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Who here is willing to state why their practice is inferior to others?
lobster
Veteran
As some may know my main practice is talking to cushions, meditating daily as a way to take the edge off dukkha and the occasional spot of kindness to wayward Bodhisattvas. Day long mindfulness is long gone; it used to be a hobby.
Really I am just not cut out to be a practicing Buddhist. Better to be Nothing.
A lot of people here seem to be doing much better. Bravo.
. . . wait a minute, extra points for humility? :buck: .
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I know for a fact mine is.
Study of the Suttas?
Not as much as I should....
Meditating?
Well now, you see, it's like this.....
Learning from a teacher....?
Er....no....
See?
Hopeless.
Lobster makes me feel a bit better about sigh... not upholding bodhisattva vows.
That's a good Lobster.
My practice has so far not allowed me to glean the patterns of incomprehensible riddles/puzzles posted by my fellow Buddhists. I is teh sad.
Maybe if I meditated more often, or didn't concern myself with inconsequential things (wait that might include riddles), I'd be a bit sharper.
This man, on one hand, believes that he knows something, while not knowing (anything). On the other hand, I — equally ignorant — do not believe (that I know anything).
-Plato
Superior and inferior are just cul-de-sac's off from the middle way.
They require the placing of our dream on a scale to compare it with someone else's dream. Is one dream more or less substantial than anothers?
The practice within this nano second leaves little time for a practice and a dream comparison. Sometimes that might even be called an awaking from the dream.
Is there someone outside of the dream that is substantive enough to find themselves superior or inferior to nothing?
One can re arrange the chairs in the dream or one can see it for the illusion that we create.
The distance between A and B is measured by thought. If I say to myself "count on the breath" and then I am doing that then I say I did 'good'. And if I am not doing the count then I say "bad". But really the good and bad are relative only to the aribitrary method of counting. We shouldn't say the meditation is bad just because we go outside the box. After all freedom is the destination and we already have it! (when we are not beating ourselves up for not counting or 'not whatever'.
My practice is inferior because I don't even own a raft. I'm using driftwood right now. I'll get there hopefully. :buck:
On one hand, I have learned to be kinder to myself and others. I am slowly becoming more present and adept at letting go. I have seen many of my anxieties improve. But it's a veeery slow process.
Sometimes I still feel like a horse clinging onto a branch with all of my might, lost somewhere in the South American jungle. Every now and then, I let go of the branch, or even run across some hermit-shaman who gives me some sense of direction, or aids me in excavating old Mayan ruins that teach me a thing or two. I still only have so much idea of where I am headed, though; "oh yes, I am going in a Southward direction. Ya know, where all of the Southward stuff is." And I'll even get full of myself and brag to all of the other beings I run across that I am less lost than they are because I'M going SOUTH. Where are THEY going?
So yes, a lot of work left to do, and I don't do it nearly as much as I should. Still got lots of branches in my mouth, so to speak. Lots of idealizations, lots of inner judgements, lots of attachments, lots and lots and lots. I also drink way too much coffee
I'm willing to state that my practice is the same as others because like everyone else I try and struggle and succeed and fail.
I have a hard time sitting with a sangha and getting up to half hour meditating. That's partly because my medications make it hard to sit in such a straight position. When you are drugged by anti-psychotics you have the life energy in your body not flowing correctly so you sort of waver between positions and activities and never focus much on one thing. I have a good meditation ethic in doing it every day, but it is hard to do long sittings.
Kia Ora,
All I can say @lobster is, if you don't keep up with your practice you could end up in hot water (pun intended) _
_
Metta Shoshin
@Jeffrey
Considering the obstacles you address on a regular basis, you remain one of my meditative inspirations.
Day long mindfulness? You my friend are my aspiration!
I think your doing fantastic mate, read a good buddhist book lately? Some of mine encourage exactly what your doing.
Just in more words
Mine too. Don't let it go to your head . . . maybe it can go to your cushion . . .
Must resist the power of the cushion . . . failed again . . . just been trying a new design . . ..
It has gone to my head, but that's ok. hehe Today is my day to feel good. It comes and goes like tomorrow and yesterday.
My practice has made me a better person than I used to be, which probably means that my present practice is superior to my past practice. Or that both me and my practice have evolved organically over time.
But there's a long way to go, so I suppose my present practice is inferior to my future practice and the potential person I could become.
Your future is to be a Buddha, according to Mahayana. Unless of course you believe in the perfectly imperfect? I on the other hand am confused by the imperfect perfecting . . .
What is a gal to do?
Perfectly imperfect, but happy at that, is good enough for me, @lobster!
Yes, though it may be true that a particular approach to practice is better for an individual, according to their temperament and needs.
It's the difference between saying "This practice is the best for me" and "This practice is the best ( for everyone )"
I'm pretty good at judging others - equally as good at judging myself... I'm taking these good /bad threads with a grain of salt -just couldn't think of a good joke! lol!
Now Im judging my judging....hmmmm...sometimes thinking about thinking is just more thinking.... lol...Bob
"Equal I am, or better, or of less degree": All such idle fancies lead to strife, Who's unmoved by all these three conceits Such vain distinctions leaves unmade.
Having shed classifications, gone beyond conceit, he has here cut through craving for name & form
Well said or quoted I should say @Jayantha
Conceit is very much about relative positioning. Comparison.
Without labels, Buddha road kill or something to attach to . . . we are left to face ourselves on the cushion. What do we call these experiences? Eventually . . . nothing . . .
“pure mind is like the empty sky,
without memory, supreme meditation;
it is our own nature, unstirring, uncontrived,
and wherever that abides is the superior mind,
one in buddhahood without any sign,
one in view free of limiting elaboration,
one in meditation free of limiting ideation,
one in conduct free of limiting endeavor,
and one in fruition free of limiting attainment.
vast! spacious!
released as it stands!
with neither realization nor non-realization;
experience consummate! no mind!
it is open to infinity.”
― Longchenpa.
I'm getting confused by all these similar-sounding threads...
As an aspiring boddhisattva, I can only thank @lobster for his kindness in helping me escape the white water rapids - look there is a still lake up ahead, perhaps it's time to rest and take stock of the situation. There now, have I actually gone anywhere on this journey?