To repent, one must give rise to the mind of repentance. That is most important.

One can also recite the following verses (with the repentant mind):

All the evil karma that I have committed in the past,

Arising from my aeons of greed, anger and ignorance,

Committed by my body, speech and mind,
Now I repent before the Buddha.

But without a repentant mind, whatever one recites doesn't mean there is 'repentance'.

http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol6no2c.htm

Originally posted by longchen:

Fully agree with AEN.

I think liberation is not so easy... not that I am there.

Too often we think we are there when in fact we are still far away from it. I am certainly not there... but I have read several times that completing the Dzogchen practice takes at least 60 years of practice.

The most subtle obscurations are the most normal and natural ones to us. So natural that it is transparent  or invisible to us.

We are all born with the various passions (5 elements manifestations) in different degree. These passions are so natural that we think that we are free of them. Even the natural habit of blocking any thoughts/feelings that are deem as unwholesome is part of the passion... depending on our personality makeup. We may block using fear, anger, pride etc. 

Many time we treasure the non-dual glimpses so much that we get distracted in all the other times. When dualism takes over, we will not be able to detect it at that moment... because the conditionings are so invisible and natural.

Just a sharing

 

 

Suddenly I was reminded of something Dharma Dan said:

Essentially what happens is layer by layer of your consciousness and experience- you begin to notice that those things are not split up in the way that we thought they were. There’s not the independent, discrete, steady, continuous, controlling, observing, isolated entity in the center of it all that is either thinking or observing thoughts or doing or, you know, being done to or, you know, whatever it is. That sense of things progressively begins to be weakened until finally the last hints of that illusion just suddenly stop.

And the knot of perception that was clouding things and making us think that we were a subject or a doer or an independent entity or a continuous person is gone. That said, all the processes that were there making us think that - to use paradoxical language. All those processes of identification of thought, of emotional life, of psychology, of thinking the word I, of intention, all the sensations of the body, thoughts, and everything that went into that are still there essentially happening as they did before. So, they were causal and empty before that and they are causal and empty afterwards and suddenly that‘s just understood.

And that’s at once a good thing in that it does tend to help the system function as best it possibly can, given the limitations of the human condition. And yet it’s also, having stripped away the sort of defense mechanism of the sense of a center point, one is left intimately connected and integrated with reality in a way that you now can’t get out of. And that has a certain sometimes excruciating and embarrassing aspect to it just owing to the nature of humanity.

Thanks... nice to hear from you again :)

Don't dismiss this article too quickly before understanding what it is saying. It contains very important points and the essence and different levels of practice (the problems of pre-reflective identification, to the practice of conceptual reflection, to pure witnessing, to transformation and self-liberation -- and the difference between dualistic and non-dualistic mode of cognition, and the differences and links between psychotherapy and spirituality) and their differences. He has clearly pointed out all the subtleties. With this rare depth of clarity the writer is obviously writing from deep levels of awakening. The article is long but definitely worth reading because it is very rare to have someone write so clearly.

The essence of liberation (which is the goal of all Buddhadharma) is being taught but as what my Taiwanese teacher and Thusness would often say -- few people would recognise what's being said, and it's sad that the majority of people can't recognise jewels (dharma) when they're right in front of them and think they're stones or pieces of glass.

Not all causes can beget a specific effect because other conditions must be present for the effect to take place.

Yes. Can mean refuge or homage.

Namo Amituofuo means "I take refuge in/I pay homage to Amitabha Buddha"

Hmm... did you do a direct translation from chinese to english with online tools like babelfish for this following article? Cos it sounds weird.

Real Buddhist Faith

What is Real Buddhist Faith?

In fact, the essence of Buddhism, not superstition and the letter is different from Buddhism is Buddhism, Buddhism, the basic content is the same everywhere, as are permanent. Buddhism is big from the sleep of the Buddha Sakyamuni ─ ─ release a large statue of the sea Beizhi to show that it was full of wisdom, full of mercy, full of bright, cool comfort of a precept, according to the precept of this faith And the establishment of the Church form of Buddhism is.

The so-called faith, the belief is correct, just as the Xin Shi, a letter on the right track solution, the integrity of the line of the letter, the real trust.  Is the content of the letter should have three main conditions: the first is to be permanent, must be universal in the second and the third is the inevitability of the need.  In other words a way, we can see that in the past has always been the case, so now, so is bound to the future.  For whatever reason, or a matter of belief or a trust if it can not withstand the test of the three conditions, it is not superstition but a letter.  Of a religious doctrine, can not withstand the test of the times, pass environmental flow, not open new realms, it is superstition, not faith.

But it is an undeniable fact, is a letter of Buddhism, the Mahayana popular in the region, particularly in China, has always been the mountains, as well as a high priest of a small number of taxis which were gentlemen's proprietary, as non-faith, has not been universal, general The people are always in the release of the three religions of Confucianism and Taoism mixed with faith in the concept of life, such as for the spirits of the dead and worship of the convictions that is a ghost, not a product of Buddhism.

Is Buddha the Creator?

Buddhist belief, there is no concept of the Creator, is that people's awareness of the Buddha, the Buddha in the world are able to consciousness all the principles, but no change has been the state of the world; Buddha degrees of all living creatures are able to, the ability to get beings, By the people of the need to be able to decide themselves.  Buddha is the best Liang Yi, but for all living creatures prescription pain diagnosis, he served the drugs, they are bound too, if a person refuses medication, is also sympathetic with the cause of the Buddha; Buddha is the best guide, the people can lead a world away from the sea, Follow the guidance of the Buddha, must have, if not from the guide, but also helpless.  So, Buddha does not claim to the Creator, and even they do not want to Tuzhong only for formal worship Buddha; be able to practice the Buddhist precept, it means Jianfojingfo Otherwise, although the audience at the time of the Buddha, but also does not mean Xianfo.  Therefore, the Buddha is neither a Creator or God is where the Buddha taught the people Liku only way to get music, the Buddha himself has Liku Sidel, but it can not replace the people Liku Sidel.  Buddha is a great educator, mentor-day people, not a magician and illusionist home, he said that the family do not lie 'on behalf of the people of Atonement', he is all we have to teach people responsible for themselves ─ ─ 'Jhonggua get melons, species Dou Dou was. ’ '

What is Buddha?

Buddha, which is a transliteration of ancient Indian Sanskrit.

Buddha, with its own consciousness, awareness of others, awareness and all-knowing mean sleep all times, therefore, also known as the all-Homo sapiens, or are perceived.

Buddha, the Buddha is translated as Jane in the world, dating back about 2600 yrs ago(563 BC), born India Acropolis vastu Buddha Sakyamuni's Prince Edward, Cheng Road, known as Sakyamuni Muni.  Zuxing is Sakyamuni, which means Nengren, Muni is the ancient Indian saints for the common honorific title, meaning Jimo. This is the founder of Buddhism.

However, the precept of the Buddha, made us realize that the existing historical records, although only one person is Sakyamuni Buddha, but in the past long ago, the world had the Buddha was born, after a long future in this world Buddha was born there will now Shifangshijie, there are a lot of the existence of Buddha. Therefore, Buddhism is not unique to the Buddha, the Buddhist recognition of past, present and future, with numerous Buddha immeasurable, as well as all those who believe that all sentient beings (animals) Xinfo whether or not, has its own in the future become the Buddha Probably because I believe Buddhism: The Buddha is the people's consciousness, all living creatures are not yet aware of the Buddha.  In the state, although Van, in essence, the Buddha are equal, so that when the Buddha Buddhism not only to worship rather not admit that the creation of another universe, the existence of God. Therefore, Buddhists are atheists.

圣严法师著

Originally posted by Bellz:

Hi cycle,

Thanks for your advice. She knows that hatred won't improve things. But sometimes, she just feels being "punished" - being made use of, and having to face the embarrasment of going to the lawyer, then to court.

Going for buddhist classes has helped me feel better when I was depressed with work. Thought I could introduce buddhism to her too but then again, it's hard for me to use buddhism to console her at times - since her hubby is a buddhist volunteer.

Guess you are right, only time can heal...

 

She needs to forgive herself and others and practice metta. Instead of focusing on negative thoughts of what he has done to her, she should wish that he be well and happy. Metta is a great practice directed at someone whom one has feelings of resentment and hatred with, though without prior practice with someone more 'neutral' (which one does not have strong feelings with) it can be more difficult. Metta should sort of become a 'habit'.

http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/facets_of_metta.php

Originally posted by cathykitty:  

Practising metta and continue to show loving kindness to the person by being friends (and risk getting hurt by the person again), or totally cut off all ties?

Practicing metta does not mean you must remain your ties to that person.

Buddha told people to choose friends (and any other relations) wisely and reject bad companionship.

For example you can practice metta for an evil person, a criminal, by wishing him well and at the same time not having any relation with him.

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                        This is to be done by one skilled in aims

                        who wants to break through to the state of peace:

                        Be capable, upright, & straightforward,

                        easy to instruct, gentle, & not conceited,

                        content & easy to support,

                        with few duties, living lightly,

                        with peaceful faculties, masterful,

                        modest, & no greed for supporters.

                        

                        Do not do the slightest thing

                        that the wise would later censure.

                        

                        Think: Happy, at rest,

                        may all beings be happy at heart.

                        Whatever beings there may be,

                            weak or strong, without exception,

                                long, large,

                              middling, short,

                          subtle, blatant,

                          seen & unseen,

                                near & far,

                           born & seeking birth:

                        May all beings be happy at heart.

                        

                        Let no one deceive another

                        or despise anyone anywhere,

                        or through anger or irritation

                        wish for another to suffer.

                        

                        As a mother would risk her life

                        to protect her child, her only child,

                        even so should one cultivate a limitless heart

                        with regard to all beings.

                        With good will for the entire cosmos,

                        cultivate a limitless heart:

                        Above, below, & all around,

                        unobstructed, without enmity or hate.

                        Whether standing, walking,

                        sitting, or lying down,

                              as long as one is alert,

                        one should be resolved on this mindfulness.

                        This is called a sublime abiding

                        here & now.

                        

                        Not taken with views,

                        but virtuous & consummate in vision,

                        having subdued desire for sensual pleasures,

                             one never again

                           will lie in the womb.
                        

  Originally posted by Bodhi hut:

IMOP;

Personally meditation is a must in cultivation, disturbance may arouse due to external factors...but one could make space for himself to stay away from disturbance....for starters it is always practise at quiet times...it greatly depend on one how to manage his space and time to have quiet environments...but beside external disturbance one will encounter most difficult is internal disturbance...

 

Meditation is good to result focus, or reach samadhi and it will help a person to evalate his cultivation, wisdom. I watch quite a few DVD talks, and most of the great preecher said there are two ways to gain enlightenment, one is to go through meditation,recitation of sutra, recitation of mantra to reach enlightenment, whom one is enlighten when he is still alive., the other method is using Pureland method, recitation of Amitabha names, and to the stage where you reach Amitabha recitation samadhi, or Amitabha make appearance, then you have a seat in his pureland after you reach the end of this life...

Yes, samadhi or 'ding' is very important -- to have a mind that is stable, centered, not lost, attached and caught up in own's experiences (of thoughts and the environment). But to add on, the other aspect that is important is awareness... without awareness, wisdom cannot develope. One can enter deep states of samadhi and absorption yet is no closer to gaining wisdom and enlightenment. Hence practice of samadhi and wisdom should go hand in hand.

As my Master (Ven Shen Kai) teaches:

 人乘福音: 修禅定还要有觉

 问：

请示师傅，要怎样修治散乱的心？

答：

要修散乱的心，就要修不散乱。现在你们把眼睛闭上，手合掌，师傅现在就教你们修。这个时候你心里面什么都不想，散乱心就没有了。（数分钟）

好，现在眼睛睁开，师傅教你们的就是修禅定。你把这个杂乱妄想的心收回来，置心一处，无事不办，把这个心定在不动的地方，不动就是定，定了以后，智慧也就会生出来了。

但是修禅定最要紧的是要有觉，有很多人学佛修行，念佛参禅一辈子，他没有智慧，原因就是没有觉。所以我们把这个心定在一处以后，我们还要有一种觉观，觉 照。觉就是你这个心不动，有一微尘飞过你都知道，那么这个定就差不多了。

谈到觉，假使你不但觉了自己的心，他方世界开了一朵花，都好像在你的手里边一样，看得清清楚楚，那么你就成佛了。

所以这个修法是很不简单，师傅这么简单就跟你们讲了，大家要珍惜。

Our moderator Thusness also explained over a year back:

Source: (Transcript of the Lankavatara Sutra sharing by Thusness)

Thusness: Ok. I think when we view consciousness, we have to understand that there are a few things. We cannot keep on thinking about the objective world first. We must see how consciousness reacts. That is if we react very intensely, strongly towards symbols, then whatever reactions will go back deep into your consciousness. This is one thing. My perspective is that when you chant, you are not dealing with our luminous clarity. We're dealing with propensities deep in your consciousness. Insight meditation (found in many various forms such as vipassana/vipashyana/zazen/shikantaza/dzogchen/mahamudra and many other derivatives) itself deals directly with this clarity. That is the luminous clarity. But if we were to continue to chant, you are actually focusing more on the deeper layers of consciousness that deals with propensities and the power of concentration. Do you see what I mean? It's not so much of the luminosity. However, the chanting itself, when it takes strength, it creates a kind of momentum. A momentum that synchronises not only with your sub-conscious or the deeper layers of your consciousness, but also your conscious level. This means it can sync the two layers into one. This syncing the two into one clears your mind, clears your thoughts. And then at this time, you ask who you are, that is, not letting the momentum take place, but just feel and sense... then you ask what is it. At that moment, you might see your reality. But your mind must be able to settle down first. But you must know there is a difference between working at the concentration level, dealing with the karmic propensities and creating new momentums, and practicing insight meditation that touch directly the clarity and the luminous nature, are two different things. You see what I mean or not?

Participant 1: Yeah I think so. This means that I still need to do insight meditation?

Thusness: Yes you have to do insight meditation. Even if you attain calmness you still have to do insight meditation. You must feel the awareness... You must sense it everywhere... That is very important for liberation. Now when we talk about awareness, we don't call it Self or we don't call it Mind. Why people call it Awareness is because they do not want to call it Self, because there is no Self. The reason they said Awareness, is because Awareness is not an entity. It is not a thing. It is just a point of luminous clarity. It is just clarity. But because we are so accustomed to thinking things in terms of object and subject, we always take Awareness as something. It must be somewhere inside, residing somewhere. Even if it is not residing inside the body it must be somewhere, someplace. This is the problem, you see. So when you say that let’s be aware. We always think of “how?” How to be aware? When we say “where is awareness”, they always look for a place, they always look for a something. This is how the mind react, this is what I call a momentum. They always behave this way. They do not know how to say “Just do nothing. Everything is expressing itself by clarity.” They always want to react, you see what I mean?

Bhante Gunaratana also says in 'Mindfulness in Plain English':

 

http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe1-4.html

Within the Judeo-Christian tradition we find two overlapping practices called prayer and contemplation. Prayer is a direct address to some spiritual entity. Contemplation in a prolonged period of conscious thought about some specific topic, usually a religious ideal or scriptural passage. From the standpoint of mental culture, both of these activities are exercises in concentration. The normal deluge of conscious thought is restricted, and the mind is brought to one conscious area of operation. The results are those you find in any concentrative practice: deep calm, a physiological slowing of the metabolism and a sense of peace and well-being.

Out of the Hindu tradition comes Yogic meditation, which is also purely concentrative. The traditional basic exercises consist of focusing the mind on a single object a stone, a candle flame, a syllable or whatever, and not allowing it to wander. Having acquired the basic skill, the Yogi proceeds to expand his practice by taking on more complex objects of meditation chants, colorful religious images, energy channels in the body and so forth. Still, no matter how complex the object of meditation, the meditation itself remains purely an exercise in concentration.

Within the Buddhist tradition, concentration is also highly valued. But a new element is added and more highly stressed. That element is awareness. All Buddhist meditation aims at the development of awareness, using concentration as a tool. The Buddhist tradition is very wide, however, and there are several diverse routes to this goal. Zen meditation uses two separate tacks. The first is the direct plunge into awareness by sheer force of will. You sit down and you just sit, meaning that you toss out of your mind everything except pure awareness of sitting. This sounds very simple. It is not. A brief trial will demonstrate just how difficult it really is. The second Zen approach used in the Rinzai school is that of tricking the mind out of conscious thought and into pure awareness. This is done by giving the student an unsolvable riddle which he must solve anyway, and by placing him in a horrendous training situation. Since he cannot flee from the pain of the situation, he must flee into a pure experience of the moment. There is nowhere else to go. Zen is tough. It is effective for many people, but it is really tough.

Another stratagem, Tantric Buddhism, is nearly the reverse. Conscious thought, at least the way we usually do it, is the manifestation of ego, the you that you usually think that you are. Conscious thought is tightly connected with self-concept. The self-concept or ego is nothing more than a set of reactions and mental images which are artificially pasted to the flowing process of pure awareness. Tantra seeks to obtain pure awareness by destroying this ego image. This is accomplished by a process of visualization. The student is given a particular religious image to meditate upon, for example, one of the deities from the Tantric pantheon. He does this in so thorough a fashion that he becomes that entity. He takes off his own identity and puts on another. This takes a while, as you might imagine, but it works. During the process, he is able to watch the way that the ego is constructed and put in place. He comes to recognize the arbitrary nature of all egos, including his own, and he escapes from bondage to the ego. He is left in a state where he may have an ego if he so chooses, either his own or whichever other he might wish, or he can do without one. Result: pure awareness. Tantra is not exactly a game of patty cake either.

Vipassana is the oldest of Buddhist meditation practices. The method comes directly from the Sitipatthana Sutta, a discourse attributed to Buddha himself. Vipassana is a direct and gradual cultivation of mindfulness or awareness. It proceeds piece by piece over a period of years. The student's attention is carefully directed to an intense examination of certain aspects of his own existence. The meditator is trained to notice more and more of his own flowing life experience. Vipassana is a gentle technique. But it also is very , very thorough. It is an ancient and codified system of sensitivity training, a set of exercises dedicated to becoming more and more receptive to your own life experience. It is attentive listening, total seeing and careful testing. We learn to smell acutely, to touch fully and really pay attention to what we feel. We learn to listen to our own thoughts without being caught up in them.

The object of Vipassana practice is to learn to pay attention. We think we are doing this already, but that is an illusion. It comes from the fact that we are paying so little attention to the ongoing surge of our own life experiences that we might just as well be asleep. We are simply not paying enough attention to notice that we are not paying attention. It is another Catch-22.

Originally posted by Verdandis:

It is indeed admirable to read all these posts. Whenever I read it again, i will gain a new insight. Things are much simpler in a simple world, but we are living in a sophisticated world. Knowledge known will need to be put to practise to cultivate our wisdom. I used to meditate (only short session about 10minutes) a few years back but have not been doing it due to my tight working schedule and various life commitments. Now, I sometimes try to meditate while I go to work in the train but disturbing thoughts keep distracting me. However, I find easier if I were to meditate in the quietness of the night if time allows especially when my mind is not exhausted after a day's work. It's certainly is wonderful to have undeviating attentiveness to my surroundings, ie living in the present moment. Having said that, allow me to ask the difference between open awareness and meditating since I gather there are various ways for one to meditate. Is it good enough to be constantly mindful but without meditating?

To put it simply: open awareness (awareness that takes in all experiences) IS meditation. Without mindful awareness, it is not meditation. Without mindful awareness, it is likely that one is in a state of distraction, drowsiness, agitation, or perhaps in a state of trance, but all these has nothing to do with meditation.

So, meditation is not limited to the time we spend sitting on the cushion meditating. Meditation should be 24/7, even though initially it may seem far from possible, but we should constantly come back to this present moment awareness. We must practice this regularly in daily lives, just sustaining this simple, present moment awareness... and when we notice our mind drifting, we just come back to present moment awareness without delay.

It does not mean modify or get rid of thought -- if thought arise that is fine too, but rather than getting lost in the contents and mental stories, just notice that awareness component of thought -- just like countless waves on the ocean all have the same substance of water... all thoughts, experiences, phenomena have the same essence of luminous clarity and emptiness inseparable (our buddha-nature).

Lama Surya Das: "This is the heart teaching of Mahamudra, of Dzogchen, of Zen, of all the nondual teachings: Sustaining present awareness. Recognizing the Buddha-nature through the present moment, this very moment of awareness. If it's awareness taking the form of thinking, recognize the present awareness component of the thought. If you are remembering the past, recognize the present awareness component of the memory. You're not in the past. How could you be in the past? It is present awareness remembering. If you feel distracted when remembering, bring the mind back to the present awareness. You don't have to stop remembering. Recognize present awareness, which is remembering. If you are dreaming, fantasizing about the future, about what you are going to do when you leave here, how you are going to tell everybody how wonderful it was and how great Dzogchen view and meditation is, that's fine-recognize present awareness fantasizing, planning, dreaming. Recognize who or what is doing that present awareness. Know the knower; see through the seer; go beyond me and mine, and be free"

But even though we can and should be practicing in daily living, a scheduled sitting practice of say 20 or 30 minutes every day or at least 4 or 5 days a week is very important, too. I am trying hard to keep to a scheduled sitting practice on a daily basis even though life has been quite hectic for me too. I also notice that sitting meditation does make an impact on the practice in daily living, the mind is more stable.

Regarding the types of meditation, perhaps the most common of all is Anapanasati or Mindfulness of Breathing -- which is also a practice in mindful awareness but the awareness is mostly concentrated on the breathing sensations -- means the breathe is sensed in full clarity, cold or hot, soft or hard, its texture and quality is completely 'awared' but without mental labeling or discrimination. Just pure awareness of breathing. There are many other types but I shall not go indepth here.

Here's something from "Meditation: Now or Never" by Steve Hagen the book which I think I recommended previously:

Constancy

In Chapter 7 we looked at the three legs of meditation practice: regularity, meditating with others, and non-judgments. These are essential to practicing meditation over hte ong run.

And so, in this chapter, and the two that follow, we'll look at these three aspects of meditation in more detail, in order to see and feel their vital importance.

.....

Constancy is the single most important factor in maintaining a meditation practice. If you find constancy in your practice, it's like throwing a switch that allows everything else to follow. Without it, there will be no understanding, no enlightenment.

Meditating only now and then, when the urge arises or when you've had a stressful day and feel you need it, is like trying to boil water by turning on the stove for thirty seconds at a time, whenever you're in the mood. Unless the flame is constant, the water will never boil.

Constancy means meditating no matter how we feel or what we think at the moment. We just go ahead and practice, no matter what.

Without this attitude, we're just treating meditation the way we treat most everything else. Mentally and emotionally, it's just business as usual.

In any moment, of course, we may lose our way or get distracted. But as soon as we remember, we come right back, take up this moment, and carry on -- without giving another thought to having just slipped off. This is constancy.

People new to meditation often misunderstand constancy. They think it's about not faltering, not losing your way or focus. But constancy is precisely about faltering, over and over, and coming back, over and over.

With this understanding, we let ourselves be human, allow ourselves to err and to learn, and avoid getting discouraged about our meditation practice.

So it's not that we never veer from the path, but that we waste no time in returning to it. No time for discussion. No time for excuses. Back to here and now.

.....

To establish constancy in your practice, it's essential that you set up some kind of regular meditation schedule. Just as creating a budget helps us with our finances, a regular schedule will help you with meditation.

This schedule might be as simple as half an hour every morning just before breakfast. Or maybe it's twenty minutes at midday or twenty minutes before bed on workdays, thirty minutes each morning on weekends.

It's best to meditate at precisely the same time every day. Building a regular schedule around meditation creates a solid and grounded daily routine that brings stability to your life and allows you to maintain a steady, ongoing practice. Making and keeping this regular appointment from day to day is to put your entire life in order.

The most important thing to remember is to set a schedule that you can actually follow, not one you dream of following. Often when people first take up meditation, they are excited about it and overdo it, perhaps setting up a schedule that is too ambitious. This might work for awhile, even for a few years, but if it's too much, it will only undo itself, and perhaps much of your life as well.

Even if it's modest at first, it is far better to set up a schedule you can stick to without much difficulty. After you can maintain this schedule for a few months without missing any scheduled times, you can gradually increase the amount of time you devote to formal meditation practice. The key is to never waver from the schedule you set unless you are ill, or faced with an emergency, or some other unusual situation. As my teacher used to say, life is daily routine and unexpected occurrences. To live in constancy is to take care of both.

The ideal schedule pushes you slightly, creates just a little internal resistance. This is good grist for the mill. Without some resistance, your practice will likely atrophy and die away; with too much, you may get discouraged and give up.

As long as you stay with your schedule, the meditation practice will mature. Over time, you may increase the amount of time you spend in formal meditation. And as you continue to push gently against your resistance, your practice will gradually become more subtle and profound.

.....

Sometimes people think they are too busy to meditate. But how can you be too busy to be present?

Meditation isn't a vacation from life. Meditation is simply being present -- even in the midst of tasks and obligations, urgencies and emergencies. Having a busy schedule is not a valid reason to avoid meditation. Indeed, in taking up meditation wholeheartedly, you may discover it's not necessary to be quite so busy.

.....

When we practice constancy and meditate without internally fussing or complaining, our whole life begins to change. Whereas before we might have resisted getting out of bed in the morning, now we just get up. This is much easier than lying in bed dreading the thought of having to get up and face the day.

With constancy, we learn to take care of this moment whether or not it is something we want. If right now it is time to get our of bed,m then we just get up. If right now it is time to go for cancer treatments, we just go in. We're not tossed around by circumstances. We just get on with life.

Over time, you will come to see that this is the easiest, freest, surest way to live.

p.s. here's a song by my Master (圣开法师):

一无修持歌

修修修，持持持，
得到了宝藏，宇宙的富翁，
非空非有中，法性遍虚空，
还有什么人我是非，还有什么热恼轮回；
二六时中，光明觉照，
随缘生死即了，无处不是圆通，
看破放下！ 自由自在！
粗衣淡食，茅屋蔽身，
白雪当阳，万里长空，
晚上一轮明月，冬天处处和风，
四季百花开放，飘播万年馨香，
醒吧！  听吧！  听吧！ 醒吧！
高山的暮鼓，远处的晨钟。

Originally posted by Bellz:

Hi, I know of this guy who claims he is into Buddhism - volunteering at some buddhist free clinic. However, he is a closet gay, cheated a clueless girl in marriage and does not show remorse about it. Hatred will only create more negative karma for this girl - but how can she prevent that practically? Any step-by-step advice? Seems so matter-of-fact amd easy in words, but so hard to put into practice...

 

So they are still married?

Originally posted by Verdandis:

Hi, I am not certain if I have understood Byron Katie's awakening experiences. But I like the dialogue part with Thusness, it has kind of enlightened me a little. In this forum, I am only beginning to see the indepth knowledge on Buddhism, and got to admit that I am certainly far out of the class of most of you here with respect to the Buddhism knowledge, such as the Heart Sutra.

Today, I have tried to be mindful and tried to live in the present moment. Of course, I am not seeing myself and the environment as "one-self", rather just experiencing all the things that are surrounding me just as they are. I like it and enjoy the way it is. However, I found myself wondering how would one handle this precious moment when one has a setback in life, for instance illness, stress in work, financial problems, etc..... . The mind will not be as calm to appreicate the beauty of the present moment, needless to say is this the ideal time to cultivate one mind's under these circumstances. Sadly, I find it hard, though i know my faith in Buddhism will still remain unwavered.

Nite All!

 

No matter what circumstances one is in... it is always possible to come back to this moment. The tendency to chase or worry about things is strong, but as long as we notice, let it go and return to this experience.. our mind will not 'control' us. We should cultivate that mindfulness, if there is mindfulness, it is not difficult.

One simply acts out to solve the practical problems of life without giving reality to mental stories. Much like in dangerous situations people act out to save people (in a fire, or someone drowning). There is no notion of 'I' and no sense of volition -- it just acts out spontaneously according to condition. Buddha-Nature has always been acting out spontaneously according to conditions.

There are no 'problems' ultimately. What's wrong with right now unless you think about it? If possible you can also try to spend some time to meditate everyday.

Hopefully this helps:

Here's another one from Diamond Sutra: 凡所有相，皆是虚妄。若见诸相非相，即见如来。

......

“一切有为法，如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电，应作如是观”

BTW Pu Men Ping said

"见色明心，闻声悟道"

So is that contradictory to Diamond Sutra? No.

The difference is one is seeking forms... experiencing forms as external and objective realities and attaching to them. The other is realising that all forms are Mind, are manifestation of Buddha-nature.

To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening.

~ Zen Master Dogen Zenji

To understand how karma is empty it's better to understand why ALL feelings, sensations, and thoughts, are empty. Empty does not mean non-existent, it means insubstantial, empty of a solid, inherent, independent existence.

Emptiness means everything, including karma, is a dependently originated appearance -- due to certain conditions, karmic consequences 'appear' but are without substantial inherent existence. When new karma arise they are also dependently originated appearance -- they are momentary instants of consciousness dependently arisen.

As I wrote recently (slightly edited):

...

The short answer is whatever feelings are present, it is just a momentary, conditioned appearance. There is no substantiality, or essence, or any tangible, permanent, inherent existence to it.

Whatever we feel and experience, we somehow give it more 'solidity' and 'reality' than it actually has, much like treating a mirage/appearance for a solid reality. And we become attached to it. 

When the condition is not, then the feeling/sensations/experience isn't. When condition is there then the feelings are there but it is simply part of the transient flow of phenomenality, like a mirage, but with no tangible existence on its own

Like a thirsty person chasing the mirage of water in a desert, we human beings chase after feelings, experiences, 'things'. We are unable to see that they are insubstantial, momentary 'instants' of manifestation/consciousness without any concrete permanent inherent existence. It has no inherent characteristics, qualities, shapes, or forms -- only a momentary appearance. Our thoughts and feelings and emotions are insubstantial too, due to certain conditions the *appearances* of these emotions arise, but after a while when the condition subsides they also disappear. It's not constant and is part of the everchanging flow of consciousness, it's not always there, and there is no tangible independent existence apart from those conditions that give rise to the appearances/mirage/etc.

So even though they vividly appear, like the mirage of water, they are not 'real' (tangible). While they are not real, they are still the vivid display of our luminous clarity/pure awareness, like the bright mirror having the capacity to reflect all appearances. Our Buddha-Nature is just this, luminous-emptiness.

On the insubstantiality of our experiences, Buddha taught:

"....Now suppose that in the autumn — when it's raining in fat, heavy drops — a water bubble were to appear & disappear on the water, and a man with good eyesight were to see it, observe it, & appropriately examine it. To him — seeing it, observing it, & appropriately examining it — it would appear empty, void, without substance: for what substance would there be in a water bubble? In the same way, a monk sees, observes, & appropriately examines any feeling that is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near. To him — seeing it, observing it, & appropriately examining it — it would appear empty, void, without substance: for what substance would there be in feeling?

"Now suppose that in the last month of the hot season a mirage were shimmering, and a man with good eyesight were to see it, observe it, & appropriately examine it. To him — seeing it, observing it, & appropriately examining it — it would appear empty, void, without substance: for what substance would there be in a mirage? In the same way, a monk sees, observes, & appropriately examines any perception that is past, future, or present; internal or external; blatant or subtle; common or sublime; far or near. To him — seeing it, observing it, & appropriately examining it — it would appear empty, void, without substance: for what substance would there be in perception...

This applies not only to our thoughts and emotions but to our experience of the "physical world". For example, we experience the physical universe as having some solid existence "out there". For example when we see a tree, we immediately label it and have preconceived notions about a tree, and we treat that image as being an accurate representation not only of our immediate experience but rather, of "things" having an independent existence or inherent characteristic.

When we look at lets say a red flower, we think that there is a truly a "red flower" out there with a particular shape, size, colour, etc... i.e. there are inherent attributes to an external object. But reality is, there is no objective reality apart from the perception itself. For example: the perception of "red" is due to certain biological and karmic conditioning of humans alone, other animals like dogs etc cannot perceive the same way as we do. In fact they cannot perceive colours. So how can we say that there