A requirement for learning to let go.

You probably find yourself in situations that you don't want to be in. Even now, you might not be happy with the way things are.

The Buddha gave us a very simple instruction for dealing with this discontentment.

Understand your dissatisfaction.
Let go of the arising of reactivity.
Behold the cessation of arising.
Practice the path.

Understanding and looking deeply into your dissatisfaction and discontentment is the first step. Sometimes, being stuck is a requirement for learning to let go.

Four thoughts that turn the mind towards genuine practice.

We are very fortunate to have this life,
to have some freedom and opportunity,
to have some leisure and resources.

This life has great potential.

But, it is also momentary.
The days, weeks and years keep moving faster.
This life is like a fragile vessel,
one in which we can cross a great sea,
but must be left behind upon reaching the far shore.

Which is why our actions are important.
Our thoughts and actions can lead us astray, change our course.
Our actions create our world and influence innumerable worlds.
Our situation is not a prison in which we are stuck,
it is an opportunity to liberate ourselves,
an opportunity for awakening. 

But time and time again we get hooked.
We get wrapped up in our problems.
Our minds become ensnared in fear and uncertainty,
giving rise to waves of negative thoughts and emotions.
We are plagued by discontentment and easily slip back into dissatisfaction.

We have the opportunity to care, to be generous and kind.
We have the potential to do something meaningful,
but we need to actually do the work.
We need to actually practice.

And we need to do it today.

Temporary and Final

Why do people meditate?

Is it to experience a calm mind?  To rest in peace?  Is it an escape from the constant turmoil and stress that pervades our day?  Is it to experience blissful mental states and profound happiness?

The reason people meditate varies, but all of them can be summarized as being of temporary or final benefit.

All of the teachings given by the Buddha were simply meant to accomplish the welfare of beings.  This welfare of beings is considered to be two-fold: the temporary goal of the joys of this life, a better future and a higher rebirth; and the final goal of complete freedom and total omniscience.   

Many people strive diligently for the aims of this life in hopes of securing happiness and a better future.  Actually, looking around that is pretty much the mold we are all made from.  Rare indeed is it to encounter those who honestly seek out complete freedom and profound insight into the human condition. 

Meditation can help you accomplish both.  In the beginning in brings you great joy, frees you from suffering and discontentment.  In the middle you abandon chasing temporary and fleeting apparitions and you encounter a deep sense of freedom and insight.  In the end, you tirelessly work to accomplish the welfare of beings.  Just like the Buddha. 

Why do you meditate?

I am samsara.

Awake at night, caught up in this hell of ceaseless torment,
the endless machinations and ruminations of the mind,
I am like a boat without oars, strung along by a raging current,
subject to the whims of every crashing wave.
A miserable existence.

Like a hungry ghost in a barren desert,
the virtue of my mind has dried up and
no source of nourishment can be found.
Hopeless yet bound by craving,
I wander in and out of various mental states.
A miserable existence.

Like an animal, slaving after the aims of others,
I fulfill their requests but receive no gratitude.
I am expendable, replaceable.
My worth is measured out to me by by weight alone,
once I've carried my weight and they have had their lot,
they'll do with me as they please.
A miserable existence.

Like a human, I deserve to be recognized for my worth,
I have endured the hardship of my present circumstances,
in order to secure the benefit of my family and future.
I long to be free from this discontentment,
to be honored for my achievements with dignity,
to gain freedom and the peace of happiness.

Like a demigod, I'll fight for my position,
mine is the path of the virtuous and just,
Victory shall be mine and I will suffer no fools,
I will show you.

Like a god, procuring every advantage and truth
from the grand palace of my own position,
I am right.  I am right.

I am right.  As I wander off to sleep.

I am samsara, the cycle of existence.  Samsara is me.

Pray that I awake from this cycle of delusion and ignorance.

Where has all the Wisdom gone?

All the branches of the doctrine
The Enlightened Sage expounded for the sake of wisdom.
Therefore they must cultivate this wisdom
Who wish to have an end of suffering.
Shantideva

A cursory glance discerns acts of folly, 
Men and women playing childish games, 
Crows chattering over shiny tin foil, 
A local gelato of self-aggrandizement. 

This suffering runs deep.  
No one even knows it's here.
Why would they wish to be free from it?

They don't see impermanence,
They keep moving and keep buying.
They never sit with discontentment
Because they are always distracted.
Days into weeks, weeks into years,
The days a blur and the nights unconscious. 

Why talk about conquering fear, 
Changing perception, building character?
What sense in acting with generosity,
Love and kindness?

Even a busy fool notices moments of raw discontentment, 
Catch one and look deeply into it, 
Sit with it, examine it, play with it,
And awakening is possible.  
You'll find your wisdom.