Search results for: "Becoming"
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- One Hand Clapping… That’s when they become one. But up until that point, you’ll be following one or another of them. But as long as you’re following them in terms of how they’re related, that’s okay. As for any other thoughts that come up, you don’t have to make any comments on them. Just leave them be. Some people get discouraged …
- The Languages of the Mind… In this way, the habit we have of forming concepts—what the Buddha calls directed thought and evaluation, which are verbal saṅkhāras—instead of being the problem, actually become part of the solution. When you find the mind wandering off, chattering about other things, just realize that those other things are not the issue right now. It’s not that you’ll never be …
- Your Inner Coach… So that kind of view places an obstacle on your becoming a good person, learning how to act well, speak well, think well. So it only makes sense to take the opposite view, that you do have choices, that they do make a difference, that you can learn how to develop skillful qualities. That’s one test. Another test, he said, was around the …
- Testing Karma… You’re not becoming control freak where you force an impossible idea on things. People who have genuine control are the ones who’ve mastered the principle of cause and effect and have seen how you can effectively have an impact on events in a way that doesn’t require that you’re constantly stressed out over them. So to what extent can you …
- Customs of the Noble Ones… When you do this, the meditation becomes *your *meditation and not necessarily Ajaan Lee’s meditation. As long as it’s getting results, that’s what matters. Ajaan Maha Boowa made that comment in one of his Dhamma talks, saying, “Even though there may be things that the Buddha didn’t say, but if you try them out and they get good results, they …
- Right Exertion at Play… If you do them with knowledge, though, they become part of the path. So, as you occupy the mind with developing good qualities, you’re not just giving it busy work. You’re allowing it to be entertained and at the same time educated about what’s going on in the mind: how things are put together, how things can be taken apart, and …
- Customs of the Noble Ones… So if you want to become a noble person, you have to follow the customs of the noble ones. Take their standards as your standards. And there are basically four. The first three start out with contentment with things outside: food, clothing, and shelter. You learn to be content with what you’ve got, and you’re careful not to get proud of the …
- Compassion for People on Fire… It’s only when you can put the fires out—or at least adjust them so they become steady, cool flames inside— that you can be a good example to others. And it’s only through being a good example that you can make lasting change. At the very least, try to make a lasting change inside, and perhaps some of it will spread …
- People Who Think Too Much… That becomes your post. After a while, you’ll see other movements in the mind. Some of them will be other intentions that come sneaking in; others will just be plain movements. You really won’t know which is which unless you’ve stayed with your main intention for long periods of time and seen it in different contexts. So, when you’re told …
- Worlds… This “in-and-of-itself” frame of reference becomes more and more predominant as you develop an interest in the breath. It’s not just a matter of in-and-out. There are all kinds of variations in the flow of breath energy coursing through the body. As you explore them, you find that you’re learning not only about the breath but also …
- Looking in the Dhamma Mirror… We’re used to looking at our face and seeing it every day, every day, and it becomes perfectly okay, perfectly normal. But there are people who would be ashamed to go around with your face. Of course, in terms of external looks, there’s something wrong with those people. But try to think of your actions in the same way. Then it’s …
- Hurtful Memories… If it’s a memory of someone who hurt you, you remember that that happened, but now you’ve become the sort of person who doesn’t get overwhelmed by that, the sort who’s not going to let it ruin your life. You’ve learned how to move on, you’re now a meditator, you’re doing something good with your life. That …
- Keep It Simple… That’s how the meditation becomes a skill. You stay focused on the real issues. This is why it’s so important to understand what mindfulness is, just keeping all this in mind. Sometimes you hear mindfulness described as being totally aware of the present moment, being choiceless in your awareness. Well, choiceless awareness is fine when there are no problems. You’re free …
- More Buddhist Engineering… That becomes her merit. We use the phrase “making merit,” and it’s appropriate, even though when we translate it as “making happiness” it sounds artificial. Still, we’re dealing with natural realities. When you’re generous, you’re happy. When you’re virtuous, you’re happy. When you extend thoughts of goodwill to all beings, it’s a happy act. And it’s …
- Being Still… Once you have that reference point then even the most subtle movements become clear. But if you move around a lot you have no idea whether other things are still or moving around as well. So find a nice quiet spot to stay and then just stay there as comfortably and still as possible. And watch. Keep your mindfulness alert. Think of it as …
- What Focus? What Breath?… In that way, they become a force for the path. Remember, right effort includes desire, the desire to get rid of any unskillful states that are there, and to prevent unskillful states that haven’t come yet from arising; the desire to give rise to skillful states and then to maintain them and bring them to fruition. Without that desire, the practice doesn’t …
- Meditation as a Skill… It just becomes one more thing in your long list of things to focus on. Try to give the mind some experience in what it’s like to stay with one thing continually. If there’s any trouble, think of those four bases for success: You really want to do this, and the desire is not just a brute desire. It’s a skillful …
- The Gift of Spiritual Materialism… Ajaan Maha Boowa talks about becoming an inner millionaire, and he calls the state of mind that you gain with awakening a “Dhamma treasure.” So you hear nothing in the forest tradition about trying to get away from “spiritual materialism,” away from trying to acquire something in the practice. The ajaans, following the Buddha, are quite frank about the fact that you want to …
- Practice at Home… Where are you going to look for pleasure in life? What kind of pleasures, what kind of happiness are you going to look for? What are the things that have to be sacrificed, and what are the things that you sacrifice for? This point becomes especially clear when you’re trying to meditate at home, living a householder life. It’s not simply a …
- Patience Is a Skill… There’s no cure for impatience that lets you be impatient about how soon you’re going to become patient. When you meditate, you have to keep coming back, coming back, coming back to the breath, learning how to talk to yourself as you’re doing this. You’re trying to get the mind still, and it won’t get still. You give yourself …
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