Finding the Right Path

When we compare religions, or belief systems, there is an unfortunate tendency to extol our own opinions at the expense of other's views. This is largely an exercise in futility that produces little in the way of true understanding. It seems far more productive to listen carefully to the explanations of others, with the intent of accepting and understanding. We might ask ourselves' "Can I find room for this within my own belief system? The main point is not to discard anything as it may be a key piece of the puzzle. Try for acceptance. The truth, the clarity, will out more quickly if we don't hinder it with discursive road blocks. The best of "systems", religious or otherwise, can be corrupted if approached improperly, and what appears to be confusion can lead to clarity and awakening if approached correctly.

For example some people are sold on yoga as the superior life path., while others see it as nothing more than another form of physical exercise. About.com, in answer to the question "What really is yoga?", tells us that, "Yoga is an all-embracing way of life, a science of self-culture and mental discipline that ensures the purgation of the ignoble in man and brings forth what is most noble in him."

All of the above points of view, I suppose, can be said to be true. Yoga is all of those things and more. It depends on the teacher as well as on the student; that is their karma. In today's DROPLET we are taking a closer look at the ancient tradition of yoga. I hope you find it helpful. Many tashi deleks! . ~y~.

Becoming a Bodhisattva

Lord Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, is our inspiration. He is the anchor for our faith. He is the heart of our confidence in the fact that any human, even those of us mired in samsara, have the capacity to wake up in this lifetime. It is never too late, no matter our situation. We can awaken through compassion and actually help this crazy, mixed up world with our day to day activities. Anyone can do this; we can all be bodhisattvas! This is what the buddha taught, 2500 years ago, that continues to echo down through the centuries to our own time. . . . Our situation is not necessarily all that bleak. There is much trouble in the world, and in our lives, but even though we may feel inadequate, every act of kindness we take part in, every unselfish thought, every moment of clarity, echoes down through existence just as did the acts of the buddha. They are the acts of a buddha. So keep on truckin'. Never lose faith. Wherever you go and whatever you are doing, spread the buddha virus with acts of lovingkindness to yourself and others! We are all each other's children. Many tashi deleks!

Imagine You're Enlightened

A student asked about visualization practice and deity meditation. Dezhung Rinpoche closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead. He bobbed his head up and down as if he were concentrating very hard and said, “You visualize the head of the deity, then you visualize all those arms, then you visualize the implements, then the palace, then you try to see the whole deity clearly, but you lose one part, so you go back to visualize that…And it’s all gone. You start again, and the same thing happens, again, and again.” Then he opened his eyes wide, looked right at the student, smiled, and said, “And then you have a headache!” Ken McLeod.
You can read the complete article at buddhadharma or visit Ken's blog at musings. . . . Both are worth your time.

Quote from DROPLETS April 23, 2009

Many of us have come to have a clear understanding of the value of shamatha meditation, but we have not been able to integrate practice into our daily life on a regular basis. We might find it somewhat inexplicable that it is so difficult to tame the mind to this simple exercise. Why is it so difficult to actually do it, to sit and simply follow the breath? This is the koan we must address in order to move beyond mental creations of the mind. . . Even a simple practice like sitting for ten minutes twice a day may seem beyond us. We start with good intensions, and may manage a week or two, but then it slips away. Some of us resort to month long retreats, which is an excellent and powerful approach, and by the end of the month we are highly inspired to continue our practice. But again it slips away. The mind is that unruly! When and how can we move beyond this? . . . The Vajrayana practices have many tools to help us beyond this point, but they often seem inaccessible. This is largely due to our conceptual / analytical mind. We are afraid to let go of our analysis, we feel we need it. We feel that if we don't figure things out that we will be helpless and may become trapped. . . . This is like a child standing at the edge of a lake, wanting to go in for a swim. The child knows that the water will be cold, but forgets that once in the water the first cold sensation will pass, and the water will feel much more comfortable and pleasant. Meditation practice is like that. We have to jump in for awhile to discover, from experience, how pleasant it is. We need have the faith to take the plunge without hesitation, and that depends on an experiential understanding, not an intellectual one. First we must have the faith to take the plunge. . . again and again.. Many tashi deleks! . ~y~