Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Meditation Part 5: Mindfulness Meditation

Meditation Part 5: Mindfulness Meditation

Where are you right now? What are you doing right now? What’s going on around you right now? Open your mind, open your senses. Be aware. Absorb.

You’ve heard the old saying about blind people, that when someone loses one sense, the others senses get stronger. There’s more to it than that- you can make your senses stronger by simply paying attention to them. We get busy, we get distracted, we get lost in our everyday patterns, and we stop really paying attention.

Mindfulness meditation is all about opening up those closed down senses and being mindful. You try to be mindful about your external world, as I hinted above, but this mindfulness expands to include what’s going on inside you as well. Be mindful of your thoughts and emotions and everything else going on inside your head.
Buddhists have a common phrase that you’ve probably seen or heard before, ‚ÄúBe here. Now.‚Äù That’s mindfulness for you. Get your mind on the here and now and be observant, be aware, be mindful.

On a practical note, start out meditating on your breath as in regular Breath watching Meditation. Once you have explored and become fully aware of your breathing, expand outward through the rest of your body, then the outside world. Try to be aware of as much of everything as you can. Then come back into yourself and be aware of your thoughts, feelings, and inner workings of your mind. Be aware of what you really think and feel, not just what your daily routine grinds into you.

Be here. Now.
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Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Meditation Part 7: Conceptual Meditation

Meditation Part 7: Conceptual Meditation

This is the “big one” that really confuses people. When you hear things like “loving kindness” meditation, or “meditation on impermanence,” or even meditation on a koan or physical object, this is the broad category involved. The mind focuses on itself and examines itself as you work through the problem or object or subject of meditation. As you contemplate the subject, you examine your thoughts and feelings as you concentrate on all aspects of the subject.

At different times you may choose to meditate on different subjects; there’s nothing wrong with that, and it is in fact encouraged. One of the goals of meditating on a concept like this is to cut through the layers of untruth we hold about the object. With most ideas, we are taught to ‚Äúthink inside the box‚Äù or become conditioned to thinking about something in some regular way. Meditation on a concept encourages thinking differently about the subject at hand.

One famous example of this is the “meditation on the corpse.” When doing this meditation, you first envision a body being buried in the ground. You picture the dirt being shoveled in and the body being covered up. Then you picture the body in dark silence. Then you picture decay setting in, and the bugs and the worms. You picture a bare skeleton, and then picture it eventually rotting away. Finally you picture nothing being left. You meditate on this until you are calm and at peace. You realize that this will eventually be your fate as well and you accept it. There is no longer revulsion or fear, just acceptance that your life and body will change like everything else. Life is precious and worth living here and now, as you really understand how life will end. This is how you meditate on the corpse; something like meditation for loving-kindness would obviously be quite different, but the process is the same; you envision all aspects of the subject, breaking it down by stages if necessary.

There are many kinds of conceptual meditation subjects, and we’ll be covering forty of them next week.

Daily Buddhism, Meditation

The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 1

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The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 1

Last week, we talked about conceptual, or contemplative, meditation. There are forty meditation themes that have become ‚Äúclassic,‚Äù and we’ll cover those today and tomorrow. There are ten ‚Äúrecollections,‚Äù ten ‚Äúfoul objects,‚Äù ten ‚Äúkasinas‚Äù, four ‚Äúdivine abidings‚Äù, four ‚Äúformless absorptions,‚Äù one ‚Äúresolution into elements,‚Äù and one ‚Äúperception of the filthiness of food.‚Äù Don’t worry about memorizing all that. You’ll get the picture soon enough.

These meditations are to be done thoughtfully and slowly, and you would go about them much like the ‚Äúmeditation on a corpse‚Äù that we looked at last Friday. You’ll soon see that there are many different versions of meditating on corpses. Keep in mind while reading the list that buddhists aren’t especially morbid, but death is probably the biggest fear that most of us have, and death, especially in the Buddha’s time period was often an ugly business. Contemplation on some of the foulest ideas can lead to fearlessness and peace.

Ten Recollections:
1. Recollection of the virtues of the Buddha.
2. Recollection of the virtues of the Dhamma.
3. Recollection of the virtues of the Sangha.
4. Recollection of one’s own moral virtue.
5. Recollection of one’s generosity.
6. Recollection of the qualities that lead to rebirth as a heavenly being.
7. Mindfulness immersed in the body.
8. Mindfulness of death.
9. Mindfulness of breathing.
10. Recollection of the virtues of Nirvana — ultimate pleasure; unexcelled ease, free from birth, aging, illness and death.

Ten Foul Objects:
1. A rotten, bloated corpse, its body all swollen and its features distended out of shape.
2. A livid corpse, with patchy discoloration — greenish, reddish, yellowish — from the decomposition of the blood.
3. A festering corpse, oozing lymph and pus from its various orifices.
4. A corpse falling apart, the pieces scattered about, radiating their stench.
5. A corpse that various animals, such as dogs, are gnawing, or that vultures are picking at, or that crows are fighting over, pulling it apart in different directions.
6. Corpses scattered about, i.e., unclaimed bodies that have been thrown together in a pile — face up, face down, old bones and new scattered all over the place.
7. The corpse of a person violently murdered, slashed and stabbed with various weapons, covered with wounds — short, long, shallow, deep — some parts hacked so that they’re almost detached.
8. Corpse covered with blood, like the hands of a butcher, all red and raw-smelling.
9. A corpse infested with worms: long worms, short worms, black, green, and yellow worms, squeezed into the ears, eyes, and mouth; squirming and squiggling about, filling the various parts of the body like a net full of fish that has fallen open.

10. A skeleton, some of the joints already separated, others not yet, the bones — whitish, yellowish, discolored — scattered near and far all over the place.

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Daily Buddhism, Meditation

A Closer Look at Loving Kindness Meditation

Loving Kindness Meditation, Step by Step

Yesterday, I reviewed the book, ‚ÄúThe Gift of Loving Kindness.‚Äù Today I’m going to cover the topic a little more, using an excerpt from the book. This is the first of the 100 practices described in the book, and it’s a nice clear overview of what loving kindness meditation really entails:

Be Your Own Friend

The foundation of loving-kindness meditation is knowing how to be your own best friend. How do you treat your best friend? Is it with care, attention, love, and concern? Here is an exercise that offers you those same deep feelings of care and friendliness you show towards others. This practice helps you remember your core goodness and points you back to yourself.

1. Take a few deep breaths. Breathing in, feel the expansion of your chest and abdomen. Breathing out, feel yourself relax.

2. Remember times when you have felt open and friendly. It’s the feeling you get when a child takes your hand, your dog comes running to greet you, or your sweetheart wraps you in a warm embrace. The feeling is one of peace and deep contentment.

3. As these memories and feelings emerge, let yourself feel warm emotions. Now generally direct these phrases toward yourself:

May I be kind to myself.

May I rest in this moment.

May I be at ease.

May I be happy.

These words should not be expressed in a hurried or mechanical manner. Receive the meaning of these phrases as best you can. Let go of the outcome. Be very patient with yourself; remember you are practicing kindness.

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Daily Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews

Book: The Gift of Loving Kindness

Book: The Gift of Loving Kindness
by Mary Brantley and Tesilya Hanauer
Review by Brian Schell, http://www.dailybuddhism.com
New Harbinger Publications, 286 Pages, ISBN: 1-57224-562-X
Purchase Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157224562X/?tag=askdrarca-20

I’ve mentioned loving kindness meditation here on the Daily Buddhism quit often in my postings the past few weeks, and it may still not be clear what it’s all about. This book makes it clear as glass. The book is small (6‚Äùx6‚Äù), and as the title itself suggests, would make an excellent gift for someone interested in taking up a simple form of meditation for perhaps the first time. Although the introduction and explanatory pages mention Buddha a few times, the book is not religious and could be enjoyed by anyone of any faith.

The introductory section explains why the authors wrote the book, how to use the book, and basic instructions for both formal and informal loving kindness meditations. This takes around 44 pages, and is an interesting, fast read. The instructions on the formal meditation are clearly presented, and easy to follow and practice.

The book centers heavily on the ideas of generosity, forgiveness, and compassion. Towards others, of course, but starting with directing those concepts towards yourself. The book explains early on that it’s hard to direct loving kindness outwards towards others if your mind is filled with blame or self-hate. Therefore, the book focuses on directing loving kindness (generosity, compassion, and forgiveness) towards yourself first, and then expanding that mindfulness outward towards others.

The rest of the book is broken into four parts, consisting of exercises that expand or modify these basic instructions in simple, yet useful ways. Part one of the book consists of meditations of loving-kindness towards yourself, part two is about loving-kindness towards difficult emotions, part three covers loving-kindness towards others, and finally, part four involves loving-kindness towards the world. On the last few pages are some additional resources for further exploration.

The bulk of the pages are filled with 100 mindful practices that can be attempted in any order. Some are quite good, others are a little weak, but since you can pick and choose the ones that appeal to you, there’s plenty to work with. Each exercise is explained clearly and concisely, usually with only two or three paragraphs. Some of the ideas are a bit saccharine, but with a book on this subject, that’s nearly unavoidable.

Buddhism Level: Beginner. All Daily Buddhism readers should be able to understand all parts of this one. It has no jargon and requires no special background. It’s even fine for those who may be uncomfortable with Buddhism, yet interested in meditation.

It’s easy to do, it’s easy to understand. Send yourself a little gift of loving kindness, and you can learn to pass it on to the rest of the world.

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Order the Book: http://www.amazon.com/dp/157224562X/?tag=askdrarca-20
.

Daily Buddhism, Meditation

The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 2

The Forty Meditation Themes, Part 2

The recollections and foul objects from yesterday were pretty straightforward in their subjects. The other half of the themes are more open-ended and ambiguous. Many of the styles of meditation you hear people discussing fall into the last group. Loving-kindness and compassion meditations, for example, fall under the Four divine Abidings.

Ten Kasinas:
1. Staring at earth.
2. Staring at water.
3. Staring at fire.
4. Staring at wind.
5. Staring at white.
6. Staring at yellow.
7. Staring at red.
8. Staring at blue (or green).
9. Staring at the space in a hole or an opening.
10. Staring at bright light.

Four Divine Abidings:
1. Benevolence, friendliness, good will, love in the true sense.
2. Compassion, sympathy, pity, aspiring to find a way to be truly helpful.
3. Appreciation for the goodness of other people and for our own when we are able to help them.
4. Equanimity. When our efforts to be of help fail, we should become neutral — neither pleased nor upset by whatever it focuses on — so that it can disregard acts of thinking and evaluating, leaving only oneness and equanimity with regard to all objects and preoccupations.

Four Formless Absorptions:
1. Being absorbed in a sense of boundless emptiness and space.
2. Being absorbed in boundless consciousness, with no form or figure acting as focal point of one’s concentration.
3. Focusing exclusively on a fainter or more subtle sense of cognizance that has no limit and in which nothing appears or disappears, to the point where one almost understands it to be Nirvana.
4. Being absorbed in a feeling that occurs in the mind, that isn’t awareness exactly, but neither is it non-awareness; i.e., there is awareness, but with no thinking, no focusing of awareness on what it knows.

One resolution into elements: For example, contemplating each part of the body simply in terms of physical properties or elements.

One perception of the filthiness of food: i.e., viewing food as something repugnant and unclean — with regard to where it comes from, how it’s prepared, how it’s mixed together when it’s chewed, and where it stays in the stomach and intestines.

Daily Buddhism, Meditation

Other Forms of Meditation

Other Forms of Meditation

Today we wrap up the mega-series on meditation by mentioning a few other forms of meditation. There are probably others that I haven’t thought of, as there are limitless ways to meditate, and unlimited numbers of subjects to contemplate.

Who Am I? – Self-study meditation to eliminate all false ideas of self.

Meditation via Prayer – Basically what it sounds like.

Thought Power – Self-hypnosis, positive thinking, laws of attraction, etc.

Emotional Meditation – Like yesterday’s loving kindness in practice, but substituting thoughts of sadness, giving, graciousness, surrender, and forgiveness.

Yoga – while practicing yoga, one is meant to be aware of all parts of the body and the movements of those parts. Consciousness of the breath is also heavily stressed in Yoga.

Martial Arts – Often stresses the life force, the body, the mind, the breath, and the concept of oneness.

Sex – Tantric sex requires mental and physical discipline as well as most of the same benefits of Yoga.

Whichever form(s) of meditation you choose, you will enjoy lowered levels of stress, and possibly increased physical health as well. These are documented, scientific benefits of meditating regularly.
In addition, of course, are the spiritual, psychological, and karmic benefits to meditation, which are a bit more subjective, but most practitioners give these heavy value as well.

It’s easy‚Ķ Just sit.

That’s all I have for you on meditation for the moment. I suspect you have questions about meditation, which I’d love to cover before moving on to another topic. Send in your questions by email at dailybuddhism@gmail.com or phone them in at 937-660-4949. I don’t have anything special planned for next week yet, so now is a great time for questions, meditation-related or otherwise.

Daily Buddhism

Buddhist Rosary Beads / Mala

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A Monk With Mala BeadsBuddhist Rosary Beads / Mala

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A Reader recently phoned in with the question:
(Phone in yours at 937-660-4949)
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Could you please discuss Buddhist Rosary Beads? What re they for and how do you use them?

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My Response:
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Buddhist “rosary” beads consist of either 108 beads most commonly for Mahayana Buddhists, or sometimes, 27 beads as in Pure Land Buddhism. These are called “mala” or “japa mala.” Hinduism also uses these. They are usually made from wood, preferably sandalwood, while the string is traditionally either human hair or silk.

They are commonly used for counting prayers, chants, or repeated mantras. Some mantras are meant to be repeated hundreds of times, and the person meditating will use the mala, moving their fingers across the beads rather than break their concentration on counting. Depending on the group or sect, sometimes it makes a difference which hand or which fingers are used to count the beads.

Why 108 beads? According to Wikipedia:Buddhist Sandalwood Mala Beads

In traditional Buddhist thought, people are said to have 108 afflictions or klesas. There are 6 senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and consciousness) multiplied by 3 reactions (positive, negative, or indifference) makes 18 “feelings.” Each of these feelings can be either “attached to pleasure or detached from pleasure” making 36 “passions”– each of which may be manifested in the past, present, or future. All the combinations of all these things makes a total of 108, which are represented by the beads. This same number is also used in Japanese New Year services where a bell is rung 108 times.

In addition, practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism, use the number 108 for a different purpose. After reciting 100 mantras, 8 extra mantras are done to compensate for any errors. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_prayer_beads )

Here is some additional information from the Edmonton Buddhist Meditation Group:
http://www.serenereflections.ca/Articles/2004/TheUsesoftheBuddhistRosar.html

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Daily Buddhism

Buddha’s Ghostwriters and Hinduism

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A Reader recently wrote:
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I wish to know if buddhist philosophy was actually codified by The Budda himself or by some other saint like Nagarjuna later?

The Buddhist philosophy, i think, is actually based on the vedic philosophy in terms of rebirth and salvation defined as coming out the cycle of rebirths but does not follow the vedic tradition. hence this interest in the origins of the philosophy. I am more interested in knowing how Buddhism is close to Hinduism. somehow I like to believe Buddha as the ninth incarnation of Vishu in the ten incarnations of Vishu.

I have heard that Buddha refusing to answer questions about the vedic philosopy and recommended his followers to follow vedas only if they understand. is it so?

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My Response:
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DISCLAIMER: My opinion follows, there are going to be dissenters whenever verifiable fact competes with faith.

I will admit right now that my knowledge of Hinduism is nowhere near that of Buddhism. To my knowledge, the Vedas (one of the Hindu ‚Äúscriptures‚Äù) did advocate an escape from Samsara (the cycle of rebirth), but I know they had definite ideas of Heaven and Hell, which Buddhism does not support (for the most part). Buddhism has always been a bit vague about exactly what happens when one reaches Nirvana. Generally speaking, yes, much of the “religious” side of Buddhism came straight from Hinduism.

Buddha never codified anything himself as far as I am aware. According to legend, his words were written down just after his death, although more probably the first writings were collected over a long period of time after his death. Very little of what is attributed to Buddha is verifiable– remember that this was a VERY long time ago, and modern scholars aren’t even in agreement about the CENTURY in which Buddha lived. In my admittedly academically slanted opinion, he almost certainly came up with the 4 Noble Truths and Eightfold Path himself, but beyond that, I wouldn’t bet on anything. Still, the words of the later authors ring true, so they are of value whether Buddha actually said them or not.

With all Buddhist doctrine and texts, weigh the words yourself and believe what makes sense to you. Remember the basic POINT of Buddhism: You aren’t trying to please any kind of god or supreme being, you are trying to reach a very personal goal of Enlightenment. Use what works for you and give up what seems unbelievable. You should keep on reading and learning, however, so you are better able to make informed decisions whether to accept or disregard parts of the doctrine. Bear in mind, that not all sects of Buddhism will agree with me on this; some are very doctrinal and strict.

Buddha (or someone writing in his name) is said to have refused to answer questions about “religious” topics, such as the existence of god(s), afterlife, magic, and so forth. He stated that there was simply no way to experience those things firsthand, so there was no way to know for certain about them; anything else would be speculation and a waste of time.

Maybe someday I’ll do a multi-part series on Hinduism; it’ll give me a chance to get back up to speed on that material. Is there any interest in the subject?

Daily Buddhism, Reviews

DVD Review: Zen Noir

Movie: Zen Noir
Director: Marc Rosenbush
Reviewed by Brian Schell
English, 71 Minutes
Amazon Link

I saw the trailers for this movie last winter, and it looked hilarious, so when I finally had a chance to watch the film, I jumped at it. Zen humor is not something you see everyday, and this was obviously advertised as a comedy.

The movie is narrated in the first person by a 30’s hard-boiled detective type, clearly a Mike Hammer parody, complete with tough-guy monologues and beard stubble. The action starts out with a chuckle, as an old Zen monk sits in a room with other monks meditating. He keels over and dies, but the others are so into their meditation they don’t even notice. When the detective arrives and starts asking questions about the murder‚Ķ Well, you know what kind of answers you get when you ask a question in Zen.

The first 25 minutes or so were rough. The back and forth rapid-fire questions and non-answers got old fast, and the overuse of Noir and Zen cliches got to the point of silliness, which was probably intentional, but still wasn’t very funny. By around the 20-minute mark, I was ready to declare this the “stupidest movie ever.” Then the silliness slowed down and the Zen took over.

There was still the occasional funny line, such as when the detective asks the Master,
“What happens when we, you know‚ die?”
“Don’t know.”
“Why not?”
“Not dead yet!” OK, so humor of that sort is in the delivery.

There are dozens of images of oranges and glimpses of oranges In different scenes and positions flashing onscreen throughout the drama. Once the meaning of the orange is explained, many things become clear, both in the movie and in real Zen itself. There really is a lot of Zen in the movie, and it was obviously very cleverly written.

Yet, I still have to ask myself, is it entertaining? The problem is that even after watching the movie, I cannot answer that one. This is definitely one of those love-it or hate-it movies, and I suspect most audiences are going to be split down the middle. If someone is fairly knowledgeable about basic Zen ideas, then there is a message in the ending; however, for the person who isn’t very familiar with Zen ideas, this is going to be a seriously boring movie that makes no sense whatsoever.

I’m going to give this one a 3/5 since I really just don’t know what to think‚Ķ Or maybe I should give it a 5/5 for the same reason.

Sigh. Zen makes me crazy sometimes.

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Plain English Guide to Buddhism