Search results for: "Kamma"

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  2. To Suffer Is an Active Verb
     … So when things come up in life, don’t ask yourself, “What kamma did I do in the past that’s making me suffer now?” or “What is somebody else doing to me that’s making me suffer?” The question is: “What am I doing right now? To what extent am I actively creating the suffering? To what extent can I see that it … 
  3. Like Earth and Space
     … It basically means, in the light of kamma, that you want them to understand the causes for true happiness and be willing and able to act on them. Now, for some people, that seems a very far-distant wish, but you want to make that your wish for everybody you encounter. Whether they’re going to get there or not anytime soon, you’re … 
  4. Harmlessness
     … The whole function of right resolve is to remind yourself that simply knowing about the four noble truths, knowing about the teachings on kamma, is not enough. These are types of knowledge that demand action. They point out possibilities and they also point out dangers—in other words, the possibilities for the good things that come from training your mind and developing your goodness … 
  5. A Generosity of Spirit
     … But when you realize that what you’re doing right now is the important part of kamma, and that you’re free to do something skillful or not, then you can look into your impulses right now that would try to get you to do something unskillful, and you can say, “I don’t have to follow these.” You can pry into them, look … 
  6. Above the World
     … That’s what the Buddha’s teachings on kamma are all about. Some things in your life are influenced by past actions but a lot is influenced by what you chose to do right now. We have that choice either to keep on spinning or to step out.
  7. Your Actions Are Yours
     … That’s the way kamma works. You’ve got to figure out, “What am I doing wrong?” It’s amazing how many habits carry over from life to life to life. I think I’ve told you that story of King Asoka. There’s a belief that Ajaan Lee was King Asoka reborn. When I learned that, I got a biography of King Asoka … 
  8. An Auspicious Day
     … The time you could have made an input, you neglected it, and then you have to live with the kamma. Now you’re at the point where the decisions are being made, so make sure you make them well—starting with the fact that you want to be alert, seeing clearly what’s going on. And you want to be mindful: If you meditated … 
  9. Skillful Thinking
     … Some people complain about the Buddha’s teachings on past lives and future lives, that they’re a distraction from the present, but when he talks about past lives and future lives he keeps coming down to the principle of kamma: that all the past, all the future—everything—is shaped by your choices. Okay, what choices are you responsible for right now? The … 
  10. Seeing Danger in Birth
     … Those little gains get washed away, and then you’re left with the kamma. Heedful in your concentration means trying to be as careful as possible in your efforts to get the mind to settle down: being alert, mindful, ardent; not just getting the mind to be still, but also watching the mind as it settles down. This way you can begin to understand … 
  11. Focused on Results
     … Given that the principle of kamma is quite complex, the results may not come as quickly as we’d like. That’s where patience and maturity come in. If you’re patient about learning from your actions and learning from your results, and mature in having a good sense of humor about your mistakes, that’s when your focus is on target. So being … 
  12. Unlearning Unskillful Behavior
     … The Zen master asked him, “What are you going to do if they knock you down?” The guy said, “Well, probably just accept that that’s my kamma.” The Zen master said, “No. They knock you down, you get back up again. They knock you down a second time, you get back up a second time. If this is something you really want, do … 
  13. The Use of the Present
     … The question had arisen in the Buddha’s mind, “Could it be possible to rule in such a way that you wouldn’t have to create bad kamma and that you could do nothing but good for all beings?” Mara shows up, and says, “Ah, yes, do that.” And the Buddha realizes that this idea of creating a perfect society is all a trick … 
  14. Pull Yourself Up by Your Fetters
     … We’re not talking about the conceit of pride but simply the idea that “I am.” I know some people who say that when you’re working with kamma, you’ve got to realize that your intentions are simply the result of causes and conditions. They don’t have anything to do with you. But that doesn’t give you any motivation to try … 
  15. Perceptions as Targets
     … The perceptions you hold in mind are a kind of kamma, an act you choose to do. This is why, before you meditate, the Buddha has you think about the perceptions of inconstancy and not self, to help counteract any unhealthy or unskillful perceptions you may have picked up along the way. Otherwise, your mind is going to keep flowing out to things outside … 
  16. The Core of Experience
     … If you say that there’s no core there, then when kamma ends in the attainment of nibbana, there’d be nothing left. Nothing would exist there. And the Buddha wouldn’t have gone to such trouble to say that an arahant after death can’t be said to exist or not exist or both or neither. It would be obvious: The arahant wouldn … 
  17. Disenchantment
     … So the reason we’re concentrating the mind here is to get more sensitive to what we’re bringing into the present moment, seeing all the hype that we add to the raw material that our past kamma has created for us. We realize no matter how great we are in hyping things, the raw material simply cannot provide what we’re looking for … 
  18. A Frame for the Day
     … So, what do you really have? You’ve got your kamma. This is to remind you of what’s important as you go through that reflection: that your actions are important. The reflections on goodwill are to remind you that you want to act in a way that doesn’t harm anybody, yourself or anyone else. In other words, you don’t break the … 
  19. Memory & Motivation
     … Can you trust yourself if you don’t develop goodwill? It’s primarily for the sake of your own skillfulness that you’re developing these thoughts, so that you don’t create any bad kamma. Another good way of motivating yourself is to remember the great meditators of the past, either from the time of the Buddha or more recently. You read the biography … 
  20. True for What Purpose?
     … You’ll think in terms of the principle of kamma—this is a huge back-and-forth that’s been going on for who knows how long—and then the desire to get something brought to closure, to get something resolved, starts to seem meaningless. That’s when you’ve used that particular story, that particular narrative, for the sake of the Dhamma: when … 
  21. Near to the Buddha
     … What does it mean to lose right view? You decide that you don’t believe in the principles of kamma. You don’t care about the precepts, you don’t care about acting in skillful ways. You say, “It doesn’t matter what I do. I’m just going to go for what I want, what I like right now. Who cares about the … 
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