Wednesday, October 2, 2024

Via Daily Dharma: Pain Is Natural

 


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Pain Is Natural

It’s a relief to know that pain comes with life so that we can stop judging ourselves when it arises. 

Vidyamala Burch, “A Gateway to Freedom”


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Exploring Consciousness 
By Henry Shukman
A brief teaching on how to approach your practice as a territory to be explored. 
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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

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 on 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) 

Lovingkindness is like a mother who has a baby boy, for she just wants him to grow and thrive. (Vm 9.108)
Reflection
The image of a mother with a newborn child is used often in early Buddhist literature to help envision and define the emotional state of lovingkindness. While this might involve some idealization, the point is that this emotion can be viewed as natural, pure, and spontaneous. It is a caring for another that is not rooted in our own self-interest and not entangled with an exchange. Lovingkindness is just wanting the best for someone else.

Daily Practice
See what it feels like to regard all people as your newborn child, to look on all situations with the same benevolence you might extend to an infant and to cultivate a non-specific wish for all beings to be healthy, safe, and profoundly well. Lovingkindness is a quality of heart and mind that can be cultivated, and by doing so you transform “the basis on which your mind is established.” In short, you become a more caring person.

Tomorrow: Refraining from False Speech
One week from today: Cultivating Compassion

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#DhammaWheel

Questions?
Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.



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Via GBF: "Intimacy With the Yourself" with Daigan Gaither

Our latest dharma talk is now available.

Here's a 60-second audio preview

(part of our "Dharma Wisdom Nuggets" series)

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How can we become truly present and engage with each moment we experience?

In both interpersonal relationships and self-reflection, Daigan Gaither advocates for an open, curious approach where we allow things to be as they are, rather than forcing them to fit preconceived notions. This approach, he suggests, fosters deeper connection and understanding with ourselves and others, as well as with the world around us.

Daigan explains that we often misinterpret our emotions by labeling them (e.g., calling a physical sensation “anxiety”) and then react to those labels instead of the actual experience. This creates layers of stories and emotions, leading us further from the original feeling.

He encourages us to stay curious about our experience, letting go of certainty and rigid identities, and allowing the experience to tell us what it is. By doing so, we avoid creating fixed identities or stories about ourselves and our emotions, which can lead to suffering.

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You can watch or listen to the full talk on our website or YouTube:

Intimacy with Yourself – Daigan Gaither | Gay Buddhist Fellowship

Intimacy with Yourself - Daigan Gaither 2024-09-15 (youtube.com)

or listen on your favorite podcast player.

Via Daily Dharma: Cultivating the Causes of Freedom

 

October 1, 2024

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Cultivating the Causes of Freedom

For a Buddhist, the question isn’t whether we have free will or not; it is how we cultivate the causes of freedom instead of the causes of imprisonment. This is the sole purpose of the Buddhist teachings.

Andy Karr, “Between Neuro-Skepticism and Ultimate Liberation”


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Silk Road Dharma
By Renée Lynn Ford
The history of a unique and little-known Buddhist culture that once flourished in Central Asia.
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Monday, September 30, 2024

99% of People DON’T KNOW the Correct Way to Drink Water | Buddhist Teach...

Via Dhamma Wheel | Right View: Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering

 

RIGHT VIEW
Understanding the Noble Truth of Suffering
When people have met with suffering and become victims of suffering, they come to me and ask me about the noble truth of suffering. Being asked, I explain to them the noble truth of suffering. (MN 77) What is suffering? (MN 9)

In short, the five aggregates affected by clinging are suffering. (MN 9)
Reflection
Some forms of suffering are glaringly obvious, such as a pounding toothache or the deep grief that comes from losing a loved one. Others can be subtler and more pervasive rather than episodic. Such is the case with the suffering that comes from clinging to anything whatsoever. Even things that feel overtly gratifying can on another level be sowing the seeds of disappointment. Clinging always involves some sort of suffering.

Daily Practice
Clinging is the word used to refer to our response to desire. When we want something, we reach for it or hold on tightly so it does not slip away. When we don’t want something, we push it away and try to avoid or destroy it. Notice how this attitude of attachment and aversion can manifest, often subtly, in all aspects of experience. Learn to become consciously aware of the unconscious reflex to grasp, and also to let go of it.

Tomorrow: Cultivating Lovingkindness
One week from today: Understanding the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering 


Share your thoughts and join the conversation on social media
#DhammaWheel

Questions?
Visit the Dhamma Wheel orientation page.



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© 2024 Tricycle Foundation
89 5th Ave, New York, NY 10003