Mara and the Buddha – Embracing our Suffering | Plum Village

Mara and the Buddha – Embracing our Suffering | Plum Village

After the election, how can we accept that we didn't get what we want?

A lesson in dhukka, dukkha, transforming suffering

Meditating on Death (Episode #26) | Plum Village

Meditating on Death (Episode #26) | Plum Village

from the Way Out is the Way In Series, 2022 on Plum Village site

On Right Intention and Right Action – Buddhistdoor Global

On Right Intention and Right Action – Buddhistdoor Global

https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/on-right-intention-and-right-action/

The second factor on the Noble Eightfold Path is called Right Thought, but a more effective translation from tOn Right Intention and Right Action – Buddhistdoor Global

https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/on-right-intention-and-right-action/

The second factor on the Noble Eightfold Path is called Right Thought, but a more effective translation from the original Pali might be Right Intention. The Buddha explains that Right Intentions are threefold: intentions of renunciation; intentions of good will; and intentions of harmlessness.

These three intentions are the opposite of the wrong intentions of desire, ill-will, and harmfulness. Just as thought is the forerunner of action, so right thought is the forerunner of right action. Similarly, suffering will be the result of wrong thought or wrong intention.

The Buddha has told us (Majjhima Nikaya 19) that while meditating prior to enlightenment, he found that his thoughts could be divided into two opposite classes. Whenever he noticed thoughts of desire, ill-will, and harmfulness arising, he replaced them with thoughts of renunciation, good will, and harmlessness. He understood that the former kinds of thoughts harm oneself and others and obstruct the path to wisdom. Hence, he developed the wisdom to eliminate the obstruction and open the path.

The influential Burmese monk Ledi Sayadaw (1846–1923) gives us an important insight when he writes that one may claim to be a Buddhist and even espouse right understanding, but that does not necessarily mean that one will put it into practice automatically. To know the good does not necessarily mean one will do it. Such a would-be Buddhist may still feel some enmity toward others and speak slanderously about them. All of one’s book learning will not change harmfulness into loving-kindness. Only actual application and practice can bring this about. As Ledi Sayadaw concludes: “This means hard work on oneself, which may be painful emotionally, but then the result of accomplishing just a little here is that one becomes a ‘solid’ Buddhist.” (Ledi 44)

The Buddha, at the time of his enlightenment, saw that everything contains its opposite. He saw the duality in nature. In a moment of insight, he realized that everything can be replaced by its opposite—that intentions of good will and harmlessness offer the antidote to aversion, ill-will, and suffering, He saw that thoughts of anger, hostility, and resentfulness lead to cruelty, aggression, and destruction, and that replacing intentions of harmfulness with intentions of harmlessness opened the path to wisdom. (Bodhi 33)

The Buddha once said that his teachings go contrary to the way of the world. The way of the world is one of unenlightened desire, of seeking happiness by seeking objects of desire, while imagining that the attainment of these objects will bring happiness and fulfillment.

The Buddha says the exact opposite of this: unfulfilled desire is the root of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, and the way to get rid of such suffering is to eliminate the craving or desire—to pull out the root of unwholesome desire through renunciation. Going against the stream, the Buddha flows the opposite way, breaking free of craving and finding happiness in a lack of desire.

The mind is in the habit of grasping. We have to break this habit and strive to let go of grasping. If we examine the root of desire and see the unhappiness to which it leads, we should, with effort and practice, eventually learn to resist and abandon desire. When we finally learn that freedom from the hold of attachment is the key to happiness, then we will be able to have our unwholesome desires under control, incrementally, one by one, and ultimately rise above the level of such base bondage.

This does not necessarily mean we should run off to a monastery and abandon the life of a householder. It means that each according to the level of our understanding and the power of our will should strive as best we can to eradicate the root of craving and rise above the suffering that it causes. It becomes a very personal and individual thing, and one makes progress only in accordance with the level of one’s understanding and determination. Another reason why it’s personal is that no one can make the effort for you. You must understand it and do it yourself.

It is one thing to know that one has to let go of attachment, but quite another to actually do so. The mind meets a powerful inner resistance. At first, it seems impossible to overcome this resistance through an act of will. This is sometimes called the problem of how to break the shackles of desire. Just to repress desires doesn’t work, because that only drives them below the surface to rise again at some other opportunity.

Another device the Buddha taught us is to subject desire to analytic investigation and observation. Instead of imagining the gratification of desire and the pleasure and happiness it would bring, we look realistically at the desire and the unhappiness that eventually follows in its wake. When we explore the roots and motives of our mental actions and observe that they do not lead to expected results, sooner or later we become wise to the truth of the matter and alter our behavior accordingly.

“When desire is scrutinized up close, we find it is constantly shadowed by dukkha.” (Bodhi 35) Dukkha in Pali means suffering or unsatisfactoriness. When we stop to think of it, the moment a desire arises, we sense a lack of fulfillment, an emptiness, a feeling of discontent. Wanting is just another form of pain that we would be better off without. When desire is not fulfilled, there is “frustration, disappointment, sometimes despair.” (Bodhi 36) Even fulfilled desire does not guarantee happiness. What if it does not last? What if we lose the object of desire? What happens when the gratification is over with? What will fill this void?

This is called grasping. Sometimes, when we hang on too hard, this becomes a cause of unhappiness. We must realize that the fulfillment of desire is impermanent, that nothing lasts, whether it be the height of sensual delight, or the achievement of wealth or fame or power. The pursuit of such pleasures brings the pain of separation from the object of desire, which increases in intensity in proportion to the degree of attachment.

References

Bodhi, Bhikkhu. 1984. The Noble Eightfold Path: The Way to End Suffering. 

Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. Ledi Sayadaw. 1977. The Noble Eightfold Path and its Factors Explained. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society.

Tags: attachment, buddha, buddhism, buddhist philosophy, 

buddhist thought, desire, Dukkha, enlightenment, good will, 

happiness, harmlessness, Ledi Sayadaw, loving-kindness, 

Majjhima Nikaya, meditation, Noble Eightfold Path, Pali, pleasure, renunciation, 

Right Intention, Right Thought, suffering, Theravada, unsatisfactoriness

7th Moon, 29th sun - Yi - Year of the Ox - I had a dream -- written by Lu Yu (1125-1210)

7th Moon, 29th Sun, Yi- Year of the Ox: I had a Dream Last night in which I met a stately man, and at First Sight we were like old friends. He had written pages of lovely poems Long Ago, all perfectly pure and simple. I started reading through them, But woke Before I finished. To record What happened, I've written This in Long Lines: 

The traveler is an instant friend, utterly clear and true.
Even before we dip out wine, we share kindred thoughts.

The pillow is cold, but I don't understand it's all a dream 
In the clear night. I just savor that vision of an old sage.

Star River tipped, Dipper sunk, ancient histories empty, 
Mist scatters, and clouds leave.

Our two bodies are mirage, and mind is perfect clarity. 
It sees through this illusion.
Awake you can't avoid it: all things the same bittersweet.

- Lu Yu (1125-1210), Translated by David Hinton, in 'Mountain Home - The Wilderness Poetry of Ancient China', 2014

The bloom of youth scatters steadily away

In Reply to Jia Peng of the Mountains

Sent Upon seeing that the pine he planted 

Outside my office Has begun to prosper - Liu Zong-Yuan (773 - 819), David Hinton , Translator

Flourish and ruin keep leaving each other

But no-mind stays, dark enigma's fruition.

The bloom of youth scatters steadily away.

And grandeur crumbles to its tranquil end.

But mountain streams continue here 

in this green pine you brought to this courtyard.

Deep snows showing off its radiant beauty

And cold blossoms its kingfischer greens.

At dawn, even a pure recluse must yearn

Now, I just invite clear wind for company. 

Climbing Mountains in Dream

Climbing Mountains in Dream - Bo Qu Yi  (772 - 846), David Hinton , Translator

Nights hiking Sung mountain in dream,

Just a goosefoot walking stick and me.

A thousand cliffs, ten thousand canyons  

I wander until I have explored them all .

My stride in dream as it was in youth,

Strong and sure and so free of disease.

 

When I wake spirit becomes itself again 

And body returned to flesh and blood.

I realize that in terms of body and spirit 

Body grows sick while Spirit is immune

And yet body and spirit are both mirage 

dream and waking merest appearance.

Scarcely able to hobble around by day, 

Then roaming free all night with ease

In the equal division of day and night

What is there to gain here, and what lose?

[all the time I pray to Buddha]

[all the time I pray to Buddha]

BY KOBAYASHI ISSA

TRANSLATED BY ROBERT HASS

All the time I pray to Buddha

I keep on

    killing mosquitoes.

Norm Randolph "You Are Buddha"

This Reality of Awakeness or Buddha, which is clear and obvious, is usually ignored or overlooked. It is ignored by getting caught up in the belief in separation of self and other and the belief in a dualistically structured Reality. Reality is ignored when we are caught up in these beliefs and respond and act based on these beliefs. We are profoundly taken in by these beliefs in many ways. We have many beliefs or assumptions about ourselves, others, and the nature of Reality, and we live our lives based on these beliefs. This is the ignorance by which our Buddhahood is ignored.

We don’t try to get rid of beliefs. We don’t try to get rid of the ignoring or ignorance. We don’t try to get rid of the emotional responses, desires, and patterns of behavior based on this igno­rance. Instead, we are just aware of them. Eventually these can be seen as empty, illusory manifes­tations of the True Self or Buddha—then they cease to be problems. Then they can be seen as helpful pointers—showing us how we are interpreting Reality, how we are responding to it, how we are getting stuck, and how we can be released. In this practice of Awakeness the ways in which the True Self is ignored can eventually be seen through, and they drop away by themselves.

Suzuki Roshi used to say, “Since you are Buddha, you must be Buddha. That is our practice.” In a lecture he gave at the monastery at Tassajara in July 1968 he said, “When it is hot you should be hot Buddha. When it is cold you should be cold Buddha.”

He went on to say that each individual, each thing, each event, each situation, each ex­perience is Buddha. Each thought, each feeling, each emotion, each desire, each perception, each state of consciousness is Buddha. When you realize that you are Buddha and understand everything as an unfolding of the Truth, then whatever you experience is the actual teaching of Buddha, and whatever you do is the actual practice of Buddha.

Usually people practice for a long time believing that it is a separate ego self who is carrying out this practice. With continued practice, with help from a teacher, this belief can eventually be seen through.  People usually begin practice with the belief that after a long time, they will eventually attain Enlightenment. But Supreme Enlightenment or Buddha is being directly experienced now. It is not a matter of practicing for a long time and eventually attaining Enlightenment.

Most people starting out in this practice believe that practice is a means to attain Enlightenment. They believe practice and Enlightenment have a dualistic, before-and-after, means-and-end relationship. But, with continued practice, this belief can eventually be seen through. It becomes clear that Enlightenment, Buddha, or Truth is what we are and that practice and Enlightenment are one.

Some questions might arise, such as, “Who practices?” “Who eventually sees?” “What is eventually seen?” and “How long is eventually?”

These are interesting questions, but don’t try to figure out or conceptually grasp particular answers. Whatever concepts or beliefs we have about Reality are just limited views. It is by holding to these beliefs and limited views about Reality that the actual Reality—Buddha—is overlooked.

Chick? Yes...right here.

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind by the founder of San Francisco Zen Center, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi, is one of the undisputed classics of American Buddhism. First published in 1970, the book's simple approach and plainspoken language have made it timeless.

From Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind, p 81:

Right attitude: To Polish a Tile

...

Zuikan was a Zen Master who always used to address himself. “Zuikan?” he would call. And then he would answer “Yes!” “Zuikan?” “Yes!” Of course he was living all alone in his small zendo, and of course he knew who he was, but sometimes he lost himself. And whenever he lost himself, he would address himself, “Zuikan?” “Yes!” 



If we are like a frog, we are always ourselves. But even a frog sometimes loses himself, and he makes a sour face. And if something comes along, he will snap at it and eat it. So I think a frog is always addressing himself, and I think you should do that also. Even in zazen you will lose yourself. When you become sleepy, or when your mind begins to wander about, you lose yourself. When your legs become painful – “Why are my legs so painful?” – you lose yourself. Because you lose yourself your problem will be a problem for you. If you do not lose yourself, even though you have difficulty, there is actually no problem whatsoever. You just sit in the midst of the problem; when you are part of the problem, or when the problem is part of you, there is no problem,, because you are the problem itself. The problem is you yourself. If this is so, there is no problem.



Norman Fischer comment:



This practice is literal, and really useful. Call out to yourself, out loud. And then answer yourself. Although Zuikan did this practice in the presence of others sometimes, probably we would want to do it when we are alone. “Norman?” “Yes!” “Be awake, be aware, don’t goof off.” “OK!” If you do this, with sincerity, getting over your self-consciousness about it, I think you will find it a valuable practice. It really will cut through your dreamy self-knotting mind and bring you back home to your life.



So try this for a few days. It would be great to have some reports about what you experience when you do.



What Suzuki Roshi means about problems becoming you and therefore not being problems, is a little counter-intuitive, but in actual life really true. A “problem” is outside of you, it is not you, it is exactly some external thing getting in your way. You are over here, your object of desire is over there, and the problem interposes itself between you and your object of desire causing frustration. Even if the object of desire is something internal, like compassion, and the problem say, your selfishness, is also seems to be internal, the truth is, you think of it as external, as something not you. If I can return to where I am (“Norman?” “Yes!”), and feel the problem for what it is – not an external obstacle, but an experience, my experience, my life – then even though I may still have a problem to take care of, I no longer view it as a “problem.” It is just my life. Just something to take care of.

About Zoketsu Norman Fischer:

Zoketsu Norman Fischer is a poet and Zen Buddhist priest. For many years he has taught at the San Francisco Zen Center, the oldest and largest of the new Buddhist organizations in the West, where he served as Co-abbot from 1995-2000. He is presently a Senior Dharma Teacher there as well as the founder and spiritual director of the Everyday Zen Foundation, an organization dedicated to adapting Zen Buddhist teachings to Western culture.