Part 1: Emptiness
Part 2: The interdependence of all things
Part 3: Our mental and physical realities
Part 4: Clearing the Mind of Obscurities
Part 5 : Meditation on Emptiness & Compassion
The mind can only take you so far,
as it is a staging area for illusion.
Meditation for mental remediation!
How can you heal your mind?
If one is immersed in compassion,
what room is there for anything else?
SG
Friday, August 1, 2008
[The Random Factor #40 (4 of 5)] Clearing the Mind of Obscurities
Part 1: Emptiness
Part 2: The interdependence of all things
Part 3: Our mental and physical realities
Part 4: Clearing the Mind of Obscurities
Part 5: Meditation on Emptiness & Compassion
Part 4 : Clearing the Mind of Obscurities
The ultimate nature of mind is clear, and we know it.
Thus, we are bothered when the mind is not clear.
And, when we invest ourselves in wrong thinking such
as anger or a selfish view we are able to recognize it
as such.
Can we truly rid ourselves of all anger & selfishness?
This gap between what is and what should be is the
experience of longing. But, this doesn't mean we
*will* change our actions. For that, a Buddha needs
both wisdom and strength.
"Our knowing is obscured by stains of mind, only
when we cleanse the mind can we expect the
understanding to manifest."- Dalai Lama
To remove the stains of wrong-thinking, we need
only examine the thought in question and we will
see through these stains to the pure mind."
- Dalai Lama
Stains like all objects in the sensory world are
temporary and thus are destined to dissipate too.
Focus of wisdom of thought and strength of action
quickens the process.
So, how do we work with negative thoughts?
"Brain surgery can have some affect, but not to
remove anger... Our neurons carry both bad and
good so if you have surgery to remove the parts
ability to experience both bad and good disappear,
like a robot... that's no good." - Dalai Lama
Instead, just as you add light to eliminate
darkness, to eliminate those things we don't want
we should look to it's opposite.
If anger exists we should focus on compassion.
It's not easy, but we can always find something
we like about a person. Maybe he stole your car,
but, hey, he sure is good looking.
Even when we're joking this changes the wiring of
our brain. For the first time, perhaps, the object
of your anger now has positive associations which
changes your perception of the object. A better
example, perhaps "somebody's baby" helps heal
resentment by associating the person with the
loving bond of mother and child and reminding us
of fundamental similarity.
"If energy is on anger instead must focus on
kindness and love to reduce this negative emotion."
- Dali Lama
"Disagreements are bound to happen even within the
mind of a single individual, so what hope do we have
to avoid them between people? If you look one-sided
the only solution is to fight and disregard what
others feel. Instead, respect other views and
look for opportunity to compromise." - Dali Lama
"Bad and good is relative. Our judgements are too
often from just one angle, and often based on a
single action." - Dali Lama
Much of your opinion is based on your mood. As
waves move through the ocean yet the ocean remains
the same, so too with the Buddha mind. Through your
senses you will experience both ups and downs but
will not create lasting disturbance in the mind if
the mood is good. - paraphrased Dali Lama
Decisions made with a disturbed mind are often bad
decisions. To see clearly the mind must be unbiased
and able to recognize the condition of a disturbed
mind vs. undisturbed mind. Too much attachment is
a sign of a disturbed mind, even though some
attachment is a biological factor resulting from
a physical need. e.g. fear increases blood to the
feet so you can run away faster.
"When we say the obstruction is purified we
shouldn't say it's gone, because this too is
temporary. Instead we need to implement the
process of purification.
When we say someone is a Buddha we are not saying
they are enlightened, we are saying they are
following the path and through true effort will
reach this enlightenment." - Dali Lama
SG
Part 5: Meditation on Emptiness & Compassion
Part 2: The interdependence of all things
Part 3: Our mental and physical realities
Part 4: Clearing the Mind of Obscurities
Part 5: Meditation on Emptiness & Compassion
Part 4 : Clearing the Mind of Obscurities
The ultimate nature of mind is clear, and we know it.
Thus, we are bothered when the mind is not clear.
And, when we invest ourselves in wrong thinking such
as anger or a selfish view we are able to recognize it
as such.
Can we truly rid ourselves of all anger & selfishness?
This gap between what is and what should be is the
experience of longing. But, this doesn't mean we
*will* change our actions. For that, a Buddha needs
both wisdom and strength.
"Our knowing is obscured by stains of mind, only
when we cleanse the mind can we expect the
understanding to manifest."- Dalai Lama
To remove the stains of wrong-thinking, we need
only examine the thought in question and we will
see through these stains to the pure mind."
- Dalai Lama
Stains like all objects in the sensory world are
temporary and thus are destined to dissipate too.
Focus of wisdom of thought and strength of action
quickens the process.
So, how do we work with negative thoughts?
"Brain surgery can have some affect, but not to
remove anger... Our neurons carry both bad and
good so if you have surgery to remove the parts
ability to experience both bad and good disappear,
like a robot... that's no good." - Dalai Lama
Instead, just as you add light to eliminate
darkness, to eliminate those things we don't want
we should look to it's opposite.
If anger exists we should focus on compassion.
It's not easy, but we can always find something
we like about a person. Maybe he stole your car,
but, hey, he sure is good looking.
Even when we're joking this changes the wiring of
our brain. For the first time, perhaps, the object
of your anger now has positive associations which
changes your perception of the object. A better
example, perhaps "somebody's baby" helps heal
resentment by associating the person with the
loving bond of mother and child and reminding us
of fundamental similarity.
"If energy is on anger instead must focus on
kindness and love to reduce this negative emotion."
- Dali Lama
"Disagreements are bound to happen even within the
mind of a single individual, so what hope do we have
to avoid them between people? If you look one-sided
the only solution is to fight and disregard what
others feel. Instead, respect other views and
look for opportunity to compromise." - Dali Lama
"Bad and good is relative. Our judgements are too
often from just one angle, and often based on a
single action." - Dali Lama
Much of your opinion is based on your mood. As
waves move through the ocean yet the ocean remains
the same, so too with the Buddha mind. Through your
senses you will experience both ups and downs but
will not create lasting disturbance in the mind if
the mood is good. - paraphrased Dali Lama
Decisions made with a disturbed mind are often bad
decisions. To see clearly the mind must be unbiased
and able to recognize the condition of a disturbed
mind vs. undisturbed mind. Too much attachment is
a sign of a disturbed mind, even though some
attachment is a biological factor resulting from
a physical need. e.g. fear increases blood to the
feet so you can run away faster.
"When we say the obstruction is purified we
shouldn't say it's gone, because this too is
temporary. Instead we need to implement the
process of purification.
When we say someone is a Buddha we are not saying
they are enlightened, we are saying they are
following the path and through true effort will
reach this enlightenment." - Dali Lama
SG
Part 5: Meditation on Emptiness & Compassion
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