What is my practice? Where is my practice? Who is my teacher?
Kotishka
Veteran
I have been attempting to practice Buddhism for almost 6 years now. The issue here is how I have drifted from Tibetan to Theravada to Zen to....perennial/samsaric spiritual materialism and then back to start.
I am now sitting using my ikea stool plus zafu, following shikantaza instructions and the specific hand mudra associated to this practice. I am sometimes though drawn back to my second Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Sona, and do sutta study and practice the 8NB. However, his practice is shamatha (or anapanasati; is that even the same? I'm I mixing terms?). Meanwhile I practice shikantaza...that being.... I face the wall, eyes slightly open, straight back, and bam: let it start baby!
Thank you for your time. A lost meditator here seeking advice once again..
Comments
The lost asking the lost…
I did much the same: I started with Thich Nhat Hanh, then I went to the Tibetans, then I found Ajahn Chah and the Thai Forest Tradition, then there was some Zen. It went on and on.
But I found each teacher left me with something, a core teaching and an insight.
In my opinion this sort of practice is fine for us worldlings making our way. I think if you wanted to go deeper finding a teacher and focusing in would be needed then.
Without boring you with the details, I did hit rock-bottom a couple of months ago and it kind of clicked: the entire Buddhist narrative and basically how much self-deception I had been feeding myself. Like the façades of buildings in centre Pyongyang. Beautiful outside, colourful yet empty and rotten inside.
I have seen how practice and Buddhism just makes me live better as a human being, maybe you do not need to label certain aspects with "Buddhist only" as I have grown closer to other inspirational/wise men. Some of them are scientists or health professionals I've worked with and, while completely non-spiritual, taught me a lot.
I want to dwell deeper and right now my path is to renunciate to excessive material things, keeping myself light, both physically (losing weight), mentally (dropping toxic/unwholesome thoughts), and also my actions (smoking, cursing, lying).
I remember once How told me that Buddhism was more about practice rather than theory, without discrediting the need for some theory. I think I am more of an intellectual / academic Buddhist more than an actual practioner/folllower....hence I want to deepen my practice.
https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/10/27/opinion/00mit1-12/00mit1-12-superJumbo.jpg
Yes, in the end it is about practice. But in the metaphor of the finger pointing to the moon, to say the finger doesn't matter is over negating. The finger is important in that it shows us where to look, we then need to actually look. Plus we all have differing personalities and dispositions, its important to find a path that works with our tendencies rather than requiring us to change deep set things about us in order to progress on the path.
Hey Kotishka
Of course, one could always consider turning around and facing the other half of existence.
Bad zen joke!
A mind seeking a teacher or a better explanation of a practice, is not in itself a sign of a lost pilgrim. If you have a practice that allows an objective observation of the incoming data feeds of all your sense gates and can allow them a collegial co-existence with each other, equanimity and suffering's reductions will inevitably follow.
If you ever again think you're lacking because of the absence of a teacher, consider that whatever makes you reluctant to practice in any moment is actually your real teacher.
Forget about your strengths in meditation; they will take care of themselves.
Like the spokes of the 8 fold path where the entire wheel is only as strong as the weakest spoke, your meditative progression can simply be buttressed by how you practice wherever you are least inclined to meditate. Here, the right teaching for you might exist where ever its hardest for you to meditate.
Cheers
H.
Practice for the sake of practice with no expectations in mind.
And now for the perfect practice paradox
Practice makes perfect, and perfect practice makes perfect practice. Perfect practice is accepting that practice is not always perfect. For if it is perfect, it can no longer be practice, and if it is no longer practice, then why practice?
In other words @Kotishka, what is happening is practice in motion, the ups and downs, the trials and errors, the swings and roundabouts: Dukkha, Sukha, Sukha, Dukkha, the rhythm of life in Samsara.
My Buddhism is Based o the Lotus Sutra. Specifically SGI.
My practice is everywhere
My teacher is everyone and everything
Seriously, my primary practice is at home and at weekly gatherings.
I learn and grow through interaction with fellow practitioners, mentors, personal study
and normal (occasionally not so normal) interaction within my environment - living.
Generally, if you think your Buddhist practice begin an ends with your formal practice,
think gain. Everyone and everything is and can be your teacher, your mentor.
The practice of Buddhism is the practice of living.
Yes, you will stumble.
Yes you will wander and wonder.
Perfection is not the point.
Peace to all
>
that is the whole point for me too. being a decent person makes it all worthwile. the ground work is so important, that is why we do the precept. you will give a vibe to others i love you as me co equal love and respect. the middle way is right way. right intention/thought is the grounding for me to keep at it with the 5 precept.
for me as a layperson i renunciate not with the world,middle way but renunciate the poison of the mind...extreame greed, extreame hatred and extreame delusion displayed by trump who is a dump.so trump is my teacher who blaspheme god and the dharma to never be like that in the world. bet on it sam God will deal with him. silly he thinks he is God like cesar niro the antichrist spirit.
but in the meantime you are doing fine. you and me will head the buddhas advise...do good refrain from bad and purify the mind is sound advice i and you take to heart.
> A lost meditator here seeking advice once again..
Hope that helps (at least me)
meanwhile...
https://laurahargreaves.com/tag/reflections/