So Truth is nature, nature is manifested, yet what is obvious escapes us blah blah
What I would like to share is that we understand the same stuff in greater depth when we actually sit still for elongated time, piercing the shooting pain in the knees and tie down the thought rider-the mind
This one is about peace, what I thought then and Now
Peace I thought was 'calmness', I now understand it as 'detachment'
Peace I thought was 'happiness', I now understand it as 'wisdom'
Peace I understood as a wholesome 'quality', I know understand it as an 'Outcome'
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
Not in Things
When mind settles in
settles in and of itself
Overlooking things
from above
Gratitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=158AWXhDdZI&feature=related
settles in and of itself
Overlooking things
from above
Gratitude
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=158AWXhDdZI&feature=related
For Bruce
Dance is the mystic,
or is mystic the dance?
Wonder and wish ...
but dont think enlightenment is by chance!
Sing a song, if the song takes you there,
song becomes a song, when the 'self' is not there!
The mystic of now, the mystics of lore
mystic of future ...mystics from before
Not knowing each other ...
they knew the same thing!
For the one gone forth (Bruce, my friend)
the heart does sing :)
Bruce lives in North Carolina, a dear friend. Today I was inspired to write something down and somehow, I wanted to dedicate it to a friend I havent met in my life.
One of the traits you will notice while developing metta is that you will feel outbursts of joys, even for strangers, new people, people you havent met...I havent met Bruce. But I have read about this fellow traveller.
Popular Metta Expression in English and Pali (for directing thoughts)
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
... Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Karaṇīyam-
atthakusalena yaṃ
taṃ santaṃ padaṃ abhisamecca
... Sukhino vā khemino hontu
sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty,
medium, short or small,
Ye keci pāṇa bhūtatthi
tasā vā thāvarā vā anavasesā
Dīghā vā ye mahantā vā
majjhamā rassakāṇukathūlā
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!
Diṭṭhā vā yeva addiṭṭhā
ye ca dūre vasanti avidūre
Bhūtā vā sambhavesī vā
sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Na paro paraṃ nikubbetha
nātimaññetha katthaci naṃ kañci
Byārosanā paṭighasaññā
nāññamaññassa dukkhamiccheyya
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ āyusā
ekaputtamanurakkhe
Evampi sabbabhūtesū
mānasaṃ bhāvaye aparimānaṃ
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Mettaṃ ca sabbalokasmiṃ
mānasaṃ bhāvaye aparimānaṃ
Uddhaṃ adho ca tiriyañca
asambādhaṃ
averaṃ asapattaṃ
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding....[40]
Tiṭṭhaṃ caraṃ nisinno vā sayāno
vā yāvatassa vigatamiddho
Etaṃ satiṃ adhiṭṭheyya
brahmametaṃ vihāraṃ idhamāhu....[41]
or is mystic the dance?
Wonder and wish ...
but dont think enlightenment is by chance!
Sing a song, if the song takes you there,
song becomes a song, when the 'self' is not there!
The mystic of now, the mystics of lore
mystic of future ...mystics from before
Not knowing each other ...
they knew the same thing!
For the one gone forth (Bruce, my friend)
the heart does sing :)
Bruce lives in North Carolina, a dear friend. Today I was inspired to write something down and somehow, I wanted to dedicate it to a friend I havent met in my life.
One of the traits you will notice while developing metta is that you will feel outbursts of joys, even for strangers, new people, people you havent met...I havent met Bruce. But I have read about this fellow traveller.
Popular Metta Expression in English and Pali (for directing thoughts)
This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
... Wishing: In gladness and in safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Karaṇīyam-
atthakusalena yaṃ
taṃ santaṃ padaṃ abhisamecca
... Sukhino vā khemino hontu
sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty,
medium, short or small,
Ye keci pāṇa bhūtatthi
tasā vā thāvarā vā anavasesā
Dīghā vā ye mahantā vā
majjhamā rassakāṇukathūlā
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born —
May all beings be at ease!
Diṭṭhā vā yeva addiṭṭhā
ye ca dūre vasanti avidūre
Bhūtā vā sambhavesī vā
sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā
Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Na paro paraṃ nikubbetha
nātimaññetha katthaci naṃ kañci
Byārosanā paṭighasaññā
nāññamaññassa dukkhamiccheyya
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ āyusā
ekaputtamanurakkhe
Evampi sabbabhūtesū
mānasaṃ bhāvaye aparimānaṃ
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Mettaṃ ca sabbalokasmiṃ
mānasaṃ bhāvaye aparimānaṃ
Uddhaṃ adho ca tiriyañca
asambādhaṃ
averaṃ asapattaṃ
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding....[40]
Tiṭṭhaṃ caraṃ nisinno vā sayāno
vā yāvatassa vigatamiddho
Etaṃ satiṃ adhiṭṭheyya
brahmametaṃ vihāraṃ idhamāhu....[41]
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Inhaling Wisdom
I had one of those Duh! moments. Superficially I might smile about it, but internally speaking I am still feeling like I am one step away from safety, walking on a tight rope. Thats probably why I am writing this -keep it to the fore, not to trample this beautiful insight or 'thought' with other mundane realizations.
Benefits and motive of meditations is a usual theme, mind trying to justify and be on track.
With meditative detachment and goodness it is easy to win friends, take over and turn around loss making projects, and stupid manuscripts. Its good to learn to mediate when you are young, so that instead of retaining regrets with growing experiences, you actually use this experience, the time you have (you seem to have ample of it when you are young) to refine your fortitude and morality ... and similar stuff. Then
Duh!
Meditation is actually meant for something larger. Look at the monk, letting go, letting go each moment. S/he is using each moment as s/he progresses towards death in not assimilation (of material things, beautiful wife, brilliant kids), but in letting go.
How stupid will it be, to learn meditation and still be bent on accumulation?
Benefits and motive of meditations is a usual theme, mind trying to justify and be on track.
With meditative detachment and goodness it is easy to win friends, take over and turn around loss making projects, and stupid manuscripts. Its good to learn to mediate when you are young, so that instead of retaining regrets with growing experiences, you actually use this experience, the time you have (you seem to have ample of it when you are young) to refine your fortitude and morality ... and similar stuff. Then
Duh!
Meditation is actually meant for something larger. Look at the monk, letting go, letting go each moment. S/he is using each moment as s/he progresses towards death in not assimilation (of material things, beautiful wife, brilliant kids), but in letting go.
How stupid will it be, to learn meditation and still be bent on accumulation?
Friday, December 31, 2010
New Year Group Sitting
Foggy morning, drunk drivers and pollution. Made my way to the group retreat after walking the dog I am taking care of these days, without the much needed breakfast (all the hunger gone - I am trying to keep the precepts and don’t eat supper … though I don’t strictly stick to 'dont eat after 12 noon' routine. I was very much inclined to eat last night but contemplated on the ‘filthy’ aspects of food and could overcome, easily, though it took a while for the desire to leave completely, I dont know how to lose ;)
I think New Year is opportune time to explain ‘condensed experience’* (making up these terms, actual experience in meditation doesn’t need these ‘terms like condensed experience’). Condensed experience: Do you see how you look at the year/s gone by and pump up a resolution – the magic of condensed experience.
How it works? Well, some cleansing from looking back at the larger picture objectively. Real time, some moments of truth :) Also, you might not want to think this way right now, but this is like death, some chunk of my life gone, never to be retrieved. Just that in death All of it is gone.
You are suddenly glad for the leftovers.
I reached the meditation group sitting:
This old guy (teacher) conducted the meditation, and I sat down, and he answered some technical aspects of meditation with great ease and resolved doubts I had for some months. He approved and disapproved at right places. It was like taking your script to the editor, and let her suggest changes (my managerial editor was a ‘she’ :)
For general sharing on this forum, two lessons came up
One, meditators often feel pressed for spiritual experiences. It is funny and wrong to look for tangible benefits like glowing skin and perfect health from meditation, but people expect it anyway. So, the lesson is work for your material goals, keep your job/house/pet in good shape and be clear that only when you work with these things will there be better outcomes. Meditation does not help out there … yeah it can give you inspiration and guidance like being more moral in your life, being patient and spreading goodwill.
Second, mistakes happen. This insight was profound and has come after many many mini-insight-moments about the same thing. One of the things that happens to us, especially when we visit our family and old friends, is that they remind us of our mistakes. Now, the meditative mind will tell you to ‘let go’ of the past. Now that’s a cosmetic thing-let go. What I learnt was to take advantage of these mistake remembrances thrown into my face. These are like old untangled knots brought out. I carefully investigate – can I do something about it now. If I can do it, I will bend my back to amend. Most often though, its too late for amendments. In that case face the mistakes (not dwell on them), explore it and let it not cloud you this time (now here we use a practical tool of vendana, and remain equanimous to associated sensations on the body). Mistakes become a means to clear and uproot old sankharas, the imperfections. No guilt traps, no more!
I think New Year is opportune time to explain ‘condensed experience’* (making up these terms, actual experience in meditation doesn’t need these ‘terms like condensed experience’). Condensed experience: Do you see how you look at the year/s gone by and pump up a resolution – the magic of condensed experience.
How it works? Well, some cleansing from looking back at the larger picture objectively. Real time, some moments of truth :) Also, you might not want to think this way right now, but this is like death, some chunk of my life gone, never to be retrieved. Just that in death All of it is gone.
You are suddenly glad for the leftovers.
I reached the meditation group sitting:
This old guy (teacher) conducted the meditation, and I sat down, and he answered some technical aspects of meditation with great ease and resolved doubts I had for some months. He approved and disapproved at right places. It was like taking your script to the editor, and let her suggest changes (my managerial editor was a ‘she’ :)
For general sharing on this forum, two lessons came up
One, meditators often feel pressed for spiritual experiences. It is funny and wrong to look for tangible benefits like glowing skin and perfect health from meditation, but people expect it anyway. So, the lesson is work for your material goals, keep your job/house/pet in good shape and be clear that only when you work with these things will there be better outcomes. Meditation does not help out there … yeah it can give you inspiration and guidance like being more moral in your life, being patient and spreading goodwill.
Second, mistakes happen. This insight was profound and has come after many many mini-insight-moments about the same thing. One of the things that happens to us, especially when we visit our family and old friends, is that they remind us of our mistakes. Now, the meditative mind will tell you to ‘let go’ of the past. Now that’s a cosmetic thing-let go. What I learnt was to take advantage of these mistake remembrances thrown into my face. These are like old untangled knots brought out. I carefully investigate – can I do something about it now. If I can do it, I will bend my back to amend. Most often though, its too late for amendments. In that case face the mistakes (not dwell on them), explore it and let it not cloud you this time (now here we use a practical tool of vendana, and remain equanimous to associated sensations on the body). Mistakes become a means to clear and uproot old sankharas, the imperfections. No guilt traps, no more!
Creating ‘Unknown’
So much of us wants to work with labels/names/identifying.
When you sit to meditate, just give space to unknown, create this space deliberately. See if you can stay there :) This will enable learning, welcoming, creating space and for once backing off from the stage of the 'doing' occupying mind
Without being open to unknown, you sit trying to tell your mind, such and such experience, or this or that…u wont come out any better, would you? (breath takes you there, an accompaniment towards unknown)
Like a plant needs room to grow, space…
So, when you sit, just sit still, creating space for unknown. Usually, we are afraid of unknown, we want to label things…
*Meditation on Nothingness
When you sit to meditate, just give space to unknown, create this space deliberately. See if you can stay there :) This will enable learning, welcoming, creating space and for once backing off from the stage of the 'doing' occupying mind
Without being open to unknown, you sit trying to tell your mind, such and such experience, or this or that…u wont come out any better, would you? (breath takes you there, an accompaniment towards unknown)
Like a plant needs room to grow, space…
So, when you sit, just sit still, creating space for unknown. Usually, we are afraid of unknown, we want to label things…
*Meditation on Nothingness
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
How much do you love ‘me’?
Ok, there is a parameter to measure how much you love others/yourself, and we are going to discuss that.
Lets begin with a question:
What aspects about yourself you feel are more pronounced or become important to you when you are in presence of others?
Lets leave that question there. Forget the question.
You will judge others on norms, by the norms you use to judge yourself - deeply thats an indication of how have you personally placed your self-worth. (So, people who are generally critical/in awe of the world, are people who need to place importance to loving/accepting themselves, as they are, and only then think about making any progress in real terms, otherwise successes will become hollow ;)
Mostly, self-worth sometimes may not even be dependent on outside circumstance, for example, the most beautiful model may be completely insecure about her looks, you know, so you need to really see what is your self-worth in your own eyes, or rather be secure and be real about loving yourself without letting anything external or physical being a factor in this. The extent to which you can love yourself - that is how far you will go about loving others too, no further. So yeah, dont be surprised if the the model's boyfriend may complain to her that he doesn't feel loved ... he doesnt feel love because she has not yet learned to love (herself). Again, loving not dependent on outside, not at all on outside physical circumstance/merits etc. Personal sense of self-worth, thats all.
...one has to feel loving compassion towards oneself, before one ventures into meditation, or loving for that matter.
Only when love is present, can we expect something real to happen.
In matters of love, the amount of delight you feel for other’s progress, beauty, well-being, is related, somehow, to how much love you feel for yourself. Not only in between couples but also strangers. Appreciation for others, delight you feel for others (sometimes even more than the person himself) helps to cultivate a warm heart.
I heard one monk say, “If you haven’t cried from your heart yet, you haven’t even begun meditation” (He said this to someone on meditation retreat … oh! I remember crying myself, not grieving but I have cried on retreats from joy, gratitude and sometimes just crying as if flood gates opened, crying without reason-opening up, melting)
Ok, along similar lines, one cant meditate unless one has some love towards oneself, acceptance and joy. From this station of joy will you move further. Cultivate joy, and to cultivate joy you need love. To cultivate love for yourself, true acceptance, learn to take true delight in goodness, in progress of others, and even if you don’t have that much or this much, feel glad that someone out there is happy. Even for strangers, even in flowers, learn to feel delighted for simple (or complex ;) instances of beauty, wisdom and prosperity. You may not need to express this physically or verbally to the person you are feeling joy for, but feel real delight, not jealousy. These are traits to be cultivated for a pure heart, bright luminous heart.
May the joy spread.
Oh the parameter! The parameter is the extent to which you feel joy for others (regardless of your situation) is the extent to which you have loved yourself and have deeper tones of acceptance. So, if you find yourself smiling wistfully, after walking back from a party, or feel joy when loved one is blessed with a child, or feel grateful that the neighbor could pay the mortgage ... well, know that you love yourself better.
Monks develop fascinating fascinating compassion, so much so that it has the power to do others well, make others feel warmth of their presence. There is so much detachment and so much purity in their love. As if they dont love you for your merits, or beauty, but because loving is their second nature ... rest doesnt matter, you are loved! Who would not grow and develop merit in midst of such teachers. Even without a teacher, may you too, dear one, find acceptance for yourself, cause it is only after accpetance and some joy that one can learn and develop, not before. One does not get rich and then work happily (one will keep dreaming then and will perhaps even be disappointed even if one manages to get rich, or earn that degree) one has to learn to love their work, and then perhaps they can earn their rewards :)
Lets begin with a question:
What aspects about yourself you feel are more pronounced or become important to you when you are in presence of others?
Lets leave that question there. Forget the question.
You will judge others on norms, by the norms you use to judge yourself - deeply thats an indication of how have you personally placed your self-worth. (So, people who are generally critical/in awe of the world, are people who need to place importance to loving/accepting themselves, as they are, and only then think about making any progress in real terms, otherwise successes will become hollow ;)
Mostly, self-worth sometimes may not even be dependent on outside circumstance, for example, the most beautiful model may be completely insecure about her looks, you know, so you need to really see what is your self-worth in your own eyes, or rather be secure and be real about loving yourself without letting anything external or physical being a factor in this. The extent to which you can love yourself - that is how far you will go about loving others too, no further. So yeah, dont be surprised if the the model's boyfriend may complain to her that he doesn't feel loved ... he doesnt feel love because she has not yet learned to love (herself). Again, loving not dependent on outside, not at all on outside physical circumstance/merits etc. Personal sense of self-worth, thats all.
...one has to feel loving compassion towards oneself, before one ventures into meditation, or loving for that matter.
Only when love is present, can we expect something real to happen.
In matters of love, the amount of delight you feel for other’s progress, beauty, well-being, is related, somehow, to how much love you feel for yourself. Not only in between couples but also strangers. Appreciation for others, delight you feel for others (sometimes even more than the person himself) helps to cultivate a warm heart.
I heard one monk say, “If you haven’t cried from your heart yet, you haven’t even begun meditation” (He said this to someone on meditation retreat … oh! I remember crying myself, not grieving but I have cried on retreats from joy, gratitude and sometimes just crying as if flood gates opened, crying without reason-opening up, melting)
Ok, along similar lines, one cant meditate unless one has some love towards oneself, acceptance and joy. From this station of joy will you move further. Cultivate joy, and to cultivate joy you need love. To cultivate love for yourself, true acceptance, learn to take true delight in goodness, in progress of others, and even if you don’t have that much or this much, feel glad that someone out there is happy. Even for strangers, even in flowers, learn to feel delighted for simple (or complex ;) instances of beauty, wisdom and prosperity. You may not need to express this physically or verbally to the person you are feeling joy for, but feel real delight, not jealousy. These are traits to be cultivated for a pure heart, bright luminous heart.
May the joy spread.
Oh the parameter! The parameter is the extent to which you feel joy for others (regardless of your situation) is the extent to which you have loved yourself and have deeper tones of acceptance. So, if you find yourself smiling wistfully, after walking back from a party, or feel joy when loved one is blessed with a child, or feel grateful that the neighbor could pay the mortgage ... well, know that you love yourself better.
Monks develop fascinating fascinating compassion, so much so that it has the power to do others well, make others feel warmth of their presence. There is so much detachment and so much purity in their love. As if they dont love you for your merits, or beauty, but because loving is their second nature ... rest doesnt matter, you are loved! Who would not grow and develop merit in midst of such teachers. Even without a teacher, may you too, dear one, find acceptance for yourself, cause it is only after accpetance and some joy that one can learn and develop, not before. One does not get rich and then work happily (one will keep dreaming then and will perhaps even be disappointed even if one manages to get rich, or earn that degree) one has to learn to love their work, and then perhaps they can earn their rewards :)
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