Zangdhokpalri

Dear Fellow Practitioners on the Path,

In these past six months, our human family throughout the world has met monumental challenges and suffering, for many of us the most drastic in our lifetimes. Today we all have a role to play in the rising tide of collective awakening to racial injustice and systemic inequalities. Together we continue to face the climate and ecological crisis, the virus crisis, and a societal crisis in terms of poverty, class inequality, and the imbalance of power and militarization of our world. It is abundantly clear how all these elements are interconnected consequences of the fundamental human crisis, the spiritual crisis. We practice remembering this shared suffering as a human family caused by our unskillful, toxic, exploitative, and discriminative ways of living across many centuries.

Today we reach out to our spiritual community to invite us to stop, look deeply and broadly, and seize this wonderful and painful moment to dig down honestly into our practice—100 percent, as Thay would say. Where are we with our practice: How are we doing? Are we calm or furious? Are we afraid or invigorated? Are we lonely or sad? Are we engaged or do we want to look the other way? Or are we all of these things? As we honor our emotional experience at this moment and care for what is arising in us, we are invited to examine our lives and our community and help move our world towards a more inclusive and compassionate society.

How can we help, respond to, and participate in this moment of potentiality? We are reminded of our Teacher during the war in Vietnam when the bombing and killing seemed unlikely to end. In his most dire moments, Thay had to pause and hold his face with his two hands to grieve and to keep himself from exploding out of anger. He wrote many poems about the pure love of his childhood to keep his loneliness warm; and he translated Buddhist texts to nourish himself and keep his Bodhicitta alive. He did not only rest there in his inner refuge of the Ultimate Dimension, but used it as the foundation for his rigorous and charged actions to affect the historical events of his time. Thus, there was the continual emergence of our tradition of Engaged Buddhism, of contemplative actions for a healthy, compassionate, and awakened society.

We would like to take this chance to offer some points of departure for reflection, as we explore what we, as practitioners and Sanghas, can contribute. They are not a kind of definitive guidance, but an invitation to come together and look deeply and help our Sangha be a more inclusive, harmonious, and awakened place of refuge for all.

Mindfulness Trainings as a Compass: The Five and the Fourteen

The Mindfulness Trainings are our guide and our teacher. They are the gems in our pocket. In difficult moments, we can turn to them for inspiration and direction. They are a precious and deep inheritance from many generations of teachers, and a concrete expression of our love for ourselves, others, and the planet. We need to regularly show up to recite them together and have discussions about how they apply to our current situation, to collectively check our direction and practice. Reciting the Mindfulness Trainings and looking deeply together will help us identify the right action for ourselves and our community. Mindfulness practice and meditation must go hand in hand with contemplation, a deep-looking into the aspects of our daily lives and social structures to examine their ethical and moral foundation, which can help move us into compassionate and direct action. The Mindfulness Trainings can act as a mirror to examine ourselves and our community to see where new branches can grow and which roots need to go deeper.

\\\"\\\" — Once we have the *capacity* to be there, listen to, and care

Grounding Ourselves in the Energy of Mindfulness, Individually and Collectively

This is a moment to cultivate deep, attentive listening to what is going on within us and around us. It is a time to hear what is being said, and what is also being left unsaid. We must trust in our intuitive insight based on our practice of mindfulness and concentration and not be carried away by the emotions and dispersion of the collective. Stillness and clarity of mind are crucial as we move to mindful action. Our mindfulness sustains our clarity. And when we are clear, we are courageous: we know what to do and not do, we know what needs to be said and not said, and we never veer from the path of compassion. We need to take many moments throughout the day to check in with our body and mind. How is suffering manifesting in our body right now? How can we take care of it and calm it? Can we discern its collective and individual aspects, its base for manifestation? Can we allow ourselves to be kind? Mindfulness is a source of peace, healing, and transformation. Once we have the capacity to be there, listen to, and care for our suffering, it’s time to offer this capacity to listen to the suffering of others.

Lotus in a Sea of Fire

When Thay was confronted with the devastation of war, he took refuge in the insight of eleventh century Vietnamese Zen Master Ngo An, who reminds us that:

The jade burned on the mountain retains its natural color,

The lotus, blooming in the furnace, does not lose its freshness.

We aspire to be the bright jade and the lotus, which retain their essence and deepest values when tested in the fire of adversity. The mind of love remains intact. We aspire not to lose sight of anyone’s humanity and to be aware not to water seeds of vengeance, fanaticism, or self-righteousness. Whatever that jade or lotus is for us, that deep innate knowing or gut feeling, we are determined not to lose our mind of love and compassion, no matter what temptation burns within our furnace.

The Five Mindfulness Trainings are one of the most concrete ways to practice mindfulness. They are nonsectarian, and their nature is universal. They are true practices of compassion and understanding. All spiritual traditions have their equivalent to the Five Mindfulness Trainings. The first training is to protect life, to decrease violence in oneself, in the family and in society. The second training is to practice social justice, generosity, not stealing and not exploiting other living beings.

The third is the practice of responsible sexual behavior in order to protect individuals, couples, families and children. The fourth is the practice of deep listening and loving speech to restore communication and reconcile. The fifth is about mindful consumption, to help us not bring toxins and poisons into our body or mind. The Five Mindfulness Trainings are based on the precepts developed during the time of the Buddha to be the foundation of practice for the entire lay practice community. I have translated these precepts for modern times, because mindfulness is at the foundation of each one of them.

With mindfulness, we are aware of what is going on in our bodies, our feelings, our minds and the world, and we avoid doing harm to ourselves and others. Mindfulness protects us, our families and our society. When we are mindful, we can see that by refraining from doing one thing, we can prevent another thing from happening. We arrive at our own unique insight. It is not something imposed on us by an outside authority. Practicing the mindfulness trainings, therefore, helps us be more calm and concentrated, and brings more insight and enlightenment.

Embedded in the desire for longevity is the yearning to not part with the people in our lives. As the old Korean proverb says: “A life in a heap of dung is still better than no life at all.” This implies that we are emotionally attached to life, despite the suffering we experience for various reasons.

People tell themselves that they only want to live until their children are married, until they have grandchildren, or just until the grandchildren go to college. Better yet, they say they want to live just long enough to see their grandchildren get married, all in an attempt to postpone the separation from their loved ones.

No matter how hard we try to avoid thinking about death, when we see people close to us die, we can’t help but confront the futility of life and the fear of death. There was a person who witnessed a family member, emaciated after years of illness, failing to swallow even a drop of water. The person wondered: “Does the spirit vanish when the body dies? If everything vanishes into nothingness, what is the point of holding onto life so dearly?” The gradual loss of weight when someone is at the very end of their life is a natural process, and it is not a bad thing. Like an oil lamp that quietly fades away, consuming every bit of your own energy as you pass away could be considered a good death. Additionally, if you can remain lucid until your last breath, that would be even better.

Mindfulness is an important practice for maintaining mental and emotional health. It is the practice of being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations in the present moment. It helps us to be more mindful of ourselves and our environment, which can lead to improved focus, stress relief, and better decision-making. By taking time to focus on the present moment without judgment or expectation, we can become more aware of our thoughts and feelings and better able to handle difficult situations. Mindfulness can also help us cultivate a sense of gratitude for what we have in life and create more meaningful relationships with others.

Mindfulness is a practice of being aware and present in the moment. It is a way to become more conscious of our thoughts, feelings, and actions, allowing us to respond rather than react to life’s events. Mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus and concentration, increase happiness and well-being, and even help us become more compassionate towards ourselves and others. By taking the time to pay attention to our inner experience with an attitude of acceptance, we can learn how to be more mindful in our daily lives.

Mindfulness is a practice that helps us to become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and actions in the present moment. It helps us to be more conscious and intentional in our day-to-day lives. Mindfulness can help us to reduce stress, build resilience, and improve our physical and mental health. It can also help us to cultivate greater insight into ourselves and our relationships with others. With regular practice, we can learn how to be mindful in all aspects of life.

Mindfulness is a powerful tool to help us become more aware of our thoughts and emotions. It can help us to better manage stress, increase our focus, and improve our overall well-being. By taking time to be mindful each day, we can learn to pay attention to the present moment and be more aware of our inner self. With mindfulness, we can develop a greater sense of self-awareness and find peace in the present moment.

The teacher known as the Buddha lived in northern India sometime between the mid-6th and the mid-4th centuries before the Common Era. In ancient India the title buddha referred to an enlightened being who has awakened from the sleep of ignorance and achieved freedom from suffering. According to the various traditions of Buddhism, buddhas have existed in the past and will exist in the future. Some Buddhists believe that there is only one buddha for each historical age, others that all beings will become buddhas because they possess the buddha nature (tathagatagarbha).

The historical figure referred to as the Buddha (whose life is known largely through legend) was born on the northern edge of the Ganges River basin, an area on the periphery of the ancient civilization of North India, in what is today southern Nepal. He is said to have lived for 80 years. His family name was Gautama (in Sanskrit) or Gotama (in Pali), and his given name was Siddhartha (Sanskrit: “he who achieves his aim”) or Siddhattha (in Pali). He is frequently called Shakyamuni, “the sage of the Shakya clan.” In Buddhist texts he is most commonly addressed as Bhagavat (often translated as “Lord”), and he refers to himself as the Tathagata, which can mean both “one who has thus come” and “one who has thus gone.” Traditional sources on the date of his death—or, in the language of the tradition, his “passage into nirvana”—range from 2420 to 290 BCE. Scholarship in the 20th century limited that range considerably, with opinion generally divided between those who believed he lived from about 563 to 483 BCE and those who believed he lived about a century later.

\\\"dream — dream of Maya presaging the Buddha\\\’s birth

Information about his life derives largely from Buddhist texts, the earliest of which were produced shortly before the beginning of the Common Era and thus several centuries after his death. According to the traditional accounts, however, the Buddha was born into the ruling Shakya clan and was a member of the Kshatriya, or warrior, caste. His mother, Maha Maya, dreamt one night that an elephant entered her womb, and 10 lunar months later, while she was strolling in the garden of Lumbini, her son emerged from under her right arm. His early life was one of luxury and comfort, and his father protected him from exposure to the ills of the world, including old age, sickness, and death. At age 16 he married the princess Yashodhara, who would eventually bear him a son. At 29, however, the prince had a profound experience when he first observed the suffering of the world while on chariot rides outside the palace. He resolved then to renounce his wealth and family and live the life of an ascetic. During the next six years, he practiced meditation with several teachers and then, with five companions, undertook a life of extreme self-mortification. One day, while bathing in a river, he fainted from weakness and therefore concluded that mortification was not the path to liberation from suffering. Abandoning the life of extreme asceticism, the prince sat in meditation under a tree and received enlightenment, sometimes identified with understanding the Four Noble Truths. For the next 45 years, the Buddha spread his message throughout northeastern India, established orders of monks and nuns, and received the patronage of kings and merchants. At the age of 80, he became seriously ill. He then met with his disciples for the last time to impart his final instructions and passed into nirvana. His body was then cremated and the relics distributed and enshrined in stupas (funerary monuments that usually contained relics), where they would be venerated.

Buddhism is a religion and philosophy founded around 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha Gautama. It is based on the teachings of the Buddha, or “awakened one”, who sought to help people find peace and happiness in their lives. Buddhism focuses on understanding the nature of reality and the self, as well as developing compassion for all beings. It encourages people to practice meditation and mindfulness in order to cultivate wisdom and insight. Buddhism is practiced by millions of people around the world today and has been an important part of many cultures for centuries.

Noble Truths

The Noble Truths are the cornerstones of Buddhism, and have been a source of inspiration for Buddhists throughout history. They provide insight into the nature of suffering, the cause of suffering, and how to end suffering. In essence, they offer us a path to inner peace and freedom from suffering. The Noble Truths teach us that we must understand our own minds in order to liberate ourselves from the cycle of suffering. By understanding our own thoughts and feelings, we can learn to accept life as it is and find true contentment within ourselves.

The Noble Truths are a set of teachings found in Buddhism that provide guidance on the path to enlightenment. They are based on the Four Noble Truths, which were first articulated by Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha) in his famous sermon known as the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta. The Noble Truths offer insight into the nature of suffering, its origin, and how to end it. By understanding and following these teachings, we can find freedom from suffering and attain lasting peace and joy.

Meditation is a practice that has been around for centuries and its aim is to bring about peace, clarity, and balance in our lives. It can be done through various techniques such as mindfulness meditation, guided meditation, and visualisation. It helps us to become more aware of ourselves and the world around us. Through regular practice of meditation, we can gain insight into our thoughts and emotions, learn to control our reactions to stressors, and ultimately lead a healthier lifestyle.

How to Meditate?

Meditation is an ancient practice that has been used for centuries to help people relax, reduce stress, and gain clarity. It is a simple yet powerful tool that can help you achieve a sense of peace and wellbeing. With the right guidance and practice, anyone can learn how to meditate and reap the benefits of this calming practice. In this article, we will explore the basics of meditation, from what it is to how to do it correctly. We will also discuss some useful tips on how to make meditation a part of your daily routine. With these simple steps, you can start your journey towards inner peace and tranquility today!

Meditation in Buddhism

Buddhism meditation is an ancient practice that has been used for centuries to bring peace and clarity to the mind. It is a way of calming the mind and body, and allowing us to tap into our inner wisdom. With regular practice, we can become more mindful, compassionate, and connected with ourselves and those around us. Through meditation, we can learn to be more present in the moment, which can help us make better decisions in our lives. Buddhism meditation is a powerful tool that can help us lead happier and healthier lives.

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!