Search results for: "Discernment"
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- The End of the World… But as he said, if you have discernment, then even if the only other thing you have is a machete, then you can set yourself up in life. In other words, you’ve got the skills, you’ve got the knowledge, the inquisitiveness, a sense of generosity, all these other treasures that you’ve developed: Those will see you through. Look at the forest …
- Make the Most of Right Now… Only when you’ve developed the discernment that can let go of these things will you not have to come back again and again to further becoming. It’s all fueled by our craving. There’s the same sentiment that Ratthapala had when he first listened to the Dhamma. He realized, as he said, The world is swept away; it has no shelter; you …
- Why Now… As the mind settles in, it can see itself a lot more clearly and become a lot more discerning about where it’s causing itself unnecessary suffering. And whatever the activity is that’s causing that suffering, it’s in a better position to let it go. So this is some of the work we do right now. We put the mind in good …
- Renunciation… You have to develop a lot of discernment as well. But, having this alternative pleasure makes it a lot easier to step back and see, well, that fascination with sensuality is really something you’d rather give up. The Buddha himself said that it was hard for him to give up sensuality, but when he realized that there was an important level of well …
- Ingenuity… The things you’ve read, the things you’ve heard, provide one level of discernment, but then as you try to develop these things in the mind, that takes things to a whole new level. Sometimes what seems very simple as it’s written down becomes a lot more complex when you actually try to apply it. Especially, as you try to apply different …
- Visakha Puja – Shaking the Earth… If they ask you, ‘What does your teacher teach?’ how would you answer them?” The monks took advantage of the fact that there was Sariputta who, among the Buddha’s students, was known to have the most discernment, so they asked him what he would say. He told them, “Tell them that your teacher teaches the ending of passion.” Then he said, because they …
- Take the One Seat… The mind is active, and your discernment has to be active as well, in order to outsmart all your active old habits.
- Values of the Noble Ones… generosity, virtue, renunciation, discernment, persistence, endurance, truth, determination, goodwill, equanimity. Those are all good things to develop. You simply have to figure out which ones are appropriate right here and now. If the list of ten is too long, just think, “How about goodwill?” Goodwill is not just a pink-cotton-candy attitude you spread out with cloud machines. It’s basically thinking, “What …
- Meaning & Becoming… It includes generosity, virtue, renunciation, discernment, persistence, endurance, truth, determination, goodwill, equanimity. When you develop these qualities, they take you out. So, if you’re looking for meaning and significance., it doesn’t have anything to do with the relationships you develop, although if you want to find what the Buddha calls an admirable friend, someone to helps you develop these qualities, that’s …
- A Conglomeration of Germs… If you use it to meditate—to give rise to concentration, to give rise to discernment—or as a means for generosity and virtue, that’s a sign that you really know how to use your body. Take advantage of this conglomerate of old kamma that you’ve got, and while you can hold it together, learn how to use it well.
- Equanimity as a Skill… You’re getting your mind under control, and you can develop qualities of discernment, mindfulness, and alertness to learn how to put aside your greed, aversion, and delusion. When you can do that, you benefit and the people around you will benefit, too. This is a part of your motivation for being here: that it’s going to be better for the people around …
- Cherish Your Friends… You develop virtue, concentration, discernment. These are your friends inside. And the same principle applies outside. If you have helpful friends, hold onto them, cherish them. And you try to be a good friend, a true friend, to that person too. So with regard to the question of holding on and letting go, the Buddha said you’ve got to be selective. There are …
- Don’t Be Burdensome… You need discernment to tell yourself—not only tell yourself but also to stick with the determination—that you’re going to go for what leads to true happiness, regardless of your likes. There’s that old principle of being willing to sacrifice lesser pleasures for greater pleasures. I think I’ve told you there was a translator who came to this passage and …
- Fangs in the Static… So, the purpose of concentration is to make you strong and to provide you with a basis for discernment, so that you can begin to see through the ways the mind lies to itself with its perceptions, with its labels of things. That way, when the static comes, and you can see, yes, there are fangs in the static, you know you don’t …
- A Home for the Mind… You can maintain that as a steady goal only if the mind is well trained, if you’re mindful, alert, concentrated, discerning. These are the qualities that we develop as we meditate. Then there’s that reflection on the requisites: the food, clothing, shelter, medicine that we use. Why do we use these things? Because we have to look after the body. It’s …
- Learning by Doing… We’re here to develop our own sensitivity, because it’s through our sensitivity that we develop discernment. We see things as they are actually happening and then can do something about it. When you settle the mind down like this, first let it get some rest. We tend to be frazzled by the way we live in the world, and it’s good …
- Analyzing Anger… You take delight in developing your conviction, your persistence, your mindfulness, your concentration, and your discernment. But then when they’ve done their work, you have to see that they, too, are not the goal. They’re the path. So the very final step is to use this five-factor analysis and apply that to the path, too. That’s when you’re really …
- Tranquility & Insight Through Jhāna… You start out with things that are obvious problems and you work your way up to the more subtle ones until finally there’s nothing left but the path itself—states of concentration, the activity of discernment—and you apply the same five-step program to the path as well. That’s when you’re really free. So, when you start with something obvious …
- Groundwork… Evaluation together with directed thought here are the discernment factors of concentration practice. The Buddha identifies them with a high level of what he calls right resolve. In ordinary right resolve, you resolve not to indulge in thoughts of sensual pleasures, not to indulge in thoughts of ill will, not to indulge in thoughts of harmfulness. Then as the mind begins to settle down …
- Worldly Effort… The Buddha says we should look right here, developing virtue, concentration, and discernment. It seems an unlikely place, looking for refuge in our own actions, but he says that’s the only place you can do it. Our actions seem awfully ephemeral, but he says everything else is based on action. But the path is a special type of action. It’s the action …
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