Wednesday, March 26, 2008

March 26, 2008 Contemplation

Since lately I've had very little time to devote to writing, I've decided to start a regular feature wherein I'll post a scriptural reference to contemplate.

Instructions: Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Breathe in for a count of 3, and out for a count of 4. Open your eyes and read the contemplation below. Read it several times if you wish. Then, click on the link to begin a 2-minute session in which you can contemplate the saying I have posted. The timer will begin automatically, and an audible sound will mark the end of the session (so wear headphones if you're at work!).

Close your eyes, and contemplate the saying along the following lines, "How can I apply this to my life?" "Have I seen evidence to support this author's statement? Where?" "If what I've seen contradicts this author's statement, could s/he have meant something else?"


Contemplation

If in this present moment you aren't able to meet the Buddha in person, then for countless lives to come you will have to be reborn in the three realms of samsara, always searching for something to grasp hold of that will make you feel comfortable, continually being born in the womb of an ox or ass.
--The Record of Master Linji


Begin 2-minute meditation now

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

March 25, 2008 Contemplation

Since lately I've had very little time to devote to writing, I've decided to start a regular feature wherein I'll post a scriptural reference to contemplate.

Instructions: Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Breathe in for a count of 3, and out for a count of 4. Open your eyes and read the contemplation below. Read it several times if you wish. Then, click on the link to begin a 2-minute session in which you can contemplate the saying I have posted. The timer will begin automatically, and an audible sound will mark the end of the session (so wear headphones if you're at work!).

Close your eyes, and contemplate the saying along the following lines, "How can I apply this to my life?" "Have I seen evidence to support this author's statement? Where?" "If what I've seen contradicts this author's statement, could s/he have meant something else?"


Contemplation

"Before, when I was a householder, maintaining the bliss of kingship, I had guards posted within and without the royal apartments, within and without the city, within and without the countryside. But even though I was thus guarded, thus protected, I dwelled in fear — agitated, distrustful, and afraid. But now, on going alone to a forest, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling, I dwell without fear, unagitated, confident, and unafraid — unconcerned, unruffled, my wants satisfied, with my mind like a wild deer. This is the meaning I have in mind that I repeatedly exclaim, 'What bliss! What bliss!'"

His deer is obviously not the deer in the headlights. It's a deer safe in the wilderness, at its ease wherever it goes. What makes it more than a deer is that, free from attachment, it's called a "consciousness without surface." Light goes right through it. The hunter can't shoot it, for it can't be seen.

-- From Freedom from Fear by Thanissaro Bhikkhu


Begin 2-minute meditation now

Thursday, March 20, 2008

March 20, 2008 Contemplation

Since lately I've had very little time to devote to writing, I've decided to start a regular feature wherein I'll post a scriptural reference to contemplate.

Instructions: Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Breathe in for a count of 3, and out for a count of 4. Open your eyes and read the contemplation below. Read it several times if you wish. Then, click on the link to begin a 2-minute session in which you can contemplate the saying I have posted. The timer will begin automatically, and an audible sound will mark the end of the session (so wear headphones if you're at work!).

Close your eyes, and contemplate the saying along the following lines, "How can I apply this to my life?" "Have I seen evidence to support this author's statement? Where?" "If what I've seen contradicts this author's statement, could s/he have meant something else?"


Contemplation

In response to Huike, a future Zen Patriarch, looking around everywhere for the truth, Master Linju asked him, "How come you keep looking for a head when you have a head already?"
-- Master Linji, The Record of Master Linji, #21


Begin 2-minute meditation now






Wednesday, March 19, 2008

March 19, 2008 Contemplation

Since lately I've had very little time to devote to writing, I've decided to start a regular feature wherein I'll post a scriptural reference to contemplate.

Instructions: Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Breathe in for a count of 3, and out for a count of 4. Open your eyes and read the contemplation below. Read it several times if you wish. Then, click on the link to begin a 2-minute session in which you can contemplate the saying I have posted. The timer will begin automatically, and an audible sound will mark the end of the session (so wear headphones if you're at work!).

Close your eyes, and contemplate the saying along the following lines, "How can I apply this to my life?" "Have I seen evidence to support this author's statement? Where?" "If what I've seen contradicts this author's statement, could s/he have meant something else?"


Contemplation

Master Linji: If you still love the holy and hate the profane, then you will continue to drift and sink in the ocean of birth and death.

Begin 2-minute meditation now

Sunday, March 16, 2008

New to Buddhism?



If you are interested in learning about Buddhism, how do you begin? Most people begin by reading, and there's nothing wrong with this, especially if you know nothing about Buddhism. There is great benefit to learning the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold path, the Way of the Bodhisattva. One problem commonly arises with this method, however. Buddhism is not a noun; it's a verb.

I learning the following training from my teacher, Samu Sunim: Meditation is concentration; concentration is oneness; oneness is no self, no other; no self, no other is no birth, no death; no birth, no death is True Suchness. Our logical minds can only make sense of the first two of these trainings. But the last three transcend logic. The only way to understand these trainings is through practice. To be frank, the only way to truly grasp the first two is via practice as well -- while logic can give you a superficial understanding, Realization comes only from practice.

Treating the Buddhist teachings as philosophy, as a description of the way the world works, is a trap that many people fall into, and understandably so -- it's fun to philosophize and debate. But actual Buddhism is not like this. The Four Noble Truths are not to be taken as a description of the world. They are guides to practice. The Buddha once said that we should never accept a teaching based on the trust we hold in our teacher, or tradition, or mere logic. Rather, we should examine the teaching, practice it, and discover its truth for ourselves. Only then should we accept that teaching. Such is the only way to gain insight and wisdom. Remember: Buddhism is a verb!

So if you're new to Buddhism, what do you do? My recommendation is to go ahead and read a book or two -- you know you will anyway even if I were to tell you not to! :) And while you're reading, research the Buddhist temples in your area. Pay several of them a visit. There are many different types of Buddhism, with different emphases, and only by exploring different traditions can you find the one that best fits you as you are right now. Once you find a temple you like, begin to practice according to that tradition. Attend their services. Take their meditation classes. Go to their functions. Let this practice show you directly the value Buddhism holds for you.

Begin a daily meditation practice. Contemplate Buddhist ideas while on the train or bus. Train your mindfulness while you eat, cook, clean, shower, and garden. And see for yourself the truth of the trainings. Read more, if you like.

I suggest that of the time you spend on Buddhism, devote 80% to practice and 20% to study. Buddhism is a verb -- always ask yourself, "How can I put what I just read into practice?" "How can I realize the truth of this teaching for myself?"

Now, go meditate.