Buddhism

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2013/02/20

Buddhism and the individual

Posted by db johnston under Buddhism | Tags: , , , , , |
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Buddha SittingThis morning a colleague stated that Buddhism is a negative religion because the Buddha did not accept, or believe in, the individual.

I’ve learned about Buddhism in a haphazard way, and am probably certainly not an expert; nonetheless, that never stops me from pretending I am…

My lay-person’s answer to my colleague was that the Buddha was familiar with the concept of the individual, but he determined that the individual is not an invariable, immortal presence: each of us is an ever-changing process that interacts with an impermanent universe. Every moment brings change; we grow, we adapt; we are fluid beings, not static entities. This is an important aspect of the First Noble Truth: we suffer because we grasp onto a moment, but there is no going back: we should enjoy each new, precious moment as it manifests, alters us, and evaporates into the past.

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2013/01/04

Another New Year

Posted by db johnston under almost falling, Buddhism | Tags: , , , |
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footwhirlpoolFor me, the Christmas and New Year season always brings waves of reflective nostalgia and renewed faith in the future; unfortunately, there is a period, just after the New Year, that brings me feelings of emptiness: I seem to have missed something intangible.

When I was younger, I suffered the January and February blahs, but now I realize that these feelings are nothing but grasping; an attempt to embrace something that was never there. Life is constantly transforming, and I only need to open to the way things really are. If I miss something, it is because I wasn’t living in the moment.

The New Year still brings the same sensations to me, but now it is a positive reminder, not a curse.

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2012/11/27

Enlightened Society

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“Enlightened Society is not an idealized environment.

“It is an environment that actually accepts the imperfections of humanity and encourages you to open your heart and mind and work with other people and situations as they are.

Enlightened society is one in which, as you make friends with yourself, your communication with other people gets clearer, more direct, more honest.”

Pema Chödrön, No Place to Hide

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2012/09/07

a challenging week

Posted by db johnston under almost falling, Buddhism, Images | Tags: , , , , |
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Wallowing in neutral, spiraling downward…

My work-week has been filled with bizarre electronic problems that — according to every Technical Support person available — are impossible (unfortunately, they are possible, they occurred, they are making it impossible for the Company to manufacture its widgets, and it’s my responsibility to make things work: I can’t really complain; I accepted the job, and knew there would be times like this, but sometimes the waves sneak over the bow and smack me in the face). The school year started this week and traffic is harrowing and frustrating (and I’m in the middle of an experimental novel that has infected my consciousness and something within my mind tells me that my work-week and the novel are connected; but, surely, that is paranoia).

It’s useless to become negative and irritable, yet I still make the attempt…

I searched for positive inspiration and found just what I need, Tricycle Daily Dharma:

Remember ‘Divide and Conquer’ — if you can divide a negative reaction into its parts (mental image, mental talk, and emotional body sensation), you can conquer the sense of being overwhelmed. In other words, eliminate the negative parts by loving them to death.

Shinzen Young, from The Power of  Gone

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Slowly, surely, the week morphed into a manageable string of events, and the weekend is stretching its welcoming arms toward me…

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2012/05/10

You

Posted by db johnston under Buddhism, Quotes | Tags: , , |
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You, yourself, as much as anybody else in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

Buddha

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2012/04/28

Buddha and the cat

Posted by db johnston under Buddhism, Interesting stuff | Tags: , , , , |
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I really like this photo…

A cat relaxes on a Buddha-statue’s palm and lap [image credit: amanatsu'tumblr]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2012/04/17

The Eightfold Path: Right Concentration

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The Noble Eightfold Path, Part Eight (an introduction, as I understand it…)

Wisdom

1. Right View

2. Right Intention

Ethical Conduct

3. Right Speech

4. Right Action

5. Right Livelihood

Mental Development

6. Right Effort

7. Right Mindfulness

8. Right Concentration

The final principle on the  eightfold path, right concentration, is concerned with developing a focused state of mind. Concentration is developed through meditation; and, through practice, this concentration can be maintained in everyday life.  The intent of right concentration is to focus on wholesome thoughts and actions; to intensify concentration in a willful effort to raise the mind to a higher and more purified state of awareness (an assassin’s focus on a victim can be the epitome of human concentration, but is not the intent of right concentration).

The Buddha likened the untrained mind to a fish flopping on dry land; the mind tends to be distracted, straying from thought to thought, prone to distractions, perceiving a distorted, fragmented reality. In contrast, the mind trained in meditative concentration engenders a peaceful, serene mind that is able to observe an unfiltered reality.

Concentration is attained in stages, but begins with focus — meditation —  on an object; if (when) the mind strays, the meditator notices, and gently, calmly, brings attention back to the object (the breath as it passes the inside edges of the nostrils is one common ‘object’ for meditation).

Meditation is essential, and it is useful even if Buddhism doesn’t interest you (meditation is certainly not a unique, Buddhist invention).

It is best to begin on the right path: if you plan on embarking on a meditation practice, I recommend seeking an instructor; however, there are innumerable books on the subject; and, if  you search carefully and selectively, there are good resources on the web (I would suggest you also search for abdominal breathing techniques, or diaphragmatic breathing techniques).

I wish you success on your journey.

May you be filled with loving kindness

May you be well

May you be peaceful and at ease

May you be happy

 

2012/03/28

No magic solutions

Posted by db johnston under Buddhism | Tags: , , , , , |
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“If there’s one lesson that runs through pretty much every Buddhist tradition, it’s this: there are no magic solutions. Our belief in magic solutions that may happen some day in the future keeps us from doing what we really need to do right here and right now.”

from a Tricycle article, ”A Minty Fresh Mind” by Brad Warner

 

2012/03/20

Spring

Posted by db johnston under Buddhism, Quotes | Tags: , , , |
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As it is

Everything
just as it is,
as it is,
as is.
Flowers in bloom.
Nothing to add.

Robert Aitken

 

2012/03/17

Lazy

Posted by db johnston under Buddhism, Quotes | Tags: , , , |
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Too lazy to be ambitious,

I let the world take care of itself.

Ten days worth of rice in my bag;

A bundle of twigs by the fireplace.

Why chatter about delusion and enlightenment?

I sit comfortably, with my legs stretched out.

 

Ryokan (1758-1831)

 

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