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.
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)
There are these two worldly conditions: fame and shame. These are
conditions that people meet—impermanent, transient, and subject to
change. A mindful, wise person knows them and sees that they are subject
to change. Desirable conditions do not excite one’s mind nor is one
resentful of undesirable conditions. (AN 8.6)
Reflection
The “worldly
winds” are aspects of life that are as inevitable as the blowing of the
wind, and we are better off accepting and adapting to them rather than
attempting to avoid them. Among these are fame and shame, meaning
sometimes we are a hero and sometimes a chump. In either case, we may
not deserve the label placed on us by others, so the advice here is to
see both fame and shame as the result of changing circumstances and view
them with equanimity.
Daily Practice
One form of
intoxication we are susceptible to is being influenced overmuch by what
other people think of us. If people raise you up unrealistically or put
you down undeservedly, try not to let it sway your own sense of who you
are. As the text says, “A mindful, wise person knows them” to be the
passing opinions of others, subject to capricious change. Practice
remaining balanced, independent of the judgment of others.
Tomorrow: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings
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[Real
love] is a state where we allow ourselves to be seen clearly by
ourselves and by others, and in turn, we offer clear seeing to the world
around us. It is a love that heals.
In
grief we access parts of ourselves that were somehow unavailable to us
in the past. With awareness, the journey through grief becomes a path to
wholeness.
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: “I shall initiate and sustain verbal acts of kindness
toward my companions, both publicly and privately.” 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: “We are different in body but one in mind.” (MN 31)
Reflection
As social
beings we speak a lot in the course of our daily lives. Here is an
invitation to focus on the quality of our verbal actions in a social
setting. The way to live in harmony with others is lubricated, so to
speak, by verbal acts of kindness. As the text says, “Good things come
from doing good deeds,” and this includes the things we say. The skill
of living "without disputing, blending like milk and water," is sorely
needed these days.
Daily Practice
Speak with
kindly intention to your friends, family members, and colleagues. The
quality of mind behind our words is often more important than the words
themselves, and here we are invited to emphasize the feeling of caring
for others when we speak. When we speak with kindly intention we evoke
kindness from others, as well as bring out and strengthen our own
capacity for kindness. This contributes to social well-being.
Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily Action
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Frivolous speech is
unhealthy. Refraining from frivolous speech is healthy. (MN 9)
Abandoning frivolous speech, one refrains from frivolous speech. One
speaks at the right time, speaks only what is fact, and speaks about
what is good. One speaks what is worthy of being overheard, words that
are reasonable, moderate, and beneficial. (DN 1) One practices thus:
“Others may speak frivolously, but I shall abstain from frivolous
speech.” (MN 8)
An authentic person is one who even unasked reveals their own faults—how
much more so when asked. When asked, however, and obliged to reply to
questions, one speaks of one’s own faults fully and in detail. (AN 4.73)
Reflection
The last time
we looked at refraining from frivolous speech we focused on holding back
from criticizing others. Now we look at the flip side of that—being
willing to be forthcoming about your own faults. The idea here is not to
put yourself down but to be honest with yourself. It is an example of
speaking only what is fact and what is beneficial, since admitting your
faults allows you to grow beyond them.
Daily Practice
This is a
practice of humility and has to do with cultivating a humble attitude
about yourself. It counteracts those qualities of mind that contribute
to the inflation of the sense of self, such as pride and conceit, and
helps moderate the tendency to aggrandize the self. You need not dwell
on your faults, and it is okay to equally acknowledge your strengths,
but simply stating both honestly is a form of right speech.
Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Social Action One week from today: Refraining from False Speech
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To
whatever degree we’re moving in the direction of the lack of
self-centeredness, when we’re on that trajectory, a natural occurrence
is greater metta (lovingkindness) because we’re not so self-obsessed.
Joseph Goldstein, “How to Understand Selflessness, and Why It’s So Important”