Photo from The Wheel of Dharma blog

Welcome to 2010. During the course of this year, The Meditation Circle will be getting back to the basics of meditation practice in the Buddhist insight or vipassana tradition. We have begun reading excerpts from Bhante Gunaratana’s classic guide to meditation practice, “Mindfulness in Plain English” and will also be introducing some tapes by Ajahn Sumato at future gatherings of the circle. But for the first meeting of each month, circle member Robin Wilson suggested we also encourage an ongoing discussion about putting into practice in our daily lives compassion and understanding gleaned from spiritual practice. Robin offers the following as the seed for this Tuesday’s discussion:

“We agreed to focus our discussion on the first Tuesday of the month on ways of implementing the oneness we feel.  This is not a call to any particular kind of action but more an effort to encourage each other to act as each feels drawn to respond to suffering. For starters, next Tuesday I would encourage you to think about the three biggest manifestations of suffering you see and three general areas your are drawn to alleviate suffering.  We might start by painting the picture of suffering and what actions might fit for each of us — it seems a good place to start before trying to figure out the specifics of how to respond.”

We also encourage circle members to continue their reading of the first chapter of “Mindfulness in Plain English.” We wish for you a mindful and rich new year ahead.

Image above from a Cafe Press page of likely unauthorized but entertaining ‘Dalai Lama Gear’

“The person who has a tremendous reserve of patience and tolerance has a certain degree of tranquility and calmness in his or her life. Such a person is not only happy and more emotionally grounded, but also seems to be physically healthier and to experience less illness. This person possesses a strong will, has good appetite and can sleep with a clear conscience.”

~ H.H. The Dalai Lama

“Give up waiting as a state of mind. When you catch yourself slipping into waiting, snap out of it. Come into the present moment. Just be, and enjoy being. If you are present, there is never any need for you to wait for anything.”

~ some calendar

HERE IS THE READING EXCERPT for the Dec. 22 meeting of the Meditation Circle of Charleston, from Chapter 1 of “Mindfulness in Plain English” by Bhante Gunaratana, which can be read in its entirety for free online or for purchase through Wisdom or Amazon. See this post for more on the Circle’s ongoing discussion in 2010 on the basics of a meditation practice in the Buddhist style of insight or vipassana meditation.

Excerpt from Chapter 1, “Meditation: Why Bother?” from “Mindfulness in Plain English” by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (Wisdom Publications)

We are just beginning to realize that we have overdeveloped the material aspect of existence at the expense of the deeper emotional and spiritual aspect, and we are paying the price for that error. It is one thing to talk about degeneration of moral and spiritual fiber in America today, and another thing to do something about it. The place to start is within ourselves. Look carefully inside, truly and objectively, and each of us will see moments when “I am the punk” and “I am the crazy”. We will learn to see those moments, see them clearly, cleanly and without condemnation, and we will be on our way up and out of being so.

You can’t make radical changes in the pattern of your life until you begin to see yourself exactly as you are now. As soon as you do that, changes flow naturally. You don’t have to force or struggle or obey rules dictated to you by some authority. You just change. It is automatic. But arriving at the initial insight is quite a task. You’ve got to see who you are and how you are, without illusion, judgement or resistance of any kind. You’ve got to see your own place in society and your function as a social being. You’ve got to see your duties and obligations to your fellow human beings, and above all, your responsibility to yourself as an individual living with other individuals. And you’ve got to see all of that clearly and as a unit, a single gestalt of interrelationship. It sounds complex, but it often occurs in a single instant. Mental culture through meditation is without rival in helping you achieve this sort of understanding and serene happiness.

The Dhammapada is an ancient Buddhist text which anticipated Freud by thousands of years. It says: “What you are now is the result of what you were. What you will be tomorrow will be the result of what you are now. The consequences of an evil mind will follow you like the cart follows the ox that pulls it. The consequences of a purified mind will follow you like you own shadow. No one can do more for you than your own purified mind– no parent, no relative, no friend, no one. A well-disciplined mind brings happiness”. Continue reading “See for yourself…”| Reading excerpt for Dec. 22 meeting →

At tonight’s Meditation Circle of Charleston gathering, we began a new, ongoing discussion on the basics of a meditation practice, a conversation that will continue through 2010. We are starting with a review of the now-classic nuts-and-bolts guide to the basics of Buddhist meditation, “Mindfulness in Plain English,” by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana. Below is the introduction to the book, which can be read in its entirety for free online or for purchase through Wisdom or Amazon.

“Mindfulness in Plain English” by Bhante Gunaratana | Introduction

The subject of this book is Vipassana meditation practice. Repeat, practice. This is a meditation manual, a nuts-and-bolts, step-by-step guide to insight meditation practice. It is meant to be practical. It is meant for use.

There are already many comprehensive books on Buddhism as a philosophy, and on the theoretical aspects of Buddhist meditation. If you are interested in that material we urge you to read those books. Many of them are excellent. This book is a ‘How to.’ It is written for those who actually want to meditate and especially for those who want to start now. There are very few qualified teachers of the Buddhist style of meditation in the United States of America. It is our intention to give you the basic data you need to get off to a flying start. Only those who follow the instructions given here can say whether we have succeeded or failed. Only those who actually meditate regularly and diligently can judge our effort. No book can possibly cover every problem that a meditator may run into. You will need to meet a qualified teacher eventually. In the mean time, however, these are the basic ground rules; a full understanding of these pages will take you a very long way. Continue reading The Basics of a Meditation Practice: Introduction →

I must profess, my sympathies lie with Ajahn Brahm on this, at first blush. The whole post is interesting on this issue that has been much on the mind of many Western monastics in recent years. Thoughts? See Ajahn Brahm’s interesting biography here:

The popular monk Ajahn Brahm has been disciplined by the Thai forest monastery sangha founded by the Venerable Ajahn Chah because he was involved in ordaining four women as nuns, or bhikkunis, in a ceremony on October 22 at his Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery in Perth, Australia. The Wat Pah Pong Sangha’s action of excommunication (revoking Bodhinyana’s status as a branch monastery) has resulted in a firestorm of controversy in the Theravada Buddhist world.

The ordination of nuns is illegal under Thai Buddhist law because the order of nuns became extinct sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries, after which, the argument goes, no new bhikkhunis could be ordained since there were none left to preside over an ordination. However, nuns currently may be ordained in the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka, and also in Mahayana Buddhist countries, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam and China where the religious authorities are not so conservative. According to an official statement from the Thai forest sangha, Ajahn Brahm’s decision to ordain nuns without permission “may cause wrong understanding among Buddhists throughout the world, and division of views regarding this issue.” Called to Wat Pah Pong a week after the ordination, Ajahn Brahm was told the ordination at his monastery was invalid and the senior monks asked him to recant. He refused .. | Read on

Ajahn Brahm (above). His monastery’s website does not appear to have posted anything as yet and says succinctly: ‘Ajahn Brahm is currently teaching the Dhamma.’

douglas | meditation circle member

A friend, Patrick Hamilton, compiled this list for the Web site for his sitting group in Washington, D.C.. He writes:

Anything by the following well-known Buddhist authors will help you widen your perspective on Buddhism, deepen your understanding of the Dhamma and strengthen your personal practice.

• His Holiness the Dalai Lama — Particularly his personal recollections and general works
• Ven. H. Gunaratana — A primary resource for Vipassana in North America
• Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi — Renowned translator and commentator of original texts
• 

  Ven. W. Rahula — Well-known Vipassana teacher

• Thich Nhat Hanh — Vietnamese Zen monk who incorporates Vipassana in his teachings
• Ven. Sogyal Rinpoche — Tibetan monk whose books are very accessible for Western readers
• Ven. Pema Chodron — Excellent writer on Buddhism in our daily lives.

My words are easy to understand and easy to perform | Yet no one under heaven knows them or practices them| My words have ancient beginnings. My actions are disciplined | Because people do not understand, they have no knowledge of me | Those that know me are few; Those that abuse me are honored | Therefore the sage wears rough clothing and holds the jewel in her heart.

~ Tao Te Ching, Chapter Seventy

~ Another Tao Te Ching

Three monks are doing meditation in a remote cave.  One day a sound is heard from outside the cave.  After about six months, one of the monks says, “Did you hear that goat?”  Once again there was silence.  About a year later, one of the other monks says, “That wasn’t a goat; it was a mule.”  Again, there was silence.  About two years later the third monk says, “If you two don’t stop arguing, I’m leaving.”

~ joke passed on by Craig Wilger

A Buddhist Retreat Behind Broken-Mountain Temple

In the pure morning, near the old temple,
Where early sunlight points the tree-tops,
My path has wound, through a sheltered hollow
Of boughs and flowers, to a Buddhist retreat.
Here birds are alive with mountain-light,
And the mind touches peace in a pool,
And a thousand sounds are quieted
By the breathing of a temple-bell.

– Ch’ang Chien

from the entry for Nov. 7, 2009 at www.dailyzen

“The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his tongue.”

If you memorize slogans, you are unable to make subtle adaptations according to the situation. It is not that there is no way to teach insight to learners, but once you have learned a way, it is essential that you get it to work completely. If you just stick to your teacher’s school and memorize slogans, this is not enlightenment, it is a part of intellectual knowledge.

— Fayan
(courtesy today’s www.DailyZen quote, one of the Web’s most essential daily stops)

“From one point of view we can say that we have human bodies and are practicing the Buddha’s teachings and are thus much better than insects. But we can also say that insects are innocent and free from guile, whereas we often lie and misrepresent ourselves in devious ways in order to achieve our ends or better ourselves. From this perspective, we are much worse than insects.

~ H.H. the Dalai Lama

The moon’s the same old moon,
The flowers exactly as they were,
Yet I’ve become the thingness
Of all the things I see!

– Bunan (1602-1676)

Quote courtesy of one of our favorite Web Sites, www.dailyzen