Wisdom of Learning
The wisdom of learning and studying is the result of having gained knowledge and a conceptual understanding of a given subject.
Wisdom of Contemplation
The wisdom of contemplation is a deeper understanding of the implications and connections of this knowledge. This deeper understanding allows you to apply your knowledge outside of one's subject matter and bring its insight into new settings.
Wisdom of Meditation
The wisdom of meditation is the experiential familiarization with this knowledge. This is a profound level of understanding, not only of the implications and connections but the resolution of all doubts and uncertainty. As one gains the wisdom of meditation, the obscurations to knowledge are continually removed as one goes deeper into the practice, gaining access to and cultivating a depth of knowledge that is beyond words or imagination.
The culmination of the wisdom of meditation is the knowledge of the true nature of reality and indeed the true nature of your own mind. This is the wisdom that spiritual teachers share with us. Having gone beyond mere words, they can share their own experience.
Clarify your practice. Let your practice clarify you.
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query wisdom. Sort by date Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by relevance for query wisdom. Sort by date Show all posts
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2019
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.
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.
Monday, April 30, 2018
Dharma practitioners don't just meditate.
The Buddha's teachings get a lot of press about meditation. A lot of people may even equate the Buddha's teachings with meditation. That's what the Buddha did, right?
The Buddha did not just teach about meditation.
Meditation is a critical step in a much larger process of developing insight and wisdom. The development of wisdom evolves through three phases- study, contemplation and meditation.
When we study, we learn key concepts and principles. We are exposed to ideas and use reason and logic to determine their validity.
Contemplation is the process of building connections, coming at the material from different angles and reflecting on our experience of the teachings we have been studying. Contemplation involves deeper aspects of our mind and heart, often within the sphere of contemplation we will experience flashes of insight or meaning that seem to come from outside our own conjecture.
Meditation is the process of moving beyond concepts and into direct experience. We can talk about what chocolate tastes like, we can compare it to other regional varieties, but at some point we need to actually taste the chocolate. Meditation is a direct experience of the teachings.
We gain a certain type of knowledge and wisdom through study. We gain a different type of knowledge and wisdom through contemplation. The wisdom of meditation is the wisdom of direct experience.
The fundamental problem that all dharma practitioners are trying to resolve is the human condition complete with all of its negative and positive aspects. We as humans experience a lot of pain and suffering. Mental illness runs rampant through our communities affecting both young and old. But we also see great examples of virtues like compassion, generosity and wisdom. As dharma practitioners work to solve this problem, they rely on the process of study, contemplation and meditation. Over and over again, they cycle through these processes, continuously trying to resolve the nature of their own human life, and sharing that wisdom with others.
Slowly, and tirelessly they gain wisdom about how to work with suffering and practice virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they gain wisdom about how to live with suffering and share virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they discover freedom in the midst of suffering and learn how to embody virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they learn how to embody virtue and discover freedom in the midst of suffering.
The Buddha did not just teach about meditation.
Meditation is a critical step in a much larger process of developing insight and wisdom. The development of wisdom evolves through three phases- study, contemplation and meditation.
When we study, we learn key concepts and principles. We are exposed to ideas and use reason and logic to determine their validity.
Contemplation is the process of building connections, coming at the material from different angles and reflecting on our experience of the teachings we have been studying. Contemplation involves deeper aspects of our mind and heart, often within the sphere of contemplation we will experience flashes of insight or meaning that seem to come from outside our own conjecture.
Meditation is the process of moving beyond concepts and into direct experience. We can talk about what chocolate tastes like, we can compare it to other regional varieties, but at some point we need to actually taste the chocolate. Meditation is a direct experience of the teachings.
We gain a certain type of knowledge and wisdom through study. We gain a different type of knowledge and wisdom through contemplation. The wisdom of meditation is the wisdom of direct experience.
The fundamental problem that all dharma practitioners are trying to resolve is the human condition complete with all of its negative and positive aspects. We as humans experience a lot of pain and suffering. Mental illness runs rampant through our communities affecting both young and old. But we also see great examples of virtues like compassion, generosity and wisdom. As dharma practitioners work to solve this problem, they rely on the process of study, contemplation and meditation. Over and over again, they cycle through these processes, continuously trying to resolve the nature of their own human life, and sharing that wisdom with others.
Slowly, and tirelessly they gain wisdom about how to work with suffering and practice virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they gain wisdom about how to live with suffering and share virtue.
Slowly, and tirelessly they learn how to embody virtue and discover freedom in the midst of suffering.
Thursday, October 25, 2018
Wisdom lies just beyond the reach of fixation.
One of the fascinating aspects of understanding the Buddha's presentation of the mind is that confusion and wisdom are so closely connected, and often what separates us from experiencing one or the other is but a subtle shift in perspective. The Buddha taught that the primary negative emotions that we experience, called the five poisons, are all experienced as wisdom when we are free from grasping and fixation, otherwise called the five wisdoms.
Take jealousy for example. All of us experience jealousy, or the feeling that what we do isn't good enough or that others are somehow more talented or have better opportunities that we have. When we no longer fixate on our own inadequacy or ability, we can open ourselves up to experience the wisdom of innate fulfillment.
Arrogance is another common negative emotion. Arrogance holds tightly to our position, our view, our ideas or beliefs. Arrogance doesn't listen to what others have to say. When we relinquish these self-focused perspectives, we can give rise to the wisdom of equality, that all beings are equal and that all phenomena are equal in their nature.
Anger is experienced as a being averse to what is happening. When things aren't going our way, aren't meeting our expectations or are turning our the way we intended, we get angry. Anger is an attempt to maintain control or maintain power over a situation. When we let go of fixation, we can experience what is called mirror-like wisdom, where we respond and reflect what is happening. There is no distortion in a mirror, whatever you place in front of it is what it reflects back.
Desire or craving is a fixation on the particular qualities of characteristics of an object. We may be attached to a certain type of fashion, or brand, or person. The craving mind imputes so many characteristics onto the object that we cannot discern what is real from what is projected. When we are free from fixation, we experience the wisdom of discernment, which allows us to appreciate and acknowledge diverse qualities and characteristics but without the attendant forces of craving distorting our vision.
Lastly we come to confusion or ignorance. Ignorance fundamentally misconceives of who we are and the nature of the world around us. We think we are stuck as we are. We think the world around us is never going to improve. Everything seems rather inflexible and concrete. We we can break free from this type of fixation, we can experience with wisdom of the true nature, where we realize that everything is connected and interwoven.
We experience the five poisons regularly throughout our day. Wisdom lies just beyond, and the only thing holding us back is our own grasping and fixation. The Buddha's second noble truth is to let go of the origin, meaning to let go of these five poisons so that we can actualize and realize the state of cessation, our own true nature.
Take jealousy for example. All of us experience jealousy, or the feeling that what we do isn't good enough or that others are somehow more talented or have better opportunities that we have. When we no longer fixate on our own inadequacy or ability, we can open ourselves up to experience the wisdom of innate fulfillment.
Arrogance is another common negative emotion. Arrogance holds tightly to our position, our view, our ideas or beliefs. Arrogance doesn't listen to what others have to say. When we relinquish these self-focused perspectives, we can give rise to the wisdom of equality, that all beings are equal and that all phenomena are equal in their nature.
Anger is experienced as a being averse to what is happening. When things aren't going our way, aren't meeting our expectations or are turning our the way we intended, we get angry. Anger is an attempt to maintain control or maintain power over a situation. When we let go of fixation, we can experience what is called mirror-like wisdom, where we respond and reflect what is happening. There is no distortion in a mirror, whatever you place in front of it is what it reflects back.
Desire or craving is a fixation on the particular qualities of characteristics of an object. We may be attached to a certain type of fashion, or brand, or person. The craving mind imputes so many characteristics onto the object that we cannot discern what is real from what is projected. When we are free from fixation, we experience the wisdom of discernment, which allows us to appreciate and acknowledge diverse qualities and characteristics but without the attendant forces of craving distorting our vision.
Lastly we come to confusion or ignorance. Ignorance fundamentally misconceives of who we are and the nature of the world around us. We think we are stuck as we are. We think the world around us is never going to improve. Everything seems rather inflexible and concrete. We we can break free from this type of fixation, we can experience with wisdom of the true nature, where we realize that everything is connected and interwoven.
We experience the five poisons regularly throughout our day. Wisdom lies just beyond, and the only thing holding us back is our own grasping and fixation. The Buddha's second noble truth is to let go of the origin, meaning to let go of these five poisons so that we can actualize and realize the state of cessation, our own true nature.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Innate wisdom.
We all have innate wisdom.
It is the wisdom that knows something is not right. That something is out of place or unjust. We feel it, see it directly. It might give rise to clear thoughts or intentions, it may not.
Innate wisdom knows that pain is not our natural condition. It knows that these feelings, this anger and aversion, is not our natural state.
We are not the storm. This tumult is not who we are. This disease is not intrinsic to us.
Amidst confusion, there is innate wisdom illuminating the darkness.
We need to trust this.
If we trust the pain, the confusion, and the anguish, then we will be crushed.
If we trust our innate wisdom, then pain, confusion and anguish become workable.
If we trust violence and hatred they will tear our life, family and communities apart.
If we trust our innate wisdom, then our communities can heal.
We have an opportunity available to us, we see it, we know it directly. We need to trust what are hearts are already telling us it true.
This is not who we are. This is not our natural condition.
Wisdom opens a path to healing.
It is the wisdom that knows something is not right. That something is out of place or unjust. We feel it, see it directly. It might give rise to clear thoughts or intentions, it may not.
Innate wisdom knows that pain is not our natural condition. It knows that these feelings, this anger and aversion, is not our natural state.
We are not the storm. This tumult is not who we are. This disease is not intrinsic to us.
Amidst confusion, there is innate wisdom illuminating the darkness.
We need to trust this.
If we trust the pain, the confusion, and the anguish, then we will be crushed.
If we trust our innate wisdom, then pain, confusion and anguish become workable.
If we trust violence and hatred they will tear our life, family and communities apart.
If we trust our innate wisdom, then our communities can heal.
We have an opportunity available to us, we see it, we know it directly. We need to trust what are hearts are already telling us it true.
This is not who we are. This is not our natural condition.
Wisdom opens a path to healing.
Thursday, October 6, 2016
Progress through wisdom.
The common method of achievement and accomplishing your goals is by force. Push harder, put in more time and effort, show up early, stay late.
A lot can be accomplished through effort and exertion.
Another method is to progress through the wisdom of selflessness. As you cut through ego and self-cherishing, you eliminate possessiveness and suffer less. Not fixating on your own agenda and perspective, you become more open and generous.
As wisdom deepens, you don't feel so overwhelmed by situations or problems. You don't feel the need to turn back or give up.
As wisdom deepens further you can work with adverse conditions and circumstances with great patience. The impulse to shut down gradually fades further and further from view.
Deeper still, your wisdom overwhelms whatever arises in your experience, allowing you to continue forward with your intention. Even amidst great hardship and adversity, you continue unafflicted.
Deeper and deeper into the wisdom of selflessness, further and further along the path you progress. Wisdom unearths accomplishment, yet what have you to gain?
A lot can be accomplished through effort and exertion.
Another method is to progress through the wisdom of selflessness. As you cut through ego and self-cherishing, you eliminate possessiveness and suffer less. Not fixating on your own agenda and perspective, you become more open and generous.
As wisdom deepens, you don't feel so overwhelmed by situations or problems. You don't feel the need to turn back or give up.
As wisdom deepens further you can work with adverse conditions and circumstances with great patience. The impulse to shut down gradually fades further and further from view.
Deeper still, your wisdom overwhelms whatever arises in your experience, allowing you to continue forward with your intention. Even amidst great hardship and adversity, you continue unafflicted.
Deeper and deeper into the wisdom of selflessness, further and further along the path you progress. Wisdom unearths accomplishment, yet what have you to gain?
Friday, April 11, 2014
Vairocana
OM AH HUNG BHAGAVAN VAIROCANA OM
Vairocana is one of the Five Family Buddhas.
His pure land is Akanishta, meaning Unsurpassed, representing the true nature of reality in which emptiness and dependent origination are inseparable. His color is white, representing the activity of pacifying conflict, disease, problems and obstacles. His hands are in the mudra of teaching the Dharma holding a Dharma Wheel, or Dharmacakra- representing the continual motion and change that forever turns and brings about transformation and development.
Vairocana is the Buddha that represents completely purified ignorance. Ignorance is like a blank dullness, that state of unknowing where we don't know what to do to make our life meaningful. Vairocana represents the transformation of that ignorance into the wisdom of the true nature of reality, thoroughly understanding the nature of our own mind and the world around us and how we are to unite compassion and wisdom in order to fulfill our own aims and the aims of others.
He rides a lion possessed with all the major and minor marks. The lion is the sovereign of all animals. His sovereignty is not appointed by divine right or out of self-righteousness or self-promotion, it is the rightful authority to act. To not act would be to fall from wisdom into the ignorance of selfishness and fear. In this way, the lion is an unerring source of refuge and protection, carrying the bewildered and confused into the peaceful grove of clarity and insight.
In regard to our own mind and self, Vairocana represents the aggregate of form. We are all very attached to our physical bodies; how we feel, how we look. Our fixation on our own condition and state lead us down the rabbit hole of self-grasping and ignorance, further intensifying our fear and discontentment. As we purify this self-grasping and transmute it into wisdom and insight, we are able to break free from the confines of our own limited view and understanding. We can embrace a larger scope.
When we deeply contemplate and integrate the wisdom and symbolism of Vairocana, we can learn how to transmute ignorance and selfishness into an opportunity for wisdom and purpose. We are able to step outside of fear, doubt and uncertainty. We attain the awakened form of the Buddhas that transcends the confines of place and time. The form or shape of our life is one in which we guide, teach and lead others out of confusion and habitual patterns into wisdom and clarity. Our body becomes like a rainbow- apparent yet empty of existing in any fixed manner- dancing like an illusion that carries out the benefit of others, teaching them how to overcome conflict and problems, setting out the path and providing the support and resources to embody their own awakened form.
To attain such a state would be unsurpassed- for not only would you have fulfilled your own aims, but you would have fulfilled the aims of others.
Go ride that lion.
Vairocana is one of the Five Family Buddhas.
His pure land is Akanishta, meaning Unsurpassed, representing the true nature of reality in which emptiness and dependent origination are inseparable. His color is white, representing the activity of pacifying conflict, disease, problems and obstacles. His hands are in the mudra of teaching the Dharma holding a Dharma Wheel, or Dharmacakra- representing the continual motion and change that forever turns and brings about transformation and development.
Vairocana is the Buddha that represents completely purified ignorance. Ignorance is like a blank dullness, that state of unknowing where we don't know what to do to make our life meaningful. Vairocana represents the transformation of that ignorance into the wisdom of the true nature of reality, thoroughly understanding the nature of our own mind and the world around us and how we are to unite compassion and wisdom in order to fulfill our own aims and the aims of others.
He rides a lion possessed with all the major and minor marks. The lion is the sovereign of all animals. His sovereignty is not appointed by divine right or out of self-righteousness or self-promotion, it is the rightful authority to act. To not act would be to fall from wisdom into the ignorance of selfishness and fear. In this way, the lion is an unerring source of refuge and protection, carrying the bewildered and confused into the peaceful grove of clarity and insight.
In regard to our own mind and self, Vairocana represents the aggregate of form. We are all very attached to our physical bodies; how we feel, how we look. Our fixation on our own condition and state lead us down the rabbit hole of self-grasping and ignorance, further intensifying our fear and discontentment. As we purify this self-grasping and transmute it into wisdom and insight, we are able to break free from the confines of our own limited view and understanding. We can embrace a larger scope.
When we deeply contemplate and integrate the wisdom and symbolism of Vairocana, we can learn how to transmute ignorance and selfishness into an opportunity for wisdom and purpose. We are able to step outside of fear, doubt and uncertainty. We attain the awakened form of the Buddhas that transcends the confines of place and time. The form or shape of our life is one in which we guide, teach and lead others out of confusion and habitual patterns into wisdom and clarity. Our body becomes like a rainbow- apparent yet empty of existing in any fixed manner- dancing like an illusion that carries out the benefit of others, teaching them how to overcome conflict and problems, setting out the path and providing the support and resources to embody their own awakened form.
To attain such a state would be unsurpassed- for not only would you have fulfilled your own aims, but you would have fulfilled the aims of others.
Go ride that lion.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Self-loathing.
We all have negative self talk. We all beat up on ourselves more than we should. We are our greatest critic, and we don't mince words with ourselves.
This is a really deep seated aversion and guilt about who we are and who we should be. The root of the problem lies in our conception of who we are, but it is not enough to simply see that ego is the problem. If anything, seeing that ego is the problem can further inflame our self hatred, because we should know better and even do know better.
But what can we do about it?
Recognize for a moment that there is a part of you that knows what you did, what you said, or how you screwed up isn't you. That moment in time isn't you. It was just a sentence, or conversation, or an action.
Let's call that moment of confusion, ignorance or stupidity your smaller self. Then, the knowing aspect that recognizes the actions of the smaller self, but also recognizes that is not who you are, let's call that your wisdom self.
Your smaller self screwed up. You acted inappropriately, or lost your cool, or said something stupid. It happens.
Your wisdom self sees how you embody many different facets and roles in this life. Your wisdom self sees the bigger picture, knows that you care, that you try to do the right thing and strive to meaningfully contribute. Most importantly, your wisdom self knows that your past affects who you are today, but it doesn't define who you are. You get to decide that. Let your wisdom self decide that.
When your stuck in your head, beating yourself up about what you said or did, take a moment to notice that smaller self and then step back and notice the wisdom self. Smile and even laugh at the actions of the smaller self. Don't take yourself to seriously. With love and kindness, look at that smaller self and reflect on how far you have come, and how much further you have yet to go.
Then, taking a moment to acknowledge the pain and frustration of the smaller self, thank them for the lesson. Finally, set your intention with wisdom, and get back to work.
This is a really deep seated aversion and guilt about who we are and who we should be. The root of the problem lies in our conception of who we are, but it is not enough to simply see that ego is the problem. If anything, seeing that ego is the problem can further inflame our self hatred, because we should know better and even do know better.
But what can we do about it?
Recognize for a moment that there is a part of you that knows what you did, what you said, or how you screwed up isn't you. That moment in time isn't you. It was just a sentence, or conversation, or an action.
Let's call that moment of confusion, ignorance or stupidity your smaller self. Then, the knowing aspect that recognizes the actions of the smaller self, but also recognizes that is not who you are, let's call that your wisdom self.
Your smaller self screwed up. You acted inappropriately, or lost your cool, or said something stupid. It happens.
Your wisdom self sees how you embody many different facets and roles in this life. Your wisdom self sees the bigger picture, knows that you care, that you try to do the right thing and strive to meaningfully contribute. Most importantly, your wisdom self knows that your past affects who you are today, but it doesn't define who you are. You get to decide that. Let your wisdom self decide that.
When your stuck in your head, beating yourself up about what you said or did, take a moment to notice that smaller self and then step back and notice the wisdom self. Smile and even laugh at the actions of the smaller self. Don't take yourself to seriously. With love and kindness, look at that smaller self and reflect on how far you have come, and how much further you have yet to go.
Then, taking a moment to acknowledge the pain and frustration of the smaller self, thank them for the lesson. Finally, set your intention with wisdom, and get back to work.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Amitabha
OM AMIDEWA HRIH
Amitabha is one of the Five Family Buddhas.
His pure land is Sukhavati, the Land of Great Bliss, representing the great joy experienced when all conditions are met as opportunities for practice and realization in the quest for complete awakening. His color is red, representing the activity of magnetizing or attracting. His hands are in the mudra of meditative equipoise symbolizing stability, the right 'skillful method' hand supported by the left 'wisdom' hand. In his hands he holds a lotus flower, a symbol of purity and renunciation. The lotus is a powerful symbol associated with all Buddhas, symbolizing their appearance in the world and yet that they are unstained by defilements, hindrances and cognitive obscurations. A blossoming lotus represents the natural unfolding of activity free from the faults of the eight worldly concerns.
Amitabha is the Buddha that represents completely purified attachment or passion. All of us have strong desires and passions and our fixation on these leads to a very narrow view and limited understanding. We become fixated on our version of the truth, what we think is the right way, what we want. Attachment is not flexible, it is rigid and stiff and produces poor decision making and cloud upon cloud of negative thoughts and emotions. Amitabha represents the transformation of that attachment into the wisdom of discernment. Discernment is free from bias and distortion. You see and understand. You get the big picture. A discerning mind is open, flexible and precise. It is able to perceive its own condition and the condition of the surrounding world.
Amitabha rides a peacock possessed with all the major and minor marks. The peacock is able to transmute poison into healing nectar. Its call announces dawn or awakening. The eyes of its feathers represent wisdom, the quill feathers represent the myriad skillful methods that are employed to bring about fruition. Like the lotus, the peacock is able to transform the mundane and poisonous aspects of our daily life and world in order to bring forth great benefit.
In regard to our own mind and self, Amitabha represents the aggregate of perception. Perception is like a lens through which we see the world. That lens is obscured by negative emotions, bias, ignorance and fear. As it becomes distorted, our thoughts and actions become distorted. Attachment and aversion are constantly effecting the opaqueness of our lens, closing off access to insight and wisdom.
When we deeply contemplate and integrate the wisdom and symbolism of Amitabha, we can learn to transmute attachment and distorted vision into the wisdom of discernment. We become skilled at transforming problems and the negative aspects of our life and world into the path. Our practice becomes one of transformation. We don't need to escape, turn away or reject. We can work with what is coming up. Because we are not fixated on our own position, we can see the opportunity available to us. We can see the opportunity available to others.
Everything becomes the practice. Your life is your spiritual practice, the result is the path. Sukhavati is not some destination in which we arrive, it is the path on which we walk.
Start walking. And bring a peacock.
Amitabha is one of the Five Family Buddhas.
His pure land is Sukhavati, the Land of Great Bliss, representing the great joy experienced when all conditions are met as opportunities for practice and realization in the quest for complete awakening. His color is red, representing the activity of magnetizing or attracting. His hands are in the mudra of meditative equipoise symbolizing stability, the right 'skillful method' hand supported by the left 'wisdom' hand. In his hands he holds a lotus flower, a symbol of purity and renunciation. The lotus is a powerful symbol associated with all Buddhas, symbolizing their appearance in the world and yet that they are unstained by defilements, hindrances and cognitive obscurations. A blossoming lotus represents the natural unfolding of activity free from the faults of the eight worldly concerns.
Amitabha is the Buddha that represents completely purified attachment or passion. All of us have strong desires and passions and our fixation on these leads to a very narrow view and limited understanding. We become fixated on our version of the truth, what we think is the right way, what we want. Attachment is not flexible, it is rigid and stiff and produces poor decision making and cloud upon cloud of negative thoughts and emotions. Amitabha represents the transformation of that attachment into the wisdom of discernment. Discernment is free from bias and distortion. You see and understand. You get the big picture. A discerning mind is open, flexible and precise. It is able to perceive its own condition and the condition of the surrounding world.
Amitabha rides a peacock possessed with all the major and minor marks. The peacock is able to transmute poison into healing nectar. Its call announces dawn or awakening. The eyes of its feathers represent wisdom, the quill feathers represent the myriad skillful methods that are employed to bring about fruition. Like the lotus, the peacock is able to transform the mundane and poisonous aspects of our daily life and world in order to bring forth great benefit.
In regard to our own mind and self, Amitabha represents the aggregate of perception. Perception is like a lens through which we see the world. That lens is obscured by negative emotions, bias, ignorance and fear. As it becomes distorted, our thoughts and actions become distorted. Attachment and aversion are constantly effecting the opaqueness of our lens, closing off access to insight and wisdom.
When we deeply contemplate and integrate the wisdom and symbolism of Amitabha, we can learn to transmute attachment and distorted vision into the wisdom of discernment. We become skilled at transforming problems and the negative aspects of our life and world into the path. Our practice becomes one of transformation. We don't need to escape, turn away or reject. We can work with what is coming up. Because we are not fixated on our own position, we can see the opportunity available to us. We can see the opportunity available to others.
Everything becomes the practice. Your life is your spiritual practice, the result is the path. Sukhavati is not some destination in which we arrive, it is the path on which we walk.
Start walking. And bring a peacock.
Friday, August 14, 2015
Three cornerstones of your practice.
Discipline.
Meditation.
Wisdom.
Discipline gives you structure. It gives your practice form. It provides reinforcement and direction.
Meditation allows you to dig deeper, cut through the layers. It allows you to let go, gain stability and clarity. It is your workshop.
Wisdom allows you to make connections, draw out the implications. It is insight and clear seeing. It is direct, no BS.
Discipline without meditation or wisdom and you become rigid, narrow minded and overly analytical. You become confined, bound by rules. You become like a well trained rat in a cage of concepts.
Meditation without discipline and you lack the skills to act. You are like a carpenter without tools, confident sure, but unable to construct anything meaningful.
Meditation without wisdom and you get stuck in absorption. You are like a circus elephant in the mud- happy, joyful, relaxed- never wanting to leave. All your pride has you confused and you forget that the circus still owns you.
Wisdom without discipline and you are like a madman, unable to connect and relate to others.
Wisdom without meditation is like a flash of lightening in the night, it will illuminate the darkness for a brief moment but it is unlikely to set anything ablaze.
Meditation.
Wisdom.
Discipline gives you structure. It gives your practice form. It provides reinforcement and direction.
Meditation allows you to dig deeper, cut through the layers. It allows you to let go, gain stability and clarity. It is your workshop.
Wisdom allows you to make connections, draw out the implications. It is insight and clear seeing. It is direct, no BS.
Discipline without meditation or wisdom and you become rigid, narrow minded and overly analytical. You become confined, bound by rules. You become like a well trained rat in a cage of concepts.
Meditation without discipline and you lack the skills to act. You are like a carpenter without tools, confident sure, but unable to construct anything meaningful.
Meditation without wisdom and you get stuck in absorption. You are like a circus elephant in the mud- happy, joyful, relaxed- never wanting to leave. All your pride has you confused and you forget that the circus still owns you.
Wisdom without discipline and you are like a madman, unable to connect and relate to others.
Wisdom without meditation is like a flash of lightening in the night, it will illuminate the darkness for a brief moment but it is unlikely to set anything ablaze.
Monday, June 30, 2014
Problem Solver.
What are the main problems in your life?
Stress. Anxiety. Health. Money. Love. Work. Fear. Busy. Time. People.
Normally we relate to our problems with aversion. We believe, erroneously, that if we can get rid of all our problems then we will be happy and we can live the life we imagine.
What if we change that relationship?
What if instead of trying to avoid problems we sought to derive wisdom from them?
What is this problem, this person, this situation trying to teach me? Am I willing to listen? To learn? How much am I contributing to this problem being a problem?
If we take our problems onto the path they become fuel for the fire of wisdom. They become a catalyst for change and growth.
If we relate to problems in this way, the problem and the need for a solution fall away. The notion of problems and solutions has been resolved in its own ground. As you learn to carry wisdom as the path, listening deeply becomes your greatest asset.
Use it.
Wisdom wants to be shared. Listen, and share it. You don't need to be a sage to share wisdom, you simply need to look deeply into your own life and situation; listen, be patient and vulnerable, and be honest.
Problems present themselves as an opportunity for liberation, an opportunity for the sun of wisdom to breakthrough the darkness.
Don't worry, if you can't liberate the first problem that comes up more will always present themselves.
Stress. Anxiety. Health. Money. Love. Work. Fear. Busy. Time. People.
Normally we relate to our problems with aversion. We believe, erroneously, that if we can get rid of all our problems then we will be happy and we can live the life we imagine.
What if we change that relationship?
What if instead of trying to avoid problems we sought to derive wisdom from them?
What is this problem, this person, this situation trying to teach me? Am I willing to listen? To learn? How much am I contributing to this problem being a problem?
If we take our problems onto the path they become fuel for the fire of wisdom. They become a catalyst for change and growth.
If we relate to problems in this way, the problem and the need for a solution fall away. The notion of problems and solutions has been resolved in its own ground. As you learn to carry wisdom as the path, listening deeply becomes your greatest asset.
Use it.
Wisdom wants to be shared. Listen, and share it. You don't need to be a sage to share wisdom, you simply need to look deeply into your own life and situation; listen, be patient and vulnerable, and be honest.
Problems present themselves as an opportunity for liberation, an opportunity for the sun of wisdom to breakthrough the darkness.
Don't worry, if you can't liberate the first problem that comes up more will always present themselves.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Essay: Actualizing the Profound View of the Middle Way
In
the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma, the Buddha gave teachings on the Four
Noble Truths, laying a foundation and framework by which all of his teachings
could be understood. In the Four Noble
Truths, the Buddha identified ignorance as the root of all suffering. Ignorance is a state of confusion about how the
self exists. We perceive of an
independent, autonomous self, one that is the basis for all experience and
continues from moment to moment. Through
the teachings on the skandhas, ayatanas and dhatus, the Buddha broke down the
self, revealing the wisdom of selflessness as well as the path to the cessation
of suffering.
The teachings of the Second Turning
of the Wheel of Dharma don’t depart from the teachings of the First
Turning. The understanding of the truth
of origin and the abiding reality of the truth of cessation become more subtle
and profound in the Second Turning.
The basis for the Second Turning of
the Wheel of Dharma are the Prajnaparamita Sutras. The 8000 verse Prajnaparamita Sutra is the
earliest known sutra from around 100 BCE.
This was later expanded into the 10,000, 18,000, 25,000 and 100,000
verse sutras, which bear close resemblance to the 8,000 verse sutra but expand
on abbreviated sections and enumerate lists.
The shorter Prajnaparamita Sutras include the Heart Sutra, also called
the 25 verse sutra, as well as the Diamond Sutra, also called the 300 verse
sutra.
We can see in the Heart Sutra how
the understanding of the truth of origin becomes more subtle and profound in
the Second Turning. Remember, in the
First Turning we use the skandhas, ayatanas and dhatus to deconstruct self-grasping
and realize the wisdom of selflessness.
In the Second Turning we find Avalokiteshvara exploring this even futher
in the Heart Sutra:
At that time, the Blessed One entered the meditative absorption on the varieties of phenomena called the appearance of the profound. At that time as well, the noble Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva, the great being, clearly beheld the practice of the profound perfection of wisdom itself and saw that even the five aggregates are empty of intrinsic existence.
The Heart Sutra starts by stating that the Buddha
entered into meditative absorption called the appearance of the profound. Profound here is emptiness, the appearance of
emptiness. It is profound because it is
not easily realized, that it is beyond concepts and ideas about how things
exist. In the First Turning, we used the
five skandhas to uproot self-grasping, but here Avalokiteshvara is saying that
even the five skandhas or aggregates are empty of intrinsic existence. The teachings of the Second Turning examine
not only the selflessness of the person, but also of all phenomena. In order
for bodhisattvas who aspire to realize this perfection of wisdom Shariputra and
Avalokiteshvara engage in discussion on how to practice the perfection of
wisdom. Avalokiteshvara expands on the
practice saying bodhisattvas should see clearly in this way:
Form
is emptiness, emptiness is form;
Emptiness
is not other than form, form too is not other than emptiness.
This famous verse describes the Middle Way free
from extremes. We should analyze that
form is empty of inherent existence, eliminating the extreme of eternalism or
existence. We should also analyze that
emptiness is form, eliminating the extreme of nihilism or non-existence. The last two verses reiterate this union of
appearance and emptiness.
In order to clarify the view of
emptiness as presented in the Prajnaparamita Sutras, Nagarjuna wrote his famous
Mula-Madhyamakakarika, or the Fundamental Verses of the Middle Way. In it, he presents the teachings on the two
truths, conventional and ultimate truth, so that we can eliminate doubt and
uncertainty about the view of emptiness.
In Nagarjuna’s Mula-madhyamakakarika:
The
Buddha’s teaching of the Dharma
Is
based on two truths:
A
truth of worldly convention,
And
an ultimate truth. XXIV.8
Those
who do not understand
The
distinction between these two truths
Do
not understand
The
Buddha’s profound teaching. XXIV.9
Without
depending on the conventional truth,
The
meaning of the ultimate cannot be taught.
Without
understanding the meaning of the ultimate,
Nirvana
is not achieved. XXIV.10
Nagarjuna’s presentation of the two truths reveal our
confusion about the way that things appear versus the way that they actually
exist. Things appear very solid,
concrete and independent. We appear as
independent autonomous selves. But if
you examine the nature of the self or of phenomena, you find that self is
actually dynamic, connected and interdependent.
Traditionally there are Four Great
Arguments of the Madhayamaka or Middle Way that logically establish all
phenomena as being empty of inherent existence.
1.
Vajra
Splinters, investigating the cause.
2.
Investigation
of the result.
3.
Chariot
argument, being neither one nor many.
4.
Great
Interdependence.
Nagarjuna’s famous tetralemma forms
the basis for the Vajra Splinter argument and refutes production or arising
from any of the four alternatives:
Neither
from itself, nor from another,
Nor
from both,
Nor
without a cause,
Does
anything anywhere, ever arise. I.1
For our purposes, the easiest and perhaps best
method of establishing emptiness is the Argument of Great Interdependence. This king of reasonings includes all of the
other logical arguments because it examines the seemingly real appearances of
dependent origination. According to the
Middle Way as presented by Nagarjuna, all the illusory appearances of dependent
origination and emptiness arise as the union of the conventional and ultimate
truths. In the Mula-Madhyamakakarika:
That
which is dependent origination
Is
explained to be emptiness.
That,
being a dependent designation,
Is
itself the middle way. XXIV.18
There
does not exist anything
That
is not dependently arisen.
Therefore
there does not exist anything
That
is not empty. XXIV.19
Nagarjuna makes it clear that whatever is
dependently originated is empty of inherent existence, form is emptiness. To be dependently originated and to have some
kind of independent existence are logical contradictions that cannot be
maintained once they are revealed. The
wisdom of the two truths illuminates our confusion about how phenomena exist
versus how they appear to us. This
simple insight that all phenomena arise dependently based on causes and
conditions reveals the nature of suffering, how that suffering arises and
whether we are able to eliminate it, as well as the actual path to be free from
suffering. As Nagarjuna states in his Mula-Madhyamakakarika:
Whoever
sees dependent arising
Also
sees suffering,
And
its origin,
And
its cessation, as well as the path.
XXIV.40
For
whom emptiness makes sense,
Everything
makes sense.
For
whom emptiness does not make sense,
Nothing
makes sense. XXIV.14
The correct view of emptiness is not that
complicated. Logically we can see that
it is relatively easy to establish that all phenomena are empty of inherent
existence. But to fully appreciate this
profound wisdom we have to move beyond a simple intellectual understanding,
beyond mere logic and conceptual analysis.
We need to apply this view of emptiness to our own mind and our own
experience. Like the Buddha in the Heart
Sutra, we need to meditate on the appearance of the profound.
In the Heart Advice, Younge Khachab Rinpoche encourages us to apply
the two truths to our own mind and experience, for this is truly the doorway to
the Middle Way. It is not necessary to
undergo extensive philosophical and logical analysis, we simply need to carry a
direct understanding of the union of dependent origination and emptiness, or
appearance and emptiness, into our own meditation.
Focusing on our own mind, Rinpoche
teaches the view of emptiness with five features- profound, peaceful, free of
elaboration, luminous clarity, and uncompounded. By recognizing this view of emptiness with
five features in our own meditation and relying on the union of shamatha and
vipassana, we can enter into absorption on the appearance of the profound and
realize the perfection of wisdom, the essence of the Middle Way.
Monday, September 29, 2014
Wisdom and compassion
As we train in openness, we learn to dance with fear.
We learn to work with fixation, with where we are stuck.
We learn to shed light on our doubt and uncertainty.
We see where we are holding onto a ground, protecting ourselves.
We become more tolerant, more willing to hang with discomfort.
We are raw, exposed, vulnerable.
As we break through fixation, grasping and vulnerability,
we open up to the wisdom of selflessness.
Abiding in the wisdom of selflessness,
one knows peace of mind, an inner calm and wealth.
There is a bit of a danger that one could become attached to that state of peaceful quiescence,
which is why it is important to practice compassion.
Compassion gives the wisdom of selflessness form.
It gives you direction, a strong posture.
Compassion is not pity, it is not "Oh, that poor thing."
Compassion is responsive. It is dynamic.
It can be peaceful or fierce, but it is always for the sake of benefiting others.
As we act, we are prone to fear.
We are stepping out of the peace and calm, moving forward into uncertainty and fear.
It is definitely easier not to act, to stay with what you know and let others do the work.
Which is why we continue to practice openness, the union of wisdom and compassion.
We learn to work with fixation, with where we are stuck.
We learn to shed light on our doubt and uncertainty.
We see where we are holding onto a ground, protecting ourselves.
We become more tolerant, more willing to hang with discomfort.
We are raw, exposed, vulnerable.
As we break through fixation, grasping and vulnerability,
we open up to the wisdom of selflessness.
Abiding in the wisdom of selflessness,
one knows peace of mind, an inner calm and wealth.
There is a bit of a danger that one could become attached to that state of peaceful quiescence,
which is why it is important to practice compassion.
Compassion gives the wisdom of selflessness form.
It gives you direction, a strong posture.
Compassion is not pity, it is not "Oh, that poor thing."
Compassion is responsive. It is dynamic.
It can be peaceful or fierce, but it is always for the sake of benefiting others.
As we act, we are prone to fear.
We are stepping out of the peace and calm, moving forward into uncertainty and fear.
It is definitely easier not to act, to stay with what you know and let others do the work.
Which is why we continue to practice openness, the union of wisdom and compassion.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Hallmark of the Buddha's teachings.
There are many benefits to meditation- increased attention and self-awareness, decreased reactivity to negative thoughts and emotions, the ability to manage and self-regulate strong emotions, and the ability to work with difficult situations in our life. Each of these benefits is significant and important for developing a healthy mind and for being self-reliant in a challenging world.
The Buddha's teachings rely heavily on meditation, but it is insight into the true nature of your mind that is really the hallmark of the wisdom of the Buddha. The Buddha saw that the key to changing our minds and living a life of great purpose was tied to realizing emptiness or selflessness, or the interconnectedness of all things. This insight into selflessness fundamentally changes our perspective of who we are and the nature of the world around us.
The experience of emptiness or selflessness is not one of loss. It is not a blank void. It is not an experience of aloneness or meaninglessness. The realization of emptiness is also the realization of interconnectedness, which is the experience of fullness. There are many signs that we may experience upon realizing this wisdom of emptiness, such as awe, connection, love, openness, oneness, ineffability. There wisdom itself is utterly beyond description because it is beyond the confines of 'this' or 'that', and 'it is' or 'it is not'.
Even a glimpse of selflessness gives rise to more openness and empathy. Openness encompasses appreciation and receptivity, creativity and imagination, as well as tolerance of others opinions and values. That openness gives rise to more empathy and compassion for others. It engenders kindness, generosity and love for others as we move about our day.
The benefit of realizing the wisdom of selflessness is that it awakens our heart and mind and gives our life a sense of direction and purpose. We can navigate the world with a broader perspective and find space for reconciliation and resolution. All of the problems in the world, all of the conflict, opposition, contradictions; they all arise from taking rigid and confined positions based on our own perspective. Selflessness opens the door to a more inclusive and integrated understanding of the world around us and our place in it.
There are many benefits to meditation, but the benefits of insight and wisdom into our true nature are even more significant and impactful. They bring benefit not only to our own life, but to the communities and neighborhoods in which we live.
The Buddha's teachings rely heavily on meditation, but it is insight into the true nature of your mind that is really the hallmark of the wisdom of the Buddha. The Buddha saw that the key to changing our minds and living a life of great purpose was tied to realizing emptiness or selflessness, or the interconnectedness of all things. This insight into selflessness fundamentally changes our perspective of who we are and the nature of the world around us.
The experience of emptiness or selflessness is not one of loss. It is not a blank void. It is not an experience of aloneness or meaninglessness. The realization of emptiness is also the realization of interconnectedness, which is the experience of fullness. There are many signs that we may experience upon realizing this wisdom of emptiness, such as awe, connection, love, openness, oneness, ineffability. There wisdom itself is utterly beyond description because it is beyond the confines of 'this' or 'that', and 'it is' or 'it is not'.
Even a glimpse of selflessness gives rise to more openness and empathy. Openness encompasses appreciation and receptivity, creativity and imagination, as well as tolerance of others opinions and values. That openness gives rise to more empathy and compassion for others. It engenders kindness, generosity and love for others as we move about our day.
The benefit of realizing the wisdom of selflessness is that it awakens our heart and mind and gives our life a sense of direction and purpose. We can navigate the world with a broader perspective and find space for reconciliation and resolution. All of the problems in the world, all of the conflict, opposition, contradictions; they all arise from taking rigid and confined positions based on our own perspective. Selflessness opens the door to a more inclusive and integrated understanding of the world around us and our place in it.
There are many benefits to meditation, but the benefits of insight and wisdom into our true nature are even more significant and impactful. They bring benefit not only to our own life, but to the communities and neighborhoods in which we live.
Monday, May 26, 2014
Amogasiddhi.
OM AH HUNG AMOGASIDDHI AH
Amogasiddhi is one of the Five Family Buddhas.
His pure land is Karmaprasiddhi, representing the accomplishment of perfect activity. His color is green, representing the activity of subjugating and overcoming resistance, obstacles and problems. His element is wind, representing movement and change, along with the continual energetic process occurring in the outer world and in our own body and mind. His right hand is in the mudra of fearlessness, representing an authentic refuge that protects from the fears of cyclic existence. His left hand rests in his lap in meditative equipoise holding a crossed vajra, representing an immovable foundation and support. The crossed vajra also represents the vajra seat, the immovable posture in which the Buddha gained enlightenment. The vajra seat, or vajrasana, in the outer world is Bodhgaya, but it also represents the unshakeable ground in which all beings awaken to buddhahood.
Amogasiddhi is the Buddha that represents completely purified jealousy. Jealousy or envy manifests as paranoia, an internal dialogue that plays itself out again and again with fear of failure or not being chosen at its very root. In order to combat this internal struggle, we often assume very negative postures- we become power hungry, manipulating and controlling people around us to uphold and maintain our status. We dominate the conversation so no one else has an opportunity to outshine us. Amogasiddhi represents the transformation of that jealousy and insecurity into all-accomplishing wisdom, the wisdom of spontaneous fulfillment.
Amogasiddhi rides a garuda possessed with all the major and minor marks. A garuda is a great eagle-like bird, a mythological horned golden eagle. The garuda is a powerful guardian, offering servitude and often shown biting down on nagas. Nagas are serpent-like human deities that live in bodies of water. They are said to be the holders of great treasures and secret teachings, but if upset cause disease and create unpredictable weather patterns. The garuda also has an unusual birth, for as soon as it hatches from its shell it is able to soar in the sky. The shell represents the limitations of our own five skandhas and upon breaking free from their confines, great spontaneous awareness is able to soar in the sky of awakened mind.
In regard to our own mind and self, Amogasiddhi represents the skandha of mental formations, ideas, concepts and opinions along with the habitual patterns associated with these. Throughout the day we enter into numerous mental states, high and low. We are continuously trying to 'make sense' of our world and justify who we are and our place in the world. This process of thought and intention creates action and karma. As we cycle through this process of cause and effect, we are constantly fighting to guard ourselves from loss and vulnerability. We fight day and night to control our fate in hopes of accomplishing our aims and finding happiness and prosperity.
When we deeply contemplate and integrate the wisdom and symbolism of Amogasiddhi, we can learn to transmute this insecurity and paranoia into the wisdom of spontaneous fulfillment. We take our vajra seat amidst the unceasing windstorm of thoughts and mental states with the firm resolve not to waver from this immovable ground which is the way of abiding. Breaking out from the confines of the shell of ignorance and mistaken views, great spontaneous awareness takes its second birth and flies unobstructedly, riding the winds of change. This awareness is practical and effective, efficient, timely and in sync with the world around it. It does not manipulate or control, demand or distort. No longer needing to justify your own position or qualifications, you discover a natural ease and fulfillment, a profound sense of inner wealth and satisfaction. Having fulfilled your own aims, you are able to work for the aims of others, sheltering them from fear and vulnerability.
Others see you in a dynamic dance, awed by your fearlessness. Yet you never waver from your unshakeable ground, the unchanging vajra seat that supports the whole universe. In this way you abide in Karmaprasiddhi, the accomplishment of perfect activity.
Amogasiddhi is one of the Five Family Buddhas.
His pure land is Karmaprasiddhi, representing the accomplishment of perfect activity. His color is green, representing the activity of subjugating and overcoming resistance, obstacles and problems. His element is wind, representing movement and change, along with the continual energetic process occurring in the outer world and in our own body and mind. His right hand is in the mudra of fearlessness, representing an authentic refuge that protects from the fears of cyclic existence. His left hand rests in his lap in meditative equipoise holding a crossed vajra, representing an immovable foundation and support. The crossed vajra also represents the vajra seat, the immovable posture in which the Buddha gained enlightenment. The vajra seat, or vajrasana, in the outer world is Bodhgaya, but it also represents the unshakeable ground in which all beings awaken to buddhahood.
Amogasiddhi is the Buddha that represents completely purified jealousy. Jealousy or envy manifests as paranoia, an internal dialogue that plays itself out again and again with fear of failure or not being chosen at its very root. In order to combat this internal struggle, we often assume very negative postures- we become power hungry, manipulating and controlling people around us to uphold and maintain our status. We dominate the conversation so no one else has an opportunity to outshine us. Amogasiddhi represents the transformation of that jealousy and insecurity into all-accomplishing wisdom, the wisdom of spontaneous fulfillment.
Amogasiddhi rides a garuda possessed with all the major and minor marks. A garuda is a great eagle-like bird, a mythological horned golden eagle. The garuda is a powerful guardian, offering servitude and often shown biting down on nagas. Nagas are serpent-like human deities that live in bodies of water. They are said to be the holders of great treasures and secret teachings, but if upset cause disease and create unpredictable weather patterns. The garuda also has an unusual birth, for as soon as it hatches from its shell it is able to soar in the sky. The shell represents the limitations of our own five skandhas and upon breaking free from their confines, great spontaneous awareness is able to soar in the sky of awakened mind.
In regard to our own mind and self, Amogasiddhi represents the skandha of mental formations, ideas, concepts and opinions along with the habitual patterns associated with these. Throughout the day we enter into numerous mental states, high and low. We are continuously trying to 'make sense' of our world and justify who we are and our place in the world. This process of thought and intention creates action and karma. As we cycle through this process of cause and effect, we are constantly fighting to guard ourselves from loss and vulnerability. We fight day and night to control our fate in hopes of accomplishing our aims and finding happiness and prosperity.
When we deeply contemplate and integrate the wisdom and symbolism of Amogasiddhi, we can learn to transmute this insecurity and paranoia into the wisdom of spontaneous fulfillment. We take our vajra seat amidst the unceasing windstorm of thoughts and mental states with the firm resolve not to waver from this immovable ground which is the way of abiding. Breaking out from the confines of the shell of ignorance and mistaken views, great spontaneous awareness takes its second birth and flies unobstructedly, riding the winds of change. This awareness is practical and effective, efficient, timely and in sync with the world around it. It does not manipulate or control, demand or distort. No longer needing to justify your own position or qualifications, you discover a natural ease and fulfillment, a profound sense of inner wealth and satisfaction. Having fulfilled your own aims, you are able to work for the aims of others, sheltering them from fear and vulnerability.
Others see you in a dynamic dance, awed by your fearlessness. Yet you never waver from your unshakeable ground, the unchanging vajra seat that supports the whole universe. In this way you abide in Karmaprasiddhi, the accomplishment of perfect activity.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Indifference is not wisdom.
How we relate to what is coming up in our experience determines whether or not it gives rise to wisdom.
If we are open and responsive, willing to sit with resistance and irritation, we have a chance of opening up to insight and clarity. Usually however as soon as we are faced with resistance and irritation we look to protect ourselves and close off any opportunity for harm and discomfort to enter, thus shutting any window for the light of wisdom to dawn.
If we approach our experience with indifference it produces an even more unsightly side effect. People who possess a mind of indifference actually think that they are quite wise and capable. Their nonchalantness and overall lack of concern is actually a subtle dullness that results from a nihilistic view (nihilism = nothing matters, who cares). The result is that they lack warmth, generosity, love and compassion. Their practice has stalled and any progress is halted.
But they think they are doing a really good job. And that is the danger.
They could continue on this path for years before their practice gets corrected. They could continue down the path of ego and ignorance, instead of the path of wisdom.
How do you relate to what is coming up in your life, right now?
If we are open and responsive, willing to sit with resistance and irritation, we have a chance of opening up to insight and clarity. Usually however as soon as we are faced with resistance and irritation we look to protect ourselves and close off any opportunity for harm and discomfort to enter, thus shutting any window for the light of wisdom to dawn.
If we approach our experience with indifference it produces an even more unsightly side effect. People who possess a mind of indifference actually think that they are quite wise and capable. Their nonchalantness and overall lack of concern is actually a subtle dullness that results from a nihilistic view (nihilism = nothing matters, who cares). The result is that they lack warmth, generosity, love and compassion. Their practice has stalled and any progress is halted.
But they think they are doing a really good job. And that is the danger.
They could continue on this path for years before their practice gets corrected. They could continue down the path of ego and ignorance, instead of the path of wisdom.
How do you relate to what is coming up in your life, right now?
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
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.
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.
Friday, March 29, 2019
Unborn and unceasing.
Inconceivable, inexpressible perfection of wisdom,
Unborn and unceasing, with a real nature like the sky,
Experienced as the wisdom of our own awareness,
I pay homage to the mother of the Buddhas of the three times.
Prajnaparamita Prayer
As a Dzogchen practitioner, it is important to understand the meaning and significance of this verse. As indicated in this verse of praise to Prajnaparamita, or the perfection of wisdom, when we understand the real nature of our own awareness, we come to realize the very womb that gives birth to awakening. The Tibetan for unborn is ma-skye, which means not-born, not-produced, unborn. The Tibetan for unceasing is ma-'gags, which means not-stopped, not-interrupted, not-blocked, unceasing.
The Buddha first introduced the concept of anatta, not-self or selflessness, in the common Hinayana tradition of the first turning of the wheel of dharma. Here the self or phenomena were shown to be selfless because they were compounded or composite. Just as a wagon depends on many parts and pieces for its being, so too we are compounded individuals with no true identity or personhood separate from our aggregates. The ego or self as we know it is a fabrication of past experiences, self-narratives, and projections about who we think we are or who we would like to be. Egotism keeps us trapped in a repetitive loop, operating under a cycle of ingrained habits and beliefs about who we are and the world around us.
We already know this self or ego is subject to change and impermanent, but we are so conditioned that often times we simply do not see opportunity available to us or our underlying potential. The Buddha saw how much this cycle makes us suffer and sought to teach a method to break out of that cycle of confusion by teaching dependent origination and no-self, or empty of self.
The teachings of self being a compounded entity were further refined in the second turning of the wheel of dharma, where dependent origination and the two truths give rise to a more profound understanding of emptiness. This understanding takes the form of a simply logical analysis:
If things arise dependently, then they lack an independent existence.
Conditioning, cause and effect, dependent origination all point to the true reality that nothing in this world inherently exists of its own accord. Everything is interconnected, dependent on other phenomena as support for its being. We can say that relatively, phenomena do arise and exist conventionally based on cause and effect, but ultimately phenomena do not inherently exist. The relative truth of their appearing does not mean that they truly exist in their own right.
This may seem like semantics, but the implications of this understanding are dramatic and profound.
When we feel stuck or trapped in a situation, we don't see the power of our own thoughts and actions. We hand over power to our negative thoughts and perceptions, and to the actions of others or the world around us. Our perception at that time is that things aren't going to change, things won't get better, and that there is nothing that we can do. This is the trap of confusion, confusion about who we are and the nature of the world around us. Seeing that this current reality is dependently arisen, means also seeing that it is malleable and subject to change. In fact, right now at this very moment it is unfolding and changing.
This is an outer level of understanding dependent origination and emptiness. We should examine the world and our experience in this way. This is what the Buddha means when he encourages us to understand the human condition and the predicament that we find ourselves in. We should don the hat of a scientist and really examine who we are and the nature of the world around us. From a Buddhist perspective we should study the prajnaparamita sutras and Madhyamaka philosophy, particularly as set forth by Nagarjuna. We can also use modern scientific principles to augment this understanding, using the theory of relativity and quantum physics to understand the physical world, as well as the science of the mind to understand our conception of the self.
The inner level of understanding dependent origination and emptiness becomes more subtle and profound. Here we understand the union of the relative and ultimate truth, or the union of dependent origination and emptiness. Experiencing this union of dependent origination and emptiness we can start to understand what is meant by unborn and unceasing.
Whereas before we separated the relative and ultimate into two buckets and used logical reasoning to establish emptiness, here we see that the relative and ultimate are indivisible. It is useful here to think of dependent origination as an infinite play of phenomena or appearances.
Look at the world around you. Right now. Don't look at it as a static world, the world you are used to. See it as the infinite play of dependent origination. Because it is dependently arisen, it is empty. We've already established that dependent origination means that phenomena are empty of inherent existence. You know that what is dependently arisen is empty, form is emptiness, emptiness is form. So when you look out and see the infinite play of dependent origination, you are witnessing the illusory play of emptiness in which no thing ever comes into true existence. Phenomena, appearances, are never truly born, never truly exist, but they are also unceasing, uninterrupted. Reifying a subjective consciousness or objective phenomena is to establish a self where there is no-self. Unborn and unceasing does not mean that nothing exists, rather that the entire world of appearances and possibilities exists as the play of dependent origination. The great Dzogchen master Longchenpa says, "Not existing as anything at all, they can appear as anything whatsoever." We can learn to recognize this state and rest in it, which leads us to the secret level of understanding.
The innermost or secret understanding is secret because it is right in front of us and yet we do not see it. The secret understanding of unborn and unceasing is that it is the nature of our own mind. This is our primordial state. This is what we mean when we say the natural great perfection, Dzogchen. This is the very ground of enlightenment, our primordial buddhahood, in which there is no enlightenment because we have never wavered from this authentic state of being. All thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and appearances are but the illusory play of emptiness in which nothing has ever come into being, and yet appears as the diverse world.
When we recognize and learn to rest in this unborn and unceasing pure presence (Tib. rigpa), then we actualize our true nature which is like the sky. Without center or limit, completely open and unobstructed, inconceivable and beyond expression, it is the wisdom that gives "birth" to all Buddhas. Whatever appears to that awareness is like the clouds in the sky, unborn and unceasing, coming and going without a trace, ornamenting the sky but never separate or distinct. Such is our primordial state, ultimate bodhicitta, awakened mind.
Friday, May 31, 2019
How does wisdom lead to love?
The fundamental truth that the Buddha discovered upon his enlightenment was the truth of dependent origination. Everything is born of causes and conditions, and being dependently arisen they are empty of their own inherent existence.
The Buddha's insight into emptiness, or non-self, is critical to properly understanding dependent origination. We all acknowledge the causal nature of reality, causes produce effects. Out of our own confusion about the way things exist, we believe things we experience to be truly established and to exist from their own side. Conceiving of a truly existing self and truly existing phenomena, we get caught up in a web of rigid beliefs and perceptions.
Perceiving the world as existing in a very fixed way, we react very strongly to our experience. Our emotional responses to the world become very strong and often take control of our thoughts and actions. Instead of responding to our situation with intention and mindfulness, we act out unconscious behaviors based on past conditioning.
The Buddha explained this cycle of reactivity as the cause of suffering. The fundamental cause is ignorance, or believing in a fixed identity. To eliminate that ignorance he taught dependent origination and the teachings on emptiness.
A common question, and a good question, is how does this insight into dependent origination lead to the practice of love and compassion?
When the Buddha taught the four noble truths, his instruction for the truth of suffering was that suffering was to be understood. When we understand dependent origination and emptiness, we understand our nature and the nature of reality. When this understanding is no longer conditioned by emotional reactivity, we develop acceptance and tolerance for the way things are.
Understanding the truth of the human condition leads to acceptance and openness. Acceptance and openness lead to kindness and love for others. When our minds are no longer conditioned by strong negative emotions, we find that even in difficult situations we can extend kindness and respect to others.
This potential is always available to us. Wisdom into our true nature greatly benefits us and frees our minds, but it also benefits others and the communities in which we work and live.
Wisdom reveals our shared humanity and practicing this opens our hearts and minds to living with more understanding and acceptance. These are values that our communities need. The world is a better place when we act with kindness.
The Buddha's insight into emptiness, or non-self, is critical to properly understanding dependent origination. We all acknowledge the causal nature of reality, causes produce effects. Out of our own confusion about the way things exist, we believe things we experience to be truly established and to exist from their own side. Conceiving of a truly existing self and truly existing phenomena, we get caught up in a web of rigid beliefs and perceptions.
Perceiving the world as existing in a very fixed way, we react very strongly to our experience. Our emotional responses to the world become very strong and often take control of our thoughts and actions. Instead of responding to our situation with intention and mindfulness, we act out unconscious behaviors based on past conditioning.
The Buddha explained this cycle of reactivity as the cause of suffering. The fundamental cause is ignorance, or believing in a fixed identity. To eliminate that ignorance he taught dependent origination and the teachings on emptiness.
A common question, and a good question, is how does this insight into dependent origination lead to the practice of love and compassion?
When the Buddha taught the four noble truths, his instruction for the truth of suffering was that suffering was to be understood. When we understand dependent origination and emptiness, we understand our nature and the nature of reality. When this understanding is no longer conditioned by emotional reactivity, we develop acceptance and tolerance for the way things are.
Understanding the truth of the human condition leads to acceptance and openness. Acceptance and openness lead to kindness and love for others. When our minds are no longer conditioned by strong negative emotions, we find that even in difficult situations we can extend kindness and respect to others.
This potential is always available to us. Wisdom into our true nature greatly benefits us and frees our minds, but it also benefits others and the communities in which we work and live.
Wisdom reveals our shared humanity and practicing this opens our hearts and minds to living with more understanding and acceptance. These are values that our communities need. The world is a better place when we act with kindness.
May I be a guard for those who need protection,
A guide for those on the path,
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood.
May I be a lamp in the darkness,
A resting place for the weary,
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles.
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening,
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened.
A guide for those on the path,
A boat, a raft, a bridge for those who wish to cross the flood.
May I be a lamp in the darkness,
A resting place for the weary,
A healing medicine for all who are sick
A vase of plenty, a tree of miracles.
And for the boundless multitudes of living beings
May I bring sustenance and awakening,
Enduring like the earth and sky
Until all beings are freed from sorrow
And all are awakened.
- Shantideva, from the Way of the Bodhisattva
Friday, January 24, 2014
Eyelashes in your eye.
You are not your neurosis. You are not your flaws.
You are not your mood, your mental state, your anxiety or depression.
You are not the pain, the suffering, the highs or the lows.
Yet you identify with it because it is so prominent, so strong. So irritating.
But you know that it is not right.
You have a basic wisdom, an inner knowing that knows it is not who you are, that this is not the way that you were meant to be.
So you look to get better. You look to fix yourself, to improve your health, your life. You might even look for a pill.
But before you do, let me tell you:
You've already done the hard part.
You've identified the gap.
The gap between your neurosis and your wisdom. The gap between the energetic display and your true nature.
That may be a big step to take all at once. But what if you stopped identifying with the neurosis, the anxiety, the pain and the discomfort?
What if you identified with the unerring and true? What if you identified with your natural clarity and your innate goodness? Your wisdom?
Now that you have identified the gap,
you only need to train.
You are not your mood, your mental state, your anxiety or depression.
You are not the pain, the suffering, the highs or the lows.
Yet you identify with it because it is so prominent, so strong. So irritating.
But you know that it is not right.
You have a basic wisdom, an inner knowing that knows it is not who you are, that this is not the way that you were meant to be.
So you look to get better. You look to fix yourself, to improve your health, your life. You might even look for a pill.
But before you do, let me tell you:
You've already done the hard part.
You've identified the gap.
The gap between your neurosis and your wisdom. The gap between the energetic display and your true nature.
That may be a big step to take all at once. But what if you stopped identifying with the neurosis, the anxiety, the pain and the discomfort?
What if you identified with the unerring and true? What if you identified with your natural clarity and your innate goodness? Your wisdom?
Now that you have identified the gap,
you only need to train.
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