Simile of a Man Were Wounded by an Arrow Thickly Smeared with Poison
Suppose, Mālunkyaputta, a man were wounded by an arrow thickly smeared with
poison, and his friends and companions, his kinsmen and relatives, brought a surgeon
to treat him. The man would say: ‘I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I
know whether the man who wounded me was a noble or a Brāhmin or a merchant or a
worker.’ And he would say: ‘I will not let the surgeon pull out this arrow until I know the
name and clan of the man who wounded me;…until I know whether the man who
wounded me was tall or short or of middle height;…until I know whether the man who
wounded me was dark or brown or golden-skinned;…until I know whether the
bowstring that wounded me was fibre or reed or sinew or hemp or bark;…until I know
whether the shaft that wounded me was wild or cultivated;…until I know with what kind
of feathers the shaft that wounded me was fitted — whether those of a vulture or a
heron or a hawk or a peacock or a stork;…until I know with what kind of sinew the shaft
that wounded me was bound — whether that of an ox or a buffalo or a deer or a
monkey;…until I know what kind of arrowhead it was that wounded me — whether
spiked or razor-tipped or curved or barbed or calf-toothed or lancet-shaped.’
All this would still not be known to that man and meanwhile he would die. So too,
Mālunkyaputta, if anyone should say thus: ‘I will not lead the holy life under the
[Enlightened] One until the [Enlightened] One declares to me: ‘The world is eternal’ and
‘the world is not eternal’; ‘the world is finite’; and ‘the world is infinite’; ‘the soul is the
same as the body’ and ‘the soul is one thing and the body another’; and ‘after death a
Tathāgata exists’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata does not exist’ and ‘after death a
Tathāgata both exists and does not exist’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata neither exists nor
does not exist’, that would still remain undeclared by The Tathāgata and meanwhile that
person would die.
Therefore, Mālunkyaputta, remember what I have left undeclared as undeclared, and
remember what I have declared as declared.
And what have I left undeclared? ‘The world is eternal’ and ‘the world is not eternal’;
‘the world is finite’; and ‘the world is infinite’; ‘the soul is the same as the body’ and ‘the
soul is one thing and the body another’; and ‘after death a Tathāgata exists’ and ‘after
death a Tathāgata does not exist’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata both exists and does not
exist’ and ‘after death a Tathāgata neither exists nor does not exist,’ — I have left
undeclared.
And what have I declared? ‘This is discontentedness’, 'This is the cause of
discontentedness’, ‘This is the elimination of discontentedness’, ‘This is the way
leading to the elimination of discontentedness’ — I have declared.
Why have I declared that? Because it is beneficial, it belongs to the fundamentals of the
holy life, it leads to liberation, to freedom from strong feelings, to elimination, to peace,
to direct knowledge (experience), to Enlightenment, to Nibbāna. That is why I have
declared it.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: MN 63)
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Simile of a Man Were Wounded by an Arrow Thickly Smeared with Poison
(continued)
Author’s Thoughts: This simile uses the “poisonous arrow” to represent “The Three
Poisons” that we are all affected by “craving (greed/desire), anger (hatred/ill will), and
ignorance (delusion/confusion)”. The Teachings of Gotama Buddha are represented by
the surgeon. His Teachings are the medicine to remove “The Three Poisons”. But, if we
expect to know all the answers that lead to the removal of “The Three Poisons” prior to
practicing these Teachings, which would remove these poisons, then surely we will die
before the poisons are removed.
There is no way for you to know all the answers prior to learning and practicing these
Teachings as you need to create a “life practice” to clearly see many of the answers to
acquire wisdom. Each day you build more and more wisdom in your life practice to
gradually attain Enlightenment. If you expect to know all the answers prior to practicing
these Teachings, surely you will die before the poisons are removed and, thus, have
continued discontentedness and be reborn to once again experience life in a new realm
- most likely not the human realm.
Gotama Buddha left certain questions undeclared because they do not lead to
liberation of the mind. But The Teachings he did declare do lead to complete liberation
of the mind, namely starting with “The Four Noble Truths” as mentioned in this simile.
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Chapter 9
What is Kamma and How Does It Affect Me?
Kamma, or The Natural Law of Kamma, refers to the fact that everything in
life has a “cause and effect” or “action and result”. Essentially, our intentions,
speech, and actions, wholesome or unwholesome, have an effect on us. One
way to think of Kamma is that Kamma is “the results of our own decisions”
or “the effects of our own decisions”.
You may have been exposed to the word “Karma” which is referring to the
same natural law but using a different language. Karma is from the Sanskrit
language while Kamma is from the Pāli language. The source of Gotama
Buddha’s Teachings is in the Pāli language. Those who are learning and
practicing these Teachings from The Pāli Canon, the most complete source
of Gotama Buddha’s Teachings, will typically use the word “Kamma” instead
of “Karma”.
All of Gotama Buddha’s Teachings center on the importance of “not doing
any harm”. By doing harm to other beings, we do harm to ourselves because
of The Natural Law of Kamma.
If we put out wholesome intentions, speech, and actions, wholesomeness
will come back to us. With wholesome, and pure intentions, speech, actions,
and livelihood, we know that our life will be wholesome, calm, steady, and
peaceful as we eliminate more and more attachments on our pursuit to
Enlightenment.
Likewise, if our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood are unwholesome,
unwholesome things will come back to us. If we harm other beings, through
our intentions, speech, actions, or livelihood, harm will return back to us.
Kamma is not necessarily instantaneous or immediate. It may not come back
in exactly the same form we put it out in. For example, if we put calm,
steady, kind, and polite waves into the world’s seas, that’s what will come
back to us. Maybe not immediately, but over time we will see this steadiness
and calmness come back to us.
Conversely, if we put out damaging and vicious waves into our world’s seas,
then that is what will come back to us. Fierce, strong, and violent waters will
create havoc and floods in our life. Kamma is not a system of rewards and
punishments but instead, a natural law of “cause and effect” or “action and
results” - the results of our decisions.
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Kamma does not need to be feared. The Natural Law of Kamma needs to be
understood so that we can make wise choices in our life that lead to a more
peaceful mind and a more peaceful existence for us individually and all of
humanity.
There is no fear in these Teachings and there is no fear in Kamma.
The only one who fears Kamma is the person who does not understand The
Natural Law of Kamma and is unable to make wise decisions that would lead
to a more peaceful existence.
The more you learn and practice The Teachings of Gotama Buddha, the
more awakened the mind will become to The Natural Law of Kamma and the
better decisions one can make. This will result in a more peaceful existence
to include a peaceful, calm, serene, and content mind with joy.
Gotama Buddha’s Teachings are guiding you in understanding this Natural
Law of Kamma to awaken the mind to better life choices that lead to an
improved existence.
Each person has 100% ability to make decisions in their life, these are
personal choices. Based on the personal choices we make, the resulting
effect will be experienced. This is our Kamma.
The Natural Law of Kamma is something that is talked about in modern
society but oftentimes as a joke or said in passing. Kamma is sometimes
thought to be a mystical or mysterious concept. However, Kamma is the
governing factor of all things in life through “cause and effect” or “action and
result”.
Kamma is the results or effects of our own decisions.
Kamma is a natural law that exists, and Gotama Buddha’s Teachings are
awakening the mind to deeply understand this natural law, so that you can
make good wholesome decisions to function peacefully in life. Through
understanding The Natural Law of Kamma, you will make much better
decisions in life and, thus, experience better results.
There is no one that governs this natural law or oversees its functioning. The
Natural Law of Kamma just exists and it is absolutely one-hundred percent
truth.
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Examples of Kamma are:
1.) You murder someone and then you are put into jail. Your quality of life is
impacted by becoming worse.
2.) You steal something and then you are put into jail and people steal from
you. Your quality of life is impacted by becoming worse.
3.) You commit sexual misconduct having sexual contact with a person
already involved in a relationship. This relationship is discovered, and the
partner finds you and a verbal and/or physical attack transpires. Your quality
of life is impacted by becoming worse.
4.) You are someone who speaks with false truth through lying, gossip, and
slander. People cannot trust your words and you find it difficult to have
relationships, conduct business, and people constantly lie to you. Your
quality of life is impacted by becoming worse.
5.) You take substances becoming heedless and find yourself lacking
concentration or mindfulness with the inability to focus on work,
relationships, and everyday activities. Your quality of life is impacted by
becoming worse.
When our intentions, speech, actions, and livelihood are pure without
craving, anger, or ignorance (unknowing of true reality), we are creating
wholesome Kamma for ourselves, thus, goodness will come back to us.
Three Causes for the Origination of Unwholesome Kamma
Monks, there are these three causes for the origination of (unwholesome) Kamma.
What three?
(1) Craving (Desire/Greed/Attachment) is a cause for the origination of (unwholesome)
Kamma;
(2) Anger (Hatred/Ill Will) is a cause for the origination of (unwholesome) Kamma;
(3) Ignorance (Delusion/Unknowing of True Reality) is a cause for the origination of
(unwholesome) Kamma.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: AN 3.34)
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Three Causes for the Origination of Wholesome Kamma
Monks, there are these three causes for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma.
What three?
(1) Non-Craving (Generosity) is a cause for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma;
(2) Non-Anger (Loving-kindness) is a cause for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma;
(3) Non-Ignorance (Wisdom) is a cause for the origination of (wholesome) Kamma.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: AN 3.34)
It is the goal of Gotama Buddha’s Teachings to eliminate The Three Poisons
(i.e. The Three Unwholesome Roots) of craving/greed, anger/hatred, and
ignorance/delusion/unknowing of true reality realizing non-self and dissolving
the ego to attain Enlightenment. This is the awakened mind that can be
peaceful and co-exist with others peacefully.
Through eliminating these Three Poisons, one has eliminated all the
unwholesome roots that create unwholesome Kamma, thus, Enlightenment
will be attained. The more people who attain the mental state of
Enlightenment, the more peaceful existence all of humanity will experience.
Through everyone actively pursuing Enlightenment, the world will gradually
become a more peaceful place to exist.
Through the entire world practicing the following three Teachings, the
benefit and peace on earth will be immense: 1.) Universal Love for All
Beings 2.) Do No Harm, and 3.) Be a Good Moral Person.
Kamma is created individually. Each of us individually has our own Kamma.
Our individual Kamma is returned to us on an individual level throughout our
life, or future lives if we are reborn due to not attaining Enlightenment in this
life. One cannot run or hide from their Kamma.
It is important for you to maintain wholesome Kamma individually and as a
community or nation.
As you create wholesome Kamma, you should not wait or expect good
things to come back immediately. You must create wholesome Kamma
without expectation of a return or when it will return.
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The expectation of return of something good just because you did
something good, negates the wholesome intention, speech, or action. You
must have good intentions, speech, and actions because you know it is the
right thing to do for yourself and the world - it is wholesome. You produce
wholesome Kamma because you know it’s right, not because you expect
something back in return.
To eliminate discontentedness of the mind is to eliminate your unwholesome
Kamma production through the elimination of craving, anger, and ignorance
(unknowing of true reality) through practicing generosity, loving-kindness,
and wisdom. Generosity, loving-kindness, and wisdom are the causes for the
origination of wholesome Kamma referred to as the antidotes to The Three
Poisons or The Three Wholesome Roots. Practicing generosity, loving-
kindness, and wisdom through The Eight Fold Path will transform the mind
to the Enlightened mind.
This is done while doing no harm to other beings through practicing The
Eight Fold Path. We pollute the mind with unwholesome Kamma every
moment through our own thoughts and intentions. You must start there. With
a wholesome mind that has no unwholesome Kamma production, you will
benefit from a peaceful and calm existence.
All too often we attempt to stop or inhibit others from unwholesome
intentions, speech, or actions but if our mind is polluted, our message is
confusing and not well received. With a pure mind we have pure intentions,
speech and actions so that our message to others is clear and better
received. Thus, we have more ability to assist others when the mind is pure
through learning and practicing these Teachings.
Additionally, it is The Natural Law of Kamma that governs all things. While
laws of society are defined and enforced by human beings, which means
errors are introduced, The Natural Law of Kamma is a natural law. It is not
created and is not administered by humans, thus, it is completely objective.
This is the reason why we should not feel the overwhelming pressure or
craving to “right a perceived wrong” which would cause us undue stress,
burden, and complications. But instead, we should feel comfortable that The
Natural Law of Kamma always exists and there is no need to overwhelm the
mind with activities of “righting a perceived wrong”.
The Natural Law of Kamma is similar to that of the natural law of gravity.
Gravity is experienced by all, whether they are aware of the existence of
gravity or not. Gravity is not monitored or maintained by any entity. Gravity
just exists and all things are subjected to its forces.
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When you were a child, you did not understand the natural law of gravity and
found it challenging to walk, run, jump, and exist peacefully in the world with
the mind unawakened to this natural law. As the mind became more awake
to the natural law of gravity, you slowly began to function in the world with
ease and smoothness. You found it easier to conduct daily tasks. Life
became more straight forward and the world around you became easier to
understand and navigate.
The Natural Law of Kamma functions in the same way. The more awakened
the mind is to this natural law, you can exist in the world with more wisdom,
ease, and smoothness to ensure you are making good wholesome decisions
that lead to good wholesome results. Through learning and practicing The
Eight Fold Path, you can produce only wholesome Kamma and, thus,
extinguish all unwholesome Kamma through producing only wholesome
Kamma.
To attain Enlightenment, a Practitioner needs to extinguish all unwholesome
Kamma through producing only wholesome Kamma for an extended period
of time using The Eight Fold Path as the way leading to the complete
elimination of discontentedness in the mind.
There is no entity responsible for monitoring or maintaining Kamma and all
are subjected to Kamma, whether one is aware that this natural law exists or
not, just like you were affected by the natural law of gravity even though at a
young age you were unaware of it. The more you understand The Natural
Law of Kamma, the more life will improve.
One cannot run or hide from The Natural Law of Kamma. All unwholesome
Kamma will need to be experienced and extinguished from this life and all
prior lives through the pursuit of Enlightenment.
For you to escape The Cycle of Rebirth through attaining Enlightenment, you
must practice The Eight Fold Path for an extended period of time which will
extinguish all unwholesome Kamma from this life and previous lives. As your
practice becomes deeper and deeper, you will experience less and less
negative events in your life. Life becomes more comfortable and easier when
practicing these Teachings through a more awakened mind with a deepened
understanding of Kamma.
By practicing The Eight Fold Path completely and entirely for an extended
period of time, all unwholesome Kamma production is eliminated. You will
eliminate the production of all unwholesome Kamma and your life will
become more comfortable, fluid, and easy because you are not creating
harm in the world; you have burned off all your unwholesome Kamma from
this life and previous lives. Because you are not causing harm through a
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deep understanding and practice of The Eight Fold Path, there is no harm
being returned to you.
You cannot escape The Natural Law of Kamma. Your current existence is an
accumulation of the results of your decisions from this life and past lives -
that is your Kamma. All your wholesome and unwholesome deeds have
accumulated into your current existence. Our life is a result of all our past
decisions, wholesome or unwholesome. To attain Enlightenment, you will
need to extinguish all unwholesome Kamma from this life and all prior lives
through practice of The Eight Fold Path.
Craving determines if there is rebirth, while Kamma determines in what
realm, what situation, and the condition of the new being upon rebirth. If
there is craving, there is rebirth. Craving is the fuel or spark that causes
rebirth creating conditions in which a new existence emerges. Each
existence is a new being, however, the craving and residual memories of
previous existences are carried forward to the new being.
Rebirth occurs when craving from an existence has not yet been
extinguished. Craving will be carried forward into the new mind to create a
new existence. The new being will create unwholesome Kamma in the new
existence based on craving from previous lives that exists in the current life.
These unextinguished cravings that exist in this current life will create
unwholesome Kamma in the current life. All unwholesome Kamma needs to
be experienced in order for the new being to extinguish 100% of its
unwholesome Kamma. Through observing Kamma as an indicator to
extinguish craving, one can be guided to fully extinguish all unwholesome
Kamma.
In this way, one cannot run or hide from their unwholesome Kamma. Through
extinguishing craving/greed, anger/hatred, and ignorance/delusion/
unknowing of true reality, one will extinguish their unwholesome Kamma to
attain Enlightenment.
You may have bad situations and experiences happen to you in this life that
are difficult for you to understand why they have occurred or are occurring.
Kamma can be the very best and unbiased Teacher that will help you to
observe changes that you need to make to improve your life through
wholesome Kamma production. You will only gain this insight if you have a
deep understanding of The Natural Law of Kamma through learning and
practicing Gotama Buddha’s Teachings.
We actively apply effort to learn and practice these Teachings so that we can
extinguish any unwholesome Kamma production. You will need to learn how
to not attach or cling to the pleasant feelings, painful feelings, and feelings
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that are neither painful-nor-pleasant that you experience in this life, while
learning how to produce only wholesome Kamma through learning and
practicing The Eight Fold Path.
Laws of Society
Now that you understand The Natural Law of Kamma and how being a good
moral person practicing The Eight Fold Path will produce only wholesome
Kamma, let’s discuss laws of society that attempt to govern our daily lives,
but are difficult to create, implement, and enforce fairly.
Following societies “laws”, as they are written, does not necessarily mean
you will earn your own Enlightenment.
Criminal and civil laws are created by humans. These laws are always
imperfect, however The Natural Law of Kamma is not created by humans
and just exists. It is completely fair based on the natural goodness or harms
of one’s intentions, speech, actions or livelihood. We should all follow laws of
society but just merely following the law does not mean we are not causing
harm to other beings, and following the law alone will not guarantee you will
attain Enlightenment. Instead, one needs to learn, reflect, and practice The
Natural Laws of Existence to attain Enlightenment.
We must practice “The Teachings” which are good moral Teachings that far
exceed any laws of any land.
Freedom of speech laws are a perfect example. We have the “legal right” to
say anything we want, mostly, in some countries. However, hate speech,
slander, gossip, or harsh language is not going to earn us Enlightenment.
Wrong speech will harm others and, thus, create unwholesome Kamma that
will be returned. An individual will experience the unwholesome results (i.e
unwholesome Kamma) of their unwise decisions to practice wrong speech.
This is the results of their decisions but they may or may not result in criminal
or civil punishments.
Society’s laws are not always in line with these Teachings, therefore, it’s
important to understand Gotama Buddha’s Teachings so that we can create
a better life for ourselves on this earth through wise decisions that lead to
wholesome results (i.e. wholesome Kamma).
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We should adhere to the laws of the land, but we should allow The Teachings
of good moral conduct to guide our daily lives through good wholesome
decisions. By practicing these Teachings, we ensure we have “universal love
for all beings”, “do no harm”, and “be a good moral person”. Laws of the
land do not necessarily ensure we are practicing these core Teachings.
To explore and understand The Natural Law of Kamma more deeply, see the
book titled “The Natural Law of Kamma” (Volume 6) of this same book
series.
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Chapter 10
What is Merit?
Merit is an important Teaching to understand as it relates to The Path to
Enlightenment. Merit is thought of as a unique type of Kamma. Merit is
wholesome Kamma generated through generous offerings and gifts to The
Community of virtuous Ordained Practitioners and anyone who has attained
one of The Four Stages of Enlightenment. This community of people is
referred to as the “Ariyan Sangha”. Sangha is the Pāli word for “community”.
The “Ariyan Sangha” is translated as “The Noble Community”.
Merit is generated by making offerings of food, water, clothing, shelter,
medical care, time, effort, energy, financial support, and resources, to
support the sharing of Gotama Buddha’s Teachings. It is The Noble
Community who are responsible for guiding others to attain Enlightenment.
Ordained Practitioners and anyone who has attained one of The Four Stages
of Enlightenment are considered deep Students and Practitioners of these
Teachings who support all others by guiding them towards attaining
Enlightenment.
If you make offerings to these people, you are supporting the continuation of
The Teachings that will help end discontentedness and the suffering it
causes to all of humanity. To make offerings to The Noble Community,
virtuous Ordained Practitioners, and any person who has attained one of The
Four Stages of Enlightenment, you are recognizing the importance of The
Teachings and supporting their continued growth. This is considered a
unique type of wholesome Kamma called “Merit”.
Sharing The Teachings of Gotama Buddha requires an enormous amount of
time, effort, energy, and resources. Wherever you learn these Teachings,
these people need to use time and money to support their ongoing efforts to
share The Teachings with you. The vast majority of people who share these
Teachings with loving-kindness and compassion would never ask for a
payment for sharing The Teachings but instead, offer them to you on a
donation basis. The Teachings are essentially shared at no cost, for free, but
those who are sharing The Teachings are spending their time, effort, energy,
and resources to do the work to share with you.
Those who share The Teachings in this way are doing so with generosity,
loving-kindness, and compassion for all beings. It is important that you do
not just “take” this generosity, loving-kindness, and compassion, but that
you also “return it back” to those who are using their time, effort, energy, and
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resources to help you. You should also help them. As people are sharing with
you, you can share with them. And, you can also initiate sharing on your own
without any expectation of obtaining something in return. The practice of
generosity and sharing is a powerful way to help cultivate a mind free of
greed or craving.
Without sharing and practicing generosity to create Merit, a person would be
unable to attain Enlightenment as the mind would still be holding on and
would not have eliminated craving. It is through making offerings to the
Teachers of these Teachings that one is acknowledging, with appreciation
and gratitude, that The Teachings have helped them in their life, and they are
making offerings to help the Teacher help others.
It is only through the generosity of people before you that The Teachings
have been preserved and shared worldwide to finally reach you. The people
before you have already made donations of time, effort, energy, and
resources to help these Teachings reach you.
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Now, instead of just “taking The Teachings” to benefit your life, you can
also help those yet to come behind you by “practicing generosity and
giving” to benefit those in the future.
Your offering that produces Merit helps those who share these Teachings
with you. And you are helping those people after you who will learn and
progress with these Teachings in the generations yet to come.
If Beings Knew the Results of Giving and Sharing
Monks, if beings knew, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they would not eat
without having given, nor would the stain of selfishness obsess them and take root in
their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without
having shared it, if there were someone to share it with.
But because beings do not know, as I know, the results of giving and sharing, they eat
without having given, and the stain of selfishness obsesses them and takes root in their
minds.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: ITI 26)
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Five Benefits of Giving
Monks, there are these five benefits of giving.
What five?
(1) One is dear and agreeable to many people.
(2) Wholesome persons go in large numbers to one (you).
(3) One acquires a wholesome reputation.
(4) One is not deficient in the Householder’s duties.
(5) With the breakup of the body, after death, one is reborn in a good destination, in a
heavenly world.
These are the five benefits of giving.
By giving, one becomes dear, one follows the duty of the wholesome; the wholesome
mentally disciplined Monks always go in large numbers to one (you).
They teach one The Teachings that dispels all discontentedness, having understood
which the taintless one here attains Nibbāna (Enlightenment).
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: AN 5.35)
Oftentimes, people think one must be wealthy in assets to generate Merit.
Some think to generate large quantities of Merit, one must have extreme
wealth to give money, donations, supplies, etc., to virtuous Ordained
Practitioners, Temples, Teachers, etc. It is thought that the more we give the
more we will receive “good things” in this life or future lives, based on the
total amount of money we give. This is not true.
Wealth by itself is not an indication of whether someone is a good moral
person or not, and whether their deeds are wholesome. Wealth does not
pave the way to Enlightenment. Just as being wealthy does not pave the
way to attaining Enlightenment, being poor or having less money does not
inhibit you either.
The amount of money you have acquired is not important in terms of
Enlightenment. What is important is how you acquire your wealth, “Right
Livelihood” (see The Eight Fold Path in Chapter 5), and what you do with it
once it is acquired through your “Right Intentions, Right Speech, and Right
Actions”.
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Merit is generated and inherited by you and you alone. You are the owner of
your own Merit. You are not able to transfer or inherit Merit from another
person. Gotama Buddha explains clearly in his Teachings that we are the
“owner and heir” of our Kamma.
Gotama Buddha taught us that “…beings are the owners of their Kamma,
the heirs of their Kamma; they have Kamma as their origin, Kamma as their
relative, Kamma as their resort; whatever Kamma they do, wholesome or
unwholesome, they are its heirs.”
Merit is a unique type of Kamma and Gotama Buddha made it clear that
Kamma cannot be transferred to another person. That it is only through our
own wholesome actions that we create wholesome results. Merit cannot be
accumulated and then transferred to another person. It is only through our
own actions that we produce either wholesome or unwholesome Kamma.
Through practicing generosity on a consistent and ongoing basis, along with
other practices, the mind is gradually trained to “let go” reducing then
eliminating craving/desire/attachment to eliminate the mind’s
discontentedness.
Merit and Kamma are two Teachings that are interconnected.
Practicing Generosity to Attain Merit
One of our goals in life is to create wholesome Kamma and minimize or
eliminate the production of unwholesome Kamma into the world.
Accumulating Merit is a way that we can put wholesome Kamma into the
world. We can do this with donations, giving supplies, giving our time or
effort to helping support the distribution, teaching, and sharing of these
Teachings. Money, supplies, time, effort, etc., are all just some ways that we
can assist in supporting the growth of these Teachings across the world.
Through supporting these efforts, one is creating Merit which is wholesome
Kamma. At the same time, you would be practicing generosity which helps
you to eliminate the poison of greed or craving. It is important to cultivate a
mind that practices generosity to train it to eliminate the poison of greed,
craving, attachment, and desire. This will help you to eliminate selfishness.
In this way, through making continuous meritorious offerings to support the
sharing of these Teachings to benefit the world, you are also receiving the
benefit of reduced craving. Merit and Kamma are interconnected in that
through the wholesome actions of giving, you are also receiving benefits to
your own practice through generosity which will reduce craving in the mind.
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Generosity is a readiness and taking the action of frequently giving something
more than is strictly necessary, such as time, effort, energy, financial support,
or resources without any expectation of anything in return. A practice of
giving and helping others as part of an ongoing and comprehensive life
practice. This action can help you develop and cultivate a more caring and
compassionate mind as one chooses to consistently give and share through
their life to eliminate selfishness. Generosity eliminates craving/desire/
attachment in the mind, thus, helping to eliminate discontent feelings from
the mind.
Generosity without judgment or expectation of anything in return is a
practice that can transform the mind in ways you never thought
possible.
Giving of time, effort, goods, supplies, or money to assist in the sharing of
these Teachings will help you to create Merit. We all have something to give,
and these Teachings only continue through those who are benefiting from
The Teachings. The reason you are receiving beneficial Teachings is because
countless people before you made offerings to The Noble Community to
continue The Teachings from the time of Gotama Buddha until now. Without
their generosity, you would not be able to learn and benefit from these
Teachings. Your offerings to support these Teachings help you and those
after you.
By giving to The Noble Community, we are practicing loving-kindness and
compassion through actions to help support the continued growth of these
Teachings and helping to support the learning of people after you.
Generosity is important and we should practice generosity by giving to
others and important causes that benefit others. We can practice generosity
not only by giving to The Noble Community but also by giving to people and
charitable efforts without any expectation of anything in return. By practicing
generosity of time, effort, energy, and resources, you will accumulate
wholesome Kamma for yourself but more importantly, you will cultivate a
mind with loving-kindness for all beings and compassion for all beings
without judgment and the mind will eliminate craving/desire/attachment.
Through developing an ongoing practice of giving and helping others, we
cultivate loving-kindness and compassion, while also practicing non-craving
to our own possessions or wealth.
Through the personal choice of being generous and giving, it helps to
eliminate the unwholesome root of craving. It is common to give to others
including making offerings to a Teacher who is helping you. It is not expected
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or required but a personal choice. You will find being generous to those
around you is a helpful practice to train the mind to eliminate craving.
This understanding could lead one to think you must be wealthy and that
those who are less fortunate cannot produce wholesome Kamma by
practicing generosity. This could not be further from the truth, but is a
common belief held by many.
The absolute best way for us to create the highest quality of wholesome
Kamma is by completely eliminating the production of unwholesome
Kamma. The way we do this is to practice these Teachings to include
meditation.
By doing Breathing Mindfulness Meditation or Loving-kindness Meditation,
we are practicing the entire Eight Fold Path during those moments, thus, all
unwholesome Kamma production has ceased. During meditation, we are not
producing any unwholesome Kamma. We have eliminated unwholesome
Kamma production from our life for those moments of meditation.
Through the practice of meditation and elimination of unwholesome Kamma
production, Gotama Buddha explains we are creating the highest level and
highest quality of wholesome Kamma for ourselves which is beneficial to the
entire world.
Gotama Buddha explains in his Teachings that the most expensive gifts and
highest priced items given, do not generate nearly as much wholesome
Kamma as one who does Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, and second to
that one who does Loving-kindness Meditation.
So, accumulating wholesome Kamma does not require any money or
supplies whatsoever. It only requires that we dedicate time to meditation
which will produce wholesome Kamma. The ripple ‘cause and effect’ of your
meditation is wholesome Kamma into the world. Thus, you can know that
your individual wholesome intentions and actions of meditation will produce
goodness for you and the entire world.
One does not need to be wealthy to accumulate the highest quality of
wholesome Kamma, it only requires dedication and commitment to a
meditation practice.
If you are able, it is beneficial to offer donations of time, effort, energy, and
resources to The Noble Community to assist in the elimination of suffering in
the world. Gotama Buddha’s Teachings have been carried forward over time
by people like you who support Ordained Practitioners, Temples, Teachers,
meditation centers and other causes associated with sharing his Teachings
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worldwide. However, if you do not have money, you can offer your time and
effort that benefit the sharing of these Teachings while also accumulating the
highest form and highest quality of wholesome Kamma by doing meditation.
By doing meditation, you have thus made the highest offering possible to the
world by applying effort to eliminate discontentedness in the mind. When
you eliminate discontentedness in the mind, you are producing less and less
unwholesome Kamma that the world needs to deal with and experience from
you.
Without a word spoken, the calmness felt at the end of meditation is the
calmness you created in the mind. It’s like the world is quietly saying “Thank
you for sending us calmness and peace. Now, we send it back to you”.
Meditation is the highest form of wholesome Kamma you can produce and,
therefore the Kamma of meditation is returned to you immediately and
instantaneously. Your meditation benefits you and it benefits the world. You
should do meditation to benefit the mind and to benefit the world, whenever
you need it and for however long you need it. A daily practice is
recommended.
You can offer your time, effort, energy, or financial support to virtuous
Ordained Practitioners, Temples, and Teachers who are actively applying
effort to share these Teachings to generate Merit. Your time, effort, energy,
and financial support is helpful to benefit you and countless others to learn
these Teachings. Through the decision to support virtuous Ordained
Practitioners, Temples, and Teachers, you and countless others will be able
to learn and practice these Teachings creating a more peaceful world
through less and less harm being produced in the world.
Teachers should not be sharing these Teachings in order to receive
donations but instead, because a person has decided to leave behind
worldly pursuits to share these Teachings with you, they will need donations
to sustain their life and to provide the needed resources allowing them to
share these Teachings with you and others in the world. By a Community
providing donations to support an individual to share these Teachings, it
facilitates the ability of these Teachings to more readily and deeply reach you
and others in the world creating a kinder, gentler, and more peaceful society
that you and everyone can enjoy.
Without the wisdom of these Teachings, the world would be lost continuing
to experience heartache, misery, despair, and displeasure. Humanity would
continue to suffer.
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Supporting these Teachings by creating Merit through generous offerings to
The Noble Community means that you will have the ability to gain the
needed wisdom to support your life goals while improving your personal and
professional relationships to enhance your life.
Gifts of Teachings Is Superior Than Gifts of Material Things
Monks, there are these two kinds of gifts: a gift of material things and a gift of The
Teachings.
Of these two kinds of gifts, this is supreme: a gift of The Teachings.
There are these two kinds of sharing: sharing of material things and sharing of The
Teachings.
Of these two kinds of sharing, this is supreme: sharing of The Teachings.
There are these two kinds of assistance: assistance with material things and assistance
with The Teachings.
Of these two kinds of assistance, this is supreme: assistance with The Teachings.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: ITI 100)
Author’s Thoughts: The best most beneficial gift that I could ever give to you is the gift
of sharing these Teachings. May you discover the freedom associated with a mind that
is peaceful, calm, serene, and content with joy permanently - the Enlightened mind.
As you need help to learn, reflect, and practice these Teachings, you are welcome to
seek guidance which is available openly and freely to “all beings”.
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An Unsurpassed Field of Merit for the World
Monks, these eight persons are worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of
offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.
What eight?
The Stream-Enterer, the one practicing for realization of the fruit of Stream Entry;
the Once-Returner, the one practicing for realization of the fruit of Once Returning;
the Non-Returner, the one practicing for realization of the fruit of Non-Returning;
the Arahant, the one practicing for realization of the fruit of Arahantship.
These eight persons, Monks, are worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of
offerings, worthy of reverential salutation, an unsurpassed field of merit for the world.
The four practicing the way
and the four established in the fruit;
this is the upright Community -
composed in wisdom and virtuous behavior (moral conduct).
For people intent on sacrifice,
for living beings seeking merit,
making merit that ripens in the acquisitions,
what is given to The Community bears great fruit.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference:AN 8.59)
Why Do Ordained Practitioners Beg for Food?
It is a common misunderstanding that people think Ordained Practitioners
(i.e. Teachers) are begging for food. Ordained Practitioners are not begging
for food nor anything else. They are walking through The Community
providing the opportunity for Household Practitioners (i.e. Students) to
practice generosity to acquire merit which will assist them in developing the
mind to attain Enlightenment.
As part of what The Buddha shared as Teachings, he developed a system of
“mutual support”.
The mutual support between Ordained Practitioners (i.e. Teachers) and their
Students (i.e. Household Practitioners) is designed to ensure that there is
opportunity for both Teachers and Students to practice The Teachings
according to what leads to Enlightenment - namely “generosity”.
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Teachers are giving up their career and worldly life. They have eliminated, or
are working to eliminate, their craving/desire/attachment to worldly life of
having an extensive amount of possessions, a career, etc. Through applying
effort to develop their life practice to understand and practice The Teachings,
they are being a deep and dedicated Student.
To be the very best Teacher, one would need to first be a very deep and
dedicated Student and Practitioner.
So by living on donations of food, water, clothing, shelter, medical care, and
financial support, Teachers are able to get deeper and deeper into their own
practice of these Teachings to acquire wisdom of The Teachings. In this way,
a Teacher is able to become a very deep, dedicated, determined, and
diligent Student that leads to the elimination of craving/desire/attachment to
worldly life, ultimately benefiting the Teacher and their Students. The Teacher
is then better prepared to share the wisdom they cultivated on The Path to
Enlightenment to help their Students to then get closer to and attain
Enlightenment for themselves. It was the Student’s offerings that supported
the Teacher aiding them in their journey to Enlightenment through generous
donations, and it is the wisdom they cultivated that is then shared with the
Students that helps them to progress in their journey to Enlightenment. This
is the “mutual support” that The Buddha envisioned and created during his
lifetime.
To be a good Teacher, one first needs to be a really great Student.
Through the work of being a very deep Student, a Teacher is then best
prepared to be able to share these Teachings with Students to help them
learn, reflect, and practice towards the attainment of Enlightenment.
A Teacher should have a well developed practice of generosity, in that, they
are giving and sharing The Teachings of The Buddha without asking for
anything in return. They should have no expectations of their Students and
focus on sharing The Teachings with all those who have a sincere interest in
learning and growing on The Path to Enlightenment.
Generosity is a significant aspect of practice that one needs to develop in
order to attain Enlightenment. An individual would be unable to attain
Enlightenment without a well developed practice of “generosity”.
Generosity is a readiness and taking the action of frequently giving
something more than is strictly necessary, such as time, effort, energy,
financial support, or resources without any expectation of anything in
return. A practice of giving and helping others as part of an ongoing and
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comprehensive life practice. This action can help you develop and
cultivate a more caring and compassionate mind as one chooses to
consistently give and share through their life to eliminate selfishness.
Generosity eliminates craving/desire/attachment in the mind, thus,
helping to eliminate discontent feelings from the mind.
Generosity without judgment or expectation of anything in return is a
practice that can transform the mind in ways you never thought
possible.
Students are focused on living a household life where they do have certain
possessions, a career, and other aspects of worldly life. As a Student
progresses forward in life, due to pollutions of mind, they will face various
struggles, difficulties, and challenges. Due to the lack of wisdom of The
Natural Laws of Existence, a Student will experience various challenges in
life that they find difficult to overcome and it is The Teachings of The Buddha
that will guide them to an improved condition of mind and life.
Because a Teacher has given up their worldly life to focus on sharing
Teachings with Students, Students will then provide support to their Teacher
to assist them in sustaining their life and to be able to offer these Teachings
to them and others throughout the world.
In this way, there is “mutual support”.
The Teachers are sharing The Teachings of The Buddha to help their
Students improve their life and Students are providing life sustaining
resources that support the Teacher to sustain life and acquire the needed
resources to offer these Teachings to them and others.
Without this mutual support, the entire Path to Enlightenment would collapse
as we see today in many parts of the world. We would find that it would be
utterly difficult for anyone to get to Enlightenment without this system of
mutual support.
There would not be the ability for Teachers to deeply develop their
understanding and practice of these Teachings while practicing generosity
by sharing The Teachings and Students would not have the ability to develop
their mind by learning and practicing these Teachings while practicing
generosity to support the continued sharing of these Teachings. Essentially,
people would be “stuck” and unable to progress to Enlightenment because
the entire system of “mutual support” would break down and there would
not be the practice of generosity for Teachers and Students to get closer to
Enlightenment.
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If Teachers charged money for their services, they would not be practicing
generosity. If Students are paying a fee for classes, courses, and retreats,
they would not be practicing generosity. Therefore, without this regular and
ongoing practice of generosity where Teachers are regularly sharing
Teachings and Students are regularly sharing their time, effort, energy, and
resources to help the Teachers continue to share The Teachings, the system
of mutual support would not exist, individuals would not be practicing
generosity, people would not be getting to Enlightenment, and The Path to
Enlightenment would completely and entirely collapse.
This would leave the world without the needed Teachings of The
Buddha to improve society and, thus, help all of humanity evolve to a
higher consciousness where we are loving, kind, and gentle to each
other while being able to acquire a peaceful and joyful mind and life.
Therefore, it is important that we do not think of it as Ordained Practitioners,
including Teachers, are “begging for food”, because to “beg” would be to
have craving/desire/attachment while pleading with Students to give them
something. This is not what The Buddha taught as Practitioners are guided
to “await what is given” rather than to have expectations that something will
be given or to beg for something to be given.
Instead, The Path to Enlightenment is based on “mutual support” and
through this mutual support, there will be Teachers in a Community who are
interested and willing to teach based in loving-kindness, compassion, and
generosity while there will be Students who have a sincere interest to learn
and are willing to practice generosity to support the continued sharing of
these Teachings.
In this way, Teachers have the ability to develop and Students will have
Teachers available to help them develop.
If we appreciate, value, and respect Teachers who offer these Teachings at
no cost, then Students will need to do their part to provide the needed
support for a Teacher to exist in the world through providing the basic
necessities to sustain life and resources to support the continued sharing of
these Teachings.
If a Teacher is practicing in the way that is needed to share these Teachings
into the world, they would use a portion of the offerings (i.e. donations) to
sustain their life with food, water, clothing, shelter, and medical care and also
allocate a certain amount of the resources provided by their Students
towards improving their ability to share these Teachings. In modern times,
this might include any of the following:
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- Website
- Video Conferencing Membership
- Computers, Lights, Microphone, and equipment to share The Teachings.
- Meditation Cushions and Chairs
- Classroom Supplies (carpets, water, cups, bathroom supplies, white
board, markers, etc.)
- Signage Advertising Classes
- Transportation to and from classes, courses, retreats, and appointments
with Students.
While a Teacher may offer their classes and other programs for FREE, it is
not free for a Teacher to offer their Teachings. A Teacher will need support on
a continuous and ongoing basis to be able to continuously share The
Teachings of The Buddha.
By supporting a Teacher to share The Teachings of The Buddha, you are
supporting your ability to learn The Teachings and the ability of others to
learn The Teachings while training the mind to eliminate craving/desire/
attachment, the cause of discontentedness.
But, a Teacher (i.e. Ordained Practitioner) is not begging nor should they ever
have an expectation of their Students to make offerings.
By a Teacher sharing their Teachings without any cost for the Student, this
makes The Teachings of The Buddha available to the widest audience
possible and removes any potential financial obstacle that may or may not
exist for a Student. These Teachings are to help an individual rise above and
move beyond the daily struggles and difficulties in their life. Many of those
struggles and difficulties will hinder an individual from financial success.
If a Teacher offered their Teachings at a price for classes, courses, or
retreats, an individual who is struggling with finances due to their lack of
wisdom of these Teachings, would be unable to access the very solution to
the struggles they face. The very Teachings they need to overcome the
financial roadblocks would be inaccessible to them because there is a
certain fee that is required to learn the wisdom they need to achieve
improved financial success and other life successes in personal and
professional relationships. Essentially, they would be “stuck” in the financial
difficulties without the ability to ever learn and practice The Teachings they
need to overcome their struggles in life.
Therefore, a Teacher needs to function without any selfish desires or
attachment to financial success. A Teacher needs to be willing and able to
offer their Teachings at “no cost”. If they assign a cost to their Teachings,
there would be countless beings who would be left behind due to their
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inability to pay for the classes, courses, and retreats that they need in order
to acquire the needed wisdom to overcome their struggles and difficulties in
life.
If you decide to support Teachers, Ordained Practitioners, and/or Temples,
you are providing the needed resources to make these Teachings available
to you and many others in the world. And, you are developing your practice
of “generosity” to develop and enhance the mind towards the attainment of
Enlightenment by eliminating craving/desire/attachment, the cause of
discontent feelings, thus, helping to eliminate discontent feelings from the
mind.
Do keep in mind, that a Teacher, Ordained Practitioner, and/or Temple should
not expect, ask, nor beg for support. Instead, they would just give and share
allowing their Students to also give and share.
In this way, the system of mutual support, wisely created by The Buddha
during his lifetime, continues with Teachers and Students progressing
towards Enlightenment through the practice of “generosity” to acquire
“merit”. Through a regular, consistent, and ongoing practice of “generosity”
by both Teachers and Students, The Path to Enlightenment is fully intact and
accessible to “all beings”.
Mutual Support Between Monks, Brāhmins and Householders
Monks, Brāhmins and Householders are very helpful to you. They provide you with the
requisites of robes, almsfood, lodgings, and medicines in time of sickness. And you,
Monks, are very helpful to Brāhmins and Householders, as you teach them The
Teachings that are good in the beginning, the middle, and the end, with the correct
meaning and wording, and you proclaim the spiritual life in its fulfillment and complete
purity. Thus, Monks, this spiritual life is lived with mutual support for the purpose of
crossing the flood and making a complete end of discontentedness.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: ITI 107)
To learn more about producing wholesome Kamma through practicing
generosity, see the books titled “The Natural Law of Kamma” (Volume 6) and
“Generosity” (Volume 13) of this same book series.
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Chapter 11
Meditation:
Developing Your Practice
Gotama Buddha said, “meditate or lest you regret it later”. We have this
extremely rare human existence and we should not let it go to waste through
laziness, complacency or excessive delays. We should utilize our time in this
human form to develop and cultivate a pure mind so that we can experience
a peaceful and content life while escaping The Cycle of Rebirth.
Gotama Buddha explained that “a pot without a stand is easy to tip over”.
The mind is the “pot” and your meditation practice is the “stand”. Without a
stable “stand” (i.e. meditation practice) the pot (i.e. the mind) is going to
constantly be “tipped over”.
The reason why the mind keeps experiencing discontent feelings such as
sadness, anger, frustration, irritation, annoyance, guilt, shame, fears,
boredom, loneliness, shyness, jealousy, resentment, stress, anxiety, etc. is
because there is not a well established meditation practice along with
learning and practicing the entire Path to Enlightenment. The mind keeps
getting “tipped over” experiencing discontent feelings.
The mind needs a steady and consistent “stand” that you establish through
the continual development of your meditation practice to train the mind. With
a stable meditation practice, a Practitioner can develop mental discipline and
the mind won't keep getting tipped over to experience discontent feelings.
Developing a solid and consistent meditation practice that provides the mind
training and development is an essential part of learning and practicing these
Teachings. The mind needs a steady and consistent “stand” that you
establish through the continual development of your meditation practice to
train the mind.
Meditation is a technique to actively train the mind during dedicated,
independent, purposeful training sessions to eliminate unwholesome
qualities of the mind and/or cultivate wholesome qualities of the mind in
the positions of seated, lying, standing, or walking.
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Just as important as it is to understand what meditation is, it is just as
important to understand what meditation is not. Meditation is not exercising,
walking the dog, gardening, driving, watching a sunset, dancing, listening to
music, martial arts, nature watching, etc. These are activities that are
beneficial to one’s life through experiencing various aspects of life but these
are not active, dedicated, independent, purposeful training sessions to
eliminate and/or cultivate various qualities of the mind.
Meditation is the foundation of our “life practice” that trains the mind. Over
time and with a well developed life practice that includes meditation, you will
discover the same truths as Gotama Buddha and acquire wisdom. It is the
wisdom you develop within a life practice and meditation that liberates the
mind. Meditation is the core method of training the mind and establishes a
foundation in which to build all the other Teachings and practices taught by
Gotama Buddha that lead to Enlightenment.
To attain Enlightenment, an individual needs to focus on developing a
practice of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation and Loving-kindness
Meditation. These two meditations are required to attain Enlightenment. The
other meditations discussed in this Chapter are optional, specialized
meditations to be utilized when appropriate and with guidance from a
Teacher. All these Teachings and the meditation techniques shared in this
book should be learned with guidance of Teachers as one will need
assistance on The Path.
Meditation Teacher
It is important for you to find Teachers and guides that will help you along
this path. You cannot attain Enlightenment alone or without Teachers. You
will need guidance and instruction from people familiar with The Path to
Enlightenment.
Only a Buddha, which is extremely rare, would be able to attain
Enlightenment without Teachers or guides. The last Buddha existed over
2,500 years ago and the world is currently unaware of the existence of any
other Buddha since his existence. Since you are not a Buddha, find helpful
Teachers and guides to assist you along this path.
You can find ordained and unordained Practitioners that will provide you
guidance in these Teachings and in your meditation practice. It is important
to seek guidance from Teachers and guides who have attained
Enlightenment as they will be very familiar with this pursuit and be able to
best guide you.
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If a Teacher has abandoned craving, anger, and ignorance (unknowing of
true reality) dissolved the ego and realized non-self, they will be most helpful.
A Teacher should have a mind with generosity, loving-kindness, and
compassion for all beings. You should be able to observe a quiet stillness
and calmness in their intentions, speech, and actions.
A Teacher who has attained Enlightenment will be able to explain what
Enlightenment is and provide extensive details of what Enlightenment is, is
not, and how to pursue Enlightenment. A Teacher will assist you along the
path without any self interest, but only to help you attain Enlightenment.
Just like everything else, it is important not to become attached to any one
Teacher and learn from multiple people. However, starting off with one
Teacher for several years to establish a solid practice can be helpful in
getting started. Then, you may find it helpful to seek guidance from other
Teachers.
Do not allow someone to instruct you into a very rigid meditation posture
that does not feel comfortable for you. If a Teacher is providing very specific
and rigid positioning for the body that is not comfortable for you, the body
positioning being taught may work for that Teacher but may not work for
you. It is important that you are not “attached” to do meditation in the exact
same body position as a Teacher because what works for one person may
not work for another. The goal of meditation is to train the mind not the body.
Gotama Buddha never gave us exact parameters for meditation positioning
of the body but instead offered four (4) positions to be used. He realized that
everyone is unique and different so the exact position you use could be
different than another person and will change over time. Meditation and
these practices are not about everyone doing meditation exactly the same
way. That is impossible because of The Universal Truth of Impermanence.
A helpful meditation Teacher will work with you to find a position that works
best for you within these four (4) postures, not force you to follow what
works for them. If someone is forcing you to follow their methods, that
means they are attached to their methods and, thus, are not fully practicing
The Teachings of non-attachment and are not understanding impermanence.
It is important that you find what works best for you, then do not become
attached to it. As you age or have other physical challenges with the body,
your meditation position will need to change. Remember, do not expect
permanence including the position that you meditate in. Do not allow
someone to instruct you into rigid meditation positions that work for them
but do not work for you.
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You will need to establish a meditation practice that consists of needing only
the body, the mind, and the breath without any other attachments like
external stimulus. Having the assistance of Teachers and guides is the best
way to develop a meditation practice.
If the positioning of the body is uncomfortable and all you feel is pain during
meditation, then all the mind will experience is pain. You will be unable to
train the mind to be content. So, find positions that are comfortable but not
luxurious and be open to make adjustments and changes as the body needs
change during meditation or during subsequent meditation sessions. Find
the body positions that are most comfortable but not luxurious as you may
have a tendency for the mind to drift to luxurious thoughts.
You may find multiple day meditation retreats, retreat centers, and meditation
centers helpful to share Teachings and guidance with you while providing
you the opportunity to meditate for several days continuously in an
environment that is supportive and knowledgable of your pursuit to
Enlightenment.
Would you attempt to learn to build a house to dwell and reside without
a Teacher? Would you be able to build this house easily and feel safe to
reside there? “No, you would not.”
The pursuit to Enlightenment is building a house within the mind for it to
reside. You will need help to learn how to develop this mental state.
You are individually responsible for your own journey, but you cannot walk
alone. You need guidance to walk The Path to Enlightenment.
You can find Teachers and guidance at: BuddhaDailyWisdom.com.
It is a common practice for Teachers to accept donations for their work to
help you in developing your practice. By offering donations to your Teachers,
you are practicing generosity, which helps you to practice non-greed and
eliminate attachment to money, while also showing your appreciation to
those that help you on The Path to Enlightenment. It is only because of
Students before you that donated support that has allowed these Teachings
to continue to present day where you are now able to learn these Teachings
to benefit your life. Others donated support to help preserve these Teachings
for you and you should look for ways to provide support to help those yet to
come.
Teachers typically give their time, effort, and wisdom to help others through
their teaching and oftentimes live a basic life with only the basic needs to
sustain life. Food, water, clothing, shelter, and medical care is all that is truly
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needed for existence and Teachers who practice these Teachings closely will
be pleased to help you regardless if you make donations or not.
To show your appreciation and to support the continued learning and
sharing, your offerings of donations will assist your Teachers to continue to
share The Teachings with you and others.
You do not need to wait to be asked to offer a donation, as most Teachers
will never ask a Student for money or support. You can independently on
your own, share with your Teachers that you would like to provide them
support and offer donations as you feel appropriate.
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One Who Points Out Treasure
Ānanda, I shall not treat you as the potter treats the raw damp clay. Repeatedly
restraining you, I shall speak to you, Ānanda. Repeatedly guiding you of what to avoid, I
shall speak to you, Ānanda. The truly dedicated will stand [the test].
Regard him as one who points out treasure, the wise one who seeing your faults guides
you of what to avoid. Stay with this sort of Teacher.
For the one who stays with a Teacher of this sort, things get better, not worse.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: MN 122 & DHP 76-77)
Author’s Thoughts: In order to share The Teachings that lead to Enlightenment, a
Buddha or any Teacher, would need to help Students uncover unwholesome qualities in
the mind and in their life practice while pointing out the cultivation of wholesome
qualities. A Student will need to put their trust in the Teacher while investigating the
areas of improvement the Teacher identifies and shares with the Student.
A Student will need to be inviting and accepting of a Teacher’s guidance in order to
identify areas of improvement and then learn, reflect, and practice Teachings to improve
their life practice. If a Student allows the ego to block the guidance from the Teacher
while feeling displeasure in the Teacher “pointing out treasure”, they will not “stand the
test” of receiving guidance from the Teacher to progress towards Enlightenment.
A Teacher would need to exert a significant amount of time, effort, energy, and
resources to guide a Student to Enlightenment. A Teacher should not ask for any
benefits from their Students, but instead, await what is given as offerings. A Teacher’s
only goal should be to guide a Student to Enlightenment without any personal gain for
themselves whatsoever.
So, a Teacher who takes their time, effort, energy, and resources to “point out treasure”
should be regarded as a “wise one who seeing your faults” will help you to learn,
reflect, and practice The Teachings to attain Enlightenment.
The Buddha’s advice is to “stay with this sort of Teacher” as things only “get better, not
worse”. As the condition of the mind and one’s life, “only gets better, not worse” when a
Student is open to understanding guidance from a wise Teacher who kindly and
patiently shares areas for improvement while not seeking any benefit from you - their
only goal is to help you. In this type of relationship with a wise Teacher pointing out
areas of improvement as treasure to be appreciated based on the goal of helping you,
you should “stay with this sort of Teacher” as things only “get better, not worse”.
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Gotama Buddha provided us four (4) positions to meditate. Seated, lying,
standing, and walking are the four (4) positions of meditation. These
positions can be used at different times, interchangeably, for different
purposes and best learned with Teachers. Through you learning and
practicing these body positions, you can decide what is or is not working for
you in any given situation. It is only when you learn and apply The Teachings
in practice that you will know the truth of what is and is not working for you.
Then, seek guidance from a Teacher to better help you gain insight into the
development of your meditation practice.
Seated Position
It is common to start with learning meditation in the seated position.
Lower Body
You can sit on the floor, in a chair, on a bench, a wheel chair, or other
location. The important thing is that the lower body is supported and
comfortable. If all you feel is pain from sitting on the floor, this is not the right
position for you to meditate at this time.
You can work to develop sitting on the floor if you like, however, if all you
experience is pain then you will find it difficult to observe anything else in the
mind other than pain. So, find a seated position that is comfortable for you.
The position should be comfortable but not luxurious.
Upper Body
The upper body should be fully supported by your own strength. You should
not slouch or be too stiff and upright. Maintain a comfortable and supported
upper body that is in the “middle" and allows for comfortable, steady, and
consistent breath.
If you choose to meditate in a chair, try not to lean back using the back rest
unless it is required to eliminate pain or the back muscles are insufficient to
support the body. Try using the back muscles to support your upper body, if
possible, to maintain an attentive and alert mind.
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Hands and Arms
The hands and arms should be relaxed in front of you. There are several
different ways to place the hands and arms. You can see the below photo to
observe how Gotama Buddha performed meditation.
Gotama Buddha placed his right hand on top of his left hand with the
thumbs touching together. If this works for you, you can use this technique.
Other options include placing the palms of your hands on your lap or on top
of your knees.
You should not be attached to placing the hands and arms, or other parts of
the body, in the exact same position as Gotama Buddha. However, if they
work for you then you can use those.
The most important thing is that the hands and arms are relaxed in front of
the body and comfortable. There are many ways to accomplish this goal.
Remember, one aspect of this practice is to eliminate ego. So, it is not
important that we all force ourselves into the same body position or emulate
Gotama Buddha’s meditation posture to determine who is doing it “right” or
“wrong” or who is better than another.
The “right” position for you is the right position for you. And, this will change
over time as the body needs to be adjusted as the body has physical
changes over the course of your lifetime. You may start meditating on the
floor but later in life, move to a chair or other position.
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What is important, is that you find a comfortable position that allows the
body to be seated comfortably while you train the mind, then, not be
attached to that position as it will not be permanent and will need to change
over time.
Lying Position
Lying position can be used for various reasons. If you are using seated
position for long periods of time and would like to change positions to
continue your meditation, you may choose to switch to the lying position. If
the body is tired and you are interested to relax all the muscles in the body
while meditating, this could be a helpful position for you.
If you are interested to train the mind not to be attached to the seated
position, lying position is another option.
You may also need lying position at times when other positions are not
possible. If you are sick or otherwise incapable of sitting, standing or
walking, meditation in the lying position is an option for you.
You can lay on the floor, a bed, or any other location. If you are able to lay on
the floor, this is a good place to start while also being open to meditating in a
bed. If you are in the hospital or otherwise confined to a bed, it is nice to
have the lying position available for you to meditate.
All the muscles in the body should be relaxed and comfortable. Be sure you
maintain the mind in meditation as a lying position may promote a sluggish
or sleepy mind. Remember, meditation is to train the mind so if you are
falling asleep while trying to meditate, it will limit your ability to train the
mind. To train the mind you will need to maintain an attentive and alert mind.
Conversely, if you are having trouble falling asleep, you could use the lying
position and meditation to assist you in falling asleep. Be sure you also have
meditation sessions where you are training the mind to eliminate or cultivate
the mental qualities discussed in this book. This includes training the mind
as described in the various meditations shared in this Chapter.
The below photo demonstrates a potential option for lying position. Again,
you will need to work with the body and Teachers to help you find a lying
position that works for you and then you should not be attached to that
position as it will need to change.
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Standing Position
Just like lying position, standing position provides another option for
meditation and can also be used at different times for various purposes. In
the same way as lying position, standing can be used when you would like to
change positions to continue your meditation or when another position is not
possible.
You may use standing position during a dedicated meditation session when
the body needs to change positions. You can also use standing position
while standing at a bus stop, in line or another location where you are
standing and would like to do a bit of meditation.
For standing position, you stand upright with both feet together and your
arms in front of you using one hand to clasp the wrist on the opposite side of
the body. There is no secret with which hand clasps the other. It’s up to you.
If clasping at the wrist with one hand is not possible, then you could allow
the arms to just relax at your side or clasp them at the wrist behind the body.
Again, no attachments to a specific posture, the body needs to be
comfortable but not luxurious.
Walking Position
Walking position is another position for meditation that can be used and can
be helpful. If the mind is very active and unwilling to sit, lay, or stand, walking
position could be used. Additionally, walking position could be used to
provide another option that allows you to extend your meditation session to
maintain the body in a comfortable position and attentive posture. If the
body becomes uncomfortable with one of the other positions, walking
position could be used to extend meditation sessions allowing the body to
be comfortable.
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Walking position, as with all meditation, is helpful to learn with a Teacher. You
will need to learn various details and instruction should be sought for this
position of meditation along with all the others.
All of the following meditation techniques can be conducted in the above
mentioned positions.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation helps you to eliminate craving by training
the mind to “cut off thoughts” during meditation, thus, removing the poison
of “Craving” or “Greed” while developing the skill of mindfulness.
The goal of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is to develop “Right
Concentration”, “Right Mindfulness”, and to eliminate the unwholesome root
of craving by training the mind not to cling or attach to emotions, situations,
fears, relationships, the past nor the future expectations you have of
yourself. Gotama Buddha explained this as “cutting off thoughts”. You may
also think of this as “letting go of the thoughts”.
All discontentedness is from cravings, desires, and attachments so it is
important to train the mind to not have attachment.
Developing a mind that has been trained not to have attachments is highly
useful in everyday life so that you can more easily let go of your current
attachments and not pick up new attachments which will eliminate your
discontentedness of the mind.
The benefit of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is that we develop a calm,
steady, peaceful, more concentrated mind through the elimination of
cravings/desires/attachments. You can develop an unshakable mind. The
elimination of attachments is what creates the concentration and
contentedness, not actually the meditation by itself.
This meditation trains the mind not to have craving, then, you will need to
practice non-craving and the other Teachings to develop the mind into a
pure mind with Enlightenment. It is through a practice of non-craving that the
mind will be calm, content, and peaceful to ultimately attain Enlightenment.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation becomes a way to empty out the mind of
past thoughts and future expectations along with any emotions, thoughts,
ideas, perceptions, fears, etc. while training the mind to not crave anything
because we know craving causes discontentedness. You are training the
mind in meditation to not crave so it will be content which produces a calm,
stable, and concentrated mind.
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Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is the foundation of a practice in these
Teachings and should be developed as the primary meditation practiced
daily.
Cutting off thoughts does not mean you will never have thoughts or it would
not be helpful to have thoughts. It means, that you train the mind not to
hold on to thoughts, ideas, and perceptions, etc. because then you
would be attached to those things. If you are attached to thoughts, ideas,
perceptions, etc. then you will “cause yourself” discontentedness when
these are not fulfilled as expected.
You will always have thoughts, ideas, wisdom, even memories of past events
or goals in the future you’d like to achieve. But when you are attached to
these things, then it causes the mind to be discontent. You are causing the
mind to be discontent through your own attachments to these thoughts,
ideas, perceptions, or the past and future.
You can train the mind to not attach to thoughts but to use them to your
benefit without attachment.
It is best to recognize the impermanent nature of all conditioned things, live
in the moment, and be “satisfied with what is” with a content mind.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation helps to train the mind to be content with
nothing, emptiness, and while being alone doing nothing.
When the mind can be content with nothing, emptiness, and alone during
meditation, then this helps to train the mind towards being content in any
and all situations. There is more training of the mind that is needed beyond
meditation alone, however, many people have challenges to be content while
alone due to arising thoughts and emotions from the mind.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is a way for you to allow these thoughts to
arise, not attach to them and empty them out, while living in the present
moment peaceful, calm, and content.
Thoughts and emotions generated by the mind should not bother you or
cause the mind to be discontent but this requires training. Sitting alone,
breathing, without any bodily action in meditation can allow the
thoughts and emotions to arise so that you train the mind not to attach
to what the mind produces.
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By not attaching to what the mind produces, the mind can be peaceful,
calm, and content. Slowly over time, the mind will produce less and less
negative thoughts or emotions and the mind can cultivate more wholesome
qualities and positive mental states during meditation and in daily life.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is the practice for you to train the mind to
not attach to thoughts, ideas, and perceptions or past events and future
expectations, to be accepting and “satisfied with what is”, living in the
present moment.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is training the mind to “let go” with ease.
Over repeated sessions, the mind develops the ability to easily observe an
arising thought, idea, emotion, or feeling and then to “let it go”. As the mind
develops this ability more deeply, a Practitioner is then able to use this skill in
daily life. In daily life when the mind observes an arising unwholesome
thought, idea, emotion, or feeling, the mind can then easily “let it go”.
The mind’s ability to consistently observe arising unwholesome mental
activity and then easily let it go, will ultimately be what eliminates craving/
desire/attachment and the associated discontentedness.
The mind becomes an expert at “cutting off” unwholesome mental activity
and then eventually, these destructive thoughts, ideas, emotions, and
feelings will not even arise. But, this is only accomplished through a well
developed practice of Breathing Mindfulness Meditation to cultivate
awareness of mind (Right Mindfulness) of unwholesome mental activity and
then easily “cut it off”. The mind will eventually get tired of clinging to
thoughts because of the repeated action of “cutting them off and letting
them go”, and eventually submits residing in the middle permanently. The
mind gradually learns that every time it has a craving/desire/attachment and
discontentedness is produced, a Practitioner “cuts it off” and “lets it go”.
The mind slowly discovers that it is unbeneficial and unfruitful to have mental
longing with a strong eagerness, thus, it will eliminate this activity in the mind
residing completely peaceful and content.
When the mind eliminates mental longing with a strong eagerness (craving/
desire/attachment), it will no longer experience any discontent feelings
whatsoever.
A Practitioner will never eliminate thoughts during meditation, even when the
mind is Enlightened but instead, through a well developed Breathing
Mindfulness Meditation practice, the mind will be quieted and stilled during
meditation. Rather than experiencing a bombardment of thoughts, over time,
a well trained mind will experience a slowing down of the thoughts where
there are long gaps between thoughts. The mind will be quieted and stilled
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to the point where there are only some occasional thoughts, the mind will be
aware of the thought, and be able to then easily let it go coming back to the
breath.
One Who Perceives Non-Self Eradicates the Conceit ‘I Am’
When, Monks, a Monk has wholesome friends, wholesome companions, wholesome
comrades, it can be predicted of him that he will be virtuous (practicing moral conduct),
one who resides restrained by the training guidelines possessed of wholesome conduct
and resolving difficult situations, seeing danger in small faults. Having undertaken the
training guidelines, will train in them.
When a Monk has wholesome friends, wholesome companions, wholesome comrades,
it can be predicted of him that he will get to hear at will, without trouble or difficulty, talk
concerned with the holy life that is conducive to opening up the heart, that is, talk on
elimination of desires, on contentment, on solitude, on not getting bound up (with
others), on arousing energy, on virtuous behavior, on concentration, on wisdom, on
liberation, on the wisdom and vision of liberation.
When a Monk has wholesome friends, wholesome companions, wholesome comrades,
it can be predicted of him that he will arouse energy for abandoning unwholesome
qualities and acquiring wholesome qualities; he is strong, firm in effort, not casting off
the duty of cultivating wholesome qualities.
When a Monk has wholesome friends, wholesome companions, wholesome comrades,
it can be predicted of him that he will be wise, possessing the wisdom that discerns
arising and passing away, which is noble and penetrative and leads to the complete
destruction of discontentedness.
Having based himself on these five things, the Monk should develop further (another)
four things.
(1) (The perception of) unattractiveness of the body should be developed to abandon
lust.
(2) Loving-kindness should be developed to abandon ill will.
(3) Mindfulness of Breathing (Breathing Mindfulness Meditation) should be developed to
cut off thoughts.
(4) The perception of impermanence should be developed to eradicate the conceit 'I
am.' When one perceives impermanence, the perception of non-self is stabilized. One
who perceives non-self eradicates the conceit 'I am, (which is) Nibbāna (Enlightenment)
in this very life.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: AN 9.1)
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Breathing Mindfulness Meditation - Starting Meditation
Choose a position of either seated, lying, or standing. Get comfortable, as
previously described for the position you choose. Use your breath as an
anchor and close the eyes. Through normal breathing in through the nose
and out through the nose, the mind can become aware of the breath.
You will need to establish a natural, steady, and consistent breath. The
breath should not be rapid or forced. With full awareness of the breath, you
can develop a natural, steady, and consistent breath in through the nose and
out through the nose. The inhale and exhale should be gradual fully
experiencing the entire breath.
If you experience challenges with breathing in and out of the nose, you may
consider using a saline rinse to regularly flush out the nose clearing it for a
more calming and clearer inhale and exhale.
Allow the breath, and the sound of the breath entering the body through the
nose, to become the anchor that brings the mind into the present moment.
The mind should be fixed on the sound of the breath or the sensation of the
breath moving over the skin of the body into the nose.
The breath is the present moment.
In this way, as you focus on the breath and not the thoughts, you “cut off
thoughts”. Bring the mind to the breath entering the nose as the anchor or
fixed position of the mind. As any thought enters the mind, you should not
observe the thought, attempt to figure it out, evaluate it in any way, or why
it’s coming to the mind. Bring the mind back to the breath even if the mind
wanders for some time, catch the mind and bring it back to the anchor of the
breath.
It may take time for you to establish this practice and, thus, realize the
benefits. Immediate benefits do not always happen in just one session.
Remember, Gotama Buddha gave us Teachings that we need to “strive” to
implement and attain the results. Gotama Buddha’s Teachings are not
lessons you can implement in just 5 minutes experiencing immediate results.
You will need to work with these Teachings and gradually implement them
into your practice to gradually have a positive impact on the mind over a
consistent period of time.
Training the mind to do this in meditation, will help you be able to also “cut
off thoughts” in daily life as you need to detach from thoughts, emotions, or
situations to attain a content mind. Train the mind in this way through
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meditation so that the mind has this same training for everyday life. If you
train the mind, then you will be able to control the mind through “cutting off”
unwholesome mental activity as an application of Right Effort.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation allows you to train the mind to reside in
the present moment using the breath as an anchor. We do not attach to the
thoughts or feelings in the mind. We do not analyze what is in the mind
during meditation. We just let everything go, by emptying out the mind.
In this way, we train the mind “not to crave” and “not to cling”. By training
the mind not to crave during many sessions of meditation, we then have the
training to not crave in daily life. We practice “non-craving” always and
continuously every day and all day. Craving is the “cause” or “origin” of all
our discontentedness and suffering it causes.
We cause our own discontentedness. We eliminate it by not craving.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is the practice that trains the mind not to
crave. With regular daily sessions of training, you will then be able to control
the mind in all situations as you near closer to Enlightenment.
Breathing Mindfulness Meditation is a practice to train the mind but it also,
like everything else in your life, has an effect on your Kamma. Through being
still, calm, and peaceful for extended periods of time, you are producing only
wholesome Kamma. This means, for whatever period of time you conduct
meditation, you are practicing the entire Eight Fold Path, thus, you eliminate
all unwholesome Kamma production. As a result, you are putting health into
the world and can expect only goodness from your meritorious conduct.
Immediately, what you receive from your meditation period is typically
increased levels of calmness, peacefulness, mindfulness and concentration
with a more stable mind. The longer you meditate, the more noticeable the
effect. It could take you several attempts and getting comfortable with
meditation prior to you having noticeable benefits or results.
After completing Breathing Mindfulness Meditation, then the goal is to carry
the calm, steady, and stable mind with you throughout the day, practicing all
The Teachings of The Eight Fold Path as a life practice, “cutting off” any
unwholesome mental activity as it arises.
Once you have developed a consistent Breathing Mindfulness Meditation
practice for a minimum of four (4) weeks, you may decide to move into
Loving-kindness Meditation.
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Loving-kindness Meditation
Loving-kindness Meditation helps us to eliminate anger, hatred, ill will,
hostility, aggression, resentment and cultivate a mind that has loving-
kindness or goodwill towards all beings, thus, removing the poison of
“anger”, “hatred” or “ill will”.
There are several ways to do Loving-kindness Meditation, as with all
meditation. Every Teacher and Practitioner will have various techniques that
work for them and are helpful. Learning from others and sharing your
practice is one way to contribute to the wealth of knowledge among
Practitioners of these Teachings.
There is not one (1) “right” way to meditate but, instead, many different
options that may or may not work for you. Continue to explore options with
various Teachers and Practitioners until you have a toolbox that helps you in
your pursuit of Enlightenment.
Gotama Buddha described developing a mind of loving-kindness through
meditation as the second highest form of wholesome Kamma one could
produce, with meditating on impermanence (i.e. Breathing Mindfulness
Meditation) as the highest quality of wholesome Kamma. A mind that is well
trained produces little to no unwholesome Kamma to harm others so, thus,
the unwholesome Kamma will be reduced with less affect to you. A well
trained mind is easy to control producing only wholesome intentions, speech
and actions that is harmless to other beings, thus, no harm will be returned
to you.
Loving-kindness Meditation can be enormously beneficial in cultivating a
mind of loving-kindness and compassion for yourself and all beings. To
attain Enlightenment, you will need to remove any and all anger, hatred, ill
will, hostility, aggression, resentment and other negative emotions towards
yourself and any other being to even include a minor dislike.
You will need to abandon, eliminate, and extinguish any and all negative
mental states towards yourself and others. Loving-kindness Meditation and
practicing loving-kindness in daily life is the way to accomplish this goal.
Loving-kindness Meditation - Starting Meditation
To conduct Loving-kindness Meditation, you should first practice Breathing
Mindfulness Meditation to bring the mind to the present moment or
“singleness of mind” to eliminate any unwholesome mental states prior to
Loving-kindness Meditation.
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This helps to ensure your intentions are the most pure prior to cultivating a
mind of loving-kindness towards all beings through emptying out the mind
and detaching from thoughts, ideas, and perceptions. In effect, the Breathing
Mindfulness Meditation should be a preparation for Loving-kindness
Meditation.
Then, do Loving-kindness Meditation in a method or style that you have
learned from Teachers.
The below is offered as a potential option for you to try and experience
results. Remember, any meditation practice will need consistency and
dedication over multiple sessions to produce results. So, you should not
expect immediate or instantaneous results, but instead, commit to a gradual
training of the mind to realize gradual benefits.
To start, meditate as you normally have, using the techniques mentioned
in this book for “Breathing Mindfulness Meditation” in the seated, lying,
or standing positions.
Next, repeat the following affirmations quietly in the mind on the out
breath.
1.) May “I” be peaceful.
2.) May “I” be safe.
3.) May “I” be well.
4.) May “I” be free of all discontentedness and the suffering it causes.
———
1.) May “we” be peaceful.
2.) May “we” be safe.
3.) May “we” be well.
4.) May “we” be free of all discontentedness and the suffering it causes.
———
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1.) May “all beings” be peaceful.
2.) May “all beings” be safe.
3.) May “all beings” be well.
4.) May “all beings” be free of all discontentedness and the suffering it
causes.
Phrases
Repeat this meditation and its affirmations as many times as you need
over several sessions to cultivate a mind with intentions of goodwill or
loving-kindness towards yourself and all beings.
The individual phrases you use can be modified to fit your own choice
and needs. The important aspect of developing these phrases is to suit
your own needs and to ensure the last word is a non-burdening phrase.
For example, you would not be interested to use the terms “kind”,
“happy”, “polite”, “respectful”, etc. because these phrases require the
beings to “do” something in order to attain this affirmation.
Your phrases should not burden yourself or another being with the
obligation to do something in order to attain the affirmation you use.
To be “peaceful”, “safe”, “well”, and aspiring that all beings are “free of
all discontentedness and the suffering it causes” does not require or
burden you or another being with the obligation to accomplish
something.
Rings
As you conduct this meditation, you can also construct any number or
combination of rings to include the groupings you choose that you need to
cultivate goodwill or loving-kindness towards. Those individuals or groups of
beings whom the mind currently has anger or hatred towards, should be
included in your meditation to cultivate a mind of loving-kindness towards
those beings.
Those individuals or groups of beings whom you know the mind has anger or
hatred towards should be included in your Loving-kindness Meditation until
the mind has fully and entirely released any and all ill will for these beings. If
the mind develops anger, hatred, or ill will towards any individuals or groups
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of beings, they should be included in your Loving-kindness Meditation to
eliminate this from the mind.
Always start with yourself and end with “all beings”.
Examples might be:
1.) I, We, All Beings
2.) I, Those Beings in This Neighborhood, This Town, This Province, This
Country, This Continent, The Entire World, The Universe, The Far Reaches
Beyond Imagination, All Beings (Grouped based on geography.)
3.) I, My Parents, My Partner, My Children, My Family, My Friends, My Co-
workers, My Acquaintances, All Beings (Grouped based on relationships.)
You can create any groupings you choose based on whom the mind needs
to cultivate loving-kindness towards.
You can also conduct Loving-kindness Meditation for specific individuals
that you are having a challenge to cultivate loving-kindness for and that you
are having difficulties in relationships. Start with yourself, this person, then all
beings. You could even repeat the affirmation for just this one person over
and over and over again starting with yourself, moving to that person
repeating the affirmations multiple times, then to all beings.
In this way, you are training the mind to cultivate healthy and wholesome
mental states towards yourself to remove any negative self talk, towards any
beings you choose, and then ensuring you include all beings at the very end
of the meditation so that you are “all inclusive” and not leaving out any
beings.
Loving-kindness Meditation is cultivating in your mind the genuine interest in
all beings to be peaceful, safe, well, and free of discontentedness and the
suffering it causes. This meditation is to transform your mind from anger,
hatred, and ill will eliminating hostility, aggression, and resentment in your
mind. Loving-kindness Meditation is not an attempt to change other people
as that would be impossible. There is no meditation that can be employed
that would change another person.
As the mind quietly repeats these affirmations, you are creating “rings” with
you in the center and all beings at the outer edge. Fill in as many middle
rings as you choose, however you choose, with whatever non-burdening
statements you choose.
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The rings shared here are examples to assist you in developing this practice
with a Teacher and other Practitioners being able to offer you suggestions on
what works for them.
You
All Beings
Even more fruitful…would it be to develop a mind of loving-kindness even for the time
it takes to pull a cow’s udder.
Even more fruitful…would it be to develop the perception of impermanence just for the
time of a finger snap.
(Gotama Buddha)
(Reference: AN 9.20)
Meditation to Eliminate Sexual Cravings
If you have excessive craving for sexual contact, you may be interested to
gradually thin your craving or eliminate it all together in order to attain the
highest Stages of Enlightenment. The decision to reduce or eliminate the
fetter/taint of sensual desire, which includes sexual contact, is a personal
choice that one can pursue based on where they are in the stages of life and
if they would like to pursue the highest Stages of Enlightenment. It is a
personal choice for each individual when or if they choose to thin or
eliminate sensual desire to include sexual contact.
The reason we have sexual craving is because we do not see the body as it
truly is. We see the outer layer of skin, hair, clothing, and other added
features that are assembled into an appearance that is appealing to our
senses.
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