Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Verbal Action

 

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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 are doing an action with speech, reflect upon that same verbal action thus: “Does this action I am doing with speech lead to the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it does, then stop doing it; if you know that it does not, then continue. (MN 61)

Reflection Much of the speech we utter just comes out, without a lot of forethought. This is the kind of speech that often gets us in trouble or causes harm to others. If we miss the opportunity to reflect on what we are going to say before we say it, we have another chance to notice what we are saying as we are saying it. Take advantage of this and pay attention to what you are saying. Listen to yourself as you speak to others. Daily Practice Mindfulness is the practice of being aware of what you are doing in the present moment, and this can apply to speech as well as bodily and mental action. By becoming aware of what you are saying as you are saying it, you are able to access the ability to reflect on whether it is causing harm to others or yourself. If you find you are saying anything hurtful, just stop. Find another way of saying what you have to say. 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 Daily Dharma: Mindfulness Is Action

 Mindfulness is about more than body, feeling, mind, and mental formations. It is about being alert and resolute in light of the fundamental knowledge we already possess.

Jack Petranker, “What You Know to Be True”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from Malicious Speech

 

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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 with a mind of lovingkindness or with inner hate … One is to train thus: “My mind will be unaffected, and I shall utter no bad words; I shall abide compassionate for their welfare, with a mind of lovingkindness, without inner hate.” (MN 21)

Reflection Words are one thing, and the emotion or intention behind them is another. What matters more than the content of what is said is how it is said, the quality of mind behind the words. You can say, “I hope you have a nice day” with benevolent good will, or you can say the exact same thing with a voice that is dripping with sarcasm and venom. We all know the difference when on the receiving end of such speech. Daily Practice It is an advanced practice to receive malicious speech—words uttered with some degree of hatred—and not return the same emotion. It is an even more challenging practice to respond with kindness, yet it can be done. Practice this today, all day. Even if someone addresses you maliciously, make a point of not letting it evoke malice from you. See if everything you say today can be said with the underlying emotion of kindness. 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: The Value of Remorse

 Remorse is a state of simple recognition. With this clarity and perspective, we are more likely to see the law of cause and effect, to learn from our mistakes, and to move into the future with greater awareness and a healthy resolve not to repeat the same unskillful action.

Beth Roth, “Family Dharma: An Eyelash in the Palm of Your Hand”

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - March 29, 2023 💌

 

 

The cosmic humor is that if you desire to move mountains and continue to purify yourself, you will ultimately arrive at the place where you can move mountains. But to arrive at this position of power, you will have to give up being he-who-wanted-to-move-mountains so that you can be he-who-put-the-mountain-there-in-the-first-place. The humor is that when you finally have the power to move the mountain, you are the person who placed it there -- so there the mountain stays.

-RamDass-

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Compassion

 

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RIGHT INTENTION Cultivating Compassion Whatever you intend, whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will become the basis on which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop meditation on compassion, for when you develop meditation on compassion, any cruelty will be abandoned. (MN 62) The proximate cause of compassion is seeing helplessness in those overwhelmed by suffering. (Vm 9.94)

Reflection While lovingkindness is an emotional attitude that flows indiscriminately to all beings in all directions, compassion is the form it takes when it encounters the awareness of suffering. When someone who cares sees another being suffering, “the heart trembles” and the wish for the suffering to end arises. Compassion is an expression of caring for others and as such is an inherently healthy state of mind that should be cultivated. Daily Practice Take some time to look at suffering rather than avoid it by looking elsewhere. There are opportunities for doing this all around you, as both small and large examples of suffering abound. Pay close attention to the quality of mind that occurs when you are giving sustained attention to the suffering of another. It is not about getting lost in pity or sorrow but about allowing the mind to feel the pain with an attitude of caring. Tomorrow: Refraining from Malicious Speech One week from today: Cultivating Appreciative Joy 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: Staying with Our Subconscious

  

 

Responses that arise from the subconscious often don’t make sense initially, but if we keep following the threads without judgment, it all eventually becomes clear.

Lama Palden Drolma, “Tips for the Procrastinator Practitioner”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering

 

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RIGHT VIEW Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering What is the origin of suffering? It is craving, which brings renewal of being, is accompanied by delight and lust, and delights in this and that; that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for being, and craving for non-being. (MN 9) When one does not know and see bodily sensations as they actually are, then one is attached to bodily sensations. When one is attached, one becomes infatuated, and one’s craving increases. One’s bodily and mental troubles increase, and one experiences bodily and mental suffering. (MN 149)

Reflection The fifth of the six sense modalities is the range of bodily sensations that are discernable through the body as a sense organ. Like all the other sense organs, the body is an instrument for both the arising of suffering and the cessation of suffering. When craving is present, either for a pleasant sensation or for the cessation of a painful sensation, a micro-moment of suffering is produced. You can experience this happening in your body again and again. Daily Practice Whether sitting or walking or engaging in any of your other normal activities, pay close attention to the sensations of the body as they naturally arise and pass away. Notice how some are favored (the ones that feel good) and some are resented and resisted (the ones that feel bad). Notice how that subtle attachment or aversion, called infatuation in this text, is the starting point for all kinds of discontent and suffering. Tomorrow: Cultivating Compassion One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering 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: What Is a Precept?

An ethical precept is a question to be held up to the light of circumstance, an inquiry rather than an answer. And the nature of this inquiry is not so much the dubious enterprise of trying to figure out the right thing to do as it is an offering of an unaided heart.

Lin Jensen, “An Ear to the Ground”

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