I find it so interesting how much collective emphasis is placed on the passing of a single moment of time each year on December 31st at 11:59 PM. There are 1440 minutes in a day, 525,600 minutes in a year. But, it's just that one moment as it passes in our time zone that is able to actually hold our attention for 60 seconds as the Earth completes another full orbit around the sun. Isn't it amazing that the vast majority of moments that pass each year are given so little attention when happiness can only be experienced in the present moment? Happiness in the past is only a memory that will likely only create longing for those days long past. Happiness in the future is just a day dream arising from dissatisfaction. These are just vexations. Happiness can only be experience here in the present!
Even so, we only seem to really emphasize mindfulness, being fully in the present moment, for this meager 60 seconds out of the 31,536,000 seconds in a year!
Most of us spend the first two thirds of our life looking forward to future experiences. We get so conditioned by living in expectation of the circumstances that we have decided are necessary for our happiness that by the time causes and conditions bring about these circumstances, we have already conceived of other circumstances we deem also necessary for our happiness! Consequently, we spend almost no time in the present moment appreciating just what is here but live in constant anticipation of an illusory time when we will truly happy and therefore fully present. We are living our lives as phantoms, not truly alive but trapped in a dream.
When we are truly happy, we are deeply satisfied, we are naturally content and grateful for what is present right here and now. There is no tendency for our mind or heart to look beyond the present moment other than to share it with others. Many people don't realize the opposite is also true. When we cultivate the habit of remaining in the present moment, we find happiness, contentment, deep satisfaction in whatever we are doing.
During group meditation sessions, I often remind participants that enlightenment can never be found in the future and never in the past. Full awakening can only happen in the present moment. This realization itself is a blossoming of enlightenment. When we fully understand this, each moment of each day is blessed. Everything we do brings joy and satisfaction. Each passing moment has all the richness we could ever desire. It is through living a life of such moments that great poetry is born, where insight reveals the tremendous beauty and perfection that has always been there but was missed, as in Blake's Auguries of Innocence:
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
Let's resolve to make 11:59 PM the starting point for our practice of mindfulness during this next orbit around the sun. Just like in sitting meditation, when we find our mind moving away from following the breath or having the full awareness of the body just sitting, we gently, with great kindness and compassion, bring the mind back to the present moment, on just what we are doing here and now. Cultivating mindfulness in this way will make 2012 one of the most deeply spiritual, rewarding and enriching years of our lives.
Wish you the very best in your practice in 2012. May the happiness, joy and equanimity latent in each moment be fully experienced and shared with others!
Here's a video from Venerable Chanmyay Sayadaw you might find very helpful.
With Metta,
Barry
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Nothing So Charming as the Present
An old college buddy asked me a "Zen 101 question": "If the present is so charming, why does my mind wander away from the present?"
I guess the assumption here is that experiencing the present moment is more charming that reminiscing about that perfect day at the beach near Puerto Vallarta last year or day dreaming about scuba diving in Aruba next year. This reminiscing and day dreaming can also be quite charming! But, I think what my friend is getting at is very interesting and a great question. It depends on the depth to which we experience the present.
The practice of Chan emphasizes living fully in the present moment as does mindfulness practice of the Theravada tradition. If we are to become fully awakened to life just as it really is, it necessarily is in the present that this awakening will occur. During meditation, as the mind becomes more focused or unified it becomes less bound by thoughts. As fewer and fewer thoughts arise, the mind naturally becomes clearer, brighter, lighter and more expansive. This experience can be blissful or simply deeply contenting. During activity, this cultivation or habituation of a more unified mind naturally is more content to experience what is at hand. If the mind is clear, focused and content, there is less likelihood that it will be distracted by mundane thoughts that might arise. The practice of mindfulness actively builds on the clarity gained through meditation and consciously cultivates moment-to-moment clarity of whatever is arising and passing away from conscious experience. This can also lead to a mind that is clear, luminous, settled, and deeply satisfied to just be in the present, moment after moment. It is from this settled state that perception can refine and things can be seen just as they actually are. It is from this perception that insight into the fundamental truths of life occurs, which we know from Buddhist suttras and the writings of past masters can be a very liberating experience. Chan practice can lead to experiencing such charm in the present moment that there is no arising of craving or aversion. The need to reminisce or day dream evaporates when one can simply experiencing the present moment with sufficient clarity.
In that case, the answer to the question is until the mind is sufficiently cultivated and refined, the contentment experienced in the present is not charming enough to keep the mind focused, expanded, and aware in the present.
On the other hand, even advanced practitioners think of the past or future as the need arises. And even when the need doesn't arise, it's the nature of the mind to think thoughts. What is qualitatively different is that thoughts that arise are simply thoughts and the mind doesn't attach to them. They arise like a bubble as a child blows through the hoop. The thought expands from nothing but some slight impulse, takes shape, and floats away. A settled mind is aware of this arising and passing away of feelings, thoughts, and perceptions. The more awake and settled the mind, the finer the awareness of not only mental phenomena but also all phenomena rising and passing away in the environment. This awareness of the arising and passing away of mental and physical phenomena leads to the direct experience of a most fundamental nature, the insight into impermanence. The entire universe is seen as a massive flux of interrelated or conditioned arising of phenomena, and the dissolution of the same when conditions no longer support continuity. It may appear that the entire world is undergoing massive oxidization, as if everything is undergoing a catastrophic chemical reaction, burning, and be an awesome experience. Or, it can be like a symphony of such perfectly interrelated harmonies that the mind is arrested by the absolute perfection of it. However the realization of impermanence occurs, it is not an intellectual reasoning, but a direct and complete perception that leads to life changing insight. This insight can lead to further insight into the nature of the self.
Until or mind is sufficiently cultivated, the mind is like a monkey that is always chasing desires and averting fears. Once the mind is cultivated, it response to the environment, situations, and people with wisdom and compassion. A satisfied mind naturally has compassion for others that are suffering and a clear mind has the wisdom to know how to help them. The satisfied mind is a product of silence and a clear mind is the product of illumination. The Chan practice of Silent Illumination is extremely beneficial in cultivating a content, clear mind. The mind still reacts to things in the environment. When a bus is coming one gets out of the way. And one still makes plans for the future and reflects on what went wrong to do better next time. But, the predominant mode is to be aware of things as they occur and react in a way that is appropriate to the need of the time.
An undisciplined mind will not stop with an initial thought. It won't be aware of the thought arising and passing away. The mind attaches to the thought and becomes lost in a succession of subsequent thoughts. We long for something in the past or fear its reoccurrence, or regret what was done or said. Or we hope for something in the future or worry that it may happen. We are conditioned from beginningless time to crave for more and dread what we don't want. But, when the mind is settled enough, there is greater and greater contentment and though a thought may arise, it is acknowledged and just passes away if nothing more is required. The mind returns to a state of contentment that is simply aware with a clear, bright awareness. But, it's our habitual outward oriented craving and aversion that obscures what would otherwise be quite a contented state.
It is interesting to note that a person can experience unified mind, pure, unobstructed awareness, impermanence, or self-nature and then regress back to being overshadowed by mundane thoughts and day-to-day situations. What we are up against is a very powerfully ingrained habit cultured from beginningless time. That's why we need a practice like Zen to lift the veil and open our eyes. Then we need to refine the practice and cultivate seeing things just as they are without the imaginary ego or self getting in the way to distort the picture. If we get the self out of the picture, the whole thing opens up and everything converses with every other thing, infinitely correlated and perfectly functioning. It's all perfect when we get out of the way.
I guess the assumption here is that experiencing the present moment is more charming that reminiscing about that perfect day at the beach near Puerto Vallarta last year or day dreaming about scuba diving in Aruba next year. This reminiscing and day dreaming can also be quite charming! But, I think what my friend is getting at is very interesting and a great question. It depends on the depth to which we experience the present.
The practice of Chan emphasizes living fully in the present moment as does mindfulness practice of the Theravada tradition. If we are to become fully awakened to life just as it really is, it necessarily is in the present that this awakening will occur. During meditation, as the mind becomes more focused or unified it becomes less bound by thoughts. As fewer and fewer thoughts arise, the mind naturally becomes clearer, brighter, lighter and more expansive. This experience can be blissful or simply deeply contenting. During activity, this cultivation or habituation of a more unified mind naturally is more content to experience what is at hand. If the mind is clear, focused and content, there is less likelihood that it will be distracted by mundane thoughts that might arise. The practice of mindfulness actively builds on the clarity gained through meditation and consciously cultivates moment-to-moment clarity of whatever is arising and passing away from conscious experience. This can also lead to a mind that is clear, luminous, settled, and deeply satisfied to just be in the present, moment after moment. It is from this settled state that perception can refine and things can be seen just as they actually are. It is from this perception that insight into the fundamental truths of life occurs, which we know from Buddhist suttras and the writings of past masters can be a very liberating experience. Chan practice can lead to experiencing such charm in the present moment that there is no arising of craving or aversion. The need to reminisce or day dream evaporates when one can simply experiencing the present moment with sufficient clarity.
In that case, the answer to the question is until the mind is sufficiently cultivated and refined, the contentment experienced in the present is not charming enough to keep the mind focused, expanded, and aware in the present.
On the other hand, even advanced practitioners think of the past or future as the need arises. And even when the need doesn't arise, it's the nature of the mind to think thoughts. What is qualitatively different is that thoughts that arise are simply thoughts and the mind doesn't attach to them. They arise like a bubble as a child blows through the hoop. The thought expands from nothing but some slight impulse, takes shape, and floats away. A settled mind is aware of this arising and passing away of feelings, thoughts, and perceptions. The more awake and settled the mind, the finer the awareness of not only mental phenomena but also all phenomena rising and passing away in the environment. This awareness of the arising and passing away of mental and physical phenomena leads to the direct experience of a most fundamental nature, the insight into impermanence. The entire universe is seen as a massive flux of interrelated or conditioned arising of phenomena, and the dissolution of the same when conditions no longer support continuity. It may appear that the entire world is undergoing massive oxidization, as if everything is undergoing a catastrophic chemical reaction, burning, and be an awesome experience. Or, it can be like a symphony of such perfectly interrelated harmonies that the mind is arrested by the absolute perfection of it. However the realization of impermanence occurs, it is not an intellectual reasoning, but a direct and complete perception that leads to life changing insight. This insight can lead to further insight into the nature of the self.
Until or mind is sufficiently cultivated, the mind is like a monkey that is always chasing desires and averting fears. Once the mind is cultivated, it response to the environment, situations, and people with wisdom and compassion. A satisfied mind naturally has compassion for others that are suffering and a clear mind has the wisdom to know how to help them. The satisfied mind is a product of silence and a clear mind is the product of illumination. The Chan practice of Silent Illumination is extremely beneficial in cultivating a content, clear mind. The mind still reacts to things in the environment. When a bus is coming one gets out of the way. And one still makes plans for the future and reflects on what went wrong to do better next time. But, the predominant mode is to be aware of things as they occur and react in a way that is appropriate to the need of the time.
An undisciplined mind will not stop with an initial thought. It won't be aware of the thought arising and passing away. The mind attaches to the thought and becomes lost in a succession of subsequent thoughts. We long for something in the past or fear its reoccurrence, or regret what was done or said. Or we hope for something in the future or worry that it may happen. We are conditioned from beginningless time to crave for more and dread what we don't want. But, when the mind is settled enough, there is greater and greater contentment and though a thought may arise, it is acknowledged and just passes away if nothing more is required. The mind returns to a state of contentment that is simply aware with a clear, bright awareness. But, it's our habitual outward oriented craving and aversion that obscures what would otherwise be quite a contented state.
It is interesting to note that a person can experience unified mind, pure, unobstructed awareness, impermanence, or self-nature and then regress back to being overshadowed by mundane thoughts and day-to-day situations. What we are up against is a very powerfully ingrained habit cultured from beginningless time. That's why we need a practice like Zen to lift the veil and open our eyes. Then we need to refine the practice and cultivate seeing things just as they are without the imaginary ego or self getting in the way to distort the picture. If we get the self out of the picture, the whole thing opens up and everything converses with every other thing, infinitely correlated and perfectly functioning. It's all perfect when we get out of the way.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
The Magic of Loving Kindness
When I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, I used to go to a Burmese monastery most every Saturday morning to meditate with the abbot, Ashin Vikhanasa. After meditating for an hour or two, we chanted the Metta Chant together. What peaceful memories! I can't help but wonder what the world would be like if more and more people woke up every morning and meditated, then chanted this comforting chant of loving kindness?
May the world would be transformed into a paradise through the widespread practice of metta!
Aham avero homi
May I be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjho homi
May I be free from mental suffering
anigha homi
May I be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharami
May I take care of myself happily
Mama matapitu
May my parents
acariya ca natimitta ca
teacher relatives and friends
sabrahma - carino ca
fellow Dhamma farers
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Imasmim arame sabbe yogino
May all meditators in this compound
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Imasmim arame sabbe bhikkhu
May all monks in this compound
samanera ca
novice monks
upasaka - upasikaya ca
laymen and laywomen disciples
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Amhakam catupaccaya - dayaka
May our donors of the four supports: clothing, food, medicine and lodging
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Amhakam arakkha devata
May our guardian devas
Ismasmim vihare
in this monastery
Ismasmim avase
in this dwelling
Ismasmim arame
in this compound
arakkha devata
May the guardian devas
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Sabbe satta
May all beings
sabbe pana
all breathing things
sabbe bhutta
all creatures
sabbe puggala
all individuals
sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)
sabbe itthoyo
may all females
sabbe purisa
all males
sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)
sabbe anariya
all worldlings (those yet to attain sainthood)
sabbe deva
all devas (deities)
sabbe manussa
all humans
sabbe vinipatika
all those in the four woeful planes
avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Dukkha muccantu
May all being be free from suffering
Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost
Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own Kamma (Karma)
Purathimaya disaya
in the eastern direction
pacchimaya disaya
in the western direction
uttara disaya
in the northern direction
dakkhinaya disaya
in the southern direction
purathimaya anudisaya
in the southeast direction
pacchimaya anudisaya
in the northwest direction
uttara anudisaya
in the northeast direction
dakkhinaya anudisaya
in the southwest direction
hetthimaya disaya
in the direction below
uparimaya disaya
in the direction above
Sabbe satta
May all beings
sabbe pana
all breathing things
sabbe bhutta
all creatures
sabbe puggala
all individuals (all beings)
sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)
sabbe itthoyo
may all females
sabbe purisa
all males
sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)
sabbe anariya
(those yet to attain sainthood)
sabbe deva
all devas (deities)
sabbe manussa
all humans
sabbe vinipatika
all those in the 4 woeful planes
avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Dukkha muccantu
May all beings be free from suffering
Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost
Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own kamma (Karma)
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta pathavicara
whatever beings that move on earth
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta udakecara
whatever beings that move on water
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta akasecara
whatever beings that move in air
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger.
May the world would be transformed into a paradise through the widespread practice of metta!
Metta Chant
The Pali Chant of Loving Kindness
Aham avero homi
May I be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjho homi
May I be free from mental suffering
anigha homi
May I be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharami
May I take care of myself happily
Mama matapitu
May my parents
acariya ca natimitta ca
teacher relatives and friends
sabrahma - carino ca
fellow Dhamma farers
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Imasmim arame sabbe yogino
May all meditators in this compound
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Imasmim arame sabbe bhikkhu
May all monks in this compound
samanera ca
novice monks
upasaka - upasikaya ca
laymen and laywomen disciples
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Amhakam catupaccaya - dayaka
May our donors of the four supports: clothing, food, medicine and lodging
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
May they take care of themselves happily
Amhakam arakkha devata
May our guardian devas
Ismasmim vihare
in this monastery
Ismasmim avase
in this dwelling
Ismasmim arame
in this compound
arakkha devata
May the guardian devas
avera hontu
be free from enmity and danger
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Sabbe satta
May all beings
sabbe pana
all breathing things
sabbe bhutta
all creatures
sabbe puggala
all individuals
sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)
sabbe itthoyo
may all females
sabbe purisa
all males
sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)
sabbe anariya
all worldlings (those yet to attain sainthood)
sabbe deva
all devas (deities)
sabbe manussa
all humans
sabbe vinipatika
all those in the four woeful planes
avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Dukkha muccantu
May all being be free from suffering
Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost
Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own Kamma (Karma)
Purathimaya disaya
in the eastern direction
pacchimaya disaya
in the western direction
uttara disaya
in the northern direction
dakkhinaya disaya
in the southern direction
purathimaya anudisaya
in the southeast direction
pacchimaya anudisaya
in the northwest direction
uttara anudisaya
in the northeast direction
dakkhinaya anudisaya
in the southwest direction
hetthimaya disaya
in the direction below
uparimaya disaya
in the direction above
Sabbe satta
May all beings
sabbe pana
all breathing things
sabbe bhutta
all creatures
sabbe puggala
all individuals (all beings)
sabbe attabhava - pariyapanna
all personalities (all beings with mind and body)
sabbe itthoyo
may all females
sabbe purisa
all males
sabbe ariya
all noble ones (saints)
sabbe anariya
(those yet to attain sainthood)
sabbe deva
all devas (deities)
sabbe manussa
all humans
sabbe vinipatika
all those in the 4 woeful planes
avera hontu
be free from enmity and dangers
abyapajjha hontu
be free from mental suffering
anigha hontu
be free from physical suffering
sukhi - attanam pariharantu
may they take care of themselves happily
Dukkha muccantu
May all beings be free from suffering
Yattha-laddha-sampattito mavigacchantu
May whatever they have gained not be lost
Kammassaka
All beings are owners of their own kamma (Karma)
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta pathavicara
whatever beings that move on earth
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta udakecara
whatever beings that move on water
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger
Uddham yava bhavagga ca
As far as the highest plane of existence
adho yava aviccito
to as far down as the lowest plane
samanta cakkavalesu
in the entire universe
ye satta akasecara
whatever beings that move in air
abyapajjha nivera ca
may they are free of mental suffering and enmity
nidukkha ca nupaddava
and from physical suffering and danger.
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