I still have faith.

Faith. It's a bit of a touchy word in our culture. It has a lot of baggage. We often look down on faith as a sort of weakness or oddity.

But what is faith?

Mipham Rinpoche says that faith is an admiration for, longing towards, and trust in what is authentic and true. It is a support for determination.

What does faith mean to you?

You could have blind faith. You could believe in a blue cow that grants all of your wishes.  You could have great admiration and trust in that cow.  You could really strive to make sure that it was happy so that he would send down his bounty. (him or a her?)  

That would be a true determination of faith based on your perception of what was authentic and true. I think that this is the type of faith that many of us are wary of, simply because it doesn't make any sense. It doesn't hold up to the facts, to reality. It bears no semblance to our experience and everything else that we hold to be true.  

So if you are one that acts out of reason and logic, does faith play no role in your life?  Can you have faith and still rely on science and philosophy? 

Yes.  An emphatic yes. 

We can have great admiration for what is true and authentic based on reason and logic.  In fact, reason and logic can reaffirm our faith, deepen it. 

We can generate great longing for searching out and discovering what is authentic and true based on reason and logic. We can be scientists and skeptics, philosophers and debaters and still have faith.  The act of searching and analyzing and dissecting can be facets of our faith.

And we can trust in the reason and logic that we have used to come to our conclusions, and to look deeper still. 

The search for what is authentic and true demands faith.  It requires it, because faith supports determination and we need to be determined in our quest for what is authentic and true in order to reach our destination.

I am a man of faith.  Are you?

Let's Talk Wine

Not many people know this but Washington is a veritable treasury of excellent wines.  You may have heard a few things about the region if you live outside of the Pacific NW, maybe you even tasted one of the mass distributed wines which don't really portray the depth and richness the region has to offer.  Most likely though, you have been missing out on these great and accessible wines.

Let's start with amazing.

There are five main AVA's in Washington, each further divided into smaller AVA's that demonstrate unique characteristics and produce prestigious wines.  More and more we are seeing terroir specific vineyards that produce the highest caliber wines, each displaying a depth and subtlety that differentiates it from other vineyards in the same region.  You have top rated vineyards like Cailloux, Champous, Ciel du Cheval, In the Rocks and Red Mountain which each produce amazing wines that lead to endless exploration, fascination and delight.  There are world class vintners like Quilceda Creek, Figgins Estate and Owen Roe producing cabernet.  Merlot by Long Shadows and Leonetti.  Syrah is really the break out star in Washington, with ingenious producers like Cayuse, Gramercy Cellars, Reynvaan and Rotie Cellars.  That is just the tip of the iceberg, time and time again their are accessible, vivid and distinct Rhone varietals, Bordeaux blends and Riesling after Riesling that will knock your socks off. 

And you can actually get most of these wines as opposed to similar quality California wines which have steep price tags, long waiting lists and seem to be more interested in their name and money.

Washington is forging a new frontier.  You have to taste these wines to experience it yourself.

This is an example of inspirational faith.

There is something about this story that might stir you, hook your attention and curiosity.  You may experience feelings of joy, hope or desire.  It might bring you to laughter, maybe even tears.  It inspires you. 

Yearning faith.

The next step is where you say, 'I want to do that'.  'I can do that'.  This is faith based on learning, contemplating and putting effort into your practice.  This is where you actually taste some of the wines and develop a first impression.

Confident faith.

This is based on your own experience.  You've tasted the wine, know its subtle aromas and flavors.  You know its mouthfeel.  You can distinguish the different regions and vintages, you've examined the unique characteristics of specific terroir.  You know both the immediate and lasting impressions.   Your practice can still go deeper, more subtle and profound, but you have developed certainty within your domain.

The Buddha taught that only confident faith is trustworthy.

In inspirational faith there is no knowledge, experience or conviction.  In yearning faith there is some knowledge and experience but no conviction, allowing doubt to creep in.  It is only in confident faith that we possess knowledge, experience and conviction.

It is this type of faith that we should develop, which means that we need to do the work.

You should come here, we can go wine tasting. 

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.

Feeling stuck.

Disbelief is a refusal or unwillingness to accept something as true. 

Disbelief is categorized as one of the fifty-one negative mental states in the Abhidharmakosa. It is a negative mental state because disbelief supports torpor.  It engenders laziness or lethargy.  It supports feeling stagnant or stuck, not knowing what to do.

Many of us are faced with times of uncertainty.  Part of that uncertainty is an unwillingness to accept our current situation, a refusal to look at what is actually going on.  That unwillingness to accept our reality makes us feel stuck and powerless, but it is not actually the situation that makes us powerless but our orientation to it.

Our mental state- one of unwillingness or refusal to acknowledge what is going on- prevents us from actually acting.  It prevents us from moving forward, from taking a step.  It holds us back because in order to dance we need to have a partner, and I refuse to dance with this one.

So getting unstuck is an act of faith.  Not because we need to believe the reality of our situation, but because we can still seek out what is authentic and true despite the gravity of the current circumstances.  

Our biggest challenge is determining which holds more weight in our lives, faith or disbelief. Without faith we are sure to be stuck in troubled waters indeed.

Complexity, simplified.

There are three aspects to a simple spiritual practice:

A spiritual friend.
A mind of faith, diligence and wisdom.
Art.

Your spiritual friend doesn't need to be a guru.  They should be someone who inspires you, someone you trust.  They are compassionate and kind, with a gentle heart and an open mind.  They don't need to have a fancy title, but they should be someone you admire and hold in esteem. 

A mind of faith is one that has an admiration for, longing towards, and trust in what is authentic and true.  With this as our compass, we diligently, day after day, month after month, devote ourselves to our practice.  The result of this pursuit what what is authentic and true is wisdom.  Seeing things as they are, we make connections, see implications.  We gain certainty and eliminate doubts. 

Our practice must be shared, so art completes the practice.  Generosity as art, sharing kind words and deeds.  We extend our love and respect to others.  We listen, hear their pain, understand their problems.  Dignity is a gift worth sharing for those who long for it. 

These three aspects form the bedrock for a strong spiritual practice.  They simplify the complexity of the path.  

What happened to happiness?

Happiness is everywhere today, in the media and marketplace that is. A cursory glance and it seems that the Buddha's teachings are all about cultivating happiness and being happy. Be happy. A guide to happiness. Project after project chasing after this elusive groundbreaking development, happiness.

Of course the Buddha did teach about happiness, but it was not the aim. The goal wasn't to chase happiness, try to develop it, cultivate it. Happiness wasn't the goal, it was an effect.

As he says in the Dhammapada:

All things have the nature of mind.

Mind is the chief and takes the lead.

If the mind is clear, whatever you do or say

will bring happiness that will follow you like your shadow.

And also:

Rejoicing in this life becomes rejoicing in the next,

the one who does good rejoices in both.

When you see how pure your actions have been,

you will be happy, you will rejoice.

The Buddha emphasized that we need to engender a clear and virtuous mind, and when we do, happiness will be the result.  The Buddha actually clearly taught what this mind looks like, describing eleven mental states that give rise to a virtuous mind.

1. Faith

2. Dignity, or integrity

3. Decency

4. Non-attachment

5. Non-aggression

6. Non-confusion

7. Diligence

8. Pliancy

9. Conscientiousness, or carefulness

10. Equanimity

11. Non-violence

Where is happiness on that list?

Instead the Buddha taught us how to generate a mind that leads to happiness. We can recognize and train in these mental states. We can pursue and have faith in that which is authentic and true. We can have integrity in what we do, a sense of decency towards others. We can practice without attachment, aggression or confusion. We can overcome our laziness and hesitation but showing up and putting in the effort time and again.  We can look within and see our intentions and how careful we need to be with our actions.  We can practice equanimity, seeing self and other as equal. And we can refuse to let our innocence be a container for violence, committing to do no harm.  

Practicing in this way, happiness will follow like a shadow. Happiness is fleeting, it comes and goes. If we cultivate a virtuous mind, we will give rise to the cause of happiness. With a virtuous mind, even if we are not always happy, we will not suffer dissatisfaction or discontentment. 

Shantideva on How to Live a Good Life

Dear reader: I am trying a new long format post once a month. If you would like to see more of this type of post please let me know. I will still be posting shorter posts but wanted to try something new as well. Thanks for reading!

“Today my life has given fruit. This human state has now been well assumed. Today I take my birth in Buddha’s line, and have become the Buddha’s child and heir. ”

 

Shantideva (c. 685- 763) was an eighth century Indian master who wrote the Way of the Bodhisattva (Skt. Bodhicaryavatara), the treasured guide to generating the awakened mind for the sake of all beings. Shantideva was generous to all and cared tenderly for the poor, sick and destitute. He was a monk who upheld the monastic vows and contemplated the vast range of the Buddha’s teachings, condensing them into various digests, such as the Digest of All Disciplines (Skt. Shikshasamucchaya).

Though he had boundless qualities and realization, other monks believed that he was frittering away his time in distraction and meaningless activity. They would call him Bhusuku (bhuj means ‘eating’, sup means ‘sleeping’, and kutim gata means ‘walking around’) as an estimation of what they thought he did all the time. Many of the other monks thought that he was wasting his precious human life caught up in worldly activities and trivial pursuits. In an effort to make Shantideva look foolish, they invited a large congregation to listen to him expound the scriptures, during which time Shantideva expounded the Bodhicaryavatara on how to engage in the practice of the bodhisattva. It is said that when Shantideva was teaching the ninth chapter on wisdom that he began rising higher and higher into the sky, so he is often portrayed in thangkas as floating above his meditation seat.

We too find ourselves caught up in trivial pursuits and busy activity. We wander through life in search of purpose and meaning, struggling to reconcile the meaningless activities of our normal day to day with the path of liberation. How do we make this life meaningful? What does it mean to live a good life? These are questions that Shantideva resolves with his complete and unmistaken presentation of the practice of the bodhisattva.

In the first chapter, the Excellence of Bodhicitta, Shantideva writes:

To those who go in bliss, the dharmakaya they possess, and all their heirs,
To all those worthy of respect, I reverently bow.
According to the scriptures, I shall now in brief describe
The practice of the bodhisattva discipline.

Shantideva pays reverence to those who go in bliss, the Sugatas. ‘Sugata’ means one who goes well or beautifully, or one who has gone perfectly without turning back. A Sugata is one who has lived life well, a life of meaning and purpose. What do these Sugatas possess? The dharmakaya. The dharmakaya is the ‘body of truth’, one of the three bodies or kayas of the Buddhas. Dharmakaya is the body of realization that is the true nature of the mind. As Longchenpa writes in his Finding Rest in the Nature of the Mind:

The spotless dharmakaya, luminous and clear, is the buddha nature of all beings.

Shantideva describes in great detail in this present work how to actually practice this, how we can bring together all the teachings of the Buddha into an easy to understand and practical guide so that we too may possess this body of truth.

Next, Shantideva pays reverence to all the heirs and those worthy of respect, namely the community of sravakas and pratyekabuddhas, but mainly those bodhisattvas who are already practicing this path. Those worthy of respect includes everyone in the Sangha, the Dharma community of teachers, students and those supporting the activity of the Sangha.

Shantideva clearly states his purpose for sharing this work: to describe the practice of the bodhisattvas according to scripture. This isn’t something that he made up. This isn’t a path based on his own conjecture or pretense. This path of the bodhisattvas is in accord with the scriptures of the Buddha. Dharmakirti writes in his Pramanavarttika:

The teachings of Buddha we may trust.
For since he is exempt from fault,
There is in him no cause for lies.
Know therefore that the scriptures are exempt from error.

This practice of the bodhisattvas that Shantideva sets out to describe is threefold in nature. It consists of doing no harm to others, cultivating a wealth of virtue, and working to benefit others. Shantideva sets out to describe this practice in a way that is easy to understand and practical to everyday life.
In the second verse of chapter one, Shantideva continues:

Here I shall say nothing that has not been said before,
And in the art of prosody I have no skill.
I therefore have no thought that this might be of benefit to others;
I wrote it only to habituate my mind.

Shantideva starts by taking a humble attitude, saying that he wrote this work only to meditate upon and habituate his own mind. He isn’t worried about the result of his generosity, his is simply engaging in the practice of doing the work and engaging in the path. We too should emulate this behavior of engaging in study, contemplation and meditation so that we can habituate our own mind to the practice of the bodhisattvas. Through this practice of reflecting and contemplating the practice of the bodhisattvas we give rise to enthusiasm and strengthen our yearning and confident faith in the bodhisattvas activity. Shantideva writes that with a joyful and enthusiastic mind he is more able to meditate upon and cultivate bodhicitta, the awakened mind:

My faith will thus strengthen for a little while,
That I might grow accustomed to this virtuous way.
But others who now chance upon my words
May profit also, equal to myself in fortune.

Khenpo Kunzang Pelden, one of Patrul Rinpoche’s foremost students and spiritual son wrote in his detailed commentary to Shantideva’s work, The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech:

When these four features are present (the homage, promise to complete the work, humility, and enthusiasm), everything one embarks upon will be brought to a worthwhile fulfillment.

The humble practitioner pays reverence to great teachers, profound teachings, generous acts and all those who are striving to make a difference.  The act of paying reverence is a display of humility. Humility and reverence rely on values like integrity, determination, self-respect and service. Our minds infused with humility and reverence we naturally form a commitment to the work, recognizing our own innate potential and responsibility. With enthusiasm we seek to take full advantage of this life of freedom and opportunity that is so hard to find. As Shantideva writes:

So hard to find the ease and wealth
Whereby the aims of beings may be gained.
If now I fail to turn it to my profit,
How could such a chance be mind again?

When searching for consummate meaning in our lives, time and time again we go outside ourselves, always asking ourselves what we should do now. Should we travel, go out for dinner, meet new friends, find a better job, volunteer? We either seek out escape in a spa, vacation or lazy Sunday; or we seek out illusion in food, fun, goals and experiences. None of these have satisfied our thirst. If we fail to apply ourselves to the practice now, when should we find this opportunity again? For too long we have wandered after trivial pursuits and kept ourselves nice and busy. We have been living in a situation where we have been confused about what we should do and what we should avoid. When a moment such as this arises, where we recognize our potential and purpose, we should seize that opportunity. Shantideva continues:

Just as on a dark night black with clouds,
The sudden lightening glares and all is clearly shown,
Likewise, rarely, through the Buddha’s power,
Virtuous thoughts rise, brief and transient, in the world.
Virtue thus, is weak; and always
Evil is of great and overwhelming strength.
Except for perfect bodhicitta,
What other virtue is there that can lay it low?

If we find in our hearts and minds that we want to accomplish something good, at that time we should apply ourselves diligently to practice. But what practice? It is bodhicitta, the mind of enlightenment that seeks to secure for countless beings immediate benefit and the ultimate supreme joy of perfect awakening. In our practice we strive to free ourselves from our own suffering and discontentment, but also to bring about the welfare and benefit of others. Bodhicitta is the single practice that encompasses all the Buddha’s teachings. We should reflect always on one thing- bodhicitta. Practice one thing- bodhicitta. As Shantideva writes:

Those who wish to crush the many sorrows of existence,
Who wish to quell the pain of living beings,
Who wish to have experience of myriad joys
Should never turn away from bodhicitta.

Those of us who give rise to this jewel-like bodhicitta find new meaning in our life. We assume a new identity, perhaps the truest representation of who we are and what we are here to do in this world. We take our place in the Buddha’s line and are named a “child of the Sugatas.” You become a bodhisattva, a heroic warrior set on the journey to enlightenment. Khenpo Kunpel writes in his commentary, “They are moreover said to be worthy of reverence even by the Buddhas themselves, for the latter have bodhicitta as their master.” As Shantideva writes:

Should bodhicitta come to birth
In those who suffer, chained in prisons of samsara,
In that instant they are called the children of the Blissful One,
Revered by all the world, by gods and humankind.

With bodhicitta as the anchor for our practice, we guard it constantly with mindfulness, vigilant awareness and carefulness without ever letting it go. Everything that we do revolves around this single intention to gain awakening for the benefit of others. Gradually, through effort bodhicitta becomes stable and gives rise to a powerful mind of initiative and resourcefulness to secure the two aims of oneself and others. Through the method aspect of compassion, we fulfill the welfare of others; and through the wisdom aspect we recognize the true nature of our own mind and the true nature of reality. As Maitreya says in his Sutralankara: “It is a mental state endowed with the two aims”.

There are many ways to understand bodhicitta, but in brief we should understand it as bodhicitta in intention and active bodhicitta. As Shantideva writes:

Bodhicitta, the awakened mind,
Is known in brief to have two aspects:
First, aspiring, bodhicitta in intention;Then active bodhicitta, practical engagement.

Bodhicitta in intention is the aspiration to attain enlightenment. It is a wish or intention that focuses on the result. Active bodhicitta is the practical engagement in the activities of a bodhisattva. It is the practice and effort that focuses on the path. Longchenpa says “The commitment to achieve the result of Buddhahood is bodhicitta in intention, while the commitment to the cause is active bodhicitta.” Shantideva writes:

As corresponding to the wish to go
And then to setting out,
The wise should understand respectively
The difference that divides these two.

Just as when we set out on a journey, we must first form an intention, so too in order to engage in the practice of the bodhisattva we must first form the aspiration. Once we set out on the journey, we do not abandon our intention to go there; so in active bodhicitta we also have bodhicitta in intention.
This powerful initiative mind that works for the benefit of beings is the jewel of the mind. Of all thoughts and intentions it is the most sublime and profound. This noble intention of bodhicitta is beyond the conception of even the gods, as Shantideva writes:

If with kindly generosity
One merely has the wish to soothe
The aching heads of other beings,
Such merit knows no bounds.
No need to speak, then, of the wish
To drive way the endless pain
Of each and every living being,
Bringing them unbounded excellence.
Could our father or our mother
Ever have so generous a wish?
Do the very gods, the rishis, even Brahma
Harbor such benevolence as this?
For in the past they never,
Even in their dreams,
Wished something like this even for themselves.
How could they do so for another’s sake?
This aim to work for the benefit of beings,
A benefit that others wish not even for themselves,
This noble, jewel-like state of mind
Arises truly wondrous, never seen before.
The pain-dispelling draft,
This cause of joy for those who wander through the world,
This precious attitude, this jewel of mind-
How shall we calculate its merit?
If the simple thought to be of help to others
Exceeds in worth the worship of the Buddhas,
What need is there to speak of actual deeds
That bring about the weal and benefit of beings?

Whatever happens in our life, whatever our circumstances or past, we must have this intention of bodhicitta. When it has arisen clearly in our minds, we must practice so that it will intensify and gain strength in our lives. It is not enough to simply understand this conceptually, we must take it to heart and practice diligently.

Then no matter what comes up in our life, whether we experience sickness or disease, harmful situations, problems or obstacles; everything becomes fuel for our practice and we learn to carry obstacles as the path. Shantideva writes:

Even in great trouble, Bodhisattvas
Never bring forth wrong; their virtues naturally increase.

The present times are a call to practice. For bodhisattvas, difficulties and challenges are no hindrance to their Dharma practice. Adversity becomes a means to purify confusion, negative emotions and karma. Asanga has said: “Even when the world is full of evil they turn hardship into the enlightened path.”

Your boots will get muddy. Your socks wet. There will be dirt underneath your fingernails and you might suffer some scratches. Working in the fields means getting dirty.  Your work will be the same.
The bodhisattva knows that their time on this earth is very short.  They know that the road ahead will be long.  Knowing the truth of suffering they plunge into the fields.  Knowing liberation upon arising, they do not fear getting covered in mud.  At the end of the day, they dedicate their work for the benefit of others.  Tomorrow, they rise again.

That is how you practice on the path. This is how you living a meaningful life. A lifelong commitment to practice is how you live a good life.

What is the Fabric of your life?

What is it that runs as a constant throughout your day?  What motivates the choices you make, your actions and the way you relate with the world and people around you?

Is it money.
Fame.
Power.
Status.
Security.

Is it to escape the pain.
Illness.
Depression.
Guilt.

Is it your family.
The people in your life.
Your faith.
Your responsibility.

It could be love.
Kindness.
Generosity.
Or the truth.

Whatever it is, it is important that you know how it shapes who you are.  Does it lend itself to happiness?  Does it promote selfishness and suffering, or does it promote tenderness and appreciation? Does it benefit your life and those around you?  

If the fabric that runs through your life doesn't promote your own well being or the welfare of others, change it.  If it does support your own well being and the benefit of others, then persevere in the practice.

Once you know your motivation, the only thing left to do is act.  Go.

Checklist: Do You have a 'Precious' Human Life

Although I have won these freedoms, I am poor in Dharma, 

which is their essence.

Although I have entered the Dharma, 

I waste time doing other things.

Bless me and foolish beings like me

That we may attain the very essence 

of the freedoms and advantages. 

~Patrul Rinpoche

This life of ours presents us with great opportunity, but it is how we use that opportunity that determines whether it is meaningful.  The Buddha called a human life 'precious' only when it was endowed with all aspects of the freedoms and advantages.  As long as those freedoms and advantages are incomplete no amount of knoweldge or talent will make it meaningful.

Eight Freedoms

___   Freedom from birth in a hell realm where beings have no opportunity to 

         practice the Dharma because they are constantly tormented by intense suffering.

___   Freedom from birth in the hungry ghost realm where beings have no opportunity

         to practice the Dharma because they experience overwhelming hunger and thirst.  

___   Freedom from birth in the animal realm where beings have no opportunity to 

         practice the Dharma because they suffer slavery and continuous attacks and abuse.

___   Freedom from birth in the god realms where beings have no opportunity to 

         practice the Dharma because they spend their time in blank mental states.

___   Freedom from being born in foreign countries where the teachings of the Buddha are unknown.

___   Freedom from wrong views where there is no opportunity to practice the Dharma 

         because their minds are so influenced by mistaken beliefs.

___   Freedom from birth in a dark kalpa where beings never hear of the Dharma and cannot 

         distinguish good actions from bad.  

___   Free from being born with incomplete faculties that prevents beings from properly 

         learning, comprehending and practicing the teachings.  

Five Individual Advantages

___   The advantage of support.  You were born with a human body.

___   The advantage of place.  You were born in a region where the Dharma can be heard.  

___   The advantage of sense faculties.  You are free from disabilities that serve as a hindrance

         to hearing and practicing the Dharma.  

___   The advantage of intention.  You wish to do positive actions and are free from a conflicting 

         lifestyle immersed in negativity.

___   The advantage of faith.  You have the ability to turn your mind to the Dharma.  

Five Circumstantial Advantages

___   The advantage of a teacher.  A Buddha has appeared in this world.

___   The advantage of the teaching.   The Buddha turned the Wheel of Dharma. 

___   The advantage of time.  The teaching has remained until the present period. 

___   The advantage of your own good fortune.  You can take up the Dharma.

___   The advantage of extraordinary compassion.  You have met a Spiritual Friend you can 

         teach you what the Dharma is really about.  

Eight Intrusive Circumstances that leave no freedom to practice

___   Strong negative emotions.  If anger, desire, jealousy and other negative emotions are 

         too strong they dominate the mind and leave no opportunity for practice.

___   Very ignorant being.  Those who lack the slightest glimmer of intelligence are unable 

         to understand a single word of the teachings or its meaning.  

___   Dominated by negative influences.  Those who take imposters as their spiritual friends 

         suffer from wrong views and practice in a perverted manner.

___   Excessive laziness.  Those who lack even a trace of diligence will never accomplish 

         anything because they are so ensnared in their own indolence and procrastination.

___   A backlog of negative actions.  Those who practice the Dharma but do not develop any 

         positive qualities because of a long history of negative actions and end up losing

         confidence in the teachings without realizing that it is all due to their past actions. 

___   Slaves who have lost their autonomy and have no time to practice.

___   Fear for this present life's dangers and resources.  Those who practice the Dharma but

         without conviction give themselves up to old habits and non-Dharma activities.

___   A hypocritical practitioner who tries to win possessions, services and prestige.  In the

         midst of others they assume the guise of a practitioner but in their own minds they are

         only interested in this life and the eight worldly concerns.  

Eight Incompatible Propensities that leave no freedom to practice

___   Being tightly bound to your wealth, commitments, pleasures, family and so forth 

         such that there is no time to practice.

___   Those who lack any respect or have a depraved character. 

___   Those who have no regard for lower rebirths, the sufferings experienced in samsara and

         has no determination to strive for freedom and thus no reason to practice.  

___   Those who have no confidence in the teacher or the Dharma and thus no entry point 

         to the path of liberation.

___   Those who take pleasure in negative actions and fail to control their thoughts, words and

         deeds.  

___   Those who have no regard for spiritual values and experience no enthusiasm for Dharma.

___   Those who break their vows and commitment to developing bodhicitta.

___   Those who break their commitments with the spiritual friend and sangha destroy any

         prospect of accomplishments. 

Do you have the eight freedoms and ten advantages?  Are you really free from lower rebirths, even in this present life?  Are you free from the sixteen factors that leave no room in your life to practice Dharma?  Use this checklist to remind yourself of what you have gained in this life and if you find that aspects are missing strive diligently until they are complete. 

A Spiritual Friend

Editor's note: This is a guest post by Karen Johnstone.

 I've been invited to be a guest writer here today, and the subject:  something that inspires me.  Immediately, Guru Yoga, Devotion to the Spiritual Teacher, the Spiritual Friend came to mind.   

I crossed a benchmark in the past several months, having taken refuge a little over 5 years ago, studying exclusively with my root teacher, Younge Khachab Rinpoche.  He has often exhorted me to direct my attention to Guru Yoga.  Early on, I found myself somewhat befuddled by the terminology - what does this truly mean?  Am I practicing a kind of blind faith, an "idiot" devotion (parallel to another popularized term, "idiot compassion")? Perhaps this has occurred to some degree. 

However, as I've passed the 5 year benchmark, I have discovered an inner confidence that provides a very firm foundation for my practice and anchors my commitments.  I reflect on all that I have learned from my root teacher, and I deeply appreciate the insight and stability that supports me daily.  I recognize a joy and sense of ease that is uncontrived- a radiance that simply occurs.  I've come to recognize this after taking the time to listen, absorb, and contemplate the teachings he has so generously and abundantly shared. 

My meditation practice allows me to examine and relate to the teachings from my own personal experience.  I am deeply and sincerely moved by the profound generosity of my root teacher, and of course his discipline, patience, diligence, meditative concentration that is so deeply instructive, and wisdom.  Guru Yoga for me has evolved into something very natural, empowering and nurturing.  I understand just how illuminating this relationship has become and its far reaching benefits. 

Alexander Berzin defines a Spiritual Friend:
A Spiritual Friend is a friend to help us be more constructive.  It doesn’t mean somebody that we go drinking with and go to the movies with, but someone who we really have a heart to heart close connection with. The whole purpose of the relationship is to help us to be more and more constructive, more and more positive, to gain more and more good qualities.

That is unquestionably my experience.  My practice and my path are rooted in the very practical and grounded advice of my root teacher, the very genuine and reciprocal respect we share, and the deep self respect he has inculcated in me.  From that deep respect, I move with a greater sense of responsibility, devotion and attention to my practice, which is so very constructive and grounded.

I had the pleasure of spending this past week on the island of Hawaii, at Wood Valley Temple, for an empowerment, teachings, fire puja and celebration of Losar, presented and led by a visiting teacher from Seattle, Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche.  I have been acquainted with him since 2008 (a few months after establishing my relationship with my root teacher). Recently I read his autobiography, a remarkable story, and I welcomed the opportunity to deepen my acquaintance with him.  I also had the pleasure of socializing with the Hawaii sangha.   Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche also spoke about Guru Yoga, explaining that it is not merely the physical actions done as part of preliminary practices.  I already had a deep appreciation for Younge Khachab Rinpoche and in the weekend's activities I recognized how much I have learned, and the ease and confidence I now enjoy with what I have learned and experienced so far. 

I came to recognize that Guru Yoga is not something merely done.  It is a way of being; of receptivity, of inspiration and integrity. 

Time spent listening to Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche and interacting with the Hawaii sangha- being open, receptive, sharing, and responsive gave me quite an exuberant feeling.  I found myself quite conscious of devotion to the Spiritual Teacher in conversations as each of us came from unique backgrounds. We quickly came together with a sense of warmth, generosity and kindness that was reflective of the devotion each of us have to our respective root teachers and subsequent teachers.  While I felt very exuberant in my devotion to my teachers, I also felt more firmly rooted in my dharma practice; even more deeply at home.  I was inspired and focused on the transformative power of the teachings from my own root teacher and Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche, as shown in my ease and comfort with people I did not know previously; I departed with many new friends.  I was inspired by the firm confidence, devotion and responsibility to the teachings I have been so fortunate to receive, to live them as fully as I can, and in the profound kindness and generosity of the teachers with whom I share very dear connections.

This sense of connection to my teachers and their lineage was punctuated later in the week when I went to Paleaku Garden, a botanical garden that includes a Stupa dedicated by Bokar Rinpoche, one of the great teachers for Younge Khachab Rinpoche, and a Green Tara shrine inspired by Her Eminence, Jamyang Dagmola Rinpoche, who has been like a second mother for Tulku Yeshi Rinpoche.  Being mindful of very real and dear lineages was deeply inspiring to me, deepening my sense of inspiring presence, devotion, and the beautiful guidance and power of Guru Yoga.

It is from this inspiring presence, devotion and joyful confidence that I can be available for others.  Realizing that is profoundly empowering.

Karen Johnstone is an estate planning paralegal, energy clearing consultant, bad ass mother; and long time student of Younge Khachab Rinpoche.  She is a leader and coordinator for the YDL- Washington Sangha.  She can be contacted at bodhismile@gmail.com.

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?

Hey Pup, what's your view?

"Hey Pup."

"Hey Dog."

"Listen, Pup, I've been wondering why you don't play with any pugs?"

"No one in my pack plays with pugs."

"Why not?"

"Because, everyone knows that if you play with pugs you are likely to get hurt and that they can even ruin your whole pack."

"What?  That's not true, I've played with pugs my whole life and I've never had a problem.  Actually one of my best friends is a pug."

"Well you better be careful.  My pack refuses to acknowledge all the barking about how great pugs are these days.  My great granddog's pack nearly broke apart after they found out one of the new dogs had played with a pug.  It was only after he admitted that he wrong and promised to never do it again that the pack stayed together."

"Pup, I've seen you play with mutts and pit bulls, even jump into a river with a golden, but one pug comes around and you get all tied up in knots and refuse to play.  Don't you think you're just tormenting yourself worrying about these pugs."

"No, you don't joke around with pugs.  We just don't do it."

"Is there a chance that you are generalizing, that maybe there were certain situations that happened in the past and it just happened to be a pug.  Maybe it was the dog park or the type of game that was being played."

"What's your point?  Why are you attacking me and my pack just because we don't like pugs."

"I'm not attacking you, Pup.  I just want to know your view.  It seems to me that your view really affects your day to day reality and not necessarily in a good way.  The way you perceive pugs not only affects your actions, but you won't even play with other dogs if there is a pug around.  I'm not attacking you, Pup, I just think your view is a source of bondage for you."

"I appreciate your concern, Dog.  I do.  But this is the way its always been for my pack, we don't know any different and who wants to take a chance when there are all these others dogs we can play with anyways.  It's actually pretty easy to avoid pugs if you keep your eye out for them."

"That's the thing, Pup, your mind is preoccupied with pugs and you don't even recognize it.  All these other dogs play with pugs all the time and they have never had a problem.  There is so much of the dog park that you don't see because there might be a pug around.  This is all about fear and protecting yourself from pain, yet the fear itself torments you and you experience emotional pain and anxiety anyways."

"So what do you want me to do, just leave my pack behind and everyone I love to go play with some pugs.  I'm not going to do it Dog."

"I'm not asking you to leave your pack behind, maybe just get to know a pug and see what they are like.  Honestly, most of them are really nice and friendly just like all the other dogs here."

"My pack won't like this, I might get kicked out for even associating with a pug.  I can't believe I am even talking to you about this right now."

"I tell you what, just think about it.  You don't need to change today or even tomorrow.  Just watch from a distance, think about your view and how it affects your actions.  Does your view promote your happiness or does it promote suffering?  Does it promote the health and happiness of your pack and all the other dogs here or does it cause more division and judgement?  Just think about it Pup, that's all I ask."

"Alright, Dog, I'll think about it.  But don't tell anyone, I don't want to be known as the heretic."

"Your not a heretic for thinking about what is truly beneficial for your life and your pack, Pup, you might even strengthen your faith and do what is really important for them and all the other dogs here."

"Thanks Dog, I appreciate that."

Refuge.

སྐྱབས་སུ་མཆི་
Tibetan: Chab-su Chi
English: Go for refuge.

The Tibetan skyabs (Chab) means refuge, protection, help.
Su means in or to.
mChi means to go.

All of us go for refuge in something.  Often it is a power outside of us- a god, an idea, an authority.  In the West, refuge often takes the form of money, power, success and status.  We put our hopes in them and put in a lot of effort thinking that when we get there they will provide for us.  If you look closely at the decisions you make, short term and long term, you will gain some insight into where you are putting your refuge.

A Buddhist is someone who puts there refuge in the Three Jewels- the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.  The Buddha is the teacher, the Dharma the teaching, and the Sangha is the supporting community.  Khachab Rinpoche emphasizes that of the Three Jewels, the most important is the Dharma, the teaching.

Dharma is our entryway.  When we practice the Dharma, we gain our own experience.  As we deepen our experience we gain confidence in the teaching and in our practice.  Confidence and understanding in our practice give way to realization and actual benefit.  As we witness this benefit and realization in ourselves, we begin to trust and respect the teacher and the community that supports the teaching.

Our practice of the Dharma leads to us taking refuge.  Refuge is based on experience, not blind faith.  You can believe that the Dharma will benefit you, but until you have truly practiced your place of refuge can easily shift and change.  One day you are a eager practitioner of the Buddha's teachings, the next you are following a fad diet and a new business scheme. Where is your refuge?

Refuge is actually extremely profound to contemplate on a day to day basis.
If you have a bad day at work, where is your refuge?  Is it your practice?  Or is it a glass of wine, a movie or the weekend?
If you get in an argument with your partner, where is your refuge?  Is it your practice?  Or is it a food binge, a cigarette or a pedal to the metal car ride?
If you encounter sickness, fear and doubt, where is your refuge?  Is it your practice? Or is someone going to come save you, bail you out, take away your problems?

Most of our bad habits are due to a mistaken refuge based on neurosis and negative emotions.  

Taking refuge in the Three Jewels and in your practice seems extremely heavy.  It is a lot of responsibility, but would you want anything else?

Do you want something else?

Wealth Distribution

These, monks, are the seven treasures- 

The treasure of confidence,
The treasure of discipline,
The treasure of integrity and decency,
The treasure of listening, generosity,
and wisdom as the seventh treasure.
Whoever, man or woman, has these treasures
is said not to be poor, has not lived in vain.
So confidence and discipline, faith and a Dharma view,
should be cultivated by the wise,
remembering the Buddhas' instruction.

~Buddha Shakyamuni

Much can be said about the distribution of wealth in our society or rather the abundance of destitution that many of us face.  It is our habitual tendency to think that we need to do more or have more before we can feel happy, content, find a sense of inner peace and joy.  

It seems like most of us are engaging in a never ending battle with people and institutions looking to hoard wealth and rob us of our right to live as we choose.  The tendency is to feel that we are the victim, that we are powerless and and thus we only experience anger and animosity with the world around us.  We should recognize this as our own ignorance, our own delusion.  It is our own poverty mentality that makes us feel afraid and cheated.  It is our own self-grasping that produces states of loss.  

Wealth can be experienced, real universal wealth that is beyond the confines of social hierarchy, market conditions, time and place.  The Buddha taught the Seven Noble Riches because he knew the limitations of material wealth.  He knew that the feeling of wealth did not spring from material goods or massive bank accounts but rather from the fertile mind of bodhicitta from which infinite qualities and realms of enjoyment arise. 

All experiences are fleeting and impermanent like a water bubble.  We all leave this life empty handed.  Whether or not you walk in wealth or destitution depends on your own mind.  Thus you should cultivate these Seven Noble Riches:

1. Confidence
2. Discipline
3. Generosity
4. Learning
5. Integrity
6. Decency
7. Wisdom

What steps are you taking to develop your wealth?  

A sanctuary gifted to the Buddha.

Anathapindika (A-natta-pin-dika) was the foremost of the Buddha's lay male disciples. He was praised for his generosity and humility, but also for the sharpness of his intellect. His faith and devotion to the Buddha and his teachings were unshakeable.

It was Anathapindika who offered the Buddha the sanctuary outside Shravasti known as Jetavana. Jetavana, or Jeta Park, was a beautiful forest grove located in the hills outside the city of Shravasti. It was quiet and secluded, yet easy to get to from the city for people to attend to the Buddha's teachings and for the monks to go for alms each morning. The park itself was beautiful, with groves of trees,  a large lotus pond, and a vihara. The vihara was a simple structure with a central hall, dwelling places and walkways.

Anathapindika gave birth to the vision for offering the Buddha this sanctuary upon their very first meeting. Anathapindika was a successful businessman who had been visiting his brother-in-law during a business trip to Rajgir, about 350 miles east of Shravasti. Rajgir was the capital of the Magadha kingdom ruled by King Bimbasara. Anathapindika had been there many times on business and always stayed with his brother-in-law who was also a successful businessman. On this occasion Anathapindika arrived to find his brother-in-law quite preoccupied with the arrival of the Buddha the next day. Anathapindika found himself inspired by his brother's description of the Buddha and decided to stay for his arrival.

The next morning he awoke early and set out to Veluvana, the Bamboo Grove, where the Buddha was going to be that day. The sunlight was just starting to illuminate the eastern sky, a light fog still hung in the trees. Birds were singing, proclaiming the arrival of the day. In the distance, Anathapindika saw a lone figure silently walking, his gaze steady, his every step intentional, consummate. Anathapindika hesitated, not wanting to disturb the monk.

"Come, Sudatta."

Anathapindika was startled by this address, for no one knew his birth name and surely he had never met this monk before. Anathapindika knew he must be in the presence of the Buddha, so he prostrated himself before the Buddha and approached. "Thank you, blessed one, Bhagavan. How are you?"

"Thank you, kind sir. I am well. Well, indeed, for I have gone beyond all that gives rise to suffering and discontentment." Anathapindika, of sharp intellect, quickly picked up what the Buddha was saying, that there are things in this world that lead us to pain and dissatisfaction, and that we can go beyond those very things. The Buddha, seeing his interest and natural wisdom, continued to teach him. He spoke to him of generosity and virtue, of the illusoriness of sensual pleasures and the benefits of letting go of reactivity. When the Buddha saw that Anathapindaka was attentive and serene, he taught him the Four Noble Truths. Anathapindika understood all of these teachings, and without any hesitation or doubt became a stream-enterer. His Dharma eye opened, he invited the Buddha for a meal at his brother-in-laws the very next day.

The next day, after offering the meal to the Buddha, he requested that the Buddha visit Shravasti and that he would like to offer him a sanctuary there. The Buddha answered, "The Buddha enjoys peaceful places." Anathapindika was elated at the Buddha's consent.

It is in this way that Anathapindika became a devout student of the Buddha, searching out and finding the beautiful gardens of Jeta Park, and going on to support and sponsor many teachings in that place. For the rest of his life Anathapindika continued to support and provide a safe sanctuary for the Buddha's disciples to engage in their practice free from distraction.