Meditation and concentration are emphasized in almost every basic or introductory Buddhist text, as well as in many sutras. Meditation should be a daily practice for every Buddhist, even non-Buddhist should practice meditation because it’ll help release stress, anxiety, anger, and strengthen loving-kindness, compassion, and concentration. Even if you don’t have much time to meditate, waking up a little bit earlier than usual in the morning to meditate, or during mid-day, or sometime in the evening – a short 10 minute meditation will do wonders.
Buddha Journey
My Buddhist journey as an aspiring Bodhisattva
Monthly Archives: April 2013
The Noble Eightfold Path
The Noble Eightfold Path (āryāṣṭāṅgamārga) described by the Buddha leads the way to end suffering. It’s a practical guideline for ethical and mental development with the goal of freeing the individual from attachment and delusion. The Eightfold Path is a very practical tool, it’s something you have to always be doing to really understand the truth about all things. It’s only through practice can the individual reach a higher level of existence and ultimately reach Nirvana. The Eightfold Path is not something you do in steps or take turns doing, it’s practiced holistically; to be practicing Right Speech or Action, you must be also practicing Right Intention.
Right View and Right Intention are grouped in Wisdom (Prajna). Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood are grouped in Ethical Conduct (Sila). Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, and Right Concentration are grouped in Concentration (Samadhi).
1. Right View (sammā-diṭṭhi)
The deep understanding to see things as they really are. Right View is first because we need Right View to see and understand everything before think it, speak it, do it, and live by it. It is to understand how our reality, life, nature, and the world as they really are – to see these things as impermanent and imperfect. It begins with the intuitive insight that all beings are subject to suffering and it ends with complete understanding of the true nature of all things.
2. Right Intention (thinking) (sammā sankappa)
Right Intention referes to the volitional aspect; the mental energy to control our actions. This is the commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement; ridding ourselves of whatever qualities we know to be wrong and immoral. There are three types of right intentions:
- the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire.
- the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion.
- the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion.
3. Right Speech (sammā-vācā)
In short, Right Speech is:
- to abstain from false speech, especially not to tell deliberate lies and not to speak deceitfully.
- to abstain from slanderous speech and not to use words maliciously against others.
- to abstain from harsh words that offend or hurt others.
- to abstain from idle chatter that lacks purpose or depth.
4. Right Action (sammā-kammanta)
Right Action refers to doing wholesome, compassionate deeds. Right Action can also refer to the Five Precepts. The Cunda Kammaraputta Sutta states to:
- to abstain from taking life (harming sentient beings and suicide).
- to abstain from taking what is not given (stealing, robbery, fraud, dishonesty).
- to abstain from sexual misconduct.
5. Right Livelihood (sammā-ājīva)
Right livelihood means that one should earn one’s living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason:
- dealing in weapons.
- dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution).
- working in meat production and butchery.
- selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.
6. Right Effort (Diligence)(sammā-vāyāma)
To some, Right Effort should be the First of the Eightfold Path, because Right Effort is the individual’s will to achieve wholesome ethics and deeds. It is the mental effort and energy in doing wholesome or unwholesome thoughts and deeds. It’s the same energy that fuels desire, envy, violence, and aggression, but it’s also the energy that fuels self-discipline, honesty, benevolence, and kindness. Right Effort has four types of endeavors:
- Prevent the unwholesome that has not yet arisen in oneself.
- Let go of the unwholesome that has arisen in oneself.
- Bring up the wholesome that has not yet arisen in oneself.
- Maintain the wholesome that has arisen in oneself.
7. Right Mindfulness (sammā-sati)
Right Mindfulness is the mental ability to see things as they are, with clear consciousness. Mindfulness exercises a powerful grounding function. It anchors the mind securely in the present, so it does not float away into the past and future with their memories, regrets, fears, and hopes. Right mindfulness is cultivated through a practice called “the Four Foundations of Mindfulness” (cattaro satipatthana): The body, feelings, mind, and phenomena (mental objections).
8. Right Concentration (sammā-samādhi)
Right Concentration is described as one-pointedness of mind, meaning a state where all mental faculties are unified and directed onto one particular object. Right concentration for the purpose of the eightfold path means wholesome concentration, i.e. concentration on wholesome thoughts and actions. Samadhi in meditation can be developed through mindfulness of breathing (Anapanasati), through visual objects (Kasina), and/or through repetition of phrases (Mantra). For meditation, the meditating mind focuses on a selected object. It first directs itself onto it, then sustains concentration, and finally intensifies concentration step by step.
Smile and be well!
The Four Noble Truths
It’s time to get back to the basics. It’s so often and easy to forget about the basic teachings because we’re so caught up in trying to learn advanced forms of meditation or understand profound concepts like emptiness and/or the Five Skandhas. The Four Noble Truths was Buddha’s first teaching after he attained Enlightenment and is regarded as the central doctrine of Buddhist teachings. We read about the Four Noble Truths every time we read a book about Buddhism or hear a lecture on Buddhism. It’s in every 101 book or video. Though it’s a basic, “it’s everywhere” concept, it’s also the most important.
The First Noble Truth is that life is suffering (Dukkha). For non-Buddhists or those new to it might take a dramatic reaction to the word “suffering,” because they might think of suffering in its literal sense of pain, gore, and torture. But suffering here means “dissatisfaction.” One thing to remember here is that our own mind causes it. So what is suffering? In the physical sense, suffering is physical pain, injury, sickness, old age, and of course death. Mentally, suffering is disappointment, jealousy, depression, sadness, fear, anger, frustration, etc. There are many degrees of suffering, but life in its totality is imperfect and incomplete. “But life isn’t always suffering – there are moments of happiness and contentness,” you might say. That’s exactly what it is! MOMENTS! They are imperfect, impermanent moments that will eventually fade away.
The Second Noble Truth is the cause, origin, roots, creating, or arising of suffering (Samudaya). The main cause of suffering is attachment and desire. It’s the attachment to transient things, not only physical transient objects, but also objects of our perception. Ignorance is the lack of understanding of how our mind is attached to impermanent things. Other big reasons for suffering are clinging and craving, as well as striving for fame or glory, and pursuit of wealth and prestige. Because there is attachment to these transient objects, their loss is inevitable, thus causing suffering.
The Third Noble Truth is the cessation of creating suffering by refraining from doing the things that make us suffer (Nirodha). The cessation of these sufferings can be attained through Nirodha; the unclinging to sensual craving and conceptual attachment. This means that suffering can be ended by attaining dispassion, extinguishing all forms of clinging and attachment. By removing the cause of suffering, attaining and perfecting dispassion, will ultimately lead you to Nirvana.
The Fourth Noble Truth is the path that leads to refraining from doing the things that cause us to suffer – The Eightfold Path (Marga). It is the path of the Middle Way between the two extremes of excessive sensual self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism), and will lead to the end of Samsara (the cycle of rebirth). Though it might take many lifetimes to get over ignorance, craving, and delusion, it will disappear gradually as progress is made on the path (through Karmic conditioning).
Smile and be well!
What the future thinks it’ll hold
Since I’ve taken refuge and strict Buddhist studies, I often contemplate what I want to do in the future. Lately I’ve been really juggling around the idea of being ordained. Not anytime soon, because of debt (you shouldn’t, or can’t ordain if you have debt), and student loans aren’t going to pay themselves off. So I’m hoping as I’m getting my Ph.D. it’ll give me the opportunity to start paying that debt down. Plus all this extra time will give me lots of opportunity for further growth and understanding.
But in the mean time, once I am done with graduate school and into a doctoral program, and if I have the opportunity to snatch myself a fellowship (being able to teach, do research, and have a stipend), it would be the best timeframe to take my Bodhisattva Vows. I’d take them now, but I feel I’d be breaking a lot of them with the job I have – working in retail! So when the time’s right, so will the vows.
Another thought about ordaining: There aren’t many, or really any major, monasteries in the US. Plenty of temples, sure, where there are maybe a few monks and nuns stay, but no full-fledged Mahayana monasteries (that I know of, at least). Maybe that can be a future project?
But for now, living in the present moment, I’m enjoying the clear blue sky, the chirping of the birds outside my window, and the mindful breath that releases loving-kindness and compassion for everyone around me and beyond.
I’ve been slowly de-attaching myself from my belongings. I had two seven foot-tall bookshelves in my room filled with my favorite books and mostly just “stuff.” Small artifacts, things I’ve collected, stuff of my grandparents, etc. I asked myself the day I decided to clear the shelves, “What would happen, or how would I feel if all this was suddenly gone? If it was burnt down or stolen? Do I have any real attachment towards them or do I just think it’s a bunch of cool things?” So I packed all that stuff in boxes and took out the shelves, and replaced it with a new table (or altar) with all my Buddha statues, bells, flowers, and malas, and it’s now a huge upgrade of my previous small corner table (or Zen area, as I like to call it) (picture below). I think this is a great first step to letting go of all our materialistic attachments.
Smile and be well!
Karma
We hear and read about Karma all the time. To a lot of people it’s this invisible force that controls the fortune or misfortune of others. So if someone cut someone off on the highway, or stole something, that would result in bad Karma. Though that’s true, people often forget about their own Karma and what Karma really is or how it works.
Karma is a Sanskrit word and it literally means the accumulation of our deeds (physical), words (verbal), and thoughts (mental) – our volitional actions. It basically means all moral and immoral volition. Where there is consciousness, there is Karma. Karma depends on your volition as well as your will, so there is unintentional Karma.
The nature of every action from the perspective of morality (every thought, every action, and every speech) can be classified in three ways: Virtuous, non-virtuous, and neutral – or good, bad, and neither good or bad. We’ve been accumulating Karma for thousands or millions of lifetimes. It stays with us through our lifetimes of Samsara. It’s because of the Karma of our past lives that we have the life we have today; whether we were born into a rich or poor family, beautiful or ugly, smart or mentally challenged, or well built or disabled – it’s all because of our past Karma. The accumulation of our present Karma will determine our future lives. If we’ve been doing virtuous things and accumulate good Karma, we’ll be reborn into a life with good merits and fortunes, but if we’re doing non-virtuous things, then we’ll be reborn into a life of suffering and misfortunes, or even in another realm (Hell, animal, or ghost realm).
There are six realms a person can be reborn in: The human realm, animal realm, heavenly being realm, hell realm, Asuras realm, and hungry ghost realm. Only you will determine where you’ll be reborn again; you and your Karma!
Every deed, thought, and speech we say and do contributes to our good or bad Karma. If we’re stealing, sexual misconduct, or hurting/killing, those are all part of your deeds (physical Karma). Slandering, lying, etc. affect our speech Karma. Greed, anger, hatred, and ignorance affect our thought Karma. Our thought Karma is probably the hardest to get over and control – at some point we all have greed, anger, hatred, and ignorance towards things and people.
As we sow, we reap somewhere and sometime, in his life or in a future birth. What we reap today is what we have sown either in the present or in the past.
The Samyutta Nikaya states:
“According to the seed that’s sown,
So is the fruit you reap there from,
Doer of good will gather good,
Doer of evil, evil reaps,
Down is the seed and thou shalt taste
The fruit thereof.”
Karma is a law in itself, which operates in its own field without the intervention of any external, independent ruling agency. Asking where Karma comes from is like asking where wind comes from. So it’s not really important to know where Karma comes from, it’s more important that we know WE control our own Karma. Ignorance and craving/desires is the main cause for Karma.
There is also another classification of Karma in regards to when effects are worked out (because Karma is a cause and effect thing): 1. Immediately Effective Karma, Karma that affects you in this present life. 2. Subsequently Effective Karma, Karma that affects you in your subsequent/following life. And 3. Indefinitely Effective Karma, is the Karma that will affect you in future lives after your subsequent life. The last one is a little more trickier than the first two, because for indefinitely effective Karma, the Karma has to “do its thing” according to the right causes and conditions, so it matures until it gets to that point, and that point could be in the third, fourth, or fifth life after yours.
So everything you’ve become, everything that you are, and will be is because of Karma. As long as you control your Karma and only do good deeds, speak truthfully and wisely, and give compassion and do good things, you’ll always be gaining Karma points. So you can definitely change! You can’t “delete” or “erase” bad Karma, but you can out weigh it with good Karma, and once you’ve accumulated enough good Karma and merit, you can be born in Heaven and find Enlightenment. You can always change for the better. Everything is impermanent and changing. So even if you’re sitting down and thinking that you’re suffering or your life sucks, purify your mind, speech, and action! How? With meditation and mindfulness! Being mindful of every thought, speech, and action you can train yourself for goodness.
You need to plant your seed! You water it, give it fertilizers, and sunshine, and eventually it’ll grow and blossom into Buddhahood! This is how you can train yourself by being mindful and purify your thoughts, speech, and actions.
Smile and be well!
Five Impurities
1. The impurity of the age, such as war or other disturbances of the social or natural environment.
2. Impurity of desire, the tendency to be ruled by emotions such as greed or anger.
3. Impurity of living beings, the physical and spiritual decline of human beings.
4. Impurity of view, impurity derives from mistaken views or values.
5. Impurity of life span, the distortion of life itself, which leads to a disordered and shortened life span.
My Daily Practice
The following is my normal daily practice. Taken from the book Chanting from the Heart: Buddhist Ceremonies and Daily Practices by Thich Nhat Hanh. I TRY to do it daily, but obviously life stuff gets in the way, so if I don’t have time for the whole session, I’ll only do a short meditation followed by reciting The Heart of Perfect Understanding sutra (Prajnaparamita) and either reading one of the discourses provided in the book or reciting the Great Compassion Mantra.
After I’ve done the above practice, I’ll chant the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra for one Mala round (depending on which Mala (prayer beads) I use, I chant it anywhere from 50 to 120 times). After Om Mani Padme Hum, I chant the Hundred Syllable Mantra (Vajrasattva mantra) 21 times.
I first start by lighting some candles and my incense and meditate for about 20-30 minutes (or 10-15 if I’m short on time, or up to an hour if I’m up early enough in the morning). Then:
[RING BELL THREE TIMES AND PROSTRATE (bow) THREE TIMES] (I often recite the OPENING VERSE after ringing the bell and before prostrating)
1. Morning Chant
The Dharma body is bringing morning light.
In concentration, our hearts are at peace, a half-smile is born upon our lips.
This is a new day. We vow to go through it in mindfulness.
The sun of wisdom has now risen, shining in every direction.
Noble Sangha, diligently bring your mind into meditation.
Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya
Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya
Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya
OR 1. Evening Chant
Stably seated under the Bodhi tree.
Body, speech, and mind are one in stillness, free from views of right and wrong.
When we are focused in perfect mindfulness, the path is illuminated.
The shore of confusion is left behind.
Noble Sangha, diligently bring your mind into meditation.
Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya
Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya
Namo Shakyamunaye Buddhaya
[BELL, BELL, BELL]
2. Incense Offering
In gratitude, we offer this incense
throughout space and time
to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
May it be fragrant as Earth herself,
reflecting careful efforts,
wholehearted awareness,
and the fruit of understanding,
slowly ripening.
May we and all beings
be companions of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
May we awaken from forgetfulness
and realize our true home.
[BELL]
3. Touching the Earth
Opening Gatha
The one who bows and the one who is bowed to
are both, by nature, empty.
Therefore the communication between them
is inexpressibly perfect.
Our practice center is the Net of Indra
reflecting all Buddhas everywhere.
And with my person in front of each Buddha,
I go with my whole life for refuge.
[BELL]
Prostrations
[TOUCH THE EARTH AT THE SOUND OF EACH BELL]
Offering light in the Ten Directions,
the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL]
Teaching and living the way of awareness
in the very midst of suffering and confusion,
Shakyamuni Buddha, the Fully Enlightened One,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL]
Cutting through ignorance, awakening our hearts and our minds,
Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Great Understanding,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL]
Working mindfully, working joyfully for the sake of all beings,
Samantabhadra, the Bodhisattva of Great Action,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL]
Listening deeply, serving beings in countless ways,
Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL]
Fearless and persevering through realms of suffering and darkness,
Kshitigarbha, the Bodhisattva of Great Aspiration,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL]
Seed of awakening and loving kindness
in children and all beings,
Maitreya, the Buddha to-be-born,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL]
Showing the way fearlessly and compassionately,
the stream of all our Ancestral Teachers,
to whom we bow in gratitude.
[BELL, BELL, BELL]
4. Opening Verse
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhassa
[BELL]
The Dharma is deep and lovely.
We now have a chance to see, study, and practice it.
We vow to realize its true meaning.
[BELL]
5. The Heart of Perfect Understanding
The Bodhisattva Avalokita,
while moving in the deep course of Perfect Understanding,
shed light on the Five Skandhas and found them equally empty.
After this penetration, he overcame ill-being.
[BELL]
Listen, Shariputra,
form is emptiness, and emptiness is form.
Form is not other than emptiness, emptiness is not other than form.
The same is true with feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness.
[BELL]
Listen, Shariputra,
all dharmas are marked with emptiness.
They are neither produced nor destroyed,
neither defiled nor immaculate,
neither increasing nor decreasing.
Therefore in emptiness there is neither form, nor feelings, nor perceptions,
nor mental formations, nor consciousness.
No eye, or ear, or nose, or tongue, or body, or mind.
No form, no sound, no smell, no taste, no touch, no object of mind.
No realms of elements,
no interdependent origins and no extinction of them.
No ill-being, no cause of ill-being, no end of ill-being, and no path.
No understanding and no attainment.
[BELL]
Because there is no attainment,
the Bodhisattvas, grounded in Perfect Understanding,
find no obstacles for their minds.
Having no obstacles, they overcome fear,
liberating themselves forever from illusion, realizing perfect nirvana.
All Buddhas in the past, present, and future,
thanks to this Perfect Understanding,
arrive at full, right, and universal enlightenment.
[BELL]
Therefore one should know
that Perfect Understanding is the highest mantra, the unequaled mantra,
the destroyer of ill-being, the incorruptible truth.
A mantra of Prajñaparamita should therefore be proclaimed:
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha.
[BELL, BELL]
6. Sutra Recitation
This is where I’d recite one of the discourses (sutras). If not a sutra, then The Great Compassion Mantra.
7. Invoking the Bodhisattvas’ Names.
Because this is a long section, I’m not going to include it. However, the Bodhisattvas that are mentioned are Avalokiteshvara, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Kshitigarbha. The Bodhisattva Sadaparibhuta is also mentioned, however I don’t include it (nor does my temple).
8. The Three Refuges
I take refuge in the Buddha,
the one who shows me the way in this life.
I take refuge in the Dharma,
the way of understanding and of love.
I take refuge in the Sangha,
the community that lives in harmony and awareness.
I take refuge in the Buddha,
the one who shows me the way in this life.
I take refuge in the Dharma,
the way of understanding and of love.
I take refuge in the Sangha,
the community that lives in harmony and awareness.
[BELL]
Dwelling in the refuge of Buddha,
I clearly see the path of light and beauty in the world.
Dwelling in the refuge of Dharma,
I learn to open many doors on the path of transformation.
Dwelling in the refuge of Sangha,
shining light that supports me, keeping my practice free of obstruction.
I clearly see the path of light and beauty in the world.
Dwelling in the refuge of Dharma,
I learn to open many doors on the path of transformation.
Dwelling in the refuge of Sangha,
shining light that supports me, keeping my practice free of obstruction.
[BELL]
Taking refuge in the Buddha in myself,
I aspire to help all people recognize their own awakened nature,
realizing the Mind of Love.
Taking refuge in the Dharma in myself,
I aspire to help all people fully master the ways of practice
and walk together on the path of liberation.
Taking refuge in the Sangha in myself,
I aspire to help all people build Fourfold Communities,
to embrace all beings and support their transformation.
I aspire to help all people recognize their own awakened nature,
realizing the Mind of Love.
Taking refuge in the Dharma in myself,
I aspire to help all people fully master the ways of practice
and walk together on the path of liberation.
Taking refuge in the Sangha in myself,
I aspire to help all people build Fourfold Communities,
to embrace all beings and support their transformation.
[BELL, BELL]
9. Sharing the Merit
Reciting the sutras, practicing the way of awareness
gives rise to benefits without limit.
We vow to share the fruits with all beings.
We vow to offer tribute to parents, teachers, friends, and numerous beings
who give guidance and support along the path.
Reciting the sutras, practicing the way of awareness
gives rise to benefits without limit.
We vow to share the fruits with all beings.
We vow to offer tribute to parents, teachers, friends, and numerous beings
who give guidance and support along the path.
[BELL, BELL, BELL]
At this point I meditate for about five minutes before I go into the Om Mani Padme Hum and Vajrasattva mantras. Afterwards I end with three more bows.
Smile and be well!
Five Daily Recollections
These are the five daily recollections that you should remember. Whether you write them on a post-it note and hang it on your bathroom mirror or at work, or if you wake up and recite them, you should remember them, and to remember not to attach to anything that might sway you away from these recollections. They are:
1. I am of the nature to grow old.
2. I am of the nature to have ill health.
3. I am of the nature to die.
4. All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.
5. My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. Actions are the womb from which I have sprung.
Smile and be well!
Seven Aspects of the Vajra Posture
1. If it is not painful, the Vajra posture, with the legs crossed and the feet resting upturned on the thighs is best. However, if sitting in this posture causes pain and distracts the mind, the left foot should be tucked under the right thigh and the right foot should rest on the left thigh.
2. The trunk (back) should be as straight and erect as possible. Lifting your arms up high as if you were trying to touch the sky is the straightest you can get your back.
3. The arms should be in a bow shape, not resting against the sides of the body or pushed back; they should be at rest, but firm. The back of the right hand should rest in the palm of the left; the thumbs should be level with the navel.
4. The neck should be curved slightly forward, with the chin in.
5. The eyes should be focused straight along the sides of the nose (and half closed).
6. The mouth and lips should be relaxed, neither open or tightly shut.
7. The tongue should be pressed gently against the palate.
Smile and be well!
Experiences and benefits of going to Temple
It was only this year that I have started to go to a Buddhist Temple. Depending on where you live, there are either very few temples or none at all. Luckily for me, I live in a big city so there are a few around town. Though through research and visiting their websites (if they had one), I crossed off a couple that didn’t suit me. But eventually I found a temple, the Chùa Phước Huệ temple. It is a Vietnamese Buddhist temple. Though I don’t know much of the history of the kind of temple besides its lineage, which is Tianti Buddhism which emphasizes the Lotus Sutra.
Going to temple is a beautiful, happy, and enlightening experience. Every time I leave, I leave with this smile on my face and a sense of happiness and satisfaction. Walking in the beautiful garden filled with statues and flowers. Entering the temple as you bow and come into such a welcoming and peaceful atmosphere. Slipping on a robe and sitting down for meditation and listening to the head monk’s discussion. It’s all a wonderful and exciting experience that everyone should experience. Finding your “home” temple, going regularly, participating and being a part of the Sangha is something every Buddhist should do and experience.
There are many benefits to going to a temple. First and probably the most important, the learning experience. The head monk always gives discussions accordingly to his audience and situations. Especially if people bring their children with them, the monk will speak in a way that the youngsters can understand. Another benefit is just having a Sangha. Your community of fellow Buddhists who are there to help and guide you with your practice and answer any questions you may have. You should always treat your Sangha as if they were your family.
Every temple is different with different services, routines, chants, etc. My temple’s main chant service part is mostly from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book Chanting from the Heart: Buddhist Ceremonies and Daily Practices. They don’t announce this, but because I have the book and noticed, “Hey, this looks familiar!” The temple skips the very first part from the book and replaces it with the Great Compassion Mantra with a Thousand Hands and a Thousand Eyes Dharani. We go into the chants after the monk has given his discussion, after the chants we all join for a vegetarian meal.
I am so very glad and happy I have found a Sangha. My only regret is that I didn’t find it sooner! I aspire to one day (once I’ve paid off all my debt, which will be a while!) to be ordained as a Monk and live a happy monastic, enlightening life.
I hope everyone has the fortunate opportunity to find, visit, and become part of a Sangha! The feelings, aspirations, rewards, and knowledge you gain from it is like no other, and is truly an amazing experience.
Smile and be well!
Anapanasati Sutta: Mindfulness of Breathing
I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying at Savatthi in the Eastern Monastery, the palace of Migara’s mother, together with many well-known elder disciples — with Ven. Sariputta, Ven. Maha Moggallana, Ven. Maha Kassapa, Ven. Maha Kaccana, Ven. Maha Kotthita, Ven. Maha Kappina, Ven. Maha Cunda, Ven. Revata, Ven. Ananda, and other well-known elder disciples. On that occasion the elder monks were teaching & instructing. Some elder monks were teaching & instructing ten monks, some were teaching & instructing twenty monks, some were teaching & instructing thirty monks, some were teaching & instructing forty monks. The new monks, being taught & instructed by the elder monks, were discerning grand, successive distinctions.
Now on that occasion — the Uposatha day of the fifteenth, the full-moon night of the Pavarana ceremony — the Blessed One was seated in the open air surrounded by the community of monks. Surveying the silent community of monks, he addressed them:
“Monks, I am content with this practice. I am content at heart with this practice. So arouse even more intense persistence for the attaining of the as-yet-unattained, the reaching of the as-yet-unreached, the realization of the as-yet-unrealized. I will remain right here at Savatthi [for another month] through the ‘White Water-lily’ Month, the fourth month of the rains.”
The monks in the countryside heard, “The Blessed One, they say, will remain right there at Savatthi through the White Water-lily Month, the fourth month of the rains.” So they left for Savatthi to see the Blessed One.
Then the elder monks taught & instructed the new monks even more intensely. Some elder monks were teaching & instructing ten monks, some were teaching & instructing twenty monks, some were teaching & instructing thirty monks, some were teaching & instructing forty monks. The new monks, being taught & instructed by the elder monks, were discerning grand, successive distinctions.
Now on that occasion — the Uposatha day of the fifteenth, the full-moon night of the White Water-lily Month, the fourth month of the rains — the Blessed One was seated in the open air surrounded by the community of monks. Surveying the silent community of monks, he addressed them:
“Monks, this assembly is free from idle chatter, devoid of idle chatter, and is established on pure heartwood: such is this community of monks, such is this assembly. The sort of assembly that is worthy of gifts, worthy of hospitality, worthy of offerings, worthy of respect, an incomparable field of merit for the world: such is this community of monks, such is this assembly. The sort of assembly to which a small gift, when given, becomes great, and a great gift greater: such is this community of monks, such is this assembly. The sort of assembly that it is rare to see in the world: such is this community of monks, such is this assembly — the sort of assembly that it would be worth traveling for leagues, taking along provisions, in order to see.
“In this community of monks there are monks who are arahants, whose mental effluents are ended, who have reached fulfillment, done the task, laid down the burden, attained the true goal, laid to waste the fetter of becoming, and who are released through right gnosis: such are the monks in this community of monks.
“In this community of monks there are monks who, with the wasting away of the five lower fetters, are due to be reborn [in the Pure Abodes], there to be totally unbound, destined never again to return from that world: such are the monks in this community of monks.
“In this community of monks there are monks who, with the wasting away of [the first] three fetters, and with the attenuation of passion, aversion, & delusion, are once-returners, who — on returning only once more to this world — will make an ending to stress: such are the monks in this community of monks.
“In this community of monks there are monks who, with the wasting away of [the first] three fetters, are stream-winners, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening: such are the monks in this community of monks.
“In this community of monks there are monks who remain devoted to the development of the four frames of reference… the four right exertions… the four bases of power… the five faculties… the five strengths… the seven factors for awakening… the noble eightfold path: such are the monks in this community of monks.
“In this community of monks there are monks who remain devoted to the development of good will… compassion… appreciation… equanimity… [the perception of the] foulness [of the body]… the perception of inconstancy: such are the monks in this community of monks.
“In this community of monks there are monks who remain devoted to mindfulness of in-&-out breathing.
“Mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & pursued, is of great fruit, of great benefit. Mindfulness of in-&-out breathing, when developed & pursued, brings the four frames of reference to their culmination. The four frames of reference, when developed & pursued, bring the seven factors for awakening to their culmination. The seven factors for awakening, when developed & pursued, bring clear knowing & release to their culmination.
Mindfulness of In-&-Out Breathing
“Now how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit?
“There is the case where a monk, having gone to the wilderness, to the shade of a tree, or to an empty building, sits down folding his legs crosswise, holding his body erect, and setting mindfulness to the fore. Always mindful, he breathes in; mindful he breathes out.
“[1] Breathing in long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in long’; or breathing out long, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out long.’ [2] Or breathing in short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing in short’; or breathing out short, he discerns, ‘I am breathing out short.’ [3] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the entire body.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the entire body.’ [4] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming bodily fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming bodily fabrication.’
“[5] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to rapture.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to rapture.’ [6] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to pleasure.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to pleasure.’ [7] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to mental fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to mental fabrication.’ [8] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in calming mental fabrication.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out calming mental fabrication.’
“[9] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in sensitive to the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out sensitive to the mind.’ [10] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in satisfying the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out satisfying the mind.’ [11] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in steadying the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out steadying the mind.’ [12] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in releasing the mind.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out releasing the mind.’
“[13] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on inconstancy.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on inconstancy.’ [14] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on dispassion [literally, fading].’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on dispassion.’[15] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on cessation.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on cessation.’ [16] He trains himself, ‘I will breathe in focusing on relinquishment.’ He trains himself, ‘I will breathe out focusing on relinquishment.’
“This is how mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued so as to be of great fruit, of great benefit.
The Four Frames of Reference
“And how is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing developed & pursued so as to bring the four frames of reference to their culmination?
“[1] On whatever occasion a monk breathing in long discerns, ‘I am breathing in long’; or breathing out long, discerns, ‘I am breathing out long’; or breathing in short, discerns, ‘I am breathing in short’; or breathing out short, discerns, ‘I am breathing out short’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&… out sensitive to the entire body’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out calming bodily fabrication’: On that occasion the monk remains focused on thebody in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. I tell you, monks, that this — the in-&-out breath — is classed as a body among bodies, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.
“[2] On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out sensitive to rapture’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out sensitive to pleasure’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out sensitive to mental fabrication’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out calming mental fabrication’: On that occasion the monk remains focused on feelings in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. I tell you, monks, that this — careful attention to in-&-out breaths — is classed as a feeling among feelings, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on feelings in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.
“[3] On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out sensitive to the mind’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out satisfying the mind’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out steadying the mind’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out releasing the mind’: On that occasion the monk remains focused on the mind in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. I don’t say that there is mindfulness of in-&-out breathing in one of lapsed mindfulness and no alertness, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on the mind in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.
“[4] On whatever occasion a monk trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out focusing on inconstancy’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out focusing on dispassion’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out focusing on cessation’; trains himself, ‘I will breathe in…&…out focusing on relinquishment’: On that occasion the monk remains focused on mental qualitiesin & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world. He who sees with discernment the abandoning of greed & distress is one who watches carefully with equanimity, which is why the monk on that occasion remains focused on mental qualities in & of themselves — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world.
“This is how mindfulness of in-&-out breathing is developed & pursued so as to bring the four frames of reference to their culmination.
The Seven Factors for Awakening
“And how are the four frames of reference developed & pursued so as to bring the seven factors for awakening to their culmination?
“[1] On whatever occasion the monk remains focused on the body in & of itself — ardent, alert, & mindful — putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world, on that occasion his mindfulness is steady & without lapse. When his mindfulness is steady & without lapse, then mindfulness as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
“[2] Remaining mindful in this way, he examines, analyzes, & comes to a comprehension of that quality with discernment. When he remains mindful in this way, examining, analyzing, & coming to a comprehension of that quality with discernment, then analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
“[3] In one who examines, analyzes, & comes to a comprehension of that quality with discernment, persistence is aroused unflaggingly. When persistence is aroused unflaggingly in one who examines, analyzes, & comes to a comprehension of that quality with discernment, then persistence as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
“[4] In one whose persistence is aroused, a rapture not-of-the-flesh arises. When a rapture not-of-the-flesh arises in one whose persistence is aroused, then rapture as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
“[5] For one enraptured at heart, the body grows calm and the mind grows calm. When the body & mind of a monk enraptured at heart grow calm, then serenity as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
“[6] For one who is at ease — his body calmed — the mind becomes concentrated. When the mind of one who is at ease — his body calmed — becomes concentrated, then concentrationas a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
“[7] He carefully watches the mind thus concentrated with equanimity. When he carefully watches the mind thus concentrated with equanimity, equanimity as a factor for awakening becomes aroused. He develops it, and for him it goes to the culmination of its development.
(Similarly with the other three frames of reference: feelings, mind, & mental qualities.)
“This is how the four frames of reference are developed & pursued so as to bring the seven factors for awakening to their culmination.
Clear Knowing & Release
“And how are the seven factors for awakening developed & pursued so as to bring clear knowing & release to their culmination? There is the case where a monk developsmindfulness as a factor for awakening dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment. He develops analysis of qualities as a factor for awakening… persistence as a factor for awakening… rapture as a factor for awakening… serenity as a factor for awakening… concentration as a factor for awakening…equanimity as a factor for awakening dependent on seclusion, dependent on dispassion, dependent on cessation, resulting in relinquishment.
“This is how the seven factors for awakening are developed & pursued so as to bring clear knowing & release to their culmination.”
That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, the monks delighted in the Blessed One’s words.
Translated from the Pali by: Thanissaro Bhikkhu
A Short Teaching on Mindfulness of Breathing
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Please, when you breathe in, do not make an effort of breathing in. You just allow yourself to breathe in. Even if you don’t breathe in it will breathe in by itself. So don’t say, “My breath, come, so that I tell you how to do.” Don’t try to force anything, don’t try to intervene, just allow the breathing in to take place.
What you have to do is be aware of the fact that the breathing in is taking place. And you have more chance to enjoy your in-breath. Don’t struggle with your breath, that is what I recommend. Realize that your in breath is a wonder. When someone is dead, no matter what we do, the person will not breathe in again. So we are breathing in, that is a wonderful thing.
Breathing in I know I’m alive, it’s a miracle. We have to enjoy our in-breath. There are many ways to enjoy your in-breath. We want you to tell us how you enjoy your in-breath, whether in a sitting position or in a walking position. But if you don’t enjoy breathing in, breathing out, you don’t do it right.
This is the first recommendation on breathing that the Buddha made: When breathing in, I know this is the in-breath. When breathing out, I know this is the out-breath. When the in-breath is long, I know it is long. When it is short, I know it is short. Just recognition, mere recognition, simple recognition of the presence of the in-breath and out-breath. When you do that, suddenly you become entirely present. What a miracle, because to meditate means to be there. To be there with yourself, to be there with your in‑breath.
So you now understand the two sentences [from the Anapanasati Sutta] , “Breathing in, I know I am breathing in. Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.” And a few minutes later, “Breathing in I know my in-breath has become deep. Breathing out, I know my out-breath has become slow.” That is not an effort to make the in-breath deeper or the out-breath slower. That is only a recognition of the fact. After having followed your in-breath and out-breath for a few minutes you will notice that your in-breath and out-breath now have a much better quality, because mindfulness, when touching anything, increases the quality of that thing. The Buddha when he touches something, reveals and increases the quality of being of that thing. Mindfulness is the Buddha, therefore it plays that role.
When you look at the full moon, and if you are mindful, “Breathing in I see the full moon, breathing out I smile at the full moon,” suddenly the full moon reveals itself to you maybe one hundred times more clearly. It’s more beautiful, it’s clearer, it’s more enjoyable. Why? Because the moon has been touched by mindfulness.
So when you touch your in-breath and out-breath with your mindfulness, your in-breath becomes more harmonious, more gentle, deeper, slower, and so does your out-breath. Now you enjoy in-breathing and out-breathing. Naturally your breathing becomes more enjoyable, the quality of your breathing increases. So “In/Out” is for the beginning. Then “Deep/Slow” is the next step: “Breathing in, I know that my in breath has become deep and I enjoy it. Breathing out, I see that my out-breath has become slow and I enjoy it.”
During that time you have stopped, you have allowed your body and your mind to rest. Even if you are walking, you are resting. If you are sitting, you are resting. You are not struggling anymore, on your cushion, or walking. Then later on you will try this. These words are only to help you to recognize what is happening. “Calm/Ease: Breathing in I feel the calm in me.” This is not autosuggestion, because if you have enjoyed In/Out and Deep/Slow, calm is something that is established. Resting. If you touched your calm, your calm rose. It’s like when you touched the moon. “Breathing out, I feel ease in me.” I don’t suffer anymore. I will not make it hard anymore.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Allow yourself to be at ease with yourself. Don’t struggle. All of these can be done even if lots of suffering is still in your body and in your soul. Doing this, we are taking care of them. We are not trying to escape the pain in us. We are giving our body and our consciousness a rest.
Meditation 101
Meditation is one of the most important aspects of Buddhism, if not the most important. Buddha always emphasized the importance of daily meditation and mastering its benefits. To meditate is to be mindful of your mind and body – to learn it, know it, and free it. I have been meditating and learning meditation for over a decade, ever since I first began my spiritual search. I have learned to enter different states of consciousness and enter states of complete calm and away from the sensation of time.
Buddha Journey 