Spiritual evolution and development.

 The beginning of the spiritual path starts with the seeker. We are looking for something authentic and true. We set out in search of a better life, looking for meaning, purpose, happiness and satisfaction. 

The seeker may or may not recognize it, but they are not satisfied with their current life. Something is missing, things could be better, our life isn't what it could be or should be. For the seeker, the current circumstances and the reality of their present situation set them out on a path to a better life, a better situation. They seek out teachers, teachings, books, all in a search for a path to fulfillment. The seeker always looks outwards, searching for something to latch onto and identify with, because they don't recognize their own inner wealth and potential. 

At some point on the path, the seeker may start to see how they are actually the source of all of their problems and obstacles. Our own mind, our emotions, our hopes and expectations, those are the fuel for all of the challenges we face. Recognizing the importance of this inner work, the seeker turns inward to examine their own reactivity. They start to see that by letting go of attachment, aversion and confusion, it is possible to break free from this cycle of reactivity. Focusing on this intention to break free from the bonds of our own reactivity and confusion, the seekers focus shifts from searching outwardly to valuing the inner work of freeing our own hearts and minds. The path to a better life no longer lies outside ourselves, but is something that we can cultivate and train in through our practice. 

While we may have this commitment to doing the inner work of freeing ourselves, the result that we seek is still off in some distant future. Our focus may be on doing the inner work, but right now we are not ready to experience the result. We need to train and practice. The present circumstances are too tough, not quite right, not good enough. We are not ready right now, and thus the result and fulfillment that we seek are not apparent to us. 

Gradually, as we do the inner work of freeing ourselves from reactivity and confusion, we start to recognize the reality of our mind when it is free of these temporary veils. We eliminate doubt and gain confidence on the path of discovering our own true face. We start to appreciate that the outer course of things, as they are, is sufficient to actualize the result that we initially set out in search of. We start to recognize that this life, these circumstances, these conditions, this body, all of it, is enough just as it is. Having a direct experience of our own natural condition, the result of the path becomes fully evident and accessible. That result doesn't lie outside of ourselves, but is the actual nature of our own mind, embodied in authentic presence. There is no longer any need to fight our circumstances or reject the world as it is, rather we learn to work with things as they are, responding with wisdom, openness and kindness. 

The seeker in search of better. 
Commitment to doing the inner work of freeing ourselves. 
Waking up in this life, as it is. 

Those are the three stages of spiritual evolution, each stage transcending and including the previous. Each stage comes with a more subtle understanding of who we are and the nature of the world around us. The practice grows and develops as we embrace a larger scope, moving from an outward focus to an inward focus, and then moving from a different time and circumstances to the present, just as it is.

The fulfillment that we seek does not lie outside of us, and it doesn't lie in some distance time or space. It is ever-present and fully evident, once you are prepared to recognize it. 

Carry on.

Opportunity is formless, without center or limit. It is often hard to appreciate much less recognize the opportunity available to you right now.

So how do you take advantage of the opportunity available to you?

Let's start to narrow the focus. Who is the 'you' that we are referring to?

Is it your profession? That's surely a part of you, but not the whole you. Is it your hobbies or passions or side hustles? They are also a part of you, but not the whole you. All those parts come together to make up your identity as an individual.

You as an individual are also part of a family. You might be a father, mother, sister, or partner. Part of who you are in the world is shaped by that role you play. All the little parts of you as an individual support and influence and shape how you appear and function in your family.

Your family is part of a community. The community in which you live, the intentional communities in which you participate. Each part of you as an individual and the dynamics of your family support and influence and shape your community. How you act in your community influences the world around you.

Communities are part of the larger collective, the cities and states in which we live. Intentional communities are formed around ideas and shared interests that influence and shape the culture and the world in which we live. Intentional communities have much more power and efficiency to carry and spread ideas, resources and values than the individuals that make up those communities. Those intentional communities become a nest for both ideas and individuals. The individual, like the idea, can take birth there, be nurtured, supported, grow and develop. Eventually, the individual and the idea reach maturity and are continued to be carried by the community. It is the community that carries the individual and the idea.

Know that there is great purpose in carrying something. Recognize that your power to carry it is limited but that contributing your efforts to the community relieves you of the burden. Then carrying something brings connection and joy.

Then you can stop worrying about opportunity, especially lost opportunity. Turn your attention instead to responsibility and the roles you play in carrying that forward.

In pursuit of happiness.

Happiness is elusive in our world, and yet it is happiness we seek. We all want to be happy, and yet the happiness itself is ephemeral.

When reciting the four immeasurables, we come across this first verse:

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness. 

This intention is vast and all-inclusive. The reality of that intention seems to be unrealistic and idealistic. It is not possible for all beings to be happy. Isn't the very nature of reality one of suffering and discontentment?

It is useful to think of happiness as a body of effort and work. Happiness is a fleeting emotion, and yet the body of causes and actions that contribute to that happiness can have lasting strength and durability. In this sense, our character, which is the result of values and principles acted upon over time, predisposes us to the enjoyment of happiness.

What we do today, what we act on and value, determines and becomes the cause of our future happiness. Choose wisely and act with intention.

Turns out happiness is a choice. 

*See you on the cushion this Sunday!

We are always off course.

Ask any sailor worth his salt and he will tell you that the direction that we are going is never the direction that we seek to go. You must always correct and adjust the course to make it to your chosen destination. With the vehicle that you have chosen, there is no direct course from here to there.

In the same way, our practice does not have a true alignment. There isn't one right way. The practice moves through you as you navigate your life. You must correct and make adjustments, that is the practice.

Know the direction that you seek to go. Know that the journey is long and follows many wayward paths. Also know that the quickest route is right into the headwind.

Attention follows intention.

When we direct the mind in meditation, it is important that we start out with a clear instruction. Notice the way that our intention shapes and directs our practice.

Let's use the example of meditating on the breath.

If our intention is, "I'm going to meditate on the breath." First, we start noticing the breath at the nostrils. Then our attention slowly drifts to noticing the breath at the belly. Again the attention drifts to noticing the breath as the rib cage expands and contracts.

In this instance, the mind is focusing on the breath, but it is wandering as it becomes bored with the breath at a certain area. The lack of clarity and specificity means we have given our attention permission to wander. Uncertainty leads to restlessness.

Let's try this again, this time we are going to meditate on the breath at the belly. First, we start noticing the belly rise and fall. Then we start noticing the rib cage expand and contract. Wait! We recall our intention to focus on the belly and with mindfulness, bring our attention back to the belly.

Then we resume our practice.

Gradually, with a clear intention, our attention becomes more stable and our practice progresses. Attention follows intention.

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.

Culture of awakening.

I grew up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The culture of Green Bay revolves around the Packers. The front page of the Green Bay Press Gazette (which I diligently delivered as a teenager) always talks about the Packers. The community wears Packers gear, talks about the Packers, and responds to how the Packers are doing.

If you don't value the Packer culture, you also don't quite fit in. That doesn't make you bad. The community doesn't reject you, but at some point or another you just move along.

Culture has values. It shapes beliefs and actions. Culture can shift our posture, the way we sit and the way we greet each other. Without having to be spoken, culture says, "This is what we do around here."

Stephen Batchelor coined the phrase culture of awakening. I haven't read any of Stephen's work, but this notion that we do impacts and shapes others is powerful.

The Buddha taught that our intentions and actions shape the world. Our individual thoughts and actions impact our life. When we form communities with others who share our values, we create a culture. Others interact with that culture. They see what people value, how they interact, and what they do.

The culture becomes a contact point for change.

The change that a culture brings isn't always about making a quick impact. It is often more like a resonance or a vibration, something that can be felt minutely at first, but later can shape entire landscapes and tear down walls. 

A culture of awakening isn't about forcing you awake. It is like whispering in your ear, "It's time to get up."

Eight remedial techniques.

The eight remedies are antidotes to the five flaws of meditation. 

Antidote to laziness

1.     Faith

Faith means to study and develop conviction in the teachings. This faith is based on reason and logic and our own experience of the Dharma.

2.     Intention

Intentions lead to mental actions, which eventually become habits. Be clear, be specific.

3.     Effort

Effort is the greatest predictor of progress in your practice. If it is difficult to develop a joyful effort towards practice, reexamine your faith and intention.

4.     Pliancy

Pliancy means that our mind and body become adaptable and dexterous. We become open to change, ready to change. Pliancy is like making friends with a horse and learning to ride it, at some point the horse becomes workable.

Antidote to forgetting the instructions

5.     Mindfulness

Mindfulness is strong and focused, it recalls our intention and the object of our meditation.

Antidote to dullness and agitation

6.     Vigilance

Vigilant awareness is sharp and clear. Vigilance is able to access the quality of our meditation, be aware of our mind, and notice problems as they start to come up. It notices agitation and dullness and can allow us to tighten up our mindfulness before we lose our focus.

Antidote to under-application

7.     Attention

Attention means that we recognize and respond to fault arising in our meditation. Vigilant awareness might notice dullness starting to creep into our meditation, but if we fail to pay attention that subtle dullness might turn into a lose of clarity or even gross dullness.

Antidote to over-application

8.     Equanimity

Equanimity is the mind resting naturally, free from agitation and dullness. It is a mind that is calm, clear and vibrant; like a calm lake during the daytime.

A flash in the pan.

A formal meditation session is composed of three parts- intention, main practice, and dedication.

Our intention is the why of the practice. Why are we sitting? What is our aspiration?

The main practice is applying ourselves to the meditation instructions.

The dedication is sharing the merit and benefits of the practice with others.

It is good to have a formal meditation session each day. Generally the morning or evening work best, but whatever fits your schedule is fine.

There is another type of practice that you will find yourself engaging in throughout the day. That is the sudden or flash meditation. These are the moments in your day when suddenly, awareness lights up and you recognize the meditative awareness. You mind is instantly calm, clear and at ease. Your attention is focused, yet expansive.

You might encounter these moments in conversation, during commutes, walking, or simply drinking a glass of water.

These moments of clarity and insight are important to your practice. Try to give rise to them throughout your day. Can the next meeting you have be one in which you enter with an open, calm and clear mind?

Sitting with uncertainty.

Uncertainty, doubt, hesitation.  

How often are we plagued by these maladies?  How often to they influence our path or lead us astray?  

How often do we find ourselves waiting?  Waiting for the right time, the right conditions.  Waiting to get picked or promoted, or told what to do.    

Uncertainty hides in the shadows of our intention.  When we encounter it, we often step out of our posture, or move for the small reprieve it gives us.  We may try to stay busy, reach for distraction, or entertain the discomfort away just so we can feel normal again.  

In uncertain times we yearn for control.  We wonder about our future, the future of our family and loved ones, the future of our community and world.  We spend sleepless nights caught up in the cycle of hope and fear, playing out dramas of gain and loss, praise and shame.  

But uncertainty really prevents us from moving forward.  Our intention may be strong, but we lack the focus to carry it through.  Our intention may be clear, but we don't feel we have the power to carry it out. 

Sitting with uncertainty may be the most powerful thing you can do. 

Face the resistance.
Don't avert your eyes.
Don't turn from it.
Don't waver.
Just sit. 

Donning the armor of patience,
With the sharp sword of mindfulness,
and all the grit you can muster,
breakthrough to openness, clarity and insight.
Then step forward with generosity, kindness and love.  

The hard part.

The intention is easy.  The aspirations and prayers increase your enthusiasm.

The hard part is maintaining a joyful practice of generosity.
The hard part is sustaining vigilance without getting caught up in mundane concerns.
The hard part is working with all of the obstacles, problems and distractions that come up.

It's easy to want to set out for the far shore.  It's much harder to get there. 

A single intention.

Intention is important. 

What if your intention was the foundation upon which you could cultivate all other activities?  What if it could serve you during times of hardship and prosperity? 

We all of many intentions, some come and go, some stick around for awhile.  We often have mixed intentions because lack clarity and focus.  We want to work out more, but on the weekends we also want to have fun, so which is it? 

Bodhicitta is the basis of the path.  It is the intention that allows us to bring everything onto the path.  It is the fertile ground that allows our labor to bear fruit.  It is a single intention, a clear and focused intention, yet it encompasses everything and everyone.

May I attain complete awakening for the benefit of all sentient beings.  

The underlying drive.

Do you ever notice those people who always seem to be in control?

They are always seemingly poised and ready.  They exude confidence and strength.  They step into situations with presence and they always seem to take command and give direction. 

They are experts in controlling outer circumstances, like an air traffic controller, everything happening on time and in order. 

Except beneath that outer facade of control and poise is fear.

Fear of losing control.
Fear of feeling insecure.
Fear of being vulnerable. 

Fear is the motivating factor.  Fear is what compels them to get better at taking control.  Fear begets poise and confidence once the threat seems far off and distant, yet fear always lays in wait.

It is strange how far we have run, isn't it?

 

So hard to get started.

ལེ་ལོ་
Tibetan: lelo (actually pronounced lay-lo)
English: indolence, faintheartedness, procrastination

The Tibetan term lelo is a subsidiary negative emotional state that undermines one's enthusiasm for virtuous or productive activities.  Maitreya Buddha taught that this is the first flaw that we bump up against in our daily practice.  It is a flaw because it ensures that we do not start, that we don't apply ourselves.   It is a flaw because it ensures that we remain feeling stuck. 

We may want to do something important, want to accomplish an activity, but when we try to do so we run up against the inertia that is our own indolence.

There are three types of indolence:

Lethargy.

This is the fatigue and laziness that we all experience.  It is heavy, sluggish.  I could get started or I could rest for a second.  I could do a little bit today, or I could wait until tomorrow when I feel better.

Obsession with pointless activity.  

We all know these... 

Discouragement.

This is feeling inadequate or unable to start.  A lack of self-confidence that results in waiting or hiding.

It is easy to pass the blame to something else, something outside of ourselves.  But as a practitioner, or someone aspiring to be a practitioner, we need to look at our situation and our life.  We need to be honest with ourselves, our choices and our activities.

Are we really committed to making this happen?

To overcome these three types of indolence, Maitreya Buddha taught four types of remedies:

Belief. Intention. Perseverance. Pliancy. 

Belief is knowing there is something greater than this.  It is not blind faith, but rather our deepest aspirations and knowing there is a truth in them.   

Our intention seeks to purposefully accomplish our activity.  Clarify it.  Be specific. 

Perseverance pushes us to continue to show up.  Put in the time.  Do the work.  Make the effort.   

The result is pliancy.  We become adaptable, flexible, dexterous.  We become open to change, ready to change.  We become confident with the continuum of change which is life.

No longer too tired to go, too busy to go or too scared to go, we simply go.  We start, and figure out what else we need as we go. 

Are you going, or waiting?  What else do you need to start?

Right livelihood.

In his noble eightfold path, the Buddha spoke about Right Livelihood and how to live a honest and ethical life.  As we try to integrate our practice with our life, our work often challenges us. 

The Buddha spoke of five lifestyles to avoid in our work in order to pursue right livelihood:

1. Ingratiation, or speaking kindly to others to win their favor.
2. Flattery, or praising others in order because one seeks to obtain something.
3. Self-promotion, or speaking of one's own qualities to advance your own interests.
4. Calculated generosity, or giving a little to receive a lot.
5. Hypocrisy, or putting on airs in order to receive gain or honors.

Those five lifestyles really come down to us being honest with ourselves about our intention.

Are we acting with our own self-interest or because we are wrapped up in the eight worldly concerns?

Or are we genuinely acting for the benefit of ourselves and others?

You can't be expected to lay down your own well-being and happiness in your work, but how often do we find ourselves scheming and throwing others under the bus?

Right livelihood is possible when we inspire others by our actions.  When we don't perpetuate greed, anger, desire and arrogance, we are acting with right livelihood.

The easiest way for our work to be a support for our spiritual practice is if we act with honesty and respect.  Be honest with yourself and with others.  Inspire them by your actions and they will support you in continuing your work and your practice.  

A perfect day.

Each morning I wake up knowing today I have the opportuntity to be generous.
Generous with my time, my energy.  Generous in thought, word and deed.
I will have the opportunity to be receptive, available and present for those around me.
I will have the opportunity to make today meaningful, but I will face a lot of challenges.

I know I will have to rely on discipline today, 
Without a mindful awareness I will quickly succumb to distraction and idleness.
It will take discipline to hold me back from firing off a smart rebuke.
It will take discipline to remain in equipoise when it is much easier to turn my back and walk away.
Discipline will keep me aligned with my intention, but it's not going to be enough by itself.

I know I will need patience today.
Patience to sit with irritation and discomfort.
Patience so that I don't get caught up in purposeless arguments.
Patience so that I can remain open enough to continue, when it is easier to shut down.
Patience will allow me to continue to hold that space and to dance with resistance I am facing.
Patience will be a dear friend, supporting me in my efforts.

Diligence will allow me to carry through in my efforts.
Without it I will certainly succumb to laziness and distraction.
With it I will joyously persevere in my work, adversity and problems only fueling my fire.
Diligence is like a great steed, carrying me to my destination regardless of temporary circumstances.

All of this will rely on a singular focus-
To eliminate my own negativity and cultivate virtue so that I can fully bring benefit to the world around me.
With this single intention, meditation will allow me to work with resistance directly, loosening its shackles and the power of its influence.
Meditation will bring me clarity, stability and an appreciation of the illusory nature of all experience.
Meditation will give me freedom- freedom to move, freedom to act, freedom to decide.

All of this shall be accompanied by wisdom.
Wisdom that knows that this ground I stand on is not my own, that I am not its sole creator.
Wisdom that knows that this opportunity is a dance based on connection, a vast web in which our own neurosis will gladly play itself out if we let it.
I could dance and consume and have flashes of every emotional and mental state throughout my day, that could be my experience, and likely will.
I can see that, experience that, even live that.
But that is not my intention.

My intention is to use this day to bring benefit to myself and others, and so I practice carrying everything else onto the path.

Whatever I experience today will be the perfect opportunity to bring that practice to completion.

Bardo.

བར་དོ་
Tibetan: bardo
English: intermediate state, in-between, gap

The bardo is a commonly used term to refer to the gap between lives, that in-between state where one life has ended and the other has yet to begin. 

The bardo is often a terrifying state. 

We don't feel comfortable there.  We are propelled by all of our past actions and intentions, but we have lost our previous form.  We have yet to take a new form, so we feel as though we have lost our ground. 

Our mind grasps after illusory appearances, hoping to find something that sticks, something that we can become.  We yearn for form. 

We yearn for what is next.

Fundamentally, this is the mind grasping at experience.  Fixating on identity, we suffer in the bardo. 

This experience is similar to one's practice in meditation.  In meditation we experience all of our past thoughts, actions and feelings.  We experience fixation on our body, its sensations and pain.  The practice is to learn to let go.  To let them be as they are. 

As thoughts and emotions arise, we recognize them as the play of the mind and learn to relax.  As appearances entice us, we learn to let them fall away.  As hope and doubt stir, we rest in ease and contentment. 

This helps us maintain freedom in the bardo.  We can abide there, timelessly, content and at peace. 

And at some point we will see a form unfold in which we can make an impact, be generous, benefit others and fulfill our intention. 

At that moment we enter the bardo of becoming and we take on a new life. 

At that moment we arise from our meditation. 

Sojong.

གསོ་སྦྱོང་
Tibetan: so-jong
English: so- to heal, refresh, restore, nourish; jong- to purify, cleanse

Sojong is a practice of purification and restoration.  It forms an important part of every practitioner's practice.  Traditionally sojong is performed either as part of one's daily practice or on the 15th and 30th days of the lunar month.

What is purified?

Our broken vows.  A lapse in our commitments.  Missteps we have taken on the path.  Laziness.  Our negative thoughts, actions and habits.  Our intention.

If we take a moment in our practice to acknowledge our faults, to shine light on our own delusions, we can restore our intention.  We can nourish our commitment, refresh our connections, heal ourselves of guilt and self-hatred.

The practice of sojong allows us to take another step.  And another.  And another.

We keep going.  Not because we have to, but because we can.

There are many methods to engage in sojong.  Common ones include:

Confession.
Taking the one-day lay upasaka vow.
Reciting the hundred syllable Vajrasattva mantra.
Offering mandalas.
Fire puja.
Reciting sutras.
Saving lives of animals and helping the ill.
Tummo.
Resting in rigpa.

What informs our intentions?

What informs our intentions and aspirations?

Hope for gain, fear of loss.
Concern for praise or blame.
Striving for happiness or avoiding pain and dissatisfaction.
To be famous, or insignificant.

Those are the eight worldly concerns, which invariably inform many of our decisions and actions.  The Buddha taught that our karma is based on our choices and the actions that it produces.  We all want to be happy, to have stability and accomplish our aims, but what informs our intentions keeps us bound in the cycle of suffering and dissatisfaction.

We want to choose actions that produce happiness, but our choices are informed by the causes of suffering.

We are informed by hope and fear for the eight worldly concerns.  Our choices are conditioned by attachment and aversion, ignorance, jealousy and pride.  Biased perception clouds our vision.   

With that information, it is a miracle that we ever make a good decision.

But we do. 

One of the best choices we can make is to practice, because all that that poor information is easily removed through practice.  Clarify your practice, let your practice clarify you.