Impermanence

The second preliminary is the contemplation on impermanence.  The key point is that all conditioned phenomena are impermanent.

There are several implications to consider when contemplating impermanence.  First is the impermanence of the outer world.  No matter where we look we cannot find anything permanent or lasting.  Our environment composed of mountains, lakes and trees is constantly changing.  The beings that live in the world are constantly undergoing birth, aging, sickness and death.  No matter where we look, high or low, nothing permanent or lasting can be found.

Second, we can examine the inner world- our own life, body, thoughts and feelings.  When we look closely, we cannot find anything that withstands the test of time.  Our body undergoes many changes throughout life, our thoughts come and go like a never ending movie, our feelings constantly rise and fall like the tide.  Whether our experiences are pleasant or not, they come and go leaving only a faint memory similar to last nights dream. 

People often say, 'I cannot believe how fast this month/ year has gone.'  It is quite strange that even though we notice how quickly life passes us by, they do not apply it to their future.  We stand with our mouths agape at how fast the past ten years have went, what about the next ten?  Do you think they are going to slow down?   This life is like a water bubble, clearly apparent for a moment but vanishing in an instant. 

The third implication to consider is the faults of permanence.  We often consider phenomena, whether that of the outer world or the inner world, to possess an identify of their own.  We think that they really truly exist from their own side.  We tend to fixate on notions of self and other, mine and yours, right and wrong.  It is this fixation that then leads to fear, stress, anxiety, anger and attachment.  

When we understand the impermanence of the outer and inner world as well as the faults of permanence, we can come to embrace a larger scope, which is that if everything is impermanent then change is possible.  We often feel stuck- in situations, work, feelings and thoughts.  When we contemplate on impermanence we gain certainty that nothing is fixed, that while things may seem very solid at the time it is really just our mistaken perception.  By loosening our fixation on identity, we come to eliminate the extreme and faults of permanence.  We come to appreciate the larger scope, that reality is dynamic, flexible, a vast web of dependent origination. 

We then come to the decisive experience of impermanence.  By not getting caught up in the dynamic display of the environment or beings, we come to discover the fundamental ground of being, the true nature of reality which is unchanging.  Having never existed as anything whatsoever, it manifests in any way at all.  All that appears and exists within samsara and nirvana is nothing but an ornament of awareness, the unceasing play of dependent origination that is utterly beyond speech, thought or expression.  Life opens itself to an endless dance of creative display.  Our minds, free from fixation, come to appreciate and rejoice in experience rather than being bound by it. 

While there is uncertainty as to the time of death, death is certain so we must realize our true nature now.  For too long we have thought we had so much time, but now the sun is setting and life has run its course.  We have no time left to practice, our body is growing old and weak, our mind frail. 

Life is a passing glance of possibility.  Do we act or not?  Seize the moment!

What is your vessel?

When you wake each morning and rise from bed, what vessel do you use to move forward through your day?

Is it profit or gain.  Conquest and power.  Do you set your sights on simply making it through? 

What carries you through the good moments and the bad?  What allows you to bear witness to the extraordinary and painful?  What allows you to enjoy your meal and drink deeply, while also allowing you to sit with hunger and thirst?

Does the nature of your vessel give rise to love and kindness or do these need to be fabricated on their own?  Does your vessel allow for generosity and patience or are those extraneous virtues that only arise through effort?  Is your vessel a source of insight and wisdom? 

Take impermanence as your vessel. 

It will carry you across beautiful waters and rough seas.
It will bring enjoyment to your meals and quell the hollows of your hunger.
It naturally gives rise to kindness and compassion,
and is the source of unending insight and wisdom.

Take impermanence as your vessel and use it to live a life of kindness and generosity.  Use it to fulfill your own aims and the aims of others. 

Use it, because it will not last.  

Everything is impermanent.

Things are impermanent, thank goodness!

The world is too sloppy for permanence.  Imagine holding a permanent black marker and wearing all white clothes.  Oh, and you don't have a cap for the marker.  What a mess!

Impermanence allows for change.
Growth.
Development.
Freedom.
Breaks.
Art.
Expression.
Flexibility.
Movement.

Sure, we are sad at the moment of death.  But you don't want its opposite.
Time to appreciate, rejoice, enjoy.
This life is a sacred ornament.

I'm busy.

That seems to be the status update of our day. 

Busy- finishing up a project at work, working overtime.
Busy- with the kids, with the family, with friends.
Busy- with errands, events, and emotional interactions.
Busy- searching, shopping and seeking solace. 

Strange isn't it, how much of your day are you 'busy' trying to create something enjoyable?  Or fun?

Our effort to stay busy is a pretty new cultural invention.  Our grandfathers used to work long hours and did harder work, but did they really describe their weekend and their life as busy?

'Busy' might be the new comfortable, even though we don't admit that we like being busy, more and more often we don't like when we are not busy.  When we are not busy, we feel uncomfortable, like we are wasting our time or that our life doesn't have value.  So we stay busy, because it makes us feel important.  It makes us feel like we are doing something, maybe even accomplishing something. 

But in our efforts to stay busy, we miss a lot of opportunity.  We miss taking the chance on new interactions, we miss doing something important, we miss making a difference in someone's life. We might like the feeling of being busy, but don't make the mistake of being busy when you could be doing something valuable.  

The only way out of this hot mess we call 'busy' is to contemplate our own impermanence.   When we realize that our life is short and death is quickly approaching, you automatically start to do what is important because you know you don't have any time to waste.

New status update to how was your weekend: It was a gift.  My life is quickly passing before my eyes and I chose to do what was the most important, I shared it. 

I shared it in my work, even though they were long days.
I shared it with my family, friends and loved ones.
I shared it on my way to do errands, at events and with those I interacted with.
I shared with myself, in a moment of solace and peaceful enjoyment. 

It was a gift, and I hope yours was a gift too. 

A wicked cascade.

A discriminating mind gives rise to feelings.
Those feelings are interpreted and lead to craving or aversion.
Craving and aversion both affect our choices.
Choices create karma.

That is why renunciation is important.
That is why we need to appreciate impermanence.
That is why we need to eliminate perceptual bias.

Meditation is the vehicle that allows us to let go, to see clearly, to see truly, so that we can eliminate the discriminating mind.  

A complete practice.

As a practitioner, we all struggle to integrate our practice with our daily life.  We struggle to carry our daily practice off the cushion and into the world.  We struggle with trying to figure out how to act in the world after we no longer buy into the rat race of money, status and power.

These are problems that we try to solve as practitioners.

In order to relieve the tension we often feel between our practice and our daily life, we need to develop a complete practice.  A complete practice isn't just what you do on the cushion.  It starts with how you see the world, includes your meditation, your activity in the world and the result of your practice.

View.  Meditation. Conduct. Result.

View.  How do you see the world?  Is it possible to transform your vision?  What is your outlook and your intention?  Is your view informed by wisdom or by biased perception?  Your view can be like standing on the top of a mountain in which you can see everything below very clearly.  It can be like a vast expanse of space without border or limit.

Meditation.  Your view leads to meditation.  If you see how all things are dependently arisen, you will see subtle connections in meditation.  If you appreciate the impermanence of all phenomena you won't fixate on meditation experiences.  Meditation deepens your appreciation of the view and cuts through conceptual constraints.  Meditation is a vehicle.  It elicits your buddhanature in all its fullness- originally pure and naturally present.  As we gain confidence with this unique state, we awaken to timeless freedom and great compassion.

Conduct.  How do you carry your view and meditation into your daily life?  What does that look like?  What do you do with the freedom that you have gained?  We engage in the conduct of the bodhisattvas- we share generously, know how to work with our emotions, have patience to work through resistance and problems, and joyously persevere with a focused mind.  We carry wisdom into our homes, communities, work, life. 

Result.  Your life is your spiritual practice, the result is the path.  Every step you take.  

Never finished, yet never bound; such is the complete practice of the bodhisattvas. 

The ideal location.

On mountaintops, in forests, on islands and the like, 

Places that are agreeable to the mind and suitable to the season,

Cultivate single-pointed and unwavering meditative absorption,

On the clear light nature of mind, free from conceptual elaboration.

~Longchen Rabjam

Our environment has a significant influence on our mind.  The outer conditions can either aid us or hinder us in our practice.  As your practice develops more stability and you gain confidence dealing with problems and resistance the outer conditions become less important, but it is important to consider your practice setting at the beginning.

Mountaintops are awesome and inspiring, our minds become expansive and clear and we encounter few obstacles.
In forests, our minds are still and develop stability with ease.  Perfect for developing meditative absorption.
Riverbanks and streams remind us of impermanence and engender a focused mind.
Charnel grounds bring many obstacles for beginners, but can be powerful places for swift accomplishment.

It is important to assess your practice setting, to be aware of the qualities it will lend to your practice.  Examination is important, but don't spend all your time looking for the perfect setting.  

The ideal location for your practice is right where you are.  

Get to work!

What is wisdom?

It is often stated that all of the Buddha's teachings were taught for the sake of wisdom. But what is wisdom?

Wisdom isn't nebulous. It isn't the wise old man sitting up on top of a mountain waiting to answer people's questions.

Wisdom is insight into the human condition. Understanding it's impermanence, the pervasiveness of suffering and dissatisfaction, how thoughts and actions shape our life and the precious opportunity to make this life meaningful.

Wisdom is insight into who we are. Understanding how we are all connected, the nature of our minds and the way in which that understanding deepens our presence and gentleness in the world.

Wisdom is insight into the nature of reality. Understanding how all things are interconnected and transient in nature, how the outer world exists and how to best care for the world.

Wisdom is insight into our place in the world. Understanding how we can be authentically present and share our gifts with the world, how we can contribute, and how a culture of awakening develops from people showing up and acting in alignment with wisdom.

Wisdom is insight into the human condition, who we are, the nature of the world around us, and our place in it. It is not far out or far flung, it is the very ground of our being.

Need a Vacation?

 
How does a spa weekend sound?
Soaking in the hot pools of samsara
Will improve the circulation of thoughts and emotions. 
Afterwards relax into the natural state,
Lay out naked and unadorned on the groundless massage table,
Expose all of your tension and knots.
Let the essence of the teachings work out the kinks,
The pith instructions apply deep pressure to those stubborn knots.
You may need the discipline of a manicure and pedicure to refine away rough edges.
Finally, conclude with a exfoliating facial to remove the extremes of
Permanence and impermanence regarding the single true face of reality. 
This is how to seek release from samsara. 

How does a trip to wine country sound?
It is important to understand the different varietals of spiritual teachings,
To fully appreciate their lineage, view, path and result.
Taste is paramount in determining the quality,
Fame, wealth and reputation mean nothing if it leaves a bad taste.
Spend some time appreciating how the different varietals come together,
Their distinctive features and qualities.
Blending can at times enhance the experience, at other times create distortion.
Certain vineyards have distinct qualities that cannot be replicated,
No amount of blending or aging can draw out a similar taste,
If you find this extraordinary lot you should seek its full measure.
This is how to understand the vehicle to awakening.

How about traveling to a foreign land?
You have heard of these places and always wanted to go,
Read the history and are fascinated by the culture,
How these people live their lives, the food they eat,
Oh, to sit in their plazas and behold their art.
We must ourselves cross to the other side,
It is not enough to read or study,
We must gain our own experience firsthand.
No longer will I be a parrot of other's experience,
No longer will I share their insights, 
From this day forth I seek the authentic experience of direct knowing.
This is how to gain your own experience in setting forth to the other side.  

How about going to a cabin?
Enter into a serene, peaceful environment.
Slow down.  Touch the earth.  Feel the breeze.
Wrap yourself up in the warm blanket of the teachings,
Feel the warmth of the fire of your own experience.
Cuddle up with a good dharma book to open new worlds of experience.
Enjoying this comfort and peace you might sleep in,
Perhaps your meditation is drowsy because of this clinging.
In the evenings you may reach for a bottle of wine,
Feel free to enjoy it but don't grasp at the experience.
This is how to enter into experience.

Do you want to go home?
Go back to the natural state,
Rest in that original condition,
It is always timeless, unchanging.
All the experiences you have in life,
The high and lows, good and bad,
You can always come back to this.
This place of full acceptance, contentment and peace.  
This is discovering your own ground.

Maybe you want a respite from work?
Get away from the never ending goals and deadlines,
The need to accomplish and assert oneself.
What need is their for competition, coercion.  
You have already discovered your fulfillment,
What more are you trying to do?
Just rest as you are, there is nothing more to become.
Recognize as it is, there is fulfillment in that.
Go from not having enough time to the present being unceasing. 
This is how to gain conviction.

How about a beautiful beach vacation?
Relax into the vast ocean of meditative equipoise,
Waves of thoughts rising and falling,
Appearing clearly within the ocean but never parting.
The morning fog naturally evaporates,
Revealing the sun of true seeing in the spacious sky free of reference.
A gentle cool breeze of compassion stirs,
Whisking away the sweat of others turmoil.
How joyful, yourself and others are completely refreshed!
This is how to develop experience.

How about a holy pilgrimage?
Pay reverence to the site of awakening, your own meditation seat,
Make prostrations to Vajra Seat (Bodh Gaya),
Where the Lord Buddha himself gained awakening.
Make offerings of your body, speech and mind to the Three Jewels through all your deeds.
Circumambulate the great stupa of bodhicitta
By having all your activities revolve around this intent.
Step through the heart into an immaculate, vast temple,
All sights and sounds the infinite play of deity and mantra.
Hang prayer flags throughout the world by dedicating your merit,
Your smile is like a thousand offering lamps that illuminate the darkness.
This is how you bring all experiences onto the path.  

How about a big city shopping spree?
A completely dazzling endless variety of sights, sounds and appearances,
Everything you could want is here.
The subtlety and refinement of experience is beyond comparison.
It is fascinating how something so simple could be
Presented and appreciated in this way.
To use ordinary and simple things in this new design,
This excellence in simplicity, this mastery of the trade, is amazing.
We used to think complex and ostentatious were the trend,  
But to use the familiar in such a unique way is mind blowing. 
This is how mahasiddhas refine away experience. 

How about sailing?
Effortlessly ride the winds of karma,
Skillfully manipulate gusts of emotions,
Complete your journey regardless of high or low tides.
When the winds scream, you move along faster.
When the winds die, you abide in the pristine expanse, the ocean of awakened mind.
Your vessel moves unhindered through this spacious expanse,
Sending out a ripple in the vast ocean,
Yet vanishing without a trace.   
This is how everything accelerates the path. 

How about a mountain trek?
Start off your journey through dense forests,
You will enjoy many vistas along the way,
Pass by alpine lakes so clear you can see the bottom,
All phenomena will play like animals in mountain meadows.
Scampering through the world of appearances and possibility,
You suddenly breakthrough to the summit,
An astounding, vast panorama.
Down below you can see all the places
Yourself and others have gotten caught up,
The simple solutions to their current situation.  
Resting in unmoving meditative equipoise,
The mind completely stark and barren of all distortion,
You have nothing more to gain.

Maybe you should help that guy trying to cross the river, 
Or that girl fighting herself in that thicket of stinging nettles.

Maybe you should get back to work.

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.

"Whatever arises must cease."

"Whatever is subject to arising is subject to cessation."

This was the phrase that Kondanna uttered after hearing the Buddha's first sermon on the four noble truths. To which the Buddha replied, "Kondanna understands. Kondanna is one who understands it all."

This seemingly insignificant exchange occurs at the end of the Dharmachakra-pravartana sutra but it points to exactly what the Buddha was trying to illuminate, the wisdom of dependent origination.

That which changes is impermanent.
Whatever is impermanent is subject to dissatisfaction, or dukkha.
Whatever is conditioned is empty of inherently existing.

The three seals of impermanence, dukkha, and emptiness or not-self form the basis for understanding all the Buddha's teachings. If you understand these three seals, you are never far off from the Buddha's insight into the nature of the self and reality.

These are not complicated principles. They are accessible in our present experience. They are readily taught without dogma, even small children can observe how things are subject to change.

Much has been taught and can be taught about Buddhist philosophy. Simply understanding these three seals is enough to give rise to a greater understanding of the world around us, and insight into our own nature.

Contemplate these three seals with the four noble truths and you have a complete path to awakening.

A Simple Vessel.

What was your intention upon entering the womb in this life?

Was it to be rich, famous and successful?
To wine and dine at the finest restaurants?
Was it to see the latest blockbuster, buy the newest gadget?
To play in a band, write a book?
Was it to find your partner, raise a family?
To live a long time, to be healthy?
Was it to run wild, experience everything under the sun?
What was it?

It is a strange question, but if you had an intention for entering the womb,
what was it?

Was it one of those?

Or was it to awaken to the truth. 
To share generously and love. 
To bring benefit to others, to make an impact in people's lives. 
Was it to empower the weak, to feed the hungry.
Maybe it was as simple as to take impermanence as your vessel,
and to live a life of compassion. 

Buddhism 101.

Meditation is in the news a lot today.  We hear a lot about the benefits of mindfulness and meditation on our health and its impact on our mind.  This has lead a lot of curious people to look deeper into the meditative traditions, of which Buddhism is a major contributor. 

My intention with this blog is not to convert people to Buddhism or spread the Buddha's teachings.  If you have an affinity for these teachings I think that you will naturally pursue your interest and follow your heart wherever it leads you.  I write to share my experience of a practice tradition, in hopes that it will inspire those of you who are interested in starting your own practice and connect with those of you who already have a strong practice.

A lot of people who are interested in meditation ask me about Buddhism.  If you happen to be one of those people here are some good places to start reading:

The Four Noble Truths which is the first discourse the Buddha gave after his enlightenment. 

Practice Essentials which form the basis for any Buddhist practitioner. 

Impermanence and its impact on our life. 

Karma and the importance of our choices. 

Liberation and what is truly beneficial. 

The Buddha, and his story. 

Refuge and the important role of a teacher in our practice. 

Compassion, the essence of the practice. 

Our best tool, meditation.

Wisdom and realization.   

The importance of the Sangha, or community of practitioners. 

Generosity and doing work that matters. 

The importance of starting.

Get started. 

3 marks of existence.

Fully understand dukkha.

To learn to be fully present and whole in the world, we need to learn to look deeply into our own lives and the human condition. The Buddha taught this as the very basis of the journey of awakening.

The journey of self-discovery and awakening is not a journey outside ourselves, but a pilgrimage to the very center of our being. It is more about being than doing, more about going deeper than exploring wider.

How are we to look at the reality of the human predicament in order to gain insight and understanding? The Buddha use a very simple method of contemplation called the three marks of existence, otherwise known as the three seals.

It is impermanent. It is the nature of dukkha. It is not-self, or empty. 

These three marks of impermanence, dukkha and selflessness or emptiness inform our perspective and contemplation. These three marks are a lens through which we see our experience in meditation.

Observing the body, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.
Observing feelings, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.
Observing mind and thoughts, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.
Observing phenomena, whether sights, sounds, smells, tastes or touch, we can see clearly that it is impermanent, the nature of dukkha, and not-self.

Contemplating these three marks, there is no need to reject our experience or present condition. In order to truly contemplate these three marks, we must look at our present condition the way it is. By looking into our own life, we approach the very nature of reality itself.

As we learn to be truthful to our own life and the human predicament that we find ourselves in, we find that we are right on the very threshold of awakening. There is no where to go, and no one else can make this journey for us. You are the doorway and the one who must pass through. There is no where else to look but within.

As our self-awareness deepens, our connection and compassion for others naturally grows and warms. The separation that we see between ourselves and others becomes less distant as we learn to be less separated from ourselves and the world around us. As self-awareness deepens and compassion grows, we discover a means of living fully in the world. We rediscover the very ground of being, the primordial state from which we have never parted but rarely recognize.

When you fully understand the human predicament, or dukkha, by contemplating the three marks, you are at home in the world. Understanding deepens our presence and belonging, and these are among the greatest gifts we can bring into the world.

Transforming poison.

It is easy to focus on all the poison in our lives and the world around us.  To see all of the anger and injustice in the world.  To witness unfairness and outright manipulation by those in power.  It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of our days, the pointlessness of what we are doing.  At times we all feel helpless and lost, that we have no control over all of the problems in our life.

The practitioner doesn't get caught up in the highs and lows of their day.  The don't get caught up in what is right or wrong, what to accept and what to reject.  Everything is applied to their practice.  Everything is an opportunity to practice.

Anger is poison, use it to practice patience.
Attachment is poison, use it to practice impermanence.
Fear is poison, use it to look deeper and examine your fixation.
Anxiety is poison, use it as a catalyst to train your mind.
Resistance is poison, use it to persevere.
Jealousy is poison, use it to rejoice in the happiness and success of others.
Looking outside yourself is poison, recognize and look within and to your own practice.
Death is the ultimate poison, use it to express gratitude and a profound appreciation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

We get to do this.

We get to transform suffering into the path of realization.
We get to transform our problems and obstacles into growth and accomplishment.
We get to dig deeper and experience everything as the path of liberation.

Knowledge isn't enough.  It is not enough to simply know this.
Practice is important.  The lived experience is what counts.