how to practise Buddha's Teaching in day-today life
upekka
Veteran
Thank you Brian and thank you members of the forum
this is my last OP
A thought occured to me after the meditation of the last night to share the experience with you all
Whether you read this further or not, whether you think there is a point in these writing or not, whether you try to see it for yourself or not, i consider it is my duty to let you know
you may be a veteran or new comer to Buddha's Teaching
However i start from the ground, so veterans have to tolerate
As you know already our world consists of the 'things' we know
that knowlege we have got through our six sense bases
suppose you never heard a fruit called 'Dodan', now you know there is a fruit called 'Dodan'
since the eye contacted the above line on the screen, now you know there is a fruit called 'Dodan' and your world is expanded with the word 'Dodan' and the knowledge of the fruit called 'Dodan'
but still you do not know the shape or the colour of until someone or i expain or show it to you
you do not know the smell or the taste of it or how it feels
before you read about 'Dodan', it wasn't in your world
this is the same with 'everything' in our world
You can test this yourself
what can you see around you: wall, chair, bus, car, man, woman, dog, cat etc.
what can you hear around you: a door bang, a bird chirp, a man singing, a woman talk, a dog bark etc.
similarly about smell, taste, and feel
Whenever eye cantact an object, eye doesn't say the name of the object or the object doesn't say the name of it or the name isn't written on the object
If so how can we know the name of the object at the moment we see or hear or smell or taste or feel?
Test this yourself several times and try to grasp what these writing trying to cionvince
by doing so you can get the point
if i give the answer here it would be another knowledge in your world
it is like you look at the finger instead of looking at the moon
If you need any clarification you can PM me, and we can discuss with according to your understanding
use the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and body to test
the writing so far is for the beginners to Buddha's Teaching
I come back for those who know (experience) these things already in this point of view
Comments
@upekka
Are you referring to this....
"Awareness is fundamentally non-conceptual-before thinking splits experience into subject and object. It is empty and so can contain everything, including thought. It is boundless. And amazingly, it is intrinsically knowing !"
This we learned. We attached labels(nama) to appearances(rupa).
In the Shingon closed fist teachings, which the Shakyamuni Buddha did not endorse, kanji are points of focus.
I did this for a while with English letters, which was interesting ... However I feel the focus/concentration/attention was more useful than esoteric letter revelations ...
Why is this your last OP @upekka?
if you practise 'the mindfulness of the body' there couldn't be any doubt
do you know that you were practising 'the mindfulness of the body'?
because after write what needed to be written in this thread there is nothing important in this world to be written
thanks for the side support
STEP TWO
unless you have tried the first part of this thread and got the point stressed by it, it is useless to read the following
just reading without trying the first part, you can add something to your knowledge (expand your world) but you never know what really is happening around you and within you
Buddha says
when eye contact any object just use the word 'form'
ex: chair = form, man = form, building = form, flower = form etc.
(there are uncountable number of objects we know and we want to reduce it to one word because then we can handle the things that we see during the meditation, we can gain the control of the things we see)
when ear contact any object just use the word 'sound'
ex: a dog bark = sound, a child cry = sound, a man sing = sound etc.
when nose contact any smell just use the word 'smell'
when tongue contact any taste just use the word 'taste'
when body contact any object just use the word 'feeling'
when there is a thought arise in the mind just use the word 'thought'
you can test the reality of form, sound, smell etc. during the sitting meditation
in sitting meditation there are three Right Attention (yoniso manasikara)
**
First Right Attention** FRA
when sitting meditation we have closed eyes, and closed mouth so there is no form or taste arises
you pay attention to five items namely sound, feeling, thought, inhale (in-breath) and exhale (out-breath)
memorise these five items several times in order to bring them up instead of uncountable names of what we have seen, heard, smelt, tasted, felt before whenever there is an experience arises through six sense bases
Second Right Attention SRA
now the meditation starts
you do not do anything during the meditation but just wait and see what happens (no thinking of what you have read or heard about Buddha's Teaching or anything), just pay attention to whatever arises in the moment
whatever happens just know it
if sound arises just know it
if feeling arises just know it
if thought arises just know it
if inhale arises just know it
if exhale arises just know it
**
Third Right Attention** TRA
after the meditation- second right attention- spend few minutes to remind what has happened during the meditation
ex: say there was a sound of a dog bark
how did you noticed it?
as 'dog bark' or as 'sound'?
say there was a thought of a friend
how did you notice it?
as 'friend' or as 'thought'?
if TRA says you noticed as 'dog bark', 'friend', that means you need to increase FRA before start SRA
for beginners, if you going to sit for 30 minutes, it is worth to do FRA for 20 minutes and do SRA for 10 mits
checking the SRA at TRA, you can reduce FRA and increase SRA gradually
Remember you don't do anything during the SRA but just sit, observe and know what is happening at the moment
whenever you are successful you are 'here and now' and you yourself know it
this is called 'sandhittiko, akaliko, ehipassiko', the three first characteristics of Buddha's Teaching
if you could achieve this for one thought moment, that would be worth than for your whole life
you would know it by yourself by degrees, nobody has to explain it to you
at TRA, if you see when there was a sound during the SRA you noticed it as 'sound', feeling as feeling, thought as thought, inhale as inhale, exhale as exhale
then the SECOND STEP is completed
THIRD STEP
during the meditation (SRA) when a sound arises how do you know it is 'sound', but not 'thought' or 'feeling' or 'inhale' or 'exhale'?
from where does the word 'sound' come from?
can you hear it through your ear?
can you see it in your mind?
try to answer to these questions
it needs several meditation sessions
if there is anything to clarify of this post after trying just PM me
i will come back after sometime when i know the time is right
IF you really make an effort to do this simple task you will be practising four frame of references (mindfulness of body, feeling, mind and mental qualities)
by doiing so you develop four bases of power, two exertions- extertion to guard the faculties (eye, ear etc.), exertion to abandon unskilful qualities such as thought of sensuality, ill-will, and violence
in other words you are practsing 10 factors out of 37 factors to awakening
the five faculties (faith, effort, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom) will be culminated by this practice
that means, you will be achieved the first stage of enlightenment where you know what is self-view, what is rights and rituals, what is doubt
then you have firmed confidence in Buddha, Buddha's Teaching (Dhamma) and Buddha's disciples (Sangha) because you yourself become a Noble Disciple
I'm a young guy, so I know for me, The Buddha Walks Into a Bar: A Guide to Life for a New Generation, is a great book for applying Buddhism and mindfulness into every day life.
What we think we are doing and what is actually useful may be very different. So for example a big part of our training was meditation as movement. Kata movements (martial arts) were classed as mudra or asana and the idea was to keep the body active/occupied and the mind still.
The kanji meditations was not something I practiced for very long. Just went through the English alphabet one per day. Hardly extensive. Once I joined the Shingon group, I was provided with manuals, I was very much left to apply the teachings in my own way, with the 'exoteric' teachings being yoga and martial arts.
Folks can give you reams of material on how to practice Buddha's teachings day-to-day.
But I think that it all really comes down to a few basic actions.
Do your best to:
Be honest (to yourself and to others)
Respect (love) yourself
Respect (love) others
Respect (love) your environment (nature)
Don't feel guilty if you occasionally muck it up.
That is called living.
Peace to all
Outstanding @Lionduck
Many thanks. Always good to hear the basic teachings expressed simply and inspirationally.
Yeah, but you did make it quite verbose....
Brevity speaks volumes.
When you are focused deep enough, there is just an experience. It isn't even identified or perceived as sound, touch or heat. The idea of sound entering the ear comes from thinking.
Bare phenomenon(sankhara) arising and passing away.
But to do this in day-to-day life ........
if you know this for yourself you are on the right track
if this is what you have heard or read, then you have to use your own six sense bases and check whether it is correct
we have heard this and have read this
but how do you know this is true
there should be a way to know this is true
what is your experience to say this is the case
just this can be done by few sitting meditation session, say two or three sitting meditation sessions by applying the experience gained to day-to-day events
if we know what to do it is not a big deal
(what the problem with us was/is we do not know what is need to be done)
english is not my mother tongue
for the people whose mother tongue is as same as the used language
I sense some hostility in this thread.......
very good
you come to the right track instantly
check again and see how did you get that sense
The most important advice in day to day life - Learn to take a step back and ask what is really going on from a 3rd person perspective.
^^. Good advice @pegembara
Even though this seems like creating a 'dualistic mindset', it is in fact a skilful training method towards Truth and objectivity.
The little 'i' aka lobster/pegembara/gotama etc is fragile, easily effected, influenced, lizard brain, monkey minded. Pah!
The luminous mind/Buddha Nature/Real Being etc. is above such petty attachments. Free, open, spacious ...
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/letting-go-of-attachment-from-a-to-zen/
For someone who said that was going to be his last post (which is actually a bit melodramatic, and not encouraged on this forum), it seems you had more to add.
@upekka, you will find that generally speaking, when members, in any forum, on any topic, come across a great wall of text, many will respond with a "tl; dr".
When you speak to people, lecture them, instruct verbally, or hold monologue, people will listen and digest as you go.
In writing, brevity - on a forum - is far better tool to get your point across.
And you're "preaching to the choir" here.
As you're not a native English speaker, I'll explain: that means that you're giving lessons to people who may not need them, and already understand and know what you're preaching.
Which is actually somewhat patronising and rude, in some people's minds.
Basically you seem to be describing the first two enlightenment factors, mindfulness and investigation? It's what I focus on, though for me it's a challenge to maintain mindfulness throughout the day - do you have any advice on that?
thanks for your clarification
by saying 'this is my last OP' i meant i do not start any new thread here after
but that doesn't mean i am not going to contribute to other threads
see, seeing is deceiving
that is what i wanted to stress in this thread
this is practising mindfulness of body, first effort-effort to guard the six faculties, second effort-effort to abandon arisen unskillful thoughts of sensuality, ill-will and violence (what we do is creating the cause)
by doing so the first two enlightenment factors are being developed (what happens is the effect)
by reading your other posts, it is obvious that you have been doing this for a long time,
there is nothing new other than what you have been doing
just do the same thing you have been doing (do FRA several time before sitting meditation-SRA, and do TRA for few minutes and make a mental note what should be included in FRA before next sitting meditation and do the renewed FRA several time before next SRA)
since you prefer walking include in FRA: left, right (instead of in-breath, out-breath), form, sound, smell, feeling and thought several times before start walking
in your case there is no doubt few sittings of meditation and few walkings of meditation would make this practice is SRA your habit
once it is become a habit you need not to make an effort to be mindful, your mindfulness is with whatever you do (eating, taking shower etc.) during the day
however this is not the end
if you could completed the second step then go for Third step
by this time your efforts, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom has been developed to a certain level
once third step completed your Five Faculties of Enlightenment factors are developed
you yourself know your level
you don't need any one to tell you where you stand (Level, Stage)
if you feel like discussing further we can go from there
are perceptions simmered down now?
are you enjoying jhana now?
if so you can go to the next step to have 'dhamma understadning'
do you have any problem to identify in which jhana you are?
listen to a relevant dhamma talk with regard to jhana or talk to a monk who knows about jhana or read a book which talk about jhana
and
do the meditation again (here what you have to do the same meditation you have been doing)
dhamma reveals itself
anyone who experiencing jhana, could you tell us the difference between jhana and movement of elements?
or
similarities?
thanks in advance
To put it crudely, I would associate jhana with the quality of samatha, and awareness of the movement of elements with vipassana.
do you experience (have awareness) of the movement of elements when you are in First jhana? in 2nd jhana? in 3rd jhana? or in 4th jhana?
how do you explain the movement with elements?
clue: body consists of four elements
our body feel the movements of elements
how do you express this feeling?
all these questions are for you to probe deeper and deeper within you
which in turn reveal dhamma
if dhamma reveal itself just share it with others
if questions arised during meditation share them with others
even though there is only one TRUTH different people see it differently
sharing experience would help others
thanks @SpinyNorman