Search results for: "Greed"
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- Building Concentration… The first is simply the stage of establishing a frame of reference, as when we stay with the breath—that’s the body in the body—putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. This means that any other topic that comes up in the mind, we’re not going to go there; we’re going to stay right with the breath …
- Possessed by Emotions… You’re possessed, say, by greed or possessed by anger. It’ll say that it has every right to be there. But you can basically say, “No, this my place, this is my body, this is my mind. I don’t need these things.” And so the skill to keep from being possessed is to be very mindful, very alert, to fully inhabit your …
- The Humane Quality of the Path… You find there’s a lot more greed, anger, and delusion in your mind than you would like to think. So you have to develop a humane attitude to yourself as well. When you see that there are parts of your mind that you don’t like, instead of being very judgmental or harsh on yourself, or trying to say that it’s okay …
- Heedfulness All the Way Through… unskillful things, your greed and distress with reference to the world. Mindfulness is very dualistic—a point that a lot of people miss. The Buddha illustrates this with his simile about monkeys. He said there’s a safe territory where monkeys can stay and not get harassed by human beings. Then there’s an area, though, where when the monkeys venture into human territory …
- Right Mindfulness… To begin with, you try to remain focused on the body in and of itself—ardent, alert, and mindful—putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. That’s the process we’re working on here as we focus on the breath. It’s the first of the establishings. To remain focused is called anupassana. It means you choose something to watch …
- Leaving Meditation… You may be able to keep your greed, anger, and delusion under control while you’re sitting here with your eyes closed, but if they go running wild when your eyes are open, then you’ve lost the benefits. And sometimes the concentration makes it even worse. Your mind gets stronger as it sits here and rests in concentration, but if you go out …
- A Skillful Heart… As he said, they were burning with the fires of greed, aversion, and delusion. He knew the way out, he could teach them the way out, so that’s what he decided to do. You look at the four noble truths: The whole idea of focusing a teaching on the problem of suffering has to be motivated by goodwill. You look at all of …
- Our Sense of Self… When greed comes, you identify with the greed. When they go away, you identify with the state of mind that doesn’t have greed, doesn’t have anger. Sometimes you identify with your body. Sometimes you identify with specific thoughts in the mind. So your sense of self shuffles around a lot. If you could take a picture of it, it would be like …
- A Connoisseur of the Breath… You try to remain focused on the body in and of itself, ardent, alert and mindful, putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world: That’s the process we’re working on here as we’re focused on the breath. It’s the first of the establishings. To remain focused is termed *anupassana *in Pali. You choose something that you’re going …
- The Buddha’s Safe Space… Even though he was freed of greed, aversion, and delusion, he didn’t look down on people who still had greed, aversion, and delusion. He felt sympathy for them, because he’d come from that place himself. He’d realized how ignorant he had been in the past, in spite of his desires for happiness. He realized that right view and right resolve are …
- Discipline Is a Choice… The basic formula tells you, on the one hand, to follow the body in and of itself, and on the other hand, to subdue thoughts of greed and distress related to the world. You’re choosing to follow one part of your experience and to subdue another part. And you try to do that consistently. Normally, we jump back and forth, focusing on our …
- Equanimity in Heart & Mind… Look for where there’s a state of greed, lust, aversion, or grief. What’s going on? When you’ve felt nourished, and the mind calms down like this, it’s a lot easier to be honest with yourself about what your mind is doing to create suffering around greed, aversion, and delusion. The mind doesn’t have to go outside to look for …
- Dimensions of Right Effort… In some cases, all you have to do is look at an instance of greed or anger or delusion in the mind and as soon as you see it, it withers away. You don’t have to do anything. All you have to do is just see it. The seeing is the doing and that’s all the doing that’s needed. Other times …
- The Luminous Mind… In other words, if you believe that greed, anger, and delusion permanently stain the mind, then you believe you can’t train yourself. You can’t develop the mind. You have to depend on outside forces, outside agents to come and save you. But when you realize that the defilements of greed, anger, and delusion come and visit it—in other words, they don …
- May You Forever Be Well… Then you have to ask yourself, “Why? Why I am looking in this way? Why am I listening in this way?” Especially if you find that greed is doing the looking, or anger is doing the listening. You want to have wisdom doing the looking and listening instead. So if there’s something the mind is eager to have a desire for something. And …
- Stand Your Ground… Either something is out of balance in the body, or greed, aversion, and delusion have arisen in the mind. The first reaction should be to open it up again—breathe in a way that opens the spot. Then look at your mind. What happened in the mind? What did you just do? Or what did somebody else do that you reacted to? What can …
- One Person… We can try to influence them if we can, but our main work is on our own greed, aversion, and delusion. That relates to a comment he made once that we’re not here to get other people. He was speaking about the monastery, but he’s also speaking about the fact that we’re practicing. We’re here to get ourselves. If other …
- Conspiracies in the Mind… If greed, aversion, and delusion can dress themselves up as wisdom, as Dhamma, they can fool you very easily. So you have to be very careful. As for conspiracy theories outside, there probably are some conspiracies going on. As someone once said, just the fact that you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that people aren’t really conspiring against you. But even if there …
- An Island in the Flood… You’re ardent, alert, and mindful, putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. Or you take feelings in and of themselves, the mind in and of itself, dhammas—mental qualities—in and of themselves, as your frame of reference. But the important thing is you don’t just stop with the frame of reference. You also engage in those other activities …
- Practice in Dying Well… remaining focused on one thing in and of itself—something that has nothing to do with sensuality—while putting aside greed and distress with reference to the world. What’s a good place to remain focused? Try the mind, in and of itself—awareness here in the present moment. You’ve got the breath as your anchor to make sure you stay in the …
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