How do you maintain your momentum in cultivation
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On the cultivation path, everyone including me should practise diligently. At times, I always maintain my mindfulness, everyday meditation, chanting mantra, eat vegetarian, discuss dharma. But this kind of momentum can hardly last for more than half year.
Is it because I don't have enough faith or not enough "ding4 li4" concentration to resist the temptation from within to violate the precepts.
When I compare myself to let's say 1 year ago, the improvement is not much.
Anyone of you have similar experience or know how to handle this? -
its a norm. if not they wouldnÂ’t use the expression. learn for 1 yr, buddha/bodhisattva are in front of u. learned for 2 years, they are in the sky. learned for 3 yrs, they disappeared into the clouds. something like that.
i think one good remedy is listen to dharma talks daily. give u more 'fa xi' (dharma bliss).
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You will lose confidence if there is no progress in your cultivation.
If there is progress, you will persistently want to seek even more progress and breakthroughs.
Breaking through our bondage, habits and fetters into Clarity, Bliss, Freedom. This is true confidence.
Sinweiy has given us an important piece of advise. We should often listen to dharma - and then cultivate according to what we learnt in our living at every moment. Otherwise it will gradually lose ground in our mind because our cultivation is not yet very strong, so we need constant reminders - even if we already knew and heard before.
Also if you practise something in particular - whether meditation, mantra chanting, etc - probably depending on what your teacher taught you. We must have the discipline to practise it everyday. Thusness spoke to me yesterday and somehow he knew that I didnt meditate for some time already
A timely reminder. To cultivate this ding-li we have to put in an effort. Then bring this kind of meditative state into our 'living hours'. But from my experience if you practise meditation often your living hours will naturally have a difference. Anyway the joy arising from Meditative Absorption is stronger than anything we have experienced on Earth - even sex. I can ascertain to this. But this is only rupture arising from meditative absorptions, the Bliss that arises out of clarity will be much stronger and perhaps of a different form and this, I do not have much experience in and have only heard.
My Taiwanese teacher even though his cultivation is already very strong, he still spend several hours a day (cant remember isit 4 or 6 hours) on meditation. For us, must at least 30 minutes a day.
Then gradually lengthen if we can. I sometimes sit over an hour when I'm free.
Anyway here is my dharma teacher's summary-sheet of a dharma talk a year ago on cultivation.
Happy Journey -
question + answer = enlightenment
seek with a question tat u sincere wish to ans shall gain enlightenment
when u dun hav a problem in mind...how can u gain enlightenment?
faith is gain when ur problem in mind has been solved
which is why
one never see any progress
and has no faith or firmness in 'continuin this path'
because they merely read for sake of readin,
listen for sake of listenin.
unless u have a problem..
else theres no reason for u to listen to dharma.
am i wrong in my thinkin?
pls guide mi. -
Most Ancient Master encourage the 1 day practiseOriginally posted by justdoit77:On the cultivation path, everyone including me should practise diligently. At times, I always maintain my mindfulness, everyday meditation, chanting mantra, eat vegetarian, discuss dharma. But this kind of momentum can hardly last for more than half year.
Is it because I don't have enough faith or not enough "ding4 li4" concentration to resist the temptation from within to violate the precepts.
When I compare myself to let's say 1 year ago, the improvement is not much.
Anyone of you have similar experience or know how to handle this?
and upon bedtime after chanting do reflection on wat have you done for the day and what u have u done wrong and repent and tuck in for the night
the most important thing is not to be too ambitious ,say I want to reach a certain amount of in 3 months time
and so on and so forth
sorry laptop button spoilt so it looks weird to type the << instead of apostrophe ....
tml getting my laptop for repair
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hi simplifiedOriginally posted by simplified:question + answer = enlightenment
seek with a question tat u sincere wish to ans shall gain enlightenment
when u dun hav a problem in mind...how can u gain enlightenment?
faith is gain when ur problem in mind has been solved
which is why
one never see any progress
and has no faith or firmness in 'continuin this path'
because they merely read for sake of readin,
listen for sake of listenin.
unless u have a problem..
else theres no reason for u to listen to dharma.
am i wrong in my thinkin?
pls guide mi.
its good you know some of the concept in momentum ,that will be equal to my
questions as asked in the Great Awakening Seeking Question -
Question is a pointer -Originally posted by simplified:question + answer = enlightenment
seek with a question tat u sincere wish to ans shall gain enlightenment
when u dun hav a problem in mind...how can u gain enlightenment?
faith is gain when ur problem in mind has been solved
which is why
one never see any progress
and has no faith or firmness in 'continuin this path'
because they merely read for sake of readin,
listen for sake of listenin.
unless u have a problem..
else theres no reason for u to listen to dharma.
am i wrong in my thinkin?
pls guide mi.
To realise it... see Great Awakening seeking questions
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----------------Originally posted by bohiruci:1. Saying onions skin peel bit by bit for gradual enlightenment ,what about a knife thrust rite into the heart of the onion ?
2.Where do one stand when one enlightened ?
3.What kind of wisdom is suchness ?
4.Who is being reborn when we attain our Dharmakaya ?
An Eternal Now
Those questions sound very much like koans indeed..Originally posted by Thusness:A mind full of schemes is not lack of answers so questions are asked but no answers expected. The purpose is to lead us to the unfathomably deep and rest in the place empty of known. To be alive, we need to experience the wonder that arises out of silence. This is the path of the traceless.
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An Eternal Now
Yes indeed.. from my previous post:Originally posted by bohiruci:Questions that will riddle your mind and propel you to seek enlightenment
If you dun have questions of your existence in this saha world ,you will never want to seek enlightenment
The Zen masters would tell you, for enlightenment to occur, you need doubt. And as my Master said, and many other Zen masters said, we Not only need doubt, as small doubt can only produce small realisations, but GREAT DOUBT (of intense questioning) will produce Great Enlightenment. By great doubt, a person persistantly inquires on his Koan until he reaches breakthrough. 'Great Faith, Great Doubt, Great Determination' are three needs of zen practise.
Be the big question mark and ride on the cloud of unknowing, without arbitary thought, experience the immediate! At that moment whatever it is, it is entire.http://www2.bc.cc.ca.us/resperic/science_and_spirituality.htm
“Great faith” in Zen practice refers to a trust in the process, as demonstrated by the many who have gone on before, as well as a firm trust in one’s capabilities to see the essential nature of reality for oneself. In scientific work, “great faith” refers to a trust in the scientific method, successfully applied by scientists of the past, as well as an underlying belief in one’s inherent capability to understand the phenomena being studied.
“Great doubt” in Zen refers to a willingness to profoundly question all of one’s most cherished beliefs, and ultimately to uproot them. Beliefs are but concepts, floating on the surface. The conceptual realm may be useful at times, but compulsive attachment to particular concepts is a hindrance to penetrating to deeper levels of realization of the fundamental nature of reality, which is beyond all concepts. An ancient Chinese saying states that when a wise man points his finger to the moon, the fool sees only his finger. In science, “great doubt” is based on a realization that the model is not the reality. Being too attached to a particular hypothesis or theory can prevent one from arriving at a better theory that reflects a deeper understanding of the phenomena of interest.
“Great determination” in Zen is required in order to not give in to laziness. The process may take some time, and without determination one may never attain deep realization. In fact, there is no deepest realization, and only by great determination will one keep going deeper. Of course the same can be said of scientific research.[/quote]A.H.Almaas: "Well the first thing about inquiry, is to recognise that we don't know basic things about ourselves and reality. To have the humility to NOT KNOW. And also to have the courage. It's very scary to say 'I don't know who I am; what I am', or to know what is going on now. First that's the opening is the humility to acknowledge we don't know. In science they call it doubt or scepticism. But here it is not really doubt or scepticism. The doubt and scepticism turns into an emotional thing. What here is just an openness. 'I don't really know'. After that, is the love to find out. The heart-felt appreciation of 'What is the truth of us? What I am? What am I? What is humanity? What is reality? What is God?', from a loving and also curious place. So that's the general inquiry about knowing about spiritual nature. There are many things that will help us - steadfastness; courageous; an openness and curiosity that brings in questions."
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Thusness
[quote]Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
Those questions sound very much like koans indeed.. 
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An Eternal Now
Yes... the Truth naturally reveals itself like thisOriginally posted by Thusness:Be the big question mark and ride on the cloud of unknowing, without arbitary thought, experience the immediate! At that moment whatever it is, it is entire.
'Only keep this don't know mind' - Zen Master Seung Sahn
p.s Toni Packer's new book The Silent Question: Meditating in the Stillness of Not-Knowing will be released in 'Spring 2007'
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I was asked to do repentance everyday but....Originally posted by bohiruci:Most Ancient Master encourage the 1 day practise
and upon bedtime after chanting do reflection on wat have you done for the day and what u have u done wrong and repent and tuck in for the night
the most important thing is not to be too ambitious ,say I want to reach a certain amount of in 3 months time
and so on and so forth
sorry laptop button spoilt so it looks weird to type the << instead of apostrophe ....
tml getting my laptop for repair 
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indeed...repentance and develop the Bodhi Mind are good ways to remedy one from retrogression.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:I was asked to do repentance everyday but....
Point 5: The Mind of Repentance and Vows
In the endless cycle of Birth and Death, all sentient beings are at one time or another related to one another. However, because of delusion and attachment to self, we have, for countless eons, harmed other sentient beings and created an immense amount of evil karma.
The Buddhas and the sages appear in this world out of compassion, to teach and liberate sentient beings, of whom we are a part. Even so, we engender a mind of ingratitude and destructiveness toward the Triple Jewel (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha). Now that we know this, we should feel remorse and repent the three evil karmas. Even the Bodhisattva Maitreya, who has attained non-retrogression, still practices repentance six times a day, in order to achieve Buddhahood swiftly. We should use our bodies to pay respect to the Triple Jewel, our mouths to confess our transgressions and seek expiation, and our minds to repent sincerely and undertake not to repeat them. Once we have repented, we should put a complete stop to our evil mind and conduct, to the point where mind and objects are empty. Only then will there be true repentance ... We should also vow to foster the Triple Jewel, rescue and liberate all sentient beings, atone for our past transgressions, and repay the "four great debts," which are the debt to the Triple Jewel, the debt to our parents and teachers, the debt to our spiritual friends, and finally, the debt we owe to all sentient beings.
Through this repentant mind, our past transgressions will disappear, our virtues will increase with time, leading us to the stage of perfect merit and wisdom. Only when we practice with such a repentant mind can we be said to have "developed the Bodhi Mind."
Point 6: The Mind of no Retreat
Although a practitioner may have repented his past transgressions and vowed to cultivate, his habitual delusions and obstructions are not easy to eliminate, nor is the accumulation of merits and virtues through cultivation of the six paramitas and ten thousand conducts necessarily easy to achieve. Moreover, the path of perfect Enlightenment and Buddhahood is long and arduous, full of hardship and obstructions over the course of untold eons. It is not the work of one or two life spans. For example, the Elder Sariputra [one of the main disciples of Buddha Sakyamuni] had reached the sixth "abode" of Bodhisattvahood in one of his previous incarnations and had developed the Bodhi Mind practicing the Paramita of Charity. However, when an externalist (non-Buddhist) asked him for one of his eyes and then, instead of using it, spat on it and crushed it with his foot, even Sariputra became angry and retreated from the Mahayana mind.
We can see, therefore, that holding fast to our vows is not an easy thing! For this reason, if the practitioner wishes to keep his Bodhi Mind from retrogressing, he should be strong and firm in his vows. He should vow thus: "Although this body of mine may endure immense suffering and hardship, be beaten to death or even reduced to ashes, I shall not, in consequence, commit wicked deeds or retrogress in my cultivation." Practicing with such a non-retrogressing mind is called "developing the Bodhi Mind."
The six cardinal points summarized above are sine qua non for those who aspire to develop the Bodhi Mind. Those who do not earnestly practice on this basis will never attain Buddhahood. There are only two roads before us: revolving in Birth and Death, or liberation. Although the way to liberation is full of difficulties and hardships, each step leads gradually to the place of light, freedom, peace and happiness. The way of Birth and Death, while temporarily leading to blessings in the celestial and human realms, ultimately ends in the three Evil Paths, subjecting us to untold suffering, with no end in sight.
Therefore, fellow cultivators, you should develop a mind of strong perseverance, marching forward toward the bright path of great Bodhi. The scene of ten thousand flowers vying to bloom in the sky of liberation will be there to greet you! http://www.purifymind.com/BuddWisdomFaith.htm
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Very true indeed... anyway my dharma teacher practises repentance 45 minutes a day (= 108 times).. best is to learn to be like that..
A related post although already in 3 topicsOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:Which is also true. Even an arhant cannot completely see all their past lives - only a Buddha can.
And also - just because we are now very well, live a happy life, doesnt mean we did not do anything bad before. We should understand that rebirth is just like dreams appearing out of our alaya consciousness. Sometimes we have nightmares sometimes we have sweet dreams. Our karma stems not only from one or two lifetimes ago, but can also be thousands or even aeons of lifetimes ago. It is deep in our alaya consciousness. That is why it can be rather 'scary' for someone unenlightened like me. We can never be certain what's next!
Which is also why it is very important to liberate - at least to 'Enter the stream' (stream-enterers do not enter the 3 lower realms and is destined to attain Arhantship within 7 lifetimes) or enter the Path of Seeing (1st Bhumi Bodhisattva). -
heh i aso.. infact i hadn't put in the effort..Originally posted by justdoit77:On the cultivation path, everyone including me should practise diligently. At times, I always maintain my mindfulness, everyday meditation, chanting mantra, eat vegetarian, discuss dharma. But this kind of momentum can hardly last for more than half year.
Is it because I don't have enough faith or not enough "ding4 li4" concentration to resist the temptation from within to violate the precepts.
When I compare myself to let's say 1 year ago, the improvement is not much.
Anyone of you have similar experience or know how to handle this?
Don't give up ...
cheers -
hi all,
really thanks for the advise.
An Eternal Now mentioned a good point that if no progress, one tends to lose confidence on the method that he is using.
I think reading of buddhism book and discussion in forum is a good way to remind oneself to be cultivating constantly. Even if it is to talk about something that we already know, but it is good to listen again. It doesn't matter if you already know it, bcoz it will deepen the teaching in your subconcious. It is also good to share your dharma knowledge with other people, as more people will benefit from your giving of dharma knowledge, this merits will ensure that you will always get to know good dharma teachers in every life.
I came across this sentence in buddhism book which talk about this:
Cultivation is like driving a car to state of enlightenment. Initially you need some effort to get into the car, then use fuel and battery to start the engine, then some more fuel to start moving the car. At this moment, the effort that you put in is a lot but is just to get ready for the pacing. Only when the car is moving, then you can make a huge progress by using very little effort.
Cultivation is a continuous process, we are very lucky to get to know buddhism, hence should continue learning all the time. If for any reason, we stop it for a while, the next time we have to start all over again. -
just like to share a little....
cultivating is also about balance and being aware of that balance. balance between work life, family life, social life, school life with spirituality.
it is all about the mind that holds up and putting down.
when i am working, i work with my heart and mind. when it is time to practice or study the way, i put in my heart and mind without mixing work mentality into it.
cultivate and be with everything without involving with everything. because during bedtime, you would wanna bring nothing with you to sleep. -
that's gdOriginally posted by paperflower:just like to share a little....
cultivating is also about balance and being aware of that balance. balance between work life, family life, social life, school life with spirituality.
it is all about the mind that holds up and putting down.
when i am working, i work with my heart and mind. when it is time to practice or study the way, i put in my heart and mind without mixing work mentality into it.
cultivate and be with everything without involving with everything. because during bedtime, you would wanna bring nothing with you to sleep. -
If one can maintain mindful in living, then isnt 'spirituality' and 'life' one already?Originally posted by paperflower:just like to share a little....
cultivating is also about balance and being aware of that balance. balance between work life, family life, social life, school life with spirituality.
it is all about the mind that holds up and putting down.
when i am working, i work with my heart and mind. when it is time to practice or study the way, i put in my heart and mind without mixing work mentality into it.
cultivate and be with everything without involving with everything. because during bedtime, you would wanna bring nothing with you to sleep. Not to think too much about things of spirituality but practising it in the midst of our living...
But if what you mean is .... to keep a balance between meditation and chanting and living... definitely... if you chant or meditate all day, your family may even develope an aversion to Buddhism. People will think that Buddhism has nothing got to do with living or society...