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Cultivating Discipline

I severely lack discipline and want to improve. I will start small by creating a basic schedule. I am setting a schedule for waking up, meals, meditation, and bed. I do not expect to follow this perfectly at first and am already giving myself permission to make mistakes and be sloppy so long as I return to attempt again.

How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

Shoshin1

Comments

  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

    Good question. Do until done.

    • In dharma concentration exercises.
    • Zoom attendance, you can join @how, just private message him.
    • Start with easily attainable, so practice success with discipline.
    • Burn sandalwood for concentration.
    • Mala repetitions.
    FleaMarket
  • Shoshin1Shoshin1 Sentient Being Oceania Veteran
    edited April 2022

    How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

    Cushion time twice a day every day, morning and afternoon...Plus a Dharma group meeting once a week, every Monday evening...( the group has been meeting at member's homes since 2021-I think I stated to attend 2006/7-before this I just attended the monthly Dharma talks given by Geshe-la who came to the island once a month )

    In the past my emotional self was in the habit of throwing a spanner in the works whenever the motivational self set plans, the emotional self would try to talk the motivational self out of doing what needed to be done and more often than not it was successful ....

    Over the years I'm becoming more and more aware that the mind is easily charmed by its own thoughts....

    Nowadays the motivational self is not so easily charmed, and will just do it, not giving the emotional self enough time to pick up the spanner....

    personlobsterFleaMarket
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran
    edited April 2022

    @FleaMarket said:
    How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

    For me it’s mostly about restraint. With food, especially biscuits, internet time, sleep, and so on. Everything where you are yourself given to going to excess. Also in keeping commitments, such as helping my elderly mother and father.

    KotishkapersonFleaMarket
  • Really good advice and great question.

    Conquer your mornings, peacefully of course. Once the restraint and hold over the morning is well adjusted, then you have the rest of the day. It gets progressively easier.

    personFleaMarket
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

    return to the breath
    The breath is a clear indication of what we are experiencing.
    A few different breathing patterns can change consciousness.
    https://www.soulfularogya.com/tibetan-pranayama-the-9-round-breathing-wonder/

    FleaMarket
  • KotishkaKotishka Veteran
    edited April 2022

    Thought this would be of interest. I know the image and title can seem a bit overproduced...but the lecture is great.

    personFleaMarket
  • Thank you all. This is quite the collection of helpful insights. I think I have enough for a nice list on the whiteboard.

    Start well
    Show up for life
    Act quickly
    Small steps
    Celebrate accomplishments
    Accountability
    Reward yourself
    Observe excesses
    Remember your purpose
    Return to the breath
    Return to the breath
    Return to the breath

    Practice, practice, practice

    I can't wait for the day I stop distracting myself with the intellectual pursuit more than embodying the practice. Maybe today?

    Kotishkalobster
  • 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

    @FleaMarket said:
    I severely lack discipline and want to improve. I will start small by creating a basic schedule. I am setting a schedule for waking up, meals, meditation, and bed. I do not expect to follow this perfectly at first and am already giving myself permission to make mistakes and be sloppy so long as I return to attempt again.

    "It can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days for a person to form a new habit and an average of 66 days for a new behaviour to become automatic."

    From here.

    How is your discipline and what do you find helpful in its cultivation?

    I am extremely regimented in my morning and evening rituals: I cold-shower, dress in the bathroom, apply my skin creams, make coffee, drink it, and then brush my teeth.
    In the evening, I wash, put on my nightwear, brush my teeth and again, apply skin care.

    When it comes to Meditating, reading Buddhist literature, and practising daily - I confess, I am less disciplined.
    But I mean well....

    FleaMarketlobster
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    I severely lack discipline and want to improve

    nonsense
    You are trying (the beginning of do-do or Dodo)
    In other words action or extinction, both good

    Maybe today?

    maybe …

    FleaMarket
  • @lobster said:
    nonsense
    You are trying (the beginning of do-do or Dodo)
    In other words action or extinction, both good

    Ah, so frustrating. Of course...either there is do or there is do not. Everything else is mind fluff. I don't lack discipline, I just don't do the things. If I want to do the things, I can always just do them.

  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    Doing things by discipline is like scrunching up your face and thinking it helps with willpower.

    FleaMarket
  • lobsterlobster Crusty Veteran

    I just don't do the things.

    It gets easier but there is always more. Everybody has a chance and a path to return to.

    … eventually …

    • Lao Tzu
      “Every step is on the path.”
  • JeroenJeroen Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter Netherlands Veteran

    @Jeroen said:
    Doing things by discipline is like scrunching up your face and thinking it helps with willpower.

    Or like squeezing hard on the gut, as if attempting to pass some large bolus, and thinking that helps. Willpower both is and isn’t like producing a stubborn turd.

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