Beginners Question
lobster
Crusty Veteran
Back to basics … again.
As a perpetual beginner, I am always trying to refine a few basic questions and answers. What are your basic questions and work in progress answers?
Does Buddhism work?
The Buddhist model is based primarily upon overcoming dissatisfaction and ignorance and developing skills to improve our life experience.
How does Buddhism work?
By encouraging skilful and virtuous behaviour, awareness of ones activity and responses to stimuli and constantly changing for improved potential.
Examples?
Adopted precepts/disciplines refine our understanding and future direction.
Avoiding distracting, destructive and unskilful traits, empowers and increases a helpful basis.
Meditation helps us become aware of interior patterns, focus and chaos and develop resolve to find beneficial processes.
Chanting improves our attention, focus, breathing and health.
Prostrations
Comments
I find that some destructive tasks are layered with constructions like "pleasurable" "cool" "socially engaging" which in the long run I recognise as unproductive and "require to be ceased for the sake of being genuine to the path".
Adopted? Precepts, discipline.
Avoiding? Over-intellectualisation.... bad habits (smoking, lying, measuring benefits).
Meditation? Shikantaza facing the wall every morning. No excuses.
Chanting? I still find it so foreign... I'm trying to find something, but maybe I should just cease to find. I always found the Heart Sutra the only "chanting" I would feel comfortable with. Maybe the Metta Sutta too...
Edit:
A very good set of questions @lobster — my answers are a little different from yours, but I will try to formulate something that makes sense.
Buddhism is about seeking the end of dhukkha — dissatisfaction, stress and suffering. The Four Noble Truths state the core of this problem, and they give us a pointer: dhukkha is caused by clinging.
The main difficulty lies in identifying where we cling, and then letting go. We don’t let go of everything we hold, but only of those areas where clinging causes dhukkha. So the first step is to be aware of dhukkha, and this is helped by the development of mindfulness. Once we feel our dhukkha and can localise it, we can find our clinging.
It is a process of continual internal development, of being aware of when dhukkha arises, of tracing the places where we cling, of letting go of things that we may once have seen as important. Of supporting this with virtue and meditation. Of developing the spirit that lets go easily.
Focusing mindfulness on the emotions and the thoughts that lead to emotions.
Noticing that formulating a correct insight often brings release.
Shikantaza for meditation irregularly (i still forget this too often).
Precepts I keep for as long as they feel natural and not too forced.
You have a wall? In my day we were lucky to have a floor … Cue the 4 Yorkshiremen
shikantaza is hardcore …
No need to do it. It may be just a way of beginning and ending, such as bowing. Which is a great health practice in its own right …
Does Buddhism work?
If you pay it a living wage.
How does Buddhism work?
Based on how you treat it.
Why can't I ask any other questions?
It isn't so much I can't, it is the answers end up all the same which eliminate the need to ask the question. 4NT 8FP.
Why do I feel compelled to ask anyway?
Clinging and distraction.
Clinging to curiosity, clinging to comparison, clinging to self-doubt, clinging to ego, clinging to connection and interaction, clinging to the puzzle of the mind...distraction from practice.
"I ask to compare. I feel compelled to ask because I am attached to the comparison."
Why am I bothered by the feeling of sadness from this realization?
I am still captivated by the constructs of the mind. I still am enticed by the clinging. I am still distracting myself. I am still deluded in thinking I want something you can't give me but I keep trying to get it from you.
How long do I intend to remain there?
Until I move.
What am I doing about it?
Quiet the narrative in the mind.
Sit in patient attentive mindfulness.
Process that which arises.
Take with me love and kindness.
Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Or else forget.
Try. Even if unskillful, even if messy, even if scared, even if tired. No try, no learn. Try.
https://buddhaweekly.com/the-noble-eightfold-path/
Wonderful, bravo @FleaMarket !
I have potentially hurtful and personal questions to ask but I'm scared to ask them here as I don't want to upset anyone. The difficult questions, you know? What is the right way to ask such questions here? I have no one else who can answer them as some of you here do. I may direct message individuals I feel have insights into certain questions. Is this a skillful way?
@FleaMarket
It's pretty common to direct message folks here with questions that might be too personal or revealing for a semi-public forum.
Indeed.
Don't send me any, I may be upset and probably don't know anyway …
It is skilful
Phew! Hope I got away reasonably skilfully … in a Hinayana (disused term apparently) sort of way …
It is possible you need not worry. I am only seeking insights which I find helpful.
helpful insights?