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Experiencing the Fullness of the Present

4/28/2013

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In two recent back-to-back meditations, I came to a realization of the present that had eluded me for all these years.  I have written in my books and several posts how to be present and make the most of each moment, savoring it.  But being present is so much more than one’s mind not being elsewhere, being fully engaged in the moment, and experiencing your feelings and sensations at the moment without engaging them.

The first realization is that the present is the only reality.  “Duh!” you may well say.  Of course much of what I had come to realize, essentially the emptiness of all five skandhas, leads inexorably to this realization, and yet I had not connected the dots in that manner.  There is no reality in thoughts of the past, because it’s all learned experience.  And there’s no reality in thoughts of the future because it can’t be known and is often constructed from one’s fantasies.  The only reality is what exists right now, at this moment.

It therefore follows that if one wants to find peace, one can only find it in the present.  If one wants contentment, one must find it in the present.  If one wants happiness one must find it in the present.  The past may supply pleasant memories, but it cannot bring you peace, contentment, or happiness.  And any thoughts about the future, obsessive or not, may provide the illusion of future peace, contentment, or happiness, but they mostly lead to great frustration with the present, with what you don’t have now.  You may plan for the future (as indeed a layperson must, as I’ve noted in my books and posts), but it is only in the reality of the present that you can find true peace, contentment, and happiness and see yourself and the world around you clearly.

And if you do see yourself and the world around you clearly, if you perceive the emptiness of all five skandhas, if you are at one with yourself and all things and are able to experience and observe without the intervention of thought, then all the obstructions  ... fear, anger, anxiety, insecurity, greed, all labels ... that prevent you from experiencing peace, contentment, and happiness in the present cease to be.  Indeed, all suffering and doubt cease.  That is the lesson of the Heart Sutra.

The second realization is that the present is not static.  It is part of the forward moving essence of all life.

So often when we read or are taught about being present or accepting our lives and the world around us as it is at this moment, it sounds like we are talking about a static moment, even as we learn that all things are impermanent and changeable.  And that creates a barrier for many people trying to walk the path because thinking of their lives as being static, even for a moment (moments do build on each other), is not acceptable.


But the moment, the present, is not static.  Both within us and around us, the world is a perpetual motion machine; everything is constantly in movement, changing, both at the microscopic level and the macro.  Even deterioration and death can be seen in this light as forward movement.  But our fears, our learned experience, our anxiety, our insecurity, our greed place obstructions between that fact and our realization of it.  


Whether those obstructions make it impossible for us to see the forward movement in the present ... e.g. “How can the mundane things I’m doing each day move me forward; they’re boring!  Nothing changes!” ...   or whether those obstructions trap us in inertia, or whether they focus us on obsessive thoughts of the future as we try to run from what is, the result is the same.  They make it impossible for us to experience the forward movement of our lives.  And when we are unable to feel forward movement in our lives, when we are separated from the flow of nature, we become very frustrated and agitated.

And so, being present in the moment is to experience the essence of life.  It is the source of clarity; it is the source of peace, contentment, and happiness; it is the source of growth/change; it is the source of conscious contact with our true Buddha nature.  It is only in the present that we can truly live and walk the path.

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Freedom from the Future

4/24/2013

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Another one of the constant challenges we face is how to plan for the future while remaining present.  In an earlier posting on this topic, one of the things I mentioned as key was letting go all thoughts of the future once you have made your decision and put together your plans.  Just stay in the present and do what you can each day to move your life forward without thinking about the future.

That’s fine as far as it goes, but as with so many things one reads or I have written, it’s easier said than done.  It is somewhat easy to be aware when you start obsessing about the future and stop, breathe, and bring yourself back to the present.  But when you aren’t obsessing, when thoughts of the future control your mind much like many thoughts based on your learned experience do ... they’re just sitting there, insipid, not causing any conscious discomfort ... it’s harder to be aware.

While none of this is new information, as my practice deepens I am continually brought back to the basics and learn that I have more work to do to walk the path.  And through discoveries, one continues to make progress.  Recently while meditating I became aware of situations, much like the one I related in my post on “Freedom from the Known,” where my low level thoughts of the future were making it impossible for me to enjoy the present moment, being where I was.


When I had this realization, I said as I did then, “no more.”  I revolted at the control that my thoughts of the future, as well as my learned experience (to which thoughts of the future are of course tied), have on my experience of the present.  

The closing verse of the ancient Chinese poem, “Affirming Faith in Mind,” says, “For here there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today.”  This is the culmination of perceiving that all five skandhas are empty of intrinsic existence, being at one with all things, experiencing things directly without the intervention of thought, returning to one’s self nature and being at one with the way.

As I sat meditating, present, observing the feelings and sensations I was experiencing at that moment, this verse came to mind and I said, “yes.”  Each day thereafter when I meditated, I reaffirmed this and I was very aware as the days went by that I was being present in a way which I had not been before.  And when my mind did wander into a thought about the future or the past, I was aware and rather than expressing it and engaging it, I returned with my breath to the present and was at peace.  As always, I know this is not the last word.

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Freedom from the Known

4/20/2013

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Walking the path is a process of incrementally freeing ourselves from our learned experience, from our ego, from the known.  For only when we are free of the known can we experience things as they are, free of the intervention of thought, free of labels.  Even when we have perceived the truth of the emptiness of all five skandhas, not just intellectually but absorbed it in all parts of our being, we are still not necessarily free of the known because our ego still remains, waiting for the chance to draw us back from this truth and enmesh us in samsara.

I have related in my books and in this blog how being aware of my ego arising remains a constant challenge.  Over the years, more and more aspects of my learned experience, of my ego, have been surrendered to my true Buddha nature and no longer ensnare me.  The ego still rises, but I just watch it and let it subside.  

But there are always other nooks and crannies of my ego-mind that remain almost untouched by the cleansing light of my spiritual work.  And I have related these discoveries as well.  As the weeks and months pass, more and more of my ego-mind becomes subject to the light of my unborn Buddha mind and those areas too slowly cease to disturb my peace and my ability to be at one with all things.

Recently while I was meditating, I became aware that there was a huge area of my learned experience that remained untouched; I had been unaware because it didn’t push any buttons, it didn’t cause any neurosis, it didn’t cause any “problems” for my spiritual well-being.  That area is the large repository of learned experience that just sits there, and when called upon, impacts how I view a particular situation.

I came upon this realization after I had voiced negative thoughts about Philadelphia when talking about a potential move.  But when I was meditating, I remembered that as an adolescent, I used to love taking the train into Philadelphia with my mother to see a matinee of a Broadway-bound show, have lunch, and shop.  It was a treat and always pleasurable.  Then at some point, downtown Philadelphia fell on bad times, major stores closed, and it became desolate, dirty, and ugly.  

Years later I had read that the center city had rebounded ... young people were moving into the city turning old commercial areas into residential, stores were back, there were many new interesting restaurants, and cultural life was strong (as it had always been) with a new performing arts center.  And when I went to center city with my brother and sister-in-law to go to concerts, I experienced this newly energized city.  Although I also saw that aspects of “Philadelphia, the not beautiful” remained.  I also spent several days one year walking around center city, really acquainting myself with much of the area for the first time, because I was thinking of relocating there at the time, and I was generally pleased by what I saw.

Yet despite these experiences, the image that stuck in my mind, and which I expressed recently when Philadelphia came up in conversation, was this extremely negative view of the city as an unattractive, unwelcoming, dead center city.  In this case, one aspect of my learned experience overruled the rest of my learned experience and had I not become aware of this during my meditation, Philadelphia would have been off the list as a possible location for our move.

Perhaps for the first time, I realized just how dangerous our learned experience could be because its impact is often so subtle, so insipid, that one isn’t aware what is taking place, even after years of meditation.  I had at that moment a revolt in my being, the kind of experience Krishnamurti calls for.  I said, “no more.”  


Krishnamurti says that, “When we look at ourselves with the dead authority of yesterday we will fail to understand the living movement and the beauty and quality of that movement.  To be free of all authority, of your own, and that of another, is to die to everything of yesterday, so that your mind is always fresh, always young, innocent, full of vigor, and passion.”

I can only experience things without the intervention of thought if I am aware of my thoughts, a reflection of my learned experience, arising.  This episode was yet another reminder that thought is always present and if one is not aware it will engage itself and you will not see things as they are.  Awareness is the constant challenge.

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Freeing Yourself from Fear

4/16/2013

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Fear or insecurity is at the root of almost every obsessive thought or feeling we have.    For the most part, I can say that the last few years have been lived mostly free of fear.  A few months ago, though, my friend and I decided that the time had come, for a variety of reasons, for us to look for a new location to live.  After making that decision, fear of the unknown took hold of me and I have obsessed about the whole process.  I tried various methods to  not obsess ... being present, focusing on all the good things in my life right now, turning my will and my life over to my true Buddha nature, giving the responsibility over to my friend ... but nothing worked for more than very short periods of time.

Then one morning while meditating and being aware of the feelings and sensations I was experiencing at the moment, I felt this huge anxiety.  And as is my practice each morning, I observed my feeling but did not engage it or react to it.

What I saw clearly, no surprise, was that my fear was totally a product of my past, my learned experience, and had become an integral part of my ego habit-energy.    It had nothing to do with what the situation was now.  Nevertheless the fear seemed very real, very present.  And of course to my thinking ego-mind it made sense rationally to be experiencing fear and anxiety.

But when I made conscious contact with my true Buddha nature, I saw just as clearly that my true Buddha nature had another way of viewing this situation.  First, it had faith that the future would take care of itself, all would be well, regardless of what life threw my way, because I would always return to my true Buddha nature and be at peace and find happiness in the moment.  I had nothing to fear but fear itself.  
Second, I had absolute faith and trust in my friend’s taking control of the process and leading us to a better place for both of us.

(As an aside I should mention that historically I have been a major control-freak, and that letting go control over this process was but the latest stage in surrendering my ego and living the teaching of not-two.)

I sat with this for quite a while that morning.  And a huge feeling of calm came over me.  The Heart Sutra is very relevant to my meditation that morning.  In particular the two verses that say,

“The Bodhisatva Avelokiteshvara,
 Practicing the perfection of wisdom, going deep 

     within,
 Was illuminated and perceived that
 All five skandhas are empty of intrinsic existence.
 Thus being at one with all things,
 Experiencing things directly without the intervention

     of thought,
 All suffering and doubt ceased.”
  . . . .

 “Bodhisatvas, abiding in perfected wisdom,
  Their minds have no fears or obstructions,
  Therefore they have no fears of obstructions;
  Free of confused illusions,
  They reach nirvana.”

When I was present in my meditation and perceived the emptiness of all five skandhas, that my perceptions were empty of intrinsic existence, the obstruction (my learned experience) that caused me to view the process with fear and anxiety was dispelled and replaced by the knowledge of my true Buddha nature that regardless what life threw my way, all would be well because I would always return to my true Buddha nature and be at peace and find happiness in the moment.  I was able to experience the situation without the intervention of thought ... my fear ... and so suffering and doubt ceased.

Not being enlightened, I will need to repeat this meditation on a regular basis, for my ego habit-energy is so strong, so ingrained, that I know my fear will not stop rising.  Hopefully though, each time it does I will be aware of it rising and thus be able to not engage it and not react to it.  But given my nature as a human being walking the path, that is probably too much to expect.  

Always remember, it’s about walking the path, not reaching the goal.

Postscript:  I have now from within realized that fear and all skandhas are just a product of the mind and so their power has all but disappeared.  See my post, "Proof of the Nature of Mind - Fear, Ego, and Buddha Mind,"
​


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Step #5:  Were reading and willing, and made a decision to surrender our ego and turn our will and our lives over to the care of our true Buddha nature, opening our heart to embrace all aspects of our being.

4/12/2013

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Ah, it sounds so simple.  A monk once said to us, “You’ve come so far but you’re still standing on the edge of the precipice.  You’re not able to jump because you’re afraid of an ego-free unknown.  But the choice is yours; all you need do is surrender your ego to your true Buddha nature.  It’s as simple as that.”

But it is not simple at all, primarily because of the hold that our ego-mind has on us at all levels of our conscious, and probably subconscious, thought.  It's all we've ever known of ourselves; what we've identified as ourselves.  But before I address how one surrenders your ego, let me mention something that I related in an early post about turning your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature.

The monk, who was (and I assume still is) a great and powerful teacher, used the image of standing on the precipice and jumping.  That is a very scary image.  And I think that that image is part of the reason why I found it so difficult for so many years to surrender my ego to my true Buddha nature.  And so, when I realized several months ago that the concept of turning my will and my life over to the care of my true Buddha nature ... a central concept of 12-step programs ... had been missing from my practice and my writings, I knew that this would provide a helpful adjustment to the message I had received and had been passing on. 

By incorporating the concept of turning our will and our lives over to the care of our true Buddha nature, it turns the surrender of our ego into a warm and comforting act for we know we have nothing to fear from putting our lives in the hands of our true Buddha nature.  This may all seem like semantics, a distinction without a difference, but the words we speak or think, the approach we take, can make a significant difference in our overcoming the barriers to making further progress on the path. 

But even with this important change, it is no easy matter.  The first thing to realize is that you cannot just will the surrender of your ego to your true Buddha nature and turn your life over to it.  In 12-step programs, one is taught that addiction is “self-will run riot.”  This is not something we can “will” away.  It needs to be approached in a more organic manner.

So how do we implement this step?  There two parts.  The first is making the decision, the second is implementing it.  

Even making the decision, having the intent, is difficult.  Regardless if you have faith in your true Buddha nature, and acknowledge that your suffering is caused by your cravings, by your ego, the idea of turning your ego, your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature, your true self ... the idea of your ego playing no role in your actions and thoughts ... is an unsettling one for many if not most, because for most of your life you’ve only known yourself as your ego.  

What is necessary in order to make this decision is an accumulated experience of your true Buddha nature that goes beyond abstract faith.  As you follow the path, meditate, observe yourself, you will increasingly discern the difference between what your ego is whispering, or yelling, in your ear and what your true Buddha nature is telling you.  The more you have conscious contact with your Buddha mind, the greater will be the ease, the greater will be your determination, to make this decision and follow through on it.  It will no longer be a venture into the unknown.  There will be no question in your aware mind that that is in your best interest.

But even then, what is of critical importance is that you are ready and willing to make the decision.  It is not enough knowing it is in your best interest.  It is not enough being aware of the suffering caused by your emotions, judgments, and attachments.  You must be ready and willing to let them go.  If you are not truly ready and willing, then you will go through the process without much impact on your life.

There is no secret method to being ready and willing.  It's one of those thing where the only teaching is, "Just do it."  You have all the facts, all the awareness, but are you ready and willing? Is finding peace and happiness what you value most, what's most important to you?  If not, you may say you have made a decision, but you really haven't.

But once you’ve made that decision, humbly and honestly, that’s far from the end of it.  Implementing your decision will be a constant challenge, as you will not be surprised to hear if you’ve been reading this blog.  As I’ve recounted, it has certainly been a constant challenge for me.  

And the simple reason again is that our ego-mind, our ego habit-energies, are so deeply ingrained.  The thoughts and actions that flow from the ego are virtually automatic responses to everything we experience.  The only way to implement your decision is to find ways to increase your awareness, your mindfulness, your conscious contact with your true Buddha nature each day.  Only when you are not on auto-pilot do you have a chance to turn your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature.

And so each morning when I meditate, I state my intention, which is to turn my will and my life over to my true Buddha nature and thus return home to my unborn Buddha mind and, most recently, open my heart and have it embrace all aspects of my being.  

As I've only recently learned, (I know!!), the heart's embrace is a central aspect of turning your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature.  It perfects that intent.  When you feel your heart's embrace, all internal struggle ceases, you are one with the way, true faith pervades your life.  (See my post, "The Heart's Embrace.")  Although this sounds very similar to having compassion for yourself, the impact is quite different.

Once you have perfected your intent to surrender your ego and turn your will and your life over to the care of your true Buddha nature, the other parts of implementing your intent will flow rather easily, as related in Steps #6-8.

At first this may happen for just short periods each day and in certain areas of your life.  But as time goes on it will cover more and more areas and more hours of each day.  The instantaneous enlightenment that one reads people having during the time of the Buddha or other masters such as Zen Master Bankei just doesn’t occur anymore.  In my book, Scratching the Itch: Getting to the Root of Our Suffering, I discuss this and posit several explanations for why this is the case.

In any event, you will find that the more you are able to embrace all aspects of your being, the more you will be able to experience peace.  The more you will be able to be aware of your feelings arising, not engage or react to them, and watch them subside.

Do not expect perfection.  That is not the Buddhist way.  Just do the best you can and have faith that if you live each day, each moment, well, the future will take care of itself.


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Step #8: Were entirely ready to love ourselves unconditionally and have compassion for ourselves, and to accept ourselves and the world around us as being the way they are because it's just the way it is.

4/7/2013

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When we started walking the path, most of us were not able to love ourselves unconditionally, have compassion for ourselves, and certainly not accept things as being the way they are.

Why is it so hard for us to love ourselves unconditionally and have compassion for ourselves?  One would think that compassion would be a significant coping mechanism. But our ego, while supportive of every manner of rationalization to justify our actions or our failure to act, does not allow us to feel compassion and unconditional love for ourselves because that would undermine the power of the learned labels that it ruthlessly applies to us.  Indeed we have spent our entire lives not loving ourselves unconditionally and not having compassion for ourselves because that is our learned experience ... we learned that we don’t deserve it and that the fault is ours.

“Wait,” you say, “I have felt pity towards myself or sorrow at my condition.” But pity and sorrow are not compassion, at least not in the Buddhist sense. Because pity and sorrow do not negate the underlying condition as perceived by our ego. It does not change the perception that we are bad or a failure or whatever.

“Well, what about all the people out there with huge egos? Are you saying they don’t love themselves?” They don't really love themselves, certainly not unconditionally and they don’t have compassion for themselves. People with huge egos have been shown to be at bottom very insecure people. The huge ego is a façade that hides their insecurity. 

For a Buddhist, the origin of compassion is love, whether for oneself or others. It is selfless and unconditional. When compassion flows from unconditional love, we do not judge ourselves anymore. We accept ourselves for what we are … without labels. And that has been the issue here for us ... we have not accepted ourselves as we are.


But having worked the previous steps, we see ourselves and the world around us differently. Knowing that we are a product of our life experiences that have programmed us to act and feel as we do, knowing that our true self is our heart, and having opened our heart to embrace all aspects of our being and experience, we have found the source of compassion and unconditional love, and we do not judge ourselves anymore.  

Knowing that we have everything we need inside ourselves to be at peace and happy, we no longer seek what we don’t have.  We are free of cravings.  We thus are ready and willing to accept both ourselves and the world around us as being the way they are because it’s just the way it is.

Having fully connected with our true self, our heart, we are also able to generate a continuous positive energy flow from out heart to ourselves and everyone and everything around us.  As related in my post, "Change Your Life by Changing the Direction of Its Energy Flow," this will create a force field around you that prevents any source of negativity from penetrating your heart and disturbing your heart's peace and happiness, it's harmony.


For those who are at an earlier stage in their practice where they have not made a decision to surrender their ego and so have not completed the previous steps, learn how to begin loving yourself and having compassion for yourself by reading the section, “Accepting Ourselves - Cultivating a Compassionate Heart,” in my book, Making Your Way in LIfe as a Buddhist or any of the Practical Buddhist Series books.  (As I stated in an earlier post, building a platform of serenity is such an essential first step for anyone walking the path that I’ve included that chapter, of which the section noted is a part, in all three of the Series books.)



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What's Real and What’s Not Real?

4/1/2013

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One of the things we hopefully learn and absorb as we walk the path is that all five skhandas ... appearance of form, feelings, perceptions, mental formations, consciousness-ego ... are empty of intrinsic existence.  They are all dependent on something else for their origination ... typically our learned experience.  

For example, it may be a fact that someone doesn’t have much money or lots of things, but it is a cultural or family-based label that that person is a failure.  Because such labels or thoughts have no independent existence in reality, they are not a reflection of what’s real.  They may seem very real because they are supported by all the messages one receives from our culture or one’s family, but they’re not.  Instead, we sense what’s real through our true Buddha nature, by observing without the intervention of thought.

As we walk the path, our meditation practice starts to open the window to our experiencing what’s real differentiated from the product of our thought, which is not real.  It is for most of us a slow, incremental process.

But beware!  Our thoughts, our way of looking at the world, are so deeply ingrained in us that even when we are deep in meditation and think we are seeing things clearly, think we are in touch with our true Buddha nature, we may in fact still be seeing things through our ego-mind ... it is that wily and strong.

The situation is less likely to develop regarding cravings or thoughts we have that are not socially acceptable because we have cultural support for distancing ourselves from these habit-energies.  But for cravings and thoughts which are not just socially acceptable but are key ingredients of the cultural messages we are bombarded with, it is more difficult.

Let me give you an example.  At one point in the past I moved back to Chicago.  My goal was to get a job, find some meaningful volunteer work, and establish a close circle of friends (my old ones were no longer around).  Now, each of these goals is totally reasonable and appropriate, both culturally and even spiritually ... they are consistent with the Five Precepts.

But I did not approach these goals with equanimity.  I obsessed about them; they were cravings.  And so when I struck out on all fronts ... I did meet some nice new acquaintances with whom I socialized, but building friendships, especially of the quality and depth that develops over 25 years, takes a long time ... I got disgusted with Chicago and decided to leave.

At this point in my life, I had been walking the path for 10 years, meditated daily, and had benefited from some very powerful teaching.  I also had had a break-through retreat in which I discovered my oneness with all things.  But despite all of that, I did not “see” that  I was not seeing clearly regarding these goals; that I was wound up in my ego-mind.  

It was only recently, when I was talking with a friend about the power of our ego-mind and it’s ability to trick us into thinking we’re observing without the intervention of thought, that this experience flashed through my mind and I had a “eureka” moment. How sad.  But what’s past is past.  My point in relating this story is to emphasize the traps that our ego-mind sets for us, even during meditation.


So how does one not fall into this trap if one is not enlightened?  The answer .is that whenever you think you are seeing things clearly, without the intervention of thought, you must ask yourself are you really seeing things as they are.  Observe whether you are in a state of equanimity; observe whether something is going on which is amiss, at odds with the teachings, your spirituality.  


I did not do that back then with regard to these matters.  Others that were recognized as harmful, yes.  But not these.  I’m sure if I had, I would have seen my goals for what they were ... cravings.  I was not in a state of equanimity.  I was constantly frustrated, which as I said in an earlier post is a red flag, our “canary in the mine.” And I would have meditated on accepting my life as it was at that moment because it’s just the way it was and focused on all the wonderful things in my life.


This is just one more example of the constant challenge of walking the path.  Just as soon as you think you’ve got one aspect “under your belt,” you realize that there’s something else that needs tending.  And on and on it goes.  But the point is that you are always moving forward.   Every moment you are aware, in conscious contact with your true Buddha nature, is a moment free of suffering.  And as those moments build, the benefit of that state of mind affects you even when you are not aware.

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    All
    1. The Goal Of Buddhism
    2. End Of Suffering Cheat Sheet
    3. 12 Steps On The Buddhist Path
    4. The Choice Is Yours
    5. You Have A Self But It's Not The Ego
    A Buddhist Trinity - Amended
    A Buddhist Trinity - Further Support
    A Buddhist Trinity - The Core Path To Peace And Happiness.
    A Carefree Day And Life
    Acceptance Courage And Wisdom
    Accepting The Life Of Those Around You
    Acknowledgement Of The Cause Of Suffering Is Key
    Allow Nothing To Disturb Your Peace And Happiness
    An Open Letter To President-elect Trump And All Americans
    Antagonist Or Challenge?
    A Path To Compassion And Loving Kindness
    Approaching The Other Shore
    Are You Reading And Willing To Let Your Cravings Go?
    As A Buddhist How Do You Plan - Revisited Again - Relying On Your Buddha Nature
    As A Buddhist How Do You Think About The Future?
    As A Buddhist … Revisited Again - Do We Need To Know Where We’re Headed?
    As A Buddhist ... Revisited - Planning Without Thinking
    As A Buddhist … Revisited Yet Again - How Do You Implement Moving Forward Without Having A Destination Point?
    A Simpler Path To Experiencing Joy
    Attachment To Self
    Avatars - Their Usefulness
    Back To Basics
    Be A Light Unto Yourself And Others
    Be Aware When Reading - Yearn To Please Or To Offer Joy?
    Be Careful The Monk/Teacher You Choose
    Befriend Yourself
    Being Aware Of Abundance
    Being Good To Yourself
    Being - Not Being
    Being One With Your True Buddha Self
    Being Present Is Being Flexible
    Being Present Is The Key To Peace And Contentment
    Being Present - No What If’s Or Imagining The Future
    Being Present - Part 2
    Being Present Requires Faith
    Being There For Someone
    Belief In You Buddha Nature - The Beginning And The End
    Be One With Your Divine Essence
    Be Sustained By The Love Of Buddha Within You
    Be The Eye Of The Hurricane
    Beware Complacency
    Beyond Acceptance
    Beyond Awareness
    Beyond Dispassion - The Next Step
    Boredom
    Boundaries
    Buddha Mind - Child Mind
    Buddha Mind Free Of Thought
    Buddha Nature Gentle And Serene
    Buddhism And The Divine
    Burying Your Old Identity
    Can't Find Your Buddha Nature - Look In The Mirror
    Change Your Life By Changing The Direction Of Its Energy Flow
    Changing The Direction Of Your Energy Flow - II - Manifesting
    Changing Your Reactions
    Chicken Or Egg ?
    Co-existence Of Buddha Nature And Ego-Mind
    Compassion
    Control
    Craving "Survival" Condemns You To Suffering
    Crying - An Understanding
    Darkness Before Light
    Death And Life
    Death And Life - Part 2
    Death Heaven And Hell
    Deflating The Ego
    Dependence
    Desire - The Gerbil Trap
    Desperate For Love And Acknowledgment?
    Discipline - It’s Essential
    Dislike - An Insidious Obstruction
    Dispassion Does Not Mean Wtihout Feeling
    Dispassion - Enter The State Of By Becoming Aware Of The Emptiness Of Our Ego-mind
    Dispassion - Obstacles And Options To Achieve It
    Dispassion - Unlocking The Doors
    Don't Just Say No To Your Mind
    Don’t Waste A Moment
    Don’t Waste A Moment
    Do We Suffer Or Not? - The Choice Is Ours
    Do You Really Want To Be At Peace And Content
    Ego - Changing Your Relationship With It
    Embrace The Moment Not Merely Accept
    Emptiness - What Does It Mean?
    Emptying Myself Of Myself - The Divine's Will Not Mine
    Enter Your Buddha Mind
    Equanimity But Feel Someone’s Pain
    Everything That Disturbs Us Is A Product Of Suffering
    Everything You Need To Be Happy
    Evil - How Should A Buddhist Respond?
    Expectations? - Not If You Want To End Suffering
    Experiencing The Fullness Of The Present
    Facing My Insecurity
    Faith And Mind Not Separate
    Faith And Mind Not Separate - 2
    Faith And Reason
    Faith Even When You Are Dependent On Others
    Faith: The Essential Element Of Spiritual Practice
    Faith: What Is It And Why Is It Essential?
    Fear And Anxiety - There's More
    Fear Anxiety And Craving - Chicken Or Egg #2
    Fear Arises From Our Desire To Control
    Fearlessness
    Fear's Destructive Impact
    Fear V Common Sense
    Fear V Faith
    Feeling Lack - A Most Insidious Perception
    Feeling Off? - Adjust Your Attitude
    Finding Happiness In Each Moment
    Forgiveness - A Different Take
    Freedom From The Future
    Freedom From The Known
    Freedom - What Does It Mean?
    Freeing Yourself From Anger And Resentment
    Freeing Yourself From Attachments
    Freeing Yourself From Fear
    Freeing Yourself From Fear II
    Freeing Yourself From Suffering - The Prerequisite Step
    Free Of Thought - Important Clarification
    Frustration ... Our Canary In The Mine
    Get Over Yourself
    Getting To Know Your True Buddha Self
    Give Yourself A Choice
    Going Through Life With Blinders - The Obstruction Of Labels
    Good Guys Finish Last?
    Go Slow
    Grateful For Being Alive
    Guilt
    Guilt And The Defensive Beast
    Happenstance
    Happenstance - Part II - You Your Buddha Nature And The Universe
    Happiness Is Elusive
    Happiness - What You Need To Be Happy
    Happy New Year 2017?
    Have Directions Not Goals
    Have Faith In The Process
    Have You Heard Of Narcs - The Final Answer To Why I Was Frowning
    Healing Your Inner Child - Healing Your Wounded Heart
    Healing Your Inner Child - Update
    Hell Is Just Resistance To Life
    How I Failed Myself
    How The Ego-Mind Tries To Destroy Faith
    How To Desire Yet Not Crave?
    How To Find Faith?
    How To Find Your True Self Your Heart
    How To Free Yourself From The Control Of Your Ego-Mind
    How To Live In Our World
    How To Love Yourself
    How To Observe Through The Eyes Of Your True Buddha Self
    How To Offer Others Joy
    How To Protect Yourself Against Psychic Attack
    How To Respond To Acts Of Aggression
    How To Spiritually Respond To The Election?
    How To Start The Day
    How To Surrender Your Ego Or Turn Your Will And Your Life Over To The Care Of Your True Buddha Nature
    Humbling Myself
    Humility
    Humility: The Truth About "My" Good Accomplishments
    I Am Being Reborn
    I Am Therefore I Am
    If Nothing Offends All Internal Struggle Ceases
    If This Is Practical Buddhism Why The Pastoral Setting
    "If You Love Someone You Will Suffer"
    Imagining In Meditation
    I’m Grateful To Be A Jubu
    Inner Happiness - Outer Happiness
    Innocence Or Ignorance?
    Insecurity - Nurture Not Nature
    Instead Of Forgiveness Show Compassion
    It Doesn’t Have To Be
    It's All About Survival - Or Is It?
    It's A Sin -The Harm We Inflict On Ourselves
    It’s Just The Way It Is
    It’s Just The Way It Is And It’s All OK
    It’s No Crime To Think About Oneself!
    Joy - A Hopefully Final Take
    Joy - At Last Real Understanding
    Joy - Experience It Now
    Joyful Dispassion - Excited Non-attachment
    Joyful Dispassion - Update
    Joy/Happiness - A Choice We Make
    Joy - One More Take
    Joy - Yet Another Take
    Knowing Best?
    Know Thyself - The Power Of Awareness
    Lack V Abundance
    Let Go - Let God
    Letting Go
    Letting Others Go Their Way
    Liberate Yourself From Thinking
    Likes And Dislikes - A Potential Trap Examined
    Listening - Why Is It So Difficult?
    Love At First Sight - NOT
    Love/Loving-Kindness - Defined In The Buddhist Context
    Love Yourself Unconditionally
    Make It Your Own - An Extension Of “The Heart’s Embrace”
    Making Lists - Objectifying Your Fears The Things That Push Your Buttons
    Making Peace With The Outside; Making Peace With The Inside
    Making The Most Of Every Day
    Manifestation - DANGER DANGER!
    Manifesting
    Manifesting In The Moment
    Meditation - Coming Home Releasing And Being At Peace
    Meditation - The Importance Of Daily Practice
    Memory - Don’t Trust It
    Mental Obstructions
    Mind Resting Undisturbed
    Mirror Mirror On The Wall - A Revelation
    Money And Spirituality
    My Daily Task
    My Daily Task - 2
    My Ego's Sneak Attack
    My Life - A Being Dichotomized
    My Meditation Isn't Working!
    My Mind Trapped Me
    My Road To Peace
    My True Buddha Self And Me
    Nature Of Mind Revealed - A Transformation
    Never Stop Going Deeper
    Newly Discovered Trauma
    Nirvana - It's Right Before Your Eyes
    No Expectations No Hope?
    No One’s Life Is Ordinary
    No Reason To Be Defensive
    No Self - Not!
    No Spiritual Force Can Protect You From Yourself Your Mind
    Not Engaging Your Thoughts
    Nothing To Prove
    Not Me - Peeling Off The Layers Of Our Ego-Mind
    Observe
    Offering Others Joy - From The Heart
    Offer Joy Experience Joy
    Offer Myself Joy!
    Oneness Does Not Mean Sameness
    Opening The Door To Being Present
    Our Over-sexed Culture And Lives
    Pain - A Cry For Help
    Paradise Lost
    Peace And Happiness Is Your Birthright
    Personal Boundaries As Part Of A Buddhist Life
    Preparing A Child For Life
    Pride Is A Function Of The Devil
    Problem - NOT!
    Proof Of The Nature Of Mind - Fear Ego And Buddha Mind
    Prosperity And Abundance
    Protecting Yourself From The Elements
    Psychiatry Needs To Incorporate Buddhist Teaching
    Putting Spirituality Into Practice 24/7
    Que Sera Sera - Whatever Will Be Will Be
    Real Clarity V The Delusion Of Clarity
    Reality Is Not What We Experience
    Receiving The Love Of Your Buddha Nature
    Reciting Affirmations
    Reclaiming The Narrative Of My Life - II
    Reclaiming The “Story” Of Your Life
    Reflecting On 75 Years
    Reincarnation - An Unorthodox Take
    Rejoice And Be Happy
    Rejoice And Be Happy - II
    Releasing All Desire
    Releasing All Desire - II
    Releasing Negative Energy
    Renouncing What You Have Always Depended On
    Replacing Weakness With Strength
    Reprogram Your Mind To End Your Suffering
    Returning Home - Returning To Your True Buddha Nature
    Right Attitude
    Ritual Burning Of The Past
    Safety Defined
    Saying Grace
    Saying “No” To Negative Thought
    Seeing The Light
    Seeing Through The Eyes Of Your True Buddha Self
    Seek And You Shall Find
    Seeking Guidance From Buddha Mind Not Ego Mind
    See Things Through Your Heart Not Your Mind
    See Yourslef And The World Through Different Eyes
    Self Re-examined
    Self-Responsibility During The Pandemic
    Sex - Misused And Abused - A Different Perspective
    Shall We Dance? - An Invitation To The Dance Of Death
    Shame
    Soul’s Yearning Distorted By The Ego-Mind
    Soul -True Self - And Ego-Mind
    Speaking The Truth
    Speaking To Your Buddha Nature/Divinity/Heart
    Speak The Truth But Beware
    Starving The Ego
    Step #10: Continued To Be Mindful Of The Arising Of Cravings And Desires And When They Arose Did Not Attach To Them And Allowed Them To Subside.
    Step #11: Sought Through Meditation To Constantly Improve Our Conscious Contact With Our True Buddha Nature
    Step #1: Admitted Our Cravings Cause Us Suffering And That We Are Powerless Over Them
    Step #2: Came To Believe That Our True Buddha Nature Could Restore Us To Peace And Created A Platform Of Serenity
    Step #3: Committed Ourselves To The Path By Practicing The Five Precepts And The Six Paramitas
    Step #4 Came To Believe That All Our Perceptions Are Learned - That They Are Just A Product Of Our Ego-mind - And That Our Ego-mind Is Not Our True Self - Instead We Knew That Our True Self Is Our Heart.
    Step #5: Were Ready And Willing And Made A Decision To Surrender Our Ego And Turn Our Will And Our Lives Over To The Care Of Our True Buddha Nature Opening Our Heart To Embrace All Aspects Of Our Being.
    Step #6: Came To Believe That We Have Everything We Need Within Ourselves To Be At Peace And Happy
    Step #7: Came To Be Free Of Our Cravings
    Step #8: Were Entirely Ready To Love Ourselves Unconditionally And Have Compassion For Ourselves And To Accept Ourselves And The World Around Us As Being The Way They Are Because It's Just The Way It Is.
    Step #9: Made A List Of Persons We Had Harmed And Made Amends To Them
    Stopping Self-Sabotage
    Strength Not Courage
    Suffering Is Universal - But Why?
    Survival - The Force That Controls Our Life
    Taking Pleasure In Each Passing Moment
    Taking Refuge In Yourself
    Taking Responsibility Is Not Blame
    Teaching Only Points The Way
    Test The Wisdom Of What You’re Doing Or Thinking Of Doing
    The 3-legged Stool Of Spirituality
    The Art Of Self-Nurturing
    The Challenge Of Staying Aware
    The Coexistence Of Ego And Buddha Nature
    The Devil Is Alive And Well
    The Distinction Between Pain And Suffering
    The Divine And Man
    The Ego As Saboteur
    The Emptiness Of Intrinsic Existence And Its Relevance To Global Warming
    The Felt Need For Acknowledgment
    The Five Precepts
    The Four Bodhisattva Vows
    The Fourfold Path To Freedom
    The Four Noble Truths
    The Freedom Of Focusing On Someone Or Something Outside Yourself
    The Heart/Mind Divide
    The Heart’s Embrace - More On Freeing Ourselves
    The Heart's Embrace - Updated
    The Hurt Of Rejection - Its Enduring Impact
    The Illusion Of Control
    The Imperative Of Self-Preservation
    The Lessons Of Siddhartha
    The Light Within You
    The Limits Of Rational Thought
    The Meaning And Power Of Selflessness
    The Middle Way - A Way Back From The Breach
    The Mind And The Wounded Inner Child
    The Mind And Your Inner Child - II
    The Mind Is Sneaky - Surrender It
    The Mind's Deep State
    The Mind - Suffering Connection
    The Miracle That Is You
    The Misleading Teaching Of No Self
    The Missing Noble Truth
    The Myanmar Situation
    The Mystery Of The Ego - An Answer
    The New Me - I Not I
    The Noble Eightfold Path
    The Original Trauma - Birth
    The Parable Of The Raft
    The Path As Tightrope
    The Path From Peace To Joy
    The Path Is Never-Ending
    The Power Of Affirmations - Use Carefully
    The Power Of Giving Voice To Thoughts
    The Present Beyond Us
    The Purpose Of Life
    The Purpose Of Meditation
    The Push/Pull Of Ego-Mind
    The Question Is Not Whether The Glass Is Half Empty Or Half Full
    There Are No Bad Persons
    There Is Nothing Wrong With You
    The Remnants Of The Ego
    The Serenity Prayer
    The Soul’s Yearning And How Best To Fulfill It
    The Stages Of Acceptance
    The Stages Of Man’s Spirit
    The Subconscious
    The Three Stages Of Embrace
    The Truth – Seeing It And Speaking It
    The Unaware Consumer
    The Wisdom Of Chickens
    The Wisdom Of Now
    This Is Not Me This Is Not My Self
    Thought Objects
    To Free Yourself From Cravings You Must Free Yourself Of Fear
    To Love Unconditionally = Loving-Kindness
    Tonglen - How To Approach Its Practice
    To Observe Free Of Mind - To Experience Joy
    To See Opportunity You Must Be Free Of Fear
    To Thine Own Self Be True
    Trauma
    Trauma Begets Trauma
    Trauma Denied No Longer
    Trauma - Healing It Is Critical
    Trauma - It’s Release
    Turning Your Will Over To Your True Buddha Nature
    Waking Up
    Walking Away From Modernity
    Walking On The Beach
    Walking The Path - It’s A Lot Of Work But It’s Well Worth It
    Wealth Poverty And Buddhism
    We Are All One
    We Are Not Meant To Suffer
    We Have Everything We Need To Be At Peace And Happy Inside Ourselves
    We Have Lost Our Sense Of Place
    We Make Our Own Mental Environment
    We Never Stop Healing
    What Activates The Ego-Mind?
    What Are We Celebrating On July 4th?
    What Blocks Me From Being Truly Present And Radiating My Inner Energy 24/7?
    What If The Present Is Bad?
    What Is Joy? What Is Happiness?
    What Is Life Without Emotion?
    What Is Most Important To You?
    What Is Your Task In Life?
    What Lies Behind Our Good Deeds?
    What Nourishes My Soul?
    What Price Peace And Happiness?
    What's In A Name?
    What's Real And What’s Not Real?
    What’s The Real Challenge - Life Or The Ego?
    What To Do When You Lose Faith?
    What Use Fame Power Fortune?
    What You Can’t Will And What You Can
    When A Heart’s Desire Is Commandeered By The Ego
    When Joy Is Not Joy
    When Love Is Not Love ...
    When Nothing Offends
    When Really Bad Things Happen
    When Smiling Toddlers Cry
    When The Mind Intervenes
    Who Am I?
    Who Are You?
    Who/What Is Your True Self?
    Why Diets Fail - A Buddhist Perspective
    Why Do We Crave?
    Why Is Being Grateful Such A Challenge?
    Why Is It So Hard To Be Free Of Your Ego?
    Why Is Mankind Trapped In A Box?
    Why Point The Compass Towards Tomorrow?
    Why We Take Offense
    Wisdom - What Is It?
    Wounded Our Ego-Mind Becomes The Devil
    Yes Virginia There Is A True Buddha Nature
    Yet Another Past Attachment
    You Are Not Alone
    You As Observer
    You Can Be In Control
    You Don't Need To Be Liked
    Your True Self And The Irrelevance Of The Min

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