Search results for: "Wisdom"
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- Goodwill Without Limits… It means simply that you learn to have the right time and place for expressing your goodwill, acting on your goodwill, and other times when you have to hold back a little bit—not out of a lack of goodwill, but simply out of wisdom. You try to figure out: “What would be the best way to influence this person?” If the opportunity doesn …
- Up for the Challenge… To what extent are you going to let those shoulds have a voice and actually have some power over what you’re doing, some authority? This is where the Buddha said that a measure of your wisdom lies in seeing that there are some things that you would like to do but you know are going to give rise to long-term suffering—and …
- Like a River Full of Water… It’s a very basic level of wisdom that we tend to overlook. But as is so often the case with really basic teachings, it’s really important. You always have to keep it in mind.
- The Thoroughbred Horse… The Buddha says that a sign of wisdom is being able to talk yourself into doing things you don’t like that you know will lead to good results, and also to talk yourself out of doing things that you like to do but you know will lead to bad results. So we can’t simply go by our tastes or our moods or …
- Dreams & Voices… I’d rather do that.” You have to ask them, “Where is that going to lead?” As the Buddha said, the sign of your wisdom is learning how to look not at what you’d like to do, but for the long-term consequences of what you might do. If you see there’s something you’d like to do but would give bad …
- Admirable Friendship… And that’s when you want to find good people to look to, so that they can actually share genuine wisdom, genuine discernment with you. What do they teach? They teach that the cause for your suffering is inside. They’re happy to share what they know, but all the work is yours to do. So look inside your collection of committee members and …
- Discernment Performs… You can tap into their wisdom; you can tap into their knowledge. So you want to be a person with an all-around perspective, learning from your own actions and learning how to put the mind in a position where it can observe things clearly—observe your physical actions, observe your words, and observe your thoughts. See how they perform, what they do, and …
- The Treasure of Equanimity… As someone said, the realization of death is the beginning of wisdom, when you realize that you have only so much time, only so much energy left. Where is that time and energy best invested? The Buddha actually talks about this in financial terms. He calls it “noble wealth,” the qualities that will be good for you, that you can take with you when …
- Free from Animosity… This is called wisdom over justice. When you can think in those terms, it’s a lot easier to forgive other people for their wrongs and, at the very least, not retaliate, not look for ways of getting back at them. If you hold a grudge, it’s as when you’re holding anything: Your hands get sweaty and tired. It’s a lot …
- How to Listen… All you need is wisdom, insight. You can go straight from mindfulness to insight.” But the Buddha’s instructions for mindfulness, basically, are instructions on how to get the mind to settle down into oneness. So you’re listening to the talk and you can bring your mind to the oneness of stillness. That’s an important factor in how to listen. Then, when …
- Mindfulness + Discernment = Intelligence… Of all the wisdom teachings, the three characteristics are the ones, both in the Canon and in the teachings of the ajaans, that come with warnings, saying that you have to be very careful about when to apply them and when not, because they’re very easy to apply in an inappropriate way. The teaching on inconstancy: Ajaan Lee has a nice passage where …
- Loving Yourself Wisely… It comes from your wisdom, seeing that regardless of how bad other people are, you’re not going to behave in that way. And that gives rise to a sense of self-esteem. So the self-esteem that they’re trying to teach our kids—simply by the fact of existing, you should have self-esteem—doesn’t really work. Self-esteem comes from …
- Don’t Underestimate Merit… It comes from the question: “What, when I do it, will lead to my long-term welfare and happiness?” Your sense of what qualifies as long-term and your sense of what qualifies as happiness get more and more demanding as your practice progresses, as your wisdom grows. And part of the demands they make force you to turn around to examine the other …
- The Kamma of Self & Not-self… He defined wisdom as beginning with the question: “What when I do it will be to my long-term welfare and happiness?” That question emphasizes several things: one, the power of your actions to make a difference; and, two, the question of whether you want short-term happiness or long-term happiness. Short-term happiness is all around you, but is it worth the …
- Ānāpānasati Day… When you’re together you can take advantage of other people’s wisdom. This is why the Buddha had us divide the year in these ways. So on a night like this—it’s called the Water Lily Moon. We in America have different names for full moons. In India, this is the one that’s called the Water Lily Moon. They have white …
- The Karma of Pleasure… But when you approach the issue with wisdom and understanding, you finally can get to the thing we all want: the pleasure that’s totally free. So as you go through life and find yourself consuming pleasures, realize that there’s an intentional activity even in the production of the pleasure, in the experiencing of the pleasure, and in the enjoyment of the pleasure …
- A Legacy of Strengths… He developed qualities of wisdom, compassion, discernment, and it was all through his heedful search for true happiness. The search for true happiness is not a selfish thing, because it develops these good qualities of mind when you do it rightly. So we take strength from our conviction that the good that’s done doesn’t get erased. It may get hidden for a …
- Choices in the Present… Sometimes you develop the analyzing side that goes along with wisdom and discernment; at other times, you develop the calmer side that goes along with concentration, equanimity, serenity. So you to have lots of options here in the present moment. You’re not just stuck with whatever comes up. You realize that in this field of seeds here you have lots of different kinds …
- Choices… If you see anything wrong—in other words, your mindfulness is telling you that you should do x, and you’re doing x and it’s not working, or you’re not even doing x—then the quality of ardency comes in and says, “Let’s straighten things out.” This ardency, Ajaan Lee says, is the factor of wisdom in the practice of mindfulness …
- Perceptions & Potentials… After all, what is wisdom and discernment? It’s seeing your own stupidity—areas where you’ve been foolish. You have to be in a good mood to be willing to see those things. So, let the breath put you in the right mood. Let your perceptions of the breath put you in the right mood. Remember the task of mindfulness: It’s not …
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