose the road less traveled by –
And that has made ALL the difference
~ Robert Frost ( 1916 )
"Our 'Life-Fears' are educated into us – and can be educated out."
~ Karl Menninger
"The yin and yang of life is that we grow wiser as we get older.
We have less & less time to use that wisdom to enrich our own lives –
and so we pass it along to others, enriching the world in the process."
~ The Tao
Lineage or Branches of 'Practice-Schools':
A "Lineage" is a group of teachings or practices handed down from teachers to their students, who become
teachers in their own right. There are also ordination-lineages: that is the line or ordination (monks and nuns)
which is always traceable back to the Buddha as the founding-teacher as revered in southern Theravada.
'Lineage' is considered vitally important in all Buddhism, particularly in the northern traditions of Zen, Chinese
and the various Himalayan schools, where the master or guru occupies the main role in spiritual development.
Certainly, there are some basic practices, meditations & texts which may be learnt from 'secondary sources',
such as books and CDs – and yet some which must be given directly in an 'alive' teacher-student relationship.
But before teaching any of these, a 'beginning-teacher' should have received authorization or permission to teach.
The giving of this 'permission' is dependent on spiritual understanding and attainment. Almost never is it a personal
or an allegiance matter. Lineages are traceable back to the original Buddha or sometimes, to a great and highly
acknowledged later master. New lineages are started by people who are regarded as 'masters', those few existing
teachers in each generation who are considered extraordinary. ~ www.buddhanet.net/masters/index.htm
( please be courageous enough to inquire about ‘teaching-assistant’ training here or elsewhere )
"In the end we will conserve only what we love –
We will love only what we understand –
And we will understand only what we have been taught."
~ Baba Dioum, African ecologist
_____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."
~ Andy McIntyre's bumper sticker
“No 'failure' – we are all learning.
The real failure is giving up learning.”
~ Shi'an
"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."
~ Sydney J. Harris
"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of that candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared."
~ The Buddha
"And if we do act - in however small a way ...
We don't have to wait for some Grand Utopian Future.
The 'future' is an infinite succession of 'presents'.
And to live now as we think human beings should live,
In defiance of all that is bad around us,
Is itself a marvelous victory in itself."
~ Howard Zinn - ‘The Optimism of Uncertainty’
“The real accomplishment in life –
is the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior’.
A ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way
to balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human.”
~ Carlos Castaneda
(13) The BiG Important DETAILS:
Don't just drink by the waters edge
Throw yourself in
Become the water. . .
Only then will your thirst end ~ Rumi
Mindfulness meditation is 'practicing' how
to experience being in the present moment.
"Again, traveler - you have come a long way led by that star.
But the 'Kingdom of The Wish' is at the other end of the night.
May you fair well, compan'ero - Let us journey together joyfully,
Living on catastrophe, eating the pure light." ~ Thomas McGrath
__________________________________________________________________________________________
♦ "I generally have a 'commitment-problem' with self-improvement classes"
So you DO need more encouragement? Maybe we can offer some . .
For an in-depth discussion of “Commitment” for those who really do need to explore this.
You may find help to review this issue a bit further for yourself at 'Commitment' on Archive List.
“Commitment”- It’s a Difficult, Big Loaded Word . . . it affects everything we do as human beings
be it nourishing a ‘relationship’, or an to art, or to your life’s-work, or to yoga, fitness, music lessons.
Have the Courage to accept & receive ENCOURAGEMENT: We all need all the the encouragement
we can get - in order to continue our practice effectively – Mindfulness is an 'inquiry' meditation-style
that keeps asking you to constantly Question, look, inquire and train to be non-reactive and to gently,
yet continuously observe 'within' - and practice being mindfully awake in each moment... Mindful of
whatever arises in the mind's eye of your experience. Facing fear or the frivolous - all of it with courage.
Typical 'Yoga' class physical-styles can be more 'inspiring & popular' - relaxation-meditations are
much easier – stillness after strenuous movement. Buddhist 'Insight-Awareness' mental-meditations
may certainly be much less soothing at first – sorry – as it asks you to consider philosophies that
coach you to going against the grain & swim upstream. Be still when you're not, understand when
you don't want to ... Encouragement is 'spurring-you-on' to practice. Be strong. Keep giving our
'encouragement' yet another chance to merge with you. PRACTICE-SUPPORT: Allowing Yourself
To Be Supported In Your Practice'. • "A Sangha-Minded Mind Seeks Support"
www.dharmaseed.org ( free & the best )www.buddhismnow.com ( free ) http://www.dharmaseed.org/about/us/ ( information )
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♦ About RETREATS ~ Away from it all . . .
“Here we are, poor us, our poor little over-busy heads - everyday learning more
and more mandatory electronic cyber-technology - seemingly for the sake of our
‘relations’ with the world around us – a consensus agreement ‘we’ never made –
too much ‘product’ has been fostered on us. It has everyone sharing in the same
cloned hi-tech material-magic: i-pods and cell phones to our ears everywhere,
the most sophisticated home entertainment and automotive accoutrements.
Phenom-media that daily impact and influence our minds and choose our
karmic-choices for us. Invisible terrorisms, rampant economic insecurity,
personal-space and privacy prone to invasion. I don’t know who I am -
yet my identity is up for theft. I feel like I’m being dragged behind a full
Fed-Ex home-delivery truck. And my intimate relationships are getting
woefully impoverished. I need to stop awhile, shut up & simply sit down...” ~ Jeremy 34
RETREATS:
"Doing a Day-Long"
~ sometimes once a Month,
~ sometimes once a Quarter
A Retreat into Silent Sitting in Stillness & Satsang
Start with One Saturday or Sunday "Doing a Day-Long"
Retreats are usually offered first to ongoing meditation students
who have already sat some meditation with us - and then offered
to Newcomer-students there-after. The sooner you go deep da' better.
Please email us if you’d be interested in Retreat Information:
then you’ll know much more of what 'Retreat-mind' is about ~ AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com
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Retreats with us, or with other teachers, are always highly encouraged - but quite optional.
There is no fixed expectation that one do even a short retreat, even tho' they are relatively easy.
BUT Retreats do offer the deeper "immersion-time experience" often lacking in somewhat more
'casual' meditation sitting. Meditation is an acquired taste - a short Retreat is a quick way to get it.
Offering yourself 'Periodic Intensives' – could make all the experiential difference in establishing
one's self into an authentic relationship with the meditation 'practice' – Awakening take 'patience'.
... Remember, we're swimming upstream with one's own over-conditioned consciousness in tow.
There is an ancient spiritual principle that says: In order to effectively perform deeper kinds
of inner-exploration – it takes periodic 'immersions' - a temporary but full-time commitment
to silent sitting & living for a specific amount of time: a full day or a full weekend. It really works !
One must be able to 'create' the space – and have that 'space' be workable, viable for ones-self –
to be able to reasonably and responsibly attempt to let go of various 'worldly' limits and 'beliefs'
that only ‘appear’ to be usually needed day-to-day - and which may be psychologically difficult to
set aside – BUT to attempt to be a 'monk' or a 'nun' for a whole full day or two as a ‘Time-Out’
for a Quiet Retreat is eminently possible ! You CAN certainly make that happen ! Yes you can.
Accordingly, one voluntarily and deliberately sets up a temporary retreat 'process' or 'refuge'
setting or a sanctuary to very safely set ALL daily-demands aside - with the permissive-intent of
'picking them up again' responsibly upon that retreat's completion. At times we offer Retreats.
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. . . Remember – Ultimately, "Wherever you go - there you are !"
"Samsara ( the 'worldly' world in our mind ) is Nirvana - and Nirvana is Samsara"
One Day-Short Retreats – 9 am-5 pm are usually held in a Los Angeles-area, in-town facility or in
a volunteered private residence with a garden for some sublime Outdoor Silent Sitting or the focused,
highly-effective Burmese Slow Walking-Meditation. Retreats are offered by the Student-Sangha
and are guided by Akasa Levi and guest-teachers. Please ask now about Volunteering in some way.
(14) The Big BOOK Archive:...... please wait for picture to load
(14) “Buddhist Books for Your Next 50 Years”
"one of the best beginner's Buddhist book-lists on web"
• Buying NEW BOOKS - 'Independent' bookstores !!!
• About 'WORDS' ! - very little reading expectations
• Introduction to BASIC Buddhist Books
"A Path With Heart” by Jack Kornfield
• CORE BOOKS: highly recommended ‘classic’ reading
• Books of POETRY that inspire Heart-Awakening
• Dharma 'Classics' - early Western writings
• Sri Ramana Maharshi • Krishnamurti • D.T. Suzuki
the modern 'Godfathers' of the "Inquiry Into The Self "
• Ram Dass pioneering first Westerner of our generation
• ‘Book-Lovers’ USED BOOKS available Online –
• About "Out of Print" Books, endangered species
• FREE General Buddhist Readings & Resources,
Booklets, books, print out FREE Online teachings
• ‘Book-Lovers’ USED BOOKS available Online –
• About "Out of Print" Books, endangered species
• Spiritual-oriented Bookstores: Westside L.A. area
( 1 ) "A PATH WITH HEART" by Jack Kornfield – is our Gold-Standard working 'manual' for all classes
we offer. A most important, very complete compendium on meditation to continually 'inform' your evolving
Dharma-mind – so you'll know 'what' IT is you're 'observing' when you sit there in meditation - and 'what'
you're 'experiencing' when you're out there in everyday-life. This book is a definite 'keeper'. Enjoy !
This required class-book is for purchase in stores or online.
NEWCOMERS: please start the "PATH" book with reading focused in Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 – with particular
attention to Chapter 7. And also begin Chapters 13,14 with attention to Chapter 14. Try to martk up
your book pages, with pen or Hi-Lite pen. Start your own ‘Index’ on blank back pages to quickly find stuff.
‘A Path with Heart’ is a book for life, for your continual sitting meditation guidance, encouragement and
reference. Yes, It’s one of those kinda books. Everything else below is a remarkably good selection of
teachings, but really entirely optional reading if you're not a 'reader'. If you are, have the time of your life !
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recommended but optional: 2, 3, 4 are free online
( 2 ) "THE POWER of MINDFULNESS" by Nyanaponika Thera – ( 40 pages - FREE BOOKLET Online.
Wheel No. 121/122 – ISBN : 9552400023 ) The Buddhist Publication Society - Kandy, Sri Lanka.
It's the classic little meditation booklet on developing Mindfulness & Mindfully-Aware "Bare Attention".
An excellent detailed instruction on Attentive Mindfulness Practice, written by a European meditation-monk
in the late 1950's – it’s a very traditional tutoring in the 'whys' & 'hows' of Awareness-practice – it gives you
both practical ‘tips’ on the Practice - and the reasoning as to why we do it. It's a real jewel ! We're mining
very ancient treasures here. It's ‘Recommended’ reading but Optional. Dip into these Online Readings !
It's FREE Online but probably best to make your own Free Print-Out – one of these sites may work for you.
You probably may have to copy/paste these addresses in manually into your 'search-bar', if it doesn't click
open right away or by using control + click. When you do open the site - it should then be easy to highlight,
copy/paste to Notepad and then to a clean new Word.doc and print out what you want. These all seem to be
pdf formats, you should choose which version below works for you. All these sites are non-commercial.
When you open the site, click 'select' and fiddle with the Zoom to get it up to 100% or more for easier reading.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel121.html (Verdana-font)
or - try these two more sophisticated, readable PDF sites. Use select & zoom functions: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/powermindfulness.pdf (Times-font) ~ or ~http://www.saetawwin2.org/~stw2/files/The_Power_of_Mindfulness.pdf (Arial-font)
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All BOOKS below are totally OPTIONAL Reading for purchase: many can be gotten as 2nds or Used Books
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( 5 ) "THE EXPERIENCE OF INSIGHT" by Joseph Goldstein (preferred) and/or "INSIGHT MEDITATION:
The Practice of Freedom" by Joseph Goldstein – or – “SEEKING THE HEART OF WISDOM” by Joseph
Goldstein and Jack Kornfield. Read ANY of these basic 'practice' books by these two renown, first American
teachers of Theravada-Vipassana Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation in the West during the ‘spiritual’ 70’s &
80’s. Yes, it was all very fresh then! It was All new. A direct spill-over of the 60’s. Not much sorting out to do.
Today’s sincere ‘seeking’ takes remarkable discernment in an over-saturated spiritual as well as therapeutic
marketplace. Choose carefully. Look for kindness merged with intelligence, not fascinating ‘claims’ & rewards.
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( 6 ) "A GRADUAL AWAKENING" by Stephen Levine - another remarkably clear and caringly written guide
from the heart, that speaks about the way to practice. Again, read anything else by Levine, another of these
renown senior pioneering Western Buddhist meditation-teachers. This book is now also considered a classic.
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( 7 ) "THE IMPACT OF AWAKENING" by Adyashanti – Remarkably ‘Realized’ satsang teaching-dialogues of
a supremely good American teacher that breaches the bounds of conventional Buddhism or even Zen itself !
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( 8 ) "BUDDHISM WITHOUT BELIEFS" by Stephen Batchelor - Riverhead Books. A chewy, slim book offering
a deep understanding of Buddhism that is extraordinarily contemporary, concise & in a smart, pithy presentation
of the Buddhist Path of personal transformation in a very straightforward manner that asks us to comprehend and
slowly think along with the written word. We've used this book for Deep Dharma study alongside "A Path With Heart".
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( 9 ) "The COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE to UNDERSTANDING BUDDHISM" by Gary Gach – ( optional means
only if you wish to get it ) - a delightfully rich, chunky, encyclopedic-style tome that completely covers the entire
subject of 'Buddhism' in all it's many aspects, history, personalities & teachings – in a very readable, graphics
format. It's the kinda' book Buddhist teachers have waited years for – at last, all in one very intelligent book !
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Online Reading & Hand-Outs: Informative, a bit more academic-style reading Online is always recommended
or Handouts will be occasionally provided free ( or at copying-cost ) as Take-Home reading materials or quality
Online-Links like www.Wikipedia.com -or- http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Category:Buddhist_Meditation
or- http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Category:Theravada_Buddhism for an amazing selection !
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CORE BOOKS
recommended ‘classic’ reading:
not listed here in any particular
order, except by title length.
“ZEN LIFE” by D.T. Suzuki
"AS IT IS" by Tony Parsons
"ONE DHARMA" by Joseph Goldstein
"EMPTINESS DANCING" by Adyashanti
"LOVING-KINDNESS" by Sharon Salzberg
"A PATH WITH HEART" by Jack Kornfield
"THE IMPACT of AWAKENING" by Adyashanti
"THE MYTH of FREEDOM" by Chogyam Trungpa
"A GRADUAL AWAKENING" by Stephen Levine
"WHEN THINGS FALL APART" by Pema Chodron
"WHAT THE BUDDHA TAUGHT" by Walpola Rahula
"BUDDHISM WITHOUT BELIEFS" by Stephen Batchelor
"AFTER THE ECSTASY, THE LAUNDRY" by Jack Kornfield
"Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown" by Alan Watts
"MINDFULNESS in PLAIN ENGLISH" by Henepola Gunaratana
"TURNING TO THE SOURCE" by Dhiravamsa ISBN 0931892201
"THE HEART OF BUDDHIST MEDITATION" by Nyanaponika Thera
"Mindfulness With Breathing" A Manual by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
"CUTTING THROUGH SPIRITUAL MATERIALISM" by Chogyam Trungpa
"SEEKING THE HEART of WISDOM" by Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield
"This Is It" (and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience) by Alan Watts
"The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety" by Alan Watts
"THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH: Way to the End of Suffering" by Bhikkhu Bodhi
"SELF-REALIZATION" by Byron Katie - a tiny jewel of a book that truly says it all
"THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE to UNDERSTANDING BUDDHISM" by Gary Gach
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... and any books
by any of these
author / teachers ...
"Ask The Awakened" by Wei Wu Wei
"Radical Acceptance" by Tara Brach
"Doing Nothing" by Steven Harrison
"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle
“Breath by Breath” by Larry Rosenberg
"Total Freedom: The Essential. Krishnamurti"
“After the Ecstasy, the Laundry” by Jack Kornfield
"Everyday Zen: Love & Work" by Charlotte Joko Beck
"Wherever You Go, There You Are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Going to Pieces" & "Open to Desire" by Mark Epstein
"I Am That" Satsang transcriptions of Nisargadatta Maharaj
"Journey to Ixtlan" & "Tales of Power" by Carlos Casteneda
"Instinct for Freedom" by Alan Clements (a political dharma)
“Don't Just Do Something....”, “It's Easier Thank You Think”,
“That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist” by Sylvia Boorstein,
“Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness ~and~
Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience by Sharon Salzberg
"The Essential Ken Wilber: An Introductory Reader" by Ken Wilber
“Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment” by Thaddeus Golas (1971)
"Intro to Zen Buddhism" “Zen Life” D.T. Suzuki (Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki)
"Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki" by
David Chadwick and original Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
( Be Careful, there's 2 Suzuki’s )
"Living With the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil" by Stephen Batchelor
"Dharma Punx" & "Against The Stream" by Noah Levine ~ Buddhist Recovery
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The Books of POETRY that inspire Heart-Awakening is awesome !
Here are just some. A tiny few. Start with anthologies to whet your taste for the
wide range of words that is called Poetry. Most L.A. book stores still only carry a
small section of Poetry. Specialty "literature" stores are best, and a poetry book
is something you would want to hold and browse in your hand first before buying:
Dutton's in Brentwood ( FYI now closed ) The Bodhi Tree in West Hollywood.
Of course, you certainly may want to order thru your local ‘artsy’ independent book
store, that’s what keeps them in business! What is here is a short, sweet beginning.
"A GRATEFUL HEART" – edited by M.J. Ryan - Conari Press – has great blessings
"THE ESSENTIAL RUMI" – by Coleman Barks - the best Rumi poetry translations
"THE RAG & BONE SHOP of THE HEART" – by Robert Bly – a great anthology
"LIFE PRAYERS" – inspiring anthology of sacred poetry from around the world
edited by Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon – also their 1st collection:
"EARTH PRAYERS" – if choosing only one: certainly get "Life Prayers".
"THE ENLIGHTENED HEART" – translated by Stephen Mitchell
a beautiful selection of multicultural inspiring sacred poetry
"THE KABIR BOOK" – translated by Robert Bly
"CHUANG TZU" – by Thomas Merton
There are many small poetry sites out there,
search and ye shall find – here is just one:http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/blog/ and
home-site http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/
and about their free daily poetry sign-up. Worth having!
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The Asian Pioneers . . . east meets west
Sri Ramana Maharshi – J. Krishnamurti – and D.T. Suzuki - three of the most
renown Wisdom-Teachers of the first half of the 20th century. They were sort of the three
major 'Godfathers' of a modern non-duality, an uncompromised 'Inquiry Into The Self ' –
as was The Buddha himself of long, long ago ~ and were able to bring it to all of us, intact . . .
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Sri Ramana Maharshi was probably the most profound Indian sage of the 20th century.
He was renowned for his saintly life, simplicity and the depth & completeness of his self-realization.
There are a multitude of websites and free downloads, excerpts of his teachings - a true surfing of
consciousness is available to you ! http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/books.htm FREE online -
when there, click on: "Who Am I?" - "Self Enquiry" - "Spiritual Instruction" - "Bhagavan Ramana"
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Sri Ramana Maharshi ( 1879–1950 ) born to a middle-class Hindu Brahmin family in Tamil Nadu, India.
After having attained a sudden moksha 'spiritual liberation' at the age of 16, he left home for Arunachala,
a small mountain considered sacred by Hindus, at Tiruvannamalai, and lived there for all the rest of his life.
That was it. Sri Ramana always maintained that the purest form of his teachings was the powerful 'silence'
which radiated from his presence and quieted the minds of those attuned to it. He gave verbal teachings
only for the benefit of those who could not understand his 'silence'. His verbal teachings were said to flow
from his direct experience of Consciousness as the only existing Reality. When asked for advice, he strongly
recommended "Self-Inquiry" as the fastest path to freedom. Though his primary teaching is associated with
Non-dualism, Advaita Vedanta, and Jnana yoga, he also highly recommended devotional Bhakti and also
Theravada Buddhism – and gave his approval to a variety of other intelligent, quality paths and practices.
The renown Buddhist teacher Bhante Ananda Maitreya of Sri Lanka was an early 20th century student.
( also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramana_Maharshi )
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J. Krishnamurti
Krishnamurti said: "The description is not the described." –
and "It is the Truth itself that frees, not your 'effort' to be free."
Krishnamurti ( 1895–1986 ) was born in Madras into a Telugu Brahmin family in then colonial India.
He was subsequently raised on the grounds of the prestigious Theosophical Society headquarters
at Adyar in Madras under the tutelage of Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater, who believed him to be
the 'vehicle' as an expected "World Teacher". As a young man, he disavowed this idea and dissolved
The Order of the Star, a world-wide organization. He spent the rest of his life traveling the world as
an individual speaker. He authored a hugely prolific number of books, among them 'The First and
Last Freedom', 'The Only Revolution', and 'Krishnamurti's Notebook'. At age 90, he addressed the
United Nations on the subject of peace & awareness, and was awarded the 1984 UN Peace Medal.
He died at his home at The Oak Grove School in Ojai, California. "K" got us to question everything.
His dedicated supporters, working through several non-profit educational foundations, oversee a number
of very sophisticated independent schools centered on his progressive views on education – in India,
England and the United States – and continue to transcribe and distribute many of his thousands of
audio talks, group and individual discussions with scientists, statesmen and philosophers, and other
writings, publishing them in a variety of formats including print, audio, video and digital formats
as well as online, in many languages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Krishnamurti
"Total Freedom: The Essential. Krishnamurti" 1996 - a starter, big anthology
"Freedom From The Known" by J. Krishnamurti – he's a slow deep read
The Krishnamurti Foundation: http://www.jkrishnamurti.org
His history & quotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti#Quotations
A talk on 'Contradiction' - http://www.werobot.com/jk/contradiction.htm
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D.T. Suzuki ~ the quiet little oriental professor . . .
Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki ( 1870–1966 ) famous Japanese professor, author of books and essays
on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were remarkably instrumental in spreading interest in both Zen
and Far Eastern philosophy in general to the West. Suzuki was also a prolific translator of Chinese,
Japanese, and Sanskrit literature. The wonderfully notrious Alan Watts was his brilliant disciple.
... also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._T._Suzuki for a start
"Intro to Zen Buddhism" and also “Zen Life” both by D.T. Suzuki (Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki)
A ZEN LIFE ~ a wonderful D.T. Suzuki bio-documentary. http://www.azenlife-film.org/top.htm
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Ram Dass our pioneering, dear Wisdom Elder & Friend – bridging Old India to New America.
Ram Dass ( Richard Alpert, PhD ) The first Westerner of our generation to really, truly offer us a
totally contemporary, relatable spiritual Heart-Language – pointing to a wise, truhful, authentic
Compassion and Love to actually Practice it through one's own experiences ! READ or LISTEN
to absolutely anything at all you may find by Ram Dass. Just like Alan Watts, he’s one of ‘us’,
speaking to us directly in our own post-60’s language. Sort of a brilliant rock star of the Spirit ! http://www.ramdasstapes.org/index.htm Listening to Ram Dass on CDs is the way to begin...
"The main thing about our Baba Ram Dass is he's authentic! Ram Dass is a real person"
"I See" said The Blind Man
'Cause we haven't really 'seen' before, only just 'Believed' –
We DO need words, seminars, CD's, books, talks, mentoring,
teachers, classes & retreats, and lots of awareness applied
to everyday-life Practice. We need a deeply re-cultured and
re-schooled intelligence to correctly 'inform' us of What is Real.
An ancient formula for healing obscurations & inner-blindness is:
“That is >>THAT<<” - Which IS - Just As It Is”
It’s all 'ising' – It’s all 'verb-ing' – It’s all 'now-ing'
It's ALL Being . . . ( ahh, that's what it is ! )
You have to be very quick n' aware to glimpse it all in the Now.
So stop tying up your personal ‘identity’ in All & EveryThing.
Only Now – now as we're just learning to 'see' The Now
quite clearly – later on, we can lovingly give all these 'words'
away - and be Free, as now those words have become ME -
(which Isn’t) - and pass on those wonderful wisdom-provoking
books on & on - or even, go ahead, and kill-off The Buddha.
So be very patient & perceptive in your Awakened-Stillness.
Read something profound that's a Much Ado about Nothing
Be vigilant of the biased comfort-zones of 'Spiritual Extremes'.
Of too much comatose, fructose, hidden idealism or nihilism
– then you'll come through appreciative, kind, clean & empty.
But just don't ever lamely say the Buddha ate my homework.
But my teacher loves me 'cause I know now at least I'm Lovable.
Gosh, I'm just fakin' it - til I ‘make it’. It's called ‘Practice’.
Everything is a Practice Opportunity ! No Exceptions !
~ poet Billy Bo Sat
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www.dharmaseed.org LISTEN FREE ! LISTEN YOUR WAY to AWAKEN.MENT !
is the best Audio 'Master Course' in Buddhist Vipassana Insight Meditation !!! http://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/ ~ the whole site is an absolute Jewel !!!
The Best-rated Buddhist E-zines . . .
Tricycle Magazine: The Buddhist Review – http://www.tricycle.com/ simply the
number one, independent voice of Buddhism – published by The Buddhist Peace Fellowship
The Shambhala Sun – http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php Buddhism • Culture •
• Meditation • Life • North America’s oldest and most widely-read Buddhist magazine,
Buddhadharma: the practitioner's quarterly – http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/index.php
The journal for Buddhists of all traditions who wish to deepen their practice & study of the dharma.
The Middle Way: Journal of The Buddhist Society UK – http://www.thebuddhistsociety.org/aboutus/index.html - by far the oldest (1924) and most venerable.
Adyashanti ~ www.adyashanti.org 'live' satsangs & leads retreats in the Bay area.
Cafe Dharma / Radio Adyashanti – Adyashanti's teachings feel like a smooth blend
of Zen & Advaita Non-Duality sensibilities at a profoundly deep but accessible level.
Here's a growing library of full-length "Impact of Awakening" satsang recordings.
At their audio library you'll always find some satsangs to download for free! www.adyashanti.org/cafedharma to download full-length satsangs
and listen to them on your computer or your mp3 player.
SOUNDS TRUE: Audio Wisdom for the Inner Life, Sounds True is a publisher
of more than 600 audio programs featuring the leading spiritual teachers,
healers, thinkers, and visionary artists of our time – with tools and teachings
to spark your inner evolution ... www.soundstrue.com really has the best !
The rest of what's below is some great print-teachings and some audio-links.
www.Wikipedia.com is an absolutely great print resource – a gem !
Start with these ~ and then see where the journey of 'links' takes you . . .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuddhIsm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassan%C4%81 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
http://www.accesstoinsight.org ~ Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism
a wide variety of contemporary Buddhist authors as well as Asian traditional ‘orthodox’ sources. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel121.html ~ Meditation Instructionhttp://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bpslist.html ~ Buddhist Publication Society titles offered FREE
http://www.buddhanet.org high-end ‘traditional’ formal Dharma-teachings of both major classical schools.
NOTE 2 different organizations: both are Asian-sponsored web-sites bridging to the West; .org & .net http://www.buddhanet.net/sitemap.htm site map to navigatehttp://www.buddhanet.net/index.html all sorts of user-friendly corners to quietly consider & contemplate http://www.buddhanet.net/books/main.htm a marvelous initial attempt to simplify Buddhist ideas, practical
‘practice’ approaches to make relate-able an everyday daily-Dharma of enlightened living in our lives Now. http://www.buddhanet.net/xmed3.htm an informed ~meditation~ itself is the focus here.
The two founding Theravada Buddhist Vipassana Insight Meditation Centers in the USA
Insight Meditation Society
Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg
Barre, MA 01005 ( western Mass. )http://dharma.org/ims/index.php http://dharma.org/ims/mr_audio.html http://dharma.org/ims/mr_glossary.html
gloss of Buddhist Terms to help you read
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Jack Kornfield, Silvia Boorstein
Woodacre, CA 94973 ( near Fairfax west Marin ) http://www.spiritrock.org/ http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?catid=3&pageid=13
both centers can link you up to Vipassana meditation practice groups nation-wide
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The Buddhist Publication Society – is a non-profit whose goal is to clearly
explain & spread the original early Theravada teachings of the Buddha. Founded
in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1958 by the late Nyanaponika Maha-Thera. Books, booklets
& many FREE print-outs Online. The language is somewhere between popular & academic. http://www.bps.lk/index.html -or- http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bpslist.html great stuff !
Meditation and the Art-maker
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a few words about The Arts and it's relationship with Meditation
The ARTS, SPRITUALITY & MEDITATION
An ancient highly productive partnership that's
been going on in all world cultures for millennia –
so we're not going to review humanity’s amazing story here.
There is Tao, Zen, Ikebana, Haiku, Bushido, Zen Gardens,
Ritual Dance, Noh Theater, Calligraphy, Zenga, Nanga, Bonsai,
Religious Icon Craft, Temple Chanting & Sacred Music, Negative
Space-use in art, Healing & Shaman Ritual, Geisha Mindful Gestures,
Samurai, Tantric Erotic Art and the renown Tea Ceremony etc upon etc.
ART always was SPIRITUAL, a human’s higher-expression of The Sacred.
– Actually in all cultures world-wide ! A Mindful Meditative Artful Sacredness.
Art-making, art-viewing or art-experiencing
are inherently 'contemplative' activities . . .
that naturally benefit from meditation ~
Meditation strengthens the art maker's mindfulness and awareness.
Meditation enhances the creative and viewing processes in specific ways –
it helps to synchronize mind and body, right and left hemispheres of the brain,
and our intuitive and intellectual abilities. The mindfulness & awareness practices
found in meditation develop our perception so that we may see and experience things
as they truly are. This leads us to genuine spontaneity and pure, un-selfconscious, full
expression. A 'creative process' based in the practice of meditation dissolves creative
blockages, reveals the source of creativity, leading to clear perception.
In the 'experiencing-process', meditation develops intuition, our pure felt-sense, sharpens
our native intelligence and can lead us towards an experience of the aesthetically profound
or sublime – where our felt & thought senses come together – to further awaken the 'creative'
and the 'viewing' processes.
~ Steven Saitzyk - Professor, Humanities & Sciences, Art Center College of Design – Los Angeles
and International Director of Shambhala Art
The Practice of MEDITATION:
The Benefits ? – enhances & strengthens
the art-maker's mindfulness & awareness.
“Meditation ...a doorway to
the significantly
deep unconscious.”
“Before meditation, before I used to ‘sit’ regularly
like I do now – I used to be only semi-conscious
and impulsively leap at the first images n’ things
that arose in my mind, and at what soon became
so banal - but I’d already started on it, or often
got way into it. But now I simply meditate and wait.
Sometimes I can wait quite awhile quite patiently.
I’ve simply learned to quietly wait by training myself.
That’s all, just that. I’m training myself in stillness.
And in the stillness the deeper regions of my mind
slowly unfold - and I only observe, not reacting,
not seizing on anything, not grasping. Just
witnessing and waiting. I see so much now.” ~ J.L.
________________________________
Thru a willing, consistent meditation practice -
gradually & naturally you expand & deepen
an authentic, attentive, open, clear, uncluttered,
wide, roomy, calm spacious field of awareness -
less & less disturbed by ongoing, shallow, chaotic,
obsessively running mental-images & commentary -
a panoramic field - toned, strengthened & stabilized
with a naturalistic meditation practice-approach ~ art
uncompromised with 'religion' or prescribed methods -
so you can have it readily available to you personally -
effortlessly, open, spontaneous & without efforting ....
Ah, then there's lots n' lots of vivid, deep, rich room
for true creative manifestation to naturally arise
in that much more silent, more user-friendly field
of e x p a n d e d awareness that's now all yours.
Just learn to begin to sit still sans ego. Simplistic?
Of course it is. It's just that you're not simple yet !
Ahh, but soon... your subtle depths are calling...
~ Akasa Levi
BTW, Some really good ancient Buddhist Art ~ http://www.buddhanet.net/gallery.htm
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"If one's thoughts towards 'spirituality'
were of the same passionate intensity
as those of a couple falling in 'love' –
one would become a Buddha right now,
in this very body, in this very life."
~ from The Love Poems of the Sixth Dalai Lama ( 1703 AD )
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“ART” is what You call 'That'.
What I call 'That' - is just That.
~ William Eggleston, photographer
Since all things are essentially naked,
clear and free from obscurations –
at least from their side, of course . . . .
There is nothing to 'attain' or 'realize'.
The 'Everyday Practice' of a practical
'Everyday Enlightenment' is simply
to 'd e v e l o p' into all situations,
and all emotions, and to all people –
as they simply come to you . . .
experiencing everything totally
without reservations and blockages -
so that one never withdraws, or aloof,
or centralizes back onto oneself.
~ Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
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The ARTS, SPRITUALITY & MEDITATION: The Benefits –
Meditation strengthens the art-maker's mindfulness & awareness.
No "Beliefs" – A Core Understanding of Buddhism"
No 'beliefs': just watching, witnessing, perceiving, just noticing,
just investigating, just observing, observing, observing, observing'
– with absolute 'bare attentiveness' – just seeing, hearing, feeling –
without 'beliefs', without 'faith-in', without buying-in. Holy Indifferent.
No demand. No identifying with it. See it clearly, maybe leave it entirely alone.
Not psychologizing about it, not rationalizing, reasoning, justifying, not storytelling.
Not dismissing, not banishing, not fixing it, not meddling. Just observing, observing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Silly Solipsistic Zen Story about
the ‘Real Purpose’ of Meditation Training?
Taken from true facts, as the story so goes, Bhante Sudu Hom'dru,
was an American Buddhist monk who grew up on a small chicken farm near Woodstock, NY.
Now barefoot, painfully, mindfully walking the narrow ridges of hot sun-baked clay crossing a
dry rice paddy field near Bodhgaya, North India, mid 1970’s – with his noble Samurai-blooded
Japanese Zen monk-teacher Shibuya Sensei. Once a teenager questing through an Elvis 50’s,
this delusively-romantic, magical-thinking American always wanted his very own Zen teacher-
friend ever since finding alternatives in ‘Jazz’, finding Jack Kerouac’s 'Beat' open On The Road,
and especially late night radio-listening to early Jean Shepard dramatically invoke the mystical
Fu Manchu or intone a good Haiku - circa 1958 - when ‘hip’ was shared among the very sparse
few who knew. This funny, yet indignant Jewish ‘young soul’ evolved into this really ‘old soul’
robed sanyassi that partially ‘awakened’ himself way outside a parched desert village in India.
It was high-noon in ‘search of secret India’ – so he gave up looking to Hesse’s Siddhartha for
guidance or Gurdjieff’s elusive Meetings With Remakable Men to lead him forward - and thus
became a monk himself – and he ironically found an ‘identity’ to finish-up all identity-seeking –
that Long Last Role of the Buddhist – And it was still so bloody hot. Foolish barefoot yogi !
This novice, this overheated new monk had a Question: This monk always had a question.
Like a persistent child. Yet, it is so sad so many of us loose that quality early on in life. ‘Answers’
offered don’t seem to ultimately do it for us, nor permanently resolve anything & we stop ‘asking’.
Many of the monk's questions usually began with the same lead-in: "What is the 'purpose' of . .
this or that or such n' such"? This monk was still involved with ‘reasons’ & ‘purposes’ to things
or ideas. Lots of ‘content’, still little wisdom-‘context’. He hadn’t re-discovered his ‘wonder’ yet.
Except he did begin to see that it all is an unconsciously performed stage ‘magic show’ for him
to 'observe' everyday ‘illusions’ – just our fumbling attempts at some self-conscious Human Hocus
Pokus – manifesting here alongside Nature’s Grand Guileless Illusions. This monk knew he was
fragile, still fascinated by a tempting-performance. He asked Questions to sizably reduce his options.
“Oh, I've seen that – another ‘Repeat’ on TV t’nite”. Wisdom thins out repeat shows. Less to cling to.
"Sensei?" he asked him e.nun.ci.a.ting in slow, simple words because Sensei’s English
at the time was not too good. "What is the purpose of Zen-training?" Sensei responded warp
speed in his Asian-accented English – "To become aseempahton." Well, not getting the word
quite discernable at all - the young monk asked once again, "Sensei? – What is the real purpose
of Zen-training?" So Shibuya Sensei patiently repeated again & again, till the word finally punched
itself through – the esoterically mysterious word WAS now finally, clearly comprehendible at last –
"Ahh ~ Purpose of Zen training is to become a-seem-pah-ton – a-seem-pah-ton - and he wiggled
his wagging fingers wildly in the air for the briefest moment – then tapped his fingers on the young
monk's smooth-shaven monk-head. "Seem-pah-ton" – "The Purpose of Zen training is to become
a Simpleton". They both had a good chuckle. They then continued to walk on in silence. The monk
thought about how having a simpleton’s empty-head could allow room for more Space and Peace
to be in his simplifying mind – BE his mind ! So he could see better with it - make wiser, kinder
choices with it - and now 'know' simple happiness. He then stubbed his toe on a clump of clay.
"F#@k" –– But no Katsu shout of Satori today! ~ Bhante Sudu Hom'dru ( 1975 )
see http://www.artivists.org ~or~ http://artivists.org/Artivist_Film_Festival.php
The Festival’s supporters include Hollywood’s most concerned. The Artivist Awards
also pay tribute to highly regarded international organizations. Please visit their site.
Aesthetic & Artist & Activist & Ascetic & Altruist
all in a very special relationship with the world around them
(17) Our Contact Information & 'Seva' Service Associations
The Engaged METTA 'Seva' Service page.....The 8 ACTS of ‘METTA’-Kindness
Our 'Connecting'~
Information & 'Seva'
Service Associations
• "How Can I Personally Be Helped?" You Can !
Other Laughing Buddha-Blogs are here. . .
• Have QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS ?
• and .. Where's UPDATED Current Information ?
• "How Can I Personally Help?" Yes, You Can !
• some very good Humanitarian web-links here
• and some much APPRECIATED ASSOCIATIONS
• Retreat Centers: Regional & International
• Other Local Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups
• more empathy-based learning quotes
• and a last rim-shot of Zen funnies –
To Read more Here and Hand SCROLL DOWN to
the very End – WEB SITE ENDS down below ▼
• With some Optional Archive Links to follow
or ~ click to go back to TABLE of CONTENTS
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
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-:¦:- Weekly MINDFULNESS MEDITATION SITTINGS
Buddhist Theravada Vipassana Insight Meditation & Dharma Study
The Laughing BUDDHA SANGHA RESOURCE-Site • Santa Monica
Opening the "Iconoclastic-Mind" - Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' !
Outside~The~Box~Buddhism for a Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest
Practice Guided by Akasa Levi • Visit our Meditation Bloghttp://buddhistmindfulnessmeditation.blogspot.com/
________________________________________________________________
-:¦:- Weekly ZEN MEN's Inner-Growth Groups
Compassionately & Intelligently Explore a Man's Deeper Core Life-Issues
♦ "Yup, EVERY GUY COULD USE BEING IN A MEN’S GROUP at some time in his life"
Guys learning to trust & support each other in making important life changes
HONEST TALK • HEART-FELT LISTENING • MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK • STRONG FELLOWSHIP
"Good Men Becoming Even Better Men !"
Visit our Men's Blog http://zenmensgroup.blogspot.com/
we have a Mystic Women's Blog that is just in waiting...
________________________________________________________________
• Please make all inquiries by phone • Best phone times: Noon to 6pm, M-F
310-450-2268 – unfortuneately, emails do tend to get buried & we like to talk 'live'...
________________________________________________________________
-:¦:- The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD THERAPY & COUNSELING PROJECT
Buddhist-based: a more Alternative Approach to Relating with Your 'Self' & Others
Private One-to-One Individual Therapy -or- Relationship Counseling for Couples,
Marriages, Friendships & Workplaces. "Reaching Out to Reach Deeper In"
'Befriending the Heart of the Mind' to find the truly sane, loving & alive part of you !
Visit our Counseling Blog http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/
Buddhism • a 2500 year mental wellness tradition. Mindful-Listening ©
“You
take
care
of
the Inside
~and~
the Inside
will take
care of
the
Outside”
~ The Tao
"Can I Personally Help?" Yes, Yes You Can !
The outspoken novelist Alice Walker – “The Color Purple” -said-
" Activism is my 'rent' for living on the planet – these days, the rent is always due ! " ––
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of that candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Generosity can bring happiness at every stage of its expression.
We experience joy in ‘forming the intention’ to be generous.
We experience joy in the ‘actual act of giving’ something.
And we experience joy in ‘remembering the fact’
that we have given or been given to...
Teach this triple truth to all:
A Generous Heart, Kind Speech, and a life of Service and
Compassion are the three things which renew humanity.”
~ The Buddha
–– there’s blessings abundant for all of us in
‘Practicing’ ACTS of METTA loving-kindness
and ‘DANA’ Gifting & Generosity !
... so be good to yourself, be generous on behalf of others – it’ll come back...
Even teeny tiny amounts of $5 or $10 dollars sent anywhere –
really still does some real good. So be good to yourself !
The Right Giving will eventually feel good. And do good !
The benefits always will still circulate...
what goes around comes around.
" If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again."
~ William Penn
... so here’s some valid Humanitarian web-links
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Tsunami & Quakes - DISASTER RELIEF in South Asia has to continually go on & on !
( Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, over and down to Burma, Thailand, ‘Indo-China’, Malaysia & The Islands )
It has been an excruciatingly long, sad time for this area of the world, Here are two excellent choices
for your charitable-giving ( instead of the highly-suspect Red Cross ) to make a valuable, direct Asia Relief
Donation where ALL of the money will go directly into relief aid, directly to the villages of stricken people.
Really, EVERY PENNY COUNTS: make a donation large or even tiny ! 'Dana' is the Buddhist-word for Giving.
These Devastations & Sufferings will not go away quickly, now that it's off the world-headlines!
OPERATION USA - We highly recommend OP-USA, an internationally respected relief-group based
right here in our own Los Angeles - to gift money thru an organization that's right there at the front lines.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Richard Walden - is founder of OP-USA. He & his people have been
around a very long time - and they really know how to get humanitarian efforts skillfully & effectively done.
Governments or their contractors still dodn't :: Phone: (323) 658-8876 ~ Fax: (323) 653-7846
Check them em out. www.opusa.org For monetary donations of ANY Amount: OPERATION USA
Send checks to: 8320 Melrose Ave - Suite 200 - LA 90069 or call with a credit card to 1-800-678-7255.
OP-USA email: rwalden@opusa.org :: Donations made in the USA are all USA income tax deductable.
"Whatever you can do or dream you can – begin it. Boldness has genius, power & magic in it."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
SARVODAYA is Sri Lanka’s biggest charity, dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives
of rural Sri Lankans - working across all ethnic and religious communities and their dire life-struggles.
Sar-vod-aya Sri Lanka http://www.sarvodaya.org Sarvodaya USA http://www.sarvodayausa.org
This grassroots relief-movement has participants in as many as 15,000 villages throughout Sri Lanka.
It has admirers around the globe. Sarvodaya was founded in 1958 by a caring Sri Lankan schoolteacher,
Dr A.T. Ariyaratne - based on a Buddhist-Gandhi philosophy - dedicated to the sustainable empowerment
of people through self-help and collective support, to non-violence and peace. Sarvodaya believes that
it is not as much - 'what' it does to alleviate rural poverty - but the 'Way' in which it does it - which makes
it so effective and sustainable – through the active participation and engagement of villagers themselves.
It is best to donate Online to Sarvodaya USA - because these donations are tax deductible in the USA.
You may use all major credit cards. Sarvodaya USA is a 501( c )3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization.
Sarvodaya USA’s tax ID number is 13-3358148. You may send a check to their Madison Office:
Donations Payable to: Sarvodaya USA - 122 State Street Suite 510, Madison, WI 53703 USA
( Sarvodaya Sri Lanka - No 98, Rawatawatta Road, Moratuwa , Sri Lanka ) You are welcome to visit.
FYI - Different American Buddhist centers and groups support selective Buddhist countries now in devastation,
humanitarian or preservation needs. The Laughing Buddha Sangha's ties are particularly in support of Sri Lanka.
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care."
~ Cavett Robert
Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.
~ Voltaire – 1750
Our Wish List: Mostly we're lookin' to welcome a volunteer 'Spirit' or a Tech-angel
who's a web-designer or web-master / blog mistress or meister with hands-on skills
and creative ideas – and that feels an odd-affinity for what we're about. You?
some much APPRECIATED ASSOCIATIONS
“The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD PROJECT” Healing the Spirit includes work of S.E.N.
( Spiritual Emergency-Emergence Network ) created at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
The Spiritual Adulthood Therapy & Counseling Project 'Reaching Out, to Reach Deeper In'
~ is a Buddhist-based spiritual 'alternative' treatment-approach for the mind towards a wise and
compassionate-relating fully with yourself & others. http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com
We are an outreach-project of “The Laughing Buddha Sangha” Santa Monica, CA 90405
and we utilize the Mindfulness-based Insight practices and approaches that are offered
at Jack Kornfield's Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin, California. www.spiritrock.org
Should you wish to do an extended meditation retreat – a few days or a week or month – in
the beautiful rolling hills of Northern California with excellent accommodations, dis is da’ place.
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For many good years now, The Laughing Buddha Sangha's monastic-affiliation has been
guided by The Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara of Los Angeles ~ Sri Lanka Temple
& Monastery under the guidance of it's Abbot, The Venerable ‘Bhante’ Walpola Piyananda.
Bhante is the The Maha Sangha Nayake Thera, the head-monastic of his sect here in the USA.
It may actually be best to contact us first here at LBSangha - 310-450-2268 to run it by us
for the most appropriate way to connect with these monks ––– or just call them direct, either.
1847 Crenshaw Boulevard • Los Angeles, CA90019 • at Crenshaw & Washington Blvds.
323-737-5084 after 4pm. email: bhantep@yahoo.com web-site: www.dharmavijaya.org
• If you wish to Donate: phone the temple for Details.
These Devastations will not go away quickly now that it's off the world-headlines!
“The Bhikkhu-monks of The Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara ( Temple ) in Los Angeles
and The Sri Lankan Buddhist Sangha (Monastic) Council of the United States & Canada
request your kind generosity for all the peoples receiving Sri Lanka disasters relief aid.
Monks will directly oversee the distribution of funds for all rebuilding processes - we have
our own monks at the sites fully supervising. They purchase most needed materials directly
in Sri Lanka, which also benefits the economy there.” You are welcome to come visit.
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. . . and to retreat ––– to really, really get away & go inward...
Dhamma Dena Desert Retreat Vipassana Center – MaDhamma Ruth Denison is
founder & resident teacher of 'Dhamma Dena' way out in the High Desert of Joshua Tree.
Now 85, Ruth is of the very first generation of women teachers of Vipassana in the West –
a great, generous, dear mentor to us all. Contact: Dhamma Dena Desert Retreat Center,
HC-1 Box 250, Joshua Tree CA 92252 – Ph: 760-362-4815. Please, Always phone as Ruth
may be teaching abroad. ( Center website ) http://dhammadena.googlepages.com/
Mme. Ruth Denison ( profiles & interviews ) - http://fr.dharma.org/ij/archives/1997a/ruth.htm
and http://www.sandyboucher.net/dancing.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Denison
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The Rockhill Hermitage & Forest Meditation Retreat Centre ~ Sri Lanka
Venerable 'Bhante' Kassapa Nayake Thera ~
Postal Address: The Rockhill Hermitage at Wegirikanda,
Hondiyadeniya, Via Gampola, near Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Bhante Kassapa ( whose English is exquisite ) and his approach to the Buddha's Dharma teachings
is savvy & carries a contemporary sophistication while yet living in the forest. Bhante is the original
founder of the rural Rockhill Hermitage - an International Forest Meditation Centre about an hour
upcountry from Kandy via a battered country bus. Bhante Kassapa is also the senior-teacher at the
Vipassana Insight Meditation Foundation in Melbourne, Australia; and The Austin Repatriation and
Medical Centre in Melbourne, where he resided and taught for 12 years. Bhante's direct-lineage of
advanced practice goes back to his Sri Lanka, nationally revered, root-teacher The Most Venerable
Maha-Nayake Thera Balangoda Ananda-Maitreya, the Head Monastic of the Amarapura Lineage.
So to really get away for a retreat abroad - this is worth checking out. You may have to send a few
duplicate emails to all these email-addresses to get a return reply, as Inter-net communication abroad
can be difficult. Be sure to get Bhante Kassapa's current schedule: when he's in residence, and when
teaching abroad? Akasa Levi ( Akasa-Maitreya ) was a teaching-monk in residence here for 4 years.
Emails: info@rockhillsrilanka.com ; julietan_lk@yahoo.com ; kassapab@ids.lk ; timbrowning@netspace.net.au ; web site: under construction / try ! www.rockhillsrilanka.com
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The two original founding Theravada Buddhist
Vipassana Insight Meditation Centers in the USA offering
teaching lineage-based Sati-patthana Mindfulness Meditation.
Insight Meditation Society
Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg
Barre, MA 01005 ( western Mass. )http://dharma.org/ims/index.php http://dharma.org/ims/mr_audio.html http://dharma.org/ims/mr_glossary.html
gloss of Buddhist Terms to help you read
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Jack Kornfield, Silvia Boorstein
Woodacre, CA 94973 ( near Fairfax west Marin ) http://www.spiritrock.org/ http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?catid=3&pageid=13
both centers can link you up to local Vipassana meditation practice groups nation-wide
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The Buddhist Publication Society – is a non-profit in Sri Lanka whose goal
is to clearly explain & publish the original early Theravada teachings of the
Buddha. Founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1958 by the late Nyanaponika Thera.
Books, booklets & many FREE print-outs Online. The language is somewhere
between popular & academic – modest in tone, but great valuable stuff ! http://www.bps.lk/index.html -or- http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bpslist.html
THINK SANGHA – http://www.bpf.org/html/resources_and_links/think_sangha/think_sangha.html
an organization called THINK SANGHA is a Buddhist social / environmental think tank. Interested ?
"Buddhist Intellectual Practice Tools for Integrating Spirituality & Social Change Work”.
Buddhist Peace Fellowship – http://www.bpf.org/html/home.html founded in 1978
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship envisions a future in which people from all backgrounds come
into a heartfelt-realization of our interconnection to each other & to the Earth. Believing that
actions generated from this understanding will create societies guided by generosity, compassion,
wisdom and justice. The mission of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship ( BPF ) is to serve as a catalyst
for socially engaged Buddhism. Our purpose is to help beings liberate themselves from the suffering
that manifests in individuals, relationships, institutions, and social systems. BPF's programs, publications,
and practice-groups link Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion with progressive social change.
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Los Angeles Local Teacher-led Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups ~
For the pure 'original' teachings of one specific Tradition – for that we go gratefully to the monastics.
In adapting to Western, and American 'sensibilities' in particular - most local lay Buddhist sanghas have
been highly selective in their 'eclectic', yet very specific, well-informed, well-chosen add-on disciplines.
Teachers take these on, initially through personal interest, and then often offer the general public some of
these selected enhancements in addition to their own traditional Buddhist practice. "Good choice-making"
is always so very important when 'single tradition' spiritual teachers are going 'eclectic' – as most teachers
were originally trained first deep within a single, cohesive tradition of practice – as most of us have a solid
base in Theravada Vipassana. It is crucially important to perserve and to insure the Theravada school's
extraordinary clarity of view. Some teachers have added-on a choice-mix of Non-Duality Advaita, Dzogchen
or Zen – and the best possible offerings of modern 'psychology' too. Mostly, these mixtures are of ancient
established and tested traditions. So much of all this are very new ideas to Westerners. Ask lots'a Questions.
Krishnamurti's view is that "Truth is Ultimately a Pathless Land" in our conscious intention to wake up.
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India’s pioneering Theravada Vipassana Meditation teacher
Sri S.N. Goenka used to chant while laughing quite heartily –
"Theravada, Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Tantrayana –
All ‘vehicles’ will be towed away at owner's expense!"
It's a Buddhist Pun: 'yana' means 'vehicle' in the Pali language ~
In Buddhism and Hinduism, both 'yana' and 'marga' (road or path) and 'vada' –
all express the metaphor of spiritual practice as a 'Path' or a 'Journey' and the
'means' or 'vehicle' to it – like in "Dharma my ride" – it's all "one vehicle" . . .
"a journey to awakening: a river's destination is the ocean"
Ultimately, it's Eka'yana ( One Yana ) "one vehicle"
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alphabetically ...
Local Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups ALL offer weekly sittings
Against The Stream Buddhist Meditation Society and "Dharma Punx" ~ Noah Levine – http://againstthestream.org/ and http://www.dharmapunx.com/index.asp a large, strong, supportive
'activist' Sangha with a 'recovery' focus and a gentle, yet counter-culture 'tude. Young, good vibes !
Don't Worry Zendo ~ Michael Attie – http://www.dontworryzendo.com/ – a very informal, friendly
and very non-sectarian meditation sangha. 'Crazy Zen Wisdom' in the form of Michael's newest book
"Many Ways, Middle Way, No Way - a Guide to Meditation, Spiritual Awakening and Fun" - an eccentric,
humorous, open-hearted, irreverent, personal & poetic take on the Dharma - and a kind gentle teacher.
Insight LA ~ Trudy Goodman – http://www.insightla.org/ - the L.A. 'Spirit Rock' branch has a full offering
of formal programs ( and family & children's programs ). Insight LA offers traditional mindfulness meditation
groups for the beginner, and intensive training for more experienced students and professional CEU credits.
L.A. Dharma at The Insight Center ~ Bhante Hye Wol Sunim; Michael Shiffman; Juliet Soopikian.http://www.ladharma.org/ – http://www.insightcenter.org/ L.A. Dharma teaches Buddhist mindfulness
meditation to the public, while The Insight Center is a CBBS & APA approved provider to sponsor CEU
classes for licensed mental health professionals with an interest in the efficacy of Mindfilness-based
Meditation approaches & specialized workshops for psychologists, MFTs, LCSWs, nurses & CAADACs.
The Laughing Buddha Sangha ~ Akasa Levi – http://www.zentrance.com/ – You're here Now ! http://buddhistmindfulnessmeditation.blogspot.com/ & http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/
Weekly Vipassana Meditation & Anatta-Dharma Inquiry & Study - an iconoclastic, more maverick-spirited
satsang & beginners practice in Santa Monica. LBS has a big resource-site of learning-quotes & study-links.
Long Beach Meditation ~ Victor Byrd – http://www.longbeachmeditation.com/ a gracious sangha –
This has always been my dream: a community of genuine spiritual friends supporting one another in our
practice. We are a home for anyone who imagines that there is something Real beyond the unreal. The
Way to the Real exists only within our own silent heart. LBM is now a CEU provider for MFT's & LCSW's.
Manzanita Village Retreat Center & The Five Changes Foundation ~ http://manzanitavillage.org/
Michele Benzamin-Miki & Caitríona Reed – an integrated training in meditation & personal evolution work.
LGBTQ, people of color, artists workshops, bridging social justice with the celebration & healing of individuals,
communities and the earth – an LA in-town & rural meditation retreat environmental sanctuary way out in nature.
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Nature & The Land -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:-
As The Sacred Seasons pass, our environmental-affiliation with Nature & The Land has been so
generously nourished by Mary & Eric Lloyd Wright and The WRIGHT Organic Resource Center
for Nature, Art, Architecture, Organic Living & Community. The ‘view’ is absolutely astounding!
The "Wright Land" hosts group-gatherings that nurture deep ecological consciousness in a pristine,
rustic setting way up high on a beautiful California coastal ridge atop the Santa Monica Mountains
overlooking the vast sea in Malibu – to directly experience some of the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright
- to envision, learn and actually participate in building a socially & environmentally connected world.
Here is a living example of Frank Lloyd Wright's "Green" sustainable development ~ through organic
architecture - organic community vegetable gardens and recycling systems. Very kind good people.
WORC offers workshops & inspiring events like quarterly public Solstice & Equinox Celebrations
and other Sacred Seasonal Gatherings – and Frank Lloyd Wright's Annual Birthday Party !
See calendar: http://www.elwright.net/wrightway/calendar.html email: WORC@elwright.net
"I wonder how much we realize in our daily living the spirituality
of our life. I wonder if we see Nature in the other person. Do we
hear someone speak in the same way we listen to a bird singing
or the brook bubbling? Or do we get something in between us –
and lose that natural listening, or lose that natural communion?
Is it possible to see that each one of us is Nature?" ~ Ligia Dantes
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"How Can I Personally Help?"... another way is
to embrace & absorb more empathy-expressing attitudes.
How ? Find a quote below that speaks to you or challenges you & learn it.
Or at least, semi-learn it, just get intimate with the quote. Let it in. Way in.
Then walk around all day contemplating it gently to yourself - it increases
its depth deep within you. ‘Pondering’ quotes a lot leads to ‘contemplation’
that leads to an open-hearted ‘realization’. We are all together in this . . .
Here are some activist-quotes ~ may they be supportive towards all of our active caring.
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness?
~ Anna Douglas
If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.
~ Gandhi
Discovering the net of interrelatedness –
including all of life in our very own heart
Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the joy
that includes everything –
the love that includes hate
the peace that includes the war.
~ metta zetty
And you are to love all those
who are your 'aliens' –
for you yourselves
were aliens in Egypt.
~ Deuteronomy 10:19
The opposite of love is not hate –
it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness –
it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy –
it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death –
it's indifference.
~ Elie Wiesel
Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent
about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King
If you think you are too small
to make a difference,
you've never been in bed
with a mosquito.
~ Will Rodgers
Remember - Grains of sand
can start an avalanche.
~ Marianne Baillieu
If we don't fight hard enough
for the things we stand for –
at some point we have to recognize
that we don't really stand for them.
~ Senator Paul Wellstone
Arise all you women
that have strong hearts –
whether your baptism be
that of water or tears!
From the bosom
of the devastated Mother Earth,
an earthy voice full of buried sons
goes up with our own.
Disarm, Disarm, Disarm !
The sword of murder
is not the balance of justice."
~ Excerpt from Julia Ward Howe's proclamation
that created Mother's Day in 1870
In her 1965 essay
"The Imagination of Disaster",
Susan Sontag said that modern Americans
live in an age of extremes –
under continual threat of two equally fearful,
but seemingly opposed, destinies –
Unremitting Banality & Inconceivable Terror.
You must Fearlessly
DO something meaningful !
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way.
~ Nick Rath
“ May you and I and all beings live with a peaceful loving heart
and enjoy a healthy, happy body and mind ! “
" I love you, gentlest of Ways –
you who ripened us ...
as we wrestled with you."
~ Rainer Rilke
♦Ω♦
The End is Insight
_______________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_______________________________
"I am astounded by people who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
~ Woody Allen
for Roshi - a poem
I never really understood
what he said
but every now and then
I find myself
barking with the dog
or bending with the irises
or helping out
in other little ways
~ Leonard Cohen - Singer/Songwriter
This poem was written by Leonard in honor of
his 100 year old Los Angeles meditation teacher,
Joshu Sasaki Roshi of Mount Baldy Zen Center.
For over eighty years
I yelled Katsu ! to no avail.
And now, while dying,
Once more to shout “Kwatz” !
Won't change a damn thing.
~ Kokei Sochin Zenji (1515–1597)
'Kwatz' is Japanese for 'Eureka'
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a single "Oiy".
Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain Nothingness.
And then what do you have?
*Bupkis.
~ The Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist ~
* Bupkis: is defined as "Nothing" in Yiddish
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Everyone knows the End of the Story.
The End of the Story is 'Right Now'.
.:: The END ::.
~ a lotus flower to you ~
Sit Meditation. See Much Better. Dharma-Study It.
See Through It. You're Set Free ! Wheee !
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT TAKING ONE! "
ZenTrance CLASS-BOOK
The Laughing BUDDHA SANGHA RESOURCE-Site
sabbe sank'hara a.nicca
"whatever is constructed is deconstructable"
emotional suffering is taking 'the impermanent' for 'the permanent'
" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real "
~ Gautama The Buddha
Mindfully Awakening the Compassionate-Insight Naturally Deep Within Us All
"One easily-made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE Reality.
You must always be prepared to bravely leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Meeraji
"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it !
Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ~
All sentient beings are essentially Buddhas.
As with water and ice, there is no ice without water.
Apart from conscious beings, there are no Buddhas.
Not knowing how close the truth really, really is,
we struggle to seek it so far away ~
You yourself are Buddha-mind !
Buddha is here now. In you !
~ Hakuin Ekaku Zenji ~
This is the MAIN-Site TABLE of CONTENTS for Your Own STUDY
" Mindfulness meditation is 'practicing' how to fully experience being in the present moment "
____________ ^ _____________
q(~?~)p
THE LAUGHING BUDDHA SANGHA
nourishing an iconoclast intelligence
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_____________________________________
( A ) TABLE of CONTENTS You ARE Here !
for Quick Access to Specific Major Sections
click on any Underscored Section Title
then Manually Scroll to Read in that section
_______________________________________
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( B ) Brief SUMMARY :: Quick-Overview
▲ Here's ALL You'll Need to Know about
the Weekly Meditation & Dharma Classes
_______________________________________
( C ) TIPS "HOW TO MAX YOUR BEST USE
of the rest of this humongous STUDY-SITE”
( D ) and the Buddha.Blogs©
for additional programs & our most current updates
_______________________________________
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( 1 ) INTRODUCTION To 'Traditional' Buddhisms
“Buddha’s BIG Disclaimer” for an Iconoclast's Path
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING !
– " Widely 'Accepted' does not mean it is Real " –
• “Does this Path have a Heart?” 'Humanistic Heretics'
• Waking Up the 'Iconoclast' Within: a true Buddhism
is not a search for God or the Divine or Immortality !
• What keeps Buddhism 'kosher', non-authoritive,
clear, clean & honest. It has to be your Discovery !
• "EHI-PASSI-KO" means: a totally open teaching to
question, a fearless invitation to closely examine it.
• Ingredients: Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
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( 2 ) ‘INVOCATIONS’: WORDS carry SPIRIT
POETIC VOICES of WELCOME & NAMA’STE
• Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins with some form of 'intent'-dedications
of Universal Blessing – inspiring us at the Beginning.
Savor this section very Slowly – You really must be
in the mood ~ it's a long-ish Sacred Poetry Section. Maybe graze leisurely over many re-visits –or- just
move on now to more Details on Meditation and
the Wild Wiles of Our Monkey Mind & Willingness.
• The ancient Buddhist “Taking RUFUGE Verses”
are found only at the end of this particular section.
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( 3 ) Entering The "BUDDHISM" CLASS:
What are you getting yourself into here?
Meditation Class & Dharma Study
Buddha ~ The Joyous Iconoclast
"Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' Whatsoever"
Please definitely PERUSE THIS WHOLE SECTION ~ thanks
• How to Attend for the FIRST TIME.
• Have You a Deep Love of Learning?
• There’s An Eccentric-Edge’ to this Odd Class !
• The 'Nature' of the Student that just might benefit
• BE WELCOME FOR A ONE TIME VISIT & SEE ...
• Beginner's COMMITMENT - Six Weeks of Class
a steady student attendance - a sincere, solid, start
• C a u t i o n: for 'The Spiritually Sensitive'
• What Consistently Motivates Us? – the poet Rilke
said ... "To Love the Questions Themselves! "
• “IF” ~ a mindfulness-intent poem by Rudyard Kipling
• 'Darkness' - no matter how ominous & intimidating
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( 4 ) The MEDITATION pages ~ part 1.
Maybe PERUSE THIS SECTION Too
• NEW to BUDDHIST-Styles of MEDITATION ?
• What about more Experienced Meditators ?
• Poetic Analogies illuminating Meditation
• Excellent DEFINITIONS of MEDITATION
• About "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS"
• How ‘Insight-Awareness Meditation’ Works
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( 5 ) The MEDITATION pages ~ part 2.
• HOW to MEDITATE :: It’s all about ‘Practice’
• What is “Mindfulness” Awareness-Meditation?
• True SILENCE & Stillness & More Waiting . . .
~ This is a fairly LONG section ~
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( 5a ) The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
• Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. 'Breathing' & 'Thinking'
• Helpful Meditation Sitting Tools & Encouragement
• ON 'PRACTICE' - sitting meditation is a Training !
• Many Meditation Learning-Quotes & some Myths
• ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE - catching a ‘felt-sense’
• Having only a “GOOD ENOUGH Meditation Practice
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( 6 ) Thoughts on ‘THOUGHTS’ & ‘THINKING’
• m i n d f u l n e s s - to become fully conscious
• Everything Is a "Practice Opportunity"
• Learning-Quotes on the ‘Nature of Thought’
• The WHOLE of the Practice is about ‘Waking Up’
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( 7 ) “The Path of NO EXPECTATIONS”
• Why Are You So Unhappy?
• “Expectations” Disappointments & Other Demands
• Old Wounds of Disappointment & Unmet Idealisms
• Zen-founder Bodhi-Dharma & his first disciple
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( 7a ) CONTROL - Letting Go & Calling Off 'Seeking'
• How a Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
• On Trying To FIND "Yourself" – The Big Pursuit
• Anti-Expectation Learning-Quotes & Stories
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( 8 ) is Next: Manually SCROLL a short way back up
to the of start of this MAIN Table of Contents ▲
( 8 ) Who was The BUDDHA - Question Authority !
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• Who was The BUDDHA ? - Question Authority !
• " BELIEVE NOTHING ! " - Constantly Question !
• Take a Quote-Scroll down Buddha's Maverick Path
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( 9 ) About BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST
Iconoclasts: “Angelic Troublemakers”
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• Gently QUESTION Everything ! That’s really hard.
• “BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST” on Belief-Breaking
• DEFINITIONS: Buddha was a pioneering ‘Radical’,
Iconoclast, Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist,
Rebel, Maverick & Good-Hearted Heretic - ideas which
certainly may disturb some of us... Viewer Discretion
is Advised - “Buddha was a Godless-Atheist” - it's true.
• Is There God or No God? No Self. No Soul. Nothing?
• Learning-Quotes with an edgy Iconoclastic bite.
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( 10 ) What is The DHARMA ? Question Reality !
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• DHARMA :: DEFINITION of this often-used word.
• “Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent”
• Learning-Quotes of DHARMA-Truth
• "Hsin Hsin Ming" Zen's most beloved teaching-poem
The Great Way is not difficult - have no preferences !
• So – What Was It ? What did Buddha Awaken to ?
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( 11 ) What is The SANGHA: Spiritual Community
3 Jewels • Buddha • Dharma • Sangha
• What is SANGHA ? – Non-Isolation & Open Sharing
• Being Open to PRACTICE-SUPPORT? Nourishment?
• Good Dharma-friends? • Satsang • Having a consistent
ongoing meditation group(s) in your own life?
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( 12 ) TEACHER Biography • Photo
• “Kalyana Mitta” – 'Spiritual Friends & Mentors'
• The Seven Qualities of a Good Friend
• "The Road Less Traveled" Robert Frost’s poem
• Mentoring: a Dharma teacher's prime purpose
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( 13 ) The Big DETAILS • Evening Programs
Please try n' PERUSE THIS WHOLE SECTION ~ gracias
This is a much fuller version than the Brief Summary
• Meditation INSTRUCTION Schedule & Program
• DA' HOUSE RULES & Housekeeping
• WHAT to BRING • CLASS FEE • WHEN to START
• 6 Week Beginner's Class-Commitment
• BOOK - "A PATH WITH HEART" Jack Kornfield
• BIG HUGE QUESTIONS ? ...or HESITATIONS ?
• About BRINGING an INTERESTED FRIEND
• LOCATION DIRECTIONS • About RETREATS
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( 14 ) The Big BOOK List & Book Archive:
“Buddhist Books for Your Next 50 Years”
one of the best beginner's Buddhist book-lists online
YOU are only 'expected' to read but one book for
your Beginner's Meditation Class: "A Path With Heart".
This BookList is for an enriched good lifetime of reading
• About 'WORDS' ! - very little reading expectations
• Your Introduction to BASIC Buddhist Books
• CORE BOOKS: highly recommended ‘classic’ reading
• Books of POETRY that inspire Heart-Awakening
• Dharma 'Classics' - early Western writings
• Sri Ramana Maharshi, J. Krishnamurti & D.T. Suzuki
the modern 'Godfathers' of the "Inquiry Into The Self "
• FREE Buddhist Readings & Resources, Links,
Booklets, books, print out FREE Online teachings
• ‘Book-Lovers’ USED BOOKS available Online –
• About "Out of Print" Books; an endangered species
• Spiritual-oriented Bookstores: Westside L.A. area
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( 15 ) FILMS – for contemplation or just fun
• Buddhist or Dharma or Consciousness-themes
• Best Western Films / Best Asian & Foreign Films
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( 16 ) The ARTS, SPRITUALITY & MEDITATION
ART-MAKING & Art-making meditators
• ART :: it's Ancient Relationship with Meditation
• The Benefits to art-maker's mindfulness & awareness
• NO 'BELIEFS' - just observing, watching, witnessing,
Reality without 'beliefs', without buying-in or compromise
• Silly ZEN Story: "The Purpose of Meditation Training"
• “ARTIVIST” Film Festival - first international festival
of humanitarian-conscious filmmakers for global causes.
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( 17 ) CONTACT INFORMATION & Associations
• Making "ACTS of METTA" engaged loving-kindness
• "How Can I Personally Be Helped?" You Can !
Other Laughing Buddha-BLOGs are here. . .
• Have QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS ?
• and .. Where's UPDATED Current Information ?
• "How Can I Personally Help?" Yes, You Can !
• some very good Humanitarian web-links here
• and some much APPRECIATED ASSOCIATIONS
• Retreat Centers: Regional & International
• Other Local Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups
• more empathy-based learning quotes
• and a last rim-shot of Zen funnies –
WEB SITE officially ENDS just below that point
with some great Optional ARCHIVES to get into...
______________________________
Click Here takes you down to The END
of this MAIN Resource-Site
"Like a handsome tree –
Come to Meditation slow
with the heart of youth
and grow slowly into it.
Why are you impatiently
in such an irritable hurry?
'Results' are simply a useful illusion.
An illusion of 'Appearances' none the less."
The LAUGHING BUDDHA SANGHA offers a very eclectic “Inquiry into Self” practice,
combining the cool, calm 'observation' approach of traditional Vipassana Mindfulness
Meditation – with the 'crazy wisdom' irrationality of Zen Non-Duality realizations which
short-circuits the obsessive self-involved, self-absorbed, self-identified ego-mind.
" One easily-made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE Reality.
You must always be prepared to bravely leave your reality for a greater one." ~ Meeraji
" . . ever noticed, that it's Always NOW " ~ Alan Watts ~ suggests you repeatedly keep noticing this
______________________________________________________________________________________
“There are No Answers” Our practice, as Rilke says:
is "To Love the Questions themselves! "
"True ‘generosity’ towards the Future - is to give everything now - to the Present." ~ Camus
" You don't have to see the whole staircase – just take the first step in faith " ~ M.L.King
" Whatever the Question ~ Love and Kindness is the Answer!" ~ The Dalai Lama
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"Tradition should be a guide, not a jailer."
~ W. Somerset Maugham “The Razor’s Edge” 1931
" You began as a ‘creation’.
Now become a Creator.
Never just wait at a barrier "
Mawlana Jalal-ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi Rumi ( 1207–1273 )
13th century Persian poet, mystic, Islamic jurist and theologian
" Good timber does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind ~ the stronger the trees."
~ Willard Marriot
" Eighty percent of success is just showing up! "
~ Woody Allen
" The Greatest Risk Is Not Taking One "
"While one person hesitates because they 'feel' inferior & ‘think’ insecure thoughts –
the other is just busy making mistakes a p l e n t y - and becoming quite superior"
~ The Tao
ultimately . . .
" All philosophies are 'mental fabrications'.
There has never been a single philosophy
by which one could enter the True-essence of things."
~ The Buddhist Yogi Nagarjuna ( India, 1st century AD )
WISDOM-GNOSIS ~ WISDOM KNOWS
Wisdom really likes Wisdom. It thrives on it.
Wisdom when Awakened likes to stay Awake !
Wisdom when Awakened prefers Wisdom to my old EgoSelf.
Wisdom when Awakened begins to replace my neurosis & inner-noise.
Wisdom when Awakened expands and multiplies ! Wisdom changes me.
Section ( 1 ) Here's What's In This Introduction
What's an ICONOCLAST ?
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING !
An 'Image-Breaking' INTRODUCTION: Buddhism is an Iconoclastic Path*
• HOTEI ( Ho-Tay ) The Laughing Buddha a very popular Buddhist folk-image
• “Does this Path have a Heart?” 'Humanism' : a wise head & warm heart.
• A Buddha: a spiritually liberated person entirely through their very own efforts
• What's a Paradigm – I always hear this word now?
• Waking Up the 'Iconoclast' Within - the true 'Heretic' still fast asleep within us
• Buddha’s BIG Disclaimers – "Widely 'Accepted' does not mean it is Real"
• Buddhism is not a search for God ! A Good, Holy life is possible without Deity
• What keeps Buddhism 'kosher', non-authoritive, non-cultish, clear and honest ?
• "EHI-PASSI-KO" - a totally open, fearless invitation to take nothing on "Belief"
• The Ingredients are found world-wide: Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
• Graze slowly awhile, there are very challenging statements in here ~or~
move on now to 'information-type' sections on Details of ‘Meditation’ itself.
If so, click back to TABLE of CONTENTS on Navigation-bar.
~ currently ~
please always phone to confirm
the current OPEN Class Evening
The “BUDDHISM” Class
Vipassana Insight Meditation
“The PATH OF NO EXPECTATIONS”
• OPEN Weekly Evening Class
• LIMITED Study-Group Nite for
core-students with Akasa Levi
7:30 - 9:30 PM • 310-450-2268
Definitely, a much more way
Outside-The-Box-Buddhism !
• Join our OPEN Ongoing Classes at Any Time
" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real "
~ The Buddha ~ 500 BC
"One easily made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
"Mindfully Awakening the Compassionate-Insight Naturally Deep Within Us All"
"If we approach the wildness of our mind
like a skilled horse-whisperer ~
using gentleness, compassion, and kindness -
we return to our wise natural state
of calm expansiveness
that is always available to us."
~ Pema Chodron
" In All the Infinite Fullness that 'Creation' has to offer,
The Abundant 'Hotei Bu-Dai' is the very most Satisfied of All
and he can generously offer you the Design of your own Desires
through The Practices of Non-Attached Joy ! " Ask about this Program
HOTEI ( Ho-Tay ) The Laughing Buddha, for a thousand years,
a very visible, popular folk-image in Chinese Buddhism – where Hotei
is often called Bu-Dai ( pronounced Pu-Tai ) - dubbed The Kind-Hearted
One or The Loving One or The Friendly One. Bu-Dai or "The Laughing
Buddha" has become so fully incorporated into Asian Buddhist culture –
and he seems to be based on a real, eccentric Chinese Chan Zen monk
living in the time of the Liang Dynasty of 908 AD. Reminds us to be Happy !
Wherever one goes on the modern globe, Hotei's ever-present image
as little or big statues, paintings or necklace amulets – grace magnificent
Asian temples, and also very ordinary businesses & homes. Most Chinese
gift shops have a full stock of Buddha-statues - not the silent yoga-seated
'Meditative Buddha' - but the storekeeper will lead you to a large section
full of ceramic statues - stout, laughing, shaven-headed fat men in monk's
robes with a large, exposed, pot belly symbolic of satisfaction, abundance
and good luck ! The abdomen is considered the Seat of the Soul, 'Hara'
or 'Chi' in Chinese mythology - and so the large tummy can be taken as
a metaphor expressing Budai's very complete, contented soul - allowing
his wisdom, generosity and open kind-heartedness to freely flow.
please wait for image to load... hold your breath ~
A world-wide, popular folklore belief about Budai is – that if a person rubs Hotei-Budai's belly – it can bring forth
sure happiness and prosperity for them. You can actually see the finger-rubbings on most of the old statues of him.
He is usually shown with a huge cloth sack over his shoulder – smiling or laughing uproariously, thus his nickname
"The Laughing Buddha". He has 'realized' the Truth of Non-Attachment & Generosity and now Laughs. Yet he
carries a simple monk's begging bowl to still represent his truly simple Buddha-nature – a wandering monk who
goes around and takes away the sadness from all the people of this world – swept away off into his tiny bowl.
Yet Hotei Bu-Dai carries that awesomely huge cloth sack which never empties – that he keeps full with picked up
bits of meaningless rubbish that magically turn into many precious items that he gladly gives away to those in need
of nourishment or good cheer – finely grown rice plants to the poor promising wealth, sweets and little cakes for
unhappy children, food for the hungry, small pet animals for the lonely – and especially healing potions & medicines
for all the woes of the world. Sometimes his miraculous sack can even be filled with little children, that have crawled
out and across his huge belly – as children are seen as some of the most precious of creations. As the Patron Saint
of the weak, the abused, mothers & children – in his wanderings, Budai is said to be always giving free food to poor
people and Zen monks – and only asking a single penny from devoted Buddhist lay practitioners he meets. One fine
day a monk walks up to Budai and asks, "What is the real meaning of Zen?" Budai suddenly drops his big bag on
the ground. "And how does one actually realize Zen?" the monk further asks. Without a word, Budai then suddenly
hoists up his gargantuan big bag again - and just silently walks on his way... Bring a Hotei Budai home sometime.
Budai's welcome & friendly presence has become a 'Symbolic Deity' of generosity, wise contentment & wholesome
abundance – a bit like Saint Francis or Ganesh the Elephant for Hindus – as he nurtures the realization of Tolerance,
he helps humans to heal & bring Heaven to Earth. Symbolic-images often touch an immediate chord beyond words.
Some say of the Laughing Buddha – of Hotei's such benevolent nature, that he is to be fully regarded as an actual
incarnation of the evolving Bodhisattva that is predicted to develop into The Buddha Maitreya ( The Coming Buddha
of The Far Future ). But all claims are only symbolically metaphorical. None of these beliefs form any part of any
traditional Buddhist doctrines, but are more of an inspirational folk-practice. Ancient "positive affirmation-work"
in pictures, icons and stories for us on the Way. Funny how it really does work ! Break the Silence with Laughter...
"The ICONOCLASTS" – the mavericks, innovators,
rebels, rule-breakers, heretics and ground shakers –
an 'Iconoclastic-tone' always flavored Buddhist Wisdom.
ICON ~ an Icon or Image & CLASTIC ~ To Break
* Definition: a 'view-opposing' to the ordinary accepted:
one who challenges or 'breaks-with' traditional 'beliefs',
customs, rituals, religious practices, icons, dogma or Deity.
Maybe a new healthy mind-set or paradigm is working.
"To Break" ( and to make Paradigms )
"Buddha's Awakening Caused a Paradigm Shift" – "What's a Paradigm" – I always hear this word?
Since the late 1960s, the word Paradigm ( Greek: para-dime - "to show as a whole pattern" ) has referred
to the prevailing thought pattern – a 'Mindset' – a 'conceptual prototype' – in any scientific, organizational,
or philosophical discipline or as even an unconscious cultural mind-set – that is still a working through a
theoretical framework ( a dharma ) of that particular school of thought withinthat frame - which theories,
laws, and the 'experiments' performed ( meditation or advanced yogas ) in support of them are formulated.
Buddhism is a paradigm, Christianity is a paradigm. Jew. The world is full of all sorts of 'prevailing' pradigms.
A Good American, Democrat, Republican, Science, Islam, Mormon. They do not abide in peace. That's obvious.
" What is accepted by the majority of people
– does not mean it is Real " ~ The Buddha – 500 BC.
" It is still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or with ‘illusion’.
But remember – that to choose one,
is to let go of the other !" ~ The Tao
Paradigm is "a whole pattern or model". A currently accepted 'paradigm' of thinking would be the standard model
of physics. A Paradigm Shift is a sociology of knowledge: like when Einstein's radical physics first became the
hot 'New Physics' of what is to be observed, the kind of questions & probings for answers. Now, today, the most
current model of physics has now included, and yet eclipsed Einstein, for an even 'newer' current paradigm we
use today. An important point: a Paradigm is "a whole pattern or model" – An Absolutist WHOLE WORLD VIEW.
Like when the whole world view of indigenous tribal people was totally INTACT and had its powers potent before
'first contact' with a radically different peoples such as Europeans. With a broken paradigm their powers diminished.
We must always know that a 'new paradigm' which replaces an 'old paradigm' is certainly not necessarily better –
because the criteria of judgement is solely WITHIN the 'whole operational-context' of that particular paradigm itself.
Paradigms like religions & politics have so much 'within-ness' within them. It comes down to what's working for you?
Simple common analogy: a paradigm is a 'habit of reasoning' or, The Box in the commonly over-used phrase
"thinking outside the box". Thinking inside The Box encompasses the thinking of normal science and thus inside
the Box is analogous with a paradigm. Now, "Thinking outside the box" would be called 'revolutionary science'.
Revolutionary science is usually unsuccessful, and only rarely leads to new paradigms. Yet when they really are
'proven' successful, they lead to large scale paradigm shifts in the scientific, philosophical or cultural world-view.
Buddha was the first religious teacher ever to declare that everything bar none was impermanent including Self,
Soul and even God. This is still quite heretical & revolutionary (especially today). Yet a new paradigm's happening!
~ some parts of this are from Wikipedia, some not ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm ~ read more on your own
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yet in all good healthy, heady philosophy we always must remember that we are simply 'people' also
A Path with Heart
Keep me away
from the wisdom
which does not cry,
the philosophy
which does not laugh,
and the greatness
which does not bow
before little children
~ Kahlil Gibran
________________
some more
Welcoming Words ...
"Everyone has the 'possibility', the ‘potential’
to peacefully shape the future of humanity –
Absolutely Everyone !
Everyone has some ‘potential’ to create
a more peaceful & compassionate world,
by creating a more peaceful
and compassionate inner-world –
Each within themselves ! "
~ The 14th Dalai Lama
“Be not afraid of absurdity –
do not shrink from the fantastic !
Within a dilemma –
Choose the most unheard-of,
the most audacious solution !
De l'audace! De l'audace!
Et encore de l'audace ! Be audacious !“
"Be not afraid of absurdity –
do not shrink from the fantastic !
De l'audace! Be audacious!"
~ Karen Blixen, author of "Out of Africa"
audacious [ aw day shuss ] Latin: audax "bold", "to dare" – daring,
bold or fearless, especially in challenging assumptions or conventions
synonyms: brave, courageous, risky, impudent, cheeky, even foolhardy ...
"Our deepest fears are like dragons
guarding our deepest treasure."
~ Rainier Rilke
“A spiritual warrior chooses 'A Path with Heart' and follows it.
He 'knows', because he 'sees' – he sees that his life will be over
altogether too soon. He really knows that nothing is more important
than anything else is. It all is. And then he rejoices and laughs.
A path is only a 'path' - and there is no affront, to oneself or to others,
in dropping it - if that is what your heart tells you. Look at every path
closely and deliberately. Try it as many times as you think necessary.
Then ask yourself, and yourself alone, one question –
“ Does this Path have a Heart? ”
If it does, the path is good - If it doesn't - It is of no use.”
Mucho Gracias ~ Grateful Thanks to Don Carlos Castaneda & Mike at The Phoenix.
The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge – First Edition (1968)
and simply just consider . . .
"Even tho' the Buddhist Practice Path is really always
all about a truly Uncompromised 'Awakening' –
either all at once – or as a gradual Awakening over time –
yet you certainly CAN do this !
. . . or WHY would The Buddha ever even have taught it
– If it couldn’t be done? Duh ?"
~ Bhante Kassapa – Rockhill Hermitage, Sri Lanka ~
"Duh?" was learned from his years of teaching Westerners
All sentient beings are essentially Buddhas.
As with water and ice, there is no ice without water.
Apart from conscious beings, there are no Buddhas.
Not knowing how close the truth really, really is,
we struggle to seek it so far away ~
You yourself are Buddha-mind !
Buddha is here now.
~ Hakuin Ekaku Zenji
¬________________________________
REBEL~SAINTS !
"Buddhism" is an Iconoclastic Spiritual Path –
untemptable, unseducible, uncompromising –
about buying in or selling out the integrity of Truth.
A true Iconoclasm is gradually and mindfully cultivated
from the heart of a concerned, compassionate, courageous Heart.
"The ICONOCLASTS" - Mavericks & the cultural revolutions they've led:
The innovators, rule-breakers and ground shakers – independent-minded
individuals of singular vision - bold, uncompromising, some even irreverent.
Through freedom of expression and their passions - those who have fully
lived by their own 'heretical' rules and transformed the cultural landscape."
~ Robert Redford, from the Sundance documentary interview series
" Every community needs a group of angelic troublemakers "
~ Bayard Rustin, black activist social reformer
DEFINITIONS :: iconoclast: image-breaker; to break the mold
The Buddha was a pioneering "Iconoclast" • Definition: one who challenges
or 'breaks-with' traditional 'beliefs', customs or religion - de-constructing blind 'faith-based'
religious practices, Deity or dogma - “an image-breaker” from Greek: Icon + klan, to break;
"A-theist": without Theos - 'God-less'; "A-gnostic": without proven 'knowledge' of - (Gnosis);
"Heretic or Heterodox": an Opposite - a 'view-opposing' to the accepted; "Radical": 'the edge':
cutting-edge, far out, extreme fringe, essential, at the root of, uncompromising, revolutionary.
“Dharma Teachings” keep Waking Up the true Iconoclast within -
Be it Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist, Rebel or the true Heretic still fast asleep within us,
or maybe only semi-conscious now inside some of us – offering it needed 'legitimacy' & courage
to really guiltlessly thrive well. It's totally OK not to 'believe' in God – the Buddha didn't.
Thinking very differently is scary. The historical Gautama The Buddha was an Atheist.
"A-theist": without Theos – a 'God-less' person - Without 'Belief' in God or the Divine or
even an Intelligent Design(er) as just NOT a necessary component of his Practice Path.
( betcha' didn't know that, did ya' ) God is simply not necessary. It’s really totally up to you.
In Asia, more advanced-levels of Buddhist practice have simply known that for millennia –
Here in the West we just found that out last Tuesday. For some, Deity can be irrelevant.
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING ! – WHEN YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW !
Historically, Buddhism publicly touched gently on the Deity issue – lightly & lovingly.
For those who did need a God – there were always plenty of God(s) & Goddesses –
but for those who were dedicated students of 'non-self' inquiry & 'emptiness' – and they
just did not need this Deity-relationship, there was the freedom of a non-dependent mind.
To take up or take on "Buddhism" is to have a 'relationship' with a whole Civilization.
In fact, a whole series of philosophical civilizations, which have so influenced the lives
of myriads of human beings in so many lands. Buddhism was never 'Jihad' or imperialist.
Buddhism never proselytized or was coercive or conversionary. It's missionaries simply
taught people the Dharma – with a full understanding that the 'spiritual realizations' or
rewards were yours alone to experience. Here we hope to offer you a deep core.
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Buddhism’s Big Disclaimers
2000 BC: The early Hebrew iconoclasts ( image-breakers ) were known
for abandoning 'accepted beliefs' in the many Desert Gods & carved idols -
each with their own separate attributes & powers – distilling them down
to ONE invisible, indivisible, all-purpose Creator-God named J'Yahweh.
500 BC: The Buddha, a pioneering iconoclast ( an image-breaker ), known
for abandoning the many, many Hindu Gods, rituals - and even cutting loose
from the invisible ONE indivisible Creator God named Brahma – empirically,
pragmatically, but lovingly deconstructed & fully dismantled by the Buddha ~
"Buddha's advanced-level of spiritual practice
is absolutely not a search for God or the Divine."
~ Buddhist author Henri Van Zeyst
It is a totally 'humanistic' path – totally in one's own hands, wise head & warm heart.
With the Buddha's Enlightenment, a great spiritual-revolutionary was awakened !
He became an authentically liberated, free person entirely thru his very own efforts.
"No God(s), No Soul & No Self". Nothing 'There' -or- 'Here'. A Good, Sacred, Holy Life
is entirely possible without Deity. Humanistically: Humankind can certainly Enlighten
itself by itself - without Divine Intervention, reliance or relevancy – was one of the
Buddha's most noteworthy & useful contributions to Existential Humanistic History.
Today: Life, lovingly fully attentive to the Present-Moment. It’s pretty full as it is.
We’ve had a pretty full ‘Past’-tense that ‘Was’ but still has us captured as if it IS.
But it Ain’t. All there is, IS the 'Present Moment' and Buddha suggests we Wake Up
to that fact of Reality. By the use of wise selected ‘memory’ we can utilize the 'Past',
but not take it for Real anymore. Memory is so flawed. We need the Clarity-energy
just to be here in the ever-present Moment. Welcome to Now. Discover some peace.
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Uncompromisingly – we are again reminded that . . . .
" Buddhist meditation has 'Nothing' to offer you –
other than what is in THIS very moment. That’s all.
God(s), Goddesses, religion and the ego-self can
certainly tempt you with so, so, so much more! "
~ Henri Van Zeyst
" I tore myself away from
the safe comfort of ‘certainties’
only through my love for Truth –
and Truth rewarded me."
~ Simone de Beauvoir
" It is still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or with ‘illusion’.
But remember that to choose one
is to let go of the other!
Can you bear the loss? "
~ The Tao
Down in Section # 9 - and also in the Archive on 'Great Doubt' –
AND, “You can’t just become “A Buddhist” – because that’s just
a ‘label’ or a ‘name’ - a big identity-‘concept’ held in the 'relative mind'.
Most spiritual teachings or rituals are like that: very useful good ‘words’.
A ‘name’ and a ‘form’ ( nama-rupa ). Very convenient ‘labels’ & ‘beliefs’.
The Truth: ‘You’ simply Are as you are – present – for this very moment.
Now, living in Peace with this ‘moment’ is still not becoming a ‘Buddhist’
either – but truly becoming a living Buddha ! Instantly.
For just this present moment. How long is a ‘moment’ ? “
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya - “Buddha of The Moment “
Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a 'Buddhist'
– instead, use it to be a better "Whatever-you-already-Are"
~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
"EHI-PASSI-KO"
buddhism & good ole western 'empiricism'
In India’s ancient Pali language Ehi.pass.iko
means 'come and take a good close look'
Basically as humans – 'Words', are our main symbols of meaning
–– and are all that we human beings really ‘have’ ! It’s all we got.
( Body Gestures, Tones, Spoken & Written Word, Music & The Arts )
Looking around to choose a 'Spiritual Path' you can settle into and sincerely
'practice' for awhile, and learn about yourself, your mind ? The Buddha offered
an open invitation to empirically inspect, question, fully scrutinize, and even
to openly criticize – totally everything he said - to arrive at the Heart of Truth.
The 'Words' in this quite odd Buddhist-site come from many true
and authentic sources – and just May Be ALL You'll Ever Really Need
to 'Awaken' & 'Enlighten' Yourself. Read in Here & Have a ‘Realization’ !
How 'fundamental' is that ? ( pun intended ) It's all right in here ! We copied
these written words out to put them before you, to hand to you. The Buddha
said in the Pali language of ancient India "Ehi-passi-ko" – which literally
means “Come, See, Really Check It Out First – Believe Nothing”.
And what ‘Words’ they are! Enough incite-ful, insightful words in just
this Buddhist-site here – even if you never do arrive at our doorstep to attend
our classes – here's enough words from many different angles, to spur you
into genuine 'Realizations' toward an empirical, continuing Awaken.ment.
There's Nothing here to ‘Believe’ in – Buddhists don’t do ‘Belief’.
"EHI-PASSI-KO" means 'take a close look' - an open invitation to inspect,
question, scrutinize, and if need be, even to criticize the Dharma teachings
before accepting any of it - there is nothing 'religious' or 'mysterious' here.
The Dharma's wisdom is sober & crystal clear. It's genuine as solid real gold.
In places it's gentle or philosophical, in others it's challenging or even playful.
The Buddha himself often said: "Do NOT accept what I say only through
mere respect towards me. Just as the true purity of gold is only ascertained
by very thorough testing, weighing or rubbing - likewise may the true Dharma
be accepted by you - only after very close scrutiny." ... and a trial-period
of actual ‘on the cushion’ Practice. This open, fearless assertion of allowing
the whole of the teaching to be closely examined – gives an honest, clean,
strong experiential validity to Buddha's Truths. Take nothing on "Belief".
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"Reality"...what a concept !
~ Robin Williams
If you don't want
to see Reality
– you can't.
~ Sam Wagstaff, art collector
Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
Empiricism ~ Latin: 'experientia' (the word 'experience')
like referring to a 'physician' whose skills derive from practical experience - compared
to instruction in just dogma & doctrine. The Buddha too, was called 'The Great Physician'.
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The European Backstory: The 'Protestant Reformation' is the Western Christianity that
is not subject to Papal authority – fundamentally it's 'Scripture' itself ( rather than Church
interpretations of scripture ) as the only source of revealed truth – and also that salvation
can be achieved through God's grace alone. Again, no central Church. So in the more
'global' 1600's, with lots of Vatican Catholic missionizing abroad, an active 'Reformation'
and a cultural 'Restoration' in play – empirical, experiment-based 'Science' now had a
much more free opportunity to explore and to grow into a truer knowledge !
In Western philosophy, "Empiricism" is a theory of knowledge, emphasizing the crucial
role of 'observable experiments' – and those aspects of scientific knowledge closely
related to evidence, especially sensory perception – and are formed through 'deliberate
experimental arrangements' ( meditation is experimental ) while diminishing the value
of innate 'imaginative-thoughts'. All speculations and theories must be tested against
observations of the natural world, rather than resting solely on an 'concept-making',
intellectual reasoning, self-proclaimed intuition or revelation – hence, 'Science' as a
prardigm itself, is considered to be purely Empirical in nature ( we're too good at it )
( And so is Buddhism – it's Scientific ) So, we're currently undergoing 'the process' of
bringing 'Heart' back to 'Science' – and healing the Betrayal of Heart by 'Religion'.
The famous Greek philosophers - 350 BC - rejected adherence to "the dogmatic
doctrines of their day", preferring instead to go with the more pure "observation
of phenomena as perceived in experience" ~and~ experiencing itself experiencing
the perceived. In 1689 John Locke's "Empiricism" said: for any knowledge to be
properly deduced or even inferred – it is to be gained ultimately from one's own
sense-based reference to one's own experience. BTW, 'Empiricism' is usually
contrasted with the other close philosophical school of thought – "Rationalism"
which asserts that much knowledge is attributable to 'Reason' that is independent
of the senses ( 'Higher-Intellect' ) – even the European 'Rationalists' ( Descartes,
Spinoza & Leibniz ) – yet all were also strong advocates of the radical Empirical
"Scientific Method" of their day. Locke, for his part, held that some knowledge
(e.g. knowledge of Spirit or God's existence) could be arrived at through intuition
and intellectual-reasoning alone. Some important European philosophers to study
associated with Empiricism include Francis Bacon, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke,
George Berkeley, David Hume, John Stuart Mill, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari,
Emanuel Kant. ( Who are these people? search and read in Wikipedia )
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Arthur Schopenhauer (1800) was a German philosopher best known for his work
"The World as Will & Representation" – the way in which we experience the world.
His critique of Kant, his creative solutions to the problems of human experience,
and his explication of the limits of human knowledge. His metaphysical theory is
the foundation of his influential writings on psychology, aesthetics, ethics, and
politics which influenced Friedrich Nietzsche, Wagner, Ludwig Wittgenstein,
Sigmund Freud and others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schopenhauer
So, still a central concept in the scientific-methods of today, is that all evidence
must be 'empirically-based' – that is, on E V I D E N C E that is Observable by the
( developed / refined ) senses. So be it both the 'natural' and the 'social sciences'
that are 'testable' using observation or experiment derived from our experiences.
– "Our ongoing continual 'mindful' experiential-observation practice for life".
"Experience itself is the sole teacher of Truth".
~ Michał Sedziwoj - 1605 - Polish alchemist, physician and philosopher
There are "Experiences" derived from sense impressions as a person's life proceeds.
There are two sources of our ideas: sensation and reflection. Our knowledge of 'things'
is a perception of ideas that are in accordance or discordance with each other, which
is very different from a quest for a fixed 'certainty' of ole' Descartes. Or of many 'religions'
of today. Buddha taught that there is No Certainty on any level of existence. An extreme
Empiricist theory known as Phenomenalism – says a 'physical-object' is a kind of intricately
cobbled-together 'construction' out of our experiences & meta-experiences. Instant by instant
it is again repeatedly put-together by our brain from pixels, refreshing the screen. All told,
very commendable, indigenously, naturally evolved, Western-realized philosophical strides
that took place during the 1600s to 1800s as the start of our contemporary 'new thought' surge.
Of course they never became publically popular – 'emotional'-mindsets never want the details.
( Also read Wikipedia's piece on "Empiricism" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empiricism )
Most Wikipedia topics have links to get you to all these names & ideas. From whatever various
parts of the world were touchpoints of origin for you – Don't lose it ! – Experience your history !
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click for TABLE of CONTENTS
Altruism ~ It is the English form of the French word 'Altru.isme' ~
created by the mid-19th-century French philosopher & sociologist Auguste Comte from the Italian
word Altrui, meaning “of or to or for Others” < French altruisme< Italian altrui< Latin alter: "Other".
"That which has to do with other people". One who has care & concern with Others is an Altruist [n].
Al·tru·is·tic [ altroo-ístik ] adjective. Altruism: Devotion to the welfare of others – 'Bodhichitta' is
Metta-Karuna Karma. The New Testament says: "Greater love hath no man…" Altruistic Behavior.
Darwin was aware of altruistic social behavior even in animals, and how this phenomenon challenged
and was later included in his theory of 'natural selection'.
• Selflessness: unselfishness, self-sacrifice, humanity, philanthropy - an attitude or way of behaving
marked by unselfish, charitable, caring concern for the welfare of others. Being aware of other people.
• Belief in Acting for Others' Good: the belief that acting for the benefit of others is right and good.
the antonym would be: selfishness, self involved, self-centeredness, narcissism, careless disregard.
Bodhi-chitta is our 'Basic Goodness',
an altruistic enlightenment-potential we all innately have ~
Already the Enlightened Compassionate Mind is now Manifesting !
In Buddhism, Bodhi-chitta is the wish to attain Complete Enlightenment ( that is, Buddhahood ) in order
to be of better benefit to all human beings – beings who are now trapped in Cyclic-Existence ( Samsara:
m = ng, pronounced Sang-sara) and have not yet reached the Four Levels before Buddhahood. One who
has Bodhichitta as the mindfully-aware, conscious primary motivation for all of their life-activities
is called a 'Bodhi-sattva' pronounced Bow-dee sot.ver –– Bodhi-citta or Bodhi-chitta: kinda' 2 spellings,
best pronounced Bow-dee – chit.ta Literally, "An Awakening-Mind Being". A person who has Bodhicitta.
( Bodhi.chitta is a combination of the Pali / Sanskrit words bodhi and chitta. Bodhi means a Buddha-like,
sometimes almost a Buddha-level 'Awakening' or 'Enlightenment'. Chitta may be translated as 'Mind' or 'Spirit'
- a Moment of Mind; a general word for a 'mind-moment'; a 'mind of enlightenment' or a 'spirit of awakening'. )
Bodhichitta may also be defined as the 'Union of Compassion and Wisdom'. While the Compassion and
Wisdom aspects of Bodhichitta are actually highly dependent on each other, in the Mahayana tradition they
are often referred to as:
• Relative Bodhichitta: in which the practitioner works for the good of all beings as if it were for his own good.
• Absolute or Ultimate Bodhichitta: which refers to the wisdom of Shunyata - a Sanskrit term often translated
as 'Emptiness', though the alternatives 'openness' or 'spaciousness' probably convey the idea better to
Westerners). The concept of "Shunyata" in Buddhist thought does not refer simply to 'a nothingness', but can
refer to freedom from 'attachments' - where the mind is not occupied with Identity-Making with Things or Ideas,
particularly attachment to the idea of a static "Self" ( or any Self or Soul ) – and fixed ideas about the world and
how it 'should' be. The classic text on Shunyata is the Mahayana 'Prajnaparamita Sutra' discourse referred to
as "The Heart Sutra" ( See The Heart Sutra Project in our Archive ) The term Bodhichitta in its most fulfilled
sense, a Complete Buddha, would combine the best of both:
• The arising of spontaneous & limitless compassion for all sentient beings, and
• The falling away of the attachment to the 'illusion' of an inherently existent "Self."
Some Bodhichitta practices emphasize The Absolute ( Vipassana-Wisdom practice ) – yet others emphasize
the Relative and Relational ( Metta-Karuna practice: Loving-kindness, Empathic Compassion to all others ) –
but both aspects are essential to develop on the path to enlightenment – highly dependent on each other
The 'Relative' without the 'Absolute' can degenerate into pity and sentimentality –
while the 'Absolute' without the 'Relative' can lead to nihilism and lack of desire
to engage Other sentient beings for their benefit.
Bodhichitta may be viewed as having different levels: one useful classification is that given by Patrul Rinpoche
in his book Words of My Perfect Teacher. He states that the lowest level is The Way of the King, who primarily
seeks his own benefit but who recognizes that 'his' benefit depends crucially on the benefits had by that of his
kingdom and his subjects. The middle level is The Path of the Boatman, who ferries his various passengers
across the river and simultaneously, of course, ferries himself as well. The highest level is of The Shepherd,
who makes sure that all his sheep arrive safely ahead of him - and places their welfare above his own.
He has a profound concern for well-being others.
~ excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhicitta - visit Wikipedia, a free public encyclopedia – read more
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"All this Buddhist Bodhisattva & Bodhichitta Altruism-stuff
just sounds like too much of my 'giving myself away' ~
heck, I'm still just finding myself. I'm no St. Francis yet . . . "
Well said – If you still 'need' a payoff for your
practicing of expanded kindness & compassion ...
and many of us still do – besides inner-peace
We still need some interim spiritual support on
our way to a fearless, free & joyful emptiness
Then know this . . .
Here's a Witty Reward for Our Compassion Practice:
We need to Accept
all unenlightened beings –
if we wish to meet all the Buddhas
that they will become.
~ Stonepeace Monk
I need to put up with two or three caterpillars,
if I want to get to know them as butterflies later.
~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery
then & only then,
When I see I am Nothing – that is Wisdom.
When I see I am Everything – that is Love.
And between these two, my life flows.
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
Empiricism + Altruism = Buddhism
Here is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
I N V O C A T I O N S,
Sacred Poetry, Prayers and
Blessings for a Good Spirited Start
In’Voca ~ Vocal / Voice: a call to gather; to call in the Spirits
( an "Invocation" - from the Latin verb In’vo’care "to call in" )
"Just the Rational,
Deeply appreciating the Mystical
and the Mystical,
Deeply flavoring the Rational."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
“ The Buddha’s Dharma Teachings are so deep and lovely.
I wish to Practice with body, speech and mind that Dharma.
I now have a chance to see, study, and to fully practice it.
I vow to realize its true meaning for the sake of all beings !
Wish, Now, Vow.” ~ An Ancient Buddhist Verse of 'Refuge' Intent
POETRY alwaYs was always Prayer
☼ Prayer always was always POETrY
Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins
with some form of an 'intent'-dedication of universal blessing
in the name of The Relational Oneness
The One Infinite Togetherness
all sizes, shapes, colors & contents included
One Size Fits All
N A M A 'S T E
▲
~ I Am ~
forever freshly reborn
into this very moment
will it unfold
open up
flower into
beingness?
or sadly stay within
its own 'imagined' limits?
~ John de Ruiter ~
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________________
"Grant me the Serenity
to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference."
~ Reinhold Niebuhr 1934; AA version in 1939 by Bill W.
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"And then the day came
when the risk to remain tight in a bud
was more painful
than the risk it took to blossom"
~ Anais Nin ~
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"With the drawing forth of this Love
and the voice of this Calling . . .
We shall not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring will be
to arrive where we started,
And know the place for the first time
Through the unknown, unremembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
is that which was the beginning"
~ T. S. Elliot - Four Quartets ~
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" I love you, gentlest of Ways –
you who ripened us ...
as we wrestled with you."
~ Rainer Rilke ~ Paris 1908
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
I'm "Am-ing" – I'm "Is-ing" – I'm "Isness" itself
”Nama’ste”– is the One main greeting in everyday India –
a way of 'deep welcoming' - and it is profoundly saying to us
" I See Directly Into You - and - Meet In You ,
'That' Which Meets Me - and - Sees Into Me "
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Question: “Grandfather - What is Destiny ? ”
“DESTINY is every step we’re taking
and going thru right now - to get 'there'.”
~ Grandfather Bearheart, contemporary Creek Elder
Savor the Journey too – it's in every step –
for "The Journey itself - IS the Destination!"
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"Just as a drop of water falling into the great ocean
Is never depleted even before the ocean ever dries up –
Likewise, with the full 'Intent' I now dedicate to Awakening,
will never be depleted before my Enlightenment is fully attained."
~ Buddha Shakyamuni
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Your Mind got you Here thru a long series of Changes.
Your Mind certainly CAN change & transform even more !
It can be Free and at Total Peace all by itself !
All it really needs is the right 'software' download
and an effective 'method' to actively practice it with.
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"By learning the ‘Path of Wisdom-Silence’ you can
Break through the illusory world of 'worldly' words
(and break through the world of 'other-worldly' words too)
So that The Wordless Flower of 'Just Being' may bloom.
Just allow yourself to become suddenly still, inside & out,
So that you may pierce through the thin shell of the 'World',
And now fill the entire cosmos with your own truly Free Mind.
So the healing of you & thus the healing of the world may begin."
~ Zen-master Ji Aoi Isshi – 13th century Japan
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the present moment is so elusive
every time I 'look' for It,
I am looking away from It
~ The Tao ~
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"The Present Moment 'As It Is' -
is my 'religion' and my 'prophet'.
I have to be very careful with it."
~ Akasa Levi ~
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▲
So Do You Really Want To See?
Here's a very old Buddhist metaphor
A Holy Rant About What's True & Not True
Note: There is No Truth in any of this !
" One should not mistake the Finger,
which only serves as a 'guide'
that points ► at the Moon,
( which only 'symbolizes' The Truth )
as the real Moon itself."
The Finger is not the Moon. Obviously.
The Buddha's Teachings' only point.
They are not True. They are not The Truth.
To really See • Know • Realize the Truth
One has to experience "IT" - for & by one's own,
and individually, personally See & Be way beyond
even those monks and yogis who handed-down
from teacher to pupil, priceless Sacred Teachings.
'Sacred' yes – but still only 'second-hand truths'
which yes, still can very successfully point –
but ONLY can 'point' to > the Supreme Truth.
It has to be your very OWN 'experience' of Truth.
You Can Do This or Why Would The Buddha Teach It ?
With strong regard for individual spiritual-experiences,
an open heart and free thought and creative expression,
"The Laughing Buddha Sangha" strives to be both erudite,
enlightening and entertaining in it's relation to the "illusory".
~ Akasa Levi, DhMA ~ founder / sadhu / guide / kalyana mita / mentor / fool
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All Spiritual Sangha Friends are temporarily 'guided' by the same Buddha 'Moon'
Luminously finger-pointing out the very same Dharma 'moon' to each other
Radiating a kindness of the same Metta moon-glow onto each other
Please my friend, pass the moon’s green cheese - feed each other
Seeing the light of ONE Dharma-Truth here now but Empty of Other
( We are all simply 'Moonpointers', that's all )
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Sentient ~ you will hear this particular word used often in Buddhist Teachings or in Blessings
SENTIENT ( a sentient being ) pronounced: sen.shee.ent [ Latin: sen'tire "to feel" ]
We have the very rare experienece in nature of receiving a human birth to now work with consciously
and reflectively at this time. Humans are the only creatures that are capable of 'self-reflecting'.
All sentient beings do want to live !
All sentient beings want to live in safety and comfort
All sentient beings are capable of reflecting on perceptions
All sentient beings are capable of responding to sensations and feelings
All sentient beings are capable of responding emotionally and articulately
Life is sentient. If a creature is alive it is sentient to some degree.
sentient synonyms: animate, alive, living, breathing, emotional,
feeling, sentimental, responsive, sensitive, perceptive, aware.
All Life is Sacred. Human-life is here to steward all Life.
Want to know your life's purpose? – To Support All Life !
Dewdrops on a Lotus Leaf
In ten directions everywhere,
throughout the Sea of Lands.
My every little hair-tip encompasses
oceans of past, present and future.
So, too, there is a huge Sea of Buddhas,
a huge Sea of Buddha Lands –
Patiently pervading them all,
I practice for seas of endless time.
~ Ryokan 1758-1831
“ The Buddha’s Dharma Teachings are deep and lovely.
I wish to Practice with my body, my speech and my mind that Dharma.
I now have an auspicious chance to see, study, and to fully practice it.
I vow to realize its true meaning for the sake of all other sentient beings !
Wish, Now, Vow.”
~ An Ancient Buddhist Verse of Refuge Intent ~
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings"
Each evening around dusk, hundreds walk through Bodhgaya or
Dharamsala India – all carrying candles & chanting The Bodhisattva Prayer –
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings"
in Tibetan or Sanskrit or Pali or Hindi – over and over again. This prayer
has become the Buddhist anthem. You hear it muttered from old women,
belted out by toddlers, and chanted by monks through loud speakers:
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings."
Your own ‘enlightenment’ is good for everybody !
"May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings."
( Try saying it in English – over n’ over . . . )
~ Pico Iyer
please wait for Kwan Yin picture to load
The Asian Kwan Yin Bodhisattva is the Mother-Goddess of Compassion,
Kindness & Mercy – sort of the Buddhist Virgin of Guadalupe
KWAN YIN :: In Chinese Guan.yin ( ku'an-yin )
is The Bodhisattva of Compassion & Mercy
as venerated by almost all Asian Buddhists, usually in a motherly form.
Literally it is The One Who "Observes the Sounds (or Cries) of the World"
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Our Lady The Virgin of Guadalupe is a 16th century Roman Catholic icon of Mexico depicting
an apparition of The Virgin Mary. It is Mexico's most beloved religious and cultural image –
– the major cultural symbol of so significant an importance to the overall Mexican identity.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City is the second most visited
Roman catholic shrine in the world after the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is known in Mexico as "La Virgen Morena",
which means "The Brown-Skinned Virgin" ( The Black Madonna ).
Our Lady of Guadalupe's Feast Day is celebrated each December 12,
commemorating the account of her appearances to Saint Juan Diego
on the Hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531.
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Every spiritual gathering in every culture world-wide always begins
with some form of an 'intent'-dedication of universal blessing.
~ An Intent-Dedication of Blessing ~
- training my mind in self-less generosity -
“I once again say these Words with
a boundless grateful appreciation
that I can actually sit and practice
– here –
in the safety of my secure-surround.
With Loving-Kindness,
I again fully dedicate any personal value
gained for me by this meditation sitting
to the worthy benefit & well-being
of all that lives ~
In the name of Oneness,
The One Togetherness”
~ remembering ~
”we-are-all-connected”
everything is connected
THE B1G ONE
( One not Two )
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
In our 'everyday-mind', it's usually about TWO or more....
In our 'awakened-mind', it's always all about the one ONE.
Ultimately, the universal ‘One’ truly is the only sacred ‘surround’ of one’s own self.
What ‘else’ could an infinite-indivisible ‘container’ of the One Living Beingness be?
With our ‘Oneself’ awake, observant & fully mindful, one gains a single-pointed,
universal mastery that is a challenge for one to carry. Yet, there is no ‘Other’ One.
*Note about The ONE: You do not ever have to do 'anything'
about your relationship with The ONE - or do anything TO The ONE
in that you are ALREADY One with The ONE. So relax.
That's quite nice to know, and that's just the way it is.
Again, relax into your already established 'religiosity'
and know you are not just an integral part of The One,
but You are intrinsically and innately itself The ONE !
Just try n' be a kinder, gentler, more-patient-you.
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♦ "MAY PEACE BE UPON YOU" ♦
NAMASTE • SHALOM • SALAAM • GASSHO • ALOHA
Shalom: one peace, completeness, wellbeing, fulfillment,
safety, health & prosperity of all individuals and all nations
"Shalom Alei'chem" (Hebrew) • "Salamu Alay'kum" (Arabic)
Shalom or Salaam is the same greeting: "Peace Be Upon You"
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♦ what follows is based upon a very ancient psychological and meta-physical formula
towards a circular spiritual 'unity’ kabalah-mandala - plus we had a little creative fun
in constructing & celebrating this orb of One. Read it out loud softly to yourself,
only if you wish. It’s all simply an ‘experiment’ - never, at no time, in any way,
is anyone expected or persuaded to take vows or say unfamiliar words.
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~ OMNIVERSE BLESSING ~
”So I say "Na'maste & Shalom"
and see everyone & greet every One at Once !
When I greet just you • I greet the whole Universe !
There is "Only One ONE" – The Incomparable Non-Duality
'UNIVERSE' is One-Undivided-Seamless-Infinite-Wholeness
It is impermanent, unpredictable, unstable simply by Nature itself
In this Big ONE there is One Frequency called 'Life-Consciousness'
If a 'Form' is Living - it is 'Conscious' to some degree. I really Honor that
All Individual 'Conscious-Minds' - are One within 'The Conscious Big ONE'
That is why all Life is so very Sacred, Precious and Protected. I Honor that
Life has Reactive 'Feelings' and is potentially capable of 'Evolving'. I Honor that
"THAT IT IS" - is the Invisible, Indivisible, Inexpressible, Infinite, Ineffable "THAT"
"The Great Name" for All of IT –ONE– 'I' experience It as I AM THAT.
The Big THIS that IS - The Big IS that is THIS – ALL ONE – We ARE THAT
Abba ~ Adonai ~ Allah ~ Arun ~ Atma ~ Aum ~ Bhagwan ~ Brahma ~ Deus ~ Deva ~ Devi
Eck ~ Elohim ~ Ema ~ Existence ~ Father ~ Force ~ God ~ Great Spirit ~ Ground of Being
Ha’Shem ~ Jah ~ Life ~ Love ~ Mahaloa ~ Ahura Mazda ~ Big Mind ~ Mother ~ The Name
Now ~ The One ~ Olorun ~ Pele ~ The Presence ~ The Present ~ Ra ~ Ram ~ Sacred
Satnam ~ Self ~ Shekhinah ~ Shen ~ Shiva ~ Source ~ Spirit ~ Tao ~ Tat Tvam Asi ~
This ~ That ~ Thus ~ Truth ~ The What Is ~ Wakan’tanka ~ The Word Manifest
YHVH – Yahweh (pre-incarnate) and Ye’hoshua – Yeshua (incarnate)
alphabetically inscribed intentionally for absolutely no hierarchical order
Here & Now, in salutation to ALL that is Conscious-Energy
I say "Na'maste" and honor & greet Every-Mind at once !
When in Peace I honor & greet just you with no agenda
Purely I greet the whole vast Universe at once as One
May ALL Beings Be Safe, Peaceful, Healthy, Free,
Liberated, Luminous, Joy-filled, Nourished
and Happy Within !”
Sabbe Satta Sukki Hontu !
May All Beings Be Happy !
"Namaste Buddha Kabalah" Seferot Mandala by Akasa Levi ~
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• In Hebrew & Sanskrit Mantras •
of the Middle East & Asian Deity-based Traditions
Ado’nai is the Basic Name of God
" Ado'nai Elo'haynu Ado'nai E'chad "
The Hebrew name ‘ADONAI’ literally means 'THE ONE'
( It is pronounced as Ahh – doe – noy )
A Designation: Not really a proper 'name' at all which is unpronounceable
“Adonai” is saying The ‘Name’ of the Oneness that is “The One”
“Adonai” is the one n' only "IT", “Adonai” is the one "THAT" or ‘Thine’
“Adonai” is the one n' only "IS", “Adonai” is the One that is "THE ONE"
“Adonai” is the highest consciousness-formless-spirit in the Human Mind
Oneness-ness
– There is nothing ‘outside’ the One –
Infinite. No ‘outside’, period. Outside of What ?
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ATMAN YHVH
YHVH – the Hebrew letters for "I AM THAT I AM"
'Yod-Heh Vav-Heh' • Yah-Weh • literally "To Be"
Yahweh (Hebrew) = Jehovah (Christian) = Jah (Rastafari)
Yahweh (pre-incarnate) & Ye’hoshua - Yeshua (incarnate)
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So similarly, in these Sanskrit traditions of India
Tat Tvam Asi • " I AM THAT "
knowing that I AM ~ is all I need to know
– a conscious AM-ness that is 'is-ing' –
I'm "am-ing" – I'm "is-ing" – I'm "isness" itself
I AM "Being", that is 'Being-ness' Be-ing . . .
in Buddhist Pali-language "Becoming-ness"
because Everything is in a state of Becoming:
That's what 'Existence' is ~ The Manifestation.
A state of 'Manifesting'. A state of 'Becoming'.
Coming into Existence, Going out of Existence.
Arising & Falling ~ just like the Breath.
That's why 'Meditation' in Buddhism
is called 'Bhavana'
which simply means 'Becoming' –
We're Sitting Just Watching 'The Becoming'.
Right There with The Becoming-ness Unfolding
or the "Observational-study of The Process of Becoming"
( observing attentively the whole process of what arises in consciousness –
and how it unfolds and affects you - and sitting in stillness non-reactive to it.
Not doing anything with it. And yet, noticing whatever you DO do with it – or not. )
The primordial holy OM mantra-sound pronounced AUM
AUM • aha • HUNG resonating in the deep mystical tone
OM expresses "As It Is" • Tat Tvam Asi • "Thou art That"
Buddha-Nature is The Jewel in The Lotus
Buddha "As It Is" Buddha
~ Om Mani Padme Hum ~
( pronounced Aum Mani Peh'meh Hung )
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You, who came into existance,
selected this particular time
in millions of years of history
of the earth as your life
Now all of you are here together
to unite your deepest wishes for
manifesting peace at this time
Each small power of one's prayer
assembles together with other prayers
and enables 'the light of wishes'
to extend and cover the whole earth
So first, you bathe in the light and savor it
Then,
let's radiate the light & love to the world
with your Lightened-heart
Now, entirely, wishes for world peace
become as one
You are in the greatest of blessings
and glory, calmly and purely
~ Gayuna Sun'dima
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NAMA•STE ◊ The Name
There IS only ONE.
One whole Wholeness.
One-Vast-Boundless-Endless-
Edgeless-Infinite-Wholeness.
No 'Other' ONE. Neti-Neti !
means Not 'This – Not 'That' !
Most 'religions' call it
indescribable,
incomparable,
inexpressable,
this ineffable ONE.
Einstein, who looked like
a happy version of God ~
simply called it 'Universe'.
ALL world-teachings agree on: that 'Consciousness' is Non-Dual. BUT 'Mind' isn't.
Ego-Mind makes 'survival-separations'. Sure, there are many thought-'particles',
neurons zipping around in my head as 'content' - but the Big Picture 'Context' ~
~ ahh, that is the vast All One Whole Universal Consciousness Frequency.
All these mere 'words' all mean the same thing. ONE.
So I say 'Namaste' and greet everybody At Once! ~ Akasa Levi
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All At Once ~ It's All about Oneness ~ not much else to remember
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" What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real " ~ The Buddha
"One easily made, very common mistake is to think that 'your reality’ is THE reality.
You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one." ~ Amaji Meera
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never, at no time, in any way is anyone ever persuaded or expected to take a Beginner's Refuge Initiation
Saying I'm a "Buddhist" is sort of a handy, usable 'working-title'
When one Goes for “Refuge” and ‘becomes’ a Buddhist
( a Student of the Buddha’s Way and a student of the Dharma-Teachings
and a student of the monastic and lay Sangha as a practice support-system
and for ongoing guidance – and a student mainly of ones own mindfulness.)
~~~~~~~~~ One Makes a Formal REFUGE Intent ~~~~~~~~
Namo Tassa Bhag’avato Ara’hato Samma Sam-Bud’dhassa !
Homage to Him, the Blessed One, the Pure-Minded One, the Self-Awakened One
That Fully-Realized One ~ Perfectly Enlightened by Himself
in the purity of his truth of thought, word and deed, in his wisdom and his empathy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May I attain enlightenment, for the benefit of all sentient beings!
May I become enlightened to end the suffering of all sentient beings!
I Take the Three Refuges in The Three Jewels of
Buddha . Dhamma . Sangha . Sara’nang Gac’chami
~ above repeat three times ~
I go for 'Refuge' to The Buddha-Presence,
The Dharma-Teachings & The Sangha-Community
~ below repeat mantras three times or over n’ over ~
~ Sat’nam ~
In The Name of Truth
~ Om Shanti ~
Be Peace
~ A’himsa, A’himsa ~
Do no harm, Be non-violent
~ Om Mani Padme Hum ~
Buddha-Nature is The Jewel in The Lotus
Sabbe Satta Sukki Hontu !
May All Beings Be Happy !
dhan’ya vād -or- shuk’riyā ~ thank you
May Wisdom & Compassion Forever Flourish !
. . . don't forget that every day is a Holy Day
( 3 ) Entering The "BUDDHISM" CLASS: What are you getting into?
Entering The "BUDDHISM" CLASS
for Meditation & Dharma Study
Buddha ~ The Joyous Iconoclast
Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' Whatsoever
Please PERUSE THIS WHOLE SECTION ~ thanks
• How to Attend for the FIRST TIME.
• Have You a Deep Love of Learning?
• There’s A Very Eccentric-Edge’ to this Odd Class !
• The 'Nature' of the Student that just might benefit
• BE WELCOME FOR A ONE TIME VISIT & SEE ...
• Beginner's COMMITMENT - Six Weeks of Class
a steady student attendance - a sincere, solid, start
• C a u t i o n: for 'The Spiritually Sensitive'
• What Consistently Motivates Us? – the poet Rilke
said .. "To Love the Questions Themselves! "
• “IF” ~ a mindfulness poem by Rudyard Kipling
• 'Darkness' - no matter how ominous & intimidating
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
Be Open to a truly Liberated Present Moment of an Infinite 'Now' ! ~ Alan Watts
~ BUDDHA ~
The JOYOUS ICONOCLAST
Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' Whatsoever
" Do not accept my teachings simply because I am called The Buddha "
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“ What is accepted by the majority of people ~ does not mean it is Real ”
~ Gautama The Buddha ~
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Deep eclectic, ongoing ‘Conversations’ into the Dharma, Truth,
Wisdom, Empathy, Reality, and your OWN Awakening process.
"Inquiry into Self" Practice - combining the cool, calm sobriety
and observation approach of traditional Vipassana Mindfulness
with the 'crazy wisdom' irrationality of Zen Non-Duality – which
short-circuits the obsessive self-involved, self-identified mind.
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Rumi says ...
"Learning your Spirit all Anew ~ well, at first –
almost everyone else must be bound and dragged here.
Only a very few rare ones, really do come entirely on their own"
" If you are irritated by every little rub,
how will you ever be polished ? "
~ Rumi
S u p r e m e C a u t i o n
S u p r e m e C a u t i o n:
for 'The Spiritually Sensitive'
These Unorthodox Buddhist Classes
Will Offer Some Challenging, Refreshing, Risky,
even 'Radical' Spiritual Considerations of Reality !
Sorry, we are sorta’ playing 'Spiritual Hardball' here,
but with lots n’ lots of compassionate tender Heart
to soften, loosen & unhinge the tenacious grip
of the illusory false "belief" in an ego-self -
and its obsessive demands for 'reasons',
un-examined 'antidotes' & comfort-zones
for the ego's mentally 'imagined' soul.
Instead of taking a ‘position’,
as an alternative path –
we offer some ancient,
sophisticated concepts
pointing ►the way towards
the poetic insights of simple,
liberated, pure Awareness.
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"Good timber
does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind ~
the stronger the trees."
~ Williard Marriott
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The Spiritual Warrior always weilding The Question
What's "Motivating" Me?
since Buddhist Practice is all about mindfulness of 'Intention' & 'Motivation'
Rilke . . .
“Be very patient toward all that is
unsolved in your own heart.
Try to love the 'Questions' themselves,
like locked rooms and like books
that are written in a foreign language.
Do not, just right now, go ‘seeking’
for the elusive ‘Answers’.
The 'Answers' which cannot just be
given over & handed to you -
because then you would not be able
to actually ‘live’ them yourself.
And the point is to ‘live’ everything –
experiencing everything yourself.
At present, you in particular, need
to live the Questions themselves.
Perhaps you will then gradually,
without even noticing it, live along
some day into the true Answer.
Your answer.”
~ Rainer Rilke's "Letters to a Young Poet" Paris 1908
Again, traveller, you have come
a long way led by that same star.
But “The ‘Kingdom of The Wish”
is at the other end of the night.
May you fare well, companero –
let us journey together joyfully,
Living on catastrophe,
eating the pure light.
~ Thomas McGrath “Epitaph” 1916-1990
if . . mindful skillful-means
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too.
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, but don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, but don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise.
If you can dream –
and not make dreams your master,
If you can think –
and not make thoughts your aim.
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools –
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools.
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss.
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch.
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you - but none too much.
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And –which is more– you'll be a Man, my son !
~ Rudyard Kipling 1865-1936
was awarded the first Nobel Prize
in Literature in the English language
in memory of Albert Joseph Levy 1915-2005
a requisite from every Father to every Son –
who first read it to me before my "Bar Mitzvah
rite of passage" initiation ritual into Adulthood.
“Whatever the Question ~ Love & Kindness is always the Answer!”
~ The 14th Dalai Lama
"One does not become enlightened
by naively 'imagining' images of light,
but by making the mind's darkness conscious."
"The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable, and therefore not popular."
~ Carl Jung
'Darkness' - no matter how ominous and intimidating -
Darkness is not a 'thing' or a 'force' – it is merely the absence of Light.
Darkness is the concealment of the Goodness / God-ness
So 'Light' need not combat and overpower
darkness in order to displace it.
Simply, where Light is, darkness is not.
A thimbleful of Light will therefore
banish a roomful of darkness.
Bring in your Light !
One need not go 'defeat' the 'Darkness' in the world –
One need only bring to Light its potential for Goodness
~ The Luba'vitcher Rebbe
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"Our deepest fears are like dragons
guarding our deepest treasure."
~ Rainier Rilke
" Nothing in life is to be feared – it is only to be understood "
~ Marie Curie
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"If one's thoughts towards 'spirituality'
were of the same passionate intensity
as those of a couple falling in 'love' –
one would become a Buddha right now,
in this very body, in this very life."
~ from The Love Poems of the Sixth Dalai Lama ( 1703 AD )
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]
“La vraie generosite envers l'avenir consiste a tout donner au present.”
“True ‘generosity’ towards the Future - is to give everything to the Present.”
~ Albert Camus
( 4 ) The MEDITATION pages Part 1.
( 4 ) NEW to BUDDHIST-Styles of MEDITATION ?
• Learning Quotes about meditation
• Names in use of our Buddhist Meditation-style.
• What about more Experienced Meditators ?
• Poetic Analogies illustrating Meditation
• Excellent DEFINITIONS of MEDITATION
• How Insight Awareness Meditation Works
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
~ currently ~
please always phone to confirm
the current evening of the week
The “BUDDHISM” Class
Vipassana Insight Meditation
“The PATH OF NO EXPECTATIONS”
A Path of Abundant ‘Practice Opportunities’
• OPEN Monday Night Class with Akasa Levi
• LIMITED Study-Group Nite with core-students
7:30 - 9:30 PM • Santa Monica • 310-450-2268
Best phone times – on any day – Noon to 6pm
Join our OPEN Ongoing Classes at Any Time
" Mindfulness meditation is 'practicing' how to fully experience being in the present moment "
‘Meditation’
Seeing better in Silence
To study the Buddha-Way is to study the Self.
To study the self - is to forget the self.
To forget the self - is to be Enlightened
by the Ten Thousand Dharmas.
To be Enlightened by the
Ten Thousand Dharmas is to be Free of
one's body and mind and those of others.
Even no trace of Enlightenment remains,
and this Traceless Enlightenment
is continued forever. . . .
~ Dogen, 1200 -1253 'Enlightenment as Everyday Life'
Only the 'idea' of a Self remains
Floating on a sea of cells –
Only heartbeats short of Eternity
In breath after breath only do we dwell.
~ Mike Garofalo 'Above the Fog'
The Lotus has its roots in the mud,
Grows up through the dirty deep water,
And rises to the surface.
It blooms into perfect beauty
and purity in the sunlight.
It is like the mind unfolding
into perfect joy and wisdom.
~ The Lotus Sutra
All human 'evil' comes from merely this:
a man's being unable to sit still in a room.
~ Blaise Pascal – 1654
Solitude is such a beautiful thing !
but it really needs someone to tell you
that 'solitude' is such a beautiful thing.
~ Honore de Balzac – 1840
Buddhist • Vipas’sana • Insight • Awareness
Sati-pat’thana • Mindfulness • Meditation Practice
These are the various Names in use that our Buddhist Meditation
is often referred to. It is a Silent Sitting-style 'Yoga of The Mind'.
Gradually training yourself to just Sit Still. Attentively ‘Mindful’ of the flow of the mind-process.
Watching – Witnessing – Observing without Reacting. Softly allowing Stillness to overcome you.
A “Dharma Satsang” is a Sangha-Group Discussion or Dialogue on Meditation & Dharma Practice.
We will also help you understand the ancient sacred psychologies of the basic Indian root-traditions
of traditional Buddhist Vipassana, Hindu Raj Yoga, Advaita Jnana Yoga, Tibetan Dzogchen practice,
and the wonderfully irrational Zen practices with a touch of pithy Tao. Thought that characterizes Asia.
“People ask me what I’m doing these days, and I tell them ‘I sit at home a lot’ and they think
I’m on a big sofa somewhere watching the tely - funny isn’t it” ( the meditators erupt in laughter )
~ John Lennon from a talk at Zen Center of NYC 1979. John was a long-time meditator.
" Meditation helps to keep us from so
identifying with our own 'movies of the mind'."
~ Joan Borysenko, M.D.
In the quietness we come to simply realize that
Whatever 'It' is - It's just a 'Thought'
The "Secret of the Receptive"
Must be sought in Stillness.
Within Stillness there remains
The 'potential' for action.
But if you force empty sitting,
Holding dead images in mind,
The tiger runs, the dragon flees !
How can the healing-elixir be given?
~ Sun Bu-er, Chinese Zen-Taoist Woman
Tiger & Dragon elements are used in Chinese medicine
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The moon is one –
but on agitated water
it produces many reflections.
Ultimate Reality is One –
yet seen through a mind
agitated by thoughts,
it ‘appears’ to be many.
Complexity appears –
ripples radiating across
what was once
a still pond.
~ The Ramayana ~
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________________
Your true ‘Authentic Being’
is always shining and free !
But human beings go make
a ‘Something’ out of absolutely Nothing.
And get so attached to that non-something
– and then automatically enter the ocean
of ‘suffering’ of that illusory 'something'.
Only without 'attachment-thinking'
can you return to your true non-self
which is the authentic 'no' self.
Practice "Dont-Know-Mind".
Practice "No-Surprise-Mind".
The mountain is always blue.
White clouds coming and going.
~ Korean Zen Master Seung Sahn ~
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Tricky Stuff, this Zen Mind
If you want to be truly free
Get to know your 'No Self'
Consciousness that is no
longer self-conscious Self.
But how? Just 'Know' that
‘The Real’
has no form, no appearance,
No root, No basis, No abode,
But it is lively and buoyant
It responds with versatile facility.
But how? Just 'Know' that
Its function cannot be located
Therefore when you look for it,
You become further from 'It'
When you seek 'It' - since 'It' isn't
You turn away from ‘It’ all the more.
~ Rinzai / Linji
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~ another famous moon-analogy ~
Enlightenment is like
the moon reflected on the water.
The
Moon
does not get wet
nor is the water broken.
Although its light is wide and great,
the moon is reflected
even in a puddle a single-inch-wide.
The whole moon and the entire sky !
Are reflected in one single
little dew-drop on the grass.
~ Zenmaster Dogen 13th century AD
________________________________
~ here's some good DEFINITIONS of meditation
MED•I•TATE – Latin: medi’tatus – from MEDI - to be right here in the MIDDLE OF -
and yet be of neither this side nor that side; 'to be meta-physically poised on the fence'
– exquisitely balanced. To be in an alert semi-trance-like state of relaxed observation,
where physical action is voluntarily suspended. This enhances the ability to deeply
observe, witness, consider, contemplate or simply watch without judgment, without
commenting or the impulsive 'need' to arrive at any choice or any decision or simply
to arrive anywhere. The meditator develops the ability to 'space-out' (space-in) while
being fully mindful & keenly awake, reducing that nagging 'obsessive' thought activity;
an alert, wakeful but deeply restful attentiveness without the driven impulse to action;
to be serene, sublime, divine, tranquil and be calmly passive BUT by voluntary choice
– until a Wisdom-Informed Intent of a 'skillful action' that is entirely appropriate to the
situation naturally arises & unfolds. "Becoming a true disciple of your own Awareness".
Ideally, to be more & more free of 'self-identified', self-conscious thinking – by choice.
To allow a letting-go – and to just sit there free of 'compulsive' desire, impulse and
attachment. The Ideal Meditation: all ‘demands’ cease – to be still and at peace.
~ Akasa Levi
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♦ Insight Meditation ( ‘Vipassana’ in Pali-language of the original Buddhist teachings )
is the simple and direct practice of ‘moment-to-moment’ mindfulness. Through careful
sustained observation, we experience directly for ourselves the ever-changing flow of the
mind/body process. This keen awareness leads us to accept more fully the pleasure and
pain, fear and joy, sadness and happiness that life inevitably brings to all our ‘experiences’.
As insight-awareness deepens, we develop greater equanimity & peace in the face of change.
Wisdom & Compassion increasingly become the major guiding principles ‘informing’ our lives.
~ Joseph Goldstein
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♦ Practicing Meditation Is To Keep The Heart Open - Coming to our senses & opening
our hearts - is the sacred work of meditation. Meditation is a way of experiencing the world
without aggression and fear. A path of cultivating sanity and generating compassion, which
leads to peace in ourselves – which we can then, each individually, extend boundlessly and
un-compromisingly out into the world.
Meditation, is in itself, an 'act of resistance' to the inhumanity of violence, war and misguided
human politics – whether you feel it is a ‘just’ political environment or not. How do you keep
your heart open in the face of anger, fear, disappointment and sorrow? During meditation we
experience ways spiritual practice can realistically express our love of life & bring a peaceful
co-existence to this world – in a skillful, responsible pro-active way - as we ‘train’ ourselves
outside of our usual framework of time & space and daily responsibility - and then go back in !
~ Sharon Salzberg
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♦ Getting Into the ‘Gap’ – to abide in, to be in the more Open Spaces and subtle PAUSES
that are between the dots • • • ( non-thought ) - you just simply need much more Inner-Silence.
Silence that gradually takes root in your very being – innately & calmly allowing you much more
e x p a n s i v e • • • spacious room inside to simply see, to allow –
a continual, natural Waking-Up of your Deeper Awareness now being Wisdom-‘Informed’ just
as you read here now - and explore the Dharma-teachings here together in Heart, in Clarity
and in Reality – Instead of yapping, we are 'Gapping' our way through our very own conscious
Re-awakening, Self-Awakening Process – always a spacious present moment of right Now.
Pause now. Observe this mind as it is right now – not some 'fiction' about some 'other' mind, some
past / future-mind that you could've had. See the fiction of all these 'minds'. Then begin to notice
the vast all-pervading 'Observing-Consciousness' that is behind ALL these ‘mind-states’
you're experiencing.
~ Billy Bo Sat
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♦ Meditations we DO NOT teach: FYI for those who've inquired about guided imagery,
visualization-practices, darshan, diksha, empowerments, initiations or incarnation-work,
Tantra, or Mantra and the protection, teachings & blessings of tutelary Deities or Yidams.
A Yidam is a very specific Bodhisattva-mind-form or a Deity-mind-form – organically integrated in
the student's very basic nature or character-potential to become a Buddha - in this or a future-life.
This initiation-empowered or self-discovered ‘archetype’ precisely corresponds to the individual
psychological temperament of each person. Archetypically, it’s finding your inner-Spirtit-guide-muse.
The student uses a mantra and initiated-meditation to visualize the outstanding characteristics of the
Yidam - until he or she achieves complete inner union with it. According to the Tantra.yana practice
traditions, a Yidam is considered as the truest-emanation of the student-practitioner's very own mind,
the state of being indestructibly, inculcated, bonded now with the inherently Pure & Liberated Mind.
The Laughing Buddha Sangha does not offer these valuable Vajrayana Devotional Deistic practices.
We would be happy to refer you to other amenable Mahayana Buddhist teaching-settings that do.
about insight-awareness meditation
Highly Refining the 'Cognitive'...
only one of the ways insight-awareness works
This is a Buddhist-style 'Insight' Practice ( not guru-
devotion, diksha or samadhi ) that can be ‘experienced’
even by the beginning meditator. It flexibly combines
3 Insight-Inquiry approaches together: The keen,
but ever so gently focused sobriety & 'observation'
approach of (1) Theravada Vipassana-Mindfulness
– which can become very soft, so nakedly-bare and
receptively vulnerable in it's 'witnessing', in it's ‘non-
comparing’ clear 'Looking'. Rebirthing the innocent
eyes of a child. We need intuitive inner-strength to
carry this delicate ‘3rd Eye’ that Sees and Knows.
This is contrasted, supported, protected, fearlessly
made sturdy by the more radical 'argue-as-you-might'
indefinable "Crazy Wisdom" irrationality of the abstract
(2) Zen sensibility – teamed with India's razor-sharp
(3) Advaita Non-Duality & it's loving but relentless,
uncompromising 'Inquiry' approach – that lets your
'stories' & 'reasons' get mindfulness ‘recognition’ while
insightfully wearing themselves down by themselves
at the same time - into nothing but empty ‘Realization’.
So you can experience directly – right within yourself
how you so tenaciously maintain the False Belief’ in
an "Ego-Self". A 'Belief" that totally believes in 'Itself',
if not coercing itself to believe in itself. There’s often
bitter concealed resentment or outright despair. That
'self' has to constantly sell it ‘self’ ON itself & can’t
it just be desirable just as it is. ‘Believing’ itself a failure.
That’s grounds for indignation on top of deep insecurity.
Suffering a life of searching for a reflected ‘desirability’
in just about everything/anyone. Self has a full time job.
As the meditator (you) - begins to install and apply
and refines for yourself a new mind set of Dharma
within the meditation - these polar opposite schools:
vulnerable Mindfulness and powerful Zen-Advaita now
awake with built-in, ready to use tools - that ‘knows’
more precisely “what IT is” arising in this-very-moment
of consciousness. In as well as out of meditation. In
a penetrating, but in a kind, totally non-aggressive,
'observation' mode - in calm, compassionate watching.
This quiet, meditative, enhanced-seeing may yet yield
spontaneous Insight at a level of such clarity that
the Reality of the Real now becomes fully Awake and
Aware ! And you’re Freeeee of it ! ( for longer & longer
extended periods ) Actually, it frees itself ! You do zip.
OK: What is it that really works here - is the way this
whole mind-set - is ‘set up’. Holy Good Cop, Holy Bad
Cop. Gradually it happens in the “process” of frequent
meditation practice – that there is a soft, open, totally
'safe' middle-zone (mindfulness) – protected by two
adorable tough guy 'resilient' Zen zones flanking it
on either side. This mid-zone allows an innocent,
non-reactive, unconditional 'seeing', allowing
the 'Ego' to be yielding, calm & un-resistive.
Unsuspecting: we’re gonna’ compassionately
bait & catch the Ego fish. It’s gonna prefer the Dharma.
Both approaches are openly skillful & so necessary as
supportive allies: otherwise how could you possibly
dare to engage and entertain such 'radical' thinking
such 'radical' thinking about even the possibility of
'obsolescing' the existence of a wily, cowering or
macho or elusive Ego-Self's totally survival-oriented
maneuvers to exist & persist. Ego just won't tolerate
leaving. It won’t let go. Just look at what happened
any other time we tried. We'd cave, crumble and get
crushed. We're swimming our individual Unreality
upstream against currents in a society that takes Ego
as being so potentially, profitably Real? Try gentle
Meditation? “Give it up - are you kidding” snaps Ego.
BUT then Ego falls in love with the WISDOM of Dharma.
Ego found the Dharma out there somewhere. Now it’s
Ego’s new prize. I’m going to learn Wisdom. I’m going
to get busted. Wisdom tells me ‘Wisdom’ is not for sale.
Mindfulness, Zen and Advaita certainly can short-
circuit the chronic, so obsessively ‘self-identified',
'self-absorbed-mind' – that takes 'itself' as being
so Real. Meditation undermines that ! At an optimum:
Ego-Self becomes more irrelevant & ‘goes natural’
till it opts to gracefully obsolete by early retiring itself !
At a minimum: the Ego-Self so 'likes' what happened
to it, it now feels so included, so talked about in this
“Venture' of Ego-less-ness” ( Wisdom likes Wisdom )
Hearing its name all the time now, Ego gets to be the
center of your attention. That it naively joins forces with
the Victor (Dharma-Vijaya) and agrees to learn Dharma
(a new toy), sit meditation and hopelessly hope for the
best that’ll survive. Result: the gradual growth into a
very Good Person - with a twinkle in their eye.
Ego becomes your pet instead of your master or jailor.
Through Meditation - fresh new brain chemistry
actually happens – for a much more calm, naturally
expanded & tremendously strengthened Awareness.
As one develops a 'Dharma'-Informed Mind instead –
through skillful Wisdom-study, a lovingly-persistent
deep questioning, and an unromantic de-mystifying,
open-minded, caring, passionate investigation into
the True Nature of Reality - nourished by a rich, kind,
non-cynical, genuine Empathy. Self obsoletes Self.
Hey, talk about self-sacrifice ! Doing yourSelf in . . .
Creating a fearless 'life of compassionate practice'
continuously dedicated to your own Awakening process,
each one of us at our own pace - that will extend
spontaneously, boundlessly towards the welfare and
happiness of all other living, feeling, struggling beings.
You'll get it. They'll get it. Everyone can Awaken !
~ Akasa-maitreya
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"It's not You that wakes up ~
It is Reality itself that wakes up.
The Truth itself wakes up.
'You' are not enlightened –
'Enlightenment' is Enlightened."
~ Adyashanti
A Silly Satori
Enlightenment: Early Laughing Stream-Entry Stages
'Enlightenment' just simply steps out into the Light for you.
When you 'recognize' Enlightenment in you ~ Enlightenment is already lit up !
More n' more the Light is on. A quiet light. You learn greater humility in its presence.
You have more and more consecutively-mindful enlightened-moments in a row. AhHa !
The Insights of AhHa ! AhHa ! AhHa ! consecutively becomes Ha Ha ! Ha Ha ! Ha Ha !
The genuine essence of an 'Adventure'
is that one just really doesn't know the outcome.
The essence of an evolving 'Spiritual' Adventure
is that one shouldn't need to know the outcome -
and that one absolutely can’t know the outcome!
And that there really aren't any 'outcomes'.
~ Alexander Carpenter ¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
'Chance' favors the prepared mind. Prepare yourself. ~ I Ching
( 5 ) The MEDITATION pages 2. This is a Long Section
( 5 ) HOW to MEDITATE: It’s about ‘Practice’
• What is “Mindfulness” Awareness-Meditation?
• True SILENCE & Stillness & Still More Waiting...
( 5a ) The BASIC MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. Mindfulness
• Helpful Meditation Sitting Tools & Encouragement
• ON 'PRACTICE' - sitting meditation is a Training!
• Many Meditation Learning-Quotes
• ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE catching a ‘felt-sense’.
• .... just a “GOOD ENOUGH" Meditation Practice
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
Like a handsome tree –
Come to Meditation slow
with the heart of youth
and grow slowly into it.
Why are you impatiently
in such an irritable hurry?
Time is simply a useful illusion.
An illusion of appearances none the less.
How to Meditate:
How to Meditate:
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
If you forget this –
attaining Enlightenment
will be the least of your problems.
~ The Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist
"Become a True Disciple
of your Own Silent Awareness"
Instead of 'trying' to become something other than I am,
I realize fully what is already here now. Pure 'Is-ness'.
Inner-Stillness itself - is what Awakens
your Deep Radiant Heart of Grace and Wisdom
All you have to do is - learn how to really Sit Still,
to calmly fully experience and to mindfully observe everything.
Non-Reactively – Look Deeply – See Clearly.
Silence ‘informed’ by the Dharma does all the rest !
~ above quote by the revered late Mahapadya Aggamaha Pandita
Sri Balangoda Ananda Maitreya Maha Nayake Thera
of the Amarapura Sadhammavamsa Maha Nikaya Lineage.
August 24, 1896 until July 18,1998, at 102 years. Whew!
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This Is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
True Silence is not the absence of Sound ~
True Silence is the absence of 'Self'.
~ Anthony de Mello
The Meditative Ideal While Simply Sitting There:
Sit very Still: Just Allow total ‘Stillness’ to overcome you
while Everything is Fully Experienced.
Everything is simply Mindfully Witnessed / Observed ...
Nothing is Blindly Reacted or Responded To –
until an Appropriate Good Intention arises in the mind –
Mindfully prompting a Wholesome Good Action or Inaction
______________________________________________
But of course you probably will react & you probably will
blindly, impulsively get caught up in the Dharma ‘Drama’ Story
of your life for awhile yet - so patiently just keep on meditating.
Giving yourself plenty of patient blessings of compassion and
forgiveness for yourself & others - which you may not do now,
but will certainly do it, if you do the Awareness practice a bit.
Then how can the Heart-Mind not Open like a Wide Sky ?
________________________________________
~ Stillness ~
If you ignore its simple profundity,
you can never ‘Practice Stillness’.
Like the Great Void,
It is Perfect and lacks nothing,
nor has any excess.
If you differentiate,
you will miss its Suchness.
Cling not to external-causes
– nor stay in the Void.
'Distinctions' ceases if you can be simply impartial.
'Stillness' comes when all disturbances are stopped within.
Clinging to Stillness is also a mistake.
If you cling to opposites, how will you ever know the One?
~ Third Patriarch of Zen - Hsin Hsin Ming by Seng-T'san
For the listener,
who listens in the snow,
And, be nothing himself,
Beholds
Nothing that is not there
and the 'Nothing' that is.
~ Wallace Stevens
Do Nothing – Just Sit There !
Simply wait, without asking for anything.
You say you want the pleasantness of meditation and you want to go there quickly ?
Don't be hasty. Go at your own pace. You may try imagining you are connected to
someone - it may be pleasant - but your meditation will stop with your imagination.
Rejoice when peace comes to you gently. Certainly you will advance to the next step.
Meditation has no shape or form. Methods aren't necessary.
If you tie yourself to a method or technology, it will bring limitations.
Of course, there are 'the basics'. The basics need frequent practice.
It is like eating food – it comes naturally and is available to everyone.
But table manners and diets are particular to each and every culture -
and so one adjusts how one eats based on what they are taught.
So what was once simple becomes complicated.
But no matter how you eat it, the food is still tasty, isn't it ?
Simply, rejoice from the heart when you eat delicious food !
But sometimes, you may wish to visit another culture and
experience their ways. Sometimes it is useful to do this.
It is the same with meditation. If it is useful to you, then try it.
Do you need a meditation training-certificate ?
That just shows you have money to spend.
Nothing is proven with written-qualifications or saying you are
at such and such a level. Do you really think your meditation
can't advance without another class or workshop ?
You will only reach meditation by doing it.
The first step is the Heart's request for peace.
When that feeling comes, your heart finds a place
to settle even if you are walking –
or sitting with eyes open or closed.
As for my method, I simply sit ... and wait.
Not for any particular thing ... I just wait.
Unintentionally, one waits with expectations,
looking for experiences or results. This is asking.
This is the imagination.
Provide the space for your Heart to ask for peace.
And then simply wait, without asking for anything.
~ Gayuna Sun'dima from Burma
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____________________________________________________________________
"The Baby Buddha" Inside Each of Us Becomes Quiet –
– as they say in Zen: "The first aim of sitting down
to meditate is to stop the baby from crying."
What is “Mindfulness” Insight-Awareness Meditation?
Simple: In practicing this particular style of Buddhist silent-sitting meditation – it becomes
gradually possible for you to have the ‘experience’ that everything is noticed & quietly ‘observed’.
Have you ever just stood there and ever so calmly, quietly, silently looked at something? A flower.
Just simply looked. Before thought intrudes. Of course you have. Well, it’s simply that. In our
meditation-style called Vipassana Insight Meditation: everything you silently ‘experience’ counts –
it all becomes a "Noticing and observing, hearing and feeling sensations, witnessing meditation" –
In this ‘non-doing’, ‘just being’ of silence and stillness. Letting things be as they are. Just look.
Just allowing yourself to experience. Allow experience. Permit experience. Nothing to “do”.
"Mindfulness is the aware, balanced acceptance
of the present experience as it is.
'Realization' isn't more complicated than that !
It is opening to, or receiving the present moment,
pleasant or unpleasant – just as it is –
–– non-judgmentally ––
without either clinging to it - or rejecting it."
~ Sylvia Boorstein
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“An ongoing Practice of
Meditative Inquiry into the 'Self' –
is always, totally a ‘fresh start’ every moment
Self-inquiry will not transform the mind. It will not make of you ‘anything’
else that you are not already. It will over time, dissolve the False Belief that
you 'are' this body, this mind, this ‘history’. Only just STOP for one moment
to see how it feels to just simply BE ! And then Stop again. And then again.
Just that. Stop.
And all the rest will be taken care of.”
" The mantra I continuously say to myself is –
I Will STOP Searching Outside ! "
both quotes ~ Sri Ramana Maharshi ~ Arunachala 1931
( 5a ) The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
( 5a ) The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
• Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. 'Breathing' & 'Thinking'
• Helpful Meditation Sitting Tools & Encouragement
• ON 'PRACTICE' - sitting meditation is a Training !
• Many Meditation Learning-Quotes & some Myths
• ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE - catching a ‘felt-sense’
• Having only a “GOOD ENOUGH Meditation Practice
m•i•n•d•f•u•l•n•e•s•s
'mindfulness practice' is
continually preparing the mind
to become fully conscious
___________________________________________________
The Basic MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
Beginner's Guidance Stage 1. review them many times
“I once again say these words with a boundless grateful appreciation
that I can actually sit and practice here in the safety of my own surround –
With much loving-kindness, I again fully dedicate all personal-value gained
by this meditation sitting to the benefit & well-being of all that lives.”
Learning to tolerate and/or deeply appreciate my very own developing inner-stillness.
My stillness allows me to observe, to 'see' better, to see thru what formerly seemed so very solid.
My own constant seeing this 'transparency' brings it's 'reality' into serious question. My grip relaxes.
My constant cultivating of ‘Wisdom-mind’ itself, dissolves the illusory drama. I now set myself free !
Ideally: there is no demand, there is no urgency to 'get' anything while meditating.
Ideally: there is no demand, there is no urgency to 'do' anything while meditating.
Ideally: there is no demand, there is no urgency to 'be' anything while meditating.
If there is 'demandingness' while meditating – that is the way it is. Just Notice It.
This is the ancient practice of 'Becoming Un-demanding'
♦ "If you don't clearly understand that ‘whatever’ appears IS meditation -
Then what can you achieve by applying a divine or spiritual ‘antidote’?
’Ideas’ and ‘conceptions’ are not abandoned by just discarding them –
but are spontaneously freed by themselves when they 'recognize'
and 'realize' themselves as simply only an illusion."
~ The Dakini Niguma 1025 AD
"Remember... the 'illusion'
has merely ‘the appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side - you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"It's not You that wakes up ~
It is Reality that wakes up.
The Truth itself wakes up.
'You' are not enlightened –
'Enlightenment' is enlightened."
~ Adyashanti
"Sitting meditation is simply just sitting quietly,
calmly waiting for enlightenment to simply be.
It's the 'waiting' and the 'wanting' that's the problem "
~ Akasa-Maitreya
When I experience Sound & Hearing, I know that I am Hearing.
When I experience Sight & Seeing, I know that I am Seeing.
When I experience Sensation & Feeling, I know that I am Feeling.
When I experience Thought & Thinking, I know that I am Thinking.
'Intimacy with Breath'
a back-to-breath method ~
Remember: That everything feels like it feels.
You must find out
whether the mountains,
rivers, grass, and forests
exist in your own mind
or exist outside it.
Analyze the ten thousand things,
dissect them minutely,
and when you take this to the limit
you will come to the Limitless.
When you search into it
you come to the end of search.
Where thinking goes no further
and distinctions vanish.
When you crumble the Citadel of Doubt,
then the Buddha is simply yourself.
~ Dai’kaku
The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible.
That's the 'What Is'
that is ordinarily brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real –
‘real’ or ‘not-real’
is still a concept for you
until the 'Real' is Real.
~ Henri Van Zeyst
To TRAIN yourself in Meditation is to train yourself OUT of blind-sided Reactivity
and then the 'thought-objects' in your mind just don't get to you as much anymore.
the thought-objects in your mind just don't take you over as much anymore.
Less n' less do you get so 'caught-up' in your stuff . . you Observe them instead.
Observing BUT Not Reacting gives you the mindful-pause to loosen the tenacious grip
that thoughts 'seem' to have, appear to have. This is The Practice of Non-Reactivity.
There IS the Actual ‘Object’ & the Actual Seeing-Neurons that actually See.
But No Actual ‘See-er’. A ‘See-er’ is just an ‘Idea’ in the mind. Just more Neurons.
What about “It” ? Whatever “It” is.
“Please, this you must begin to understand: When you meditate –
that no matter what “It” is – “It” is only the mental “object” of the moment.
It’s a brief ‘meditation’ in the Impermanence of this immediate mind-moment.
The object is held as an ‘imago-in-mind’, a retained after-image of the thing.
That is what is there – and thus “It” becomes THE ‘meditation’ – but so does
everything else in that moment count too. The whole breadth & width
of what I can see -‘glimpsing’ - in that very moment. And possibly and
more importantly, maybe including a pure, uncluttered, clear Insight
into my ‘thoughts’ about what I experience – and maybe not.
Mostly, what is experienced is just simply more ‘thinking’.
What ( I ) experience is usually, really not the object itself –
but ( my ) ‘experience’ of ( my ) experience of it –
back-up storage, only a photo-copy in the brain.
Nothing Real here at all.
Just Neurons & Pixels.
In the beginning “I” didn’t recognize & realize that yet!”
INSIGHT-MINDFULNESS:
Observing the thought-feeling-experience cycle –
It's a Practice we 'practice'. Most of the time.
At some point the practice fully takes 'us' over.
That's what they call being 'enlightened'.
Practicing toward another level
of human development.
The MEDITATION Practice: It's a Practice we 'practice'. Sitting very still & just Observing
with a non-tinkering, non-fixing, hands-off sort of experiential 'watching' –– Watching the
"Re-Active-Mind" – just watching it unfold - training ourselves to not linger in thought
too long or 'thinking' will getcha'. That's why we come back to breath. Breath is your
homepage – That's all we're doing! Observing. Observing. Observing the whole process.
Observing with the next 'Mindful-Mind-Thought' that occurs - Mindfulness-Mind right
on the heels of what you just thought...a 'mindful-thought', a 'just-watching' may occur or
may not occur - you can't make yourself have a 'mindful thought'. All you're doing in
meditation is training yourself to sit still -- training to allow the possibility of 'observing'
to arise naturally – if it does. You can't make yourself have 'good' meditation sittings.
Sitting there may be accompanied by 'patience' or it may be accompanied by 'restlessness'.
Whatever 'happens' happens. You just sit it thru. But if you do happen to mindfully notice
that 'that' was a 'reactive' thought or a 'take action' thought, or a 'sad' or 'angry' thought,
well then you did. That's a much better setup for the next time a 'reactive' thought arises.
You'll notice the 'Cues' quicker and quicker and quicker – instead of the 'reactive-thought'
just turning into an unconscious, un-observed impulsive thought or action – mindlessly.
For instance: like sitting there meditating and feeling an itch - then comes a couple of jabs
of quick reactive-thoughts 'itch' and 'scratch' and the hand impulsively darts to it - instead
of mindfully just sitting there in motionless meditation and just observing - experiencing
the whole thought-feeling-cycle: sensation/reactive-thought/reactive-action - all that quickly.
Meditation slows you down & increases 'awareness' at the same time. Now as a meditator you
just sit it out and merely watch/observe. THEN you make the fully mindful, conscious decision
to scratch - and slowly raise the arm - feeling the weight of the arm - approach the itch - observing
any and all other thoughts along the way - emotions of anticipation before you actually do scratch –
and then go scratch! Ahhh! Observing the thought-emotions of relief and whatever else arises ...
and then go back to the breath. And simply start again. Till the next naturally occurring 'interruption'
of your attention to breath. Attention shifts to the new event happening in the mind. You observe.
This "Insight Meditation" is not about a 'discipline' of dismissing all thoughts so you can remain
uninterrupted at breath. No. All 'happenings' - thoughts, sensations, feelings, emotions are 'objects'
of Mindfulness Meditation. Gradually, 'mindful-attention' to each thought or action attentively follows
and pervades your daily life of normal movement and thought. For right now that is all we are doing.
'Mindfulness' is a full time job. An attentive daily Zen of Everything – from waking to sleeping.
Gradually, you get to notice more and more 'detail' about the thoughts you have - that were only
hardly noticed before in a much more 'blind', impulsive, shallow way. Actually, meditation develops
a similar mental awareness like a blind person - the other senses become very acute. Soon you
really do see the 'un-reality' of most of your own 'thinking' and stop believing your own 'mind' –
as things become more transparent to you – and not 'real' and not really the 'truth'. All those
'I-me-mine' thoughts loose much of their 'solid' power over you. The veils of painful delusion thin.
That's what we all want –– to 'suffer' much much less. I just want peace and quiet inside me.
About SENSATIONS In The Body: When you sit very still in meditation, the body, breath, diaphragm
and muscles really relax and often deeply let go. And sometimes even very painful toxins get released.
The body relaxes, the body FEELS lots of different sensations that normal movement covers over
under normal circumstances or the mind filters them out. When you meditate you risk feeling yourself
– and risk getting to really know your own mind ! So when you report what the sensations and
loosened contractions and released tensions felt like after meditation - that's what those feelings and
sensations were. A very common occurrence. Don't try to interpret – they're all just 'experiences'.
Keep it simple - all will be revealed as you cultivate a life-time career of sitting meditation. Patience !
In sitting meditation we gradually build healthy 'tolerances' to all sorts of thoughts, sensations and
emotional feelings. Tolerances and Openings - not denials or escapes. On the way towards cultivating
these physical and mental tolerances, we might experience many discomforts along the way.
That's just the pains of a human being undergoing the process of transformative-change.
"Using a thorn to take out a thorn"- Stay open. Just continue to practice.
"The Only Way Out is Through!" – sagely advice says the Tao – it's true.
Be brave and don't quit. Continue to sit regularly. Love yourself for doing this Practice.
And be supremely patient with yourself – on your way towards Ordinary Everyday Grace.
Again, Remember to Remember ~ Whatever 'It' is – 'Its' just a “Thought”.
♦ "If you don't clearly understand that ‘whatever’ appears IS meditation -
Then what can you achieve by applying a divine or spiritual ‘antidote’?
’Ideas’ and ‘conceptions’ are not abandoned by just discarding them –
but are spontaneously freed by themselves when they 'recognize'
and 'realize' themselves as simply only an illusion."
~ The Dakini Niguma 1025 AD
"Remember... the 'illusion'
has merely ‘the appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side - you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"It's not You that wakes up ~
It is Reality that wakes up.
The Truth itself wakes up.
'You' are not enlightened –
'Enlightenment' is enlightened."
~ Adyashanti
"Sitting meditation is simply just sitting quietly,
calmly waiting for enlightenment to come"
~ Akasa-Maitreya
ON 'PRACTICE' – If you’ve ever 'trained' or 'practiced' anything – please understand
that sitting meditation is simply a Training. You 'train' by practicing. Then you get results.
Meditation is less strenuous, much easier than yoga, martial arts, music. But you still gotta 'practice'
by actually sitting down with dedicated intent, in a sincere formal manner to meditate! You practice.
BUT NO ONE’S SAID YET THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE A TIME-CRUNCH / DEADLINE TO DO THIS IN.
ENLIGHTENMENT IS THE SAME FOR THE TURTLE OR THE HARE. TAKE AS LONG AS YOU WANT.
GO AHEAD, ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE A ‘BAD’ MEDITATOR FOR AWHILE. YOU’LL IMPROVE !
STAY WITH IT, STAY INTERESTED IN YOUR AWARENESS-DEVELOPMENT. Somehow PRACTICE.
Shi-kan-taza – Zen for: Just Sitting ! Just sit still and let Stillness overwhelm you...
Like building, stretching and strengthening a muscle or posture in Yoga – in meditation practice
you hafta’ practice doing ‘reps’ right through all the many distractions, discomforts and resistances.
Practice right through all the "talk-myself-out-of-it-thinking". Wanna’ play in The Enlightenment Band?
You gotta’ practice your instrument! As Buddha said ~ "Beyond all the Resistances lies Freedom."
Please, SIT meditation at home regularly to train & strengthen the Mindful-Awareness-Mind-Muscle !
Frequent Home-sitting Meditation - is take-home work for us to keep refining our understanding of
the mind while in meditation-mode & while in everyday mindful-life. The Practice of Mindful Presence.
So make it happen – make a beginner's 'steady date' with your mind to be in 'meditation mode'.
• Make One Evening a Week at class – Your ‘Quiet Time’ for Dharma-Insight & Meditation training.
That's 2 class-hours weekly – and that may actually be the very best way to seriously begin practice.
To “sit” a REAL meditation with some real meat on the bone – in that you're really starting to cultivate
your own frequent steady 'home practice' of sitting meditation. Probably a total of 4 hours a week.
fer' instance: a 'sit' of perhaps 30 minutes, 35 min., or 40 min. ~ but not over that, it's over kill ...
and not under that, except for 'relaxation', or you don't get enough cycles of experience-time in.
2hr Weekly Class ( ½hr sit in class) + plus ½hr + ½hr + ½hr sits at home
that = 3 or 4 or 5 sits a week between class & home. It's a Yoga to be Practiced....
• Group Class is "Being in Stillness with Silent Group Support" – for 6 weeks. Half silent. Half talking
Then simply 'listening' deeply into the Dharma discussion or ask lots of Questions – either.
• Learning How to Be Still. Could just simple 'Silence' be simply enough 'spirituality' for you?
"There may be more to learn
from climbing the same mountain a hundred times –
than by climbing a hundred different mountains." ~ The Tao
What do you mean by saying to me "You're Repetitious" Well, you are.
REPETITION: And, Meditation Practice does get 'Repetitious'. It is supposed to.
On ALL levels. Sitting meditation, Dharma study & reading does take consistent immersion, and yes –
experiencing your own Repetitions, your own Patterns – here or somewhere – as they become more
conscious to mindful awareness. It is good to see & experience our Repetitions - as that IS what most
of our lives are made up of: well it is, isn't it? Mostly monkey-mind mini crisis-filled repetitious chatter –
so now, with this insight-meditation practice, we get treated to it all the more vividly ! See the Patterns.
We have to see it to let go of it ! We have to see it a lot, repetitiously recognized to let go of it !
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
‘Consistent-Immersion’ is a key part of the Meditation-Inquiry process. We really get to keep seeing
the 'make-believe', illusory-solidity of stuff thru sitting & after sitting - having more & more penetrating
insight into their true Empty nature ( to be explained only in class - as 'Emptiness' is very misconceived ).
"We are in the 'Here-Now' NOW learning to appreciate the Emptiness instead of reviling the Boredom".
Being that ‘Meditation’ is a passive-activity and prone to boredom or restlessness in the beginning –
this is a crucially important ‘experience’ to discuss during the teaching portion of class: we’ll save it for then.
And on another level, there is real 'spiritual' development enhanced by the constant gentle ‘repetitions’
of the key core-Dharma-teachings that back-up, support and 'inform' your meditation practice. So we offer
you the open-ended opportunity to sit with us weekly – now committed to practice simply by your own
good intentions & sincere attempts to sit meditation steadily at home – and absorb all the Dharma that will
someday replace all our non-sense.
You will come to the very end of how many versions, variations and long-tellings of your 'Story' that you've
consistently witnessed and penetratingly observed in your sittings – experiencing their Emptiness – each
accompanied much more these days with a loving compassion and kindness towards yourself – as the
'appearance' of their momentary ‘existence’ is shortened – and even getting e m p t i e r - the grip loosening,
the 'transparency' increasing – the Un-real becomes obvious – as your innate Wisdom grows in gentle peace.
REPETITIONS of Teaching-material: From time to time as you ‘work’ your way through this rich and dense
teaching-site – you’ll notice some quotes, poems or aphorisms that will be Repeated because we are assuming
that not all people will read thru all the many sections of this site & may miss some key or relevant elements:
so we’ve repeated them.
See, Repetition is Good:
"There may be more to learn
from climbing the same mountain a hundred times –
than by climbing a hundred different mountains." ~ The Tao
A guy dashing along 57th Street in NYC –
quickly asks another passerby -
"How do you get to Carnegie Hall?"
The other man quickly responds,
"Practice, practice, practice!"
~ an old 1920's vaudeville joke
that experienced 'meditators' never, ever forget
Siddartha the seeker asks Kamala,
the beautiful courtesan, for her favors -
She asks what he can do to earn his way.
He answers:
"I can fast, I can wait, and I can meditate,
and with those, I have everything .... "
~ from Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha – 1922
And then I just sit down some more and wait –
allowing 'Stillness' to take me over again.
What else can one do?
I can learn to meditate & I can learn to wait.
Questioner ~ "Ji, Do you teach people who come to you how to be 'meditators' ?
Munindra-ji ~ "No, I teach people how to be 'waiters' – just like in a tea shop.
The waiter stands there and simply 'waits' to be called to your table.
How to have 'patience' and really learn to just wait – sitting/waiting.
While waiting - to grasp at nothing - to want nothing ! Just observe.
To just 'wait it out'. To simply sit there, meditate and wait."
~ Sri Anagarika Munindra
training to wait
something Americans do very poorly
The genuine essence of an 'Adventure'
is that one just really doesn't know the Outcome.
The essence of an evolving 'Spiritual' Adventure
is that one shouldn't need to know the outcome -
and that one absolutely can’t know the outcome!
And that there really aren't any 'outcomes'.
~ Alexander Carpenter
__________________________________________________________
while you’re painfully “sitting” meditation there, see if you notice that . . .
"Personal suffering does not arise
from the 'experiences' we have -
but from our reaction to them."
~ Sri Anagarika Munindra
"Physical 'pain' is Real. It bleeds. It hurts.
Psychological 'suffering' is a 'voluntary pastime'.
A person will renounce any pleasure you like -
but they still will not give up their 'suffering'.
It makes them rather special."
~ G. I. Gurdjieff ( Paris 1925 )
‘Thoughts’ are not Real. Body-Sensations are.
Thoughts then trigger Fear-Anxiety-sensations.
Fear-Anxiety-sensations then trigger more negative Thoughts
– and then Observe what happens.
The combination seems so ‘real’
You Feel it – • –You 'React' to it
And you begin to create even more Suffering –
There you go, taking the Unreal for Real again.
Taking the Impermanent for Permanent again.
Please, don’t believe your own mind !
Whatever 'It' is – 'It' too shall pass –
And it wasn't even Real.
~ S.N. Goenka ( India 1974 )
Tips on having simply just a “good enough” meditation
don't coerce it . . . only if you know that . . .
When I experience Sound & Hearing, I know that I am Hearing.
When I experience Sight & Seeing, I know that I am Seeing.
When I experience Sensation & Feeling, I know that I am Feeling.
When I experience Thought & Thinking, I know that I am Thinking.
This Basic 'Context' ~ as a beginner try n' not to stray too far from noticing these
basic forms of 'experiencing'. Nevertheless, ( Story ) 'Content' is entirely another
matter to be explored through many Dharma-talks, and Satsang dialogue in class
& with Dharma-friends. 'Naming', 'Noting' & 'Labeling' will come along later on.
Remember ultimately: Whatever 'It' is – 'Its' just a “Thought”.
_________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
‘NOTING’ & ‘NOTICING’ PRACTICE is where you catch a ‘Felt-Sense’,
a ‘glimpse’ of ‘where’ in cognitive-activity ( ‘thinking’ ) you’ve been –
a ‘recall’ just before you head on back to the “base-breath awareness”
and start again in being with breath again, and again – till you’re just not.
So, Where 'were' you? What did you glean, pick up about where you were?
• mad • sad • bad • glad • scared-mind • wanting-mind • rejecting mind • judging-mind
• angry-mind • joyous-mind • ping-pong mind • restless-mind • numb-mind • resenting-mind
• contracted-mind • sleepy-mind • relaxed-mind • alert-mind • appreciative-mind • attentive-mind
• tight-mind • critical-mind • guilty-mind • scolding-mind • easy-mind • compassionate-mind • kind-mind
• try n' keep to simple ‘noticing’ • keep the ‘noticing’ very generic as above • don't analyze/psychologize
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Do not get caught up into the “content” of mind:
the swirl of “thoughts”, of thinking, the 'story'-line, 'the narrative', the details.
When beginning to Note: JUST NOTE ‘thinking’ or 'feeling' or 'hearing' and if it's emotion, 'emotion'.
Simply ‘get’ the full felt-sense of the emotional tone or texture of that which you find yourself ‘noting’ –
allow ‘noting’ to be spontaneous – notice if you go ‘stalking’ the mind, 'trying' to note what's going on.
If you are not noticing any details about your experiences, notice that. Noting that 'happens' naturally.
Hold back the 'interpretive-intellect' stuff for satsang-discussion or your own therapy session.
~ Akasa Levi
“But don’t do too much Noticing
especially in the beginning . . .
~or~
'Noticing' will just become more 'Thinking'.
Learning to leave the witness be.”
~ Sensei Rand
Can you Notice a 'PATTERN', a tone, a texture, a shape –
without getting caught & lost in the pattern's 'content' ?
At first, just notice if there’s a pattern there, or a tone there...
– in the beginning that’s enough – otherwise . . .
Great Expectations, Old Objects of Desire – then getting sunk.
Sinking into a chain-link of old reactions to the story-content.
Because when blind reactions are arising – the ‘past’ arises.
We are 'out of attention' – caught up in ‘story’ content
and into the fickle, fragile fictions of ungrounded emotionality.
*The ‘Mindfulness Practice’ is here to cultivate my capacity 'To Notice'.
To Notice when I am out of attention and to then come back to attention
in the full Present Moment – but not necessarily to hold or 'stay' in attention.
. . . having a “good enough meditation”
This is a big crucial difference here ... in our type of Mindfulness Meditation
Cultivating a 'generous mind' - that simply says it's 'good enough'
to be simply present in the moment when I am present in the moment.
That’s enough. I simply practice a “good enough meditation”.
But I do practice !
BUT don't, don't, don't try to notice it all – just have simple-successes.
A series of generic labeled, simple 'noticings' is good enough, even better –
That's what keeps stimulating the awareness-learning curve of HOW to notice.
Not too much noticing or 'noticing' will become 'thinking'.
Where there’s too much note-ing or 'noticing' it’ll become just more 'thinking'.
And this ‘thinking’ is Thinking that thinks it’s not ‘thinking’ !
It could be come obsessive vigilance. Too complicating. As usual.
Too much red-alert all the time. Too much thinking about ‘thinking’.
That'll spin you back into self-judgment – becoming too self-conscious.
The gradual success in the ability to come back to base-attention
is more important for the meditator, rather than to staying in attention –
for that is a set up to slide into being lost in content, judgment and fear again.
Meditation practice that is simply 'good enough' – rather than a ‘perfected’ one.
Meditation practice that is SIMPLY 'Good Enough' is the key here!
~ notes from teachings by Yvonne Rand, Sensei
______________________________________________________________________________
Sensei also says ~
The real ‘Relationship’ is cultivating a courageous relationship with Fear.
Resting with ease with Dont-Know-Mind... no longer arguing with What Is.
" Everything Changes, Nothing Remains the Same – I now go with the flow".
I'm clear on this: My 'relationship' to my 'experience' has to change.
It always is - anyway. Cultivating and having a s p a c i o u s n e s s
around 'What' I am experiencing.
There is NO situation that is in itself 'inherently' Difficult.
The only 'mindstream' I can mind is my own 'mindstream'.
Then you start to "love the Questions themselves".
That's where the real healing of heart begins.
~ Yvonne Rand, Sensei
( 6 ) Thoughts on ‘THOUGHTS’ & ‘THINKING’:
More Preparing The Mind
The Mind-Power of ‘Understanding’
is what really does it ! 'Correct-View'.
Students ask ‘Then What does DO it ?’ – Well, it’s not actually the meditation,
or the ‘spirituality’ ~ they greatly assist ~ but it’s really the "Understanding" -
the Purity of the 'Understanding' itself, a very, very Smart-Dharma, what is called:
The Correct View of Reality - like in 'Not Taking the Impermanent for Permanent'.
A View that is now thinking with 'Clarity' itself working in your mind, on your mind.
Clusters of Dharma-Truths that are much smarter than the stubborn old Ego-Self is.
Because the ole’ suffering Ego-Self is a very rigid, fearful, fixed, inflexible, suspicious,
outdated mind-set, really kinda’ dumb a lot. It's a Brain Wash: practicing the Buddha’s
Dharma means you’re getting smarter & clearer – much too clear to be suffering in the
same old way you used to . . . put in new Dharma-software, Mind fixes itself. Freeee ! ~ Billy Bo Sat
"Remember, the 'illusion'
merely has the appearance
of existing from its own side."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
m•i•n•d•f•u•l•n•e•s•s
'mindfulness practice' is
continually preparing the mind
to become fully conscious
MINDFULNESS: Mind - Full - To Be Full with Mind
A Mind NOT Full of Blah, Blah, Blah or New Age 'Happy-Talk'.
The Whole of The Mind is Filled with a Keen Attentiveness
to the immediate situation at hand in the Present Moment.
"Be Mindful so you don't stumble, the path is slippery".
Mindfulness Practice in Buddhist Meditation is where
the meditator's attention is gradually & gently trained to
return again & again - and remain more & more in the Present
Moment - without the meditator being so interrupted by old thoughts
disguised as new thoughts, or by sights, sounds or bodily sensations.
The Present Moment is - or can be - still relatively damage-free.
Free-Choice is - or can be - still available. Goodness can prevail.
Staying more in the Present gradually allows the meditator
to more fully experience the Dharma of this very Moment
with more complete clarity ~to~ absolute clarity
As It Is
in Reality.
The meditator then knows "what's what" for sure.
Seen as a 'fiction' - the crippling grip of the 'Past' is loosened,
the narrow investment in the 'story' is diminished even more.
The Present is 'experienced' as All There Is.
'Thoughts' in the Present of a 'Possible Future'
can have appropriate perspective & clarity
and an absence of painful, limiting anxiety.
But - It Takes some Willing Training
But - There-in lies the Healing.
Training to Heal One's Self.
Action reflects belief and thought.
We are shaped by our thoughts –
We 'become' what we think.
When the mind is clear, joy follows
like a friendly shadow that never leaves.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought.
The mind is everything. What we think we become.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future.
Train the mind to be attentive only to the present moment.
~ Buddha - The Dhammapada ~
So you should view this fleeting world:
As a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
As a flickering lamp,
a phantom and as a dream.
~ The Diamond Sutra
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
The fact that 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
~and~
Since everything is but an 'Apparition' –
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
You might as well just burst out laughing!
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD)
two versions from The Choying Dzod
Everything is a 'Practice Opportunity' !
The Perfect Way knows no 'difficulties' –
Except that it refuses to make 'preferences'.
Only when freed from hate and love,
It reveals itself fully and without disguise.
A tenth of an inch's difference, however,
And Heaven and Earth are set infinitely apart –
If you wish to see The Way before your very own eyes,
– Have no fixed thoughts either for or against anything.
~ Sosan Canchi Zenji ~ "I Don't Want To Give Up My Preferences"
‘Wake Up’ by practicing Waking Up !
Awakening through your very own Buddha-Mind !
~ What An Excellent "Practice Opportunity"
Sorry, Now No More 'Preferences' - Now Everything Is a "Practice Opportunity".
Long-time Meditators ‘pause’ many times in doing/being their ‘Everyday Practice' –
( what Gurdjieff called a ‘Stop Exercise’ - so the student could continually Wake Them Self Up )
"Mindfully-Observing" instead of just Impulsively, Blindly Reacting
"Mindfully-Observing" that Everything Is a "Practice Opportunity".
"Mindfully-Observing" that absolutely everything ‘experienced’ or
imaginable or friendly or fearful, of one's own self or of other people, places,
things, thoughts, feelings, emotions - pleasure or pain - delightful or dreadful –
precious or polluting – ALL of it. Absolutely ALL situations without exception !
"Mindfully-Observing" that Everything is a "Practice Opportunity".
Begin to see it All as simply an immediate, authentic, genuine "Practice Opportunity"
No matter what it is – No matter how it feels or sounds or looks or tastes or smells –
No matter what you or others think, opinionate or analyze about it. Whatever it is –
If it's right there in front of you, observe & use it as an "Insight Practice Opportunity".
Deep Inner-Mind Insight is Cultivated Through a Conscious Awakening 'Practice'.
A very healthy sort of intense 'self-conscious'-awareness that nurtures not negates.
A Healthy Continually Conscious Conscience ~ mindfully relaxed, good with itself.
The more you Attentively and Mindfully Observe a 'person', 'thing'
or 'situation' – the more you really get to ‘See’ – that it's not the ‘person’
or it’s not the ‘thing’ itself that’s ‘doing’ it - but it's absolutely all happening
in HOW you ( in particular ) relate to it: HOW you react to it. Respond to it.
Adverse to it or Embrace it. Each case is nuanced and minutely different.
“No, it’s not at all Real” - it’s all in your head, it’s your movie. 'Get' that.
The ball’s always in your lap – it’s your Dharma-Drama. It always was . . .
You can't change others. It’s all your ‘Story’. It's getting old, isn't it?
So now just open to it - See the almost-to-full 'Transparency' of it all !
So start somewhere ~ start to really go 'make up' with yourself –
Begin to Love yourself for even doing this awkward inner-practice
and for the sake of all other conscious beings, Wake Yourself Up !
Wake Up by simply practicing Waking Up ! 'A Practice Opportunity'.
Waking Up will sort of become your favorite Hobby !
Meditation assists you to see thru the veils of the illusion and the 'story' of it.
The thinner, more worn and more tattered and more threadbare it gets –
it just doesn't hold up anymore. It looses strength. The more likely you are
to simply let go of it, it drops away along the Way and – eventually you’re
forgetting what you let go of ....and be free.
Lesson learned: no more karma on this one.
“Transparently-Free”. Why thin as Air, my dear.
Bhante Sudu Hom'Dru ~ 'Why Is The Medicine Buddha Blue?'
"There is nothing either 'bad' or 'good' –
– but 'thinking' makes it so."
~ William Shakespeare
We don't think thoughts – Thoughts 'think us' – I’m being ‘thunk’ !
It's a revealing & disturbing Buddhist-teaching on our 'programing' &
the karma of unconscious-conditioning that still always spooks me
into keep meditating – 'practicing' to become very observant.
My thoughts might get me – hijack me – they often do.
I use a mindful 'quiet-vigilence' – more sweetly of late . . .
~ Akasa Levi
Again, always remember that ~ beautiful, ugly, limiting or inspiring
In the quietness we come to simply realize that
Whatever 'It' is – It's just a "Thought"
___________________________________________________________________
Unfortunately, what many people believe to be 'thinking'
is actually 'rearranging preferences and prejudices'.
~ Albert Einstein
"You've heard of Deja-Vu – now how about Vuja-De:
I always have this very strange feeling
that I've never been here before !"
~ Stephen Wright
"The ‘Real’ does not die –
the ‘Unreal’ never lived.
Thoughts are not Reality."
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
____________________________
_______________________________
__________________________________
“Seek only the simple Truth
of your Actual Nature just as it is –
in this ever-present-moment of Now”
Observe this mind as it is right now – not some 'fiction'
about some 'if-only-mind', 'past-mind', 'future-mind',
'shoulda-woulda-coulda-mind' that you could've had.
See the fiction of all these 'minds' – Then begin to notice
a seamless, vast all-pervading 'Observing-Consciousness'
that is behind ALL these ‘mind-states’ you're experiencing.
It's sort of 'out there' – maybe just off to the side for right now,
just past your peripheral vision. Available and ready any time . . .
All your mind needs for awhile, is the right dharma 'software' and
a Meditation 'Method' to silently practice it with. You don't need
slavish devotion to a guru, an organization, or a strict doctrine
or an arduous discipline or an official 'religion'. No crutches.
Try to be mindfully 'observant' & witness The Present Moment
as your 'religion' of choice. And don't 'seek' – just allow the
'Observing' to simply happen ! – refined by Meditation.
Informed by the Dharma. Engaged in Practice by you.
All and everything else is totally accommodated
in the incomparable, awesome presence of the
Present Moment AS IT IS - forever NOW.
~ WOW ~
Billy Bo Sat
and .. Remember to remember that
It's All a 'Practice-Opportunity'.
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
This Is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Awakening
The Wisdom-Mind:
or 'Bodhi' (as in Bodhi Tree)
or 'Buddhi' (as in Buddha)
are Sanskrit root-words that
simply mean: TO AWAKEN.
Like we're in a Deep-Sleep . .
well, being Buddhist-Awake
is about a Deep Waking-up !
_______________________________
The whole of the 'Practice'
is about Waking-up! (1.)
And the 'quality' (2.) of your
Wake-up & your continuing
ongoing Waking-ups.
And both can be developed.
Both can be ‘mindfully’ cultivated.
In having a 'heart-commitment'
to a frequent Meditation Practice,
you get to try out 'Waking-up'
again & again, over n' over.
That's a big part of this Practice.
Everybody gets a realistic chance
to repeatedly try n’ become
a Buddha.
But you’ve gotta' Practice in
your own Way
& have lot'sa loving Patience.
Be Kind & Gentle
to your Baby Buddha
there inside your sweet self.
You're precious cargo.
The Whispered Way ~ Advice from the Ancient Yogis
“If you don't understand
that ‘Whatever’ appears
in your meditation –
IS the ‘meditation’ ITSELF –
– is the whole focus of
the meditation in that moment.
What can you achieve by
applying spiritual ‘antidotes’?
Perceptions, conceptions,
false ideas and notions
are not abandoned
by simply discarding them –
but they spontaneously
free themselves –
when fully recognized,
fully understood -
and fully 'realized'
as only an illusion."
~ The Niguma Dakini Yogini ( 1025 AD )
"Through your very own self-occurring intrinsic awareness
Now in ultimate meeting with the Great 'Mother Awareness',
You will reach the citadel of primordial Buddha-hood"
“The Garland of Views” ~ the teachings of Padmasambhava ( 8th century )
( 7 ) "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS"
"Individual people stumble over pebbles, never over mountains."
~ Emilie Cady
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( 7 ) "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS"
• Why Are You So Unhappy?
• “Expectations” / Disappointments & Other Demands
• Old Wounds of Disappointment & Unmet Idealisms
• Zen-founder Bodhi-Dharma & his first disciple
• "Hsin Hsin Ming" Zen's most beloved teaching-poem
The Great Way is not difficult / have no preferences !
____________________________________________
( 7a ) CONTROL . . . < click over there
• CONTROL – Letting Go & Calling Off The Struggle
• How a Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
• On Trying To FIND "Yourself" – The Big Pursuit
• Expectation-Softening, Learning-Quotes & Stories
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
~ a mind without
urgency
~ a mind without
demands
or else it's . . .
The Ego-Entitlement Demon expressed as
~ "The I-Must-Have-It-Mind" ~
a mind that will eat me up alive !.. because
"I have important 'preferences' to maintain..."
"I must always be In Control..."
"I must always be Right..."
"I am not very conscious that I am this way"
Becoming User-Friendly with Disappointment, Flaws, Failure, Upset and even Universal Betrayal
♦ "The PATH of NO EXPECTATIONS" – developed by our former Buddhist monk Akasa Levi.
– It is a rational, sane, scientific, 'experience'-based Wisdom-approach utilizing Insight Meditation Practice
and Compassionate Critical-thinking as "A Path of No Expectations" - for 'allowing' an intuitive, natural,
spontaneous 'Awakening into Awareness' to simply happen! ( after it happens: ‘practice’ does still continue )
"Why are you so unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything
You think about,
And of everything you do,
Is for yourself –
And there isn't one."
~ Wei Wu Wei
“Expectations”
Disappointments
& Other Demands on the Ever-Present Moment
“Buddha taught the total Impermanence of ALL Conditioned Things:
Desiring, Obsessing, Grasping, Clinging & Attaching brings Suffering.
One of my primary ‘practices’ is: I cheerfully, EXPECT to be Disappointed.
But truly ‘Cheerfully’. But if by chance, it is a surprising and truly delightful
event for me in my mind, I fully enjoy it for those brief moments – but when
I see I am starting to adhere to the experience – sticky like fresh coconut paste.
‘Mindfulness’ tells me “don’t go get attached” - or you will be disappointed again.
How is it, you Americans say, ‘Back to square one’. Back to my breath. Start again.
This is where the “No Surprise” mantra comes in.” Choose you attachments carefully.
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
"All philosophies are 'mental fabrications'.
There has never been a single doctrine
by which one could enter
the True-essence of things."
~ The Buddhist Yogi Nagarjuna
India, 1st century AD
( well, now isn’t that disappointing ! )
. . . And then my teacher disappointed me ~
“Sorry, but you can’t become “A Buddhist” – that’s just
merely a ‘label’ or a ‘name’ – a big identity-‘concept’ held in the mind.
Most spiritual teachings or rituals are like that: very useful good ‘words’.
A ‘name’ and a ‘form’ ( nama-rupa ). Very convenient ‘labels’ & ‘beliefs’.
The Truth: ‘You’ simply Are as you are – present – for this very moment.
Now, living in Peace within this ‘moment’ is still not becoming
a ‘Buddhist’ either – but truly becoming a living Buddha ! Instantly.
For just this moment. How long is a ‘moment’ ? “
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya ( 1896–1998 ) “A Buddha for The Moment “
Don't try to use what you learn
from Buddhism to be a 'Buddhist' –
– instead, use it to be a better
"Whatever-you-already-Are"
~ His Holiness The 14th Dalai Lama
The genuine essence of an 'Adventure'
is that one just really doesn't know the outcome.
The essence of an evolving 'Spiritual' Adventure
is that one shouldn't need to know the outcome -
and that one absolutely can’t know the outcome!
And that there really aren't any 'outcomes'.
~ Alexander Carpenter ~
"Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns –
I am thankful that thorns have roses." ~ Alphonse Karr
" There is
No 'Way'
That It Is
Supposed
To Be ! "
~ Sri Anagarika Munindra
____________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Beware
But ~ Be Aware of All "EXPECTATIONS" Arising in Your Mind ! ! !
– even of this 'method' presented here - if it ‘promises’ to do it for you . . .
'The Old Bruises of Unmet Idealisms'
'The Old Wounds of Disappointment'
'The Old Scars of Discouragement'
'The Old Wounds of Abandonment'
'The Old Wounds of Resentment'
'The Old Wounds of Grieving
Heck, They're Only Just "Thoughts"
But They'll Just About Kill-off Anything.
~ Ka Ching
" If you are irritated by every rub,
how will you ever be polished ? " ~ Rumi
"EXPECTATIONS Disappoint . . .
The 'nice' well-mannered students soon left. Only the misbehaved
stayed. Maharaj was definitely physically and philosophically wild.
Besides, this teacher even looked bad-ass mean like Bodhidharma !
Some of the best teachers disappoint: they test your faith, make you
sorta’ fight to actually stay the course. It does separate the wheat from
the chaff. Maharaj, glowering with anger, was always tossing people
out of the room. “Maharaj doesn’t want you to come back here – ever”
And yet, the rare “few” seekers always did return. Maharaj would laugh
and twinkle galore – like a never seen before ‘new’ friend had just arrived.
Jeez, you might think that Maharaj was having a senior moment, or pissed
off or quite provocative - a skinny old man chain smoking bede cigarettes,
throwing oranges at students like the crazy ole' monkey he looked like –
and that his sharp unyielding Non-Duality teachings were too confusing –
all that is – IF you happened to overlook that perpetual loving, truly wise
enlightened embrace in his eyes that let you, us – and also himself –
really KNOW that this present moment was absolutely perfect just As It Is -
and sorta’ funny too ...and he made such smart, mystical, but real sense."
~ a satsang student's comments after being
with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj in Bombay for
awhile in 1978. Maharaj died in 1981 at age 84.
When I see I am Nothing – that is Wisdom.
When I see I am Everything – that is Love.
And between these two, my life flows.
~ Sri Nisargadatta Maharajhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisargadatta_Maharaj
" I wouldn’t join a club that would have me for a member " –
– translates itself to me as: I'm just not that worthy . . .
Because I wouldn’t ‘take in’ & really ‘value’ the teachings
of any spiritual teacher fool enough to have me for a student ...
~ Guy Indabak
"The wilder a boy was,
the higher Pa would praise him...
Pa praised me –
Pa would've praised you too."
~ Kris Kristofferson
"The Lotus has its roots in the mud,
Grows up through the dirty deep water,
And rises to the surface.
It blooms into perfect beauty and purity in the sunlight.
It is like the mind unfolding to perfect joy and wisdom."
~ The Lotus Sutra
What is Karma ? action/reaction, cause & effect
Every action has consequences: gotta' pay attention !
____________________________________________________________________________
“Karma” means you don’t get away with nothing, dharling !
No matter what the good reasons, rationalizations or justifications –
special circumstances or situations, even good excuses ALL count...
Does it still have a charge on it for you? Or them?...
Everything always counts till it doesn't, dharling.”
~ Mme. Ruth Denison - http://fr.dharma.org/ij/archives/1997a/ruth.htm
and http://www.sandyboucher.net/dancing.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Denison
So you'll finally Know what it means: a short-read up on Karma
and Buddhist Karma at ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma
Oh For The Life Of A Sardine
by Charlie Chaplin from the film "Limelight" 1952
When I was three my nurse told me
About reincarnation ...
And ever since I've been convinced,
Thrilled with anticipation
That when I leave this earth
It makes my heart feel warm
To know that I'll return
In some other form.
But I don't want to be a tree
Sticking in the ground –
I'd sooner be a flea.
I don't want to be a flower
Waiting by the hour
Hoping for pollens to alight on me.
So when I cease to be
I want to go back, I want to go back,
I want to go back to the sea!
Oh for the life of a sardine!
That is the life for me!
Cavorting and spawning every morning
Under the deep blue sea.
To have no fear for storm nor gale.
Oh to chase the tail of a whale!
Oh for the life of a sardine!
That is the life for me!
____________________________
___________________________________
That's all any of us are: amateurs.
We don't live long enough to be anything else.
~ Charles Chaplin
'SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES'
and Entitlement Expectations
'Entitlement' - I thought you said 'Enlightenment'
___________________________________
"When you just stop 'e x p e c t i n g'
Realizations & Reality to manifest for you
through a very 'special experience',
or with a 'specific' definable form,
or through a secret ‘esoteric teaching’,
or even a highly 'enlightened' teacher –
you will then discover True Reality
showing up within every experience
and shining through all manifest forms."
~ metta zetty
“Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the joy
that includes everything –
the love that includes hate
the peace that includes the war”
~ metta zetty
The brilliant Buddhist Non-Attachment
"Teachings On Emptiness"
can 'save' you
from being caught up
in any ‘notion’ whatsoever –
'spiritual' or otherwise.
But IF you get caught in the
'Notion’ of Emptiness itself,
Nothing can save you !
~ Thay
~ TAO ~
The Tao does not speak.
The Tao does not blame.
The Tao does not take sides.
The Tao has no expectations.
The Tao demands nothing of others.
The Tao is not Jewish.
Accept misfortune as a blessing.
Do not wish for perfect health
nor a life without problems.
Otherwise, what would you talk about?
~ both ‘Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist’
"Praise and blame,
gain and loss,
pleasure and sorrow ~
come and go like the wind.
To be happy –
rest like a Giant Tree,
in the midst of them all."
~ The Buddha
“good enough meditation”
This is a big crucial difference here ...
in our type of Mindfulness Meditation.
Cultivating a 'generous mind' –
that simply says
it's 'Good Enough'
to be present in the moment
when I am present in the moment.
That’s enough.
I simply practice a
“good enough meditation”.
But I do practice !
~ Sensei Yvonne Rand
"Enlightenment does not come from
some spiritual shakti pat on the head.
You might still remain a complete dummy.
The Buddha's style of Enlightenment
only comes through 'Understanding'.
When you understand fully - you 'get it' -
What you painfully didn't understand.
What you didn't understand falls away
and you are free of it.
Now apply that to everything -
and you'll be free of it all.
And it'll all still be around for you to enjoy 'it',
but just not be so attached to it."
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya
To Become Enlightened
Is to be comfortable with the flow of life.
If you're feeling sad, you're not trying to talk yourself out of it.
If you're feeling happy, you're not trying to hold on to that feeling.
Everything simply 'is what it is' - without the additional charge
of 'stories', past associations, traumas and conditioned patterns
intruding on the experience of each moment. You are simply 'here'.
You will still have desires, but they won't turn into cravings.
You will still have resistances, but they won't turn into aversions.
You'll become fully present with each emotion, each experience.
You'll find that any emotion, no matter what it is –
when fully experienced – becomes 'equanimity'.
~ Kiara Windrider
The Story of Bodhi-dharma
and his First Disciple ~
When the eccentric old Indian Zen-master Bodhi-dharma
relocated to China in the 6th century AD – the young monk who
was to be the future Second Patriarch of Zen came to visit him
in his cave. Bodhi-dharma would not even talk to him.
To show that he was genuinely sincere in his quest, the young
monk cut off his left arm and presented it to Bodhi-dharma.
Now, seeing this,
Bodhi-dharma spoke at last & asked him, "What do you want?"
The young monk said, "My mind is not rested.
Please pacify it for me."
Bodhi-dharma said, "Now bring me your mind and I will pacify it."
"But I cannot find my 'Mind' when I go look for it."
"THERE," said Bodhi-dharma, "I have pacified it for you."
The young monk was doubly stumped – and Enlightened !
He went on to become the renown Second Patriarch of Zen.
In the "beginner's mind" there are many possibilities. ~ The Tao
Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter.
If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things – this is the best season of your life.
"After a few years of meditation practice
we can even learn how to
occasionally ignore ourSelves.
And what a relief that can be !"
~ Wes Nisker
The ignorant mourn the deaths of loved ones.
The wise mourn that they themselves are still alive
and still in love with their illusory "selves."
~ Chinese Aphorism
To be FREE of Desire and Attachment –
is to be Free OF “The Attachment” to
'Being Free' of Desire and Attachment.
~ Ram Dass, our good friend & spiritual elder ~ who also said
"If you think you’re Enlightened –
spend a week with your family."
(7a) control: striving, seeking and searching
• CONTROL – Letting Go & Calling Off The Struggle
• How a Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
• On Trying To FIND "Yourself" – The Big Pursuit
• Expectation-Softening, Learning-Quotes & Stories
the addiction of being in control
LETTING GO & CALLING OFF 'THE STRUGGLE'
_______________________________________________________________________
"The most difficult thing for 'spiritual seekers' to do is to stop struggling:
demanding, defining, controling, striving, seeking and searching.
Why?
Because in the absence of complex struggle –
you simply wouldn't know who you think 'you' are.
'You' so defines itself through it's 'identification'
with the whole 'my struggle story'.
In Stopping: 'You' loose the stubborn separateness –
In Stopping: 'You' loose your resistive, defended 'special-ness'.
'You' loose your artificially 'conceived' boundaries, you loose yourself. Scary !
'You' looses the illusory 'dream' you have lived through all your life. It lets go.
_______________________________________________________________________________
It is only when your love and desire for Truth outweighs the personality's
compulsive need for preserved 'security' - that you can begin to stop struggling
and now be swept up into the wide open arms of an ever unfolding revelation of
the Truth and Freedom of Pure Being.
_______________________________________________
There is a very Simple Secret to being happy.
Just let go of your 'demand' on this moment.
Any time you have a demand on the moment
to give you something or remove something,
there is suffering. You're Arguing with 'What Is' –
Your demands keep you chained to the 'dream-state'
of the conditioned mind. The desire to 'control' is,
ultimately, our unwillingness to just be awake.
~ all above edited notes from an Adyashanti satsang 2001
( "What ME ? - give up Control & my always Needing to be Right ?" )
How A Monkey Gets Caught in a Coconut Trap
“A hollow dry whole coconut shell with a morsel of succulent food inside -
is attached to a long thin rope stretching across the ground - a small hole
just big enough to slip an open monkey's hand into, but not big enough
to remove the hand - IF the hand is clenched in a fist around the food.
The native huntsmen silently wait behind a bush for a hungry monkey.
The monkey could get free - But that would mean letting go of the food.
You hang on to this, you hold on to that – tenaciously !
Like a forest monkey with a closed fist in a narrow coconut trap.
Your fear, your rage, your resentment, your need to control & be right !
You just won't let it go. You argue and complain. You fully defended !
And you yourself defined by your suffering anguish. Just bars in a prison
that you build for your Soul. Open your monkey-hand and just let go." ~ Akasa Levi
"You Need To Be Somebody
Before You Can Be Nobody" ~ Jack Engler
" Self-Inquiry Mediation
is not a path that leads you anywhere !
It is a path that Stops you in your tracks
~ right in the present moment ~
so that you can fully discover
directly, for yourself –
Who or What you truly are
right in the Now "
~ Gangaji ~
“You can 'know' it - IN the mind,
but you cannot possibly
express it in words
through the mind.
No one can.”
Sages say that Non-Self is 'beyond' the mind –
and yet the 'realization' is within the mind.
It's simply that the mind just cannot "Think" it –
it just cannot ‘conceptualize’ it. It is non-cognitive.
It just cannot be 'thought' of BY the mind in the mind –
and yet - only the mind alone can fully Realize 'It'. ~ Ramana
( ok, maybe the rare art-maker, mystic, poet, performer, composer, songwriter, thinker, yogi etc. )
__________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Ahhh ! Here’s the really BIG one
The Humungous one . . .
The Hum-Dinger of them all !
♦ below is from the " WHO AM I ?" • " WHAT AM I ?"
Basic Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi ( India,1938 )
– On Trying to FIND "Yourself"
this piece below will either be Disappointing or Enlightening for you, for sure !
“ There is no ‘Try’ – There is either ‘Do’ or ‘Not Do’ - No Try.” ~ Yeoda
_______________________________________________________________________
“Trying to FIND ‘Yourself’ – seems to be the #1 Westerner's obsession
in coming to India: ‘To find MY-Self’ - and you're looking in all the wrong places.
It is not any 'where'– neither inside nor outside ! Not Anywhere –
You ARE Awareness! 'Awareness' is actually another name for the real 'You'.
The I AM - The You that is not 'you'. Since you ARE 'Awareness' i t s e l f,
there is no need to 'attain' or cultivate it. It's already there! All that you have
to do is to give up being stuck on the vast multitude of other distracting things.
If one simply gives up the 'grasping' of - always being caught-up by attentions
to 'them' - like clutter - becoming unstuck - then pure awareness alone remains.
It is NOT the giving up of the physical 'Object(s)' of your attention themselves -
it is the 'giving up' of the misguided, grasping, obsessive, stuck 'Attention'
that you unconsciously, repeatedly and habitually keep placing ON the Object.
It's the Wrong Object: Look Within. Be Free of all 'relationships' with Objects -
Here, right now, in this very moment - see that pure awareness alone is what
remains. Within pure awareness, enjoy your 'objects' of mind or body or the
'world' - just do not be attached to them. 'Awareness' alone is what remains.
Unless you make tremendous efforts, you will not be convinced that this 'Effort'
of 'stopping' - and repeatedly loosening your 'grip' will take you anywhere
( failure ). The 'Self' is so pseudo, falsely self-confident – that unless it is
totally discouraged { Zen does this } in that Self-'Belief' - And it is an actual
"Belief" in Itself – it will not give Itself up. So a mere intellectual, mental or
verbal conviction "to give mySelf up" is not enough. Only 'Experience' Alone
can show the absolute 'nothingness' of the Self-image.
_______________________________________________
Nature is seamless. Any thought 'divisions' are simply for the convenience
of the isolated mind – compartments which need 'comparison' - simply in order
to realistically and practically understand things in the everyday world, just to live.
But Nature, itself, is actually of one-impersonal-fabric - it comes up perpetually
changing - but unceasing as a Single Event – like the moon, like clouds and
like the weather - only to melt back into the emptiness of pure sky and space
once again in the same way.
Sages say that Non-Self is 'beyond' the mind - and yet the 'realization' is within
the mind. It's simply that the mind just cannot "Think" it - just cannot ‘conceptualize’ it.
It just cannot be 'thought' of BY the mind in the mind - and yet - only the mind alone
can fully Realize 'It'. Now how are these contradictions to be reconciled? Inquire.
Keep up your practice of Inquiry into true nature of this thing you call Self."
______________________________________________________________________
* "There is no greater Mystery than this –
That we keep seeking "reality" –
though in fact we are Reality.
We think that there is 'something' hiding Reality
and that this must be destroyed before Reality is gained.
How ridiculous! A day will dawn when you will laugh
at all your past efforts. That which will be the day
you laugh, is also here and now. We are Reality."
~ all above - Sri Ramana Maharshi - Arunachala - South India (1938)
________________________________________________________
"Reality" cannot be avoided, if only because it is All That Is -
including all of our own untapped potentiality, and all of our
as yet unperceived, unrecognized and unnamed dimensions
of being. Allowing ourselves the freedom to 'intuit' this understanding,
and thus to feel our way into the Immediacy of the Real is the greatest act
of faith and insight we can individually muster. It is a courageous step that
will be richly rewarded with nothing less than the Essence and totality of All That Is.
~ metta zetty
"You are all Buddhas ~
There is nothing you need to achieve.
Just open your eyes."
~ Osho – "You are all Buddhas – sleeping, dreaming, but you are all Buddhas all the same.
My function is not to make Buddhas out of you, because you are already that,
but just to help you remember it, to remind you."
"Standing back
to view
all of 'nothing'..."
If I could jus' walk away from me ?
an old Velvet Underground – Lou Reed lyric
from the song about a young "Candy Says"
"Candy says ~ I still hate the 'quiet places'
That cause the smallest taste of what will be.
Candy says ~ I still hate the big 'decisions'
That cause endless revisions in my mind...
~ endless anxieties ~
So, I’m jus' gonna watch the blue birds
fly over my shoulder. No more hate...
I’m jus' gonna watch them pass me by.
Maybe when I’m much older –
What do you think I’d see
If I could jus' walk away from me?"
~ Lou Reed ~
____________________________________________
We asked an elder Brentwood psychoanalyst
who was himself a student of Freud in Vienna:
"What is the main and most difficult aspect of doing therapy?"
His response "Resistance, and resistance, and more resistance"
~ in menmory of Rudy Eckstein
"It is as though you have a Miraculous Eye
That sees All Forms –––
But does not yet see 'Itself'.
This is how your proud intellectual mind is –
Its bright light of brilliant intelligence
penetrates everywhere,
and engulfs everything,
possessing it all –––
So why,
why does your mind
still yet not know itself ?"
~ Zenji Foy'an
AN IRRITABLE BUDDHA ~
"Why are you still Suffering by Resisting 'Awakening' ?
Do you think you can't handle your own impending Sainthood ?
You are already on your Way to being a Holy-person, a Yogi,
or becoming an Everyday Awakened Bodhisattva in this very life.
Riding the 21st Century Spiritual Express to Nowhere. My friend,
you’d rather go in circles. Actually good, keep up the connection.
But you still 'suffer' in holy frustration and depressed ‘identities’ –
simply because you're almost already 'here' Now – peek-a-boo –
It comes n’ goes – and you just don't integratively ‘Know’ it yet.
Or even trust it – or Be it, if you do. “You can’t handle the Truth”.
Ohh, that ole' Ego, that "Survival of Self" conflict is suffering so.
Meanwhile, son, just pretend to be a Buddha: it’s a noble practice.
Pre-Stream-Entry, yes, yes – 4 more joyously terrifying levels to go.”
~ Ole' Buddhist Joe
A monk and Zen-master Ja'ko-ji meet on a bridge.
The monk is flustered, exasperated and frustrated.
He says to the master - "I'm so very close now –
but Enlightenment's eluding me & driving me nuts –
sometimes I'm "there" - sometimes I'm not "there".
Zen-sensei Ja'ko interupts him saying ...
"... but at least you do know that you're here."
The master then walks off.
The monk is flabbergasted.
'The Collected Stories of What Ja'ko-ji Said'
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our Light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be ?
You are a child of God.
Your ‘playing small’ does not serve the world.
There is nothing ‘enlightened’ about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of
a God that is within us. It's not just in some of us -
it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission
to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Marianne Williamson ~ “A Return to Love”
Correction: This quote is often found on the net incorrectly credited
to Nelson Mandela. He simply quoted it in his Inauguration Speech, 1994.
"The goal is to make the ego
as strong - and yet as small as possible" ~ C.G. Jung
Our best traditions and thinkers tell us that happiness is found in "the small" –
in celebrating the details of everyday life and living wisely with limits. They
teach us the joys of simplicity and modesty, and that by embracing diminishing
experiences, we can make our suffering truly sacred. By promoting a sound,
wholesome existence for both the individual and society this perennial teaching
offers a viable alternative to the visible, grandiose thinking that is responsible
for so many of our personal and global problems.
In our own exploring this archetype of the Small,
our aim will be to understand
why very little
is needed
to be happy.
Practicing ‘Silence’ is one possible true Opening to
a truly liberated ”Present Moment of an Infinite Now”.
It's all about NOW ... when or what else could it be about ?
‘Now’ is very Real. And only in 'Now' is it Real.
If even Real is Real. Now, there ‘really’ is Nothing else.
Stay in Touch. Stay in the Now as much as ya’ can, man !
~ Billy Bo Sat
( 8 ) Who was The BUDDHA briefly . . .
( 8 ) Who was The BUDDHA ? – Question Authority !
• " BELIEVE NOTHING ! " – Constantly Question !
• Take a Quote-Scroll Down Buddha's Maverick Path
• BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST: see next section
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
‘BUDDHA’_______________________
Question Authority !
“ What is accepted
by the majority of people -
does not mean it is Real ”
" Believe nothing on the faith of 'traditions' –
even though they have been held in honor
for many generations and in diverse places.
Do not believe a thing because many people speak of it.
Do not believe in the 'faith' of the prophets of the past.
Do not believe what you yourself have 'imagined',
persuading yourself that a ghost or a 'god' inspires you.
Believe nothing on the sole authority of your elders or priests.
After careful examination - know what you yourself have tested
and found to be reasonable, and conform your conduct thereto."
~ Gautama The Buddha ~ 5th century B.C. ( short Kalama Sutra version )
Respect ‘authority’ - since you are not the ultimate authority.
Question ‘authority’ - since You are to be the ultimate authority.
Always find the ‘Middle Path’ in between.
~ Stonepeace
"If we don't question what we ‘believe’,
we're destined to live it out."
~ Byron Katie
¬
"Gautama The Buddha Shakyamuni"
The former Prince Siddhartha Gautama (Gotama)
of the Shakya Tribal Clan in Nepal - North India
Birthplace: Kapilvastu, Nepal 563 BC
Awakened: Uruwala, India 528 BC
a small oasis that became Bodh GayaDied@80: Kusinara, India 483 BC
Never to be re-incarnated or
resurrected again. Done. Gone.
Job-commission fully completed.
'Para-Nirvana' fully blown away
Nibbana: 'to blow out' like a flame
We do have his Maha Dharma
to use for Practice. Use it well.
The Maha Bodhi Maha Vihara
An ancient single temple tower sits to the East
of the foot of The Sacred Bodhi Tree under whose
arms Siddhartha Gautama the 'Buddha-to-be' sat
vowing to remain there till Enlightenment occurred
The Buddhist Holy Ground Zero
The holiest place in all of Buddhism
is simply sitting quietly, calmly directly
under this ancient beloved Bodhi Tree
where a noble prince, Siddhartha
who was the 'Buddha-to-be' –
sat that momentous full moon night
in May around 500 BC, some 2500
short years ago – and by morning
he Awakened to Enlightenment
as his contribution to the benefit
of all living beings.
That giant tree still stands
at a bend in the dry river in the
small desert village of Bodh Gaya,
Northeast India on the Varanasi-side.
This most holy of places, Buddha'gaya,
is Buddhism's Mecca or Jerusalem.
♦ 'The Buddha' ( from Budhi / Bodhi: to Awaken in classical Sanskrit )
a Buddha is only the 'way-pointer', a self-evolved 'human model', the founding-teacher.
Now gone 2500 plus years. An intelligent, savvy, compassionate, pioneering man –
dedicated to a 'Humanist' view of life and all existence.
A 'prophet' of sorts, not a God. Definitely a 'heretic'.
"Buddha's advanced spiritual practice is not a search for God or the Divine."
It is a totally 'humanistic' path – totally in one's own hands, head & heart.
¬
With the Buddha's Enlightenment, a great 'spiritual-revolutionary' awakened !
He became an authentically free person entirely through his very own efforts.
~ Henri Van Zeyst
The mantra I continuously say to myself is –
"I Will Stop Searching Outside."
~ Sri Ramana Maharshi 1879-1950
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
That 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
"Since everything is but an 'Apparition',
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
Again, you might as well just burst out laughing!"
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD) from The Choying Dzod
A sweet little Asian legend
– it's just a legend . . .
They say, when the Buddha was born,
he sprang easily out of his mother's hip,
walked seven steps, on seven lotus pads
that appeared instantly under his feet,
He pointed to the sky with one arm raised -
and the other to the ground - and he said:
"Heaven above, Earth below
I am in between them - but not of them -
I am completely, truly Awakened."
... Can we too – ‘be between’ & ‘not of’ ?
Are Buddha and You the Same or Different?
~ Zenmaster Seung Sahn – Soen Sah Nim
______________________
A new student asked
The Buddha,
Are you The Messiah?
"No", answered The Buddha.
Are you a Deva-Deity-God?
"No", responded Buddha.
Then are you a mystic?
"No", Buddha replied.
Then are you a healer?
the student persisted.
"No, I am not a healer."
Then what are you?
he asked, exasperated.
"I am Awake", Buddha replied.
______________________________________________
"A common mistake is to think that 'your' reality, is THE Reality –
You must always be prepared to leave your reality for a greater one."
~ Amaji Meera
______________________________________________________
Siddhartha Gautama in Sanskrit, or Gotama in Pali, was a spiritual teacher from ancient India and
the founder of Buddhism. He is recognized by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddha ( Samma-sambuddha )
of our age. The precise nature of such a supreme Buddha whether "merely" human or a transcendental,
immortal, god-transcending being - is differently construed in Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism.
Theravada tends to view him as a super-human personage of supreme teaching skill & wisdom (uncon-
tactable after his physical death), whereas Mahayana Buddhism goes further and tends to see him as
a projection of an eternal, ultimate principle of Buddhahood (see Dharmakaya), present in all phenomena,
immortal and transcendent.
Gautama, also known as Shakyamuni literally means “silent sage of the Shakya clan” – is the key figure
in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules were said to have been summarized
after his death and memorized by the monastic Sangha. Passed down by oral tradition, the Tipitaka, the
collection of teachings attributed to Gotama, was committed to writing some centuries later. The commen-
taries to the Tipitaka tell the story of Siddharta Gautama, Prince of Kapilavastu, who lived during 6th cen-
tury B.C. He was born on Vaisakha Poornima. The history of his family - The Ikshvaku Dynasty is traceable
way back to pre-Ramayana times. Renouncing the life and responsibility of a king, Siddhartha Gautama
sought a solution to human misery. Ever in the midst of the great Indian religious and spiritual traditions,
he again noticed what was most needed by all people – Dharma teachings and Non-violence. He sought
a direct path to salvation. He was a lone pathfinder who inspired the religions that eventually spread to
China, Japan, and to the United States and Europe as late as the 20th Century.
Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siddharta_Gautama
(9) BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST ..............please wait for image to load
( 9 ) About BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST
• Iconoclasts: “Angelic Troublemakers”
Question Everything ! That’s the really hard part.
• “BUDDHA The ICONOCLAST” - Image & Belief-Breaking
• DEFINITIONS: The Buddha was a pioneering ‘Radical’,
Iconoclast, Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist, Rebel,
Maverick & Good-Hearted Heretic - which disturbs some...
• Is There a God or No God? No Self. No Soul. Nothing?
• "The Buddhist absence of 'Attachment' is not Apathy
• Learning-Quotes with an Iconoclastic flavor-bite
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
"The real accomplishment in life
is the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior’.
– a ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way
to balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human."
~ Carlos Castaneda
‘ICONOCLAST’__________________
Question Everything !
563 - 483 B.C.
The Buddha's tragedy:
He died a philosopher -
’They’ made him a God.
See, 'They' did it again!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Robert G. Brown
"The ICONOCLASTS" - Mavericks & the cultural revolutions they've led:
The innovators, rule-breakers and ground shakers – independent-minded
individuals of singular vision - bold, uncompromising, some even irreverent.
Through freedom of expression and their passions - those who have fully
lived by their own 'heretical' rules and transformed the cultural landscape."
~ Robert Redford, from the Sundance documentary interview series
" Every community needs a group of angelic troublemakers "
~ Bayard Rustin, black activist social reformer
DEFINITIONS:
The Buddha was a pioneering "Iconoclast" • Definition: one who challenges
or 'breaks-with' traditional 'beliefs', customs or religion - de-constructing blind 'faith-based'
religious practices, dogma or Deity - “an image-breaker” from Greek: Icon + klan, to break;
"A-theist": without Theos - 'God-less'; "A-gnostic": without proven 'knowledge' of - (Gnosis);
"Heretic or Heterodox": an Opposite - a 'view-opposing' to the accepted; "Radical": 'the edge':
cutting-edge, far out, extreme fringe, essential, at the root of, uncompromising, revolutionary.
“Dharma Teachings” keep Waking Up the true Iconoclast within -
Be it Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Secularist, Rebel or the true Heretic still fast asleep within us,
or maybe only semi-conscious now inside some of us – offering it needed 'legitimacy' & courage
to really guiltlessly thrive well. It's totally OK not to 'believe' in God – the Buddha didn't.
Thinking very differently is scary. The historical Gautama The Buddha was an Atheist.
"A-theist": without Theos – a 'God-less' person - Without 'Belief' in God or the Divine
or even an Intelligent Design(er) as NOT a necessary component of his Practice Path.
( betcha' didn't know that, did ya' ) God is simply not necessary. It’s totally up to you.
QUESTION EVERYTHING ! – BELIEVE NOTHING ! – THEN JUST KNOW !
___________________________________________________________-______
~ please dismantle & handle this with xtra care ~
The ‘Dharma-Wisdoms’ really do Dismantle 'Beliefs' in an Ego-Self,
God & Other Big Burdensome Cultural Grand Illusions & Stories.
Are you open to that ? Others may not be. That's their concern. Not yours. Be very Respectful.
And always Remember as The Dalai Lama says . . .
"Above All - Be Extra Kind, Be Extra Tolerant to All Beings"
_____________________________________________________¬______
“ AND, “You can’t just become “A Buddhist” – because that’s just
a ‘label’ or a ‘name’ - an big identity-‘concept’ held in the 'relative mind'.
Most spiritual teachings or rituals are like that: very useful good ‘words’.
A ‘name’ & a ‘form’ ( nama-rupa ). Very convenient ‘labels’ & ‘beliefs’.
The Truth: ‘You’ simply Are as you are – present – for this very moment.
Now, living in Peace with this ‘moment’ is still not becoming a ‘Buddhist’
either – but truly becoming a living Buddha ! Instantly.
For just this moment. How long is a ‘moment’ ? “
~ Bhante Ananda Maitreya “Buddha of The Moment “
Don't try to use what you learn from Buddhism to be a 'Buddhist' –
instead, use it to be a better "Whatever-you-already-Are."
~ His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
'Self-Inquiry' practice will not make of you
'anything' that you are not already,
but it will, over time, destroy the false belief
that 'you' are this body, this mind, this story, this life.
This 'false belief' is the root cause
of all human suffering whatsoever.
~ John Sherman
In Buddha's teachings there is
No ‘One’ & No ‘Thing’ to "Believe" in.
Buddhists don't do "Belief " ! ( and even that’s a ‘belief’ )
The Buddha fully discovered by himself - for himself ( he almost didn’t teach )
that any 'belief' in a divine authority, scripture or reliance on a God or a Creator
is simply just not necessary – and can be totally irrelevant for a pure, complete,
liberated, full Awaken.ment into Goodness and the attaining of a final Nirvana Peace –
this was as cutting-edge 'Radical' back then, as it is fundamentally right now today !
They didn't burn, hang or ostracize people for 'Heresy' in the tolerance of ancient India.
A pure "Humanist", and not a devotional deistic-practitioner –
and now socially 'out-of-caste' - The Buddha was now fearlessly able to say
" Be a Lamp Unto Yourself –
Look Entirely Inwards for
Your Own Unconditional Liberation "
The Buddha was not Divine, nor a 'messiah' –
The Buddha couldn't “save” anyone ( 520 BC )
Buddha said there is just nothing there to 'save'.
No Self. No Soul. Nothing. Nada. Just Nothing There. ( sorry )
The core-essence of the most difficult of all Buddhist Wisdom-practices is –
"Working with Impermanence & Anxiety"
The core-essence of the most difficult of all Buddhist Compassion-practices is –
"Working with Resistance & Separation"
_______________________________________________________________________________¬______
"Buddha's advanced spiritual practice
is not a search for God or the Divine."
♦ "The real ‘Question’ is not - whether or not - there is or is not a God –
But, what is a particular individual person’s need for a 'Belief’ in a God."
~ Henri Van Zeyst ~
That's the real big Question we each must ask ourselves individually.
It's all personally subjective. 'Objectivity' is hearsay prior to Realization.
Universal 'speculations' absolutely can't be satisfyingly 'answered' from
a ‘relative’ personal-emotional 'need' - or a relative point-of-limited-view.
In Buddhist practice, what we DO is deeply observe and identify our own
'need-based' desires, clingings & attachments & our own bound-relationship
with 'False Beliefs' - and the dysfunctional-means we use to hold onto them.
____________________________________________________________________________¬______
Henri Van Zeyst, one of my most iconoclastic mentors, described ‘Buddha’
as a “Compassionate Godless Atheist & Good-Hearted Maverick Heretic”
– and that went and disturbed some of the Western students very greatly.
Westerners on the whole, carry a chaotic, undefined, confused ‘wound’
in their unexplored, cultural & personal unresolved God-relationship.
That can be gently opened up, sweetened and authentically healed
through the Dharma's understanding and compassionate wisdom.
Henri said you can train yourself to get used to –
what he called The Absence. ~ Akasa Levi
♦ "The Buddhist absence of 'Attachment' -
is not necessarily at all, in any way,
the absence of profound loving."
~ Nayake Maha Thera Ananda Maitreya ~
" There is no God –
there is only Godliness ! "
~ Osho Rajneesh
"Buddhist meditation has 'Nothing' to offer you –
other than What Is - in THIS very moment.
God(s), goddesses, gurus, religion & the ego-self
can certainly tempt you with so, so much more."
~ Henri Van Zeyst
♦ "Remember... the 'illusion'
has only the ‘appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side, you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible
that 'what is' is brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real"
~ Henri Van Zeyst
“ Who was born first – 'You' or 'The World'?
As long as you give first place to ‘The World’
– you are bound by it.
Once you realize, beyond all trace of doubt,
that the ‘world’ is simply 'experienced' in you –
– and not 'you' in the world –
and so, right then and there, you are free of it !
Of course, your 'body' remains in the world and
'of ' the world – you still can serve the world –
you can certainly enjoy the world –
but YOU are not d-e-l-u-d-e-d by it.”
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
Who IZ the Creator ?
Me or Ye ? Us.
Brahma created the Universe
and is presently fast sleep,
sublimely supine in Vishnu's giant palm.
Brahma's job as Creator is All Done.
The Universe is still here & functioning.
Shiva & Kali - Dance Lords of All Change
manage the work-a-day tasks of the 'World'
Ha-Shem !
You and I 'think' we "create" and therefore we DO.
'Live our thoughts' every impermanent moment of ‘em.
Big Screen E-Bay-bought tastes n' all. Is this the deal Real?
Brahma we just don't acknowledge much. Shiva surrounds us.
Jah'weh, Shiva, Kali, Shen, Shekina, Arun, Ha'shem, Wakan’tanka,
I thank, celebrate & serve You All for being here & inviting me to exist.
~ Sowan Sota Panna Yogi
___________________________________________________________________________________
"the unreal is unreal"
~ the last dying words to his students
of Zenmaster Hsuang Tzang (1335 AD)
"Reality"...what a concept !
~ Robin Williams
"One of the advantages of being 'disorderly'
is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."
~ A.A. Milne
"The real accomplishment in life
is the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior’.
– a ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way
to balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human."
~ Carlos Castaneda
"If you're going to 'try', go all the way.
Otherwise don't even start.
This could mean losing girlfriends,
wives, relatives, jobs.
And maybe your mind.
It could mean not eating for three or four days.
It could mean freezing on a park bench.
It could mean jail. It could mean derision.
It could mean mockery, isolation.
By the way, Isolation is the gift.
All the others are a test of your endurance.
Of how much you really want to do it.
And you'll do it, despite rejection in the worst odds.
And it will be better than anything else you can imagine.
If you're going to try, go all the way.
There is no other feeling like that.
You will be alone with the gods.
And the nights will flame with fire.
You will ride life straight to perfect laughter.
It's the only good fight there is."
~ Charles Bukowski
(10) What is The DHARMA ?
( 10 ) What is The DHARMA ? – Question Reality !
• DHARMA :: DEFINITION of this often-used, popular word.
• “Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent”
• Learning-Quotes of DHARMA-Truth
• "Hsin Hsin Ming" Zen's most beloved teaching-poem
The Great Way is not difficult - have no preferences !
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion
keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom
keep informing your Compassion."
The Buddha as Manjusri Lord of Wisdom with Sword & Scripture
‘DHARMA’
Question Reality !
Knowing 'others' is intelligence.
Knowing 'yourself' is true wisdom
~ Lao Tse
" TO KNOW THY SELF – CONSTANTLY QUESTION."
~ Heracletus the Greek ~
This Is The Complete Buddhist Dharma Practice in one sentence:
" Let a Dharma-based Compassion - keep influencing your Wisdom ~
and Let a Dharma-based Wisdom - keep informing your Compassion."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
~ definition ~
“Dharma: I see this Asian word all over now, on TV, all around me these days ...“
♦ WHAT is the “DHARMA” ? ( Sanskrit ) a Complete set of "Wisdom-Truth-Teachings" according
to Traditional Buddhism: a Way, a Tao, a Path, a Logic; 'The Science of Objective Reality'; Pragmatic Psychology;
'The Natural Laws of Reality' – 'Observations' based on Empirical Reason open to Rational Discussion & Inquiry.
Dharma: The Truth about "the way things really are" – not as we wish, want, project or fantasize them to be.
True 'Dharma' is a non-mystical, non 'emotional'-based, non-theistic Truth. An 'Impersonal' Truth. The 'Laws' of
Objective Reality. Mr. Spock & the Trekkies would just love this! The Buddhist Dharma is a Logic and a Science.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"The Dharma-Teachings" are simply about deeply 'learning-in' a new program – and sweating out the toxic old
programmed conditioning and self-limitations & resistances. Surrendering to a self-taught re-education practice,
a willing Brain Washing – a 'conversion'. Don't get spooked ! All spiritualities, religions and psychotherapies work
this way. They always have. Out with the bad, in with the good. It's just that they so quickly get misused and then
abuse. That's a particular human problem. After the Buddha died, 'Buddhism' never had an absolute or authoritive
leader ( not even a Dalai Lama is in charge ). Still, Buddhism's brilliant philosophy was always a close second to
kindness & compassion – and has remained leaderlessly so. Then ask yourself alone, one question –
“ Does this Path have a Heart? ” – If it does, the path is good - If it doesn't - It is of no use.”
Meditating and studying the Dharma-teachings is like installing a new set of software - a new software download
that continuously updates itself – and eventually becomes an 'operating system' all by itself – upon more & more
steady Applied Practice and Awakened 'Realizations' – both in and out of sitting meditation. "Dharma" means the
'Laws' of Objective Reality – Reality is an everyday phenomena, isn't it? Often it happens when you're not looking.
Awareness is all any good spirituality or personal improvement regimen is all about. Any of 'em you can name.
'Dharma' is the Buddha's teaching-regimen that he imparted as applied 'working theories' for you to inform your
mind with a wholesome Dharma – as you study, as you meditate, and as you live your everyday life. Gradually
the 'Dharma-informing' of your mind replaces the misconceived old 'programmed conditioning of the mind as it
still somewhat is now – tired, worn out, old, outdated software and clinging to sad stories that you usually use to
define, operate and run your life with.
Your self-investment in the 'ego-mind' illusion is tremendous & tenacious. The Dharma is about 'considering'
that absolutely everything is 'Impermanent' and that the survival-obsessed 'ego-self'' is just not a skillful very
sophisticated software tool that hardly works well anymore - much less even being 'Real'. So with your frequent
meditation practice at home, and some Dharma-theory study, and especially the 'Spirit' of the Dharma that you
begin to carry around with you in your everyday Heart-Mind – integrated with your good-character – available
for any situation – a long welcomed overwrite just might happen as you download more and more Dharma.
"Dharma-Mind" begins to grow and develop in wise, powerful and ready-to-go skillful and compassionate ways.
Most of all - Find a really clear, no-strings-attached Dharma, any GOOD Dharma that 'works' for you, challenges
you, intelligently supports your better-nature – and then with your whole heart 'work' that program. Because of
the 'Laws of Impermanence': you can count on Change occuring. It's gauranteed ! 'Potential' lives by Change.
And again - be brave and don't quit. Continue to sit regularly. Love yourself for actually doing the practice.
Constantly keep the practice rolling around in your mind. And be supremely patient - and keep the faith !
" Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and the Wisdom to know the difference."
~ Reinhold Niebuhr 1934; AA version in 1939 by Bill W.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
~ impermanence ~
"So should you view this fleeting world:
as a star at dawn, a bubble in a stream,
a flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
a flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream."
~ The Diamond Sutra
What is the whole of Buddha's "Dharma - Truth - Teaching"?
What it's all about in one very hard-to-bear sentence –
♦ “ Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent ” ♦
~ and internalizing this core 'realization' very seriously!
And remembering to ‘recognize’ this ‘Realization’
whoever, wherever you are - whatever you’re doing,
very consciously, very wisely, very kindly, very mindfully –
while standing up, walking, sitting down or lying back.
“Not taking the Impermanent for Permanent ”
sabbe sank'hara a.nicca
"whatever is composed is decomposable"
A Big Mis-take: "Taking the 'Impermanent'
for 'Permanent' resulting in Suffering"
which is the basic core of what the Buddha mainly taught.
Observing our perpetual ‘process’ of 'Attachment'
"Am I attached?" is the big Question. Ask it gently, gently.
Can we have a non-attached Mind yet a passionately
empathic & compassionate, tender, loving Heart ?
and again . . .
The Buddhist absence of 'Attachment' -
is not necessarily at all, in any way,
the absence of profound loving."
~ Sri Ananda Maitreya
"Anicca, Anicca, Anicca" • 'Impermanence'
The damn hardest mantra there ever is ~
The FULL Realization of uncompromising,
unarguable, unambiguous, unequivocal,
unmistakable, undeniable, indisputable,
explicit, obvious, definite, plain & clear -
total, absolute 'Impermanence'.
~ Venerable Sudu Hom'dru ~
“Exactly, Totally, Absolutely”
~ Contemporary way over-used American vernacular
“This is Not 'Mine',
This I am Not,
This is Not My 'Self'.”
Maha-Rahulovada Sutta, Majjhima Nikaya #62
“ It is not ‘What’ or ‘Who’ I am ~ but simply that I Am.”
The simple ‘fact’ that I simply am, not that ‘I am’ a name or identity.
~ Sri Ramana
"I tore myself away from the safe comfort of ‘certainties’ –
Only through my love for Truth .. and Truth rewarded me."
~ Simone de Beauvoir
“This above all:
To thine own self be true,
for it will follow, as the night the day,
thou then canst not be false to any man."
~ Polonius to his son Laertes ~
William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Being True to yourself is the beginning of
your relationship with the rest of the world.
"Certainly, the Buddha taught many people
in the compromised, relative 'Duality-World',
the teachings of being Kind and Skillful –
helping them avoid karma-mistakes in
everyday life & to acquire spiritual-merit.
Yet, to a very few others he taught
uncompromised 'Non-Duality' & ‘Emptiness’
that some people find profoundly frightening."
~ The Yogi Milarepa – 1100 AD
"There is suffering - but no 'one' who suffers.
'Doing' exists - although there is no 'doer'.
'Extinction' is - but no extinguished 'person'.
Although there is a 'Path' - there is no 'goer'."
~ The Vissuddhimagga ( 5th century AD )
"There is neither 'creation' nor 'destruction',
neither 'destiny' nor 'free will',
neither 'path' nor 'progress'.
This is the final Truth."
~ Sri Ramana
"What I love about Taoism is that it talks
about how everything is made of 'energy'.
The 'Tao' is basically energy. It's not a god.
It's not any-thing 'in particular'.
And yet you can tap into it.
You can create things from it.
We are made from it
and we return to it."
~ Wendi Moore-Buysee
In the future they will compare the 'Reality' to the photo
instead of comparing the the photograph to the Reality.
~ Alfred Steiglitz, pioneer photographer
"It is always still up to you to choose
to join with ‘truth’ or join with ‘illusion’.
But remember that to choose one -
is to let go of the other.
Can you bear the loss?"
~ The Tao
"The Hsin Hsin Ming" text from 600 AD China, with its first line ~
'The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences'
– is one of the most beloved chant-verse-poems of all Zen meditation traditions
– as well as being its core-teaching. It is also the first full-length authentic text
of Zen-practice when it was created by Seng-ts'an, The 3rd Chinese Zen Patriarch.
"The Great Way is not difficult
for those who have no preferences.
When love and hate are both absent –
everything becomes clear and undisguised.
Make the smallest distinction, however,
and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the Truth
then hold no opinions for or against anything.
To set up what you like against what you dislike
is the disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood,
the mind’s essential peace is disturbed to no avail.
__________________________________________________
The Way is perfect like vast space
where nothing is lacking and nothing in excess.
Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject
that we do not see the true nature of things.
Live neither in the entanglements of outer-things,
nor in inner-feelings of emptiness.
Be serene in the oneness of things and such
erroneous views will disappear by themselves.
When you 'try' to stop activity by passivity
your very effort fills you with activity.
As long as you remain in one 'extreme' or the other
you will never know Oneness.
__________________________________________________
Those who do not live in The Single Way
fail in both activity and passivity,
assertion and denial.
To deny the reality of things
is to miss their Reality
To assert the emptiness of things
is to miss their Reality.
The more you talk and think about it,
the further astray you wander from the truth.
Stop talking and thinking,
and there is nothing you will not be able to know.
To return to the root is to find meaning,
but to pursue appearances is to miss the source.
At the moment of inner enlightenment
there is a going beyond appearance and emptiness.
The changes that appear to occur in the empty world
we call 'real' only because of our ignorance.
Do not search for the truth –
only cease to cherish opinions.
__________________________________________________
Do not remain in the 'dualistic' state.
Avoid such pursuits carefully.
If there is even a trace of this and that,
of right and wrong –
the mind-essence will be lost in confusion.
Although all dualities come from The One,
do not be attached even to this One.
When the mind exists undisturbed in The Way,
nothing in the world can offend.
And when a thing can no longer offend,
it ceases to exist in the old way.
__________________________________________________
When no 'discriminating-thoughts' arise,
the old mind ceases to exist.
When 'thought-objects' vanish,
the 'thinking-subject' vanishes:
As when the mind vanishes, objects vanish.
Things are 'objects' because of the subject (mind):
the 'mind' (subject) is such because of things (object).
Understand the R-e-l-a-t-i-v-i-t-y of these two
and The Basic Reality: 'The Unity of Emptiness'.
In this Emptiness the 'two' are indistinguishable
and each contains in itself the whole world.
If you do not discriminate between coarse and fine,
you will not be tempted to prejudice and opinion.
___________________________________________________
To live in The Great Way is neither easy nor difficult.
But those with 'limited views' are fearful and irresolute:
the faster they hurry, the slower they go.
And clinging (attachment) cannot be limited:
Even to be attached to the idea of enlightenment
is to go astray.
Just let things be in their own way –
and there will be neither coming nor going.
Obey the nature of things ( your own nature )
and you will walk freely and undisturbed.
__________________________________________________
When thought is in bondage the truth is hidden –
for everything is murky and unclear.
And the burdensome practice of judging
brings annoyance and weariness.
What benefit can be derived
from distinctions and separations?
__________________________________________________
If you wish to move in The One Way
do not dislike even the world of senses and ideas.
Indeed, to accept them fully
is identical with true Enlightenment.
The wise man strives to no goals
but the foolish man fetters himself.
There is One Dharma, not many.
Distinctions arise
from the clinging needs of the ignorant.
To seek Mind with the mind ( discriminating-mind )
is the greatest of all mistakes.
__________________________________________________
Rest and unrest derive from illusion.
With Enlightenment there is no liking and disliking.
All dualities come from ignorant inference.
They are like dreams or flowers in air –
foolish to try to grasp them.
Gain and loss, right and wrong,
such thoughts must
finally be abolished at once.
__________________________________________________
If the eye never sleeps,
all dreams will naturally cease.
If the mind makes no discriminations,
the "ten thousand things" are as they are –
of single essence.
To understand the mystery of this One-essence
is to be released from all entanglements.
When all things are seen equally –
the 'timeless-mind-essence' is reached.
No comparisons or analogies are possible
in this causeless, relationless-state.
Consider movement stationary
and the stationary in motion.
Both movement and rest disappear.
When such 'dualities' cease to exist,
'Oneness' itself cannot exist.
To this Ultimate-Finality
no law or description applies.
__________________________________________________
For the Unified-Mind in accord with The Way
all self-centered striving ceases.
Doubts and irresolutions vanish
and life in True Faith is possible.
With a single stroke we are freed from bondage:
Nothing clings to us and we hold to nothing.
All is empty, clear, self-illuminating,
with no exertion of the mind’s power.
Here thought, feeling, knowledge
and imagination are of no value.
In this world of Suchness
there is neither 'self' nor 'other-than-self'.
To come directly into harmony with this Reality
just say when doubt rises "Not Two".
In this 'not two' nothing is separate,
nothing is excluded.
No matter when or where,
Enlightenment means entering this Truth.
And this truth is beyond extension
or diminution in time and space:
In it a single thought is ten thousand years.
__________________________________________________
Emptiness here, Emptiness there,
but the Infinite Universe
stands always before your eyes.
Infinitely large and Infinitely small –
No difference, for definitions have vanished
and no boundaries are seen.
So too with Being and Non-Being.
Don’t waste time in doubts and arguments
That have nothing to do with this.
One thing, All things –
move among and intermingle without distinction.
To live in this Realization
is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.
To live in this Faith is the road to non-duality,
because the Non-Dual is one with The Trusting-Mind.
___________________________________________________
Words!
The Way is beyond language –
for in it there is
no yesterday
no tomorrow
no today. "
~ Translated from the Chinese by Richard B. Clarke
and our thanks to Alan Clements for printing & distributing it
Paula Gable's COMMENTARY says: The original poem "Hsin Hsin Ming", or “Trust in Mind”
This premier enlightenment-poem is attributed to Seng-ts'an, The Third Patriarch of Zen Buddhism,
who lived in the late Sixth Century AD. In it he warns of the many pitfalls of practice: you are as far
from inner-freedom as heaven is from earth. And throughout, where it is a grand teaching-poem
about Non-attachment as the 'working practice' and the prime Key to authentic freedom & joy.
( 'Non-attachment' as an idea can be confusing when first introduced to the beginning-student's mind...)
"Remaining in 'duality', you'll never know of Unity.
And not to know this Unity lets 'conflict' lead you far astray.
When you assert that things are 'real' - you then miss their True Reality."
_____________________________________________________________________________
The Chinese word 'Hsin' means Mind. It also means Heart, and also means Warning.
The Hsin Hsin Ming points to the basic Buddhist conviction that at the true bottom of
all phenomena lies the 'One-Mind', the 'Buddha-Mind', the 'Universal-Consciousness'
which is one with our authentic true-nature. It is the understanding that we are not
isolated beings, but all connected in mystery and miracle in the deepest way possible.
The great sage Seng-ts'an teaches us from his very own direct experience.
Another version says:
"The Great Way Is Not Difficult
to those who are not attached to their own 'preferences'.
Let go of longing and aversion and everything will be perfectly clear.
Yet, when you grasp and cling to a hair's breadth of distinction,
heaven & earth are set far apart.
If you want to Realize the truth, don’t be for or against anything.
The struggle between good and evil is the primal-disease of the mind.
Not grasping its deeper meaning you just trouble your mind’s serenity.
But because you constantly 'select' and 'reject' –
you can’t really perceive its True Nature."
I’d have to admit that I don’t always stay centered – even though a fundamental part
of my Zen meditation practice is the intention to do so. Yet, when I fail to remain centered,
completely at ease - I know that’s OK too. For, another important part of Zen practice is
“not being attached to our preferences.” Not being attached to my preference to be cool,
calm and collected – rather than hot, agitated and scattered. Both calm and agitated are
natural parts of the human condition, as are cool and hot, collected and scattered. It’s not
that one is “good” and the other is “bad.” Instead, each of these elements in these so-called
“dualistic pairs” simply are. We don’t need to judge them. And, if we can learn to suspend
the judgment and just 'experience' them directly, as the two parts of a single whole, we can
release our suffering as we open our lives to this new awareness of the Absolute Oneness of Being.
This is the essence of what I believe the “Hsin Hsin Ming” aspires to teach us. “The Great Way is
not difficult for those who are unattached to their preferences. Let go of all longing and aversion
and everything will become perfectly clear.” NOTICE that Seng-ts'an did NOT say, “The Great Way
is not difficult for those who have no preferences.” Because, we ALL have preferences – and
none of them are absolute. And they are naturally shed like a snakes's skin according to season.
I prefer chocolate ice cream to vanilla. But if the cook at dinner serves vanilla ice cream, I will
still be very grateful and will enjoy it immensely – since I’m not-attached to my 'preference'
of chocolate ice cream as the only right type of ice cream to eat. “The Great Way is not difficult
for those who are unattached to their preferences.”
It is so important to understand that non-attachment does not mean apathy. Rather, apathy is
the near enemy of non-attachment. Apathy leaves us shriveled and dry and disillusioned. Apathy
causes us to withdraw from life and live it less abundantly. To care less: Apathy says “I don’t care”.
Non-attachment says “I care deeply but I’m not attached to how things should be. I’m always very
interested in how things are and could be. In this way, non-attachment calls us to more life –
more joy, more inspiration and more possibilities. Non-attachment teaches us to rejoice in this very
precious, very present moment, rather than cling to the past, or dread the future. In traditional Taoist
& Zen Buddhist terms, the teaching of non-attachment calls us to surrender our lives to The Great Way.
In traditional Western theological language it teaches us to “Let go and let God.”
“Let go and let God” is a refrain that is heard frequently in Twelve-Step Recovery programs such as
Alcoholics Anonymous. It is the understanding that we are not individually at the center of the universe.
We are not in control. We are part of the endless stream of life that moves in us, around us, everywhere.
At times we can do much better to align ourselves to this stream of life – rather than to stubbornly swim
upstream against the current. Then again, radicalism makes for great change. But first we have to let go
of the last rock to which we are clinging, and release ourselves into this vast stream of swift-moving water
that will eventually flow into a deep, still sea of love, peace and joy. The only thing we have to do is let go
of our 'attachment' to 'preferences'. ~ Paula Gable, UU Ministries: all commentary above
*
So .. What Was It ?
What did the Buddha Awaken to ?
What the Buddha Awakened to
was the "Universal Law of Absolute Impermanence".
When unrecognized, like any illness, it causes psycho-physical Suffering:
a painful domino effect-cycle of desire, grasping, attachment and loss - thru
a self-created 'survival' chain-reaction called Inter-Dependent Origination:
a complex, massive web of cause & effect of un-dealt-with, unresolved,
unconscious karmic conditioning. A 'programming' where Everything depends
on everything else. In other words, "It's happening and you just don't know it."
You need to wake up to Awaken, remain Awake to See that the whole IS simply
the sum of the 'parts', but only for you. You gave all those parts precious names
and extraordinary significance and meaning: See the parts and whole for what
they really are: empty - just stuff. Stuff. Impersonal but True. Feelings? Observe it.
The 'Enlightenment', the Awakening ( Bodhi - "to awaken" ) of the Buddha was simultaneously his liberation
from suffering ( dukkha ) and his insight into the true nature of the universe – particularly the nature of the
lives of conscious ‘sentient beings’ ( humans & animals). What the Buddha awakened to was the truth
of Dependent Origination – the Buddhist 'Unified Field Theory' . . .
This is the 'Understanding' that any phenomenon ‘exists’ only because of the ‘existence’ of other phenomena in
an incredibly complex web of cause and effect covering time past, time present and time future. This concept
of a 'web' is symbolized by Indra's Net, a multi-dimensional spider's web, on which lies an infinite amount of dew
drops or jewels – and in these are reflected the reflections of all the other drops of dew ad infinitum.
Stated in another way, everything depends on everything else. For example, a human being's existence in any
given moment is dependent on the 'condition' of everything else in the world ( and indeed the universe ) at
that moment – but, conversely, the condition of everything in the world in that moment depends in an equally
significant way on the 'character' and 'condition' of that human being. Everything in the universe is interconnected
through the web of cause and effect – so that the whole and the parts are mutually inter-dependent.
The character and condition of entities at any given time are intimately connected with the character and condition
of all other entities that superficially may appear to be unconnected or unrelated. All inter-related & co-conditioned.
Because all things are thus conditioned, in flux, ever in movement and transient: impermanent (anicca), they
have no stable, no 'real' independent identity (anatta) and so do not truly ‘exist’, though to ordinary developed
minds this 'appears' to be the case. All phenomena are therefore fundamentally insubstantial and ‘empty’ (sunya).
In our everyday-level of experience, this Loss disappoints most human beings conditioned by unmanagable desires
and 'attachment' and they suffer. Learning the Dharma may reverse this aggitating or depressing condition. Or it may
not at this time as all 'conditionings' are certainly different from the 'desire' for security. There are Twelve Links of
Conditioned Existence. In this application of pratitya-samutpada, each link is conditioned by the preceding one, and
itself conditions the succeeding one. A karma-game of dominos. Practice awareness to see beyond the grossly obvious.
Wise human beings, who ‘See Things As They Are’ (yatha-bhuta-ñana-dassana), obsolete attachment and clinging,
transform the energy of desire into awareness and understanding, and eventually transcend the 'conditioned realm'
of attaching to form and become Buddhas.
also see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratitya-samutpada
When this is – that is.
When this is here – that is here.
From the arising of this – comes the arising of that.
When this isn't – that isn't.
When this isn't here – that isn't here.
From the cessation of this – comes the cessation of that.
Imasming sati, idang hoti.
Imass’ uppādā, ida uppajjati.
Imasming asati, idang na hoti.
Imassa nirodhā, idhang nirujjhati.
___________________________________
_____________________________________
(11) What is The SANGHA: it's community
( 11 ) What is SANGHA ? – Non-Isolation
• Are You Being Open to Practice-SUPPORT ?
To Spiritual Community? To Sangha?
• Sangha / Satsang .. Definition
• The Journey: to find, nourish and cultivate
wise, kind, good Dharma-friends
• The Buddha's "Rhinoceros Sutra"
• 'Connection' is our natural state
Allowing Yourself to Be ‘Supported’
You can’t do this journey alone !
• FREE Meditation-Practice Consultation:
Personal Support from our teacher.
• Encoragement to keep sitting Regularly...
• "Sell your cleverness" ~ Rumi poem
• "Stop thinking this is all there is, says Morford
You are part of a huge groundswell now"
• Having a consistent ongoing meditation
group for 'practice-support'
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
‘Sangha’_______________________
Non-Isolation
"Just as a drop of water falling into the great ocean
Is never depleted even before the ocean ever dries up –
Likewise, with the full 'Intent' I now dedicate to Awakening,
will never be depleted before my Enlightenment is fully attained."
~ Buddha Shakyamuni
♦ The Sangha / Satsang / Support:
Sincere & dedicated 'truth-seekers' –
who have a willing, supportive, shared,
local common spiritual-ground together
Sat: 'truth' • Sang: a 'community' with a focused intent. Sat-Sang-ha: to Sit Together in Truth.
Sincere & dedicated 'truth-seekers' who have a shared, 'identified', common spiritual-ground –
Companions on the Path: be it lay people or ordained monks & nuns – be it a Buddhist practice,
Advaita, Sufi, Red Road, Wicca, Gnostic, Abra'hamic, Indigenous or some other spiritual tradition
that has history and endured. They have 'Refuge'. ( "communities of faith" contemporary usage:
an open, honest, truth-sharing 'faith-based community'. We’re on our way to spoiling this word also )
"Spiritual Friendship" ~ a "good friend", a "virtuous friend", a "noble friend", an "admirable friend"
and most certainly, the 'Teacher' as a “Kalyana-Mitta” will be found in the next section that follows.
"Again, traveler - you have come a long way led by that star.
But the 'Kingdom of The Wish' is at the other end of the night.
May you fair well, compan'ero - Let us journey together joyfully,
Living on catastrophe, eating the pure light." ~ Thomas McGrath
__________________________________________________________
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of that candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared. ~ The Buddha
We are all birthed into a ‘Sangha’ - into 'sacred community'.
It's called the 'World'. It is flowing – it feels and it moves. ~ Adyashanti
In a properly organized group no 'faith' is required.
What is required is simply a little trust and even that
only for a little while, for the sooner a person begins
to verify for them-self all that they learn, the better it is. ~ G. I. Gurdjieff
_______________________
_________________________
___________________________
From The Buddha's
"Rhinoceros Sutra"
Friend, Journey to where one can
find & cultivate good Dharma-friends:
Those who are intelligent, learned
in clear, non-dual Dharma-Wisdom.
With their own mastery of the kind,
compassionate Dharma in Practice -
with freedom from 'misconceived' actions.
What the wise call 'Becoming Noble Beings'.
If one should find such wise, caring companions –
Well-behaved, open, kind, strong, rich with integrity -
Those practicing the overcoming of all 'internal-dangers' -
with a loving, kind mind, with delight at the prosperity of others -
Becoming content at heart, independent, attentive and mindful.
Understanding the Dharma, abandoning delusion & false belief,
unopposed to the whole world, unhindered by the entire world –
One should certainly journey the Way together in noble Sangha.
___________________________________________
Laying aside all violence towards all beings,
not harming even one amongst them,
benevolent and sympathetic with a loving, kind mind,
contented, one should wander alone like the wild rhinoceros.
If one should find a wise companion, a well-behaved, strong fellow,
who practices kindness, impartiality, mercy, freedom from impulses
– then overcoming all dangers, one should wander along with him,
satisfied at heart, mindful. Let us walk together like a pair of rhinoceros.
If one should not find a good companion, a well-behaved fellow,
then like the king who has abandoned the realm that he had conquered,
one should wander alone like the noble solo wild rhinoceros.
~ The Gandhari "Rhinoceros Sutra" ( Khargavisana-sutra excerpt )
____________________________________
The real accomplishment in life is
the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior'.
A ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way to
balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human.
~ Carlos Castaneda
Good timber
does not grow with ease.
The stronger the wind –
the stronger the trees.
~ Williard Marriott
'Connection' is our natural state . . .
When plagued with a sense of unworthiness, it is easy to feel deficient and to see
the outside love of another person as the only possible solution to one’s plight.
Meditation tends to work against this assumption of 'deficiency' by restoring the
innate capacity for connection from the inside. It is like a stealth bomber that
sneaks through all the defenses and illuminates the central fortress of the heart.
In doing this, it challenges the common assumption of our culture about where
'connection' comes from. In the Buddhist view, connection is already present.
We are not as 'separate' and 'distinct' as we think we are.
'Connection' is our natural state – we just have to re-learn to permit it.
~ from psychiatrist Mark Epstein’s book, "Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart:
A Buddhist Perspective on Wholeness" – Mark is one of a growing number of
psychotherapists trying to integrate Buddhism with the concepts of Western
psychology in an effort to help people change their views and their lives.
___________________________________________________
"East is East, and West is West,
and never the twain shall meet –
until Earth and Sky stand presently
at God’s great Judgment Seat.
But then there is neither East nor West,
nor Border, nor Breed, nor Birth – when
two strong, good men stand face to face,
tho’ they come from the ends of the earth !"
~ Rudyard Kipling
__________________________________
" Aho Mitakuye Oyasin "
( Lakota language: a popular greeting that says
"To all My Relations & Relationships & Relatings" )
If the people lead,
then the leaders will follow !
We Are One Planet,
We Are One People,
We Are One Mind,
We Are One Spirit!"
~ Robert 'Standing Eagle' Marshall,
"We Are All Related" Foundation
• What is SANGHA for ?
PRACTICE-SUPPORT
& ENCOURAGEMENT
• Allowing Yourself to Be ‘Supported’
In Your Practice By Your Practice
and By Your Fellow Meditators.
You can’t do this alone ! Why try?
A Sincere Inner-Inquiry: Are you a willingly 'Supportable'-type of person ?
Supportable - Do you reach out for meditation-practice support naturally?
A core characteristic of these 'Questions' comes up often in meditation class,
individual by individual over time – as meditator’s practices gradually progress.
Please do some gentle Inner-Inquiry here: With or Without ‘Judging-mind’ – yet just
notice if it’s there. How you ‘do allow’ or you ‘don’t allow’ yourself to be “supportable”.
How you avoid ‘support’ - or just don’t even know that support is available to you in all
that you do, and how you just go doggedly on – off on your own. Alone . . . These are
only some of the hidden, isolative scenarios of how people approach the difficult sides
of ‘spiritual practice’ – the Insight Meditation side – unwilling to engage the blissful inner-
devotee of Existence itself, simply the feel-good de-contraction side. There are both sides
you know – The ‘Devotional’ Side, and The Deep ‘Introspective-Insight’ Side. So please
ask yourself, inquire into how you do continually cultivate mutual collaboration on your
pilgrimage to Awakening. How you can become supportable in your inner-inquiry practice
of more & more frequently awakening Insight. Keep inviting others to relate with you . . .
Awareness-Practice is a very deep and personally engaging 'immersion' practice
to actually involve yourself in, within your self – actually getting IN there for sure! Scary !
That takes a sort of bravery ... and Ego is your ally, not your enemy. Ego will let your
silly Buddhist ‘practice’ go as FAR as you want it to - Ego will make sure your survive.
Developing an ‘Awareness’ meditation practice does require an intelligently gentle, steady, willing
practice at your own pace, gradually developing a constantly re-newable patience within yourself
- and really, lots of kind, encouraging support from others - from both fellow-meditators –
Sangha - as well as your own individual PERSONAL “living” teacher(s) – not just some warm,
inspiring, but yet absent teacher in a ‘book’, or a deceased yogi or ascended-master. The whole
of the Buddhist Path and its spiritual practices, here or elsewhere, eventually becomes a totally
“Live Event” for you. Only another living, in-person, ‘live’ human-being can do that with you !
And .. You certainly can have more than one teacher – just make sure they are actually alive
( or were living when you studied with them ) and that you can sit and have tea with them at
sometime and have an everyday, normal conversation – sadly, distant big celebrity 'teachers'
very often aren't accessible after a certain point. Asses your Sangha needs: Do you still need
to ‘feel connected’ to something really Big – or is small yet personal ‘connectivity’ enough?
"When I see I am Nothing - that is Wisdom.
When I see I am Everything - that is Love.
And between these two, my life flows." ~ Nisargadatta
Allowing yourself to be 'supportable' in your meditation practice by opening into live, human contact is the
true ‘Sangha-part’ of the practice. Please, softly push against those tight tendencies to being so 'resistive'
or 'isolated' on your Inner-Journey – all masked up in just being a little shining face in a big huge crowd – all
goodie two shoes n' all. Please step right up, ask questions, ask for support, and ask how to volunteer your
support if possible. Think How Can I Help. Think Community. Think Universally. Think Getting Beyond Yourself.
You Definitely Won’t Be Alone. And also, the people are usually quite nice. You need to ask where the entry is...
French - Nous oublions aisément nos fautes lorsqu'elles ne sont sues que de nous !
English - We forget our faults too easily - when they are known to ourselves solely alone !
~ Francois Duc de La Rochefoucauld
____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
The Whole of the Buddhist Sangha and Practice on its Path,
here or elsewhere, eventually becomes a totally ‘Live Event’.
The ‘Buddha’ is way gone – the ‘Dharma’ is a gracious gift of insight-filled words in pioneering
books, and now CDs, both Asian and Western teachers are crisscrossing the comprehensions
of the Net offering pod-cast classes and other Online instant accesses. Sitting-Sanghas are now
prolific and abundant. The Buddha’s Dharma is vitally here in the West to stay ! And yet –
you yourself actually do live locally somewhere, and your own neighborhood Sangha is the live,
fleshy part of the practice. A Haiku: “Sitting in meditation group someone’s feet smells.” Authentic
practice really can not be ‘electronic’ except for a little ‘net’ while before you want or need to go to
a live weekly Dharma sitting-group meditation. You involve live people in your life when you practice
meditation with a group. It’s that or be a spiritual shut-in. Or just wander as an ‘un-identified’ walker.
“Live Sangha” is a rich, wonderful sort of 'group therapy' – you with other human beings, everybody’s
warts and all – and you get to overcome numerous barriers that once got erected through you – but
are not you – and they serve you no wholesome support no more - and now can be allowed to trickle
away like so much loose sand. And you find you can live quite well without it. Yet “live-group” Sangha
practice is exposing – and you will find that you can handle that. Quite well, actually. Come join in
with a Sangha. The only snakes in your mailbox are in your head. Allow yourself to be welcome.
Short of being a full-blown Buddha –
You always should have a consistent
ongoing meditation group for 'practice-support',
or your meditation just falls apart. Ploop ! ~ Ka-Ching
Having the Courage to accept & receive ENCOURAGEMENT: We all need all the the encouragement
we can get in order to continue our practice effectively – Vipassana-Mindfulness is an 'inquiry' meditation
style that keeps asking you to constantly Question, look, inquire and train to be non-reactive and to gently,
yet continuously observe 'within' - and practice being mindfully awake in each moment...
mindful of whatever arises in the mind's eye of your experience.
Typical 'Yoga' class-styles of a more 'inspiring / popular' relaxation-meditation are much easier – stillness
after strenuous movement. Buddhist 'Insight-Awareness' meditation is certainly much less soothing –
sorry – and it asks you to consider philosophies that coach you to going against the grain & swim upstream.
Encouragement is 'spurring-you-on' to practice. Be strong. Keep giving this 'encouragement' yet another
chance to merge with you. PRACTICE-SUPPORT: Allowing Yourself to Be Supported In Your Practice
FREE Meditation-Practice Consultation & Support
• "Sangha-Minded Mind Seeks Support"
So, HERE's an INVITATION for you . . .
But do you personally know how to accept a bona-fide, sincerely offered,
genuine rooty-tooty invitation? Just pick up the phone! That'll do it.
An Ongoing Personal Invitation from The Laughing Buddha Sangha
~ free and freely offered ! Really . . .
Dear Dharma Friends ~
To those of you who currently meditate with us now, or have been ongoing with us before,
and also for beginners who’ve just begun to explore 'Practice' . . this is absolutely for real !
In the Good Spirit of Sangha "Practice-Support" ~ please be sincerely invited to phone me about
meditation-consultation – freely offered – or with any questions on meditation practice you may have,
or additional instruction or tips, or any foggy confusions or unclear areas of practice or on the working
philosophy or 'unstructured' approach we use, or getting clarity about your concerns or notions about
'spiritual' growth and what it is, or further reading & study etc. Caution: it does mean being in contact.
Please DO NOT judge the amount of times a week you sit meditation, or do not judge the quality of your
attentiveness, or a dozen other imaginary, self-limiting thoughts about why you shouldn’t accept this
invitation or worst, whether you even ‘deserve’ it. If you simply want to do ‘practice’ and have some
difficulties ‘practicing’, but you are unwilling to quit on yourself – just call in. That's why it's called
"practice" rather than called "perfect". Be a bit brave ! Don't be shy or hesitant - or feel I'd be a bit
bothered. Please Bother Me ! If you get the voice-mail, I'll get back to you, or we'll arrange a mutually
workable phone-time to talk. Let us see together where this gesture of support goes with us.
It could work out fine ! . . . all my metta-karuna to you ~ Akasa Levi
Just pick up the phone and call. Noon to 6pm best phone times M-F. 310-450-2268
Try n’ SIT Meditation at home more regularly to train & strengthen the awareness-mind!
____________________________________________________________________________
"If milk is churned then one gets butter,
and one can use that butter, and it is very beneficial.
But, if one doesn’t do that and just leaves the milk there,
then eventually the milk is going to go bad –
and one will end up with neither butter nor milk nor anything.
So, similar to that, we have this wondrous human rebirth & human body-mind
which makes it possible for us to 'practice' and attain the 'highest realizations'.
But although it is such an absolutely perfect basis for this practice –
if we don’t use it, actualize it – then eventually it will just be lost like
so much excess when we move on to somewhere else in this life."
~ Khen Rinpoche
___________________________________________________________________________________
ENCOURAGEMENT TO KEEP SITTING MEDITATION Regularly...
PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT 'MEDITATION' IS NOT 'SPIRITUAL' IN ITSELF !
Let's just de-mystify that up front, each for ourselves – Meditation is just a 'Tool' –
Silent Sitting Meditation is a valuable psycho-physical phenomena - in that Silent
Meditation awakens - sets up a w-I-d-e-r opening - gradually builds a wider conscious
space, room for the Spiritual to arise into ... for wisdom to arise on its own –
if and when it's ready – on it's own time. So learn how to just let it be Still inside.
Yet, you must hear and must study the Wisdom Teachings, but you can't force Wisdom !
So learn how to just let it be Still inside. The 'Wisdom-Spirit' will eventually appear
in it's own time. Your job is to keep the access door open & clear - and it does take
an increasing, gradual but consistent meditation sitting-practice - sitting right thru
the junk that also arises! As the mind get's more silent & peaceful - in the long run -
given steady practice - Silent-Awareness meditation really works !
HOW LONG? - Consistent meditation - a 25 minutes / to a half-hour daily sitting,
or just a few times a week, or every-other-day is really necessary to build-in and
develop a "mindfulness-region" in the newly developing 'meditative-brain'.
HOW DOES IT WORK? - a new, 'Aware'-part of the mind that now becomes strongly
preferred - rather than the 'old chaotic neurotic part' that has caused you so much trouble.
Then, with fairly regular sitting practice, when the old part arises - the NEW part will
automatically, mindfully kick in. This new default-mode kicking in will eventually happen
quicker and quicker. And stay longer & longer. Meditation is done for most of your life.
Meditation is too slow an ongoing 'process' to just fix what needs to be fixed and then
drop the meditation. Meditation does not work well for crisis-mode. After relief, it might.
Meditation is a human-style evolutionary process. Evolving out of being crisis-prone.
So we totally honor your coming here and your taking-on your life-challenges!
Our job is to support you in observing those life-challenges... sitting 'em through.
By simply sitting still with yourself. Hey, we are all here on the same journey...
You know quite well, deep within you --
That there is only a single magic,
a single power, a single salvation ...
and that single force is called 'Loving'.
Well then, you must also love your 'suffering' too!
Do not resist it, do not deny it, do not flee from it.
It is your aversion to it that hurts, nothing else. ~ Hermann Hesse
'Aversion' is a big main ingredient to observe in Buddhist practice –
to observe it well over repeated 'witnessings' of it. A lot thru sitting.
There is 'Pain' - and there is your 'Aversion' to Pain. It's not the pain
that we're working on - that's not the main focus of observation - it's
the tendency to slip into Aversion that we re working with.
There is a start to healing. Seeing 'it', 'Aversion', for precisely
what it is from it's side, not yours – and beginning to forgive it
for what it is from your side. As Hesse says:
"It is your aversion to it that hurts, nothing else." – a bit tricky.
The continual 'Practice of Forgiveness' is almost always the cure!
______________________________________________________________________
"Sell your cleverness
and buy bewilderment." ~ Rumi
From a Sufi Contemplation: Journey Into The Garden of The Heart
Sell your cleverness and buy bewilderment.
Cleverness is mere opinion,
Bewilderment is intuition.
The spiritual path wrecks the body
And afterwards restores it to health.
It destroys the house to unearth the treasure,
And with that treasure builds it better than before.
The day you were born, a ladder was set up
to help you escape from this world.
Keep walking, though there’s no place to get to.
Don’t try to see through the distances.
That’s not for human beings.
Move within, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and just begin reading,
Take down a musical instrument, instead.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of other ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
Love is that flame that once kindled, burns everything -
and only the mystery and the journey remain.
We rarely hear the inward music,
but we’re all dancing to it nevertheless. ~ Mevlana Jellaludin Rumi 1300 AD
_________________________________________________________
"Stop thinking this is all there is... Realize that for every on-going war
and religious outrage and environmental devastation there are a thousand
counter-balancing acts of staggering generosity and humanity and art and
beauty happening all over the world, right now, on a breathtaking scale,
from flower box to cathedral...
Resist the temptation to drown in fatalism, to shake your head and sigh
and just throw in the karmic towel... Realize that this is the perfect moment
to change the energy of the world, to step right up and crank your personal
volume – right when it all seems dark and bitter and offensive and acrimonious
and conflicted and bilious... there's your opening. Remember magic. And,
finally, believe you are part of a groundswell, a resistance, a seemingly
small but actually very, very large impending karmic overhaul, a great shift,
the beginning of something important and potent and unstoppable."
~ Mark Morford - from San Francisco Sun magazine
(12) TEACHER Biography
( 12 ) TEACHER Biography • Photo
• “Kalyana Mitta” – 'Spiritual Friends & Mentors'
• The Seven Qualities of a Good Friend
• "The Road Less Traveled" Robert Frost’s poem
• Mentoring: A Dharma Teacher's Purpose
To read Here just begin to SCROLL ▼DOWN
or click for TABLE of CONTENTS
“daily-life itself as sacred-relationship”
"spiritual friendship" ~ a good friend,
a virtuous friend, a noble friend,
an admirable friend, a spiritual friend.
____________________________________
" Don't walk in front of me, I may not always follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not always lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend." ~ Albert Camus
As a 'mentor' or "spiritual-friend" the traditional Theravada Buddhist teacher
is often referred to in South Asia meditation-settings as a 'Kalyana Mitta'.
It is a Pali term that literally and simply means "A Loving Good Friend".
It is often used to describe someone in the guide-teacher-mentor-role.
"Hey Coach, can I see you 'bout something?" Availability & Access.
The 'Teacher' as a Kalyana-Mitta
_________________________________________________
What's "the teacher thing" all about anyway - and the
particularly different form of it in Theravada Buddhism.
Traditional 'orthodox' Theravada Buddhism does not really ever use the over-exposed,
now tainted-word 'Guru' or even suggest a hierarchical arrangement, a mystical-position
on the basis of some sort of reincarnation, or even a God-related 'authority'. 'Kalyana Mitta'
is a Pali (a Sanskrit-derivative) term that literally means "A Loving Friend" ( Friend-Loving;
‘Mitta’ as in ‘Metta’ ) It is often used to describe someone in the so valuable guide-teacher-
teamleader-mentor-role. AND - it also can refer to absolutely anyone at all on the Practice
Path of Dharma who is a simply a friend, guide, supporter or especially a 'practice' co-traveler,
a traveling companion on The Way – making it all the more possible for true Sangha bonds
to grow strong & healthy, as well as fully providing an inclusive enough trusting and truly
safe-setting for a really fruitful exploration of Dharma-understanding to bud, flower & bloom.
This deepens the overall development of “Daily-life itself as sacred-relationship” - one of
the Ultimate Awakenings as a supreme 'Practice Opportunity' ~ Yup, simply a Good Friend.
♦ One of Buddha's close students once said to him ~
"It seems, venerable sir – that half the holy life
is having good spiritual friends –
like in our Sangha."
The Buddha immediately replied:
"In fact, the whole of the holy life
is having good spiritual friends !"
_____________________________________________
Each of us can benefit greatly from having Dharma-friends as allies,
who genuinely Support the practice of our own individual spiritual journey.
In Buddha's words, he said:
"The qualities of a Good Friend, brethren, is one who ~
1. willingly does what is hard to do ( seva - service )
2. generously gives what may be hard to give ( dana - generosity )
3. listens, and un-resistingly hears what is hard to hear or bear
4. openly and bravely shares their own secrets with you
5. honorably keeps others’ secrets, and does not judge
6. when in obvious need, forsakes one not, but is available
7. distains or despises not, when one is in ruin, but comforts
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And, so sorry I could not travel them both
And being only one traveler, long I stood
And looked down each road as far as I could
Then I took the other road, though just as fair
But with leaves no step had yet trodden bare
Because it was grassy and it wanted wear
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I …
I chose the road less traveled by –
And that has made ALL the difference
~ Robert Frost ( 1916 )
"Our 'Life-Fears' are educated into us – and can be educated out."
~ Karl Menninger
"The yin and yang of life is that we grow wiser as we get older.
We have less & less time to use that wisdom to enrich our own lives –
and so we pass it along to others, enriching the world in the process."
~ The Tao
Lineage or Branches of 'Practice-Schools':
A "Lineage" is a group of teachings or practices handed down from teachers to their students, who become
teachers in their own right. There are also ordination-lineages: that is the line or ordination (monks and nuns)
which is always traceable back to the Buddha as the founding-teacher as revered in southern Theravada.
'Lineage' is considered vitally important in all Buddhism, particularly in the northern traditions of Zen, Chinese
and the various Himalayan schools, where the master or guru occupies the main role in spiritual development.
Certainly, there are some basic practices, meditations & texts which may be learnt from 'secondary sources',
such as books and CDs – and yet some which must be given directly in an 'alive' teacher-student relationship.
But before teaching any of these, a 'beginning-teacher' should have received authorization or permission to teach.
The giving of this 'permission' is dependent on spiritual understanding and attainment. Almost never is it a personal
or an allegiance matter. Lineages are traceable back to the original Buddha or sometimes, to a great and highly
acknowledged later master. New lineages are started by people who are regarded as 'masters', those few existing
teachers in each generation who are considered extraordinary. ~ www.buddhanet.net/masters/index.htm
( please be courageous enough to inquire about ‘teaching-assistant’ training here or elsewhere )
"In the end we will conserve only what we love –
We will love only what we understand –
And we will understand only what we have been taught."
~ Baba Dioum, African ecologist
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____________________________________________________
"If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."
~ Andy McIntyre's bumper sticker
“No 'failure' – we are all learning.
The real failure is giving up learning.”
~ Shi'an
"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."
~ Sydney J. Harris
"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of that candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared."
~ The Buddha
"And if we do act - in however small a way ...
We don't have to wait for some Grand Utopian Future.
The 'future' is an infinite succession of 'presents'.
And to live now as we think human beings should live,
In defiance of all that is bad around us,
Is itself a marvelous victory in itself."
~ Howard Zinn - ‘The Optimism of Uncertainty’
“The real accomplishment in life –
is the Art of Being a ‘Spiritual Warrior’.
A ‘spiritual warrior’ is the only way
to balance the terror of being Human
with the wonder of being Human.”
~ Carlos Castaneda
(13) The BiG Important DETAILS:
Don't just drink by the waters edge
Throw yourself in
Become the water. . .
Only then will your thirst end ~ Rumi
Mindfulness meditation is 'practicing' how
to experience being in the present moment.
"Again, traveler - you have come a long way led by that star.
But the 'Kingdom of The Wish' is at the other end of the night.
May you fair well, compan'ero - Let us journey together joyfully,
Living on catastrophe, eating the pure light." ~ Thomas McGrath
__________________________________________________________________________________________
♦ "I generally have a 'commitment-problem' with self-improvement classes"
So you DO need more encouragement? Maybe we can offer some . .
For an in-depth discussion of “Commitment” for those who really do need to explore this.
You may find help to review this issue a bit further for yourself at 'Commitment' on Archive List.
“Commitment”- It’s a Difficult, Big Loaded Word . . . it affects everything we do as human beings
be it nourishing a ‘relationship’, or an to art, or to your life’s-work, or to yoga, fitness, music lessons.
Have the Courage to accept & receive ENCOURAGEMENT: We all need all the the encouragement
we can get - in order to continue our practice effectively – Mindfulness is an 'inquiry' meditation-style
that keeps asking you to constantly Question, look, inquire and train to be non-reactive and to gently,
yet continuously observe 'within' - and practice being mindfully awake in each moment... Mindful of
whatever arises in the mind's eye of your experience. Facing fear or the frivolous - all of it with courage.
Typical 'Yoga' class physical-styles can be more 'inspiring & popular' - relaxation-meditations are
much easier – stillness after strenuous movement. Buddhist 'Insight-Awareness' mental-meditations
may certainly be much less soothing at first – sorry – as it asks you to consider philosophies that
coach you to going against the grain & swim upstream. Be still when you're not, understand when
you don't want to ... Encouragement is 'spurring-you-on' to practice. Be strong. Keep giving our
'encouragement' yet another chance to merge with you. PRACTICE-SUPPORT: Allowing Yourself
To Be Supported In Your Practice'. • "A Sangha-Minded Mind Seeks Support"
www.dharmaseed.org ( free & the best )www.buddhismnow.com ( free ) http://www.dharmaseed.org/about/us/ ( information )
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♦ About RETREATS ~ Away from it all . . .
“Here we are, poor us, our poor little over-busy heads - everyday learning more
and more mandatory electronic cyber-technology - seemingly for the sake of our
‘relations’ with the world around us – a consensus agreement ‘we’ never made –
too much ‘product’ has been fostered on us. It has everyone sharing in the same
cloned hi-tech material-magic: i-pods and cell phones to our ears everywhere,
the most sophisticated home entertainment and automotive accoutrements.
Phenom-media that daily impact and influence our minds and choose our
karmic-choices for us. Invisible terrorisms, rampant economic insecurity,
personal-space and privacy prone to invasion. I don’t know who I am -
yet my identity is up for theft. I feel like I’m being dragged behind a full
Fed-Ex home-delivery truck. And my intimate relationships are getting
woefully impoverished. I need to stop awhile, shut up & simply sit down...” ~ Jeremy 34
RETREATS:
"Doing a Day-Long"
~ sometimes once a Month,
~ sometimes once a Quarter
A Retreat into Silent Sitting in Stillness & Satsang
Start with One Saturday or Sunday "Doing a Day-Long"
Retreats are usually offered first to ongoing meditation students
who have already sat some meditation with us - and then offered
to Newcomer-students there-after. The sooner you go deep da' better.
Please email us if you’d be interested in Retreat Information:
then you’ll know much more of what 'Retreat-mind' is about ~ AkasaLeviZZ@msn.com
________________________________________________________________________________________
Retreats with us, or with other teachers, are always highly encouraged - but quite optional.
There is no fixed expectation that one do even a short retreat, even tho' they are relatively easy.
BUT Retreats do offer the deeper "immersion-time experience" often lacking in somewhat more
'casual' meditation sitting. Meditation is an acquired taste - a short Retreat is a quick way to get it.
Offering yourself 'Periodic Intensives' – could make all the experiential difference in establishing
one's self into an authentic relationship with the meditation 'practice' – Awakening take 'patience'.
... Remember, we're swimming upstream with one's own over-conditioned consciousness in tow.
There is an ancient spiritual principle that says: In order to effectively perform deeper kinds
of inner-exploration – it takes periodic 'immersions' - a temporary but full-time commitment
to silent sitting & living for a specific amount of time: a full day or a full weekend. It really works !
One must be able to 'create' the space – and have that 'space' be workable, viable for ones-self –
to be able to reasonably and responsibly attempt to let go of various 'worldly' limits and 'beliefs'
that only ‘appear’ to be usually needed day-to-day - and which may be psychologically difficult to
set aside – BUT to attempt to be a 'monk' or a 'nun' for a whole full day or two as a ‘Time-Out’
for a Quiet Retreat is eminently possible ! You CAN certainly make that happen ! Yes you can.
Accordingly, one voluntarily and deliberately sets up a temporary retreat 'process' or 'refuge'
setting or a sanctuary to very safely set ALL daily-demands aside - with the permissive-intent of
'picking them up again' responsibly upon that retreat's completion. At times we offer Retreats.
¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬
. . . Remember – Ultimately, "Wherever you go - there you are !"
"Samsara ( the 'worldly' world in our mind ) is Nirvana - and Nirvana is Samsara"
One Day-Short Retreats – 9 am-5 pm are usually held in a Los Angeles-area, in-town facility or in
a volunteered private residence with a garden for some sublime Outdoor Silent Sitting or the focused,
highly-effective Burmese Slow Walking-Meditation. Retreats are offered by the Student-Sangha
and are guided by Akasa Levi and guest-teachers. Please ask now about Volunteering in some way.
(14) The Big BOOK Archive:...... please wait for picture to load
(14) “Buddhist Books for Your Next 50 Years”
"one of the best beginner's Buddhist book-lists on web"
• Buying NEW BOOKS - 'Independent' bookstores !!!
• About 'WORDS' ! - very little reading expectations
• Introduction to BASIC Buddhist Books
"A Path With Heart” by Jack Kornfield
• CORE BOOKS: highly recommended ‘classic’ reading
• Books of POETRY that inspire Heart-Awakening
• Dharma 'Classics' - early Western writings
• Sri Ramana Maharshi • Krishnamurti • D.T. Suzuki
the modern 'Godfathers' of the "Inquiry Into The Self "
• Ram Dass pioneering first Westerner of our generation
• ‘Book-Lovers’ USED BOOKS available Online –
• About "Out of Print" Books, endangered species
• FREE General Buddhist Readings & Resources,
Booklets, books, print out FREE Online teachings
• ‘Book-Lovers’ USED BOOKS available Online –
• About "Out of Print" Books, endangered species
• Spiritual-oriented Bookstores: Westside L.A. area
( 1 ) "A PATH WITH HEART" by Jack Kornfield – is our Gold-Standard working 'manual' for all classes
we offer. A most important, very complete compendium on meditation to continually 'inform' your evolving
Dharma-mind – so you'll know 'what' IT is you're 'observing' when you sit there in meditation - and 'what'
you're 'experiencing' when you're out there in everyday-life. This book is a definite 'keeper'. Enjoy !
This required class-book is for purchase in stores or online.
NEWCOMERS: please start the "PATH" book with reading focused in Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 – with particular
attention to Chapter 7. And also begin Chapters 13,14 with attention to Chapter 14. Try to martk up
your book pages, with pen or Hi-Lite pen. Start your own ‘Index’ on blank back pages to quickly find stuff.
‘A Path with Heart’ is a book for life, for your continual sitting meditation guidance, encouragement and
reference. Yes, It’s one of those kinda books. Everything else below is a remarkably good selection of
teachings, but really entirely optional reading if you're not a 'reader'. If you are, have the time of your life !
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recommended but optional: 2, 3, 4 are free online
( 2 ) "THE POWER of MINDFULNESS" by Nyanaponika Thera – ( 40 pages - FREE BOOKLET Online.
Wheel No. 121/122 – ISBN : 9552400023 ) The Buddhist Publication Society - Kandy, Sri Lanka.
It's the classic little meditation booklet on developing Mindfulness & Mindfully-Aware "Bare Attention".
An excellent detailed instruction on Attentive Mindfulness Practice, written by a European meditation-monk
in the late 1950's – it’s a very traditional tutoring in the 'whys' & 'hows' of Awareness-practice – it gives you
both practical ‘tips’ on the Practice - and the reasoning as to why we do it. It's a real jewel ! We're mining
very ancient treasures here. It's ‘Recommended’ reading but Optional. Dip into these Online Readings !
It's FREE Online but probably best to make your own Free Print-Out – one of these sites may work for you.
You probably may have to copy/paste these addresses in manually into your 'search-bar', if it doesn't click
open right away or by using control + click. When you do open the site - it should then be easy to highlight,
copy/paste to Notepad and then to a clean new Word.doc and print out what you want. These all seem to be
pdf formats, you should choose which version below works for you. All these sites are non-commercial.
When you open the site, click 'select' and fiddle with the Zoom to get it up to 100% or more for easier reading.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel121.html (Verdana-font)
or - try these two more sophisticated, readable PDF sites. Use select & zoom functions: http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/powermindfulness.pdf (Times-font) ~ or ~http://www.saetawwin2.org/~stw2/files/The_Power_of_Mindfulness.pdf (Arial-font)
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All BOOKS below are totally OPTIONAL Reading for purchase: many can be gotten as 2nds or Used Books
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( 5 ) "THE EXPERIENCE OF INSIGHT" by Joseph Goldstein (preferred) and/or "INSIGHT MEDITATION:
The Practice of Freedom" by Joseph Goldstein – or – “SEEKING THE HEART OF WISDOM” by Joseph
Goldstein and Jack Kornfield. Read ANY of these basic 'practice' books by these two renown, first American
teachers of Theravada-Vipassana Buddhist Mindfulness Meditation in the West during the ‘spiritual’ 70’s &
80’s. Yes, it was all very fresh then! It was All new. A direct spill-over of the 60’s. Not much sorting out to do.
Today’s sincere ‘seeking’ takes remarkable discernment in an over-saturated spiritual as well as therapeutic
marketplace. Choose carefully. Look for kindness merged with intelligence, not fascinating ‘claims’ & rewards.
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( 6 ) "A GRADUAL AWAKENING" by Stephen Levine - another remarkably clear and caringly written guide
from the heart, that speaks about the way to practice. Again, read anything else by Levine, another of these
renown senior pioneering Western Buddhist meditation-teachers. This book is now also considered a classic.
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( 7 ) "THE IMPACT OF AWAKENING" by Adyashanti – Remarkably ‘Realized’ satsang teaching-dialogues of
a supremely good American teacher that breaches the bounds of conventional Buddhism or even Zen itself !
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( 8 ) "BUDDHISM WITHOUT BELIEFS" by Stephen Batchelor - Riverhead Books. A chewy, slim book offering
a deep understanding of Buddhism that is extraordinarily contemporary, concise & in a smart, pithy presentation
of the Buddhist Path of personal transformation in a very straightforward manner that asks us to comprehend and
slowly think along with the written word. We've used this book for Deep Dharma study alongside "A Path With Heart".
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( 9 ) "The COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE to UNDERSTANDING BUDDHISM" by Gary Gach – ( optional means
only if you wish to get it ) - a delightfully rich, chunky, encyclopedic-style tome that completely covers the entire
subject of 'Buddhism' in all it's many aspects, history, personalities & teachings – in a very readable, graphics
format. It's the kinda' book Buddhist teachers have waited years for – at last, all in one very intelligent book !
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Online Reading & Hand-Outs: Informative, a bit more academic-style reading Online is always recommended
or Handouts will be occasionally provided free ( or at copying-cost ) as Take-Home reading materials or quality
Online-Links like www.Wikipedia.com -or- http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Category:Buddhist_Meditation
or- http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Category:Theravada_Buddhism for an amazing selection !
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CORE BOOKS
recommended ‘classic’ reading:
not listed here in any particular
order, except by title length.
“ZEN LIFE” by D.T. Suzuki
"AS IT IS" by Tony Parsons
"ONE DHARMA" by Joseph Goldstein
"EMPTINESS DANCING" by Adyashanti
"LOVING-KINDNESS" by Sharon Salzberg
"A PATH WITH HEART" by Jack Kornfield
"THE IMPACT of AWAKENING" by Adyashanti
"THE MYTH of FREEDOM" by Chogyam Trungpa
"A GRADUAL AWAKENING" by Stephen Levine
"WHEN THINGS FALL APART" by Pema Chodron
"WHAT THE BUDDHA TAUGHT" by Walpola Rahula
"BUDDHISM WITHOUT BELIEFS" by Stephen Batchelor
"AFTER THE ECSTASY, THE LAUNDRY" by Jack Kornfield
"Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown" by Alan Watts
"MINDFULNESS in PLAIN ENGLISH" by Henepola Gunaratana
"TURNING TO THE SOURCE" by Dhiravamsa ISBN 0931892201
"THE HEART OF BUDDHIST MEDITATION" by Nyanaponika Thera
"Mindfulness With Breathing" A Manual by Buddhadasa Bhikkhu
"CUTTING THROUGH SPIRITUAL MATERIALISM" by Chogyam Trungpa
"SEEKING THE HEART of WISDOM" by Joseph Goldstein & Jack Kornfield
"This Is It" (and Other Essays on Zen and Spiritual Experience) by Alan Watts
"The Wisdom of Insecurity: A Message for an Age of Anxiety" by Alan Watts
"THE NOBLE EIGHTFOLD PATH: Way to the End of Suffering" by Bhikkhu Bodhi
"SELF-REALIZATION" by Byron Katie - a tiny jewel of a book that truly says it all
"THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE to UNDERSTANDING BUDDHISM" by Gary Gach
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... and any books
by any of these
author / teachers ...
"Ask The Awakened" by Wei Wu Wei
"Radical Acceptance" by Tara Brach
"Doing Nothing" by Steven Harrison
"The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle
“Breath by Breath” by Larry Rosenberg
"Total Freedom: The Essential. Krishnamurti"
“After the Ecstasy, the Laundry” by Jack Kornfield
"Everyday Zen: Love & Work" by Charlotte Joko Beck
"Wherever You Go, There You Are" by Jon Kabat-Zinn
"Going to Pieces" & "Open to Desire" by Mark Epstein
"I Am That" Satsang transcriptions of Nisargadatta Maharaj
"Journey to Ixtlan" & "Tales of Power" by Carlos Casteneda
"Instinct for Freedom" by Alan Clements (a political dharma)
“Don't Just Do Something....”, “It's Easier Thank You Think”,
“That's Funny, You Don't Look Buddhist” by Sylvia Boorstein,
“Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness ~and~
Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience by Sharon Salzberg
"The Essential Ken Wilber: An Introductory Reader" by Ken Wilber
“Lazy Man's Guide to Enlightenment” by Thaddeus Golas (1971)
"Intro to Zen Buddhism" “Zen Life” D.T. Suzuki (Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki)
"Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki" by
David Chadwick and original Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by Shunryu Suzuki
( Be Careful, there's 2 Suzuki’s )
"Living With the Devil: A Meditation on Good and Evil" by Stephen Batchelor
"Dharma Punx" & "Against The Stream" by Noah Levine ~ Buddhist Recovery
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The Books of POETRY that inspire Heart-Awakening is awesome !
Here are just some. A tiny few. Start with anthologies to whet your taste for the
wide range of words that is called Poetry. Most L.A. book stores still only carry a
small section of Poetry. Specialty "literature" stores are best, and a poetry book
is something you would want to hold and browse in your hand first before buying:
Dutton's in Brentwood ( FYI now closed ) The Bodhi Tree in West Hollywood.
Of course, you certainly may want to order thru your local ‘artsy’ independent book
store, that’s what keeps them in business! What is here is a short, sweet beginning.
"A GRATEFUL HEART" – edited by M.J. Ryan - Conari Press – has great blessings
"THE ESSENTIAL RUMI" – by Coleman Barks - the best Rumi poetry translations
"THE RAG & BONE SHOP of THE HEART" – by Robert Bly – a great anthology
"LIFE PRAYERS" – inspiring anthology of sacred poetry from around the world
edited by Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon – also their 1st collection:
"EARTH PRAYERS" – if choosing only one: certainly get "Life Prayers".
"THE ENLIGHTENED HEART" – translated by Stephen Mitchell
a beautiful selection of multicultural inspiring sacred poetry
"THE KABIR BOOK" – translated by Robert Bly
"CHUANG TZU" – by Thomas Merton
There are many small poetry sites out there,
search and ye shall find – here is just one:http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/blog/ and
home-site http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/
and about their free daily poetry sign-up. Worth having!
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The Asian Pioneers . . . east meets west
Sri Ramana Maharshi – J. Krishnamurti – and D.T. Suzuki - three of the most
renown Wisdom-Teachers of the first half of the 20th century. They were sort of the three
major 'Godfathers' of a modern non-duality, an uncompromised 'Inquiry Into The Self ' –
as was The Buddha himself of long, long ago ~ and were able to bring it to all of us, intact . . .
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Sri Ramana Maharshi was probably the most profound Indian sage of the 20th century.
He was renowned for his saintly life, simplicity and the depth & completeness of his self-realization.
There are a multitude of websites and free downloads, excerpts of his teachings - a true surfing of
consciousness is available to you ! http://www.ramana-maharshi.org/books.htm FREE online -
when there, click on: "Who Am I?" - "Self Enquiry" - "Spiritual Instruction" - "Bhagavan Ramana"
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Sri Ramana Maharshi ( 1879–1950 ) born to a middle-class Hindu Brahmin family in Tamil Nadu, India.
After having attained a sudden moksha 'spiritual liberation' at the age of 16, he left home for Arunachala,
a small mountain considered sacred by Hindus, at Tiruvannamalai, and lived there for all the rest of his life.
That was it. Sri Ramana always maintained that the purest form of his teachings was the powerful 'silence'
which radiated from his presence and quieted the minds of those attuned to it. He gave verbal teachings
only for the benefit of those who could not understand his 'silence'. His verbal teachings were said to flow
from his direct experience of Consciousness as the only existing Reality. When asked for advice, he strongly
recommended "Self-Inquiry" as the fastest path to freedom. Though his primary teaching is associated with
Non-dualism, Advaita Vedanta, and Jnana yoga, he also highly recommended devotional Bhakti and also
Theravada Buddhism – and gave his approval to a variety of other intelligent, quality paths and practices.
The renown Buddhist teacher Bhante Ananda Maitreya of Sri Lanka was an early 20th century student.
( also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramana_Maharshi )
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J. Krishnamurti
Krishnamurti said: "The description is not the described." –
and "It is the Truth itself that frees, not your 'effort' to be free."
Krishnamurti ( 1895–1986 ) was born in Madras into a Telugu Brahmin family in then colonial India.
He was subsequently raised on the grounds of the prestigious Theosophical Society headquarters
at Adyar in Madras under the tutelage of Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater, who believed him to be
the 'vehicle' as an expected "World Teacher". As a young man, he disavowed this idea and dissolved
The Order of the Star, a world-wide organization. He spent the rest of his life traveling the world as
an individual speaker. He authored a hugely prolific number of books, among them 'The First and
Last Freedom', 'The Only Revolution', and 'Krishnamurti's Notebook'. At age 90, he addressed the
United Nations on the subject of peace & awareness, and was awarded the 1984 UN Peace Medal.
He died at his home at The Oak Grove School in Ojai, California. "K" got us to question everything.
His dedicated supporters, working through several non-profit educational foundations, oversee a number
of very sophisticated independent schools centered on his progressive views on education – in India,
England and the United States – and continue to transcribe and distribute many of his thousands of
audio talks, group and individual discussions with scientists, statesmen and philosophers, and other
writings, publishing them in a variety of formats including print, audio, video and digital formats
as well as online, in many languages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Krishnamurti
"Total Freedom: The Essential. Krishnamurti" 1996 - a starter, big anthology
"Freedom From The Known" by J. Krishnamurti – he's a slow deep read
The Krishnamurti Foundation: http://www.jkrishnamurti.org
His history & quotes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiddu_Krishnamurti#Quotations
A talk on 'Contradiction' - http://www.werobot.com/jk/contradiction.htm
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D.T. Suzuki ~ the quiet little oriental professor . . .
Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki ( 1870–1966 ) famous Japanese professor, author of books and essays
on Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were remarkably instrumental in spreading interest in both Zen
and Far Eastern philosophy in general to the West. Suzuki was also a prolific translator of Chinese,
Japanese, and Sanskrit literature. The wonderfully notrious Alan Watts was his brilliant disciple.
... also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._T._Suzuki for a start
"Intro to Zen Buddhism" and also “Zen Life” both by D.T. Suzuki (Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki)
A ZEN LIFE ~ a wonderful D.T. Suzuki bio-documentary. http://www.azenlife-film.org/top.htm
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Ram Dass our pioneering, dear Wisdom Elder & Friend – bridging Old India to New America.
Ram Dass ( Richard Alpert, PhD ) The first Westerner of our generation to really, truly offer us a
totally contemporary, relatable spiritual Heart-Language – pointing to a wise, truhful, authentic
Compassion and Love to actually Practice it through one's own experiences ! READ or LISTEN
to absolutely anything at all you may find by Ram Dass. Just like Alan Watts, he’s one of ‘us’,
speaking to us directly in our own post-60’s language. Sort of a brilliant rock star of the Spirit ! http://www.ramdasstapes.org/index.htm Listening to Ram Dass on CDs is the way to begin...
"The main thing about our Baba Ram Dass is he's authentic! Ram Dass is a real person"
"I See" said The Blind Man
'Cause we haven't really 'seen' before, only just 'Believed' –
We DO need words, seminars, CD's, books, talks, mentoring,
teachers, classes & retreats, and lots of awareness applied
to everyday-life Practice. We need a deeply re-cultured and
re-schooled intelligence to correctly 'inform' us of What is Real.
An ancient formula for healing obscurations & inner-blindness is:
“That is >>THAT<<” - Which IS - Just As It Is”
It’s all 'ising' – It’s all 'verb-ing' – It’s all 'now-ing'
It's ALL Being . . . ( ahh, that's what it is ! )
You have to be very quick n' aware to glimpse it all in the Now.
So stop tying up your personal ‘identity’ in All & EveryThing.
Only Now – now as we're just learning to 'see' The Now
quite clearly – later on, we can lovingly give all these 'words'
away - and be Free, as now those words have become ME -
(which Isn’t) - and pass on those wonderful wisdom-provoking
books on & on - or even, go ahead, and kill-off The Buddha.
So be very patient & perceptive in your Awakened-Stillness.
Read something profound that's a Much Ado about Nothing
Be vigilant of the biased comfort-zones of 'Spiritual Extremes'.
Of too much comatose, fructose, hidden idealism or nihilism
– then you'll come through appreciative, kind, clean & empty.
But just don't ever lamely say the Buddha ate my homework.
But my teacher loves me 'cause I know now at least I'm Lovable.
Gosh, I'm just fakin' it - til I ‘make it’. It's called ‘Practice’.
Everything is a Practice Opportunity ! No Exceptions !
~ poet Billy Bo Sat
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www.dharmaseed.org LISTEN FREE ! LISTEN YOUR WAY to AWAKEN.MENT !
is the best Audio 'Master Course' in Buddhist Vipassana Insight Meditation !!! http://www.dharmaseed.org/talks/ ~ the whole site is an absolute Jewel !!!
The Best-rated Buddhist E-zines . . .
Tricycle Magazine: The Buddhist Review – http://www.tricycle.com/ simply the
number one, independent voice of Buddhism – published by The Buddhist Peace Fellowship
The Shambhala Sun – http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php Buddhism • Culture •
• Meditation • Life • North America’s oldest and most widely-read Buddhist magazine,
Buddhadharma: the practitioner's quarterly – http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/index.php
The journal for Buddhists of all traditions who wish to deepen their practice & study of the dharma.
The Middle Way: Journal of The Buddhist Society UK – http://www.thebuddhistsociety.org/aboutus/index.html - by far the oldest (1924) and most venerable.
Adyashanti ~ www.adyashanti.org 'live' satsangs & leads retreats in the Bay area.
Cafe Dharma / Radio Adyashanti – Adyashanti's teachings feel like a smooth blend
of Zen & Advaita Non-Duality sensibilities at a profoundly deep but accessible level.
Here's a growing library of full-length "Impact of Awakening" satsang recordings.
At their audio library you'll always find some satsangs to download for free! www.adyashanti.org/cafedharma to download full-length satsangs
and listen to them on your computer or your mp3 player.
SOUNDS TRUE: Audio Wisdom for the Inner Life, Sounds True is a publisher
of more than 600 audio programs featuring the leading spiritual teachers,
healers, thinkers, and visionary artists of our time – with tools and teachings
to spark your inner evolution ... www.soundstrue.com really has the best !
The rest of what's below is some great print-teachings and some audio-links.
www.Wikipedia.com is an absolutely great print resource – a gem !
Start with these ~ and then see where the journey of 'links' takes you . . .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BuddhIsm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassan%C4%81 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mindfulness
http://www.accesstoinsight.org ~ Access to Insight: Readings in Theravada Buddhism
a wide variety of contemporary Buddhist authors as well as Asian traditional ‘orthodox’ sources. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanaponika/wheel121.html ~ Meditation Instructionhttp://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bpslist.html ~ Buddhist Publication Society titles offered FREE
http://www.buddhanet.org high-end ‘traditional’ formal Dharma-teachings of both major classical schools.
NOTE 2 different organizations: both are Asian-sponsored web-sites bridging to the West; .org & .net http://www.buddhanet.net/sitemap.htm site map to navigatehttp://www.buddhanet.net/index.html all sorts of user-friendly corners to quietly consider & contemplate http://www.buddhanet.net/books/main.htm a marvelous initial attempt to simplify Buddhist ideas, practical
‘practice’ approaches to make relate-able an everyday daily-Dharma of enlightened living in our lives Now. http://www.buddhanet.net/xmed3.htm an informed ~meditation~ itself is the focus here.
The two founding Theravada Buddhist Vipassana Insight Meditation Centers in the USA
Insight Meditation Society
Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg
Barre, MA 01005 ( western Mass. )http://dharma.org/ims/index.php http://dharma.org/ims/mr_audio.html http://dharma.org/ims/mr_glossary.html
gloss of Buddhist Terms to help you read
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Jack Kornfield, Silvia Boorstein
Woodacre, CA 94973 ( near Fairfax west Marin ) http://www.spiritrock.org/ http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?catid=3&pageid=13
both centers can link you up to Vipassana meditation practice groups nation-wide
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The Buddhist Publication Society – is a non-profit whose goal is to clearly
explain & spread the original early Theravada teachings of the Buddha. Founded
in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1958 by the late Nyanaponika Maha-Thera. Books, booklets
& many FREE print-outs Online. The language is somewhere between popular & academic. http://www.bps.lk/index.html -or- http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bpslist.html great stuff !
Meditation and the Art-maker
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_____________________________________________
a few words about The Arts and it's relationship with Meditation
The ARTS, SPRITUALITY & MEDITATION
An ancient highly productive partnership that's
been going on in all world cultures for millennia –
so we're not going to review humanity’s amazing story here.
There is Tao, Zen, Ikebana, Haiku, Bushido, Zen Gardens,
Ritual Dance, Noh Theater, Calligraphy, Zenga, Nanga, Bonsai,
Religious Icon Craft, Temple Chanting & Sacred Music, Negative
Space-use in art, Healing & Shaman Ritual, Geisha Mindful Gestures,
Samurai, Tantric Erotic Art and the renown Tea Ceremony etc upon etc.
ART always was SPIRITUAL, a human’s higher-expression of The Sacred.
– Actually in all cultures world-wide ! A Mindful Meditative Artful Sacredness.
Art-making, art-viewing or art-experiencing
are inherently 'contemplative' activities . . .
that naturally benefit from meditation ~
Meditation strengthens the art maker's mindfulness and awareness.
Meditation enhances the creative and viewing processes in specific ways –
it helps to synchronize mind and body, right and left hemispheres of the brain,
and our intuitive and intellectual abilities. The mindfulness & awareness practices
found in meditation develop our perception so that we may see and experience things
as they truly are. This leads us to genuine spontaneity and pure, un-selfconscious, full
expression. A 'creative process' based in the practice of meditation dissolves creative
blockages, reveals the source of creativity, leading to clear perception.
In the 'experiencing-process', meditation develops intuition, our pure felt-sense, sharpens
our native intelligence and can lead us towards an experience of the aesthetically profound
or sublime – where our felt & thought senses come together – to further awaken the 'creative'
and the 'viewing' processes.
~ Steven Saitzyk - Professor, Humanities & Sciences, Art Center College of Design – Los Angeles
and International Director of Shambhala Art
The Practice of MEDITATION:
The Benefits ? – enhances & strengthens
the art-maker's mindfulness & awareness.
“Meditation ...a doorway to
the significantly
deep unconscious.”
“Before meditation, before I used to ‘sit’ regularly
like I do now – I used to be only semi-conscious
and impulsively leap at the first images n’ things
that arose in my mind, and at what soon became
so banal - but I’d already started on it, or often
got way into it. But now I simply meditate and wait.
Sometimes I can wait quite awhile quite patiently.
I’ve simply learned to quietly wait by training myself.
That’s all, just that. I’m training myself in stillness.
And in the stillness the deeper regions of my mind
slowly unfold - and I only observe, not reacting,
not seizing on anything, not grasping. Just
witnessing and waiting. I see so much now.” ~ J.L.
________________________________
Thru a willing, consistent meditation practice -
gradually & naturally you expand & deepen
an authentic, attentive, open, clear, uncluttered,
wide, roomy, calm spacious field of awareness -
less & less disturbed by ongoing, shallow, chaotic,
obsessively running mental-images & commentary -
a panoramic field - toned, strengthened & stabilized
with a naturalistic meditation practice-approach ~ art
uncompromised with 'religion' or prescribed methods -
so you can have it readily available to you personally -
effortlessly, open, spontaneous & without efforting ....
Ah, then there's lots n' lots of vivid, deep, rich room
for true creative manifestation to naturally arise
in that much more silent, more user-friendly field
of e x p a n d e d awareness that's now all yours.
Just learn to begin to sit still sans ego. Simplistic?
Of course it is. It's just that you're not simple yet !
Ahh, but soon... your subtle depths are calling...
~ Akasa Levi
BTW, Some really good ancient Buddhist Art ~ http://www.buddhanet.net/gallery.htm
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_______________________________________________
"If one's thoughts towards 'spirituality'
were of the same passionate intensity
as those of a couple falling in 'love' –
one would become a Buddha right now,
in this very body, in this very life."
~ from The Love Poems of the Sixth Dalai Lama ( 1703 AD )
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___________________________________
“ART” is what You call 'That'.
What I call 'That' - is just That.
~ William Eggleston, photographer
Since all things are essentially naked,
clear and free from obscurations –
at least from their side, of course . . . .
There is nothing to 'attain' or 'realize'.
The 'Everyday Practice' of a practical
'Everyday Enlightenment' is simply
to 'd e v e l o p' into all situations,
and all emotions, and to all people –
as they simply come to you . . .
experiencing everything totally
without reservations and blockages -
so that one never withdraws, or aloof,
or centralizes back onto oneself.
~ Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
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_____________________________________________________
The ARTS, SPRITUALITY & MEDITATION: The Benefits –
Meditation strengthens the art-maker's mindfulness & awareness.
No "Beliefs" – A Core Understanding of Buddhism"
No 'beliefs': just watching, witnessing, perceiving, just noticing,
just investigating, just observing, observing, observing, observing'
– with absolute 'bare attentiveness' – just seeing, hearing, feeling –
without 'beliefs', without 'faith-in', without buying-in. Holy Indifferent.
No demand. No identifying with it. See it clearly, maybe leave it entirely alone.
Not psychologizing about it, not rationalizing, reasoning, justifying, not storytelling.
Not dismissing, not banishing, not fixing it, not meddling. Just observing, observing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Silly Solipsistic Zen Story about
the ‘Real Purpose’ of Meditation Training?
Taken from true facts, as the story so goes, Bhante Sudu Hom'dru,
was an American Buddhist monk who grew up on a small chicken farm near Woodstock, NY.
Now barefoot, painfully, mindfully walking the narrow ridges of hot sun-baked clay crossing a
dry rice paddy field near Bodhgaya, North India, mid 1970’s – with his noble Samurai-blooded
Japanese Zen monk-teacher Shibuya Sensei. Once a teenager questing through an Elvis 50’s,
this delusively-romantic, magical-thinking American always wanted his very own Zen teacher-
friend ever since finding alternatives in ‘Jazz’, finding Jack Kerouac’s 'Beat' open On The Road,
and especially late night radio-listening to early Jean Shepard dramatically invoke the mystical
Fu Manchu or intone a good Haiku - circa 1958 - when ‘hip’ was shared among the very sparse
few who knew. This funny, yet indignant Jewish ‘young soul’ evolved into this really ‘old soul’
robed sanyassi that partially ‘awakened’ himself way outside a parched desert village in India.
It was high-noon in ‘search of secret India’ – so he gave up looking to Hesse’s Siddhartha for
guidance or Gurdjieff’s elusive Meetings With Remakable Men to lead him forward - and thus
became a monk himself – and he ironically found an ‘identity’ to finish-up all identity-seeking –
that Long Last Role of the Buddhist – And it was still so bloody hot. Foolish barefoot yogi !
This novice, this overheated new monk had a Question: This monk always had a question.
Like a persistent child. Yet, it is so sad so many of us loose that quality early on in life. ‘Answers’
offered don’t seem to ultimately do it for us, nor permanently resolve anything & we stop ‘asking’.
Many of the monk's questions usually began with the same lead-in: "What is the 'purpose' of . .
this or that or such n' such"? This monk was still involved with ‘reasons’ & ‘purposes’ to things
or ideas. Lots of ‘content’, still little wisdom-‘context’. He hadn’t re-discovered his ‘wonder’ yet.
Except he did begin to see that it all is an unconsciously performed stage ‘magic show’ for him
to 'observe' everyday ‘illusions’ – just our fumbling attempts at some self-conscious Human Hocus
Pokus – manifesting here alongside Nature’s Grand Guileless Illusions. This monk knew he was
fragile, still fascinated by a tempting-performance. He asked Questions to sizably reduce his options.
“Oh, I've seen that – another ‘Repeat’ on TV t’nite”. Wisdom thins out repeat shows. Less to cling to.
"Sensei?" he asked him e.nun.ci.a.ting in slow, simple words because Sensei’s English
at the time was not too good. "What is the purpose of Zen-training?" Sensei responded warp
speed in his Asian-accented English – "To become aseempahton." Well, not getting the word
quite discernable at all - the young monk asked once again, "Sensei? – What is the real purpose
of Zen-training?" So Shibuya Sensei patiently repeated again & again, till the word finally punched
itself through – the esoterically mysterious word WAS now finally, clearly comprehendible at last –
"Ahh ~ Purpose of Zen training is to become a-seem-pah-ton – a-seem-pah-ton - and he wiggled
his wagging fingers wildly in the air for the briefest moment – then tapped his fingers on the young
monk's smooth-shaven monk-head. "Seem-pah-ton" – "The Purpose of Zen training is to become
a Simpleton". They both had a good chuckle. They then continued to walk on in silence. The monk
thought about how having a simpleton’s empty-head could allow room for more Space and Peace
to be in his simplifying mind – BE his mind ! So he could see better with it - make wiser, kinder
choices with it - and now 'know' simple happiness. He then stubbed his toe on a clump of clay.
"F#@k" –– But no Katsu shout of Satori today! ~ Bhante Sudu Hom'dru ( 1975 )
see http://www.artivists.org ~or~ http://artivists.org/Artivist_Film_Festival.php
The Festival’s supporters include Hollywood’s most concerned. The Artivist Awards
also pay tribute to highly regarded international organizations. Please visit their site.
Aesthetic & Artist & Activist & Ascetic & Altruist
all in a very special relationship with the world around them
(17) Our Contact Information & 'Seva' Service Associations
The Engaged METTA 'Seva' Service page.....The 8 ACTS of ‘METTA’-Kindness
Our 'Connecting'~
Information & 'Seva'
Service Associations
• "How Can I Personally Be Helped?" You Can !
Other Laughing Buddha-Blogs are here. . .
• Have QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS • QUESTIONS ?
• and .. Where's UPDATED Current Information ?
• "How Can I Personally Help?" Yes, You Can !
• some very good Humanitarian web-links here
• and some much APPRECIATED ASSOCIATIONS
• Retreat Centers: Regional & International
• Other Local Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups
• more empathy-based learning quotes
• and a last rim-shot of Zen funnies –
To Read more Here and Hand SCROLL DOWN to
the very End – WEB SITE ENDS down below ▼
• With some Optional Archive Links to follow
or ~ click to go back to TABLE of CONTENTS
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this -
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
_____________________________________________________________¬¬
-:¦:- Weekly MINDFULNESS MEDITATION SITTINGS
Buddhist Theravada Vipassana Insight Meditation & Dharma Study
The Laughing BUDDHA SANGHA RESOURCE-Site • Santa Monica
Opening the "Iconoclastic-Mind" - Buddhism Without Any 'Beliefs' !
Outside~The~Box~Buddhism for a Maverick Spirited Inner-Quest
Practice Guided by Akasa Levi • Visit our Meditation Bloghttp://buddhistmindfulnessmeditation.blogspot.com/
________________________________________________________________
-:¦:- Weekly ZEN MEN's Inner-Growth Groups
Compassionately & Intelligently Explore a Man's Deeper Core Life-Issues
♦ "Yup, EVERY GUY COULD USE BEING IN A MEN’S GROUP at some time in his life"
Guys learning to trust & support each other in making important life changes
HONEST TALK • HEART-FELT LISTENING • MEANINGFUL FEEDBACK • STRONG FELLOWSHIP
"Good Men Becoming Even Better Men !"
Visit our Men's Blog http://zenmensgroup.blogspot.com/
we have a Mystic Women's Blog that is just in waiting...
________________________________________________________________
• Please make all inquiries by phone • Best phone times: Noon to 6pm, M-F
310-450-2268 – unfortuneately, emails do tend to get buried & we like to talk 'live'...
________________________________________________________________
-:¦:- The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD THERAPY & COUNSELING PROJECT
Buddhist-based: a more Alternative Approach to Relating with Your 'Self' & Others
Private One-to-One Individual Therapy -or- Relationship Counseling for Couples,
Marriages, Friendships & Workplaces. "Reaching Out to Reach Deeper In"
'Befriending the Heart of the Mind' to find the truly sane, loving & alive part of you !
Visit our Counseling Blog http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/
Buddhism • a 2500 year mental wellness tradition. Mindful-Listening ©
“You
take
care
of
the Inside
~and~
the Inside
will take
care of
the
Outside”
~ The Tao
"Can I Personally Help?" Yes, Yes You Can !
The outspoken novelist Alice Walker – “The Color Purple” -said-
" Activism is my 'rent' for living on the planet – these days, the rent is always due ! " ––
“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of that candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared.
Generosity can bring happiness at every stage of its expression.
We experience joy in ‘forming the intention’ to be generous.
We experience joy in the ‘actual act of giving’ something.
And we experience joy in ‘remembering the fact’
that we have given or been given to...
Teach this triple truth to all:
A Generous Heart, Kind Speech, and a life of Service and
Compassion are the three things which renew humanity.”
~ The Buddha
–– there’s blessings abundant for all of us in
‘Practicing’ ACTS of METTA loving-kindness
and ‘DANA’ Gifting & Generosity !
... so be good to yourself, be generous on behalf of others – it’ll come back...
Even teeny tiny amounts of $5 or $10 dollars sent anywhere –
really still does some real good. So be good to yourself !
The Right Giving will eventually feel good. And do good !
The benefits always will still circulate...
what goes around comes around.
" If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or neglect it –
as I may not pass this way again."
~ William Penn
... so here’s some valid Humanitarian web-links
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Tsunami & Quakes - DISASTER RELIEF in South Asia has to continually go on & on !
( Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, over and down to Burma, Thailand, ‘Indo-China’, Malaysia & The Islands )
It has been an excruciatingly long, sad time for this area of the world, Here are two excellent choices
for your charitable-giving ( instead of the highly-suspect Red Cross ) to make a valuable, direct Asia Relief
Donation where ALL of the money will go directly into relief aid, directly to the villages of stricken people.
Really, EVERY PENNY COUNTS: make a donation large or even tiny ! 'Dana' is the Buddhist-word for Giving.
These Devastations & Sufferings will not go away quickly, now that it's off the world-headlines!
OPERATION USA - We highly recommend OP-USA, an internationally respected relief-group based
right here in our own Los Angeles - to gift money thru an organization that's right there at the front lines.
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Richard Walden - is founder of OP-USA. He & his people have been
around a very long time - and they really know how to get humanitarian efforts skillfully & effectively done.
Governments or their contractors still dodn't :: Phone: (323) 658-8876 ~ Fax: (323) 653-7846
Check them em out. www.opusa.org For monetary donations of ANY Amount: OPERATION USA
Send checks to: 8320 Melrose Ave - Suite 200 - LA 90069 or call with a credit card to 1-800-678-7255.
OP-USA email: rwalden@opusa.org :: Donations made in the USA are all USA income tax deductable.
"Whatever you can do or dream you can – begin it. Boldness has genius, power & magic in it."
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
SARVODAYA is Sri Lanka’s biggest charity, dedicated to making a positive difference in the lives
of rural Sri Lankans - working across all ethnic and religious communities and their dire life-struggles.
Sar-vod-aya Sri Lanka http://www.sarvodaya.org Sarvodaya USA http://www.sarvodayausa.org
This grassroots relief-movement has participants in as many as 15,000 villages throughout Sri Lanka.
It has admirers around the globe. Sarvodaya was founded in 1958 by a caring Sri Lankan schoolteacher,
Dr A.T. Ariyaratne - based on a Buddhist-Gandhi philosophy - dedicated to the sustainable empowerment
of people through self-help and collective support, to non-violence and peace. Sarvodaya believes that
it is not as much - 'what' it does to alleviate rural poverty - but the 'Way' in which it does it - which makes
it so effective and sustainable – through the active participation and engagement of villagers themselves.
It is best to donate Online to Sarvodaya USA - because these donations are tax deductible in the USA.
You may use all major credit cards. Sarvodaya USA is a 501( c )3 tax-exempt, non-profit organization.
Sarvodaya USA’s tax ID number is 13-3358148. You may send a check to their Madison Office:
Donations Payable to: Sarvodaya USA - 122 State Street Suite 510, Madison, WI 53703 USA
( Sarvodaya Sri Lanka - No 98, Rawatawatta Road, Moratuwa , Sri Lanka ) You are welcome to visit.
FYI - Different American Buddhist centers and groups support selective Buddhist countries now in devastation,
humanitarian or preservation needs. The Laughing Buddha Sangha's ties are particularly in support of Sri Lanka.
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care."
~ Cavett Robert
Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.
~ Voltaire – 1750
Our Wish List: Mostly we're lookin' to welcome a volunteer 'Spirit' or a Tech-angel
who's a web-designer or web-master / blog mistress or meister with hands-on skills
and creative ideas – and that feels an odd-affinity for what we're about. You?
some much APPRECIATED ASSOCIATIONS
“The SPIRITUAL ADULTHOOD PROJECT” Healing the Spirit includes work of S.E.N.
( Spiritual Emergency-Emergence Network ) created at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California.
The Spiritual Adulthood Therapy & Counseling Project 'Reaching Out, to Reach Deeper In'
~ is a Buddhist-based spiritual 'alternative' treatment-approach for the mind towards a wise and
compassionate-relating fully with yourself & others. http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com
We are an outreach-project of “The Laughing Buddha Sangha” Santa Monica, CA 90405
and we utilize the Mindfulness-based Insight practices and approaches that are offered
at Jack Kornfield's Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Marin, California. www.spiritrock.org
Should you wish to do an extended meditation retreat – a few days or a week or month – in
the beautiful rolling hills of Northern California with excellent accommodations, dis is da’ place.
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For many good years now, The Laughing Buddha Sangha's monastic-affiliation has been
guided by The Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara of Los Angeles ~ Sri Lanka Temple
& Monastery under the guidance of it's Abbot, The Venerable ‘Bhante’ Walpola Piyananda.
Bhante is the The Maha Sangha Nayake Thera, the head-monastic of his sect here in the USA.
It may actually be best to contact us first here at LBSangha - 310-450-2268 to run it by us
for the most appropriate way to connect with these monks ––– or just call them direct, either.
1847 Crenshaw Boulevard • Los Angeles, CA90019 • at Crenshaw & Washington Blvds.
323-737-5084 after 4pm. email: bhantep@yahoo.com web-site: www.dharmavijaya.org
• If you wish to Donate: phone the temple for Details.
These Devastations will not go away quickly now that it's off the world-headlines!
“The Bhikkhu-monks of The Dharma Vijaya Buddhist Vihara ( Temple ) in Los Angeles
and The Sri Lankan Buddhist Sangha (Monastic) Council of the United States & Canada
request your kind generosity for all the peoples receiving Sri Lanka disasters relief aid.
Monks will directly oversee the distribution of funds for all rebuilding processes - we have
our own monks at the sites fully supervising. They purchase most needed materials directly
in Sri Lanka, which also benefits the economy there.” You are welcome to come visit.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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. . . and to retreat ––– to really, really get away & go inward...
Dhamma Dena Desert Retreat Vipassana Center – MaDhamma Ruth Denison is
founder & resident teacher of 'Dhamma Dena' way out in the High Desert of Joshua Tree.
Now 85, Ruth is of the very first generation of women teachers of Vipassana in the West –
a great, generous, dear mentor to us all. Contact: Dhamma Dena Desert Retreat Center,
HC-1 Box 250, Joshua Tree CA 92252 – Ph: 760-362-4815. Please, Always phone as Ruth
may be teaching abroad. ( Center website ) http://dhammadena.googlepages.com/
Mme. Ruth Denison ( profiles & interviews ) - http://fr.dharma.org/ij/archives/1997a/ruth.htm
and http://www.sandyboucher.net/dancing.htm and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Denison
________________________________________________________________¬¬______________________________
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The Rockhill Hermitage & Forest Meditation Retreat Centre ~ Sri Lanka
Venerable 'Bhante' Kassapa Nayake Thera ~
Postal Address: The Rockhill Hermitage at Wegirikanda,
Hondiyadeniya, Via Gampola, near Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Bhante Kassapa ( whose English is exquisite ) and his approach to the Buddha's Dharma teachings
is savvy & carries a contemporary sophistication while yet living in the forest. Bhante is the original
founder of the rural Rockhill Hermitage - an International Forest Meditation Centre about an hour
upcountry from Kandy via a battered country bus. Bhante Kassapa is also the senior-teacher at the
Vipassana Insight Meditation Foundation in Melbourne, Australia; and The Austin Repatriation and
Medical Centre in Melbourne, where he resided and taught for 12 years. Bhante's direct-lineage of
advanced practice goes back to his Sri Lanka, nationally revered, root-teacher The Most Venerable
Maha-Nayake Thera Balangoda Ananda-Maitreya, the Head Monastic of the Amarapura Lineage.
So to really get away for a retreat abroad - this is worth checking out. You may have to send a few
duplicate emails to all these email-addresses to get a return reply, as Inter-net communication abroad
can be difficult. Be sure to get Bhante Kassapa's current schedule: when he's in residence, and when
teaching abroad? Akasa Levi ( Akasa-Maitreya ) was a teaching-monk in residence here for 4 years.
Emails: info@rockhillsrilanka.com ; julietan_lk@yahoo.com ; kassapab@ids.lk ; timbrowning@netspace.net.au ; web site: under construction / try ! www.rockhillsrilanka.com
______________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
The two original founding Theravada Buddhist
Vipassana Insight Meditation Centers in the USA offering
teaching lineage-based Sati-patthana Mindfulness Meditation.
Insight Meditation Society
Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg
Barre, MA 01005 ( western Mass. )http://dharma.org/ims/index.php http://dharma.org/ims/mr_audio.html http://dharma.org/ims/mr_glossary.html
gloss of Buddhist Terms to help you read
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Jack Kornfield, Silvia Boorstein
Woodacre, CA 94973 ( near Fairfax west Marin ) http://www.spiritrock.org/ http://www.spiritrock.org/display.asp?catid=3&pageid=13
both centers can link you up to local Vipassana meditation practice groups nation-wide
____________________________________________________________
The Buddhist Publication Society – is a non-profit in Sri Lanka whose goal
is to clearly explain & publish the original early Theravada teachings of the
Buddha. Founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1958 by the late Nyanaponika Thera.
Books, booklets & many FREE print-outs Online. The language is somewhere
between popular & academic – modest in tone, but great valuable stuff ! http://www.bps.lk/index.html -or- http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/bpslist.html
THINK SANGHA – http://www.bpf.org/html/resources_and_links/think_sangha/think_sangha.html
an organization called THINK SANGHA is a Buddhist social / environmental think tank. Interested ?
"Buddhist Intellectual Practice Tools for Integrating Spirituality & Social Change Work”.
Buddhist Peace Fellowship – http://www.bpf.org/html/home.html founded in 1978
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship envisions a future in which people from all backgrounds come
into a heartfelt-realization of our interconnection to each other & to the Earth. Believing that
actions generated from this understanding will create societies guided by generosity, compassion,
wisdom and justice. The mission of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship ( BPF ) is to serve as a catalyst
for socially engaged Buddhism. Our purpose is to help beings liberate themselves from the suffering
that manifests in individuals, relationships, institutions, and social systems. BPF's programs, publications,
and practice-groups link Buddhist teachings of wisdom and compassion with progressive social change.
_________________________________________________________________________
Los Angeles Local Teacher-led Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups ~
For the pure 'original' teachings of one specific Tradition – for that we go gratefully to the monastics.
In adapting to Western, and American 'sensibilities' in particular - most local lay Buddhist sanghas have
been highly selective in their 'eclectic', yet very specific, well-informed, well-chosen add-on disciplines.
Teachers take these on, initially through personal interest, and then often offer the general public some of
these selected enhancements in addition to their own traditional Buddhist practice. "Good choice-making"
is always so very important when 'single tradition' spiritual teachers are going 'eclectic' – as most teachers
were originally trained first deep within a single, cohesive tradition of practice – as most of us have a solid
base in Theravada Vipassana. It is crucially important to perserve and to insure the Theravada school's
extraordinary clarity of view. Some teachers have added-on a choice-mix of Non-Duality Advaita, Dzogchen
or Zen – and the best possible offerings of modern 'psychology' too. Mostly, these mixtures are of ancient
established and tested traditions. So much of all this are very new ideas to Westerners. Ask lots'a Questions.
Krishnamurti's view is that "Truth is Ultimately a Pathless Land" in our conscious intention to wake up.
_____________________________________________________________________________
India’s pioneering Theravada Vipassana Meditation teacher
Sri S.N. Goenka used to chant while laughing quite heartily –
"Theravada, Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Tantrayana –
All ‘vehicles’ will be towed away at owner's expense!"
It's a Buddhist Pun: 'yana' means 'vehicle' in the Pali language ~
In Buddhism and Hinduism, both 'yana' and 'marga' (road or path) and 'vada' –
all express the metaphor of spiritual practice as a 'Path' or a 'Journey' and the
'means' or 'vehicle' to it – like in "Dharma my ride" – it's all "one vehicle" . . .
"a journey to awakening: a river's destination is the ocean"
Ultimately, it's Eka'yana ( One Yana ) "one vehicle"
___________________________________________________________
alphabetically ...
Local Sanghas & Meditation Sitting Groups ALL offer weekly sittings
Against The Stream Buddhist Meditation Society and "Dharma Punx" ~ Noah Levine – http://againstthestream.org/ and http://www.dharmapunx.com/index.asp a large, strong, supportive
'activist' Sangha with a 'recovery' focus and a gentle, yet counter-culture 'tude. Young, good vibes !
Don't Worry Zendo ~ Michael Attie – http://www.dontworryzendo.com/ – a very informal, friendly
and very non-sectarian meditation sangha. 'Crazy Zen Wisdom' in the form of Michael's newest book
"Many Ways, Middle Way, No Way - a Guide to Meditation, Spiritual Awakening and Fun" - an eccentric,
humorous, open-hearted, irreverent, personal & poetic take on the Dharma - and a kind gentle teacher.
Insight LA ~ Trudy Goodman – http://www.insightla.org/ - the L.A. 'Spirit Rock' branch has a full offering
of formal programs ( and family & children's programs ). Insight LA offers traditional mindfulness meditation
groups for the beginner, and intensive training for more experienced students and professional CEU credits.
L.A. Dharma at The Insight Center ~ Bhante Hye Wol Sunim; Michael Shiffman; Juliet Soopikian.http://www.ladharma.org/ – http://www.insightcenter.org/ L.A. Dharma teaches Buddhist mindfulness
meditation to the public, while The Insight Center is a CBBS & APA approved provider to sponsor CEU
classes for licensed mental health professionals with an interest in the efficacy of Mindfilness-based
Meditation approaches & specialized workshops for psychologists, MFTs, LCSWs, nurses & CAADACs.
The Laughing Buddha Sangha ~ Akasa Levi – http://www.zentrance.com/ – You're here Now ! http://buddhistmindfulnessmeditation.blogspot.com/ & http://buddhistcounselingtherapy.blogspot.com/
Weekly Vipassana Meditation & Anatta-Dharma Inquiry & Study - an iconoclastic, more maverick-spirited
satsang & beginners practice in Santa Monica. LBS has a big resource-site of learning-quotes & study-links.
Long Beach Meditation ~ Victor Byrd – http://www.longbeachmeditation.com/ a gracious sangha –
This has always been my dream: a community of genuine spiritual friends supporting one another in our
practice. We are a home for anyone who imagines that there is something Real beyond the unreal. The
Way to the Real exists only within our own silent heart. LBM is now a CEU provider for MFT's & LCSW's.
Manzanita Village Retreat Center & The Five Changes Foundation ~ http://manzanitavillage.org/
Michele Benzamin-Miki & Caitríona Reed – an integrated training in meditation & personal evolution work.
LGBTQ, people of color, artists workshops, bridging social justice with the celebration & healing of individuals,
communities and the earth – an LA in-town & rural meditation retreat environmental sanctuary way out in nature.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nature & The Land -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:- -:¦:-
As The Sacred Seasons pass, our environmental-affiliation with Nature & The Land has been so
generously nourished by Mary & Eric Lloyd Wright and The WRIGHT Organic Resource Center
for Nature, Art, Architecture, Organic Living & Community. The ‘view’ is absolutely astounding!
The "Wright Land" hosts group-gatherings that nurture deep ecological consciousness in a pristine,
rustic setting way up high on a beautiful California coastal ridge atop the Santa Monica Mountains
overlooking the vast sea in Malibu – to directly experience some of the legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright
- to envision, learn and actually participate in building a socially & environmentally connected world.
Here is a living example of Frank Lloyd Wright's "Green" sustainable development ~ through organic
architecture - organic community vegetable gardens and recycling systems. Very kind good people.
WORC offers workshops & inspiring events like quarterly public Solstice & Equinox Celebrations
and other Sacred Seasonal Gatherings – and Frank Lloyd Wright's Annual Birthday Party !
See calendar: http://www.elwright.net/wrightway/calendar.html email: WORC@elwright.net
"I wonder how much we realize in our daily living the spirituality
of our life. I wonder if we see Nature in the other person. Do we
hear someone speak in the same way we listen to a bird singing
or the brook bubbling? Or do we get something in between us –
and lose that natural listening, or lose that natural communion?
Is it possible to see that each one of us is Nature?" ~ Ligia Dantes
________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
"How Can I Personally Help?"... another way is
to embrace & absorb more empathy-expressing attitudes.
How ? Find a quote below that speaks to you or challenges you & learn it.
Or at least, semi-learn it, just get intimate with the quote. Let it in. Way in.
Then walk around all day contemplating it gently to yourself - it increases
its depth deep within you. ‘Pondering’ quotes a lot leads to ‘contemplation’
that leads to an open-hearted ‘realization’. We are all together in this . . .
Here are some activist-quotes ~ may they be supportive towards all of our active caring.
There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.
~ Mother Teresa
If you wish to experience peace
~ provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
~ cause another to know
that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.
~ The Dalai Lama
Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness?
~ Anna Douglas
If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.
~ Gandhi
Discovering the net of interrelatedness –
including all of life in our very own heart
Experience this very moment
– here right now –
and you can discover the joy
that includes everything –
the love that includes hate
the peace that includes the war.
~ metta zetty
And you are to love all those
who are your 'aliens' –
for you yourselves
were aliens in Egypt.
~ Deuteronomy 10:19
The opposite of love is not hate –
it's indifference.
The opposite of art is not ugliness –
it's indifference.
The opposite of faith is not heresy –
it's indifference.
And the opposite of life is not death –
it's indifference.
~ Elie Wiesel
Our lives begin to end
the day we become silent
about things that matter.
~ Martin Luther King
If you think you are too small
to make a difference,
you've never been in bed
with a mosquito.
~ Will Rodgers
Remember - Grains of sand
can start an avalanche.
~ Marianne Baillieu
If we don't fight hard enough
for the things we stand for –
at some point we have to recognize
that we don't really stand for them.
~ Senator Paul Wellstone
Arise all you women
that have strong hearts –
whether your baptism be
that of water or tears!
From the bosom
of the devastated Mother Earth,
an earthy voice full of buried sons
goes up with our own.
Disarm, Disarm, Disarm !
The sword of murder
is not the balance of justice."
~ Excerpt from Julia Ward Howe's proclamation
that created Mother's Day in 1870
In her 1965 essay
"The Imagination of Disaster",
Susan Sontag said that modern Americans
live in an age of extremes –
under continual threat of two equally fearful,
but seemingly opposed, destinies –
Unremitting Banality & Inconceivable Terror.
You must Fearlessly
DO something meaningful !
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way.
~ Nick Rath
“ May you and I and all beings live with a peaceful loving heart
and enjoy a healthy, happy body and mind ! “
" I love you, gentlest of Ways –
you who ripened us ...
as we wrestled with you."
~ Rainer Rilke
♦Ω♦
The End is Insight
_______________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_______________________________
"I am astounded by people who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."
~ Woody Allen
for Roshi - a poem
I never really understood
what he said
but every now and then
I find myself
barking with the dog
or bending with the irises
or helping out
in other little ways
~ Leonard Cohen - Singer/Songwriter
This poem was written by Leonard in honor of
his 100 year old Los Angeles meditation teacher,
Joshu Sasaki Roshi of Mount Baldy Zen Center.
For over eighty years
I yelled Katsu ! to no avail.
And now, while dying,
Once more to shout “Kwatz” !
Won't change a damn thing.
~ Kokei Sochin Zenji (1515–1597)
'Kwatz' is Japanese for 'Eureka'
The Journey of a Thousand Miles
Begins with a single "Oiy".
Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain Nothingness.
And then what do you have?
*Bupkis.
~ The Sayings of a Jewish Buddhist ~
* Bupkis: is defined as "Nothing" in Yiddish
________________________________
Everyone knows the End of the Story.
The End of the Story is 'Right Now'.
.:: The END ::.
~ a lotus flower to you ~
Sit Meditation. See Much Better. Dharma-Study It.
See Through It. You're Set Free ! Wheee !
" THE GREATEST RISK IS NOT TAKING ONE! "
Buddhist Therapy:
It’s been done
very effectively
for 1000’s of years….
"Remember, the 'illusion'
merely has the appearance
of existing from its own side.
♦ "Remember... the 'illusion'
has only the ‘appearance’
of existing from its own side.
Take it to your side, you're caught."
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
C:\Users\Levi\Desktop\ZenTrance CLASS BOOK 11.08.doc
~ Lama Thubten Yeshe
"The mind does not 'see' what is Real –
The eye only 'sees' what is Actual –
what is 'Actual' – solid – tangible
that 'what is' is brought to the mind.
Please do not confuse
what is Actual with what is Real"
~ Henri Van Zeyst
"It is the experience of advanced yogis
who no longer perceive things 'dualistically' -
And even for them –
The fact that 'Things' simply do 'manifest'
without 'truly existing' - is still so amazing,
that they burst out in laughter"
~and~
Since everything is but an 'Apparition' –
Perfect in just being 'What It Is' ~ As It Is.
Having nothing to do with 'good' or 'bad',
'acceptance' or 'rejection' – or with ME.
You might as well just burst out laughing!
~ Longchenpa (1308-1369 AD)
two versions from The Choying Dzod
"The ‘Real’ does not die –
the ‘Unreal’ never lived.
Thoughts are not Reality."
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
" Good timber does not grow with ease. . .
The stronger the wind ~ the stronger the trees."
~ Willard Marriot ~
Why are you so unhappy?
Because 99.9 per cent
Of everything
you think about,
And of everything you do,
Is for your "Self" –
And there isn't one.
~ Wei Wu Wei
Helooooo --
This is akasa levi -- we practice waking up
-- we invite you to leave a message
-- and actually speak your name
-- and actually speak your phone number
-- even if you think we have ‘em --
-- we do want to know you called .
-- please speak those digits
very clearly, very slowly --
n’ get to be a happy Buddha
___________________________________________________
"Eighty percent of ‘success’ is just showing up !” ~ Woody Allen
_____________________________________________________
Dear Reader:
The Journey IS the Destiation ~
Success is a Journey, not a Destination.
Whatever the motives, good or bad --
If you do not change directions,
you may end up where
you are heading." ~ Lao Tzu
_____________
Each chapter of this site is concluded
with theme-related quotes and poetry.
Be inspired with your own enjoyment
______________________________-
“Whatever the Question ~
Love and Kindness is the Answer”
“ If you wish to experience peace
- provide peace for another.
If you wish to know that you are safe
- cause another to know that they are safe.
People ask me - What is your religion?
I respond: My religion is ‘Kindness’.
Kindness is my religion.”
~ H.H.The Dalai Lama
“There is more hunger
for Love and Appreciation
in this world than for bread.
Loneliness and the feeling of
being unwanted is the most terrible.
If we have no Peace,
it is because we have forgotten
that we belong to each other.
We can do no 'great things' –
just many small things
with Great Love.”
~ Mother Teresa
_______________________________
"Good timber
does not
grow with ease.
The stronger the wind,
the stronger the trees." ~ Willard Marriot
Grandfather Bearheart, a Creek elder said ~
"Destiny is every step we’re
going thru right now to get there."
“La vraie générosité envers l'avenir
consiste à tout donner au présent.”
“True generosity towards the future
is to give everything to the present.” ~ Albert Camus
"It is not how 'much' you do – but how much
Love you put into the 'doing' that matters.
People don't care how 'much' you know,
until they know how much you care." ~ Cavett Robert
"Kindness" is more important than 'Wisdom' -
and the 'clear-recognition' of this - =
IS the beginning of Wisdom." ~ Theodore Issac Rubin
"If there is any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do for a fellow being -
Let me do it now - and not deter or n
as I may not pass this way again." ~ William Penn
“Seeing our lives as a ‘Force’
for bringing on happiness
and peace to ourselves and others.
Do we trust enough
to surrender our separateness ? “ ~ Anna Douglas
“If you do not see Godliness
in the next person you meet,
you need look no further.” ~ Gandhi
“Every man is guilty
of all that Good
he didn't do.” ~ Voltaire – 1750
__________
... and
the children
listen best
to sunshine
and the whispering
of the wind
They understand
the flowers
the clouds
and they pray
you and I
will find a better way. ~ Nick Rath
The End is Insight
___________________________________
BREAK THE SILENCE WITH LAUGHTER !
_____________________________________
"I am astounded by people
who want to 'know' the Universe –
when it's hard enough to find
your way around Chinatown. ~ Woody Allen
♦ A Therapy for Maverick Minds - offers compassionate relief thru "Mindfulness" as an alternative • One-to-one Individual Counseling for Non-Ordinary Gifted people • Rebels, Artists, Activists, Atheists, Intuitives, Fugitives, Creatives • smart, savvy, cerebral, verbal, quiet, funny, sincere people --yet so Unhappy • Difficult to Communicate Feelings • Stress Wounded Spirit • "Mindfulness" cultivates a cure-able, stable, calm, kind, kewl, loving, fearless, insightful Big Good-Hearted Mind
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