Search results for: "The Sangha"
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- Evaluation… It could be recollection of the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha, recollection of your own generosity, your own virtue, even recollection of the devas. **With the recollection of the devas, it’s not simply thinking about the fact that there **are devas, but thinking more about the qualities that make them devas. You realize you’ve got those qualities in yourself: conviction, virtue, generosity …
- Worthy of Trust… What does that mean? We take the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha on one level as examples to follow; on another level, we internalize their virtues. We make the virtues of the Buddha our virtues, we build them into the mind. The virtues of the Dhamma become our virtues, we build them into the mind. The virtues of the noble Sangha: We become …
- Protection Through the Practice… We take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. On the exterior level we take them as examples: This is how wise people live. This is how they find genuine happiness. But then you have to internalize their example. That’s the second stage, when the refuge comes inside in the qualities of mind you develop through your being generous, being virtuous …
- A Refuge from Aging, Illness, & Death… Recollect the Sangha, the noble Sangha, who showed that it wasn’t just the Buddha who could do this. They applied his teaching to their lives, to their hearts, and found that they gained the same freedom. You always want to keep that possibility of freedom in your mind as you make your choices. As you go through life, try to make the choices …
- On Your Own Two Feet… This is why we take refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha to begin with. They give us examples of how to train ourselves, so that we can eventually stand on our own two feet. And particularly so that we can gain a sense of what’s right and wrong, what should be believed and what shouldn’t be believed. And here …
- Victory in Battle… He set out the teaching and walked all over northern India for 45 years, teaching individuals, setting up the Sangha. You read of his experiences having to deal with all the questions and all the problems that the monks and the nuns created. It wasn’t the case that he simply said, “Well, I’m going to have a victory over myself and who …
- Two Hands Washing… Recollection of the Sangha is good for when you’re feeling discouraged. Think about all of those stories in the Thera- and Theri- gathas about people who have been frustrated in their meditation. There’s one story about a monk who had been ordained 20 years—20 years—and still had no peace of mind. And yet, he was able to get past that …
- Chanting on Your Own… As you know, it’s a chant on the qualities of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, relating them to the six properties, the six dhātu. I found that it really did help with the meditation. Thinking in terms of those properties was not part of my upbringing here in the West. It was one of the aspects of meditation instruction that was …
- The Five Faculties Confirmed… This confirms our conviction in the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, but it does it in an interesting way. There’s a sutta where the Buddha says that at stream-entry you’ve seen the five faculties in terms of their origination, their passing away, their allure, their drawbacks, and the escape from them. Now, that fivefold analysis is something the Buddha usually …
- Keep Your Spirits Up… It could be the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha; your own virtue, your own generosity; the fact that you have the qualities that would make a person a deva. Those are things you could think about, too. Think about that inspiring theme until the mind settles down, happy to be with that theme, and then see if you can transfer that sense of calm …
- Allies… You can think about the Dhamma, the Sangha. Of if you have doubts about yourself, think about the good things you’ve done in the past. That gets you in the right state of mind to meditate. You’re building on the good you’ve already done. You’re building on the good you trust in other people. The same principle works in the …
- Respect for Concentration… This is why we bow down to the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha—why there’s so much bowing down all over here—to teach us an attitude of respect for what’s worthwhile within ourselves and what’s worthwhile here in the world—in other words, the teaching that the Buddha left behind. We’re fortunate that it’s still around. So …
- True to the Teachings… Prior to that time, there was just the Buddha and the Dhamma, but now there was the Sangha as well. So we’re commemorating several things tonight. One, the truth the Buddha awakened to, and two, his truth in attaining that awakening. Then there was the truth of Ven. Añña-Kondañña, who, in listening, didn’t just listen, but he actually took the Buddha …
- A Boxing Lesson… It’s because of him that we have this Dhamma, we have this Vinaya, we have the Sangha. That’s a huge gift to the world. He had to be resilient and equanimous about the criticisms that were sent his way, but his equanimity didn’t stop him from making big changes in the world. This means that the equanimity he taught is not …
- Awaken to Your Potentials… One of the reasons why stream-enters have no doubts about the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha is because they’ve seen that, Yes, that’s right: You follow the path taught by the Buddha and it does lead to this experience of the deathless. That’s how your conviction is verified and becomes unshakable. Not even an earthquake can shake it. The …
- Truth Is Where You’re True… As the Buddha said, if you can’t trust yourself, how are you going to trust somebody else? And how is anybody else going to trust you? We take refuge in the Buddha and the Sangha as examples of truthful people, because we recognize in them the Dhamma of the truthfulness we want to develop. We don’t yet really know how far that …
- Ready for Death… I noticed in Thailand that the ajaans who’d been in the forest and had confronted lots and lots of dangers there were the ones who seemed to be most convinced, and have the strongest sense, that the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha really do offer a refuge. It’s when you confront the facts of life like this: That’s when you …
- Skillful Thinking… If you’re really having trouble focusing on the present, think of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. Those topics help foster conviction in the path and in your own ability to practice the path. After all, the members of the noble Sangha are human beings just like you. They started out with all the strengths and weakness you have and somehow they …
- How to Read Yourself… You can also use your conviction, thinking about the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha. In this case, the Buddha says, there are times when you to get the mind to stay with the breath but you run into a fever in the breath or a fever in your feelings, or a fever in the mind. In other words, the mind’s not willing …
- Goodwill Is Respect… It spreads thoughts of goodwill for all beings, but then it says that the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha are limitless. There’s a limit to creeping beings. So may they go away. This is a chant for people who are planning to practice. And it’s only fair. If you have respect for other being’s happiness and you’re trying to …
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