Via Daily Dharma: Confronting Crises

 

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Confronting Crises The fact that human beings have the capacity to recognize themselves as a manifestation of the entire cosmos opens up a possibility that, if embraced, may help us through the crises that now confront us. David Loy, “In Search of the Sacred” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

The Refuge of Mara By Kate Tsuruharatani Amid a shifting sense of home, a practitioner finds grounding in an unexpected ally. Read more » Daily Dharma App Explore New Tools for Stillness, Insight, and Daily Wisdom  The Daily Dharma app is more than a meditation app. Offering our beloved Daily Dharma quotes, a variety of Dharma Talks, insightful written guides, thought-provoking podcasts, and more, the app is designed to enrich and support your spiritual journey, no matter where you are. Download today » Follow Us Forward today's wisdom to a friend »

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Effort: Developing Unarisen Healthy States

 

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RIGHT EFFORT Developing Unarisen Healthy States Whatever a person frequently thinks about and ponders, that will become the inclination of their mind. If one frequently thinks about and ponders healthy states, one has abandoned unhealthy states to cultivate the healthy state, and then one’s mind inclines to healthy states. (MN 19) Here a person rouses the will, makes an effort, stirs up energy, exerts the mind, and strives to develop the arising of unarisen healthy mental states. One develops the unarisen investigation-of-states awakening factor. (MN 141)

Reflection The second of the seven factors of awakening is called the investigation of states, and this refers to a quality of curiosity and interest that naturally arises when we become mindful, or fully aware, of our own mental and emotional states. Anything looked at closely enough becomes interesting, even fascinating. Like any mental factor though, this quality of investigation usually requires some effort to arouse and sustain.  Daily Practice Make a point of taking an interest in things, even subtle aspects of your own experience. If your ear is itching, zoom in on that sensation and investigate it carefully: What does the itch feel like exactly? If you feel hurt by something said to you, take the time to see how that hurt actually manifests in your mind and body. By cultivating the quality of this awakening factor, the investigation of states, you build self-understanding. Tomorrow: Establishing Mindfulness of Mind and Abiding in the Third Jhāna One week from today: Maintaining Arisen Healthy States 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: Wisdom Arises from Suffering

 

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Wisdom Arises from Suffering When we face suffering, we will have to find the way to solve it. Only then can wisdom arise. Ajaan Suchart Abhijato, “The Forest Container of the Rains Retreat” CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

A Meditating Dad’s First Year By Alex Olshonsky A new father reflects on how parenthood unexpectedly deepened his spiritual practice. Read more » Daily Dharma App Explore New Tools for Stillness, Insight, and Daily Wisdom  The Daily Dharma app is more than a meditation app. Offering our beloved Daily Dharma quotes, a variety of Dharma Talks, insightful written guides, thought-provoking podcasts, and more, the app is designed to enrich and support your spiritual journey, no matter where you are. Download today » Follow Us Forward today's wisdom to a friend »

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Living: Abstaining from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures

 

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RIGHT LIVING Undertaking the Commitment to Abstain from Misbehaving Among Sensual Pleasures  Sensual misconduct is unhealthy. Refraining from sensual misconduct is healthy. (MN 9) Abandoning sensual misconduct, one abstains from misbehaving among sensual pleasures. (MN 41) One practices thus: “Others may engage in sensual misconduct, but I will abstain from sensual misconduct.” (MN 8) Sounds cognizable by the ear are of two kinds: those to be cultivated and those not to be cultivated. Such sounds as cause, in one who cultivates them, unhealthy states to increase and healthy states to diminish, such sounds are not to be cultivated. But such sounds as cause, in one who cultivates them, unhealthy states to diminish and healthy states to increase, such sounds are to be cultivated. (MN 114)

Reflection Notice that nothing is being said here about the sound itself; the focus is on the reaction that hearing the sound has on the person who hears it. Your mind, along with its accumulated emotional habits, filters whatever comes in through the senses and gives rise to a range of responses. The precept concerning sensual indulgence has to do with abstaining from certain unhealthy responses, not from the objects themselves. Daily Practice Practice acting as a guardian of your sense doors. Like a sentry at the gate, be aware of what sounds present themselves to pass within and take care to admit only those that bring out your best. It is okay to filter out words and other sounds that are disturbing and cause distress. This does not mean hiding from life’s realities; rather it is about taking some control over what comes in and then goes on in your mind. Tomorrow: Developing Unarisen Healthy States One week from today: Abstaining from Intoxication Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media #DhammaWheel Questions? Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.

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