Practising Dharma daily.
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Hi all,
Dharma Bros and Sis, please do share your experiences as I'm still quite inexperienced in daily practises of Dharma.
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We should take the eightfold path and the three trainings into our daily living.. Will reply more when time permits
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Ok, I'm a very bad practitioner but my understanding of the path is that it has a lot to do with mindfulness and maintaining a mindful presence both in sitting as well as in the midst of doing things. With mindfulness we will also not be lost in our thoughts, seeking, and rejecting things we perceive from our senses -- this is also guarding our six sense doors. You are merely aware 'choicelessly' of phenomena arise and pass away without seeking or rejecting. By guarding our six sense doors we do not give rise to unwholesome states of thoughts, or even evil thinking.
With this mindfulness, we are attentive of every moment of our mind, speech and action, we are conscious of every arising thought and our habitual behaviors. We are most of the time much less conscious of ourselves than we know.
Our behaviors and doings are mostly conditioned behaviors, like it has become so much of a habit that we no longer notice it anymore. It becomes mechanical. Mindfulness is about being NOT mechanical, but alive, mindful/aware every moment.
This mindfulness will also affect not only our thinking but also our behavior and speech. For example if someone wants to argue or fight with you, you merely maintain a mindful presence like an unstained mirror... like my dharma teacher said, just like space, everything that comes just drops away instantaneously because it has nothing/nowhere to stick to. You did not receive his insults, you merely hear attentively, and as a result you do not give rise to anger or hatred. This by the way, is also a training of equanimity.
If you are on the other hand not mindful of your thinking, and then thoughts of anger or hatred arises which developes into hateful speech and then physical violence. It is frightening how a thought can develope into something much more dangerous. So we must not be 'controlled' by thoughts, by our conditioning or habits which can lead us astray.
I mentioned earlier about our behaviors being conditioned and mechanical most of the time. As a result we unconsciously react and strengthen our bad habits. When we practise the Buddhadharma, we no longer continue our unconscious and negative habitual behaviors. We also gradually reduce and eliminate our negative habits that are harmful to ourselves and others, whatever habits that might be. Our actions will arise from wisdom and awareness, not from ignorance.
I also just posted this just now:Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
[b]No desire to be or not to be
Self-knowledge…is not a process to be read about or speculated upon: it must be discovered by each one from moment to moment, so that the mind becomes extraordinarily alert. In that alertness there is a certain quiescence, a passive awareness in which there is no desire to be or not to be, and in which there is an astonishing sense of freedom. It may be only for a minute, for a second—that is enough. That freedom is not of memory; it is a living thing, but the mind, having tasted it, reduces it to a memory and then wants more of it. To be aware of this total process is possible only through self-knowledge, and self-knowledge comes into being from moment to moment as we watch our speech, our gestures, the way we talk, and the hidden motives that are suddenly revealed. Then only is it possible to be free from fear. As long as there is fear, there is no love. Fear darkens our being and that fear cannot be washed away by any prayer, by any ideal or activity. The cause of fear is the ‘me’, the ‘me’ which is so complex in its desires, wants, pursuits. The mind has to understand that whole process, and the understanding of it comes only when there is watchfulness without choice.
The Collected Works, Vol. VII - 327
~ J Krishnamurti[/b] -
do lots of listening to Dharma Audio/video. if got time on bus or mrt read Dharma book and articles printed out from dharma sites.
i stress on listening to Dharma as a form of meditation.
http://www.buddhanet.net/audio-lectures.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/
http://www.dharmaradio.org/dharmatalks/index.htm
http://www.amtb-dba.org/Audio/mp3/index.html
http://www.budaedu.org.tw/ghosa/C016/T0682/
http://www.amtb-aus.org/
u may start on the understanding part first then when understood already, u'll naturally start to practice chanting, 8 fold path, mindfulness of one's action and turn over a new leaf.
Practice Dharma is none other than correcting our action and conduct.
since modern people don't want to blindly follow, then work on the wisdom of Dharma. maybe for ladies, they can work on compassion. also can.
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Originally posted by sinweiy:
You're right about cultivating our action and conduct, but to be more precise and indeth it's not only that
do lots of listening to Dharma Audio/video. if got time on bus or mrt read Dharma book and articles printed out from dharma sites.
i stress on listening to Dharma as a form of meditation.
http://www.buddhanet.net/audio-lectures.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/
http://www.dharmaradio.org/dharmatalks/index.htm
http://www.amtb-dba.org/Audio/mp3/index.html
http://www.budaedu.org.tw/ghosa/C016/T0682/
http://www.amtb-aus.org/
u may start on the understanding part first then when understood already, u'll naturally start to practice chanting, 8 fold path, mindfulness of one's action and turn over a new leaf.
[b]Practice Dharma is none other than correcting our action and conduct.
since modern people don't want to blindly follow, then work on the wisdom of Dharma. maybe for ladies, they can work on compassion. also can.
/\[/b]
As Master Shen Kai says,
Xiu1 Xing2 Bu4 Ru2 Xiu1 Shen1 (Cultivating our moral conduct is better than cultivating our actions), Xiu1 Shen1 Bu4 Ru2 Xiu1 Xin1 (Cultivating our mind is better than cultivating our moral conduct), Xiu1 Xin1 Bu4 Ru2 Wu2 Sheng1 (Non-arising is better than cultivating mind) -
Very good materials! Thanks!
However, I still have a question. When karmic obstructions arise, how do we deal with it? Karmic obstructions such as:
1) Anger
2) Lust
3) Non-benefitting habitual behaviours
4) Not enough merit to obtain Dharma -
Just my 2 cents from an inexperienced practitioner.Originally posted by oldkid:Very good materials! Thanks!
However, I still have a question. When karmic obstructions arise, how do we deal with it? Karmic obstructions such as:
1) Anger
2) Lust
3) Non-benefitting habitual behaviours
4) Not enough merit to obtain Dharma
Sometimes it can be quite easy.. whenever we notice that we are giving rise to anger, lust, and unwholesome habitual behaviors, and with our Wisdom we stop indulging in these false thinking and behaviors, then it is ended. The 'noticing' is mindfulness/awareness/buddha. To be aware is to step out of the unconscious momentum.
That is why there is the saying -- if you put down your knife, immediately you attain Buddhahood (fang xia tu dao, li di cheng fo). It does not mean you attain Great Enlightenment like Shakyamuni Buddha, but it means at that moment your Buddha Nature shines through, you are in touched with your innate awakeness. If we can be aware moment to moment, we will not be misled by our ignorance. If we can maintain this awareness moment to moment, then all our egoic problems, habits, identifications and attachments can be dissolved. We maintain a mindful presence that is not identified and attached to what is happening and to seeking. This is how we can liberate. But we must sustain in our practise.
There are also other antidotes to strong emotions of anger and lust, for example anger can be pacified by giving rise to thoughts of Metta, and lots of Patience. There is also a type of patience called Transcendental Patience. Such a person merely maintains pure perception of what is happening, whatever is happening can't affect him because he is 'transparent'. This is called the endurance of non endurance, ren wu ke ren, there is nothing to tolerate at all. One is liberated.
Lust can be pacified by the three contemplations which I wrote in another thread. How do i overcome 'lust' thoughts?
As for not enough merits, there are many ways to cultivate merits, but one must have the correct understanding otherwise no real merits will come out of it. -
May i ask for a person with a kind heart..
Does a kind heart means that the person has some wisdom too ? -
It depends. Some kind hearted people do not have wisdom... so they do foolish things to help people that actually does more harm to oneself and others. So there's the saying wisdom must accompany compassion.Originally posted by Isis:May i ask for a person with a kind heart..
Does a kind heart means that the person has some wisdom too ? -
mm practising dharma daily...
Learn under an enlightened teacher.
Deal with life's problem the buddhism way and learn from it.
Noble 8-folded path as mentioned earlier by others.
Meditate.. being mindful and do repentence daily...
[ well, i should be doing it daily, which i haven't ]
Seek refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
Spiritual fellowship... for encouragement.
I think it depends on what u intend it to be... -
mm i feel a kind -hearted person might actually possess "some" wisdomOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:It depends. Some kind hearted people do not have wisdom... so they do foolish things to help people that actually does more harm to oneself and others. So there's the saying wisdom must accompany compassion. -
Many of them.Originally posted by Isis:mm i feel a kind -hearted person might actually possess "some" wisdom
But some are not... just an example... there are those who are so 'kind' to cats that whole day his life revolves around the cats... then he develope an attachment to them and is always thinking about cats. Such a person though is kind hearted can easily fall into the cat realm, though he will become a cat with 'good karma'. This is because his attachment to cat is so great at the time of death it is likely that the 'cat seed' in his consciousness will spring up.
There are other uncountable examples of actions that have kind intentions but lack wisdom. So it is very subjective. We must be always kind, but we must be wise at the same time. -
Ahhh ok... i'm satisfied with there answer
Thank you. -
Where did you get that involves with cat and reborned into cat idea from?Originally posted by An Eternal Now:Many of them.
But some are not... just an example... there are those who are so 'kind' to cats that whole day his life revolves around the cats... then he develope an attachment to them and is always thinking about cats. Such a person though is kind hearted can easily fall into the cat realm, though he will become a cat with 'good karma'. This is because his attachment to cat is so great at the time of death it is likely that the 'cat seed' in his consciousness will spring up.
There are other uncountable examples of actions that have kind intentions but lack wisdom. So it is very subjective. We must be always kind, but we must be wise at the same time. -
It is not that one involves with cats and help the cats then one will get reborn in the cat realm. One can be kind to animals, which is a v gd thing, but not to the point of being obsessed with them.Originally posted by yamizi:Where did you get that involves with cat and reborned into cat idea from?
What I am saying is the case of a person who becomes overly obsessed with cats to the point where he can't really live without them. His whole life revolves around them and he/she is very attached to them. Such a person is likely to be reborn in the cat realm because the seeds of his/her cats is already deeply planted in his 8th consciousness. At the time of death it is easy that such seeds ripen and conditions his rebirth in the cat realm.
I suddenly thought about the cat thing because it has been discussed some weeks ago in a dharma discussion session with my dharma teacher and a few others. Someone brought up about his friend's case which is rather similar as what I described -- being someone very kind to cats and becoming obsessed and dependent on them. My dharma teacher did warn that there is a likelihood for her to fall into the cat realm, and advise that she advise her friend not to be too attached to them. -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
now that's interesting and profound.
As Master Shen Kai says,
Xiu1 Xing2 Bu4 Ru2 Xiu1 Shen1 (Cultivating our moral conduct is better than cultivating our actions), Xiu1 Shen1 Bu4 Ru2 Xiu1 Xin1 (Cultivating our mind is better than cultivating our moral conduct), Xiu1 Xin1 Bu4 Ru2 Wu2 Sheng1 (Non-arising is better than cultivating mind)
i'll say, yi1 bu4 yi1 bu4 lai2, take one step at a time. It is Jie Ting Hui together.
first you Cultivating moral conduct(jie) as foundation then you Cultivating the mind (ting) then when enlightened, it is Non-arising(hui).
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Yes can say that alsoOriginally posted by sinweiy:now that's interesting and profound.
i'll say, yi1 bu4 yi1 bu4 lai2, take one step at a time. It is Jie Ting Hui together.
first you Cultivating moral conduct(jie) as foundation then you Cultivating the mind (ting) then when enlightened, it is Non-arising(hui).
/\ But I must also say, we should practise all (jie ding hui) at the same time -
For me, I am currently only practising patience. And it is quite tough!
But it is really fun to watch it arise, see how my mind react to it and how my body reacts to it and see how it fades of. Well, the next step for me is to watch only and without even reacting to it. Just think of myself like a sky and emotions as clouds.
It's quite tough to do this the whole day... But I'll do my best to improve and to do it everyday, every moment. 
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Yes yes... very wellOriginally posted by oldkid:For me, I am currently only practising patience. And it is quite tough!
But it is really fun to watch it arise, see how my mind react to it and how my body reacts to it and see how it fades of. Well, the next step for me is to watch only and without even reacting to it. Just think of myself like a sky and emotions as clouds.
It's quite tough to do this the whole day... But I'll do my best to improve and to do it everyday, every moment. 
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Was reading Zen Master Hui Hua's conversations and found this: http://www.abuddhistlibrary.com/Buddhism/C%20-%20Zen/Ancestors/Hui-Hai/The%20Zen%20Teaching%20of%20Instantaneous%20Awakening/The%20Zen%20Teaching%20of%20Instantaneous%20Awakening-%20Teachings%20of%20H.htmOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:Yes can say that also But I must also say, we should practise all (jie ding hui) at the same time
II. Q: What are the ‘three methods of training (to be performed) at the same level’ and what is meant by per-forming them on the same level?
A: They are discipline (vinaya), concentration (dhyana) and wisdom (prajna)."
Q: Please explain them one by one.
A: Discipline involves stainless purity. Concentration involves the stilling of your minds so that you remain wholly unmoved by surrounding phenomena. Wisdom means that your stillness of mind is not disturbed by your giving any thought to that stillness, that your purity is unmarred by your entertaining any thought of purity and that, in the midst of all such pairs of opposites as good and evil, you are able to distinguish between them without being stained by them and, in this way, to reach the state of being perfectly at ease and free of all dependence. Furthermore, if you realize that discipline, concentration and wisdom are all alike in that their substance is intangible and that, hcnce, they are undivided and therefore one - that is what is meant by three methods of training performed at the same level. -
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:
yes, if u read again, i did say "It is Jie Ding Hui together."
Yes can say that also But I must also say, we should practise all (jie ding hui) at the same time
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Originally posted by sinweiy:
Hmm yep
yes, if u read again, i did say "It is Jie Ding Hui [b]together."
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