Search results for: "The Sangha"

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  2. Refuge
     … So right here is where you find refuge as you develop these skills We talk about the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha as refuge. On the external level, they’re a refuge in the sense that they give us good examples on how to act, because everything in the path is about our actions. We come to the meditation so that we can … 
  3. Two Kinds of Cross-Questioning
     … Say that monk A suspects monk B of having committed an offense to the point where he was ready to accuse him in the Sangha. The first step is to turn to monk C, who is an expert in the monk’s rules and start asking him questions publicly in the Sangha about the rules related to that particular action. That’s the kind … 
  4. Self-Doubt
     … The other day I talked about the hindrance of doubt, and I focused on one kind of doubt, which is doubt in the Buddha, in the Dhamma, the Sangha. But there’s another kind of doubt that can also get in the way of your practice. That’s doubt in yourself. It often comes when there’s a setback. You’ve been trying and … 
  5. Breaking the Arrows
     … They talk about taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, which means is that you take refuge in their example. The Buddha was someone who found a way to experience aging, illness, and death without suffering. The Dhamma he taught was the body of instructions that he left behind: This is how you do it. And the Sangha is composed of … 
  6. Independent of the World
     … We have the example of the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha. The word ‘refuge’—sarana—means not only something you take refuge in but also something you remember, something you keep in mind. This is one of the lessons of your inner teacher: You keep in mind the perspective of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, that it is possible to live … 
  7. Compunction & Awe
     … Limitless is the Sangha. There is a limit to the creepy-crawly things. That’s our out. This is our inspiration. Sometimes saṁvega is confused with dispassion. Dispassion is the sense that you’ve been feeding off of your fabrications, willing to put in the effort to construct them, because you have a passion for the pleasures they provide. But now you see that … 
  8. The Teacher Inside
     … Think of something fun and inspiring, something uplifting.” Think about the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha: whatever you find uplifting about them. We have specific ways of reflecting on the Buddha, those chants we have every morning and every evening, ways of reflecting on the Dhamma and the Sangha. But choose what you find most inspiring: which part of the Buddha’s story you … 
  9. Gladdening the Mind
     … recollection of the Buddha, recollection of the Dhamma, recollection of the Sangha. With recollection of the Buddha, you remind yourself that you’re following a path set out by someone who was totally free of defilement — who had no agendas, no ideas he was pushing just for the sake of satisfying or pleasing himself. He had found what worked and he taught it straightforwardly … 
  10. Truths of the Will
     … This is what we have in the Dharma and the Sangha. For the Sangha, you’ve got people who believe in the worthwhile endeavor, the value of developing skillful qualities and encouraging other people to develop skillful qualities. It creates the right social environment for learning how to mature. And then second, there’s the system—the belief system or the values of the … 
  11. Three More Recollections
     … recollection of the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha. That’s basically to remind you that there is goodness in the world. There are good people in the world. This path that you’re on was founded by good people. The three remaining recollections—recollection of generosity, recollection of virtue, recollection of the devas—are to remind you that you’re a good person. You … 
  12. Your Own Karma
     … recollection of the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha; your own past generosity, your own past virtue. You can recollect death when you’re getting lazy. Recollect the Buddha when you’re getting discouraged. Recollect the Sangha when you’re getting discouraged. Remember all the people who’ve trod this path in the past—people with lots more problems than you’re having right now … 
  13. Values
     … You can focus on the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha either by simply repeating one of those words in your mind as you breathe in, breathe out, or by focusing on their qualities. Think about the Buddha, think about the Dhamma and the Sangha—what you find inspiring about them. You could think about your generosity or your virtue. Think about the times when … 
  14. The Most Important Thing to Be Doing
     … This is one of the reasons why we have those chants at the beginning for reflecting on the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. If you know much about the Buddha, you can think about his life, what an inspiring life it was: how inspiring his example was in going out and putting his life on the line to find the very skill that … 
  15. Asalha Puja
     … At the very east, we’re paying homage to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. And we recollect that this was the night in which all three of the refuges—all three of the gems—became complete as a set. After all, if the Buddha hadn’t taught, he would have been a private Buddha. But the fact that he was able to … 
  16. Outside the Box
     … The ajaans had strong faith in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. And a lot of it came from their experience out in the woods. You’re out there alone with no protection. The only thing in between you and the wilderness when you’re sitting in meditation is your mosquito net. That’s not much. So where is your protection? It’s … 
  17. Gratitude for Birth
     … So she invites the Buddha and the Sangha to her home for a meal. The baby is in conversation with Ven. Sariputta. Ven. Sariputta says, “I hope everything is okay with you.” The baby says, “How could everything be okay? I was seven years in that cauldron of blood.” The mother is overcome with bliss that her son is talking to the general of … 
  18. Introduction
     … In fact, with this refuge we develop within, we talk about taking the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, as refuge, but the real refuge is when you take their qualities and develop them in your own heart. What are those qualities? The primary qualities of the Buddha are three: wisdom, purity, and compassion. As he explains them, each of these three is based … 
  19. Balanced Meditation
     … Recollection of the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha. Recollection of relinquishment, recollection of virtue. The qualities that make people into devas—that’s a recollection. Recollection of death. Mindfulness immersed in the body. Mindfulness of breathing. And the recollection of the peace of nibbana. These are good topics to know for when you’ve got specific problems coming up. In other words, when you … 
  20. A Haven for Inner Wealth
    When we take refuge in the Buddha, and the Dhamma, and the Sangha, what are we trying to protect? We’re trying to protect our well-being. We take refuge in them because they give good examples of how to give rise to well-being and how to protect it. So where does that well-being come from? As the Buddha said, there are … 
  21. Refuge in an Admirable Friend
     … This is a point that Ajaan Lee liked to make a lot, that when we take refuge in the Buddha, we’re also taking refuge in the Dhamma, we’re taking refuge in the Sangha all at once. It’s the Sangha who has maintained this tradition. And the noble Sangha has shown that what the Buddha taught is true. His teachings do lead … 
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