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What have you realized?
RichardH
Veteran
What have you realized in Practice. This isn't about foolish claims of Enlightenment or specialness. Just what have you actually realized beyond theories and Sutras? What have you come to SEE, in your own words?
Thankyou.
Thankyou.
0
Comments
*That you have to be grounded in common sense.
*That Dharma is not about finding the comfortable way through life, sometimes you have to go through discomfort.
*That too much theories make up for a busy mind, not an enlightened one.
*That peak experiences like "I went floating over the town" sometimes are just tricks our mind plays, no matter how blissful they are.
*Some realizations are painful.
*That, as far as teachings go, you must look for things you can use, no for things you can show off.
*That Buddhism can be used as a form of escapism.
*Overall Buddhism is a solution to our faults, it won't work if we are blind to them.
*That we have to befriend ourselves in order to have a more peaceful meditation experience.
*That ethics is the hard part, and where your accomplishments really show. There is no hiding in here.
*From time to time, it is good to ditch Buddhism and just be yourself.
*That the solution for our problems is not always a spiritual one.
*That humor goes very well with Buddhism.
That is beautiful, every one. Thankyou.
* That I'm wrong... often
* What I eat effects my moods and well being as well as my health
* That if I act negatively to one small situation, that negativity has the ability to spread to other situations in that day. Sometimes longer
* Family is precious
* My wife is the most patient and caring person I know and I'm grateful
* I used to get angry easily (that's changing now)
* I used to lie to myself about many things, often
* Compassion isn't a door mat
* Stress physically alters your body and mind
* Meditation physically alters your body and mind
* I don't need so many of the things I want
* There isn't "one" way
* I don't need to look for the things that make me happy, I have then already
There's probably many more....
Nios.
* Buddhism only works if you WANT to follow the guidelines. If you feel like you HAVE to, then what's the point.
* There's still a lot more about myself that I don't know.
* No need to worry about reaching Nirvana, Buddhism is already great and useful and wonderful at a lay person's level.
* I learned to stop being so mean to myself.
* Meditation can happen anywhere.
* I am never bored anymore because I can spend that time meditating or self-reflecting.
* I have a better grasp of what's important at the present moment.
*whatever do without expecting anything brings just the satisfaction
*no matter how smaller the task is but do it with the intention of helping others brings the doubble satisfaction
I don't know,much if anything.
I imagine, a lot.
This training has saved this life from hell. (big time)
I've witnessed miracles arising from this training.
I can still be the same ole rude person I've always been, even with a lot of training.
It's okay.
It's not too late to 'let somebody love me.' as the Eagles once sang in the song of my outlaw soul 'Desperado.'
I can do this!
Off to Sangha!
I just got back from Sangha where I spent about ten minutes speaking about this discussion forum activity with one of my teachers. What I realized, from that meeting, was that my teacher considers this activity toxic addiction and recommends that I renounce this as such.
As with everything I will listen to my teacher and pay sustained attention to what's going on here before making any decision one way or the other, my teacher knows this about me and will support me in whatever decision is made.
As you and others know I do find it challenging to maintain equanimity and even graciously sweet demeanor with some folks here. This is not their fault but the issues I must face about myself, when faced with what I imagine as negative appearances.
My teacher and others do not consider this as beneficial practice and when invited to check this forum out simply said no.
So, what I imagine I will realize eventually is whether or not this activity is ingesting toxic words in consciousness or a practice that may be of benefit to practice.
The jury's still out???
*I learned that the past and the future are illusions, they don't exist in reality.
*I learned I had been living and wasting much of my life in these illusions.
*I learned how to live in the present moment.
*I learned that sitting still and following one's breath is a lot harder than it sounds....
*I learned that sitting still and following my breath has slowly started a transformation in me and the way I perceive and understand my mind.
*I learned that living a moral/ethical life is a lot harder than I thought it would be.
*I learned that I'm not nearly as special or unique as I thought I was.
*I learned that almost everything I knew was wrong or warped in some way.
*I learned that pain and suffering are two different things.
*I learned that the teaching of anatta brought me comfort and wellness.
*I learned that it's going to take a lot of practice to truly understand the teaching of anatta.
*I learned that I can sit in meditation while in strong physical pain and eventually the body will recede and pain with it.
*I learned that true peace and happiness can't be found in any external thing or circumstance.
*I learned that there is a natural tendency in my mind towards peace and happiness and it's only when I interfere with that tendency by chasing thoughts and feelings that I lose that natural peace and happiness.
*I learned how to relax into unpleasant physical and emotional feelings.
*I learned that I need a lot more practice in relaxing into unpleasant feelings....
*I learned how to think about letting it all go.
*I learned that when I think about letting it all go I feel peace instead of panic.
*I learned how not to let disappointing situations upset me so much.
*I learned that I don't know how I learned how not to let disappointing situations upset me so much. I just happened to notice it one day....
*I learned for sure what I have always suspected; that we have everything we are ever going to need with us at all times.
*I learned that love is not all you need.
*I learned that there really IS a way to survive in this cruel, heartless, brutal, gut wrenching, beautiful world and not only survive but develop and transform into something much better and much stronger than I ever thought I could be.
*I learned that everything really IS going to be alright.
I agree that this doesn't appear as a terribly toxic environment. Yes, my Sangha friends see it as distraction, not practice. I'm sitting with how I contribute to the toxicity of the environment and how to, as a Sangha friend who knows about internet forums, said, "throw a bucket of water on flame starters.'
Hum? I imagine realizing and actualizing that would be a good thing!!!
*I have learned how to be a fool.
*I can sit still for a long time.
*I have lost most fear.
*I have realized that life came with no promise.
*I have found that truth that is closer to me than my own bones, and am at home in the universe.
*I used to be screwed up about being screwed up. Now I am just screwed up.
*I fundamentally trust.
*I'm happy most of the time.
I have come to realize that unless I meditate every day and practice the Noble Eightfold Path, I cannot truly hope to think and act correctly, because these are the things that ground me in the practice. And without right thought and action, I cannot really help either myself or others.
I have come to realize that every mistake I've ever made--from the least to the greatest--stemmed from some form of not paying attention, not being awake, not being aware, not being in the moment (all of which are the same thing).
I have realized that Enlightenment is not a far-off goal, it's a moment-to-moment practice; and that Awakening is not a matter of unbroken continuity, it's a matter of pulling myself back into the moment as often as I stray from it.
I have realized that I've been asleep most of my life (like everyone else); and that I have been given the very rare and precious opportunity to awaken, to see things as they really are; to come to life for real.
To Brother Bob: I am very interested in what you are saying here. I agree that discussion forums can be a stumbling-block to practice, and I often find it challenging to maintain equanimity and lovingkindess too. I will be interested to see what you decide; I also think the whole "toxic environment" topic would make a good thread in itself.
Brilliant, and agreed.
"Letting go" is what I have gained from this practice.
I am less reactive with things that used to trigger a reaction.
I used to have a 'self talk' voice that was constantly busy with self pity and criticism (of others). I rarely have that voice anymore.
I couldn't have said it any better. I used to be just like that few months back before I discovered Buddhism. I still do but very rarely and the moment I am at it, I get some alarm bell ringing "You are at it again... STOP"
What I'm trying to say is that I'm finding this exercise to be extremely helpful in cementing the positive changes that are taking place as I practice and study.
I'm going to start a new journal and I'm going to call it, "What have you learned for sure?"
Thanks, Richard. I really appreciate it.
One must also let go of the teachings. That is, not to take them as something to be memorized for the sake of argument or of an abiding sense of greater self-worth in the accomplishment. They really are just a raft to help you and to be discarded piece-by-piece as realization ensues. That is not to say that the teachings become invalid, but rather that they are transcended by direct realization. One can describe the warmth of the sun's light on the skin to someone who has lived underground all they want, but once the darkness-dweller experiences it for him- or herself, the words are much less important.
P
Always the emphasis in Buddhism has been on personal experience, and that is different for everyone; so we must not get so bogged down in the words themselves that we lose the spirit of the teachings.
I don't know where to start , but here it is :
1. I realised many, big and small.
2. I've learnt that life itself had other colors than black and white (I prefer red,blue and orange
3.I've learnt that suffering was keeping my spirit down .
4.I've learnt not to trust fairy-tales and my own dreams.
5.I've learnt to accept what is happening to me.
6.I've learnt this fraze:"Karma is karma, neh?"(taken from James Clavell's Shogun)
7.I've learnt to flow with the current, to keep my WA(harmony) untouched.
8. I've realised that nobody wants me in their own entourage, but when it comes to urgent needs (reffering to things that my so called friends can't solve for themselves) they all come begging me to help them...and after that, I'm ignored again.
9. I've learnt not to get emotionally attached to anybody or anuthing( especially to the girls who forgot about me:D)
10. I've realised that I can't love, but still I care a lot about other people's wellfare.
They fill in so many gaps that are not possible to fill (unless one's mind has psychic omniscience).
I learned the teachings are a direct description of realisation.
I learned what one often thinks is direct realisation is often 'bright delusion' or 'white darkness'.
I learned spacing out is not realisation.
I learned there is so much more to learn apart from what is commonly regarded as emptiness.
I did not learn to respect the Buddha's words because from the first time I read them there was respect.
I have learned that I need to practice within Sangha and tend to stray when I try to go it alone, and that these old freinds are a treasure.
I have learned to love and respect my teachers, as living examples of the wisdom and virtue I aspire to.
I am slowly learning to heal and reconcile the tensions within myself resulting from being both a Zen and Theravadin student, in a way that honors both traditions while respecting differences.
This is the purpose of the Dhamma of the Buddha. It does not need to be of a certain school, of a certain culture, or memorized. The meaning of the Dhamma is to condition us to think in accord with things as they truly are, and thus to lead our selfish minds to the right view intent to liberate ourselves from our selves.
I hope that you return to the site Richard, and don't allow mere undesirable conditions to dissuade you from helping others. You were one of the well-spoken posters I admired when I first visited these forums.
- It's unbelievable how unconscious most Westerners actually are most of their waking hours (myself included, until this past Dec). I have a long way to go to be more conscious - but at least I recognize it now and I'm working on it.
- How much we're all driven by ego, and how pointless that really is (something I sorta knew, but can see far more clearly now in myself, and in turn with others).
- How uncertain life is, and we can't change it (I have always dealt with uncertainty well, but now I am much more comfortable with it).
More to come I'm sure...But the wish to be happy will always live
It is the mind that realizes things, one thing at a time, ad infinitum.
Buddha Nature has always been exactly as it is Now, complete within the Immediate Moment.
After that, it is all window dressing.
Respectfully,
S9
wisdom is by-product of purity
That the Buddha was right.
* There is a difference between pain and suffering
* Throwing new attitudes / personas onto myself seeking my true self is the wrong direction, but stripping them down and not psychoanalyzing myself is the way to the true self
* Labels aren't good. I used to be proud of showing off how I "am" a vegetarian, strong leftist, but realized that I'm not. I'd rather not be grouped with these terms anymore and stray away from being associated with them. It's hard to explain.
* Trying to act like others is foolish
* I am much happier
* I am less self-critical
So here goes - i was sitting at the computer, multitasking and beating myself over the fact that i do not walk my dog enough. So there i go, every second more annoyed with myself and the world and it occurs to me that i'm not even exactly sure what the 4 noble truths are (i get this impression once in a while). So i go check it out on the net, and than go on doing my "art" while turning off a movie... and i sit there a while fed up with the amount of stuff (objects) i was suffering over to get into my life, now annoyed to get out of my life, starting to notice that since i cleaned out my room, maybe i should get something to make it less cold looking - thus starting to consider a mandatory acquisition of things again. If you get something, or get rid of something, nothing ever really changes.
And suddenly i stop, look at my dog, and just realize that the little brat is actually sleeping like he was never as tired and never enjoyed itself so much as that moment, really not giving a damn about how i wish for things to be "better", letting me to do all the worrying "work" for him, just simply as can be, lying there and enjoying it.
So i say to myself, .. it, i'm taking the dog out to pee, i'm sick of beating myself up over it.
While walking outside, i pass some chocolate and take it with me, not nearly dressed enough, but i left my sweater outside anyway.
So there we are, me and the dog, eating some chocolate and peeing on the dog-urine-withering-bushes, both enjoying the moment, and it occurs to me that i'm actually shaking because of the cold and i get annoyed, since i then had to get my sweater, had to fuss over the cold, and i didn't even yet finish my chocolate!! So i say, to hell with the cold, i'm not doing it, and keep on enjoying the chocolate... so it dawns on me - the strawberry tasted however it tasted to the one who ate it... the tiger is just an unimportant distraction. So i finished the chocolate fully enjoying it without a care for the cold, went for the sweater, and went back inside with the dog XD Suffering is so not connected with the circumstances, isn't it... but 10 min from then i'm getting annoyed with things again, gotta repeat that with a more lasting realization^^ Haha i fail at Buddhism^^
Otherwise, what i saw up till now, umm, much =D
That's a pretty big question... but it made me think because when I read it my brain just stopped and I thought "I don't know what I've learned", then I thought "I've learned nothing" but that didn't seem right to say... just because I couldn't think of how to verbalize what I've learned....
Hmm, I'll try to explain, it's like this.
When I started Budhhism I was actually pretty moody and irritated by what it implied :shake: I thought "This is a bunch of crap."
I kept misunderstanding what it was saying and I jumped to a lot of wrong conclusions :hrm: But I was still fascinated and learning stuff.
Then later I started to think Buddhism was spot on, perfect, ideal, the best! :bowdown:
I wanted to do what ancient man did, and build a huge statue of the Buddha, out of gold, no wait diamonds. I put him on a pedestal and thought everything Buddhist was perfect. Like Brady Bunch perfect. I wanted Buddha Puff cereal, frosted if you please.
But everything that's placed on pedestals eventually falls. I have come to learn that Buddhism is not a magical cure all tonic. For instance, it will not grow your hair back. :mullet:
So through practice I've learned that there is no ultimate, most perfect truth. Everything has flaws even with the best intentions. I've learned to chill out a bit and not become obsessed, or try to chase waterfalls (am I using that reference correctly).
*And it terrified the soul out of me.
*that like most people in modern American society, we don't live..our life goes by in a blur. By doing my best to be Mindfull, I have started to see the things I have missed before..I actually feel alive
*I have started to see what attachment, espc. Material attachement here in the US, can do to people in terms of suffering. Failing health and marriages are just a few of the symptoms.
*That I have many things to overcome..it is a life long journey, not a quick fix.
*If you really listen you can learn something from almost anyone.
*I don’t know nearly as much as I think I know.
*To love myself despite the fact that my ego is an annoying bitch.
*To be grateful.
*To be vulnerable.
*That real learning comes from making mistakes.
*There are no absolutes.
*You can't polish a turd.
*Not to take myself so seriously.
Lot of points I can equate with.
I just remember one thing I've read:
"Don't despair as you look at how far you still have to go. Marvel at how far you've come!"