Isn't Right view realising of this blessed opportunity, to do good and be kind, to not accumulate for garbage -materially, mentally, behaviourally- and to notice how the 4NT permeate this existence. It seems Buddhism sometimes is going a bit against your usual current: against what your biology has provided you to begin with (temperament & pre-conditioned preferences), our impulses, our self-satisfaction via self-indulgence, against the mass psychosis implemented by the news, ideologies, market, etc.

This without rejecting certain technology and pleasant treats (eating dark chocolate with sea salt as I write).

Good day to all!

“Someone recently showed me the annual prospectus of a large spiritual organisation. When I looked through it, I was impressed by the wide choice of interesting seminars and workshops. It reminded me of a smorgasbord, on of those Scandinavian buffets where you can take your pick from a huge variety of enticing dishes. The person asked me whether I could recommend one or two courses. “I don’t know,” I said. “They all look so interesting. But I do know this,” I added. “Be aware of your breathing as often as you are able, whenever you remember. Do that for one year, and it will be more powerfully transformative than attending all of these courses. And it’s free.”
— Eckhart Tolle, ‘A New Earth’

And so I thought, why don’t I try that? A year of being aware of the breath, from 1 September 2025 to 1 September 2026. I know it’s not New Year, but it seems like a good resolution. And after just a few days it is already bearing fruit.

Well, my doubt was: to what point does it matter? What is the importance of mudra? I mean, can one sit zazen without doing the cosmic mudra? Well, I found this article of Uchiyama roshi explaining how this is simply the way this taste of Buddhism reflects or expresses the idea of offering "this body and mind to Buddha for the sake of Buddha".

It also explains how other practices might have other mudras or other ways to express Buddhadharma; and that it is not up to us to decide or critcise what other schools do. In a way, I think he stresses to any Zen practioner the usual: follow the 4NT, 8FNB and our texts if you wish, let others practice the way they seek/wish. In Dogen's Zen, this mudra symbolises this unity of body and mind, this offering and this gateway of connecting with Buddhadharma.

I also found in the text an important reminder of what is lacking or missing in Western mindfulness, which just concentrates on the peacefulness and relaxation derived from these type of practices. Basically, sitting for one's own sake is NOT Buddhadharma.

How to discern this? I think deep down I am sitting for my own benefit. They say this is why Right View is so important. I might re-visit this from a Zen perspective and also revisit Ajahn Sona's Right View video...

Peace!

I am now sitting using my ikea stool plus zafu, following shikantaza instructions and the specific hand mudra associated to this practice. I am sometimes though drawn back to my second Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Sona, and do sutta study and practice the 8NB. However, his practice is shamatha (or anapanasati; is that even the same? I'm I mixing terms?). Meanwhile I practice shikantaza...that being.... I face the wall, eyes slightly open, straight back, and bam: let it start baby!

Thank you for your time. A lost meditator here seeking advice once again..

“Deep in you, meditation is already the case. So whenever it happens that your day-to-day turmoil is a little bit less…. Maybe you are watching a sunset, and watching the sunset your constant chattering mind has become quiet, the beauty of the sunset has made it quiet, and then you feel meditation come to the surface”

This struck me as something that was very likely, that in order to connect to meditation we just need to let it surface by encouraging the mind to be quiet. I woke up in the evening last night, and in my mind was the word “Prashant”, which is a common male name in South Asia and means patience, calm, quiet, or tranquil.

To be calmly aware is an excellent state. Often awareness has an element of searching to it, of shifting attention from place to place. These things are good to examine while waiting for quietness of the mind. But meditation as a state of mind implies that we can’t really do it, we aren’t actively making it so, at most we can make conditions favourable for it to arise.

This was a story that manifested itself on the edges of sleep over a number of months and years. It had many recurring elements, but it seemed to touch on something primitive within my mind, this idea of having an Enemy. It became a kind of fixation, like a hypnosis. Whenever I would wake up out of sleep elements of the story would resurface. In the end I had some very clear dreams, showing me that this idea of having an Enemy was running counter to liberation, that it was forming a prison for my mind.

On the whole, it was a very interesting series of encounters. It reminded me of Buddhist admonitions to guard the senses.

Mindfulness enables us to be aware if we are about to act destructively as we go through the day. Mindfulness says, “Uh oh! I’m getting angry,” or “I’m being greedy,” or “I’m feeling jealous.” Then we can apply the various antidotes the Buddha taught to help us calm our minds. For example, if we discover we are annoyed and anger is arising, we can stop and look at the situation from the other person’s point of view. When we do this, we recognize they want to be happy, and because they aren’t happy, they are doing that action we find objectionable. Then instead of harming them out of anger, we will be more compassionate and understanding, and will work with them to negotiate an agreement.

But how do we do this when a quarrel is just about to start or we’re already in the middle of one? We have to practice beforehand, in our meditation practice. In the heat of the situation, it is difficult to remember what the Buddha taught if we haven’t practiced it already when we were calm and peaceful. In the same way that a football team practices on a regular basis, we need to meditate on patience and to recite prayers daily to get well-trained. Then when we encounter a situation in daily life, we will be able to use the teachings.

🙏

But this is kind of my point. Control in the wider sense seems to be a futile pursuit, there is much that comes and goes without asking your permission. An illness, a death in the family, a car accident… life doesn’t seem to lend itself to control. Those things where control comes naturally are welcome, like one’s limbs and muscles, but the rest I’m very dubious about.

The question then comes, what do you do with more esoteric concerns? For example, we are said to have a number of subtle bodies. If in meditation one finds one has access to something like that, should you seek control? You might find that once you had control that you didn’t have the senses to make proper decisions in that body.

The human mind is a very subtle and inventive thing, when we drive away the delusions we can see,
invisible ones will try to move and replace them.
Some of the delusions that come from meditation are:

1. An excessive love of peace and quiet, to the point of no longer being able to function around ordinary people.

2. An unwillingness to engage in society, to the point of refusing to work together for political issues, doing charitable work, or, being a useful member of the community.

3. A belief in the ultimate metaphysical importance of “spiritual things”: for example, believing that simply meditating for long periods of time makes the world a better place all by itself.

4. Becoming obsessed with teaching what you have learned through meditation to other people,

5. whether or not they are capable of, or even interested in, learning it.

6. Becoming addicted to altered states of consciousness and losing the ability to function in the world of ordinary people.

The beginning: the back ache, noticing the left shoulder rising -as if contracted, with a muscleknot or something- and a sensation of inner heat. Quensland, harsh summer heat sweat...

Hope you are all having a great practice and life. It is incredible how much tension we can build up sometimes... and how much is avoidable. Some not so much.

In September, I started a 3-5 year Dharma Teachers course which will see me ordained as a Zen Buddhist Priest. After that, I'll add Chaplaincy. I've taken the Five Mindfulness Trainings in the Plum Village Tradition and the Bodhisattva Precepts with my current Zen Tradition and this feels like the natural next step.

As part of said course there are a few essays I have to write. I just finished one on the Awareness of Breathing and I just wanted to share it here in case it helps anyone or in case anyone has any feedback. Not to worry, I've already handed it in so I can't edit any more.

Was just thinking of you guys is all.

The Awareness of Breathing Meditation

Breathing in, I am beginning to type. Breathing out, I am going to enjoy writing this essay. Within, I use the guidance from the Anapanasati Sutta along with the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh's commentary in the book, “Breathe… You are Alive” as well as what I
have learned from my teacher the Venerable
Bhikkuni Thich nu Tinh Quang.

Breathing meditation is a practice recommended by the Buddha to ground us in the present moment and help us to awaken. The breath happens whether we think about it or not. Whether we notice it or not. However, when we do notice it and pay attention to
it, we can be more easily aware of everything else.

I was lucky to have attended a Vipassana
Meditation course and the first of seven weeks was centered around the Mindfulness of Breathing. I learned that there is so much more to breathing meditation than solely the breath, however, it can be our natural anchor because it is always with us which means we can use it at any time to remind and help us to be more aware and bring us back to the present moment. When we bring conscious
attention to the breath, a whole world of awareness opens up.

When we catch ourselves getting carried away by thought we can then go back to the breath. Catching ourselves making distracting storylines is the trick. Once we notice, we have already broken the spell and the more we notice, the easier it gets to notice.

Although it may seem repetitive, returning to the breath again and again gradually develops
concentration and helps us let go of the incessant need to identify with the thought stream.

Because we often overlook the natural rhythm and flow of the breath, we don’t see how it can act as a tether between body and mind and thus, the present moment. Through the awareness of breathing, we can be more focused and thus more aware of the subtle changes in our body, mind and the environment we are not separate from.

Our monkey mind wants to swing from branch to branch, from thought to thought. Thoughts arise depending on conditions, just like everything else, and in turn, they condition what follows. When we see we are going off on a tangent, just this realization is enough to snap out of it and go back to the breath. We can train our monkey.

When we use the words “breathing in, I am aware of (whatever we happen to be doing or noticing)” it leaves no alternate branches to swing to. There is no room for worries about yesterday or tomorrow and so it steers the monkey into an ideal direction. It takes our current conditioning into our own hands.

Thich Nhat Hanh said that during walking
meditation, when we are inside we can take a
breath with every step and when we are outside with others around us we can take two or even three steps with every breath. In, in, in... Out, out, out... Long, long, long... Short, short, short. In this way, we are using the breath as a bridge to call attention to the walking. Then, like the raft on the far shore, we can abandon the words when they become
automatic or second nature and there is just the breath. We are not trying to control the breath, only noticing and paying attention to the quality.

For the Awareness of Breath in the Body Meditation, it is usually recommended we start at the top of the head and slowly work our way down to the feet. Before I started writing this paper, that is how I always did it. Lately, however, I’ve experimented with starting at the lungs and radiating awareness
outward. It has been helping me to stay rooted in the function of the breath itself while strengthening my concentration and, in turn, my compassion. It is also helping me write this essay from my own perspective.

I like to start with my lungs and move out from there. Every part of the body is nourished by the breath and this is obviously especially true for the lungs. Breathing feeds our cells oxygen, helping to build energy. Cellular respiration is our cells using oxygen to convert food to energy. Red blood cells armed with the hemoglobin protein carry oxygen to tissues and organs and carry the carbon dioxide waste away to be exhaled. This gas exchange happens during the circulation between the lungs and the heart which is why I start the awareness of body with the lungs, radiate awareness from there and end with the heart. After scanning the lungs, I move
outward to the stomach and other organs, then my pelvic area. Just looking for anything that needs attention. Any pains, tiredness, itchiness… Anything, really. I acknowledge it and give a compassionate and mindful hug. From there I move to the arms, legs, hands and feet. Then it’s up to the face, mouth, nose, ears, eyes and then the brain. We have an electrical spark in both the brain and the heart so next I go to the heart which figuratively completes the respiratory cycle between inhalation and exhalation.

After going through the various parts of the body, I can then move into the awareness of breath in feelings. With mindful breathing, I can begin to notice whether the sensations in the body and/or mind are pleasant, unpleasant or neutral. This noticing is done without judgement and without adding a storyline. If I feel warmth, tiredness or even
joy, I simply label it as positive, negative or
indifferent and let it go. Observing feelings in this way without judgement, and the reaction that follows closely behind, can bring clarity and allow the feeling to go as it came without attaching to it or the need to react to it. It can just pass through like a cloud in the sky.

This kind of gentle, non-reactive awareness
reinforces the old adage that says “while pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”. In the Buddha’s teaching on the two arrows, the first arrow represents the unavoidable pain that life brings and the second arrow is the one we wound ourselves with through judgements and storylines. With mindful breathing and awareness of feelings, we learn not to shoot that second arrow. We can choose compassion instead.

Breathing in, I am aware of the seed of anxiety being watered. Breathing out, I water the seed of compassion to sprout and be with the anxiety. Breathing in, a light shines on anxiety. Breathing out, anxiety is transformed to well-being.

Sometimes a feeling is very strong. We might attach to it very quickly and it can become a mental formation before we realize it’s happening. Thoughts and feelings arise all the time in our experience and once we begin to cling to them or weave a story around them, they become mental formations.

The conditions arise for anger to manifest and it does. This is just an emotional reaction. Once we begin to think “I’m always doing this” or “Nobody gets me” we start creating a story and now a momentary feeling gains weight and becomes a mental formation and can condition our future experience and interactions. In this way a small reaction can become a big problem and cause a lot of suffering.

Mindfulness of breathing allows us to witness this process as it unfolds. With the breath as our anchor, we can observe the formation arising without being swept away. Without identifying with it. Breathing in, we recognize it; breathing out, we release the need to form a self. In this way, the breath gives us the
spaciousness to let go.

Thich Nhat Hanh also reminds us that it is helpful to be grateful for what we are not suffering. For example, if we have a headache, it is easy to attend to it because of the constant reminder. But when we don’t have a headache, we don’t often think to be grateful for the headache not manifesting.

When we no longer identify with mental formations, we free ourselves to notice not only what hurts, but also what doesn’t. The absence of pain is often invisible. With mindfulness, it becomes a blessing.

When we consciously breathe, we are inviting
ourselves to be present. We are becoming attuned to the sensations in our body, the thoughts that come and go and the emotions that follows shortly after. We are not trying to force anything to change, we are just here to observe. We are nurturing a sense of spaciousness within ourselves, allowing
thoughts and feelings to come and go without
resistance. Change happens gracefully here, with no more effort than it takes to breathe.

In my practice, I find that beginning the day with mindful breathing sets a tone of calm and gratitude. No matter what challenges arise, the breath is always available as a refuge. This hits home daily and is only getting more profound even with the writing of this essay. I can feel the usual patterns of thought and worry being left behind as I cultivate a
deeper connection with myself in, and as, the
world.

Breathing in, I recognize the gift of being alive.
Breathing out, I smile to the world within and around me.

-Quang Ksanti

Does anyone practice Tonglen here? If so, how often do you do it? Please can you share your experiences of it?

Thanks!!

The exercise is called the “Brandt/Daroff Exercise. Directions for doing it are easily found on the Web, but rather than sitting on my bed to do this (as is advised), I sit on the floor of the lounge, and lower my head onto cushions placed on either side, using my elbows to prevent falling over suddenly. It’s much easier and more convenient, than using a bed. Now, although one is advised to lie on one’s side, with neck twisted as advised, for about twelve seconds or so, I find that the relaxation that ensues makes it very easy to stay on that side for well over a minute and more. On several occasions, I have fallen asleep! In fact, the peace, relaxation (and occasionally, bliss) that has been experienced is such that it takes lots of determination to sit up and rock over onto the other side. The effects are all felt in the region of the abdomen.

I have tried to find comments on the Web (from others that do this exercise) about the extraordinary effects that I have experienced, without success so far. One factor that might make this exercise different in its effects for me, is that I regularly practice meditation. I am happy to remark that nowadays, many times, meditation occurs spontaneously (sometimes, even if I am watching the news, on the television).Yet, I certainly don’t see “myself” as being spiritually developed. In fact, one of my concerns is that when meditation occurs, I am unsure what to do, so I just observe. In short, I bumble along and hope for the best. Yet, despite my many faults and failings, I cannot deny to myself that these states do happen, bringing blessings that cannot be described in words. The word, “peace” is only a noise, and has no relation to the state that I know as “great peace”, and which sometimes is found in meditation. And love — this man is not capable, on his own resources and in his usual nature, of knowing such love as arises on many occasions. Oh that those states would remain when I stand up, and start the day’s chores! It just goes to show that, whoever you are and whatever your all-too-human nature, you do not know what you really are.

To return to the subject of the exercise that I must do (until given permission to stop), it may be that the physical effect on the spinal cord (caused through twisting, and holding the position) may be augmenting the meditation practice. Or it may be (for aught that I know) that the exercise itself has effects that are unknown to the medical people. I doubt whether it would do any harm to try it. One last remark: the instructions say that this exercise can induce temporary dizziness. It has yet to happen in my case, and I have been at it for about five weeks.

Best regards,
Q.

I know in Zen practice you are not supposed to search or grasp for achievements or materialising any sort of path of development. However, I cannot but notice how restraint, discipline and awareness to my daily habits are becoming fruits born from my practice.

I feel a less impulsive and a calmer, better person in general. This does not mean I consider myself a Zen master that has dropped body and mind and can strive under all circumstances with the patience of a Saint..but I start to see benefits which make me reconsider carefully any diversion away from this lifestyle which Zen Buddhism implicitly has.

I can only wish you all have the same experiences from engaging in your practice, study and sangha. I am currently sitting with Treeleaf. Maybe see you around!

Also....please check this small video and meditation. 5minutes only. For me it was truly refreshing!

Gassho,

K

So… is this it, then? There’s no real goal—just a lifelong practice of learning to sit and simply be, whether it's raining, you're heartbroken, or you're high on some success at work.

The practice is to feel the body from within, slowly noticing all the places where you feel the body, and then to feel the inside, and the outside, the skin. The idea is to maintain an awareness of the inside energy of the body at all times.

The conclusion I came to is that the inside of the body is very quiet. It is a place of silence, where you can bring your awareness only if you are not easily distracted. Because the outside, the skin is very noisy with all kinds of phantom touches, tingles and taps. I found my feet are noisy, my hands are still.

The meditation is supposed to strengthen our feeling of presence within the body, as well as boosting the immune system and helping the body regenerate itself, making it look more youthful. It seems a large claim, but Eckhart himself looks pretty youthful for a 76 year old. Perhaps it’s worth a try.

Perhaps discipline and awareness can prevent such unnecessary suffering. Once you truly see it, it’s not as easy to fall back. Still, I cannot forget that the flaws in my character can reignite like dry tumbleweeds quite easily. Thus, the precepts and sitting are non-negotiable.

If I focus carefully, I can explore the sensations of the real body: I can feel my trousers against my legs, I can feel my shirt against my shoulders, I can feel the touches of my tongue against the roof of my mouth, I can feel my lips, I can feel the cool air against my arms. These things give me rest, a peaceful feeling. The tinglings persist as a kind of tinnitus, something that is both heard and felt, but it is continually moving.

How do you experience your body?

Now, the closest thing to that is me chanting the Heart Sutra before zazen, early in the morning.

What’s your experience with chanting? Does it ever feel a bit off to you? I find that my relationship with this sutra sometimes reminds me of the Pure Land schools — Recite and you will be saved! It’s a kind of critical view I hold toward it. But maybe, the more accustomed you become to chanting, the more you’re also letting go of other habits?

Could it be that it works?

I light a candle,
burn some incense.
Chant, sit.

Peace!

What is the difference between having a meditation practiced based on following the breath versus one having no grounding at all (just sitting)? Well, your mind is the _ground _really during zazen! Then why distinguish zazen as not being a meditation practice?

If zazen is what the Buddha did, then zazen is just meditation. If we get all technical and scholarly, we could even say it is a type / sub-type of meditation.

Any thoughts?

Thank you all.

is a contemplative practice in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition which makes use of various lists of aphorisms or slogans which are used for contemplative practice.

These slogans and the associated practice were introduced between 900 and 1200 CE.

According to Wikipedia, it was popularized in modern times by such teachers as

• Pema Chödrön
• Ken McLeod
• B. Alan Wallace
• Chögyam Trungpa
• Sogyal Rinpoche
• Kelsang Gyatso
• Norman Fischer
• 14th Dalai Lama

Left out, is Osho.

There used to be a website at logongmindtraining.com, that fronted a database of Lojong slogans and commentaries on each by Trungpa Rinpoche, Pema Chödrön, Traleg Kyabgon, and Osho. The first three were taken from published work, but I'm not sure about sources for Osho.

I read them all including Osho and while nothing really stands ot, but Osho's commentary was pretty much in-line with the others.

Does anyone have any info about Osho teaching on Logong?

Despite some early successes, I kept getting distracted by powerful tingling feelings especially in the feet. For a long time I was lost in exploring the tingling, and went through many energetic encounters and defeats. Then yesterday I had a new idea, to focus on emotional feeling instead. I directed my attention at my emotional state during my meditation and explored happiness, kindness, bliss, a little despair, a little egoic reaction, and had the best sleep I had in months.

It’s a question of how you search for “feeling”, if you search for a physical sensation attention is divisive. It splits and splits. If you search for emotional content, you unify and strengthen. Or so it felt to me. Worth experimenting with.

The contemplations
1. All of us will die sooner or later
2. Your life span is decreasing continuously
3. Death will come whether you are prepared or not
4. Your life span is not fixed
5. Death has many causes
6. Your body is fragile and vulnerable
7. Your loved ones cannot keep you from death
8. Your material possessions cannot help you when death comes
9. Your body cannot help you when death comes

The first three points are about the inevitability of death, the second three about the uncertainty of when it will arrive, and the third three about the fact that nothing can aid you when it does come. All in all it is a sobering meditation, which points you at the preciousness of your current human life and what you still want to do with it.

In Tibetan Buddhism there is a slightly modified version which is also called the ‘nine point meditation on death’. It emphasises more the fact that spiritual practice can help with death, and so uses the contemplation as a motivation. But I like to return to this form every so often because it has a certain purity.

Namasté 💀

Supposedly the Silva Method enables you to bring the mind into the sleep states characterised by Alpha and Theta brainwave patterns, which are naturally present in the five minutes after you wake up. This is similar to a meditative state, and has positive effects on learning, creativity, intuition, stress recovery, and so on. The more extreme claims by Lakhani on ‘manifesting life goals’ I am a lot less willing to credit.

Now of course I am somewhat familiar with this, since I have spent a lot of time on the boundaries of sleep. But I had more become overwhelmed by visions which I was called to explore, and had never thought to direct it’s effects like this, into a range of beneficial properties.

It seems like a good source of further experiments and methods, looking at the Silva Method.

I really just wanted to talk about the first 20 minutes of this, where he talks about Mother Earth being within us and just relaxing, not-doing while we breathe, and thinking that healing and nourishment come to us on the in-breath and out-breath, that by letting Mother Earth act for us in walking, standing, sitting, and lying down, we can bring healing to our body, our mind, our society and our planet.

I’ve listened to it three times, it seems to be a way within. Wonderful!

🙏

In the night before going to sleep, start a death meditation. Just lie down, put the light off, and start feeling that you are dying. Relax the body and feel that you are dying, so you cannot even move the body – even if you want to move the hand, you cannot. Just go on feeling that you are dying – a four or five-minute feeling that you are dying, dying, and that the body is dead.

And through this five-minute experience of dying you will feel a totally different quality of life. The body is almost dead – it is a corpse – but you are more alive than ever!

And when the body is dead, the mind by and by stops thinking – because all thinking is associated with life. When you are dying, the mind starts dropping. After two or three months you will be able to die within five minutes. The body will be dead and you will have just a pure awareness, a luminous awareness. Just something like a blue light, that’s all. You will feel a blue light just near the third-eye center, just a small blue flame. That is the purest form of life. And when that blue flame starts being felt there, just fall asleep.

So your whole night will be transformed into a death meditation, and in the morning you will feel so alive, more than you have ever felt – so young, so fresh, and so full of juice that you can give to the whole world. You will feel so blessed that you can bless the whole world.

And this death meditation will make you aware that death is an illusion. It does not really happen – nobody has ever died and nobody can really die. Because we are too much attached to the body, it seems like death; because we think the body is our life, we think it is terrible.

Thought it might be interesting to people here.

These things don’t stay with me long, the mind soon forgets the words. Yet the teaching is absorbed. So this morning I was thinking on the burdens people give you, spiritual burdens disguised as teachings especially, and I was put in mind of this quote…

“Anybody who tells you to do this or that should not be called a teacher. Instead they may be called a butcher. A teacher releases you from all activity, all concepts, all burdens. For thirty five million years you have been doing. And when you finally reach a true teacher, he will not ask you to do anything. He will say, “My dear son, just come and sit quietly. Be quiet. That is all. Don’t do anything.””
— H. W. L. Poonja (Poonjaji, Papaji)

I have a great deal of respect for Papaji, because he always used to tell his visitors to stay and come to Satsang (“meeting in truth”) for two weeks, because in that time they could absorb all he had to say, and after that they should leave. He was not interested in building up an ashram or a movement, he would just live on his small government pension and give Satsang to whoever came.

The path to Freedom and Truth is very much about unburdening oneself, letting go of dictates and shoulds . So if a discourse or teaching tells you, it would be good if you did this, or if you were like that, or even presents you some ideal of the spiritual man, just remember, eventually you will have to drop it again.

Let’s get a little simple with this. We all need refresher courses.

-I am right, the other person is wrong
-That person is living their life in the wrong way, they should change
-My preference is the best way, others are wrong
-This is the thing I want, I don’t want anything else
-I really don’t like that, it sucks
-I should have that person in my life, loving me
-I shouldn’t be alone, shouldn’t be overweight, shouldn’t be however I am, shouldn’t have this life

In all of these cases, and more, our minds are fixed in a certain viewpoint, and we often judge others. We complain. We are attached to what we want and what we don’t want. It leads to stress. Unhappiness. Anger. Righteousness. Being judgmental. Distancing ourselves from others. Closed-offedness.
If you’d like to work on letting go, I would like to offer a simple practice.

Start by realizing that you’re hardened. Notice that you are stressed, upset at someone, feeling like you’re right, complaining about someone or a situation, not open to other viewpoints, putting something off, avoiding, tensed. These are good signs that you are holding on, hardened in your viewpoint, fixed, attached, clinging. Get good at noticing this.

Notice the tension in your body. It’s a tightening that happens from your stomach muscles, through your chest, into your throat, up to your forehead. Think of this as your central column, and it tightens up when you think you’re right, or someone else is wrong, or you really want something or don’t want something.

Start to relax those tightened muscles. This is the heart of changing from holding on to letting go. Whatever is tight in your central column, relax. Try it right now. What is tight? Relax that. Soften.

Open your awareness beyond yourself. Once you’ve done this (and you might have to repeat the relaxing, multiple times), you can open your awareness from just your own body and your self-concern, to the world around you. Become aware of the space around you, the people and objects, the light and sound. Open your awareness to the neighborhood around you.

Become aware of openness & possibilities. With your mind opening, you can start to feel more open. Your mind is no longer closed, but has made space for possibilities. You are not fixated on one right way, but are open to everything. This is the beauty of not-knowing.

Open to the beauty that is before you. Now that you are not fixated on rightness or your way or the way things should or shouldn’t be … you can take in the actual moment before you. You’ve emptied your cup, and made room for seeing things as they actually are, and appreciating the beauty of this moment, the beauty of other people, and of yourself.

Step forward with a not-knowing openness. From this place of relaxing your fixed mind, of opening up … take the next step with a stance of not-knowing. You don’t know how things should be, let’s find out! You don’t know if you’re right or wrong, let’s explore! You don’t know the answers, you just hold the questions in your heart, and move into open possibilities.

Of course, it takes a lot of practice. You can do this at any moment, but it’s helpful to have a short time of day when you set a reminder and then take a few moments to sit still and practice with whatever you’ve been clinging to today.

🙏

From- zenhabits.net

It is being open to it, being available to the celebration of the cosmos. Being ready to dance with it.

Looking at the only 3 buddha's (with a small b) with whom I have familiarity of their life, Eckhart Tolle, Jesus and the Buddha, I've observed that they all seem to have went through a process where they basically had to kill themselves in one way or another, you could say spiritually, to come out the other side with a lasting, deep presence.

Ultimately you seemingly have to go through a very painful process to come out the other side a happy, peaceful person who can manifest things if they'd like.

I've had some personal experiences with dark nights of the soul involuntarily and voluntarily throughout my life where this happened, at least to a large extent. Unfortunately, either I didn't go through the experience profoundly enough or things in my environment were so powerful that they were able to jolt me out of it. I'm leaning much more towards it being my problem though.

My question is, how can I achieve the benefits of a dark night of the soul completely, forever without having to suffer profoundly?

Can I achieve presence with effort? I've heard of "Right Effort" in Buddhism and John Kabot Zinn says mindfulness is paying attention in the present moment" as if your life depends on it" but I've also heard from Sant Rajinder Singh that mediation "should be an effortless effort".

If I do achieve presence through effort, will doing more of it overtime yield more results?
how do I achieve maximum presence (for as long as possible) in the shortest amount of time possible?

I was just re-posting this from the Padma Rigdzin Ling Buddhist Temple and Lama Jigme Rinpoche.

They are giving a teaching and transmission (lung) of the Longchen Nyingtik Ngondro on Monday, June 3rd, 2024 at 1:30pm PT (Pacific Time) via Zoom.

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Dear Sangha and friends,

On Monday, June 3rd at 1:30pm PDT (Pacific Time Zone), Lama Jigme Rinpoche will be holding a Zoom session to give the transmission (lung) of the Short Longchen Nyingtik Ngondro.

If you wished to join this session, then please contact us by our website.
https://padmarigdzinling.org/contact/

Please only message us if you wish to take this practice seriously.

There is a minimum offering dana of $25 for the transmission. If you wanted to donate more than that, then that is up to you and the kind of merit you wished to create. This dana is likened to an offering khata.
https://padmarigdzinling.org/donate/

If you were someone who was messaging the Temple for the first time, then please use this signup forum.
https://forms.gle/SKBMPmrQqj3F5r2a8

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Tashi delek
Sonam Tashi

Lonchenpa's Three Cycles of Natural Freedom: Oral Translation and Commentary - Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche (IX)

But even then I never experienced a state of enhanced awareness, it was always just the same.

I started reading a book the other day called Training The Mind And Cultivating Loving-Kindness by Chogyam Trungpa.

I Googled him and saw that his life was relatively short. He died in his 40s. So I wondered why and it turned out he died of alcoholism.

He also did cocaine.

Yet, they say, he died in a state of samadhi and his body didn't start decaying for five days.

How does that work?

No disrespect intended. I'm just wondering, literally, how someone can be intoxicated most of the time and still pull off that feat of samadhi. Maybe he had concentration abilities he had developed in a prior life?

I hope everyone is happy and at ease.

I like to study everything, but I was just wondering how you guys felt about Tibetan Buddhism?
I was very much impressed with Lama Jigme Rinpoche and the Padma Rigdzin Ling Buddhist Temple.
www.padmarigdzinling.org

Thank you
Sukha

Is this the deathless or hints of this? This calm abiding. The calming and serene existence even amidst the most disturbing and never-racking morning?

I spent some weeks reading Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s book ‘I Am That’, and in the end though I enjoyed it, the words lead me into my own mind, and not into a connection with bliss. Having finished the book and tried a few other readings for several days, none of which satisfied, this morning I tried listening to an Osho discourse. The response was immediate, there was a homecoming and a bliss.

One bit I recall from the lecture was where Osho talked about “writing love letters to existence”, which caused an immediate sense of recognition to arise. It was like I was released from several other influences in my energy, and I felt that I somewhat recovered, that I was freed a bit more from the mind. For me these things often come from sleep, that in the morning I am cleansed and fresh, energetically cleansed and that my mind is clear of restlessness and other negative influences.

The things that happen beyond the mind are mysterious, and often the best you can do is remain quiet and observe. The minds responses do not serve you well in spiritual spaces, and meditating over books is a technique that has limits. Energies that bring a cool bliss often come with blessings and aid, and should be aided in their tasks.

Reading spiritual literature can lead you into all kinds of spaces, of revelations small and large and pleasure and joy that comes with that. But it is only when you really look, when you go deeper that you find that these pleasures are also things you chase, that at a certain point you need to let go of pleasure because otherwise it conditions you. This time Nisargadatta’s words were helping me to come to the essentials and reach a clarity, a letting go of older pleasures.

Last night I did a little reading in one of Papaji’s books, and though he was poetic and truthful, at the same time he spoke to my imagination and I did not feel as if it was the right path for me. Imagination can be distracting, leading the mind into many side alleys, and not to stillness, so it is worth avoiding triggers to the imagination.

Is one or two minutes of meditation, in the office or the car or the doctor's office, an actual meditation?

Or is that something we tell ourselves?

I'm sure it's beneficial either way, but would like to be straight with myself about what I'm actually doing.

Thanks!

One of the things he said is that a longing for enlightenment and an earnestness are the most important elements in the search, that if you have these they will take you swiftly towards your goal. That any form of practice was just form for this longing, and that even without practice sitting and focussing on the longing itself would ensure your progress. But also that if you practice without this longing, then the practice would not help.

I found this insightful and also that it fits with Buddhist practice, where the bodhicitta is also meant to take one towards enlightenment. That longing is one of the very last desires to give up. The other thing that I liked about this chapter from 'I Am That' was that he said that the very idea of enlightenment was like a seed planted in the spirit, which would eventually come to fruition.

So a very useful pointer, to keep the longing for enlightenment in your mind, and not to focus too much on the practice.

Sitting is the absolute favourite, no doubt. People associate meditation to the cushion, not to walking. But it is such a powerful practice.

This morning, early, I felt like meditating and began walking in shashu. I noticed the same though I felt less agitated and uncomfortable than sitting. I guess the walking does soothe a bit the mental fantasy and the discomfort it faces when you need to remain still.

What is your experience? Any advice?

It was only after I had sat down in a seat that I was feeling fully aware again. It seems to me that this falling into automated behaviours happens almost by itself, that full awareness comes up and then falls away again as we do little bits of automated activity.

I had not previously noticed it for such short periods. I’m going to try to keep track of what other activities cause my focus to wander, it might be interesting.

Method of choice for now: just sitting / some metta or dedications ("May all beings attain wisdom, may all beings be free of suffering, may all beings find the path towards the cessation of suffering")

Now...we have been studying the Brahmaviharas lately. He was taught mainly anapanasati, following the breath, transitioning to shikantaza was not easy nor extremely hard. In fact, we talked about how in just sitting the four dwellings are important to allow certain tranquility to allow being just there, at 100% if you permit the cuantification...

Now to finish off. Crude humour from the US but with a very good message:

"But you can forgive the world and its flaws and follow me there because you've still got a hell of a lot to see."

How are your group practices? Or are you a solo rider like I was?

Peace