Via [GBF] OUR 800th DHARMA TALK!

 

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given

 

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RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Taking What is Not Given Taking what is not given is unhealthy. Refraining from taking what is not given is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning the taking of what is not given, one abstains from taking what is not given; one does not take by way of theft the wealth and property of others. (MN 41) One practices thus: “Others may take what is not given, but I will abstain from taking what is not given.” (MN 8) On tasting a flavor with the tongue, one does not grasp at its signs and features. Since if one left the tongue faculty unguarded, unwholesome states of covetousness and grief might intrude, one practices the way of its restraint, one guards the tongue faculty, one undertakes the restraint of the tongue faculty. (MN 51)

Reflection The precept against stealing, phrased here as taking what is not given, protects us from ethical misconduct and from unhealthy mind states such as greed and covetousness. On a more subtle level, every time we go beyond the given data of sense experience we are in a sense taking more than is given, which can be seen as a form of stealing. It can be challenging to be with what is without mental proliferation, but it is worthwhile. Daily Practice See if you can train yourself to be aware of the raw texture of sensory input without looking beyond what is given in experience and trying to take more. The Buddha often urged his followers, “Train yourself thus: In the tasting there will only be what is tasted,” nothing added or taken away. This injunction is also in the mindfulness instruction: “Be just aware, just mindful, that there is flavor, without clinging to anything in the world.” Tomorrow: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Daily Dharma: Ego’s Hidden Defenses

Ego’s Hidden Defenses

Resistance and fear can be signs. You’re getting closer to the truth (of egolessness and emptiness), and ego’s hidden defenses spring into action. Andrew Holecek, “The Lost Art of Contemplation” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via [GBF] From the Archives: "Is There Sex in Tibetan Monasteries?"

Another dharma talk has been discovered in the GBF Archive! Thank you George Hubbard for resurrecting this. 

"Is There Sex in Tibetan Monasteries?" February 14, 1999

In this eye-opening and provocative yet humorous talk, John Jupt explores the views of celibacy and abstinence in the Tibetan tradition. He also shares insights into the intimacy and channeling of sexual energy that he observed, specifically in the rigorous and austere environment of Tibetan monasteries. Listen as he explains how the norms in these environments are very different than those we experience in the West.

John Jupt is a journalist and a member of the Mahayana “Yellow Hat Tradition” (Tibetan Gelug).

 

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