Search results for: "Form"

  1. Page 35
  2. Refuge
     … But if you let your emotions get in the way, you fall into the four forms of bias. It’s interesting that the Thai word for bias, lamiang, is derived from the word for leaning,* iang.* You’re leaning in the direction of being unfair either because you like somebody or because you hate somebody or because you’re deluded or because you’re … 
  3. Awe
     … That can form a basis for concentration, and concentration of that sort can put the mind in the right state to reflect on things in their proper perspective: to look at where you cling to things, and what might be in your best interest to let go. If you’re looking for your happiness in something that the elements could destroy, don’t think … 
  4. Your Game Leg
     … How can you get everything together so you walk without a limp and get to where you want to go? There are four teachings, the Buddha said, that can’t be argued with and that form the basis of the practice. You know that if you’re following these teachings, you’re on course. They’re all very basic. I met a monk once … 
  5. Peace on Earth
     … It’s one of the few forms of happiness where everyone gets a share. In other words, the good things you do for other people, based on your sense of well-being, don’t diminish your well-being. They actually strengthen it. So pay careful attention right here, because this is where everything starts.
  6. Being Still
     … But remember that being quiet is also a form of doing, and sometimes it’s the most skillful doing, the most skillful thing you can do. Try to keep the mind as quiet as possible, as still as possible, as if you’re listening to music far, far away and you want to try to make out the tones, make out the melody. You … 
  7. Fear & Uncertainty
     … There are skillful forms of fear and there are genuine dangers out there, genuine dangers inside. But we can face them. This is why heedfulness is useful: It realizes that, in spite of the dangers, there are things you can do to avoid them. Particularly the genuine dangers: You can totally avoid the genuine dangers, the desires to do something unskillful. You can make … 
  8. Everybody Benefits
     … That way, they gain more reliable guidance in their path and they gain the benefits of all the forms of merit: generosity, virtue, meditation. It’s through this symbiotic relationship that everybody benefits. This becomes especially dramatic on a day like today with the kathin. There’s been a lot of activity. A lot of people had to be fed. They came to support … 
  9. Practice at Home
     … You’ll encounter some forms of meditation that have tried to strip all the values away, but they’re pretty minimalist and don’t really go that deep. For the practice to go deep, you have to know the values underlying the practice: a sense of priorities about what’s really important in life and what has to be put aside. As the Buddha … 
  10. Respect for Concentration
     … The Buddha once said that right concentration forms the heart of the noble eightfold path, while all the other factors of the path are simply requisites, supports for the right concentration, to keep it right, to keep it on track. So have some respect for this quality of mind. Look after it. Sometimes it seems like we’re going against the Buddha’s teachings … 
  11. Blessings
     … Then you find that what you need for the sake of true happiness, what you need to bless yourself, is here in potential form inside. You’re simply learning how to make the most of your potentials. There are a lot of possibilities inside. As Ajaan Lee, my teacher’s teacher, once said, the sad thing about human beings is that we have so … 
  12. Choose Your Actions Wisely
     … He shows us what alternatives we have, alternative ways of acting that actually form a path away from that suffering. There’s a value judgment here, too: that suffering is not what you want. This judgment is a choice you make. The Buddha’s not forcing it on you. He’s simply recommending that you realize how you’ve created a lot of unnecessary … 
  13. Noble Wealth
     … But the wealth of conviction, the wealth of discernment, and all the other forms of noble wealth, will never become worthless. So that’s where you should invest your time. That’s where you should invest your energy and all the discernment you can muster. The raw materials are here. As I said, they’re very simple. We all have them. We all have … 
  14. Getting into the Body
     … The Buddha says that if you really want to see your attachment to form, feeling, perceptions, fabrications, and consciousness, this is the place to see it: in a concentrated mind. As you fully inhabit the body, you can see what it’s like to identify with the body. Ordinarily, our sense of identification is very erratic. It’s like the reflections of sunlight off … 
  15. Conceit
     … They’re both forms of conceit. Admit that things are difficult but do what you can. And learn to develop your discernment. Watch out for those fangs of ignorance: the “I am this” or “I am that” or “I’m not used to this,” “I can’t stand this,” “This is hard for me.” Drop the “I,” the “me,” and things get a lot … 
  16. On Idle Chatter
    On Idle Chatter May 28, 2019 Of all the forms of wrong speech, idle chatter is the hardest to get past. It also seems the most innocent to most people, which is one of the reasons why it’s hard to get past. After all, a little social grease isn’t bad, right? But as with grease in an engine, if you get too … 
  17. The Middle Way
     … This is one of the reasons why the Vinaya is so important, even all those little rules, because so many of your defilements take little forms to begin with. They say, “I’m nothing really serious. Why are you coming down on me?” Well, it’s like a vine. The vine is tender, has nice downy leaves, a nice downy stem, nice downy tendrils … 
  18. Meticulous
     … As you begin to notice that as a thought is beginning to form, there’s going to be a pattern of tension someplace in the body. You immediately go there, unravel the tension, and come right back. The more quickly you can do this, the closer and closer you get to the beginning of the stirring in that energy field. There is a point … 
  19. Totally Secure
     … It forms the thread all the way through the practice. You’re sitting here try to stay with the breath. There’s music outside. Are you going to be true to the breath or you’re going to grow ranting and raving about the music? You’ve got the choice. If you stay true to the breath throughout the hour, you’ll come up … 
  20. A Radiant Practice
     … And as with all forms of happiness, the people you’re concerned about—people you love, people you have goodwill for—you’d like to share. Now, the Buddha says there are certain people who are not in a position where they can rejoice in the merit of others and actually benefit from it. But there are a lot who can. So for their … 
  21. Born for the Perfections
     … But it can form the basis of a tree that has lots of branches. And you know the role that that image plays in the Pali Canon: A tree with lots of branches is a place where birds can come and eat fruit. People can come rest in the shade. You benefit, and the people around you are going to benefit as well. We … 
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