What does it mean to ‘take refuge’ in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and how might they serve as a refuge for us today?
Do you find yourself easily bored? Or do you sometimes feel like a boring person?
In daily life, when we’re bored or feel that we are no longer interesting, we’re uncomfortable with our basic state of being. It’s an unsettled feeling, often bringing up thoughts such as “What is my purpose?” or “Why aren’t I doing something important?” Boredom can easily morph into loneliness and the suffering that comes from feeling disconnected from others. We also associate this emotion with restlessness/anxiety and when taken to an extreme, boredom is often blamed for addictive behavior and even violence.
We often find ourselves “bored”while we meditate. Boredom is often internally translated as “I’m not doing this right”, which leads us to compare ourselves to others creating more suffering. It’s an uncomfortable mental state that we rarely investigate. We just want it to go away and get back to enjoying a “good” meditation.
The good news is that boredom can be our gateway into truly understanding ourselves, both in daily life and on the cushion. It can even lead to enhanced creativity! We will discuss how we can transform boredom from restlessness and anxiety, to insight and happiness.
“Thinking is a good servant but a poor master.”
This short, well-known statement sums up the conflicting potentials inherent in thought. But what does it mean, specifically, in terms of our how we conduct our spiritual practices and live our lives?
Buddhist practice is designed to develop a fundamentally different, more helpful relationship with thinking. This evening will look at the possibilities available to us as practitioner.
We’ll work with a number of familiar situations to explore these themes. In particular, we’ll look at how thinking can turn a simple, straight-forward situation into one that is complex, confusing and problematic…and how work with it.
We sometimes resort to strategies of planning and controlling as a refuge in times of uncertainty, but changing conditions often render this strategy ineffective at best, or frustrating and disappointing or perhaps even depressing. Our practice teaches us the value of continuous mindfulness, so why not adopt a more reliable strategy: TBA – To Be Aware!! Allowing awareness to connect with the changing nature of present moment experience keeps us from speculating about future outcomes that may never happen and saves us from punishing judgements about what has already happened. We will explore how TBA can help us reduce our dissatisfaction and discontentment and be more present to our life.
Buddhist practice is sometimes considered to be primarily about working with “suffering.” However, happiness, joy and well-being are also integral parts of the path of practice. How might we cultivate and integrate happiness and well-being so that they rightfully take a seat at the practice table?
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Resolving the conflict between a “healthy ego” and the Buddhist goal of experiencing the truth of “no permanent abiding self” can be a confusing process. Yet, if we don’t undertake the process, our suffering continues. For example, we sit on our cushions cultivating patience and tolerance, yet in our daily life we find ourselves frustrated with others’ opinions that do not reliably conform to our way of thinking. The Buddhist solution is to explore the path which leads towards understanding and experiencing “no permanent abiding self.” Not easy in a world which cannot even agree on basic scientific truths. We will discuss some practical applications for the cultivation of “no permanent self”, or “emptiness,” on the cushion and in daily life.
Vesak is the most important holiday of the year for Buddhists. It celebrates the Buddha’s birth, awakening, and passing into nibbana (parinibbana) at death. In many countries, it is recognized on the Full Moon Day of May as a national holiday. We will look at how the day is celebrated throughout the world, and then look at how we might take inspiration from these celebrations and from the life of the Buddha for our own practice.