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Via [GBF] New Talk: "Cultivating Clear Seeing, Wisdom, and Insight"

Part 1 from the GBF 2023 Fall Retreat is now available:

Cultivating Clear Seeing, Wisdom, and Insight

Our teacher for the weekend, Donald Rothberg, shares a 45-min dharma talk followed by a 45-min group dialogue.

Donald informs us that the purpose of Buddhist practice is to move beyond techniques and teachings, into a deep state of resting in one's own being. There we can experience insight into Impermanence, Dukkha, and Not -Self that informs our behavior in daily life.

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Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast player or the GBF website: 

https://gaybuddhist.org/podcast/fall-retreat-dharma-dialogue-1-cultivating-clear-seeing-wisdom-and-insight/

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Enjoy 800+ free recorded dharma talks at www.gaybuddhist.org/podcast/

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Mind and the Third Jhāna

 

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RIGHT MINDFULNESS Establishing Mindfulness of Mind A person goes to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty place and sits down. Having crossed the legs, one sets the body erect. One establishes the presence of mindfulness. (MN 10) One is aware: "Ardent, fully aware, mindful, I am content." (SN 47.10)   When the mind is devoid of desire, one is aware: "The mind is devoid of desire." One is just aware, just mindful: "There is mind." And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection The mind is merely aware of an object, either a sensory or mental object, much like a mirror reflecting accurately whatever comes before it. Emotional states, such as desire, co-arise every moment and flood the mind, often distorting or coloring what is seen, heard, felt, or cognized. Sometimes desire is present, sometimes it is not. Here we are being encouraged to notice when it is not.  Daily Practice Our emotional life flickers moment by moment as quickly as our mental life does, and the stream of consciousness is permeated by a stream of attitudes, intentions, and views. By noticing when desire is present and absent, we learn to recognize that it is just a passing state that sometimes occurs and sometimes does not. Practice "not clinging to anything in the world," including the presence or absence of sensory desire. RIGHT CONCENTRATION Approaching and Abiding in the Third Phase of Absorption (3rd Jhāna) With the fading away of joy, one abides in equanimity; mindful and fully aware, still feeling pleasure with the body, one enters upon and abides in the third phase of absorption, on account of which noble ones announce: "One has a pleasant abiding who has equanimity and is mindful." (MN 4) Reflection Remember that jhāna practice is not something that can be undertaken lightly or sporadically and usually requires the protected conditions of a retreat center and the guidance of an experienced teacher. The jhānas are mentioned a lot in the early texts and form the core discussion of right concentration. But mostly we just hear the standard formula repeated in various contexts without much detail on how to practice. Daily Practice The transition from the second to the third phase of absorption has to do with the mellowing of joy, which is an almost effervescent energetic upwelling of pleasant bodily sensation into an experience of mental and emotional equanimity. The body still experiences pleasure, but the mind settles into an even and balanced awareness of the pleasant feeling tone that is not attached to it in any way. Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Way to the Cessation of Suffering One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth Jhāna 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: The Unconditioned is Within

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The Unconditioned is Within We cannot find the unconditioned out in the world. We can only know it in the heart. Ayya Medhanandi Bhikkhuni, “The Dharma of Snow” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

The Dog and the Lion By Bhante Henepola Gunaratana To be mindful is to find the root of everything. Read more »

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - January 14, 2024 💌

 

Are all methods to be avoided? It doesn't seem so. But it does seem useful to see them in perspective. Methods are ships crossing the ocean of existence. If you're halfway across the sea, it's a little silly to decide methods are a bummer if you don't know how to swim; but once you get to the far shore, it would be silly to keep carrying your boat because there is no more water. 

- Ram Dass