Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and the First Jhāna

 

RIGHT MINDFULNESS Establishing Mindfulness of Body 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)   Breathing in and out, aware of long and short breaths . . . one is just aware, just mindful: "There is body." And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection Breathing is universally recommended as an object of meditation because it is always present and always changing. Sometimes it is long, sometimes short. This is not about controlling the breath but following along with it however it naturally unfolds. We are breathing all the time, but today is a good time to sit intentionally for some period of time and do nothing but be aware of breathing in and out, long and short.  Daily Practice There is a wealth of guidelines for practice here. What does it feel like to be at the same time both ardent (intent, energetic) and content, or to be aware of the breath while not clinging to the object of awareness? These are questions to be investigated in your own experience. Sit down in an empty place, establish the presence of mindfulness, and see for yourself what these words are pointing to. RIGHT CONCENTRATION Approaching and Abiding in the First Phase of Absorption (1st Jhāna) Having abandoned the five hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and abides in the first phase of absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with joy and the pleasure born of seclusion. (MN 4) Reflection Absorption practice begins by finding the sweet spot in the center of the mind, the place where there is neither too much energy (restlessness) nor too little (sluggishness), neither wanting (sense desire) nor not wanting (ill will) anything. When these hindrances, along with doubt, are abandoned temporarily, the mind naturally settles down into a state of tranquil alertness and equanimity. Daily Practice Sit quietly and comfortably in a peaceful place and allow everything swirling around in your mind and body to gradually settle down. Like dust settling in the air or particulates settling in water, there is nothing to force or make happen. Patience will be rewarded by the experience of deeper and deeper modes of peacefulness, clarity, and stability of mind. Don’t try to measure anything; just let it all be what it is. Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Feeling and the Second Jhāna Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Adriana Calcanhotto - Sol Quadrado

Meditation Month Starts TOMORROW! Join Our Free 31-Day Challenge

Support Tricycle with a donation » December 31, 2022 Commit to Daily Practice in 2023   Tricycle’s annual Meditation Month challenge begins tomorrow!  Join us in committing to a daily meditation practice for all 31 days of January. Whether you’re new to meditation or an experienced practitioner, this free meditation challenge can support you in deepening your practice and integrating it into your daily life.   This year’s theme is Samadhi: Cultivating Inner Calm and Collectedness. Guided by Christina Feldman—author, co-founder of meditation retreat center Gaia House, and a guiding teacher emeritus at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts—we will explore samadhi, an essential Buddhist teaching of meditative development, which aids us in finding greater stillness, well-being, and mind-body integration. “Samadhi is one of the great arts of a life lived fully and whole-heartedly,” says Feldman. “Samadhi develops a mind and heart that can be felt to be a refuge—a true friend.”   Each week, Christina will offer a dharma talk exploring a different facet of the teachings on samadhi. We’ll be there to support you along the way with an array of meditations, tips, inspiration, and resources, including a live Q&A call with Christina, Facebook discussion group, daily newsletter with practice prompts, and more.  Meditation Month is a free offering. Click below to learn more and register.   Join Meditation Month »   Also this week: 2023 bucket list: Discover Buddhism in the “land of the eternal sky” on a Tricycle pilgrimage to Mongolia, coming up Aug. 4-16. Learn more and sign up today.  Get cozy this holiday break with a cup of tea and Tricycle’s top 17 articles of 2022. What can we learn from the many myths about the Buddha’s life? Scholar Bernard Faure joins Tricycle Talks to discuss the rich creativity of the Buddhist tradition. Join Tricycle and Bodhi College for a fresh exploration of the Buddha’s path to freedom in our six-part online course, Reimagining the Eightfold Path. Tricycle Meditation Month 2023: Samadhi with Christina Feldman Starts January 1 Commit to a daily practice throughout January with Tricycle and Christina Feldman, a guiding teacher emeritus at Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. Sign up now »

Via NPR // Encore: New wave icons The B-52s are on the road for their last tour

 

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States

 

RIGHT EFFORT Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States Whatever a person frequently thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders unhealthy states, one has abandoned healthy states to cultivate unhealthy states, and then one’s mind inclines to unhealthy states. (MN 19) Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind, and strives to restrain the arising of unarisen unhealthy mental states. One restrains the arising of the unarisen hindrance of ill will. (MN 141)

Reflection The encouragement to make an effort to restrain unhealthy mental states that have not yet arisen in the mind is not a call to suppress or censure yourself. You are not being asked to stick a finger in the dike and hold back the onslaught of the unconscious mind. Rather it is a call to be skillful in how to hold yourself in this present moment, for this moment conditions what will come up next. Daily Practice The mental quality of ill will includes such emotions as hatred or annoyance and can take the form of anger or fear. The practice described here involves understanding under what conditions these states arise and making an effort to instead encourage the conditions that will not welcome their arising. If you feel kindness, hatred will not arise; with equanimity, you will not get annoyed; if you trust, fear will not assail you. Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and Abiding in the First Jhāna One week from today: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States 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: Focusing on the Present

 We don’t have to view ourselves as victims of an external world or as victims of our conditioning. We receive the fruit of seeds of the past as our experience right now, and we can choose to do what is helpful right now: to plant beneficial seeds.

Ben Connelly, “Cleaning Out the Storehouse”

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APPLIED BUDDHISM IN MODERN MATHEMATICS

 

Via White Crane Institute // Hogmanay

 

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Hogmanay - Edinburgh 2016

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Hogmanay in Scotland; The roots of Hogmanay reach back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Norse, as well as incorporating customs from the Gaelic New Year's celebration of Samhain. In Europe, winter solstice evolved into the ancient celebration of Saturnalia, a great Roman winter festival, where people celebrated completely free of restraint and inhibition. The Vikings celebrated Yule, which later contributed to the Twelve Days of Christmas, or the "Daft Days" (really) as they were sometimes called in Scotland. The winter festival went underground with the Protestant Reformation and ensuing years, but re-emerged near the end of the 17^th century.

In addition to enormous torchlit processions for Hogmanay, Scots kick off the New Year with the tradition of first-footing. Traditionally, the luckiest “first foot” to cross the door after the stroke of midnight should be a dark-haired male (perhaps in response to those blond Viking invaders). Today, friends or family who cross the door can bring luck.

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Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute

"With the increasing commodification of gay news, views, and culture by powerful corporate interests, having a strong independent voice in our community is all the more important. White Crane is one of the last brave standouts in this bland new world... a triumph over the looming mediocrity of the mainstream Gay world." - Mark Thompson

Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989!
www.whitecraneinstitute.org

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Via White Crane Institute // SIMON WIESENTHAL

This Day in Gay History

December 31 Born Simon Wiesenthal 1908 - SIMON WIESENTHAL was born on this date in the small Ukrainian town of Buczacz (d: 2005). Trained as an architectural engineer, Wiesenthal survived the Nazi concentration camps losing over eighty members of his extended family and dedicated the rest of his life to seeking justice for all those who died by bringing Nazi war criminals to justice. He was later celebrated as a "Nazi-hunter" and portrayed by Laurence Olivier in "The Boys from Brazil," but for many years, as Cold War governments had forgotten about Nazi atrocities, Wiesenthal was a veritable prophet in the wilderness, tirelessly working in the memory of all those who had died.  He wrote a number of bestselling books including "Murders Among Us," "Justice, Not Vengeance," and "The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness." Through his efforts countless Nazi criminals stood trial.  Without Wiesenthal's activity and vision, there would not have been war crimes hearings about Rwanda, Bosnia, or a permanent War Crimes tribunal in the Hague. For the sake of this Gay Wisdom listserve, we would point out that Wiesenthal spoke for all those who had lost their lives and was an early outspoken activist for the thousands of homosexuals who died in the holocaust, pointing out that they had all been buried together in mass graves and should all be acknowledged. Wiesenthal died of natural causes in 2005 at the age 96. Recent events remind us that we are still not out of the woods with respect to facsist politics and that we must all remain as vigilant as Wiesenthal. 8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8| Gay Wisdom for Daily Living from White Crane Institute "With the increasing commodification of gay news, views, and culture by powerful corporate interests, having a strong independent voice in our community is all the more important. White Crane is one of the last brave standouts in this bland new world... a triumph over the looming mediocrity of the mainstream Gay world." - Mark Thompson Exploring Gay Wisdom & Culture since 1989! www.whitecraneinstitute.org |8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|O|8|

Via LGBTQ Nation // Five Heartwarming Good News Stories 2022

 

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings

 

RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Harming Living Beings Harming living beings is unhealthy. Refraining from harming living beings is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning the harming of living beings, one abstains from harming living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, one abides with compassion toward all living beings. (MN 41) One practices thus: "Others may harm living beings, but I will abstain from the harming of living beings." (MN 8) A person reflects thus: "I am one who wishes to live, who does not wish to die. If someone were to take my life, that would not be pleasing and agreeable to me. Now if I were to take the life of another, that would not be pleasing and agreeable to the other either. How can I inflict upon another what is displeasing and disagreeable to me?" Having reflected thus, one abstains from the destruction of life, exhorts others to abstain from it, and speaks in praise of abstinence from it. (SN 55.7)

Reflection This is one way of stating the Golden Rule found the world over: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It requires that we consider the feelings of another to be as important as our own. Once this insight is well understood, it becomes a matter of following your own nature rather than following a rule. You become incapable of cruelty or selfish exploitation. Daily Practice The practice of non-harming (Sanskrit: ahimsa) consists first and foremost of caring for others to the extent that we cannot consciously want to harm them. But notice that this teaching goes farther, also encouraging us to speak openly about the value of abstaining from causing harm. The challenge is to do this with a mind of lovingkindness. How can we condemn the causing of harm without wishing harm to those who cause it?  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 Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Continuity of mindfulness allows us to course-correct throughout our day. We become familiar with the places where we get caught, and over time, we start to pause more naturally.

Kathy Cherry, “A Reminder to Pause”

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