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Сущность Будды

Для буддиста необходимо осознавать свои ошибки и воспринимать их спокойно, patiently. Нетерпение, как правило, все равно проявляется - его также необходимо осознавать и (тут все это начинает напоминать Уловку 22) воспринимать его спокойно, with equanimity.

Для этого нужен не только высокий уровень осознанности, но и терпение по отношению к своему нетерпению. Терпение, сливающееся с осознанностью и уходящее в бесконечность.

Почувствовать в себе это терпение, осознать его - это прикоснуться к сущности Будды.

Value process over aims

GTD list is not something etched in stone - its just a reflection of your current aims and activities. It’s constantly changing, all the time. So no big deal if something is not done, or something has gone unexpectedly. GTD is an instrument of awareness, of reflection.

GTD is the place to be aware of your intentions and aims, not the place to make agreements with yourself. Making agreements is difficult and painful. Bringing some of your aims to light may be painful - if you don’t want to do it, or have enough, or something like that. GTD is not the place to make peace between your heart and your mind.

If you see they’re not in peace - take a pause, set a time to deal with it. Listen to yourself - what’s REALLY important to you these days. Do not hesitate to throw something away (or move to “oneday / maybe” list).

City Shrines

Small shrines can be found all across Japan. They differs from relatively big (with parks and stuff) to very small, just few square meters.

Those shrines are ultimately important. They’re tearing apart illusion of your routine life and bringing you down to the reality as is. It is a kind of mental cold shower or momentarily meditation. Just pay attention to them, let everything go for a moment, and appreciate their beauty.

It is a good idea to seek such “city shrines” in your city, and even at your workplace.

On monasteries

Another complication brought by modern way of life is monasteries. Still being a very respective institute, the differences between monastery life and worldly life are way bigger now than, let’s say, 1000 years ago. For that time, going to the monastery was not uncommon, good and respectable move. For our time, going to the monastery is something in between crazy and heroic.

Ages ago, monasteries has played a big role in the life of the society. Nowadays, they’re existing very much on their own, decreasing influence of Buddhism on the society greatly.

On concentration

Concentration (attention, focus, whatever) is tricky. Its hard to practice properly.

When meditation, I’m often falling into “possessing” kind of concentration. You can compare it with watching movie, when your mind moves with object of concentration.

Proper way to concentrate is “observing”. Let everything go. No regrets, no worries. Do not care of anything at all. After then, start noticing object of concentration. Do not allow it to move your mind, just observe. If you feel it starts to enter into your mind, let everything go again, and start over.

upd: Its called nyon-yid (deluded awareness) in Dzogchen. Gotta dig Nyingma stuff a lil bit deeper.

On cold showers

My studies on Buddhism are like pieces of the puzzle, clicking in their places. Its not like discovering something new, or proving theorems. Its more like gathering small pieces, making the whole picture.

In Nov 09 I’ve stumbled upon cold showers. I’m practicing contrast shower in the morning (waking up at 0500) for, and despite being very helpful to wake up, for some reason it’s also helpful for meditation.

Cold showers were applied in the psychotherapy since its very beginning. There’s also Shinto “water Misogi” practice of lustration, when practitioner was standing under the cold waterfall. With my own positive experience, this combination has attracted my attention.

The answer to “what is cold shower and what is it doing” turned out to be simple and obvious. Misogi is considered to be a kind of meditation, and it is exactly so.

In the morning, after the sleep, our mind is clouded even more than during the day. It lacks awareness badly. Cold shower brings that “here and now” feeling to us, awakening and momentarily concentrating on our skin sensations. Brings us to very current moment.

To use cold shower more effectively, when turning it on, release everything. Let everything go. Just feel it. For a moment, just be there.

Eventually, you’ll find this moment amazing.

On contexts

Attending at Vipassana retreat (in S.N.Goenka tradition), I saw a lot of ironic smiles when translator was speaking about “non-sectarian” nature of S.N. Goenka teachings. In Western monotheistic cultures, “sect” usually have a negative meaning - small group of people with their own religion, brainwashed and dangerous. At the East, though, “sect” means just a branch of some religion. Like, Soto, Rinzai and Obaku are considered sects of Zen Buddhism. (Just to note: Goenka’s school is cultist one itself.)

When Goenka was speaking of elements everything consist of - air, water, etc, most people were also amazed and after meditation retreat has started to ask, how it come. According to their knowledge everything consists of atoms, subatom particles, etc. Answer was “those elements are given by S.N.Goenka in metaphorical sense”, leaving people wondering what metaphor is. Concept of 4 elements, which are describing not materials, but more “behavioral nature” (like frozen water is more like “earth” than “water”) has remained unknown for many.

Another less obvious but way more dangerous misunderstanding is about the statement “its the hard work”. Being sure that “work” means “doing something”, many has started to work with “posessing attention” rather than with “observing attention”. Despite constant calls by S.N.Goenka for doing things mindfully, with “equanimity”, many has became captured in playing with their minds, opening chakras, seeing dead relatives, etc.

Cultural differences may cause more serious impact, probably. I’m sure proper practicing of visualization techniques is tricky in our overvisualized and overvirtualized world.

So, practice mindfully. Mind the context. Always be critical to yourself and to. Try to see the influence your mind and your context is making to your practice. It’s important for clear understanding.

Some bookmarks for myself

• Anapanasati Sutta (MN 118), Mindfulness of the breath
• Kayagata-sati Sutta (MN 119), Mindfulness of the Body
• Satipatthana Sutta (MN 10), the Four Paths of Mindfulness
• Maha-satipatthana Sutta (DN 22), the Larger Discourse on the Four Paths of Mindfulness