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One thing stands out in the OP: Entering the jungle of views and opinions, one will never reach certainty! I think I will just state things as they are from now on - no doubt - no hesitancy, onward and upward
Hi Ho, HI Ho its of to the cushion I go, da da da da da da da da da da Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho!...
One thing stands out in the OP: Entering the jungle of views and opinions, one will never reach certainty! I think I will just state things as they are from now on - no doubt - no hesitancy, onward and upward
Hi Ho, HI Ho its of to the cushion I go, da da da da da da da da da da Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho!...
When you have overcome doubt, what hindrance is best tackled next @samahita?
These aren't monolithic entities. In practice, while you're establishing Right Concentration, a doubt defilement comes up, you deal with that, a hostility defilement comes up, you deal with that, etc.
As things appear, I will mentally state: this thing is and it is not, what more is there if you have no doubt in the teaching. Passing judgement and having an opinion about things makes you lose sight of what you are doing - that is my understanding of the statement quoted
@anataman said:
Passing judgement and having an opinion about things makes you lose sight of what you are doing - that is my understanding of the statement quoted
But you pass judgement by saying ....
I will mentally state: this thing is and it is not,
You may not be calling it good or bad, but you still judge it to be a certain way or thing
The judging mind can be used as a tool to go beyond judgements.
By making a 'mental statement', this is, or that is not, with it there is the 'awareness' of the judging mind; I have no doubt of the awareness that is present when the mind makes such a mental statement as it becomes an object of meditation. Observing this or that mentally arising leaves me in a state of no doubt which cannot therefore hinder the direct experience of my true nature, gloriously manifesting it's natural state. Open, compassionate awareness. Yep - there it is! Mental Meditation.
I hope this proves to be an effective practice, but it is taking the teachings Samahita presented a fairly long way away from their original context for reasons which are unclear to me.
I like the way I am misinterpreted. I'm just as lost as you, but I am determined to find a way out of this damned quicksand that we are all stuck in I just approach it differently.
Let's quote this and quote that and then argue this and argue that, and then lets look at the teachings and debate them and...
Let's meditate or rather tesselate:
The point is this. There is nothing to point out to you guys. Your views are fixed. Mine is fluid and evolving.
And by the way - @samahita may be a monk, I respect him for being one, but he just posts so much stuff about what buddha said, that I've lost interest in what the buddha said according to what others think he said. In fact his posts have caused me so much doubt that they are not working
The buddha said only one thing and that is all you really need to know:
'I teach that there is an end to suffering'. He didn't teach all this other other crap.
Everything he taught was related to ending suffering. Any other thing in buddhism is paraphernalia and misconception, delusion, and ego and I'm part of it, BUT I see it. I'll work it out or I'll be annihilated but taken in the context of eternal suffering is annihilation such a bad thing?
The world is an amazing place and it is a place I have awakened to and despite the awful things about it, I cherish it. My concern is that all people want to do is control things so it fits into their narrow perspective, boil it down and extract any nutritional value it may have so it fits with their paradigm. Samsara, Nirvana, Precepts, Rules, more rules, Sutras, dogma, doctrine. Let it all just blow away, I say
@anataman, my teacher Shenpen Hookham said the whole dharma was about having confidence in the nature of your mind.
Relief from doubt does promote an end to suffering. But you have to understand what "doubt" means. If someone in a parking lot is selling gold watches you should have just as much doubt as if someone says they are a teacher selling you dharma.
But just as gold can be proven to be real gold by a number of tests, so too can all of the three jewels and guru be proven to be the real deal.
An example to the extreme of doubt is the case where somebody resents the dharma and gives away their zafu and stops practicing.
@Jeffrey thank you for your support it is appreciated - I know and understand doubt, and I am confident in the true nature of my mind, it is what supports me, and does not desert me. Nothing perceived as external can make me doubt my awareness.
Hence my question to @samahita, when doubt is overcome what is the next challenge? I say this without hesitation.
Or will the suggestion be that I must doubt my true nature, and only then will @samahita hit me with another hinderance, that is so apparent to everyone but me
An example to the extreme of doubt is the case where somebody resents the dharma and gives away their zafu and stops practicing.
And not even that would be the end of the world.
The Dharma will be like a seed planted in our life. It will always be there; waiting to open at the right time, in its own unique way.
That’s the trust – I think – we need. Trust in the Dharma which is our very life.
Who cares about Buddhist doctrines?
The title of this thread says: Doubt Creates Hesitation!
I think I can answer that know:
Fear Creates “Certainties”!
@anataman said:
When you have overcome doubt, what hindrance is best tackled next samahita?
I would say hostility/aversion is a bigger hindrance than doubt for many people, particularly those with a clear idea of how they want to practice and what they want to get out of it.
There is no right or wrong answer as to what to study first. There probably are some general workings of what would be better sooner and be better later. But you can only generalize. Some people might like metta and some reading about the two truths.
Some efforts yield greater fruit than others, for instance developing an area you need to work on is likely to yield greater fruit than developing an area you're already pretty good at.
"Abandoning ill will & anger, he dwells with an awareness devoid of ill will, sympathetic with the welfare of all living beings. He cleanses his mind of ill will & anger...
"Now suppose that a man falls sick — in pain & seriously ill. He does not enjoy his meals, and there is no strength in his body. As time passes, he eventually recovers from that sickness. He enjoys his meals and there is strength in his body. The thought would occur to him, 'Before, I was sick... Now I am recovered from that sickness. I enjoy my meals and there is strength in my body.' Because of that he would experience joy & happiness."
"Abandoning uncertainty, he dwells having crossed over uncertainty, with no perplexity with regard to skillful mental qualities. He cleanses his mind of uncertainty...
"Now suppose that a man, carrying money & goods, is traveling by a road through desolate country. As time passes, he eventually emerges from that desolate country, safe & sound, with no loss of property. The thought would occur to him, 'Before, carrying money & goods, I was traveling by a road through desolate country. Now I have emerged from that desolate country, safe & sound, with no loss of my property.' Because of that he would experience joy & happiness.
"In the same way, when these five hindrances are not abandoned in himself, the monk regards it as ...a sickness, ...a road through desolate country. But when these five hindrances are abandoned in himself, he regards it as ...good health, ...a place of security. Seeing that they have been abandoned within him, he becomes glad. Glad, he becomes enraptured. Enraptured, his body grows tranquil. His body tranquil, he is sensitive to pleasure. Feeling pleasure, his mind becomes concentrated.
I learned a bit about it back in my racing days. Success in car racing depends a lot on certainty. If you have certainty in yourself and your equipment you will be successful. If you lack it, you will fail. It can only be gained through practice.
I find it useful to take the simile in that sutta as a practice. That is, when I see that anger has arisen, I perceive it as an affliction, and when I return attention to the breath and good will, I see that as relief from the affliction.
I've found that practice very helpful for mitgating what amounts to a bad attitude. It's like propaganda against ill-will and in favor of metta/breath meditation. Metta and tonglen by themselves haven't helped so much when I've believed on some level that it's correct to be angry.
@fivebells said:
I've found that practice very helpful for mitgating what amounts to a bad attitude. It's like propaganda against ill-will and in favor of metta/breath meditation. Metta and tonglen by themselves haven't helped so much when I've believed on some level that it's correct to be angry.
Makes perfect sense. If, as you describe, you feel that your anger is correct, you won't recognize it as a hindrance, either. So, it follows that the practice of the antidote won't be effective. That may qualify as doubt ,which requires a different antidote.
On December 18, 1979, Their Majesties the King and Queen paid a private visit to Luang Pu. After asking about his health and well-being, and engaging in a Dhamma conversation, the King posed a question: "In abandoning the defilements, which ones should be abandoned first?"
Luang Pu responded,
"All the defilements arise together at the mind. Focus right at the mind. Whichever defilement arises first, that's the one to abandon first."
@anataman said:
When you have overcome doubt, what hindrance is best tackled next samahita?
The five hindrances are desire, aversion, sloth/torpor, restlessness/remorse and doubt.
The next things to overcome after doubt is desire(wanting) and aversion(not wanting) which come from the same root. This usually means accepting the present and not dwelling in the past or future.
AS for sloth and restlessness, the mind should be balanced. Not too active nor too dull.
"In the same way, Sona, over-aroused persistence leads to restlessness, overly slack persistence leads to laziness. Thus you should determine the right pitch for your persistence, attune[2]the pitch of the [five] faculties [to that], and there pick up your theme."
@Chaz said:
Makes perfect sense. If, as you describe, you feel that your anger is correct, you won't recognize it as a hindrance, either. So, it follows that the practice of the antidote won't be effective. That may qualify as doubt ,which requires a different antidote.
Far from a lack of trust or faith, Great Doubt can only arise from Great Trust. Great Trust grounds and supports us; Great Doubt keeps us on the path, leads us all the way through. Great Trust is the conviction, based on experience, that there is a way; Great Doubt provides the fuel to go all the way: “Fully trust, you’ll fully doubt; fully doubt, you’ll fully Awaken.”
Strange eh?
It illustrates once again how the apparent 'competition' between doubt and certainty is . . . empty . . .
They are complimentary. We can trust our doubts to lead us astray or Doubt such a trust and find 'real' or Great Trust and Great Doubt.
Greatness is empty too. But the universe isn't an amorphous blow. It is finely structured and we can see things quite accurately in a way similar to a juggler catching and throwing each little ball or flaming torch.
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Bhikkhus, those who you think is worth listening to and for whom you
feel empathy - whether friends, family, colleagues, or just associates -
all these you should explain, establish and settle in developing these
Four Foundations of Awareness. What four? When a Bhikkhu keenly
contemplates:
1: The Body just as a impermanent formation... 2: The Feeling just as a transient sensation...
3: The Mind just as a passing set of changing moods... 4: The Phenomenon just as a momentary mental state..
while always acutely aware and clearly comprehending, he thereby removes
any greed, envy, jealousy, frustration and discontent rooted in this world...
Bhikkhus, those who you think is worth listening to and for whom you feel
sympathy - whether friends, family, colleagues, or just associates -
all these you should explain, establish and settle in developing these
Four Foundations of Awareness...
Form is like a glob of foam;
feeling, a bubble;
perception, a mirage;
fabrications, a banana tree;
consciousness, a magic trick —
this has been taught
by the Kinsman of the Sun. However you observe them,
appropriately examine them,
they're empty, void
to whoever sees them
appropriately.
Beginning with the body
as taught by the One
with profound discernment:
when abandoned by three things
— life, warmth, & consciousness —
form is rejected, cast aside.
When bereft of these
it lies thrown away,
senseless,
a meal for others.
That's the way it goes:
it's a magic trick,
an idiot's babbling.
It's said to be
a murderer.[1]
No substance here
is found.
Thus a monk, persistence aroused,
should view the aggregates
by day & by night,
mindful,
alert;
should discard all fetters;
should make himself
his own refuge;
should live as if
his head were on fire —
in hopes of the state
with no falling away.
@samahita said:
Bhikkhus, those who you think is worth listening to and for whom you feel empathy - whether friends, family, colleagues, or just associates - all these you should explain, establish and settle in developing these Four Foundations of Awarenesss
One should be grateful towards one's Parents! Why so?
They have worked hard and very long raising one into being!
One should be grateful towards one's Teachers! Why so?
They do much to make one learn and understand the good...
One should be grateful towards one's Friends! Why so?
They have shown one an open kindness and much goodwill!
One should be grateful towards one's Spouse! Why so?
They have loyally accompanied one along a long way...
What is the future kammic effect of gratitude or ungratefulness?
The one who is grateful will receive gifts and favours ever again!
The one who is ungrateful will never again receive gifts or favours!
Thankfulness wisely invested thus pays back quite a lot!
They're very important to me, too. My main source for them is Thanissaro's Right Mindfulness. I'm curious about that specific excerpt I quoted, though. I havent' come across that specific formulation about establishing mindfulness w.r.t. (in?) other people.
When sitting alone, in silence, each early morning, with closed eyes one wishes:
May I radiate and meet only never-ending and mutually rejoicing joy!
May I & all the various beings on the 31 levels of existence develop and find
only celebration and elation in a never-ending mutually rejoicing joy!
May I & all beings on the sense-desire, fine-material, and the formless plane
develop and encounter this generous, infinite and mutually rejoicing joy!
May I & all beings in the front, to the right, the back, the left, and below as
above, develop and experience openhearted, sharing, & mutually rejoicing joy!
May I and all beings within this city, country, planet and universe always:
Be fully aware and deeply mindful of this content and mutually rejoicing joy!
Examine all details & aspects of this satisfied and mutually rejoicing joy!
Put enthusiastic effort in our praxis of this devoted mutually rejoicing joy!
Enjoy enraptured jubilant gladness in this exulting mutually rejoicing joy!
Be silenced by the tranquillity of quiet and all smiling mutually rejoicing joy!
Be concentrated & absorbed into one-pointedness by genuine rejoicing joy!
Dwell in an imperturbable equanimity of pure and mutually rejoicing joy...
Yeah! May it be even so, since mutual joy causes the jewel of contentment!
Comment: Mutual Joy is the 3rd infinite mental state (Appamañña):
This gradually reduces all envy, jealousy, possessiveness, stinginess, avarice
miserliness, green covetousness and unhappiness related with all these states.
The cause of Mutual Joy in rejoicing in your child's or boon companion's success.
This same joy can then be beamed towards all liked, neutral and hostile beings.
Mutual Joy is then the proximate cause of satisfied and fulfilled Contentment...
Lack of mutual joy is thus the proximate cause of dissatisfied discontentment...
Joined with the 7 links to Awakening it will later cause a formless jhana...
Be happy at all and especially other being's success! Then calm comfort grows!
Comments
When you have overcome doubt, what hindrance is best tackled next @samahita?
When you've overcome doubt the answer will be clear!
You know this ..how ?
Because there is no doubt!
One thing stands out in the OP: Entering the jungle of views and opinions, one will never reach certainty! I think I will just state things as they are from now on - no doubt - no hesitancy, onward and upward
Hi Ho, HI Ho its of to the cushion I go, da da da da da da da da da da Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho Hi Ho!...
Mettha
.> @anataman said:
' As they are ' ?
As things appear, I will mentally state: this thing is and it is not, what more is there if you have no doubt in the teaching. Passing judgement and having an opinion about things makes you lose sight of what you are doing - that is my understanding of the statement quoted
But you pass judgement by saying ....
You may not be calling it good or bad, but you still judge it to be a certain way or thing
Is that right?
The judging mind can be used as a tool to go beyond judgements.
By making a 'mental statement', this is, or that is not, with it there is the 'awareness' of the judging mind; I have no doubt of the awareness that is present when the mind makes such a mental statement as it becomes an object of meditation. Observing this or that mentally arising leaves me in a state of no doubt which cannot therefore hinder the direct experience of my true nature, gloriously manifesting it's natural state. Open, compassionate awareness. Yep - there it is! Mental Meditation.
LOL
Sounds like you've acieved enlightenment.
But you haven't. Sorry.
I hope this proves to be an effective practice, but it is taking the teachings Samahita presented a fairly long way away from their original context for reasons which are unclear to me.
I like the way I am misinterpreted. I'm just as lost as you, but I am determined to find a way out of this damned quicksand that we are all stuck in I just approach it differently.
Let's quote this and quote that and then argue this and argue that, and then lets look at the teachings and debate them and...
Let's meditate or rather tesselate:
The point is this. There is nothing to point out to you guys. Your views are fixed. Mine is fluid and evolving.
Mettha
And by the way - @samahita may be a monk, I respect him for being one, but he just posts so much stuff about what buddha said, that I've lost interest in what the buddha said according to what others think he said. In fact his posts have caused me so much doubt that they are not working
The buddha said only one thing and that is all you really need to know:
'I teach that there is an end to suffering'. He didn't teach all this other other crap.
Everything he taught was related to ending suffering. Any other thing in buddhism is paraphernalia and misconception, delusion, and ego and I'm part of it, BUT I see it. I'll work it out or I'll be annihilated but taken in the context of eternal suffering is annihilation such a bad thing?
The world is an amazing place and it is a place I have awakened to and despite the awful things about it, I cherish it. My concern is that all people want to do is control things so it fits into their narrow perspective, boil it down and extract any nutritional value it may have so it fits with their paradigm. Samsara, Nirvana, Precepts, Rules, more rules, Sutras, dogma, doctrine. Let it all just blow away, I say
Breath in, Breath out.
I am aware of my breath, are you?
@anataman, my teacher Shenpen Hookham said the whole dharma was about having confidence in the nature of your mind.
Relief from doubt does promote an end to suffering. But you have to understand what "doubt" means. If someone in a parking lot is selling gold watches you should have just as much doubt as if someone says they are a teacher selling you dharma.
But just as gold can be proven to be real gold by a number of tests, so too can all of the three jewels and guru be proven to be the real deal.
An example to the extreme of doubt is the case where somebody resents the dharma and gives away their zafu and stops practicing.
@Jeffrey thank you for your support it is appreciated - I know and understand doubt, and I am confident in the true nature of my mind, it is what supports me, and does not desert me. Nothing perceived as external can make me doubt my awareness.
Hence my question to @samahita, when doubt is overcome what is the next challenge? I say this without hesitation.
Or will the suggestion be that I must doubt my true nature, and only then will @samahita hit me with another hinderance, that is so apparent to everyone but me
I await the slap
And not even that would be the end of the world.
The Dharma will be like a seed planted in our life. It will always be there; waiting to open at the right time, in its own unique way.
That’s the trust – I think – we need. Trust in the Dharma which is our very life.
Who cares about Buddhist doctrines?
The title of this thread says: Doubt Creates Hesitation!
I think I can answer that know:
Fear Creates “Certainties”!
I would say hostility/aversion is a bigger hindrance than doubt for many people, particularly those with a clear idea of how they want to practice and what they want to get out of it.
There is no right or wrong answer as to what to study first. There probably are some general workings of what would be better sooner and be better later. But you can only generalize. Some people might like metta and some reading about the two truths.
Wow! Talk about no doubt!
Well done!
:clap:
Some efforts yield greater fruit than others, for instance developing an area you need to work on is likely to yield greater fruit than developing an area you're already pretty good at.
SLAP
Which seems easier at the moment?
Channeling Tilopa now?
If anyone wants me to bounce up and down on them and tell them they're a worthless student, I'm available.
I like term uncertainty.
I learned a bit about it back in my racing days. Success in car racing depends a lot on certainty. If you have certainty in yourself and your equipment you will be successful. If you lack it, you will fail. It can only be gained through practice.
The same applies to being a Buddhist.
Uncertainty - not really a problem
Admittedly Ill-will and anger do raise their ugly heads from time to time - Any advice, other than Tonglen or similar practice?
I find it useful to take the simile in that sutta as a practice. That is, when I see that anger has arisen, I perceive it as an affliction, and when I return attention to the breath and good will, I see that as relief from the affliction.
How about LotsOfTonglen?
Seriously..... Tonglen and Metta are probably the best practice for that.
I've found that practice very helpful for mitgating what amounts to a bad attitude. It's like propaganda against ill-will and in favor of metta/breath meditation. Metta and tonglen by themselves haven't helped so much when I've believed on some level that it's correct to be angry.
Makes perfect sense. If, as you describe, you feel that your anger is correct, you won't recognize it as a hindrance, either. So, it follows that the practice of the antidote won't be effective. That may qualify as doubt ,which requires a different antidote.
Just came across this story:
Oh to be told
as I watch this mystery unfold that
for every question asked
the answer becomes the mask...
Therefore I just observe
this quest for the assumed but is regarded as absurd
but deep inside I wonder
Is there anything to ponder?
And if the answer is yes
Perhaps, I should bow down and just be
this teaching is all about me
and the meaning it gifts is FREE!
Metta
I have walked in Wordsworth's retreat
which is where I discovered buddhism,
and now is the time of daffodils
let spring spring forth!
What's that - something is 'defiling me'?
Let's examine that a bit more...
[snip]
Examine this .....
And would it have been worth it, after all,
After the cups, the marmalade, the tea,
Among the porcelain, among some talk of you and me,
Would it have been worth while
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
To say: “I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all”—
If one, settling a pillow by her head,
Should say: “That is not what I meant at all,
That is not it, at all.”
a little TS Elliot for ya .....
The five hindrances are desire, aversion, sloth/torpor, restlessness/remorse and doubt.
The next things to overcome after doubt is desire(wanting) and aversion(not wanting) which come from the same root. This usually means accepting the present and not dwelling in the past or future.
AS for sloth and restlessness, the mind should be balanced. Not too active nor too dull.
How do you feel when you're angry Mr @Chaz ?
With my fingers ......
Nah T S Elliot's not my cup of Earl Grey I'm afraid,
and he was never really cherished on the curriculum of the school I attended.
What What
Disgusting.
Far from a lack of trust or faith, Great Doubt can only arise from Great Trust. Great Trust grounds and supports us; Great Doubt keeps us on the path, leads us all the way through. Great Trust is the conviction, based on experience, that there is a way; Great Doubt provides the fuel to go all the way: “Fully trust, you’ll fully doubt; fully doubt, you’ll fully Awaken.”
Strange eh?
It illustrates once again how the apparent 'competition' between doubt and certainty is . . . empty . . .
They are complimentary. We can trust our doubts to lead us astray or Doubt such a trust and find 'real' or Great Trust and Great Doubt.
. . . and now back to the Great Path . . . ( ¬‿¬)
Greatness is empty too. But the universe isn't an amorphous blow. It is finely structured and we can see things quite accurately in a way similar to a juggler catching and throwing each little ball or flaming torch.
Friends:
How to show Kindness to those Worthy of it?
The Blessed Buddha once said:
Bhikkhus, those who you think is worth listening to and for whom you
feel empathy - whether friends, family, colleagues, or just associates -
all these you should explain, establish and settle in developing these
Four Foundations of Awareness. What four? When a Bhikkhu keenly
contemplates:
1: The Body just as a impermanent formation...
2: The Feeling just as a transient sensation...
3: The Mind just as a passing set of changing moods...
4: The Phenomenon just as a momentary mental state..
while always acutely aware and clearly comprehending, he thereby removes
any greed, envy, jealousy, frustration and discontent rooted in this world...
Bhikkhus, those who you think is worth listening to and for whom you feel
sympathy - whether friends, family, colleagues, or just associates -
all these you should explain, establish and settle in developing these
Four Foundations of Awareness...
Details On Foundations of Awareness (Sati):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/What_is_Right_Awareness.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Awareness_Sati.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Clear_Comprehension.htm
Source of reference (edited extract):
The Grouped Sayings of the Buddha. Samyutta Nikaya.
Book [V: 189] 47 The Foundations of Awareness: 48 Friends..
Sharing the Supreme:
The 4 Frames of Reference...
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Sharing_Supreme.htm
Form is like a glob of foam;
feeling, a bubble;
perception, a mirage;
fabrications, a banana tree;
consciousness, a magic trick —
this has been taught
by the Kinsman of the Sun.
However you observe them,
appropriately examine them,
they're empty, void
to whoever sees them
appropriately.
Beginning with the body
as taught by the One
with profound discernment:
when abandoned by three things
— life, warmth, & consciousness —
form is rejected, cast aside.
When bereft of these
it lies thrown away,
senseless,
a meal for others.
That's the way it goes:
it's a magic trick,
an idiot's babbling.
It's said to be
a murderer.[1]
No substance here
is found.
Thus a monk, persistence aroused,
should view the aggregates
by day & by night,
mindful,
alert;
should discard all fetters;
should make himself
his own refuge;
should live as if
his head were on fire —
in hopes of the state
with no falling away.
Phena Sutta : Foam
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn22/sn22.095.than.html
What sutta does this come from?
My teacher's husband wrote a book where this was included about the four noble truths. The four minfulnesses. It's also in my course book.
Friends:
Appropriate Appreciation is Gratitude!
One should be grateful towards one's Parents! Why so?
They have worked hard and very long raising one into being!
One should be grateful towards one's Teachers! Why so?
They do much to make one learn and understand the good...
One should be grateful towards one's Friends! Why so?
They have shown one an open kindness and much goodwill!
One should be grateful towards one's Spouse! Why so?
They have loyally accompanied one along a long way...
What is the future kammic effect of gratitude or ungratefulness?
The one who is grateful will receive gifts and favours ever again!
The one who is ungrateful will never again receive gifts or favours!
Thankfulness wisely invested thus pays back quite a lot!
Therefore: Always Say Thanx!
Thanx for Your Attention! ;-)
On Contentment and Rejoicing Appreciation:
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Contentment.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Mutual_Joy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Rejoicing_Bliss_is_Mudita.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Infinitely_Joyous_Consciousness.htm
Have a nice gracious day!
Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samahita _/_ Sri Lanka.
http://What-Buddha-Said.net
Gracious is Gratitude!
Any Appreciation Echoes Back... :-)
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Appropriate_Appreciation.htm
My teacher offered excellent teaching on the four foundations. I brought a transcription on retreat as a practice guide. Amazing.
They're very important to me, too. My main source for them is Thanissaro's Right Mindfulness. I'm curious about that specific excerpt I quoted, though. I havent' come across that specific formulation about establishing mindfulness w.r.t. (in?) other people.
Friends:
How to train Rejoicing Joy in others Success?
When sitting alone, in silence, each early morning, with closed eyes one wishes:
May I radiate and meet only never-ending and mutually rejoicing joy!
May I & all the various beings on the 31 levels of existence develop and find
only celebration and elation in a never-ending mutually rejoicing joy!
May I & all beings on the sense-desire, fine-material, and the formless plane
develop and encounter this generous, infinite and mutually rejoicing joy!
May I & all beings in the front, to the right, the back, the left, and below as
above, develop and experience openhearted, sharing, & mutually rejoicing joy!
May I and all beings within this city, country, planet and universe always:
Be fully aware and deeply mindful of this content and mutually rejoicing joy!
Examine all details & aspects of this satisfied and mutually rejoicing joy!
Put enthusiastic effort in our praxis of this devoted mutually rejoicing joy!
Enjoy enraptured jubilant gladness in this exulting mutually rejoicing joy!
Be silenced by the tranquillity of quiet and all smiling mutually rejoicing joy!
Be concentrated & absorbed into one-pointedness by genuine rejoicing joy!
Dwell in an imperturbable equanimity of pure and mutually rejoicing joy...
Yeah! May it be even so, since mutual joy causes the jewel of contentment!
Comment: Mutual Joy is the 3rd infinite mental state (Appamañña):
This gradually reduces all envy, jealousy, possessiveness, stinginess, avarice
miserliness, green covetousness and unhappiness related with all these states.
The cause of Mutual Joy in rejoicing in your child's or boon companion's success.
This same joy can then be beamed towards all liked, neutral and hostile beings.
Mutual Joy is then the proximate cause of satisfied and fulfilled Contentment...
Lack of mutual joy is thus the proximate cause of dissatisfied discontentment...
Joined with the 7 links to Awakening it will later cause a formless jhana...
Be happy at all and especially other being's success! Then calm comfort grows!
More on Mutual Joy (Mudita):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Rejoicing_Joy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Safe_Medicine.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Rejoicing_Bliss_is_Mudita.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Infinitely_Joyous_Consciousness.htm
Have a nice & noble day!
Friendship is the Greatest!
Bhikkhu Samahita _/_
http://What-Buddha-Said.net
Mutual Joy causes Contentment!
Rejoicing Joy!
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Mutual_Joy.htm
Seems like a plan.
Did someone say Dharma party?