Revoked

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right Action: Reflecting upon Bodily Action

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 have done an action with the body, reflect upon that same bodily action thus: “Has this action I have done with the body led to both my own affliction and the affliction of another?” If, upon reflection, you know that it has, then tell someone you trust about it and undertake a commitment not to do it again. If you know it has not, then be content and feel happy about it. (MN 61)

Reflection

Here we have a rare invitation to reflect on the past in a tradition that generally encourages us to keep our attention focused on the present moment. This is not an ancient form of psychotherapy but rather the recognition that reflecting on all our actions of body, speech, and mind in the past, present, and future can be a valuable learning tool. We refine our understanding of cause and effect in this way.

Daily Practice

See if you can get in the habit of looking at what you have done immediately after you do it. Notice the effect your actions have on your surroundings and particularly on other people. Notice if you seem to have caused someone harm or if you have hurt yourself in some way. If you are aware of causing affliction, be honest in admitting that and undertake a commitment to refrain from such an action in the future.

Tomorrow: Abstaining from Harming Living Beings
One week from today: Reflecting upon Verbal Action

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July 10, 2025

There’s No Need to Be Busy

“I’m too busy to meditate” is an excuse we’ve all heard and may have even said ourselves. Putting aside the value of five minutes, or one minute, or even one breath, of meditation, which can help us move past this unproductive thinking, the problem isn’t just that we believe we’re too busy to practice. It’s that we’re too busy, period. “There’s no need to be busy,” Theravada Buddhist nun and teacher Ayya Khema says succinctly.

If we can pause for a moment, mindfully tune into the senses and the breath, and ask ourselves why we’re rushing around, we may surprise ourselves. Rushing creates a sense of urgency, panic at the extreme, but a sense of ease lies beneath. Busyness can be a habit. But if we release ourselves from autopilot, we might be more apt to prioritize, freeing up time and energy to find deeper meaning in our choices and deeper satisfaction.

This week’s Three Teachings prompts us to consider why we’re so busy and offers practices to help us slow down.

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The Art of Slowing Down
By Martin Aylward

Urging us to reflect on the pace of our actions and capacity for ease, meditation teacher Martin Aylward reminds us of the counterintuitive truth that when we slow down, we have more time.

There’s No Need to Be Busy
By Ayya Khema

Theravada Buddhist nun and teacher Ayya Khema encourages us to assess the motives behind our actions, advising us to stick to activities inspired by compassion and eliminate those that reify our egos or avoid the source of our suffering. “The more we try to prove that we are somebody, the less we have a chance to become nobody,” she says.

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Meditation teacher and Dharma Punx NYC founding member Kathy Cherry offers a series of short practices that can help us work with our nervous systems, unhook from our own stories, and slow down throughout the day.