A personal blog by a graying (mostly Anglo with light African-American roots) gay left leaning liberal progressive married college-educated Buddhist Baha'i BBC/NPR-listening Professor Emeritus now following the Dharma in Minas Gerais, Brasil.
RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures
Sensual misconduct is
unhealthy. Refraining from sensual misconduct is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning sensual misconduct, one abstains from misbehaving among
sensual pleasures. (MN 41) One practices thus: "Others may engage in
sensual misconduct, but I will abstain from sensual misconduct." (MN 8)
A person reflects thus: "If someone were to commit adultery with my
partner, that would not be pleasing and agreeable to me. Now if I were
to commit adultery with the partner of another, that would not be
pleasing and agreeable to the other. How can I inflict on another what
is displeasing and disagreeable to me?" Having reflected thus, one
abstains from sexual misconduct, exhorts others to abstain from it, and
speaks in praise of abstinence from it. (SN 55.7)
Reflection
The practical
definition of the precept against sexual misbehavior is defined in the
context of householder or layperson life as fidelity or honesty in
relationships. When an intimate partnership (of any gender combination)
involves a mutual promise of exclusivity, this is to be respected.
Cheating involves causing hurt and not being truthful, both of which are
inherently unhealthy and harmful.
Daily Practice
Relationships
are a rich area for daily practice. This text invites us to explore the
application of the Golden Rule in relationships, in both large and small
ways. It emphasizes that a pledge of fidelity works both ways and that
there are also countless minor instances of abuse of trust and integrity
that can come under the gaze of awareness. Look to see if there is
anything you do, however small, that you would not want your partner to
do.
Tomorrow: Developing Unarisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Intoxication
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
We
can never be sure of the fact that we are born in the Pure Land and
have attained our enlightenment. To acquire this consciousness, we must
exhaust our efforts.
Dr. Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki, “Self-Power and Other-Power”
OSCAR WILDEgives his first lecture on "The English Renaissance of Art"
in New York. It was on this visit-slash-publicity tour that Wilde
famously responded to a customs official’s request if he had anything to
declare with “I have nothing to declare except my genius.”
In December 1881,
Oscar sailed for New York to travel across the United States and
deliver a series of lectures on aesthetics. The 50-lecture tour was
originally scheduled to last four months, but stretched to nearly a
year, with over 140 lectures given in 260 days. In between lectures he
made time to meet with Henry Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes and Walt
Whitman. He also arranged for his play, “Vera,” to be staged in New York
the following year. When he returned from America, Oscar spent three
months in Paris writing a blank-verse tragedy that had been commissioned
by the actress Mary Anderson. When he sent it to her, however, she
turned it down. He then set off on a lecture tour of Britain and
Ireland.
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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute
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However the seed is
planted, in that way the fruit is gathered. Good things come from doing
good deeds; bad things come from doing bad deeds. (SN 11.10) What is the
purpose of a mirror? For the purpose of reflection. So too mental
action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
When you are doing an action with the mind, reflect on that same mental
action thus: "Does this action I am doing with the mind lead to my own
affliction?" If, on reflection, you know that it does, then stop doing
it; if you know that it does not, then continue. (MN 61)
Reflection
The body has a
natural capacity for proprioception, for knowing what it is doing as it
is doing it. What about the mind? How often do we know what we are
thinking as we are thinking it? Not often, it appears. Mindfulness of
the body is being aware of the body while breathing, for example.
Mindfulness of mind is being aware of the activities of the mind as they
are unfolding. This takes some getting used to, but it can be done.
Daily Practice
This particular
text is encouraging us to notice the ethical quality of our mental
activity and in particular whether it contributes to some sort of
self-harm. Sometimes we are our own worst critic, our own most
undermining voice, our own adversary. When we pay close attention to
what the mind is doing, we can catch it in the act of hurting us and
gently let go of that in order to point the mind in a more positive
direction.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures One week from today: Reflecting upon Social Action
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Mindfulness
emphasizes stopping and pausing in daily life so that we can be fully
present in each moment. Through pausing, we can learn to release tension
in the body, embrace our experience, and cultivate happiness and joy.
In this excerpt from the classic guidebook The Posture of Meditation, author Will Johnson details the best posture for meditation and why it’s so important.
