Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Abandoning Arisen Unhealthy States

RIGHT EFFORT Abandoning Arisen 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 abandon arisen unhealthy mental states. One abandons the arisen hindrance of sluggishness. (MN 141)

Reflection Unhealthy or unhelpful states come up all the time. The early teaching was not simply to be aware of everything but also to discern what is unhealthy and learn how to abandon it. Alertness is a more helpful mental state than sluggishness, and it is therefore beneficial to remain alert as much as possible. Rest and sleep when appropriate, but when you are awake practice being really alert and fully conscious. Daily Practice There is nothing morally wrong with sluggishness of mind. The problem is just that it prevents the mind from working well and is therefore a hindrance to seeing clearly. When you feel drowsy or sleepy, or you feel your mind getting dull, explore how many ways you can dispel this temporary state and restore a sense of alertness. It is a matter of raising the level of energy in the body and/or the mind. Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Feeling and the Second Jhāna One week from today: Developing Unarisen Healthy 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: Forgive Yourself First

 If you find something in yourself that is unforgivable, how can you forgive that same quality when it shows up in someone else? 

Yoshin David Radin, “The True Path”

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[GBF] Dharma Talks Now Available as a Podcast

[GBF] Dharma Talks Now Available as a Podcast

GBF is happy to share an exciting announcement with you, more than a year in the making: 

Our audio archive of 770+ dharma talks spanning 28 years is now available on all podcast platforms, in addition to our website. 

You can easily access all talks on your mobile device or computer when you:

1. Visit our podcast page, or 

2. Open your favorite podcast app and search for “Gay Buddhist Forum”
   (Be sure to Follow or Subscribe so you will be notified as weekly dharma talks become available.) 

3. Visit gaybuddhist.buzzsprout.com for a list of 18 podcast apps that carry GBF.

In the near future, look for: 

• A SEARCH feature on the podcast page of our website - so you can find talks by topic, keyword, or speaker name. 

• A Subscribe to Calendar option - so the name of each Sunday’s speaker will automatically appear in advance on your calendar, in case you want to participate live. 

GBF wishes to thank those who made this milestone possible:

• George Hubbard - Audio Archive Curator 

• Tom Bruein - Podcast Producer & Editor

• Henry Rabinowitz - Webmaster 

• Derek Lassiter - Graphic Designer of the GBF Logo, Podcast Logo, and Rainbow Praying Hands 

Thank you for your ongoing support as GBF continues to make the dharma freely available to LGBTQIA audiences the world over! 

--
Enjoy 700+ free recorded dharma talks at www.gaybuddhist.org

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

 

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) One is to practice thus: "Here, regarding things seen by you, in the seen there will be just the seen." When, firmly mindful, one sees a form, one is not inflamed by lust for forms; one experiences it with a dispassionate mind and does not remain holding it tightly. (SN 35.95)

Reflection The precept against stealing is pretty straightforward and obvious, but here a more subtle aspect of that teaching is being addressed. Beyond the obvious—taking an object that has not been given—there are ways in which any object can serve as the launching point of a complex narrative about ourselves. Objects, such as a casual remark overheard, can be appropriated by the self and turned into things way beyond what they actually are. Daily Practice When you look at (or hear or think of) an object, practice seeing it only for what it is, without attachment and without automatically regarding it in terms of how it relates to you and what it can do for you, or otherwise entangling the object with your own sense of self. Instead of allowing an object to trigger a whole process of "stealing" it for your own story, practice just letting it be what it is. Bare attention to an object avoids unnecessary proliferation. 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: Maturing Our Faith

Mature faith is anchored in our own experience of the truth, centered in the deeper understanding of the nature of the mind and body that we come to in meditation practice.

Sharon Salzberg, “How Important Is Faith?”

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Via Daily Dharma: Working With Unavoidable Suffering

 When you encounter suffering that you can’t stop no matter how hard you try, you need equanimity to avoid creating additional suffering and to channel your energies to areas where you can be of help.

Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “The Brahma-Viharas: Head & Heart Together”

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Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Verbal Action

RIGHT ACTION Reflecting Upon Verbal Action 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 verbal action is to be done with repeated reflection: (MN 61) When you have done an action with speech, reflect upon that same verbal action thus: "Has this action I have done with speech led to my own affliction?" If, upon reflection, you know that it has, then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to do it again. If you know it has not, then be content and feel happy about it.  (MN 61)

Reflection People are always talking, if not to other people, then to themselves. And the words we use have consequences, sowing the seeds of both external and internal karma. External karma is the consequence of our actions in the world; internal karma is the effect of our thoughts and emotions on ourselves. This text is telling us that it is beneficial to reflect upon things you have said in the past, noticing anything that has been hurtful to yourself. It is not too late to change the pattern, to learn to speak to yourself and of yourself in healthier ways. Daily Practice Pay attention to what you say, both to others and to yourself. Notice if you find you are devaluing yourself—putting yourself down in some way or being harshly self-critical. As in the case of bodily action, revealing these things to another person who you trust and who has your best interests in mind can be unburdening. It is healthy to change unhealthy habits, even those that are the most intimate and personal. Tomorrow: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given One week from today: Reflecting upon Mental Action Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from Malicious Speech

 

RIGHT SPEECH Refraining from Malicious Speech Malicious speech is unhealthy. Refraining from malicious speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning malicious speech, one refrains from malicious speech. One does not repeat there what one has heard here to the detriment of these, or repeat here what he has heard there to the detriment of those. One unites those who are divided, is a promoter of friendships, and speaks words that promote concord. (DN 1) One practices thus: "Others may speak maliciously, but I shall abstain from malicious speech." (MN 8) When others address you, their speech may be gentle or harsh … One is to train thus: "My mind will be unaffected, and I shall utter no bad words; I shall abide with compassion for their welfare, with a mind of lovingkindness, without inner hate." (MN 21)

Reflection Our natural tendency is to soften to gentle words and retaliate against harsh speech. But the former can allow us to be exploited by the flatterer, and the latter allows the worst in others to bring out the worst in us. Equanimity in the face of harsh speech is not indifference or detachment; it is simply being aware without reactivity. It is not allowing our minds to be thrown off by what others say to us. Daily Practice This is a challenging practice but a helpful one. It encourages us to maintain a balanced state of mind in the face of any kind of speech. It may be easier to practice this at first with overhearing things in the media or the conversations of others, working up to being able to wish for the welfare of even those who speak harshly directly to you. It is not as hard as it sounds once you learn not to take everything others say personally. Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Verbal Action One week from today: Refraining from Harsh Speech 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: Goals for the Heart

 May we learn to delight in the joy of another wherever it may be found. May we sponsor a heart that seeks to end the suffering of others. 

Felicia Washington Sy, “Finding Your Way”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - February 1, 2023 💌

 

 

My work around the issue of aging is to quiet the mind enough—it’s like standing back enough, finding a place to stand where I am not so caught in the culture and caught in a set of attitudes I developed from my childhood, and so on—that I can see what is and respond in a way that is in harmony with way it is, become part of it. Which is the way a bird sings or a river flows or a baby cries. 

- Ram Dass -