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Invaluable practice
sova
delocalized fractyllic harmonizing Veteran
In [Indo-Tibetan] Buddhism there are 4 invaluable qualities that one can practice. Pick one of these today and grind at it all day with a smile. Rather, feel the joy in your ears and let your lips do the rest xD
- Boundless Loving Kindness
- Boundless Compassion for All Beings
- Boundless Joy (in the happiness of others)
- Boundless Equanimity, desire to help all beings regardless of size or status
I have them written on a piece of paper and when playing with my wallet sometimes it pops up. It is a beautiful reminder.
Happy travels ^.^
and of course, please discuss
- Boundless Loving Kindness
- Boundless Compassion for All Beings
- Boundless Joy (in the happiness of others)
- Boundless Equanimity, desire to help all beings regardless of size or status
I have them written on a piece of paper and when playing with my wallet sometimes it pops up. It is a beautiful reminder.
Happy travels ^.^
and of course, please discuss
0
Comments
May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness.
May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May all sentient beings never be parted from freedom's true joy.
May all sentient beings dwell in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.
A tool to help rouse Bodhicitta.
To be honest I don't really know what I am doing when it comes to my practice so I don't know what all I could contribute to discussion about an aspect of it.
To have love and compassion for oneself is important first. Without that I will not be able to love another. Then there is compassion that arises. I have compassion for myself for all of the suffering I have created by my hand and in turn that suffering has truly led to joy. Therein leading to equanimity, a deep peace that cannot be affected by neurotic duality. In the mindful moment I am sometimes able to rest in such peace.. when I simply observe the play in mind and back off from identifying, those four immeasurables remain constant and open all intertwining together into one of course as there is no such dividers I have seen yet inside of me where a tube labeled love squirts out rations if I behave well.. tubes labeled joy compassion and equanimity.. nah we don't need those.
I had some deja vu in the midst of writing the above paragraph. Like I had watched myself write that before. That happens sometimes, a few times I have known what others are about to say or what is about to happen because I could recognize that I've had a vision of that and all. That is about the extent of my psychic abilities
Tong-len is a wonderful practice, sometimes described as switching places with people, but I prefer to word it as "sharing space(s)" with beings that I am aware of, but unable to feel their pain as vividly (yet)
Sometimes I have guessed peoples' names before meeting them, usually in the days when I meditate without expecting anything (what a fun catch 22). Once I met a wonderful old lady at the beach (really old and young mean less and less to me the more I learn) and I guessed her name was Margaret before she introduced herself, but I didn't say anything as I think it might freak someone out, how do you explain you have met before?
Like, I got a vibe that your name might be Derrick, but that might as well be a wild guess. My name is Vaso, which is why I go by sova (va-so // so-va)
Welp, that was random. I think spiritual practice is important to pursue, it's pretty magical in that you don't know what you'll get, but change does happen, and perhaps at the "end" we come to understand that change is nature, nature is change, and that it can be both supremely joyful and beautiful.
Glimpses of "peak experience" or supreme peace are certainly wonderful things -- I suppose working on consistency is the key, and although sometimes I enjoy contemplating experiences past, I think it's practically more effective to see them as rainbows, transient, insubstantial in-and-of-themselves, and keep your spirits high, stay motivated, rely on the inside and smile happily to the outside, in a rather coarse way of describing what goes on.
It's cool that the more you practice the more refined the ability [abilities] get. Like if you play guitar every day, (and love to play it!) then eventually it becomes like another limb to you. You can play a pitch right off the bat, without working up or down a scale, you can gently and finely control every aspect of the art. Yet, you also flow with it -- ultimately letting the love bloom Through you as opposed to being created by someone.
Coarse to gentle to subtle to supreme, every art that I have pursued (were it music, writing, soccer, meditation, making a meal, drinking water from the local spout/fountain) has always grown more and more fine with love and time. Floating through and gently kissing the world in its perfection.
I like to do imaginative meditations during the day, I consider it wonderful play. Some days I smile so much that my cheeks hurt, but I have gotten pretty used to it now haha. Truly miraculous how much a smile can brighten someone's day/life/continuum.
Thanks for being here, thanks for sharing this time and space, and intangibility. Sometimes I cry a very good cry when I think of all the wonderful caring people in the world. Sometimes I cry when I consider all the suffering, reflect on my limited experience in this world, and consider the vast vast vast number of beings traveling through. I didn't cry immediately when reading about this stuff, but over time I feel like I started seeing the bigger picture, where I was just a frame for it.
May all beings benefit. May we all find the joy that knows no suffering.
Last night I saw a shooting star. Beautiful.
I'm very grateful for this site. For some time now I have felt alone externally compared to everyone where I currently live now. I moved across the country in with my mother and to be near my grandparents and there is no Buddhist center that I could easily get to.. it would be like a three hour drive.
Well, a big reason for helping me get to where I am now was that I saw that a Buddhist center was a walk away from where I was going to be living and that really inspired me to move as the one I went to where I'm from was an hours drive and kind of difficult for me to get to.
Anyways, I found the "Buddhist" organization to be a very disturbed cult following that is actually world wide. I had only went in there once to get some pamphlets on the place, that is it.
Then a friend online that I told about it warned me and I did the research for myself.
It was deeply disturbing.
So this sangha online really is beautiful because I havent interacted with physical Buddhists in quite some time. It has made me go deeper into my practice which is most important to me.
Nope my name is not Derrick.
It's Sean.
I feel that those things like with you and that lady Margaret on the beach are visions of what will be. Not that you have actually met before.. in consciousness I suppose but it is a future predicting thing in my opinion. Those kinds of things are rare and completely unitended on my end when they happen as it is all mundane type stuff that I experience with it. The way I look at that is that I am on the right track.
I like what you said about seeing experiences as rainbows.. transient.. and keeping that motivation high. Unswayable positive enthusiasm is key!
I feel like I have been experiencing a new type of enthusiasm lately ( not unswayable
That is funny that you just wrote about the impact of a smile.. I just posted something on that topic in another thread.. here it is..
Sometimes the best thing we can do is just try to send some loving kindness and compassion their way.
Even the smallest thing like a genuine smile goes a long way, even for the person who seems like the last thing in their list of abilities is to be able to smile back or have any kind of positive thought.
A genuine smile can catch them in that moment and for that moment all delusions can be let go of and their true nature can be touched.
Such a simple thing can be the starting action of so much positive effect.
Like a snow ball of positive action keep rolling down the mountain
I'm actually really glad your name is not Derrick, as I probably would have pooped myself. Ecstatic to know that I am an ordinary being
I dig what you mean about the "culty" vibe -- I have read pamphlets on some places and unfortunately some of them strike me like church-y redoes of Buddhism (not to diss, but it seems like people like making hierarchies of leadership). I spent some time in Japan and so I suppose I had some high standards/expectations of what a temple / place of practice should reflect (although I wasn't into the teachings at the time, but I did go to a few temples and enjoy myself); mainly just a very tranquil place with good air flow, preferably in nature, and lots of smiles.
There was a meditation group I used to (in)frequent when I was living in Ohio. They met every week, it was nice because they would sit for 15 minutes, read from a Thich Naht Hahn book (a chapter, or on the hard chapters just some paragraphs) and then we would discuss, and then sit for 45 minutes. Every fourth week was an extended sit with no book reading. It was nice to have a Sangha of sorts, although I wished there was more of an introductory period at the beginning of each session, as people would come as newbies without any clue what meditation was about or anything. It is pretty awesome though to meet other practicers (practitioners?) in physicality as it can certainly be motivating. Many of the people that would come were older ladies and gentlemen, one woman in particular who had basically outlived her whole family, I think she had grandchildren. She was very cheerful and understanding, I get fuzzy vibes when I think about the people that were there. I find spiritual practice to be kinda intimate though, I think I might associate it too much with my own identity, so that sort of conceit is something tricky to navigate but I feel like I'm getting better at seeing spiritual accomplishment as something that is available to every living being regardless of size or status, and thus there is no efficacy in "conceit" as it were. "Looking for the ultimate all of one taste" as I have recently been reading in the Samdhinirmochana sutra.
I also really like this website a lot. I find it really helpful at times, as there are tons of people on here that have a good grip on things (equals no grip at all? ;D) and I have been following some videos of good teachers online. (personally I really like dharmasun.org / Chokyi Nyingma and thems); Buddhism has always been taught as a dialogue, as Dharma will change not only what you say, but How you say it, not just what you're looking at, but How you look at it. When I first started studying a couple years I thought I could learn it all from books and sutras. One can certainly learn a lot! Especially the foundational stuff, how to look at the "problem" -- relevant and irrelevant ideas/conceptions. But I was also very fortunate in crossing paths with a much more advanced practitioner who was able to clear up a lot of my confusion on stuff. So, I think it's really good to be able to exchange / do dialogue / mingle with people that have been working at it for a bit. I really like the idiom "when the student is ready the teacher arrives" as I think it rings true so far in my experience.
Stay vigilant and positive ^.^ Every step closes the gap is what I've come to know. And when things get tough, reggae rules Haha
What I meant about cult.. was that the group was involved in the murders of some high lamas and they protest the Dalai Lama.. a friend of mine saw them picketing when he went to go see the Dalai Lama speak.
Now what kind of Buddhist tries to prevent another Buddhist from spreading the teachings of Buddhism? What kind of Buddhist kills other Buddhists?
What kind of Buddhists propitiates malevolent spirits?
Anti-Buddhists I suppose.. it is all very twisted and I was really let down after I was living in that area and found all that stuff out about that "Buddhist" center.
Yeah I believe the word is practitioners
One of these days I will make it to the other side of the state to that Buddhist center that I feel is closest to the one that I went to back in Michigan. In need of a vehicle.. with a bumper sticker that says.. "My Karma ran over your Dogma" and perhaps another one that says "My other vehicle is a Mahayana"
You're right about conceit that's for sure.
What I've found is that it is actually impossible to be arrogant or anything like that if one is looking at a fraction of reality.
As arrogance is to do with me me me me me me me.. not like the opera... that would be more like oui oui oui.. oops not French I meant we we we we as an opera generally is indicative of more than one being involved in its production.
To see simply that there is nothing that we do by our "selves" is instantaneously humbling.
For example.. a painting I make required the efforts of every being in infinite space to produce it. These words that I am typing out right now is the results of every beings actions.
I laughed pretty good at the good grip meaning no grip at all comment
I agree with that saying as well, it has also been true from my experience.. "When the student is ready the teacher will appear"
Really quite amazing.. this is a mind boggling existence.. the fact that there are so many beings but really all non existent from their own side thinking that they do exist from their own side creating all of this karma cycle cycle cyclone.
Yarr... every moment of mindfulness and right action brings us that much closer to finally being home for good.
Take care my friend!
fearless kindness fearless kindness fearless kindness
appearances are appearances, all karma fruitions when the conditions are ripe/right
that is a wonderful way to think, about the no-action-is-done-alone. Truly true! Every being in all of cosmos participates in these typings, in every thought, in every breath. You are a great friend and a great help, thank you, thank you, thank you.
And may you and yours be blessed (that is, may all beings be blessed)
I went to a counseling session earlier this morning and on the table in the lobby were poems by Emily Dickinson.. I picked up the book and was quite inspired. What amazing being she was and the work she produced.
I ended up writing a poem though.. I'm going to put it up in the art/writings section of the forums. Give it a read if you will.
It talks about that no action done alone kind of thing.
One can see why liberation is cool for the individual, it is possible and all but every being helped them get to that point.
The only reason Shakyamuni got to where he is now is because of every being doing all that they did.
We owe it to all to contribute the best that we can offer in this moment.
I am a limited being at the moment but am working towards being of maximum benefit to all.
Slowly but slowly
May all beings have happiness
May they be free from suffering
May they find the joy, that has never known suffering
May they be free from attachment and aversion
Your post reminded me of this little diddy......
"The power of philosophy floats through my head
Light like a feather, heavy as lead"
My wife had two long term relationships (before meeting me obviously) with guys both called David McLean (I am Luke McKean).
Maybe I was a David in a past life?
row row row your boat
gently down the stream
merrily, merrily, merrily,
merrily
life is but a dream