Via Daily Dharma: Spiritual Intention

 

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Spiritual Intention What good things will you put into what you make, regardless of what you’re making? You can be a shoemaker or a poet, but when you really think about it, it becomes no longer a task or a job but a vocation that is invested with a spiritual intention. Ocean Vuong, “Why Buddhist Poet Ocean Vuong Practices a Death Meditation” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Opening Your Heart: Exploring the Four Boundless States as a Pathway to Meaningful Transformation With Scott Tusa If you missed out on Meditation Month, or would like to revisit the teachings and practices from Scott, enjoy his series on the four boundless states and learn how to incorporate them into your practice. Watch now » Dhamma Wheel 365 Days of Practice to Your Inbox Commit to a year of contemplative study with Tricycle’s first-ever daily email course, created by Buddhist scholar Andrew Olendzki. Enroll now »

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Watching the moon – Izumi Shikibu

 

Via Ram Dass - Love Serve Remember Foundation \\ Words of Wisdom - January 28, 2024 💌

 

It’s taken me a while to learn that if I’m gonna offer the gift of my being, it means offering the fullness of the moment we are in.

 - Ram Dass -

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Mindfulness and Concentration: Establishing Mindfulness of Body and the First Jhāna

 

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RIGHT MINDFULNESS Establishing Mindfulness of Body A person goes to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty place and sits down. Having crossed the legs, one sets the body erect. One establishes the presence of mindfulness. (MN 10) One is aware: "Ardent, fully aware, mindful, I am content." (SN 47.10)   Breathing in and out, experiencing the whole body …one is just aware, just mindful: "There is body." And one abides not clinging to anything in the world. (MN 10)

Reflection As you sit in formal practice your breath becomes an anchoring object of awareness. Other objects—sounds, thoughts—will intrude on your attention, but the breath is a baseline to which you can return. Notice the texture of the entire breath, from the beginning of the in-breath to the last moment of the out-breath, with steadiness and no interruption. When the mind is attentive like this it is naturally content. Daily Practice See if you can experience contentment while breathing. This means not wanting anything to be different than it is, not having anywhere else to go, not moving your mind beyond the moment but simply meeting each movement of the breath with mindful equanimity. You can feel the experience of the breath permeating your whole body and simply abide without clinging to anything whatsoever.  RIGHT CONCENTRATION Approaching and Abiding in the First Phase of Absorption (1st Jhāna) Having abandoned the five hindrances, imperfections of the mind that weaken wisdom, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and abides in the first phase of absorption, which is accompanied by applied thought and sustained thought, with joy and the pleasure born of seclusion. (MN 4) Reflection Jhāna practice is not for everyone. Some take to it easily, some find it inaccessible. This is not something for you to succeed or fail at. If you are seriously interested in undertaking these concentration practices, then you should find a qualified teacher and practice in a protected space. Jhāna practice can contribute greatly to your understanding of the teachings, but is not a universal prerequisite. Lots of Buddhists don’t practice jhāna. Daily Practice Without striving for any kind of accomplishment, sit quietly at a dedicated time and place and allow the mind to gradually settle down, sinking through increasing layers of relaxation and calm. When one of the five hindrances arises, just gently let go of it and move the mind away from it. Whenever the mind is able to temporarily free itself of the hindrances, it naturally drops into the absorption of jhāna. Tomorrow: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of  Suffering One week from today: Establishing Mindfulness of Feeling and Abiding in the Second Jhāna 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: Separate Selfhood

 

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Separate Selfhood

It’s our erroneous belief in a separate selfhood, with its insistent refrain of 'I, me, mine,' that keeps us from hearing and seeing directly.

Shinge Sherry Chayat Roshi, “In the Midst of the Ordinary”

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Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings

 

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RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Harming Living Beings Harming living beings is unhealthy. Refraining from harming living beings is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning the harming of living beings, one abstains from harming living beings; with rod and weapon laid aside, gentle and kindly, one abides with compassion toward all living beings. (MN 41) One practices thus: "Others may harm living beings, but I will abstain from the harming of living beings." (MN 8) A layperson is not to engage in the livelihood of trading in weapons. (AN 5.177)

Reflection Everyone has to earn a living somehow, and all human activities involve some form of harm to others. The Buddha encouraged his followers to abstain from certain trades that do the most harm, including involvement with weapons of warfare. He did not condemn them as morally wrong but pointed out that the harm caused by weapons rebounds on the worker and has a cumulative unhealthy effect on the mind. Daily Practice Think about what you do professionally and reflect on how much harm to other beings is intrinsic to the job. If there are ways to mitigate this harm, try to implement changes in how things are done. If you are engaged in a job that is fundamentally harmful, such as making or deploying weapons that are used to kill, then it would contribute to your welfare to look for another line of work.  Tomorrow: Restraining Unarisen Unhealthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Taking What is Not Given 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: Surrender to Beauty, Experience Spaciousness

 

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Surrender to Beauty, Experience Spaciousness When I surrender to beauty, I’m letting go of the ways in which I’m protecting and guarding myself. I’m allowing myself to expand, and I’m letting go of the sense of who I think I am, and then beginning to experience and touch into the actual expression of spaciousness.  Lama Rod Owens, “The Magic of the New Saint” CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE

Why Compassion Can Be Challenging—But Ultimately Rewarding By Scott Tusa In order to practice boundless compassion, we need to be willing to feel uncomfortable. Read more »