Search results for: "The Sangha"

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  2. Mind Control
     … If the Buddha said he wouldn’t say anything displeasing, well, the prince had evidence that the Buddha had said displeasing things to Devadatta, the cousin who was trying to take over the Sangha. And if he said that he would say displeasing things, then the prince would say, “Well, what’s the difference between you and ordinary people everywhere?” But the Buddha didn … 
  3. Complexities of the Mind
     … For times when the mind is discouraged, when you think that you’ll never make awakening in this lifetime, the Buddha has you reflect on the Sangha: the people in the past who’ve gained awakening. It wasn’t that they were born arahants, or that it was very obvious from the beginning that they were going to get there. Some of them had … 
  4. No Happiness Other than Peace
     … The musician comes down, he sings a song about the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha, and lust. The song is directed to his ladylove, telling her how he loves her as much as the arahants love the Dhamma, cataloging her body parts, the parts he loves as much as the arahants love the Dhamma. You can imagine the Buddha smiling to himself with the … 
  5. The Four Bases of Success
     … The Buddha places a lot of emphasis on harmony within the sangha. That’s why we have the vinaya , to make sure that our life here together is a life conducive to the practice. People get along because they avoid harming one another. Instead of being a distraction, life in the community then becomes an aid to the practice. Instead of dwelling on what … 
  6. On the Path of the Breath
     … You can think about the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha. All of these are valid topics of meditation. They’re there to inspire the mind, to gladden the heart. You can think about the good times you’ve been generous in the past, when you didn’t really have to share something but you felt moved to share. Or of the times you could … 
  7. Guardian Meditations
     … If you think that comparing yourself to the Buddha is too much of a stretch, think about the members of the Sangha. You can read the verses of the elder monks and the elder nuns. Some of them were pretty miserable, total losers in meditation at first, and yet they were able to pull themselves together. They could do it; you can do it … 
  8. Developing Discernment
     … When the breath gets boring, you can think about the different parts of the body, think about the virtues of the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha. You can think about death if you find yourself getting lazy or complacent. There are a wide variety of things that you can use as topics of concentration. There’s a sad story about a young Western monk … 
  9. Lessons in Fabrication
     … We say we take refuge in the Buddha, refuge in the Dhamma, refuge in the Sangha, and one of the ways we keep taking refuge in them is that we keep them in mind. That’s another meaning of sarana: things you remember. Always remember that the most important event in the world—that should have an impact on everything you do, say, and … 
  10. How & Why We Meditate
     … This is why we have the chants on the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha prior to the meditation: to remind ourselves that this path we’re following here is not a brand new path. It’s not something we just recently cooked up. In fact, the Buddha himself said he didn’t invent the path. He discovered an old path. There had been … 
  11. The Breath All the Way
     … Try thinking about the Dhamma, the Sangha. See if that gives a sense of gladness. Think about the times you’ve been virtuous or generous in the past, and see if that’s encouraging. In other words, any Dhamma topic that helps to gladden the mind: You can bring that in and use it. Then, when it’s done its work, go back to … 
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