Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Social Action

 

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RIGHT ACTION Reflecting Upon Social 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 social action is to be done with repeated reflection. (MN 61) A person is content with any clothing they may get, speaks in praise of such contentment, and does not try to obtain these things in improper or unsuitable ways. Not getting these things, one does not worry, and getting them one makes use of them without being greedy, obsessed, or infatuated, observing such potential dangers and wisely aware of how to escape them. (AN 4.28)

Reflection Just as we practiced cultivating contentment in regard to food last month, today we are invited to work with our relationship to clothing. Discontent is a persistent cause of social discord, and contentment contributes to people getting along with one another. If we envy what other people have or yearn for something we don’t have, the seeds of unhappiness are sown and watered. Such suffering is unnecessary. Daily Practice We are not being asked here to have disdain for fashion, or taste, and it is not suggested that what we wear does not matter at all. As with so many other aspects of our lives, we are being invited here to examine the relationship we have with ordinary things such as the clothing we wear. It is healthy and helpful to focus more on what we have than on what we want and to avoid the pitfalls of becoming greedy, obsessed, or infatuated. Tomorrow: Abstaining from Intoxication One week from today: Reflecting upon Bodily 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: Mud and Lotus

Mud and Lotus

Beauty and muck often go hand in hand. Yael Schonbrun, “The Inside Problem of Work-Family Conflict”  CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Speech: Refraining from Frivolous Speech

 

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RIGHT SPEECH Refraining from Frivolous Speech 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) A person should examine things in such a way that while examining them, their consciousness is not distracted and scattered externally, and not clinging, one does not become agitated. Then there is no origination of suffering (MN 138)

Reflection This passage seems written particularly for the 21st century, since so much of what we encounter every day seems designed to distract our consciousness and scatter it externally. Such distraction and scattering is in fact the very origin of suffering, because it leads us to become agitated and thereby to cling to one outcome or another. The whole process never gets started if we learn how to avoid or resist the distractions. Daily Practice Much of what distracts us and scatters our consciousness externally is the propensity for frivolous speech, both in the world around us and within ourselves. Is it asking too much to practice abstaining from unnecessary or unworthy speech at least once in a while? These days, learning to steer away from distraction and the scattering of our minds is a practice in itself, and we are likely to become less agitated if we are able to do it well. Tomorrow: Reflecting upon Social Action One week from today: Refraining from False 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: Regret and Compassion

Regret and Compassion

Regret is for your own sake, compassion is for the sake of others.  Venerable Robina Courtin, “Purification Is a Psychological Process” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via Daily Dharma: Learning from Mistakes

Learning from Mistakes

A Zen master is nothing more than someone who has repeatedly screwed up and eventually learned something. We can do the same. Mark Van Buren, “Thanks for Everything. I Have No Complaints Whatsoever.”  CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Intention: Cultivating Equanimity

 

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RIGHT INTENTION Cultivating Equanimity 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 equanimity, for when you develop meditation on equanimity, all aversion is abandoned. (MN 62)  Equanimity is like a mother with a son who is busy with his own affairs, for she is not worried about what he does. (Vm 9.108) When a person, touching a sensation with the body, is not attached to pleasing sensations and not repelled by unpleasing sensations, they have established mindfulness and dwell with an unlimited mind. For a person whose mindfulness is developed and practiced, the body does not struggle to reach pleasing sensations, and unpleasing sensations are not considered repulsive. (SN 35.274)

Reflection The image of a mother with a grown son is invoked to describe the quality of mind called equanimity, for we understand that she still loves and cares deeply for her son but is not invested in the superficial details of his daily activities. You can stay attentive, intimate, and deeply engaged with your affairs without being caught up in and afflicted by them. The image is one of a person who is at ease in their affairs without struggling. Daily Practice In working with physical sensations, as we do when we practice mindfulness of the body, the idea is to be fully aware of sensations without being attached to or repelled by them. Notice that when mindful the mind is said to be unlimited, and when it lacks mindfulness it is considered to be limited. Equanimity, the active ingredient in mindfulness, is the tool that is used to unbind the mind and set it free from aversion. Tomorrow: Refraining from Frivolous Speech One week from today: Cultivating Lovingkindness Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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"Each moment is astonishing radiance, full and round without direction or corners, discarding trifles."

- Hongzhi Zhengjue (1091-1157) one of the most accomplished Chan (Chinese Zen) masters of the Song dynasty