What teaching helped you the most?
Jeroen
Luminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlands Veteran
Today I was having a discussion with my father about the benefits of spiritual teachings, and I found myself talking about what helped me the most in the four years or so that I have been looking at Buddhism. I thought I’d briefly share here the conclusion that I came to while talking.
For me it was the teachings around the Three Poisons — desire, aversion and ignorance — and how to deal with them during insight meditation. When you turn within you can find in yourself places where you are not relaxed, are not at ease but are instead tense and stressed. Some traditions call these ‘knots’. If you can feel what negative emotion causes that within you, and can bring awareness and insight to that situation, you can dissolve those knots, and return your inner self to a feeling of peace and relaxation.
I’ve been working with this form of insight meditation for a few years now and it has lightened my load, increasing my happiness and inner peace. Sometimes I start from the memories of negative feelings, and I see to what event it leads me, and whether there is still tension and stress there. Then I start examining the roots of the feelings, what aspect of the Poisons or other negative mind states led me there.
So I was wondering, do you have a specific Buddhist teaching or practice that has greatly helped you?
Comments
I feel that is a complete teaching and practice you mention @Kerome
For me it would be the Mahayana dictum
Emptiness is form and form is emptiness.
I read the thread, it’s very interesting... I get the feeling I never penetrated very far into the meaning of the saying before, beyond the surface level of equivalence of the two... it seems opaque to me.
It’s true that one persons favourite teaching may not speak to someone else, but we can all try to help each other by sharing the things that helped us make progress on the path. It seemed like a good thought.
For me its simple, just meditate.
I would say just to do your practice each day even if you don't do like a 'retreat' long duration study session. But do practice each day and don't let the minutes, or hours, or days, or weeks, or months, or seasons, or years completely slip by.
I remember from the Sandokai (which is also a good Zen short written teaching) the ending lines:
Meditating on impermanence and death probably helped me the most in the beginning because it destroyed a lot of attachment that caused me personal misery. Then meditating on emptiness helped me further obliterate attachment. Finally, meditating on love, compassion, and bodhichitta has helped me feel closer to others than I've ever felt, like we're all one big family.
That seems a helpful continuum @JaySon
Love, compassion and heart based unfolding is available in our wider family ...
https://sufiway.org/teaching/seven-contemplations-on-the-open-path/14-teachings/41-the-art-of-awakening
Looking for it, the vision cannot be seen: cease your search. It cannot be discovered through meditation, so abandon your trance states and mental images. It cannot be accomplished by anything you do, so give up the attempt to treat the world as magical illusion. It cannot be found by seeking, so abandon all hope of results.
— Shabkar Lama, 19th Century Tibetan mystic
My 'personal misery' is centered around anger. Something I still use a variety of methods to gently unload. For example I create hypnosis presentations to address the subconscious. This is one I recently created on the Ipad with keynote but it could be done with powerpoint, libre office etc.
I like very much @Jeffrey reminder towards full time engagement ...
"This too shall pass."
One of the best teachings ever.
Mindfulness. Nyaponika Thera said: "Two thoughts cannot coexist at the same time: if the clear light of Mindfulness is present, there is no room for mental twilight. "
Mindfulness. Paying all attention to the right things, and no attention to the wrong things.
I think we are touching on a few of the real highlights here... death, impermanence, mindfulness, emptiness. I’ve tried meditating on all of them, and they have all helped to a degree.
The four foundations of mindfulness stands out as a memorable teaching, though it’s a bit long to quote so I will just link to it.
https://accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/nyanasatta/wheel019.html
@lobster Awesome.
I struggled with major anxiety and depression between my late teens and twenties. Which is what set me on the Buddhist path in the first place, solely for myself, just to achieve peace of mind in this life. Now I find myself with my eye on enlightenment mostly for others, also knowing that this is how I'll ultimately defeat all afflictions and obscurations in my mental continuum.
The most surprising thing to me was that I learned, through cultivating love and the strong desire to become enlightened for the sake of others, I'm constantly looking to increase my capacity to take on the suffering of others. So all of my past suffering, although terrifying and hopeless at the time, have ended up being a blessing.
Maybe because you have a strong capacity to experience anger, you should try taking the anger and hatred of limitless beings through the practice of Tonglen and send them all your happiness. Take the anger of hell beings and even work your way up to demons, for example. Atisha did similar practices (if you look at lojong commentaries written by his predecessors; source: Lojong compiled by The Tibetan Library of Classics).
When I read how he saw even demons as his kind mothers and generated love toward them, imagining demons standing in front of him and generating love toward them, it was shocking to me at first. But it makes sense if you think about how all beings at one point during limitless past lives were your kind mothers, and they still are your kind mothers--they're just tortured by the enemy of afflictions, blinded by ignorance. Hell, at one point many lives ago we were all in similar state of misery.
Oh yeah, one thing I wanted to add about the much less esoteric practice of meditating on impermanence...
One of the biggest sources of my depression in my twenties was that my little brother died young. Meditating on impermanence helped me understand death is natural, even at a young age.
Another source of depression was that I was a great athlete in high school and got injured so I didn't get to play college ball. My attachment to that desire was so strong that it caused me great misery. Meditating on death and impermanence released me from that attachment when I realized how much that goal didn't matter.
Likewise, I trained to be a novelist for many years and failed at that. The attachment to that goal caused pain and suffering. Death and impermanence meditation released me from that.
Also, I had a very successful business at one point and reached that goal, and found myself miserable with the results. All the stress and problems and ego problems and competitiveness. Death and impermanence meditation was also the antidote to that because it showed me I was wasting my life seeking worldly gain, and whether I gained or lost, I was still miserable because I was living with the motivation of attachment to the pleasures of this life.
Death and impermanence meditation destroyed thousands of attachments in my life over the course of maybe six months. That's really when I gained absolute conviction in the Dharma and the Buddha's teachings. They work. All you gotta do is do em. And meditating on death and impermanence will change your whole life.
One of my favourites is MN 61, given by the Buddha to his son, Rahula. Simple. Practical. Straightforward. And in my opinion, the heart of the Buddhist path of practice:
I knew we had plan! Buddha dharma works? Who Guessed? Most of us hopefully ...
Here is us playing with death, demons at Halloween but Tonglen, hell realm picnics and meditating on dead bodies (where available) can be done everyday ...
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/comment/520215#Comment_520215
Today is a good day to die (Klingon Mantra) - no suicides please, that is nihilism . . .
since this is in faith and religion,i'll spread my religious influence.....
golden rule,it's also in buddhism.
there is no male or female in christ;likewise there is no male or female in buddha nature....coincidental,maybe not.the spirit of equality.modern advice be fair.
ahimsa...nonviolence to your fellow person.
framework of buddhism,refrain from bad,do good,purify the mind.
Confession in Buddhism, who would haf thunk it. I wonder if Rahula was a monk at the time...
I would have to say a combination...The 4NTs & 8FP .....which is ongoing....always a new lesson/s to be learnt ...
Basics @Shoshin?
Too advanced for me. Must be refresher time ...
eh ... wait ... yep back to the beach for a new board ...
Is the first Nobel Truth, Existence is surfacing?
Must try harder ...
@Shoshin reminder of basics is spot on. Today I was contacted by an online dervish buddy from years ago. A more fluid heart based tradition.
http://sufi-tavern.com/sufi-stories/the-parcel/
One way in, one way out ...
... meanwhile ... back to the 4NT
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/22117/buddhism-is-not-a-religion
I just wanted to share the reaction of another friend knowledgeable in the dharma from a non-English forum to this question, which I’ve freely translated...
I thought it was very clear and inspiring.
Yes, probably. Confession is a big part of the Vinaya. There is ceremony every month that entails a general, communal confession. And the penalty for most of the none major rules is confession. Part of the reason is that it promotes honestly. And, as Bhikkhu Ariyesako puts it, "Admitting to one's mistake and agreeing to do better in the future is the way of growth and progress towards the elimination of all carelessness and absentmindedness."
Basically it's been the 1st noble truth.
Having an innate intuition of meaninglessness of life as demonstrated by society and the futility of all effort of striving according society's values learning about the 1st noble truth has been a similitude of liberation. "Hey that's not my problem, its the nature of samsara!"
Different teachings have helped me more at different times. When I am struggling I can usually find something in my arsenal to help me out ???
And in this one paragraph, you demonstrate that you have misunderstood the Buddha's most basic teaching. Taking the 1st Noble Truth in isolation, and using it as a foundation for your Mind-set and attitude, is an error.
Dear federika,
The question was "So I was wondering, do you have a specific Buddhist teaching or practice that has greatly helped you?"
There was no mention of 'taking in isolation' ...
You put it in isolation by making it stand alone.
The first Noble Truth is a fundamental SECTION of a greater teaching. It's inseparable, because on its own it merely states, it does not teach.
It is not something to take and separate from the others. It's like saying "would you like this dog? and you replying "I would just like the leg..."
Let's leave it at that, @federica.
How could you ever accept what I say when you reject the buddhist tradition that finally inspired me most.
As I already said I do embrace all buddhist traditions but I cannot practice all of them at the same time.
I haven't rejected it. I accept it's there, and I even use parts that are of comfort and use to me, in a neutral way. But I don't FOLLOW it as sacrosanct, to the exclusion of other sources. I practise more than one tradition, because they all have a great deal to offer.
It's not hard, it just requires one stays open to countless benefits....
Well see if a teaching and its practices has had such a tremendous impact on my experience, in a liberating way, then I will definitely not go elsewhere to find something else.
I mean, honestly, I cannot say 'I practice Mahayana' since I cannot say that authentic bodhicitta has arisen ... but all teachings and practices that proved helpful for me I have found in the sphere of Indo-tibetan Mahayana teachings.
As I said earlier I also contacted Theravada and Zen, both teachers and practices, I studied suttas, visited Theravada forums, but that simply wasn't helpful for me.
Have you tried Thich Nhat Hanh’s tradition, @herbie? It might combine well with your mindfulness practice.
Thanks for the kind suggestion, @Kerome. Actually I am not looking for a suitable tradition. The reason I visit this forum is inspiration, mutual inspiration best case, and as far as I am concerned there's already been a lot of inspiration for me.
My experience with subscribing to specific traditions is not too good really.
Exactly.
Different teachings at different times.
Truth is not static but fluid and skilful. One of the reasons it may be contrary or contradict a previous appropriate response.
For example we may move between poetic, literal, inspiring, logical, new, old, forgotten teachings etc. We may be creative, counter effective, stuck, destabilised, too flexible, too rigid, uncertain, faithful, scientific etc. In the end ...
Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.
Walt Whitman
My teacher once said "Nothing that I can say can help you!"
That's the single most helpful teaching I ever got.
But you’re not going to pick a few out and share them with us? What a pity. Hmmm.
“Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.”
Ron Swanson
If "I" were to single out one teaching...it would be on "Anatta"
"I Am" just an abstraction drawn from the karmic memory energies of the experiences had by the five clinging aggregates which make up the psycho physical phenomenon known as the self.... as it interacts with ( and is often influenced by) the date received through the sense doors ...
Knowing about the vibrating bundle of energy flux that "I Am" (which is held together by karmic glue) in a sense provides Awareness with the means to navigate the Dukkha obstacles, gradually reducing the acts of self sabotage which "I" have been accustom to, from the years of conditioning AKA wallowing in ignorance ....
Well something like that
So BE WARNED...
I'm sure this week's teaching is thus:
Which is ok because mine is:
???
That's nicely expressed.
That pertains to the 2nd and 3rd noble truth.
Lama Tsongkhapa expressed it that way in his Great Stages of the Path:
And he goes on:
https://archive.org/stream/TsongKhaPaTheGreatTreatiseOnTheStagesOfThePathToEnlightenmentVol3/Tsong-Kha-Pa_The+Great+Treatise+on+the+Stages+of+the+Path+to+Enlightenment+Vol+1_djvu.txt
Now of course one does not have to share his detailed view of the path as to how to get there. Nevertheless I think he does identify the root cause of samsara correctly and vaguely points to the direction of the 4th noble truth.
Haha yes @Kundo , I have no expectations of my team anymore therefore they never let me down.
A very good teaching we can apply to all those around us.
You’ll be pleased to know my daughter has adopted the Swans as her team. She wants me to buy a sticker to put on our car!
Nothing like a teacher being wrong to set us right.
We can look a little deeper. My teacher taught me nothing. Having attention in place allowed what some might call transmission/sharing/resonance.
Around us, what can remind/teach/expound when we listen/ingest?
Everything teaches ... when we attend ...
https://zenawakened.com/buddha-nature-is-everywhere-everything-and-everyone/
That's the right timepoint to say 'Goobye' to such a 'teacher'. At least he has helped you to realize that you shouldn't regard him as teacher and thus to overcome your attachment to further socialize with him as a 'teacher'. Best to leave from my perspective.
On the contrary. I feel he was the best teacher I've ever met and still do. This was like 15 years ago he said this. He's still my teacher and still be best one I've met.
Since you still call this person 'teacher': what did he teach you so far?
Nothing! Like I said, best teacher I ever met!
That puts me in mind of something Osho once said, that his words should not be remembered, and that the silence between the words was more important. He spoke a great deal on many subjects, but it was more the sitting there in the hall and feeling all this moving through you that counted.
But different students and different teachers are at different stages. If you @herbie feel you need relevant words then you can seek out such a teacher. It’s all a question of what your inner compass says you need.
If he really didn't teach you anything and you consider him therefore to be the best teacher you ever met, then have you ever met a teacher that taught you something and that therefore you consider inferior? Or is it that there merely is a resistance on your side to accept a teacher that is willing to teach you something?
Don't give me that. Everybody needs relevant words to enter and follow the or a path. Don't tell me you never listened to a teaching, never read books or texts.
For me, it bring to mind Chapter 7 of the Diamond Sutra.
“Subhuti, what do you think? Has the Tathagata attained unsurpassed complete enlightenment? And does he explain the Dharma?” Subhuti said: “As I understand the meaning of what the Buddha has said, there is no fixed teaching called unsurpassed complete enlightenment. And there is also no fixed teaching that the Tathagata can convey. Why? The Dharma explained by the Tathagata cannot be grasped or explained. They are neither Dharmas nor non-Dharmas. How is this so? It is because all the saints and sages are distinguished by the Unconditioned Dharma.”
See Chapter 7 above. A teacher that teaches that, is a wise one indeed. The Tathagata himself taught no teaching.
Now, is this a teaching that teaches you something or is it not? If it doesn't teach anything, for what purpose do you quote it?
It does not teach something.
I quote it because it would do you well to try and understand it. It would do everyone well to try and understand it. 
What do you think is there to understand about this "teaching" when it does not teach something?