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What is my practice? Where is my practice? Who is my teacher?
I have been attempting to practice Buddhism for almost 6 years now. The issue here is how I have drifted from Tibetan to Theravada to Zen to....perennial/samsaric spiritual materialism and then back to start.
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..
Kotishka
Re: What is my practice? Where is my practice? Who is my teacher?
Without boring you with the details, I did hit rock-bottom a couple of months ago and it kind of clicked: the entire Buddhist narrative and basically how much self-deception I had been feeding myself. Like the façades of buildings in centre Pyongyang. Beautiful outside, colourful yet empty and rotten inside.
I have seen how practice and Buddhism just makes me live better as a human being, maybe you do not need to label certain aspects with "Buddhist only" as I have grown closer to other inspirational/wise men. Some of them are scientists or health professionals I've worked with and, while completely non-spiritual, taught me a lot.
I want to dwell deeper and right now my path is to renunciate to excessive material things, keeping myself light, both physically (losing weight), mentally (dropping toxic/unwholesome thoughts), and also my actions (smoking, cursing, lying).
I remember once How told me that Buddhism was more about practice rather than theory, without discrediting the need for some theory. I think I am more of an intellectual / academic Buddhist more than an actual practioner/folllower....hence I want to deepen my practice.
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/10/27/opinion/00mit1-12/00mit1-12-superJumbo.jpg
Kotishka
Re: Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
I found curious how they "pass it around". Incredibly intelligent and social creatures!
Kotishka
Re: Good news
Good news is hard to come by in the conservation world—but this week, we have some to share. A new report from WWF‑Mexico shows that the endangered migratory eastern monarch butterfly is showing promising signs of recovery, with monarchs occupying 7.24 acres of forest in their wintering grounds in Mexico—up from 4.42 acres last year. That’s a 64% increase.
person
Re: Can the mind be conditioned into enlightenment?
@mindatrisk said:
I am not self-righteous at all. I am trying to understand why the good people do not wish to do good in a world of so much suffering.
I am missing...
How you are ascertaining that anyone doesn't or isn't wishing to do as much good as you do or think they should?
How anyone thinks that the most reasonable means for addressing the suffering of others can be achieved without first showing some mastery over ones own suffering?
How frequently we all see the wish to help others become the excuse for not equally trying to address the harder work of taking responsibility for our own?
How little this conversation is helping anyone?
In the end, meditation can illuminate the fallacy of anyone being able to suffer or alleviate any suffering, in isolation from anyone else.
When I've found myself charging at a windmill as a sacred duty, sometimes the most help that I ended up providing has occurred by understanding how much of that charge was actually against that windmill and how much was really just my means of charging away from a much more scary opponent within.
how
Re: The space between self esteem and self compassion
A good TED Talk' well done. It talks of Self-Esteem as a comparative to Compassion.
Just a thought:
As defined above, Compassion for self extends to compassion for others while self esteem is comparative to others and is thus unrelated to compassion.
On the other hand, self-esteem derived from compassion for self which thus enables and triggers compassion for others presents self esteem as a component of compassion for self. In that mode, self esteem becomes a non-comparative platform from which to extend compassion to and for others.
In this manner, viewing self esteem as separate from, and not a derivative eliminated their inter-connectivity. But, when self esteem, not dependent upon comparing one's worth to others, is seen as a derivative of compassion, it enables compassion to algorithmically enhance the positive impact of the thoughts and actions derived from of compassion.
Peace to all
Lionduck
Re: Exercise
Hi Zorro! I am doing some epic walks following the path built right next to the ocean. Unfortunately, not much vegetation here but I could scale the summit from any of the local volcanos here.
I will share the views once my fitness improves a bit more. For now, I will stick to the flat ocean road.
Thank you all!
Kotishka
Re: Exercise
You could start by just walking. If there is a hiking trail through the woods that would be great, but if necessary you can walk on the streets through your neighborhood. Distance and speed can increase naturally as you increase fitness.
zorro
Re: Exercise
@person Could you share that meal or do you alternate week by week? I don't mind eating the same thing everyday. I assume you are very busy during the week and this meal prep is ideal for your schedule. I am drinking black tea in the morning and having a very light breakfast. I used to eat a lot...and when I mean a lot I mean.... lots of bread.....cheese....yoghurt.... in big quantities...followed by chocolate...fried chicken..fast-food....pizza...and then probably the same for dinner. Once I cut all of that out and started eating clean (no ultraprocessed except once a month, dark chocolate with high % cacao as a sweet treat every now and then) I dropped weight like crazy. I'm also a big fan of walking and I have begun to go on walks without music or any external stimulation.
@marcitko I do have a gyria! Don't ask me why...and it will be put to use now! I will definitely chec the app you mentioned. Regarding calisthenics, there is a calisthenics park but I'm very shy and seeing all the jacked up dudes and people walking around and going to the beach makes me very self-conscious. Argh...talking about problems regarding too much "self"...
Peace!
Kotishka