Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

 

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RIGHT ACTION Reflecting Upon Bodily 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 bodily action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) When you wish to do an action with the body, reflect upon that same bodily action thus: “Is this action I wish to do with the body an unhealthy bodily action with painful consequences and painful results?” If, upon reflection, you know that it is, then do not do it. If you know that it is not, then proceed. (MN 61)

Reflection As embodied beings, we are always performing some sort of action, even if that action is remaining still. Buddhist teachings recognize that physical actions begin with the mental intention to act and invite us to look carefully at the quality of our intentions. It is often hard to discern the intention before the action, and it feels as if the body is acting “on its own.” But if you investigate your experience closely, it is possible to see your intention.  Daily Practice See if you can catch that brief moment before any action when the intention to do the action arises in the mind. You might try this when you decide to open your eyes after a sitting, for example. Then extend this capability to noticing the ethical quality of actions you perform in daily life, reflecting on whether a forthcoming action is likely to cause harm in some way. If you can catch it before you act and stop, that is good. Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal 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: What Is Training?

 

What Is Training?

Training is simply short moments of recognition repeated many times and supported by devotion and compassion. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, “As the Clouds Vanish” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from False Speech

 

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RIGHT SPEECH Refraining from False Speech False speech is unhealthy. Refraining from false speech is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning false speech, one dwells refraining from false speech, a truth-speaker, one to be relied on, trustworthy, dependable, not a deceiver of the world. One does not in full awareness speak falsehood for one’s own ends or for another’s ends or for some trifling worldly end. (DN 1) One practices thus: “Others may speak falsely, but I shall abstain from false speech.” (MN 8) When one knows overt sharp speech to be untrue, incorrect, and unbeneficial, one should on no account utter it. (MN 139)

Reflection How much of what we say is totally useless? We often emphasize the value of expressing ourselves and of “getting things off our chest,” and this accounts for many of the expletives we utter and emotional downloads we deliver. What about the role speech plays in communicating with others? Buddhist teachings encourage us to focus on speaking what is true and what is beneficial—that is, what brings out the best in others. Daily Practice Pay attention to how people speak and notice speech that is sharp. One text calls it “stabbing one another with verbal daggers.” You know it when you hear it because you almost feel stabbed or wounded by the aggressive hostility of the words. Now look at your own habits of speaking and see if you can catch yourself doing the same thing. Whenever you notice the intention to speak in ways that are harmful, don’t do it. Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Bodily Action One week from today: Refraining from Malicious 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: Cultivate True Happiness

Cultivate True Happiness 

He who expresses true love and kindness is not harmed but loved in return. He who loves is thus protected, and he who is loved comes to express his potential qualities beyond egotistical concerns, thus cultivating the true source of happiness.  Karma Trinlay Rinpoche, “What We’ve Been All Along”  CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation // Words of Wisdom - August 9, 2023 💌

"When you have your game all together, and there is still a yearning inside you, and you say, 'I don't understand why I'm still unhappy, I've got it all.' Well, that yearning is your ticket to spiritual awakening."

- Ram Dass -

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Lovingkindness

 

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RIGHT INTENTION Cultivating Lovingkindness Whatever you intend, whatever you plan, and whatever you have a tendency toward, that will become the basis upon which your mind is established. (SN 12.40) Develop meditation on lovingkindness, for when you develop meditation on lovingkindness, all ill will will be abandoned. (MN 62)  The far enemy of lovingkindness is ill will. (Vm 9.98)

Reflection Ill will is the far enemy of lovingkindness because it is so clearly in opposition to it. These two polar opposites cannot occupy the mind at the same moment. This means that at any point we are are feeling kind or aversive or are experiencing a moment of mindful equanimity. Right intention means learning to use every opportunity to cultivate lovingkindness, since it is such a beneficial mind state. Daily Practice You cultivate mental and emotional states by encouraging them to arise and then working to maintain them as much as possible. Practice feeling friendly and kindly, if only in your mind, toward all the people and other beings you encounter each day. The more you do this, the more inclined your mind will be toward friendliness and kindness. One consequence of this is that the tendency toward ill will will diminish. Tomorrow: Refraining from False Speech One week from today: Cultivating Compassion 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: Pain Inspires Action

Pain Inspires Action

Just as the lotus needs muddy water to live, the pain of the world can inspire compassionate and effective action. The imperfect, as the poet Wallace Stevens said, is our paradise.  Katy Butler, “The Lotus and the Ballot Box”  CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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