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In regards to your study or practice, do you ever wonder, "What's the point?"
@Hamsaka said:
It's an understandable question, it wouldn't come up unless an answer was needed. The answer may be 'shut up and get back on the cushion'. It might be something else, or even an idea trying to make its way into consciousness.
Ah. The question is how does it work, what is the process that is occurring?
Where to start . . . m m m . . .
Some of the benefits are to do with and around these qualities:
Discipline
Focus
Concentration
Breath and 'mind pattern' association - in other words it is a resource induction for future reference
Just meditate even if you don't feel like it. Get interested in how you do feel even if it is painful or frustrating thoughts.
In painful I include feeling confused or frustrated or bored or whatever. Or dull. Dullness actually has qualities of pervasiveness i.e. 'perfuming everything'. This is a quality of the mind.
And tell your teacher about it. Perfect example of when a teacher can help.
@karasti said:
Do you ever just get tired of it? Whatever it is, study, preliminaries, meditation or whatever.
Yes I have, sometimes I doubt myself, I wonder if i'm capable of developing the path, but I know without a doubt that the middle way produces knowledge and vision as the Buddha said it does in the first discourse.
1
silverIn the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.USA, Left coast.Veteran
@TheBeejAbides said:
Today is a full moon. For me, I have terrible time concentrating (on anything) during the couple days leading up to and during the full moon. It took me a few years to pick up on this, but now I basically have a 2-3 days a month that I am just not on point with anything. I view it as a natural process that binges and purges with/on my psyche at its will. Maybe today your psyche was just purging. Or it binged. Full moon style?
I've realized from very early on (since my teens) that the full moon had an effect on my moods / emotions. Now, I'm just catching on, that it can be harnessed - imagination-wise - you and I choose what to do with that extra 'energy'.
Sometimes I will go walking through the wooded ravine system close to my house. Many times when I walk I see nothing of interest and nothing happens. Except that I become more aware of my surroundings and what is going on.
But never do I ask myself "What's the point?"
Buddhism is a self-exploration and it is not focused on some goal, but rather on the journey itself. There IS not point, really, except to become more aware. Your awareness will change you.
But it may take a very long time before you start to notice changes, before you start to interact and react differently to what goes on in yourself and in life.
I guess the point is that if you do Buddhism you will be very different 20-30 years from now than you will be if you do not do Buddhism.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I cannot imagine my life now had I not taken up Buddhism 15 years ago.
@Karasti I read a lot of your postings on here and you always have a lot of insight and good information to share. I don't know much, but I know crap when I smell it, and girl, you be full of it! You are being WAY too hard on yourself. I feel like you are punishing yourself. Why? You had a moment of enlightenment right then. You became awake, you buddha nature came to you and presented itself for you to enjoy, and you see that as a failure in your practice! Please see that distraction for the gift that it was, I believe it was just what you needed! Namaste
Comments
But I want to make it pretty and complicated, with curlicues. Oh yeah, that darn little 'self'.
Yes, and when we do - take it down a notch....
Ah. The question is how does it work, what is the process that is occurring?
Where to start . . . m m m . . .
Some of the benefits are to do with and around these qualities:
. . . and so on . . .
Just meditate even if you don't feel like it. Get interested in how you do feel even if it is painful or frustrating thoughts.
In painful I include feeling confused or frustrated or bored or whatever. Or dull. Dullness actually has qualities of pervasiveness i.e. 'perfuming everything'. This is a quality of the mind.
And tell your teacher about it. Perfect example of when a teacher can help.
In the school of Zen I'm with we use various questions as objects of meditation.
One of them is "Why do that?". Slowly breathing in and out, asking that question over and over again, has often helped me get out of the funk.
Yes I have, sometimes I doubt myself, I wonder if i'm capable of developing the path, but I know without a doubt that the middle way produces knowledge and vision as the Buddha said it does in the first discourse.
I've realized from very early on (since my teens) that the full moon had an effect on my moods / emotions. Now, I'm just catching on, that it can be harnessed - imagination-wise - you and I choose what to do with that extra 'energy'.
"What's the point?"
"Don't mistake the finger pointing to the moon for the moon!"
Sometimes I will go walking through the wooded ravine system close to my house. Many times when I walk I see nothing of interest and nothing happens. Except that I become more aware of my surroundings and what is going on.
But never do I ask myself "What's the point?"
Buddhism is a self-exploration and it is not focused on some goal, but rather on the journey itself. There IS not point, really, except to become more aware. Your awareness will change you.
But it may take a very long time before you start to notice changes, before you start to interact and react differently to what goes on in yourself and in life.
I guess the point is that if you do Buddhism you will be very different 20-30 years from now than you will be if you do not do Buddhism.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I cannot imagine my life now had I not taken up Buddhism 15 years ago.
@Karasti I read a lot of your postings on here and you always have a lot of insight and good information to share. I don't know much, but I know crap when I smell it, and girl, you be full of it! You are being WAY too hard on yourself. I feel like you are punishing yourself. Why? You had a moment of enlightenment right then. You became awake, you buddha nature came to you and presented itself for you to enjoy, and you see that as a failure in your practice! Please see that distraction for the gift that it was, I believe it was just what you needed! Namaste