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The Unborn Buddha Mind and The Evolutionary Imperative of Self-Preservation

6/30/2013

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While I was meditating recently, I was struck by something.  As explained in earlier postings and in my writings, I have come to visualize my true Buddha nature as myself as an always smiling toddler ... taking joy in everything for no special reason and having at that point no learned experience to speak of.  

But this morning I realized, and I can’t imagine that I haven’t had this thought previously, that while that little boy was free of all the “negative” learned experience that would later come to him from family, friends, and the culture, that little boy was full of self ...  not in the sense of a developed ego but from a primal sense.  Indeed, when a baby is born, it is primarily an instrument of self; it’s prime purpose is self-preservation.  This is a biological and evolutionary imperative.  It cannot be escaped or ignored.  It just is.

That being the case, I understood for the first time why Zen master Bankei (1622-1693) taught that one must return to the unborn Buddha mind.  But we are born; that is an inescapable fact.  We cannot return to our unborn state because we live now surrounded by whatever culture we live in. That is our paradise lost. This is where we must learn to exist and be at peace.  The question is how.

From both the Buddha’s teaching and Bankei’s, it is clear that our true Buddha nature co-exists when we are born with this primal need for self-preservation.  In my book, The Self in No Self, I talk about the Four Basic Needs ,,, food, freedom from pain, warmth/nurturing, and physical security, which we can observe in babies.  Having these needs is not in conflict with ones true Buddha nature.  Likewise we have primal emotions such as fear, panic, and aggression. These emotions are not in conflict with feeling at one with all things because of our true Buddha nature.  Because we are humans, not animals, and are capable of unconditional love and compassion.

But our ego-mind and our culture cleverly and opportunistically latch on to these primal needs and emotions and turn them into an all-consuming presence, the “I,” that comes to dominate all of our thoughts and actions.  As I say in my book, Raising a Happy Child, “those basic emotions have morphed and expanded exponentially as human culture has become increasingly urbanized and less communal.”

Whether this happens as a child begins to absorb learned experience depends on the culture in which it lives.  For those children born into communal societies, for example most aboriginal societies (which evolved because banding together was the best form of defense and self-preservation), they quickly learn that all their work is for the good of the whole.  They are not individuals with individual rights, they are part of the whole and their rights are communal rights.   In these societies, individual members still developed their skills, whether as a warrior or as a cook, but the merit that was received from excellence, while resting partially in the person, was transferred to the communal group.   And from what I gather, people in these societies were largely free of the types of neurosis that cause our samsara.  

We also know that the learned experience of an individual being focused either on offering others joy or on what his needs are is a characteristic which is capable of change.  Whether one looks at the experience of Westerners walking the Buddhist path, or one looks at the experience of China as it transforms from a communal to a socialist/capitalist  society, we see that the mind is capable of forming new paths to perceive the place of the individual in the broader society.  It is all a function of what we are exposed to.  The thinking mind is a malleable thing.

And so, as primitive societies developed historically and started making “progress” in the things they could produce and the means of production and as they grew in size, the more differentiated roles that people took on led to the concept of individual property, and with that inevitably followed a distinction between haves and have-nots.  With the advent of the industrial revolution and since, the effect of industrial and technological progress has increased the dominance of the “I” and the inequality among people to the point that there is virtually no sense of community left.  There is some sense of nationalism left, but that does not translate into caring for the wellbeing of others.  The concept of the social contract is viewed as a foreign dangerous concept by vast numbers of people.

What impact do these primal needs and emotions have on a desire for world peace?  Even in primitive communal societies, this feeling of not-two had its limits at the boundary of the communal group.  Here the primal forces of fear and aggression asserted themselves.   One communal group feared others.  In time different communal groups who felt they had interests and background in common would band together into larger tribes to present a more formidable force against outside threats, but always there was this fear and aggression against the “other.”  And those feelings were well-founded in the realities of their life.  Modern international relations is but an update and expansion on this basic pattern of alliances, deterrence, and when it is deemed advantageous or necessary, war.

In modern times, there were those world leaders who felt we had to set up a structure to insure, both after WWI and WWII, that the world never experienced such devastating destruction again.  Both the failed League of Nations and the United Nations were born with this goal in mind, at least in the hearts of the principle proponents.  Other leaders unfortunately saw how such structures could be turned to their own country’s advantage.

But regardless, it was doomed to failure (the U.N. obviously exists, but it has not succeeded in its most important goal, to prevent war and genocide) because such a structure and goal cannot be superimposed on a world which is based on totally opposite values.  Instead, such a world must rise from the bottom up.  It must begin with the way in which each child is taught to view himself and his place in the world, (see my book, Raising a Happy Child).  And from there it can expand outward.  Although since we are not starting with a blank slate and the power of the current culture and our ego-minds is strong, it is unlikely that many people would entertain such a change of direction for their children.

There has been much discussion over the decades and centuries of whether man’s propensity for fear and insecurity, violence and war as opposed to peace, is a function of human nature or nurture.  The point of this post is to see how both come into play and increase our awareness.  

Fear, panic, and aggression are primal human emotions, as indeed they are in the animal world.  But whether they are muted and transformed into a desire to offer others joy, or whether they are magnified to the point where we all feel that we must compete and succeed or else drown, where there is nothing more important that the “I,” is a function of the culture and the families in which we are raised.  And as I’ve written in an earlier post, insecurity is the basis for all conflict, whether within the family, the society, or the world.

It is a testament to our true Buddha nature that even in our contemporary culture it is without question possible to raise children to be good practicing Buddhists who follow the Five Precepts.  Indeed, it is possible for the tortured souls of adults to be transformed back to the state of their true Buddha natures given the proper teaching and support.

It is wise to be aware of the forces allied against our walking the path.  But it also important to know that with discipline and faith, it is possible to walk the Buddhist path and incorporate the Five Precepts into our daily lives.

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My Ego’s Sneak Attack

6/21/2013

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For the last several years, I have lived a life very much at peace and content, with much happiness.  Although I live a life that most people would call excruciatingly boring I have not felt trapped by my life.  I have been blessed to live with my best friend who I love dearly as family and who loves me equally in return.  If I have had a “purpose” to my life, it has been to be a source of joy, peace, and security for him.  I have not subjugated my needs to his; I have no separate needs.  I am one with him.  Of course, there are a variety of things that I would enjoy having the opportunity to do, but they are not needs or wants; they have not driven me.

Recently though, in the context of possibly making a move, I have been asked what my needs are.  Suddenly I have been asked to focus on what my needs are.  Not surprisingly my ego-mind stepped up and these various things that I would enjoy doing have morphed into needs of mine.  And as I identified these as needs of mine, I began to feel trapped by my isolated life; I began to feel resentful of the limitations that have been placed on my life.

These feelings, these emotions, were very disturbing and foreign to me ... at least for the past 5 years since we’ve been living together in the country.  And so when I was meditating this morning, present in the moment, being aware of my feelings and sensations, I became aware of what my ego-mind had been up to.  It had raised the ugly head of “I.” “What about what I want?  Why can’t I do what I want to do?”  

This is the same thing that has been happening to the American family over the past 4 decades.  How many families and children have been negatively impacted by their mother’s being subjected to the same pull of ego as a result of what she saw around her and all the messages she was receiving about the modern woman.  No longer was her focus on bringing joy and well-being to her children and family enough.  The ego-mind screamed, “What about me?  What about my needs?”   And not only were mothers forever thereafter torn and unhappy, but their families suffered as well.

Even acts of helping others, relieving the suffering of others ... such as my tutoring ... were now infused by my ego as being needs of mine.  And so these desires turned from being consistent with the Five Precepts to being unskillful desires because their origin was now a lack of equanimity, they were ego driven.

My ego-mind was trying to destroy my affirmation of “not-two” and my sole focus on offering others joy, relieving the suffering of others, and seeing others joy as my own.  As I have commented in other recent posts, I did not engage this feeling nor did I try and fight it.  Instead, I acknowledged it and viewed it with compassion.  I knew well where it was coming from.  I said that such feelings were natural but that I was confident that my purpose in life was to offer joy and that if I lived each day well, the future would take care of itself.  My true Buddha nature was no self.

When I got up from my meditation, I felt such happiness and joy, such peace and contentment, such lightness of spirit.  I went outside and felt at one with everything around me.  I was present and at peace.  And when I sat down to breakfast and said my Buddhist grace, I reconfirmed my vow to offer joy to others, to help relieve the suffering of others and to see other’s joy as my own.  And to transform my unskillful states of mind.

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Not Engaging Your Thoughts

6/18/2013

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Whether we work to stay present, or free ourselves of expectations and attachments, or free ourselves of the past and thoughts of the future, it all comes to a head in one basic action ... not engaging our thoughts.  It is our thoughts and feelings ... our ego-mind ... that pull us away from the present and from a state of peace, happiness, and contentment.

We cannot stop our thoughts.  They arise with astonishing rapidity.  We know that even the Buddha continued to have thoughts and feelings.  What we can control is whether we engage those thoughts, or whether we just acknowledge them and allow them to subside.

There are several steps to this process.  First, one has to be aware of a thought arising, which requires mindfulness.  If we go through our day, distracted by all the things going on in our lives and around us, then we will not be aware of the thought arising and the opportunity of not engaging it is lost.  So first, be mindful as much as you can throughout the day.  Get in the habit of observing yourself and your mind.

Second, if you are aware of a thought arising, your ego-mind will be pushing you to engage it, which is why the thought arose to begin with.  And we know how strong and wily the ego-mind is.  Even if you have surrendered your ego to your true Buddha nature and turned your will and your life over to your true Buddha nature, your ego still remains part of you, just waiting for an opportune moment, a weakness, to arise and regain its hold on you.  

It will use every trick in its book to get you to discard a spiritual approach to the matter and engage the thought.  The ego is great at belittling spirituality and meditation; of voicing doubts; appealing to what you “really” want.

Third, against the barrage of the ego, your task is to be aware of what your ego-mind is doing and not engage the thought.  But don’t try to white-knuckle the push of the ego; that won’t work.  It will just make the ego’s drive stronger.  Nor do you want to negate your thought ... it comes from a part of you.  

Instead what you want to do is defuse the thought or feeling.  If it’s an innocuous thought, something that is just distracting you from being present, a friend of mine taught me to gently say, “thinking, thinking,” to stop your thought and bring yourself back to the present.  What you’re telling your ego-mind is that there is a time and place when thought is appropriate ... thought to plan things, for example ... but this is not the time.  The ego-mind is not so invested in these types of thoughts, and I’ve found this technique works.  (To be free of the known when it is the time for thought, see the post on that topic.)

But if it’s the kind of thought or feeling that pushes your buttons, you need to acknowledge it and  have compassion for where it’s coming from.  Do not fight it.  Do not run from it.  This is a teaching of Pima Chodron, which a friend recently shared with me.  

Whether it’s a thought about the past or the future, it all comes from the past.  That is the seedbed for the ego-mind.  So while acknowledging the thought and having compassion, be firm in saying that the past is past.  The present is a new moment; each day is a new day; and feel confident that if you live each day well, the future will take care of itself.  Acknowledge that you have worked hard and laid good plans.  But if things don’t work out you know that all will be well regardless and you will maintain your peace and happiness because you practice non-attachment.  What will be will be.

Recently, I had occasion to put this teaching to practical use.  I was about to leave on an extended  vacation trip, and as usual I started worrying about all the things that could go wrong and I started coughing, almost gagging at times.  That’s how nervous I would get.  This was a familiar pattern for me.  I tried using all my tools ... I watched my breath, I tried to be present, I knew these thoughts were just illusions.  But this time, the feeling inside me wouldn’t subside.  And it was so strong that I actually got scared; it felt like I was losing control of myself.

Then I remembered Pima Chodron’s teaching.  I acknowledged the fear that I felt and the insecurity that was its source.  And I had compassion for it.  And following the lessons noted in an earlier posting on “Freeing Yourself from Fear,” I said that that is the past.  The present is fresh.  I felt confident that I had planned well but that even if problems occurred my spirituality would enable me to deal with things as they arose and maintain my peace and happiness.  I truly had faith that if I lived each moment, each day well, the future would take care of itself.  The nightmare scenario was only in my mind; it was not reality.

And would you believe, I immediately stopped coughing and being nervous!  And indeed for the entire duration of the trip, although I had some tense moments, I quickly brought myself back and had a relaxing, enjoyable trip.  My true Buddha nature is confident and secure.  I know that.  But rarely has that confidence and security been allowed to see the light of day by my ego-mind.  I was so thankful to my friend and to Pima.

I have continued this approach.  Each morning when I am present in the moment while meditating, I am aware that there is no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today, just the present moment.  This is the only reality, all else is thought.  And as I savor the moment, I am aware of any feelings or sensations that I have at that moment.  If fear is present in any form, I practice acknowledgment and compassion towards it while confirming the present and my faith.

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No Expectations, No Hope?

6/13/2013

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Our expectations of what will happen as a result of actions we take are a major source of our frustrations and suffering, because our expectations are rarely met.  And it’s not that our expectations are necessarily high.  Whether high or modest, the world has a habit of responding to us in a way other than we want or expect.

But if one is able to free oneself from expectations, does that mean that one loses all hope for the future?  Does it remove all energy to move forward with your life because without expectations you have no motivation to act?

No, because we replace expectations with the belief that if we live each moment, each day well ... which is to say in accordance with the Five Precepts ... that the future will take care of itself.  

I wrote in an earlier posting about how as a Buddhist one can plan for the future and yet not get caught up in cravings. remaining present.  This is another side to that effort.  When we plan for the future ... whether it’s taking a trip, going to college, or whatever ... we do so because we think it will be good for us or our children, it feels right, but we cannot harbor any expectations about what the experience will be like or what specific benefit it will bring to us.  We are following our true Buddha nature without the intervention of our mind, our thought.

And because we have no expectations, there is nothing to attach to.  We are just listening to our heart, our true Buddha nature, and moving forward.  And we have faith that if we live each moment well, the future will take care of itself.  What ever will be will be and we will greet any eventuality that occurs with acceptance because it’s just the way it is.

But because freeing ourselves from expectations is freeing ourselves from our ego-mind, we are facing a significant challenge here, once again.  Take heart though.  As with other aspects of the path, even if one cannot free oneself from expectations, having this awareness allows you to lessen their hold on you and the resulting frustration.

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    1. The Goal Of Buddhism
    1. The Goal Of Buddhism - Clarified
    2. End Of Suffering Cheat Sheet
    3. 12 Steps On The Buddhist Path
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    5. You Have A Self But It's Not The Ego
    6. The Mind - Understanding Its Facets
    A Buddhist Trinity - Amended
    A Buddhist Trinity - Further Support
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    A Carefree Day And Life
    Acceptance Is The Answer
    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
    A Prayer For America On This Election Day
    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
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    Being Present - Part 2
    Being Present Requires Faith
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    Belief In You Buddha Nature - The Beginning And The End
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    Beyond Acceptance
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    Beyond Dispassion - The Next Step
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    Buddhism And The Divine
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    Burying Your Old Identity - II - Separating Yourself From 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 ?
    Cleansed
    Co-existence Of Buddha Nature And Ego-Mind
    Compassion
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    Craving "Survival" Condemns You To Suffering
    Crying - An Understanding
    Darkness Before Light
    Darkness V 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
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    Don't Just Negate Specifics - Replace Your Total Frame Of Reference
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    Don’t Speak/Help Unless Asked
    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
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    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 Mind - Take III
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    Faith Even When You Are Dependent On Others
    Faith: The Essential Element Of Spiritual Practice
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    Feeling Lack - A Most Insidious Perception
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    Finding Happiness In Each Moment
    Forgiveness - A Different Take
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    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 Fear - III
    Freeing Yourself From Suffering - The Prerequisite Step
    Freeing Your Soul
    Freeing Your Soul - II
    Freeing Your Soul - III
    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
    Half Measures Don't Work
    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 Maintain Joy Regardless What
    How To Observe Through The Eyes Of Your True Buddha Self
    How To Offer Others Joy
    How To Process The Election
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    How To Spiritually Respond To The Election?
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    Humbling Myself
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    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 Back
    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 Just The Way It Is - Take III
    It’s No Crime To Think About Oneself!
    Joy - A Hopefully Final Take
    Joy - At Last Real Understanding
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    Joyful Dispassion - Excited Non-attachment
    Joyful Dispassion - Update
    Joy/Happiness - A Choice We Make
    Joy - One More Take
    Joy - The Final Take - Taking Joy In Each Moment Is Only Possible When You Radiate Light
    Joy - Yet Another Take
    Knowing Best?
    Know The Greatness Within You
    Know Thyself - The Power Of Awareness
    Know Who You Are - Be Who You Are
    Lack V Abundance
    Learning From Falling Off The Spiritual Wagon
    Let Go - Let God
    Letting Go
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    Liberate Yourself From Thinking
    Likes And Dislikes - A Potential Trap Examined
    Listening To Others
    Listening - Why Is It So Difficult?
    Looking For Your Treasure
    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 Sense Of Being Tested
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    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
    Mirror Time
    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
    Peace - What It Is And How To Achieve It
    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
    Seeking Guidance From The Buddha/God/the Universe - II
    Seeking Guidance From The Buddha/God/the Universe - III
    Seeking Guidance From The Buddha/God/the Universe - IV
    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 Conceit "I Am"
    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 Fragility Of Man
    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 Lord's Role In Your Work
    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 Power Of Prayer
    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 Serenity Prayer - II
    The Soul’s Yearning And How Best To Fulfill It
    The Source Of Equanimity And Peace
    The Stages Of Acceptance
    The Stages Of Man’s Spirit
    The Subconscious
    The Sun Is Always Shining/ There's No Such Thing As Bad Weather
    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
    Wandering Until ?
    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 Drives Us Mad?
    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
    When Things Are Not The Way We Want Them To Be
    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 Cannot Radiate Light If You Are Filled With Fear
    You Don't Need To Be Liked
    Your True Self And The Irrelevance Of The Min
    Your Will Not My Mind's - II
    Your Will Not My Mind's - III

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