Acknowledging our pain.

The first sermon that the Buddha gave upon his awakening was the teaching on the Four Noble Truths- the truth of suffering, its origin, cessation, and the path to eliminate suffering.

The path to awakening starts with acknowledging our pain and dissatisfaction.

Truth seems elusive these days. Everyone has their own version of the truth and there seems to be little accountability for upholding that which is true. What is truth and why is it significant?

Truth is that which is authentic and non-deceptive. To be a seeker of truth means that one pursues that which is authentic and to remember what it is that is important in life.

The truth of suffering wakes us up to what is important. The truth of suffering is a call to attention, a wake up call. By acknowledging the truth of suffering, we can discover a truth that we can live with and recall that which is meaningful. The outer drama of our suffering can awaken us from the sleep of ignorance, discovering our purpose and recalling what it is that is important and meaningful in our life.

Our symptoms, looking back, can reveal what it is that we have to do.

By denying or rejecting the truth of our own suffering, we close ourselves off to insight into our own condition. Rather than fixing our situation, we require and strive for everything else to be fixed. We fall prey to the preoccupations of our small self, trapped in a world of self-indulgence and a repetitive cycle of lies about who we are or who we pretend to be.

The opposite of living your inner truths isn't living falsely, it is living a lie. We deceive ourselves.

To awaken from the path of self-deception, first we must acknowledge the truth of our own suffering.

Our responsibility.

The Dharma is vast and profound. The impact that it can make on our mind and our heart is profound. It can literally shape our life, give it meaning and bring benefit to those around us.

But that Dharma is not best expressed in words and concepts. It is best expressed by the choices that we make and the way that we move through the world.

And that's our responsibility.

Mechanics of karma.

Karma is intention and that which is produced through intention.

Intention is mental action-

It gives rise to two types: physical and verbal action.

Vasubandhu

When we sit down to meditate we are directly working with our karma. Each meditation session, whether it involves meditation with an object or objectless meditation, must start with a clear intention. 

Suppose we were to meditate on the breath using a vague intention, "I'm going to meditate on the breath." If we set the intention to meditate on the breath, we would find that our focus might start with the breath at the nose, then drift to the breath filling our lungs, and continue to wander to the rise and fall of our belly. An unclear intention leads to mental wandering and distraction. If our intention is unclear, the actions that follow are sloppy. 

Vague intentions create careless actions, which perpetuate unforeseen karmic consequences.

In meditation, we have an opportunity to shape our karma and it starts with intention. 

Before, we were mindless, wandering and distracted. Now we are present, alert and aware. We are shaping our mind, like a potter working with clay. Who we are is not fixed. What we stand for, what we represent, all of that is malleable like a block of wet clay. We are able to change direction, shift our posture, plot a new course. 

And it all starts here, with a clear intention. 

Through intention, we plant the seeds of virtues like being present, mindful, open and aware. We can develop equanimity, peace and gentleness towards ourselves and others. We can be more caring, generous and kind.

While we are operating within the confines of mind, we must work with karma. That starts by working with intention.

Don't stir up trouble.

It is often easier to have a problem and figure out how to solve it
than it is to deal with the uncertainty of not knowing.

The trick is,
in times of uncertainty,
don't go stirring up problems
just to escape the uncertainty.