Meditation help

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
quote-the-more-you-struggle-to-live-the-less-you-live-give-up-the-notion-that-you-must-be-baruch-spinoza-41-21-22.jpg
 

Blaze

Account Closed
I had the pleasure of hearing a Mahayana story on the 5 precepts and why each holds the other in place.

Once, in a small village lived a devout layperson of the Buddha. He maintained the 5 precepts with a diligence that inspired others to do the same. Well, there was a Yakka (Demon) who didn't like this and wanted to test this mans faith.

When the man was out on a walk, the Yakka grabbed him and threatened to kill him....unless he'd break a precept, then the demon would let him go.

The man thought to himself, "Which would be the lesser precept to break?" and decided to have a drink of alcohol, which breaks the fifth precept of not taking mental intoxicants.

With a snap of it's fingers, the demon provided wine for the man and watched him drink it all while laughing, thinking to itself, "Ha! Some follower of the Buddha! Had he refused my demand, I'd have respected him more. Nor was I going to kill the fool!"

Afterwards, the now tipsy man walked into the village, saw the bar and decided: "Well, I already drank a little. Might as well drink a lot!" and got very drunk.

Now, as he was in his home, he realized he had nothing to eat. He looked outside his window and saw the neighbors chicken. As fast as a drunken fox the man jumped from his window, picked up the chicken and jumped back into his home, thus breaking the second precept of taking what is not given. Or, in other words, stealing.

Hungry, the man began to kill the chicken - breaking it's neck, pulling it's feathers off and chopping up it's limbs, breaking the first precept of not harming living beings.

Then, there was a knock at the door. It was his neighbors wife. She was looking for the chicken and had wondered if it went into the mans yard. He smiled and said "Oh no, I have no idea where your chicken has gone," breaking the forth precept of telling no lies and refraining from harsh speech.

He then offered the wife dinner (the stolen, murdered chicken) and wine, which lead to breaking the third precept of sexual misconduct as he seduced the wife that night, bedding her.

Unskillful actions share their domino effects with skillful ones, yet, the destination of those dominos land in different states. A good reminder to walk the path of virtue.
 

david starling

Well-known member
Ajahn Khemavaro | The Path Of Practice.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltbemxcEtdM

Great talk on practice. Too often do we find ourselves craving for attainments, not realizing that such thoughts are Bhava-tanha (craving for being) and will only impede our practice. Better it is to simply be content. :smile:

In Aikido, we are warned not to seek greater ability. Seeking to achieve a higher belt or higher Dan is an impediment to staying on the right path.
 

david starling

Well-known member
The Egyptian god Osirus, Lord of the Underworld in ancient Egypt, weighed souls in the balance using the feather of Ma'at.

The Greco-Roman god who eventually came to be known in Greek and Latin as Pluto, was their version of Osirus, although much was lost in the translation.

"Ma'at" was also the concept of Justice, Truth and Beauty, as well as the name of the goddess. The Pharaohs of the early Dynasties were held accountable to the concept.
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
I had the pleasure of hearing a Mahayana story on the 5 precepts and why each holds the other in place.

Once, in a small village lived a devout layperson of the Buddha. He maintained the 5 precepts with a diligence that inspired others to do the same. Well, there was a Yakka (Demon) who didn't like this and wanted to test this mans faith.

When the man was out on a walk, the Yakka grabbed him and threatened to kill him....unless he'd break a precept, then the demon would let him go.

The man thought to himself, "Which would be the lesser precept to break?" and decided to have a drink of alcohol, which breaks the fifth precept of not taking mental intoxicants.

With a snap of it's fingers, the demon provided wine for the man and watched him drink it all while laughing, thinking to itself, "Ha! Some follower of the Buddha! Had he refused my demand, I'd have respected him more. Nor was I going to kill the fool!"

Afterwards, the now tipsy man walked into the village, saw the bar and decided: "Well, I already drank a little. Might as well drink a lot!" and got very drunk.

Now, as he was in his home, he realized he had nothing to eat. He looked outside his window and saw the neighbors chicken. As fast as a drunken fox the man jumped from his window, picked up the chicken and jumped back into his home, thus breaking the second precept of taking what is not given. Or, in other words, stealing.

Hungry, the man began to kill the chicken - breaking it's neck, pulling it's feathers off and chopping up it's limbs, breaking the first precept of not harming living beings.

Then, there was a knock at the door. It was his neighbors wife. She was looking for the chicken and had wondered if it went into the mans yard. He smiled and said "Oh no, I have no idea where your chicken has gone," breaking the forth precept of telling no lies and refraining from harsh speech.

He then offered the wife dinner (the stolen, murdered chicken) and wine, which lead to breaking the third precept of sexual misconduct as he seduced the wife that night, bedding her.

Unskillful actions share their domino effects with skillful ones, yet, the destination of those dominos land in different states. A good reminder to walk the path of virtue.
In Ancient Egyptian culture
Maat was the goddess of truth, justice and order.

When someone died, it was believed that
their heart was weighed by the god Anubis
against the feather that Maat always wore in her hair
an ostrich feather representing truth and justice :smile:


640px-Maat.svg.png
 

Blaze

Account Closed
I don't put too much stock into dreams anymore as the Buddha rightfully said, "There are different types of dreams - Dreams of the future, dreams of the past, dreams where Devas (the Gods, Angels, call them what you will) visit one and dreams that are air in the belly. Most dreams are air in the belly."

Yet, last week I had one with a Deva that was named Diti. The Deva covered her body with an all black and gold robe, claiming to be too beautiful for human eyes. In the dream, Diti praised an encouraged my practices and joyful, harmless approach to life.

It was a quick dream that has stayed vivid in my mind since.

Maat being a Goddess (so, a Deva) is an interesting connection there. :cool:
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
I don't put too much stock into dreams anymore as the Buddha rightfully said, "There are different types of dreams - Dreams of the future, dreams of the past, dreams where Devas (the Gods, Angels, call them what you will) visit one and dreams that are air in the belly. Most dreams are air in the belly."

Yet, last week I had one with a Deva that was named Diti. The Deva covered her body with an all black and gold robe, claiming to be too beautiful for human eyes. In the dream, Diti praised an encouraged my practices and joyful, harmless approach to life.

It was a quick dream that has stayed vivid in my mind since.

Maat being a Goddess (so, a Deva) is an interesting connection there. :cool:


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david starling

Well-known member
I don't put too much stock into dreams anymore as the Buddha rightfully said, "There are different types of dreams - Dreams of the future, dreams of the past, dreams where Devas (the Gods, Angels, call them what you will) visit one and dreams that are air in the belly. Most dreams are air in the belly."

Yet, last week I had one with a Deva that was named Diti. The Deva covered her body with an all black and gold robe, claiming to be too beautiful for human eyes. In the dream, Diti praised an encouraged my practices and joyful, harmless approach to life.

It was a quick dream that has stayed vivid in my mind since.

Maat being a Goddess (so, a Deva) is an interesting connection there. :cool:


As Einstein said, "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a persistent one."

So, merrily merrily merrily, and all that!
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
I don't put too much stock into dreams anymore as the Buddha rightfully said, "There are different types of dreams - Dreams of the future, dreams of the past, dreams where Devas (the Gods, Angels, call them what you will) visit one and dreams that are air in the belly. Most dreams are air in the belly."

Yet, last week I had one with a Deva that was named Diti. The Deva covered her body with an all black and gold robe, claiming to be too beautiful for human eyes. In the dream, Diti praised an encouraged my practices and joyful, harmless approach to life.

It was a quick dream that has stayed vivid in my mind since.

Maat being a Goddess (so, a Deva) is an interesting connection there. :cool:
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Blaze

Account Closed
As Einstein said, "Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a persistent one."

So, merrily merrily merrily, and all that!

Ah, yes, you and JA are correct.

While meditating on the emptiness of things, a realization came to me: "All existence is one large, gigantic event with innumerable micro-dramas fading in an out of sight. Glittering like diamonds against a chalkboard."

After that I laughed. I laughed so hard that I had tears flowing from my eyes and it felt like my stomach had been worked out.

A taste of freedom, so to speak.
 

JUPITERASC

Well-known member
*


Being aware of thoughts as they arise ~ Kalu Rinpoche :smile:


When you meditate, do not try to have good thoughts
do not try to keep away bad thoughts, do not try to stop thoughts
and do not try to go after them.
Rather, rest in a state of being aware of the thoughts as they arise.

This way, when bad thoughts arise, they arise out of the emptiness of mind
and fall back into the emptiness of mind.


The same is true for good thoughts.
This same process of examination
can be applied to the many other traps of personality and physiology.
For instance, are your emotions of desire and anger coming from the same mind
or from different minds?

And, as to the sounds, tastes, sights, smells, and sensory experiences
which can be so pleasing or displeasing to you
are these coming from the same mind, or from different minds?


When you take the time to thoroughly examine such issues
you will eventually come to conclusions
that help formulate later stages of realization.
In realizing the inherent emptiness of all reality
you will realize that the essence of the mind
(which is also empty)
pervades all things
as such, it is the seat of dharmakaya.


When you recognize that
the clarity of the mind is also its natural state of being
you will realize that clarity as such is the seat of sambhogakaya.


For a buddha, who rests in natural liberation in dharmakaya
the clarity of mind, the seat of sambhogakaya
allows knowledge of the three times of past, present, and future.


In recognizing that the many thoughts that arise in the mind
are essentially unimpeded
you will realize that unimpededness as such is the seat of nirmanakaya.

It is wholly because of the unimpededness of pure mind that
buddhas manifest in forms of ordinary and supreme incarnations
in the nirmanakaya state
in order to benefit all sentient beings.

– Kalu Rinpoche
from the book "...Gently Whispered:
Oral Teachings by the Very Venerable Kalu Rinpoche..."


.
 

Blaze

Account Closed
Not-so random thought: What sufferings await me in the "owning" of a house-hold. Putting myself into a hold, like a chokehold, is foolish, but at least I see the snake in the tall grass.

Eh. Pros, cons - whatever.
 
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