Problems on the path, The Five Hindrances:

 Problems on the path, The Five Hindrances:

The Centered Path, Part 6 of the Buddhist Basics (Sattipathana sutta)

Thus I have heard-

In meditation we are attempting to have an unshakable and calm mind.  These five can slow our practice… Here are the five main things that can frustrate your progress and their antidotes.  Reflection into the source of them is generally the antidote, and this is no small task!  This may be a lasting part of your practice you chip away at over a very long time. 

1.Desire or clinging to this way or that.  There are beautiful objects of the senses.  Recollect the six sense doors:  The untrained ‘monkey’ mind is pure id, it wants, it must, it always… and never…  To begin to tame this we can; Meditate on impure objects to release our attachment to what we think is pure.  When enamored with food for example, realize what it will become through the process of digestion and elimination.  Guard the sense doors, (sight, sound, smells, tastes, touches and thoughts) Seek moderation in food, drink, and conversation.  Seek and keep good friends. 

Look at what you desire, why are you dissatisfied?  Always wanting more or new things? When       you find the root of these, desire will fade. Impermanence and change are good focuses...

2. Ill Will, Aversion, anger, hatred.  Giving unwise attention to ill will, we can become engulfed in them.  The way to liberate ourselves from this are…  Cultivate loving kindness and ill will disappears, cultivate compassion and cruelty disappears, Cultivate sympathetic joy (joy for others achievements) and listlessness will fade, Cultivate equanimity and ager will disappear. Know that you alone are the owner and heir of your actions and thoughts.  

Are you jealous? Have too much pride?  What is the cause and can you understand the conditions of others again (impermanence, change etc) Practice sympathetic joy!

3. Sleepiness, sloth, laziness:  Mainly overeating can cause this, also boredom and disinterest. Attend your posture during meditation, Think of the perception of light, stay in an open air place, not stuffy, with good friends and maintain suitable conversation that will not bore you.   Study impermanence and you can see the danger of being lazy and not let life pass you by. Acknowledge your sheer luck in being born a human in this life with enough smarts to even attempt meditation and contemplation.  

What makes you disinterested? Is it boredom? Why or how have you become bored? Are you ill and need to take care of your health first? Look deeper and you can find the causes and let them go. 

4. Restlessness and remorse:  Again wanting what is not YET.  In meditation we can become familiar with the teachings as an absorption.  Also it is good to associate with those mature in age and experience and possess dignity, restraint and calm.  Restlessness means the mind is not yet settled and mature and it is the proper time to cultivate tranquility, concentration, and equanimity.  Be still… Think of the simili of the pot of water.  

Stress, illness, lack?  Loneliness? Begin with the body-scan and work on letting go of what you discover. Deeply understand concepts like change, attachment, desire and greed...

5. Doubt:  This is from a lack of confidence in our practice.  We may understand what we should be doing and be a little too hard on ourselves about it.  Doubt, if focused on unwisely can lead you to abandon your progress.  It is good to study deeper and learn to ask questions both of yourself and others.  

Where else is doubt in your life? See how it affects you and holds you back.  Doubt is healthy as it helps you come up with more important questions and can help you delve deeper into yourself.

Setting the sitting, The Seven Points of Posture

 Setting the sitting, The Seven Points of Posture

The Centered Path, Part 5 of Buddhist Basics  (Ref:  Mahasatipatthana Sutta)

Thus I have heard. 

An anchor to contemplation and mindfulness is sitting in meditation posture.  Although there is no one posture that is ‘right’ for everyone, it is generally agreed that this is the best way to achieve progress in meditation practice.  Making your position0 a constant ‘habit’ will help you. 

You should be stable in your position, like a mountain.  Your head is the peak, you can observe the universe from there.  Sitting gives you an excellent way to stabilize your mind as you do not usually sit in posture.  Your posture should emulate (unattached) confidence and calm. No matter what, comfort is key.  You may sit on the bare floor, on a mat, a zafu and zabuton, or a chair.  A folded big towel or a small cushion is totally acceptable.

Legs: should be in either Lotus (if you can get in and out of it), Half lotus, Burmese style (indian style with one leg forward), Zazen (kneeling on ankles), 

Back:  If you sit in a chair or on the floor, the back should be straight but not rigid.  Imagine your vertebrae are all stacked like coins, or that your head is attached by a string to the sky.. Your head will float on the neck.

Shoulders: SHould be relaxed and under the line of the ear from the side.  You may want to roll your shoulders around a couple times before you start so they are not tense. Shoulders may feel heavy as they relax and you begin to feel the weight of the arms.

Head: Not too far forward or back, just above the shoulders, the chin slightly tucked and relaxed. Lips should be gently closed, allow your face to soften, the brow to relax. 

Eyes: Optionally you can keep your eyes closed, focusing your gaze to the point between the eyebrows (this helps concentration but can also make you more sleepy and dull).  If your eyes are open, keep them about ⅓ open, gently gazing to about where your head will touch the ground if you were to lean forward. 

Tongue: The tongue should be relaxed in the mouth, to really keep energy and attention place the tip of the tongue on the roof of the mouth behind the teeth as if saying the letter ‘N’.  It can help you if you start to really relax and drool. 

Hands: There are multiple hand positions called ‘mudras’   For basic meditation we can stick to three; The mindfulness mudra, hands palm down on the thighs, the open mind mudra, hands palms up on the thighs, or the meditation mudra, right hand in left palm in the lap with the thumbs gently touching.  You can use the mudras as part of your intention when mediation begins.  Other mudras can help achieve and maintain mental states, such as the teaching, calming, and 

Is it OK to lie down for meditation?  You can, but it commonly becomes ‘sleeping meditation.  Walking or standing is a perfect posture as well, gentle calmness and comfort are key.  Be mindful when you move as in walking or if you need to change position or scratch an itch.  Feel free to adapt for any health issues you have, back, knees, hips, etc.  Remember comfort is more important than looking good in meditation. 0

The checklist to reduce stress and suffering, The Noble Eight-Fold Path

The Noble Eight-Fold Path: The checklist to reduce suffering.

(This is the end of the Four Noble Truths, in fact it IS the fourth of the truths. It is often just left and some people forget to go on after hearing that there is suffering and that suffering has a cause. After realizing it does have some possibility of being cured, many just stop there because here is where the practice becomes important. I did a few videos on this which you can see at the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrvvatiJB0_w1Z8-OAfAcA  Please remember to subscribe and like and share.  I am trying to build the channel to over 1,000 subscribers so that ads will pay me to continue the work.  Since the pandemic there have been no in person classes nor meditations which we would get some donations. Please support us with that, I appreciate the help, encouragement and criticism as well as the donations.  Here is a link to the Patreon account which you can choose a monthly donation of as little as 3$ a month.  This helps us get better equipment as well as spend more time in research, buying materials like books and producing videos and the soon to come podcast:  https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29813343 )  

Thus, I have heard…

The fourth part of the Four Noble Truths:  Known as the Path.  The Buddha taught for 45 years, and this is the Buddhist guide for living a simpler life.  It was explained again and again, differently for different people and their situations.  For a person to be in balance there are two qualities to develop equally; compassion (Karuna) and wisdom (Panna).   This is often viewed as the eight spokes of a wagon wheel.  There is not one really above or before another, they all hold the hub and wheel together.

The ‘right’ or skillful way of.

Prajna/Wisdom)

1.       View, belief or understanding – Am I seeing what is there, or what I want to see?  “It is what it is”.  Seeing things in their true nature, without name, judgement or label.  This is possible when the mind is free of impurity and developed through meditation. This is the process of understanding the Four Noble Truths.

2.       Intention /thought– Am I truly living compassionately and wisely? Offering thoughts of love and non-violence toward all beings with selfish detachment.  Unconditional.   Making spiritual growth and having/making a good life our purpose.

Silla/Morality or virtue

3. Speech – Am I saying anything behind anyone’s back I would not say to them directly?  This includes any talk that would bring about suffering; slander, harsh, ide, useless, gossip… Sometimes the only answer is ‘noble silence’

4. Action – Do I practice what I study and preach?  Promotion of honorable, moral and peaceful conduct.  Avoid taking what is not given, destroying life, harmful sex actions, speech and thought.   We realize our actions have consequences.

5. Livelihood- Have I lost sight of my calling?  Am I living my calling? Avoid a profession that harms; weapons, war, killing animals, making intoxicants or poisons, cheating…

Samadhi/ Concentration

6. Effort -Am I pushing myself too hard or not hard enough?  Prevent evil and unwholesome states of mind, get rid of those already arisen, promote and cause good to arise in the mind and action.  The action of holding onto good and avoiding bad in mind, body and spirit.

7. Mindfulness/Meditation- Am I fully aware of this moment?  Diligently aware of our minds, attentive to the body (Kaya), sensations (Vedana), mind and thoughts (Citta) and things (Dhamma).  Being aware of one’s own mind is key.   This is where you really can have control of your mind and its processes.

8. Concentration- Am focusing on the right things? This leads naturally to the four stages of Dhyana or trance.  1. Passionate desires and unwholesome thoughts are discarded, and happiness is maintained, even in daily life.  2. Tranquility and one pointedness of the mind, with joy and happiness remaining from 1.  3. Joy as an active feeling also subsides and equanimity is maintained.  4. All sensation, happiness and unhappiness, joy and sorry disappear and pure awareness remains.   It is a feeling that you have awakened from a dream, the dream and delusion of being (independent).

The Five Precepts: Moral guide to training

 The Five Precepts: Moral guide to training

So we continue with the basics. This entails the basic five lay precepts. When you take more 'vows' to study and better your life and the world more and more precepts are added. First the five, then ten then 14 and then 256 or something like that... (depends on a few conditions). Check our Patreon to help with donations: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=29813343 and do not forget to check and subscribe to the YouTube Channel;  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrvvatiJB0_w1Z8-OAfAcA.  

Thus, I have heard…

The Precepts are a list of rules to live by.  In the Theravada tradition, there are five for the layperson there are 8 in Mahayana and 14 in Vajrayana.  For most ministers there are ten or so.  I will list them, but we will focus on the main 5.  There are over 200 for monks and even more for nuns!  Practicing them Improves the chances of developing merit and good karma in this life. 

They were developed for the sangha to live together harmoniously and be able to practice without affecting others or oneself in an unskillful way.

The main and basic lay precepts are: (positive aspects in parentheses)

1.  Refrain from taking a life… not just killing.   (Act with loving kindness)

2.  Refrain from taking what is not given… not just stealing (Be generous,

3.  Refrain from harmful speech… not just lying (practice calm and silence)

4.  Refrain from harmful sexual and emotional practice… (contentment and kindness)

5.  Refrain from using intoxicants that make you heedless. (practice clear headed mindfulness)

To expand to the Mahayana, we add three more.  Most though consider these more in depth and not for the general laity.

6.       Not to eat at wrong times, (after mid-day) can also mean certain kinds of foods too, garlic, onion, meat, eggs.

7.       Not to sit on high expensive beds, or animal skins.  Basically, means to overindulge in material comforts.

8.       Not to over adorn with makeup, jewelry, or perfume. Can include dancing, singing, or playing music with attachment.

For Ministers there is the addition of these two.

9.       Avoiding places of ill-repute (gambling, burlesque etc)

10.   Avoiding abuse or waste of the donations or money under one’s charge.

Vajrayana also has a whole set, which has to do with credentials, condemnation of others, failure to practice etc… It does cover the basics above but is a fair bit more complex.

So, what do you do if you break a precept?  You acknowledge it and move on trying to be mindful of that in the future and try to not do that again. This whole philosophy is a process and dynamic.  We are human and we are fallible.  If we learn from our mistakes, we become better.  Now, some of the precepts are grounds for expulsion from a sangha.  Some are just for personal practice as mentioned above, some need to be confessed to a ‘Dharma friend’ for guidance, some to he Maha-Sangha or elders for guidance.  The five or so main ones are best for contemplation and reflection.  Notice too there is no ‘thou shalt’ stuff going on here.  It is the fore thought (pre-cept) of these as a practice in daily life. If we are practicing mindful attentiveness and skillful attention and concentration, then we can see these before we do them and be able to better our own lives and the lives of everyone around u

Setting into motion the Wheel of Truth, The Four Noble Truths

Setting into motion the Wheel of Truth…

The Centered Path, Part 1 of Buddhist Basics  (based on the Samyutta Nikaya )

Thus I have heard-

After the Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree near Benares India, he set out to tell his friends, the five ascetics he practiced with for years.  They were not too happy with him as he gave up the rigorous practice and took some snacks from a girl leaving offerings for a tree god.  They saw that something was definitely different about him so the five listened and learned…

It is based on a physician’s work, all four parts were necessary to complete the job.  The identification of the disease, the cause, whether it can be treated and the prescription.

The Four Noble Truths.

1.      The truth of suffering.  The Pali word for this is ‘Dukkha’ which means unsatisfactory, painful, or commonly, suffering basically, always changing (Life is challenging) We have identified there IS suffering, it should be understood and can be understood.   It is a practice to develop compassion for ourselves and others. Dukkha is a common bond of all beings. There should be a practice to realize, ‘Hm, I suffer, so does everyone else, it is not just me.’

2.      The truth of the cause of suffering.  In Pali, Samudaya, also known as attachment, craving or desire…  (The cause is the mind struggling to respond to challenge)  As we discuss this it also includes the ignorance we have towards it) The practice is to realize the desire for sense pleasure (think of food), desire to become (what we are not or do not have) desire to let go of (the origin of suffering is attachment to desire)

3.      The truth to the end of suffering. In Pali, Nirodha or eliminating, cessation, or ending.  I.E. The end is near... (A peaceful mind and an end to the struggle is possible)  Three parts, There is or can be cessation of suffering, the end of dukkha should be realized, the cessation has been realized.  Here we can begin to practice to let go of delusions.  Contemplate ‘why this?’ ‘what does this mean?’ ‘How can this be?’ There is possibility and hope here, if we apply ourselves...

4.      The truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering - Eight Fold Path.  In Pali, Magga or the way/means (Wise is in use for ‘skillful’ or ‘right’ which are common interpretations) They are separated into three parts which we will discuss later. 

a.      Wise View or understanding of the cause of suffering

b.      Wise intention or resolve and motivation to end suffering

c.      Wise speaking that clarifies our challenges and way out of them

d.      Wise action and behavior that supports our practice.

e.      Wise Lively hood that does not cause more suffering.

f.       Wise effort to cultivate a peaceful mind, life, and habits

g.      Wise concentration that cultivates steadiness and focus on ease and peace

h.      Wise mindfulness that cultivates alertness and balance

Don't forget to check out the website, thecenteredpath.org where you can also download most of these write ups. I am working piecemeal on them and it takes time, so pleas practice patience. and go on YouTube and look for our play list which I have videoed discussions of each of these for further contemplation. Here is a link to the channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOrvvatiJB0_w1Z8-OAfAcA

Also please know, I am working on getting the class back in person as soon as the quarantine lifts and there is no mask requirement.  I am not 'yet' doing any online meditations but that is in the works.  Please make sure and subscribe so you can see more and get the updates, also make sure and share to friends on Facebook and other social media as that helps the numbers get to a point that advertising can be done.  YouTube needs to have us at 1,000 subscribers and we are now at around 250.  

This is the first part of the Cheat Sheet I made regarding the basics of Buddhist Teachings.  I will be posting on Facebook as well as producing the according videos for each of the subjects.  Some are more than one page or one video.   Your support and encouragement is really appreciated, thank you!  

With Metta, 

Rev. Sean