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.
Andrea
Miller on what Thich Nhat Hanh taught her, his inspiring and courageous
life, and how — through us — his wisdom will continue.
In January, I got the email from a colleague: “Thich Nhat Hanh has died.”
On January 23, the casket ceremony was livestreamed with thousands of
people from all over the world watching from their homes. I watched too,
of course.
At Tu Hieu, monastics were gathered, saffron shoulder to shoulder. As
the crowds’ singing swelled and broke, a procession of monks carried
Thay’s body from his hut to the Full Moon Meditation Hall. There he was
lovingly placed in his coffin. Then the coffin was shut tight and
festooned with chrysanthemums, his favorite flower.
I had been right, back in 2013. I never would see Thay again in the same
form—and now none of us will. But we will see Thay again. Even as the
casket ceremony was unfolding, we were seeing him.
Whatever a person frequently
thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their
mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders healthy states, one has
abandoned unhealthy states to cultivate the healthy state, and then
one’s mind inclines to healthy states. (MN 19)
Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts
the mind, and strives to maintain arisen healthy mental states. One
maintains the arisen tranquility and concentration awakening factors.
(MN 141)
Reflection
Healthy and
positive mental states arise all the time. The idea is to learn how to
notice them, recognize their value, and make some effort to sustain them
when they arise. This means developing habits that will reinforce
qualities like kindness, generosity, compassion, and truthfulness.
Slowing down, becoming peaceful, and allowing the mind to unify through
focusing is particularly valuable.
Daily Practice
The two factors
of awakening, tranquility and concentration, are considered together
here because of their natural affinity with each other. Finding time to
slow down, stop doing things, and simply allow the mind to become
peaceful and focused is a healthy thing to do. It is not that settling
the mind takes effort, but it takes effort to disengage from normal
business to give the mind time to focus naturally. Once you do it,
you'll see that it’s worth it.
Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mental Objects and the Fourth Jhāna One week from today: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
Effort
is more important than so-called success because effort is a real
thing. What we call “success” is just the manifestation of our mind’s
ability to categorize things. This is “success.” That is “failure.” Who
says? You says. That’s all. Reality is what it is, beyond all concepts
of success and failure.
Everybody
is looking for something that isn’t available. It’s worse than looking
for a needle in a haystack; at least the needle is there, even though it
is hard to find. But satisfaction and self are both delusions, so how
can they ever be found?
RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Intoxication
Intoxication is unhealthy.
Refraining from intoxication is healthy. (MN 9) What are the
imperfections that defile the mind? Negligence is an imperfection that
defiles the mind. Knowing that negligence is an imperfection that
defiles the mind, a person abandons it. (MN 7) One practices thus:
“Others may become negligent by intoxication, but I will abstain from
the negligence of intoxication." (MN 8)
One of the dangers attached to addiction to intoxicants is indecent exposure of one's person. (DN 31)
Reflection
The arguments
put forward in the early Buddhist texts against intoxication were mostly
practical ones. In this case there is the recognition that when you
lose control of yourself through some form of intoxication, the chances
increase that you will do something foolish or embarrassing that you
will regret later. Better to undertake the commitment to abstain from
the kind of negligence that leads to such behaviors.
Daily Practice
See if, through
introspection, you can discern the point at which intoxication begins
to show up in your experience. If you are a drinker, investigate the
moment between the first and second swig, or the first and second glass,
or whatever point you can notice when the mind begins to get a little
sluggish. If you don’t drink, try the same experiment with some other
form of intoxication. There are many to choose from.
Tomorrow: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
At
a time when Ukrainians are being killed and dying for their freedom,
Austrian writer/director Sebastian Meise's exquisite film 'Great
Freedom' couldn't have arrived in Bay Area theaters at a more opportune
time.
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 social
action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61)
One reflects thus: “Others may speak in unhealthy ways; I shall refrain
from speaking in unhealthy ways.” (MN 8) One lives with companions in
concord, with mutual appreciation, without disputing, blending like milk
and water, viewing each other with kindly eyes. One practices thus: “I
maintain verbal acts of lovingkindness toward my companions both openly
and privately.” (MN 31)
Reflection
How we speak to
one another has a big impact on how well we get along with one another.
We evoke from others the same emotions we express to them. If you say
something with annoyance, you will provoke annoyance. If you say
something kind, you will bring out the kindness of others. This is how
human interactions work: however the seed is planted, the fruit is
gathered.
Daily Practice
One important
way of practicing in daily life is bringing as much lovingkindness as
possible to everything you do, especially in the realm of verbal action.
Make a point today of speaking kindly to the people you interact with.
You’ll find it comes easily if you can manage to view the other person
“with kindly eyes.” Find something good in other people to focus upon
and allow your speech to flow from the emotion of friendliness.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily Action
Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel
A
sense of ease and wellbeing with the breath can do a lot more for you
than any amount of status, material gain, praise, outside pleasures—any
of the ways of the world.
