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Your dhamma practice? What do you do.....?

BrianBrian Detroit, MI Moderator
edited July 2005 in Buddhism Today
What do you do for your dhamma practice? By this, I mean, what do you do that encourages you to perform acts of metta (loving kindness) and thus strengthens your kamma?

I help people with computer problems. Specifically, I help people remove spyware from their computers, for free. It gets to me sometimes. Lately I have been having actual bad dreams about people's computer startup logs and woken up sweating and thinking about it. It does get aggrivating sometimes, giving people the same advice over and over and over again and typing the same thing over and over and over again, and most of the time people don't bother to say thank you or to even let you know if it worked or not.. However, I find solace in the repetition and try to use this as a form of meditation. I find that at the end of the day, it really doesn't leave me with a sense of anger or frustration. I honestly hope that I am helping people with an obscure problem that most people can't help them with, and I'm glad I have that to offer to the world.

Comments

  • edited September 2004
    i can't say that i nessecarily do anything specific every day to that end... although right now my life is in a bit of turmoil since i recently moved 3000 miles...

    i do my best on a daily basis to help those around me wether its with small favors or seeking solutions to their problems. whatever makes me feel like i've done some good :)
  • edited October 2004
    I help people purchase homes for their families. I help them with the streese and planning, and I try to make the transition as seamless as possible for them. It may not be much but getting the single mother using an FHA program for her and her three kids to get away from an abusive husband and into a safe home makes me feel like I have done something good at the end of the day.
  • BrianBrian Detroit, MI Moderator
    edited October 2004
    Justin wrote:
    It may not be much but getting the single mother using an FHA program for her and her three kids to get away from an abusive husband and into a safe home makes me feel like I have done something good at the end of the day.

    As it should! That's great! :smilec:
  • edited April 2005
    I work at Bank, and I help people with their accounts and get out of debt. Which to me money isn't a big thing, but to others it is.

    Other than that, I'm like Tycho, doing small favors for people, and I usually go out of my way do make another person happy, whether its letting someone go in front of me, or just giving a comliment ^_^
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited April 2005
    I hate money - bring back bartering and pebbles!
    Seriously, money and finances faze me...i'm not mathematically minded at all, so you are a great help for folks like me....
    As some may know, I teach Qi Gong (a passive Martial Art, like tai chi but slooooooooower!) and I incorporate the odd meditation/visualisation. I'm doing one next week (by popular demand) on the Blue Medicine Buddha - it should be good. Otherwise, I try hard to do what Mother Theresa recommends (see below.) :)
  • emmakemmak Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I work with disabled people. I treat them as i would like to be treated. I look after them like they are my family and I love them because none of them have family and it makes me sad that have have nobody. Theoretically I am not even meant to hug them. I hug them heaps and one of the ladies kisses me on the cheek every night before going to bed. I make their lives a little bit 'normal'.
  • edited June 2005
    When my kids were growing up I used to tell them that they should try to do something nice for someone in their life everyday - their mother, a teacher, a friend - but they couldn't tell the person they did it.
  • BrianBrian Detroit, MI Moderator
    edited June 2005
    My wife has been doing a practice called "feed a thousand souls a day"

    Instead of throwing out "scrap" water (like emptying the dog dish for a refill or something) down the sink, she pours it into plants. Instead of throwing out scrap food, she feeds it to the fish in our pond or the birds, etc.

    I try to keep up with her, but she's good at it :)
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I meet people who come across my path and I help them to understand why they are so unhappy. Usually after talking to them they have a better understanding of themselves which might help them in the future. I am always hoping for the domnio effect. Just the other day I was talking to a guy and he said, "You have to treat everyday as if it's your last."


    I replied, "No, you have to treat everyday as if it's your first." He had to think about it for a minute and then he agreed. LOL
  • edited June 2005
    Brian wrote:
    My wife has been doing a practice called "feed a thousand souls a day"

    Instead of throwing out "scrap" water (like emptying the dog dish for a refill or something) down the sink, she pours it into plants. Instead of throwing out scrap food, she feeds it to the fish in our pond or the birds, etc.

    I try to keep up with her, but she's good at it :)

    Where did your wife come up with "Feed a thousand souls a day"? My husband and I have a compost pile in our back yard and we throw of all our fruits and veggies scraps in there and it makes great soil for plants! But I love your idea - we could do so much more than we are doing. Can you give me more details on this? Thanks!
  • edited June 2005
    emmak wrote:
    I work with disabled people. I treat them as i would like to be treated. I look after them like they are my family and I love them because none of them have family and it makes me sad that have have nobody. Theoretically I am not even meant to hug them. I hug them heaps and one of the ladies kisses me on the cheek every night before going to bed. I make their lives a little bit 'normal'.

    That is so wonderful. Everyone here does such wonderful things! I need to get to work on this!
  • ZenLunaticZenLunatic Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I'm a parent!! That's dharma practice in and of itself!


    But I also help people with Flash problems on a few forums. Many times it works like the 'mutual polishing' effect... I learn from the experience as well!
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I look at parenting as a gift. I am not helping them. They are helping me. I am their practice. :bowdown:
  • edited June 2005
    I try to be as respectful to all the beings I meet through out the day.

    Feeding the birds, moving the snails from others' footfall, saying hello to spiders and then giving them a mantra before escorting them outside (far more dinner for spiders outside!), greeting people's pets, breathing with the trees, appreciating birdsong...

    Smiling at people - in England it makes the world of difference!

    RECYCLING!

    On occasion I do some work raising funds for charity. I did a sponsored silence for three days - in a house of full of University students it wasn't as easy as you'd think it would be! I was able to raise £320 for a relief fund.

    Praying for those in the midst of samsara, including myself.


    But
    , being a student of Zen, my big daily practice is Zazen. Everything is practice ;)
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited June 2005
    My practice is trying to be mindful so that I can use everything as practice. I'm not always successful at it, but I try. I also like to download Dhamma talks and record them on cd. Whenever I am at work, sitting at home, or driving around I'll listen to them while watching my breath. I try to find time to sit as often as I can. I visit the Wats close to me and donate money as well as stay for a few days when I have the time. I make sure I tip people as well as I can. I wash my friends dishes when I visit and have dinner. I try to be generous and give money or food to the homeless people around town, although I do stop when they come at the same time everyday expecting it. I try to be kind to the people that treat me negatively. I also do my best to not harm animals or insects, I would prefer to take them outside instead of letting my girlfriend kill them. I basically try to be a good person and take my practice day by day.
  • edited June 2005
    You guys have made me think of a few things that I do as well. Like Elohim and BeautifulSpringtimeFist, my husband and I do not kill any insects, or creatures. If we find spiders or bugs in the house, we take them out to our garden. I can't tell you the number of turtles and snakes we have saved by stopping our car and moving them off the road. And when we see they are injured, we will take them home and try to help them, and then we release them. We also know a good amount about nutrition and exercise, so we always help people with their diets and an exercise program. We also are going to join the Down Syndorme Guild and spend time helping children.
  • edited June 2005
    I am in a program called AmeriCorps, so I volunteer at the local food bank, as a “regular employee” meaning that I work 40 hours a week but the food bank does not pay me. I get paid a stipend by the government to volunteer my time.
    The stipend is really nothing but they also give me health insurance and at the end of my year long commitment I get money to pay back student loans.
    I am also a big sister for Big Brothers, Big Sister, which is so rewarding in itself!
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2005
    It is most impressive to read of all the kind works that each one carries out, and I feel like a bit of a "grinch" in throwing in a caveat.

    Charitable action is, indeed, part of the Right Action of the Noble Eighfold Path and acquires merit, but it is not specific to Dharma practice and study. Our very best efforts may (and ofeten do) have unexpectedly worse result. Our best intentions may bring disastrous outcomes.

    The Buddha, and many other teachers, have stressed that kamma, whether positive or negative, is the very nature of samsara. The Noble Eightfold Path stresses neutral actions and thoughts. It is a delusion to believe that we are being "good Buddhists" because we are kind or generous.

    IMHO, Buddhism is about the training of the mind so that we can abide in the clear view (Rigpa). Good people, doing good things, are everywhere and such kindness is certainly to be encouraged. Buddhism takes us beyond.

    For that reason, I cannot consider such small actions of mine as "Dharma practice". That designation I reserve for specifically Dharma-based study, meditation and reflection, as well as for the moment-by-moment refocusing of my attention. Kind actions, in and of themselves, are as empty as nasty ones, arising from our individual kamma, psychology and desires.

    The Protestant theologians of the 16th and 17th centuries had interesting discussions on the topic of "good works before justification", deeming them to have no spiritual value. As Buddhists, we may understand that our every action and thought has a dependent effect, arising from dependent causes, good or bad solely as temporary judgments.

    Good actions arising from a troubled mind may have a temporarily beneficial effect but are subject to the laws of the Four Noble Truths and of impermanence. They also serve, many times, as reinforcement of ego-grasping rather than as lessons in impermanence and non-self.

    Please understand: I am not against kind and charitable actions. They make the world a nicer place. I am simply saying that they are not Buddhist, or Christian, they are humanitarian. Buddhism demands much, much more of us.
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Very interesting Simon.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    .... Yes, very thought-provoking, and actually quite true... it has brought me back to my centre. He's quite right you know..... :)
  • emmakemmak Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Yeah he is. But he spoiled the "I'm so good" thread... Bloody Simon...;)
  • edited June 2005
    emmak wrote:
    Yeah he is. But he spoiled the "I'm so good" thread... Bloody Simon...;)

    Hahahaha! I couldn't help but laugh at emmak's post! Thanks for pointing that out to us Simon!
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    Simon likes to make us think the right way. :)
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    .... Where has the 'Is there room in your Soul for Loving yourself?' thread gone? (Lotus Lounge) All 'I'm so good' fans could happily post in there.... but has it fallen victim, Brian? Am I going to have to re-create it for these poor children - ?!? :lol:
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    yes :)
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited June 2005
    That is a good point Simon. I think I disagree about small actions not being Dhamma though. You see conceit, for example, is subtle and hides behind our actions. It is so clever that it is hard to know when you are being conceited or in line with truth. Conceit can make us all act like spoiled children. I had this problem on another froum in which I continually argueed a point because "I felt I was right". The Buddha taught many small things as tools to help tame these things in the mind that we are not skilled enough yet to remove, things such as wisdom, empathy, generosity, equanimity, and patience. Generosity for example helps to train a person to be more selfless. Selflessness helps us to be less conceited and selfish. You can become more open to criticism without such a strong self view. Instead of becoming defensive towards someone pointing out your faults, you may look at yourself to see if they are right. What seems so small may grow to becoming something very big. Kamma whether good or bad does continue the wheel of samsara, but these good intentions and actions are needed. We must use these small practices of good kamma to build up the base of morality in which concentration can use as its foundation so that it may be firmly established to help wisdom arise within. They may be just stepping stones along the Path, but the have their value. That is my own belief in any case.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I think I expressed myself badly, Elohim. Right Action is an essential part of the Path and kindness is integral to Right Action.

    The point that I was trying to make is that enlightenment does not depend on our being kind-hearted. Being kind, acting lovingly, is not the preserve of any single religion, political party or philosophical theory.
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited June 2005
    Ah, I see. That is not how I understood it. What you are saying is true - These actions are not the property of any one religion, even Buddhism. Also, without the practice of meditation these actions alone do not lead you to the Goal.
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited June 2005
    I think I expressed myself badly, Elohim. Right Action is an essential part of the Path and kindness is integral to Right Action.

    The point that I was trying to make is that enlightenment does not depend on our being kind-hearted. Being kind, acting lovingly, is not the preserve of any single religion, political party or philosophical theory.


    Simon I don't do nice things because I think it is furthering me on my path. I do them because I like to.
  • edited June 2005
    Simon and Elohim,

    I thought that if I could show you how I walk the path then maybe you could appreciate that, maybe, there are more than one way to look at this subject. And hence strenghten your own practice.

    To keep it simple I will say this:

    Where you see simplicity, I walk among buddhas.

    Where you see 'empty' loving kindness, I sit with fellow bodhisattvas.

    Where you see the wheel, I see enlightenment.





    Also, something Elohim said (though not totally related) caught my attention.
    Elohim wrote:
    Also, without the practice of meditation these actions alone do not lead you to the Goal.

    What is this 'goal' you speak of?

    I wonder what Shakyamuni would say about the dukkha you cause yourself by being goal based...

    What will you do when you reach this goal - what's left?

    Die, perhaps?

    What will you do when you don't reach this goal - see this life as a failure?

    The patriarch Nagarjuna spoke tusly:
    Zazen is the dharma of all the buddhas. Non-Buddhists also practice azen. However they make the mistake of colouring it; their incorrect views are like thorns. Therefore, it cannot be the same as the zazen of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. Sravakas and pratyeka buddhas also do zazen, but they wish only to control their minds and seek to reach Nirvana. This is not the same as the zazen of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.

    Finally, I will bow deeply to you, my friends, for listening.

    My only motivations for speaking are those of loving-kindness and I hope we can grow together.
  • JasonJason God Emperor Arrakis Moderator
    edited June 2005
    Sigh. I hope none of this will be taken the wrong way, so here it goes:

    To answer your question as best I can BSF - The Goal I am refering to is what, in the Pali Canon, the Buddha taught us to practice for. It is also referenced as Nirodha, Nibbana, the Goal, the Fruit of the Path, the Unconditioned, etc. The Noble Eight Fold Path or Magga is followed so that we are lead to this Goal.

    A passage in the Pali Canon describes this Goal as "where the six senses & their objects cease — which can be experienced although not otherwise described, even in terms of existing, not existing, both, or neither."

    Of course after much practice a bhikkhu (or layperson) understands and drops his attachment to wanting to achieve anything, but before he is able to do this he must first practice. The defilements must be removed so that we can see these truths clearly. That is why the Buddha taught us of the Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path.

    The Buddha did not die after he achieved this "Goal" of "Awakening". He taught his disciples for 40 years before his body ceased to function. At this point the Buddha had no "idea of self" and so who was it that died?

    As for me, I do not know. I am not dead nor am I enlightened. I practice to practice. Whatever I "achieve" doesn't change the fact that this body will cease to function one day.

    What I speak of is what I have learnt, practiced, and understood form the Pali Canon as well as the Thai Bhikkhus who have taught me. In your tradition I suppose they teach the Dhamma differently. I think that in any case they both use different approaches to teach the same thing.

    As for the confusion between what each school defines a bodhisattvas as I think it's fair to point out that the first disciples of the Buddha all practiced with him to reach "the other shore". People think it is selfish to attain Nibbana for oneself, but how can you teach it without having attained it? Everyone must discover this truth by themselves. Even the Buddha only pointed the way, he cannot force you to look. The Buddha did not teach the Dhamma before he understood it. He practiced himself until he mastered his own mind, discovered the "builder of the house", "broke its rafters" and "attained the Unconditioned". To me that is the purpose of the Path. From the quote it sounds like the patriarch Nagarjuna is holding to some views of his own. (Before this offends anyone it's a joke.)

    Anyway, I wish the Buddha was here so that he could teah me himself. But alas, he is not, and all I have to learn from are his words that were written down about 500 years after his death. I do not have all the answers myself which is why I am doing the best I can.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited June 2005
    This to me is the perfect example of the Teachings in the Kalama Sutra.... you have both touched upon points which ring true to me, even though on the face of it, you seem to be contradicting each other.... This is not so.... to my view, you're both saying the same thing - just approaching it from different directions.... it's like two people describing a horse - one says it is tall, four legs, sleek and muscular, with smooth hair.... The other that the mane and tail are coarse, it has a soft mouth and a broad back..... :)
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited June 2005
    As Fede says, there is really no 'contradiction' between our positions. The difference comes from confusing Enlightenment as causation and as fruition. It is, of course, both at once.

    Thus there are days when my Taking Refuge is something towards which I move, and there are days when it is the place where I have always been.
  • edited June 2005
    Thus there are days when my Taking Refuge is something towards which I move, and there are days when it is the place where I have always been.

    Everything is as it is...

    (a warm hug for my dharma brothers and sisters)
  • edited June 2005
    i will do general acts of kindness. i'll help the elderly in stores, i do that a lot. small acts of kindness to me are very rewarding, they make me feel like i've accomplished something big. even buying someone (catie) a small gift is rewarding because i know it will bring her joy....
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited July 2005
    There is a fine line - or maybe a whomping great wide one! - between Dharma practise, and Practising Random Acts of Kindness.... But the two inseparably overlap at times... Maybe what we believe and put into action, is Dharma Practise.... What we put into action, whatever we believe, is 'Sangha practise'.

    HHDL says his Religion is Kindness.... and although a work of fiction, I was inwardly delighted to see an English programme on tv (BBC cop show) where a Police Constable, named 'Clarky' was determined to be kind all day.... it was comical to see him panting after having finally caught a fleeing criminal, and between catching his breath, thanking him for giving him a much-needed bit of exercise - !! But he persevered all day, inspite of being belittled by his cop partner's girlfriend..... (this meeting was engineered by his partner, Bert, to prove that one couldn't be kind, ALL day.... Bert knows his girlfriend can't stand Clarky). She was telling him what a nut and a crank he was, and how stupid and ridiculous he always seemed to be.... he was obviously deeply hurt by this assault - but he turned to her and replied 'Louise, you are obviously free to think what you like; but I've known Bert much longer than you have, and I can promise you, I've never seen him happier than since he met you.' That totally floored her. Now that is Dharma/Sangha Practise.... to my mind..... :)
  • comicallyinsanecomicallyinsane Veteran
    edited July 2005
    I keep reading all these long answers. I think it's time I stepped out. Good luck with all your debating. :) :bowdown:
  • SabineSabine Veteran
    edited July 2005
    ...I'm just naturally good-natured, I reckon. People actually tell me that I'm too nice :bawling:
    Anyways, I guess I should start paying more attention to the good things that I do--practice for mindfulness :bigclap:
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