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Why do we avoid talking about something that’s guaranteed to come our way? Which part of d-y-i-n-g scares me the most? What keeps me believing that others will and I won’t die tomorrow, makes me fuss with savings so I’ll be secure ‘when I get old,’ makes me hord stuff ‘just in case I need it,’ and why, pray, am I shocked when someone I know dies unexpectedly?

We smother our secret fears of impermanence by surrounding ourselves with more and more goods (writes Sogyal Rinpoche), more and more things, more and more comforts, only to find ourselves their slaves. All our time and energy is exhausted simply maintaining them. Our only aim in life soon becomes to keep everything as safe and secure as possible. … When changes do happen, we find the quickest remedy, some slick and temporary solutions. And so our lives drift on, unless a serious illness or disaster shakes us out of our stupor. 

O my! what will I do with my precious stuff? I wish someone would just come and take/throw/give it all away: I wouldn’t know the difference. What a relief that would be. But ask me to sort through the things I haven’t seen, used, or missed for ages … and I’d rather put it off for another day. What’s with that?

source: Sogyal Rinpoche (1992). The Tibetan book of living and dying. San Francisco: Harper, p.18.

Human Nature – so complex. . . especially the personality/mind.  This translation by Sogyal Rinpoche really spoke to me recently and I have gone back to it several times (along with an article about the dangers of meditation – these two writings are a good balance – so I ‘ll publish the other one next  time)  For now enjoy this analogy.
~John

Rest in Natural Great Peace

–Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying (HarperSanFrancisco)

His Eminence Penor Rinpoche – April 1, 2009 – VOA Tibetan Kunleng News 

I am not a Buddhist, despite most of these blogs.  The teachings of Buddhism however, have a significant psychological and philosophical influence in my life for which I am most grateful – it is a most auspicious teacher and has been since childhood (In my Christian upbringing I was always attracted to the book of “Job”; he was my favorite old testament character along with “Joseph” and the most meditative Buddhist in Judaism, while Joseph was the most mindful). I posted below 2 excerpts from this weeks Tricycle’s Daily Dharma and a quote from Jack Kornfield’s “Buddha’s Little Instruction Book”.  For me the are about the paradox of embracing in order to “let go” (the latter of which is a theme in my recent blogs).  I hope they offer you as much insight as they have me:

Rebirth
We are in actual fact reborn every moment with new thoughts and feelings, and we bring with us the karma that we made in the past moments. If we were angry a moment ago, we are not going to feel good immediately. If we were loving a moment ago, we would be feeling fine now. Thus we live moment to moment with the results of our karma.

Every morning, particularly, can be seen as a rebirth. The day is young, we are full of energy and have a whole day ahead of us. Every moment we get older and are tired enough in the evening to fall asleep and die a small death. All we can do then is toss and turn in bed, and our whole mind is dreamy and foggy. Everyday can be regarded as a whole lifespan, since we can only live one day at a time; the past is gone and the future may or may not come; only this rebirth, this day, this moment, is important.

–Ayya Khema, When the Iron Eagle Flies

–Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying

Each Morning we are born again.
What we do today is what matters most
–Jack Kornfield

A few posts back I wrote about an eloquent saying I had come across:

“Open your hand and let the dead wood drop”

I still love that metaphor. Not chucking the wood, not chopping it up into pieces; just opening my hand and letting it drop to the ground, right where I am standing.
I never have any problem accumulating shit.  Building up my ego. I live sparsely compared to most Americans; I live like a king compared to people in underdeveloped countries – it’s a matter of perspective. Most of my accumulations are in my head and heart.  I need regular clearings.  Spiritual enemas.  A washing out of all that accumulated waste that keeps me from taking in what I need in life. I walk around with a clenched fist.  Just open your fuck’n hand already, John.  Sit down and be still.

I say the above with a smile.  My background was/is about perfectionistic German anger (apparently the only emotion that was “natural” for most family members to convey).  The reason?  Be tough, the world’s a harsh fuck’n place; you need to be tough to survive, to watch your back (although the “hard work” ethic has served me well too). I have to grin; that way of thinking creeps up every now and then, but in another sense it is so foreign. 
My “hard work ethic” rears up at times too, it tells me to ”doing something” (like go chop up the dead wood and analyze it *grin*).  Damn, it’s dead wood – let it go, John.

I don’t beat myself up anymore and at the same time I am still able to hold myself to standards of development – in a friendlier way ( a bit more compassion towards myself). Sometimes a metaphorical slap upside the head does me well though, other times a metaphorical friendly conversation over a cup of tea does me well.  I am more reactive to the former and tend to be far more attentive when the latter is used.
It’s just a reaction to how I was raised.  A part of my psychological evolution. Not unfamiliar to many of us.  It’s a common way to be raised.
Another part of being raised in my family is to view life as black and white. Fuck colors, there’s hardly any room for grey, haha.  This has challenged me to let go even more. Letting go means choices, means possibility.

Who doesn’t love a world with possibilities?  To be able to say “I don’t Already know”.  To be open.

I came across another “open hand” writing that again gave me yet another choice.  Not just one way. It was like a slap upside the head that stopped me in my tracks so I could sit down with a comforting cup of jasmine green tea *smirk*. (It also works well regarding a “clinging” that comes with our financial times right now or a “clinging” to the last 8 years of our political climate)

Tricycle’s Daily Dharma

Sure someone can take the coin, or not. Someone can add to the coin, or not. Willingness. Possibility. Choice. Openness. (and maybe even letting go)
Have a good one and thanks for stopping by.

Man wird total natürlich

Ich komme gerade aus der Dusche, habe alle Hüllen fallen lassen, zumindest die äußeren, und damit experimentiert, nackt zu sein. Bewusst nackt unter dem Wasser zu stehen und das Sein zu fühlen, die Qualität des “Nackt-Unter-Der-Dusche-Stehens”.

Dazu angeregt hat mich ein Videoclip des tibetischen Sogyal Rinpoche, der darin sinngemäß sagt:
In der Meditation werden die ganzen Hüllen und Hindernisse fallen gelassen und langsam unsere wahre Natur offen gelegt. Der Verstand ist ständig abgelenkt, Ablenkung ist die Wurzel aller unserer Probleme. In der Meditation schälen wir alle Hindernisse ab und klären die Blockierungen. Wir sind wirklich wahr, authentisch. Alles wird abgestreift, was unnatürlich ist.
What Meditation really is

Ich stehe nackt unter der Dusche in meiner ganzen Natürlichkeit. Ohne Scham und in Frieden mit mir. Wie soll ich das nackte Sein beschreiben? Ist das Meditation? Wahre Natur? So-Sein?
Im Folgenden der Versuch, natürliche Nacktheit, die wahre Natur eines Menschen, in Bildern festzuhalten. In dem Videoclip sieht man die Gesichter von Tibetern in ihrer wahren Natur (Samadhi). Ihre Gesichter sind nackt. Die Menschen schauen aus einem Zustand völliger Einfachheit, Selbstverständlichkeit, ohne Zerissenheit und genau aus diesem einen Moment.
Gesichter der Meditation

Mich berührt am meisten die ausgeprägte Einzigartigkeit der Menschen, die sich in völliger Nacktheit befinden. Die stille Einzigartigkeit ist selbst bei in Stein gehauenen Gesichtern wahrzunehmen. Jede einzelne Statue trägt die Präsenz von Natürlichkeit an sich.
500 Gesichter von Buddha

In völliger, echter, ungeschützter Nacktheit zu sein, das ist Meditation. Es ist schon komisch, wir fürchten uns vor dem Nackt-Sein, dabei strahlt ungeteilte Natürlichkeit Erhabenheit und Schönheit aus. Vielleicht sind im Osten die Buddha Statuen deshalb von so überragender Größe gebaut worden.
Daibutsu – der große Buddha von Kamakura

Viel Spaß beim Meditieren und nackt sein
wünscht

Samarpan

PS: Horoskopanalyse für den Wahrheitssucher – Den natürlichen Weg finden

PPS: Die ganze Natur ruft die Wahrheit

Stille, heitere Artikel im Zen Shop

Durante la meditazione, specialmente le prime volte, sembra quasi impossibile non essere sopraffatti dalla valanga di pensieri che la nostra mente ci propone, da quel rincorrersi di immagini, considerazioni, pensieri, spesso senza legame fra di loro o senza alcuna logica, quelle mille voci che formano il dialogo interiore e che non riusciamo a controllare.

Concentrarsi su qualcosa (un’immagine, un oggetto, la fiamma di una candela, il respiro, ecc.) ci sembra un’impresa impossibile e spesso siamo lì lì per gettare la spugna, smettere e magari mettersi a pensare che la meditazione è troppo difficile per noi, che non ce la faremo mai, e via di questo passo con pensieri che definire solo negativi è poco…

Se per caso questo capita anche  te, ecco una meditazione che può essere veramente utile anche se sembra stravolgere l’idea della meditazione come un’attività interiore di riflessione, introspezione, concentrazione., infatti si tratta di concentrarsi sulla realtà esterna, o meglio sui segnali che ci provengono da essa.  Non mi ricordo dove l’ho imparata, mi sembra da un libro di Sogyal Rinpoche ma non ci metterei la mano sul fuoco. Provala.

• Trovati un posto dove sai che non sarai disturbato per il tempo che hi deciso di dedicare alla meditazione.
• Siediti comodo con la schiena dorsale dritta. Chiudi gli occhi, pratica un po’ di respirazione ritmica (se la sai fare, se no fai un po’ di respiri lunghi e profondi) e rilassa il tuo corpo, lascialo andare.
• Fai silenzio nella mente e osserva i pensieri che vanno e vengono assumendo l’atteggiamento del testimone, cioè come se fossero cose non tue. Non fermarti su uno di questi, non esaminarli. Osservali e lasciali andare.
• Sposta la tua attenzione verso i rumori che provengono dall’esterno (per quanto tu abbia scelto un luogo tranquillo, è estremamente difficile che sia completamente silenzioso) di qualunque genere siano, dalla machina che passa al ticchettio dell’orologio, a un cane che abbaia lontano, al canto di un uccello insomma a qualsiasi -ripeto, qualsiasi- suono tu possa percepire.
• Non pensare o riflettere su questi suoni, non fermartici sopra: semplicemente prendine atto, come testimone. Forse la mente incomincerà ad attaccarsi a questi suoni, collegandoci pensieri e giudizi. Non preoccuparti. Continua ad ascoltare, con attenzione e distacco allo stesso tempo.
• Presta attenzione alle altre percezioni che puoi avere dall’esterno: gli odori, l’aria o il vento sulla tua pelle, cose del genere.
• Dopo un po’ ti accorgerai che la mente si calmerà e i pensieri incominceranno a diradarsi e ad essere meno invadenti. Continua ad ascoltare e a percepire. Non fare nient’altro, non aspettarti niente.
• Quando ti senti a posto oppure quando hai finito il tempo che hai deciso di dedicare alla meditazione, rimetti l’attenzione su te stesso e apri gli occhi.

Questa meditazione è molto efficace, non necessita di posture o accorgimenti particolari e si può praticare dovunque. Una delle cose che mi è capitato nel farla (e non è capitato solo a me, per questo mi permetto di dirlo) è che dopo un po’ mentre la mente si calma e i pensieri perdono forza, ho sentito un forte senso di comunanza con l’ambiente attorno a me, un aumento delle percezioni e della conspevolezza essere parte del tutto o comunque parte di un qualcosa di più grande del mio corpo e del mio ego.

Il fatto è che portare l’attenzione all’esterno in questo modo, limitando l’interferenza della mente e dell’ego, ci fa espandere verso le cose che percepiamo e in questo modo entriamo in un contatto più profondo col mondo circostante. Più tecnicamente, il nostro campo energetico si allarga e le vibrazioni si armonizzano con quelle del mondo esterno a noi. Stupendo quando si pratica all’aria aperta, in un bosco o in un prato, dove i suoni che senti sono solo quelli della natura e dove senti l’aria, il calore del sole, il vento…

Comunque anche per questo motivo, e cioè che in  questa meditazione è facile perdere il contatto col proprio corpo, ti consiglio quando hai finito di massaggiarti o di fare un po’di movimenti (collo, spalle, braccia, ecc.) per rimettere in moto l’energia.

]]> http://quisommesnous.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/la-meditation/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:40:35 +0000 Gnothi Seauton http://quisommesnous.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/la-meditation/ http://caminomedio.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/1150/ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:15:00 +0000 caminomedio http://caminomedio.wordpress.com/2008/07/22/1150/

Puedes convertir el lugar donde meditas en un paraíso, con una flor, un incienso, una vela, una fotografía de un maestro iluminado, o una estatua de una deidad o Buda. Puedes transformar el cuarto más ordinario en un espacio sagrado, un ambiente donde diario te reúnes con tu verdadero ser, con toda la felicidad y ceremonia, como unos viejos amigos que se saludan.

Sogyal Rinpoche

Time for my annual visit to Dzogchen Beara to hear the teachings of Tibetan master Sogyal Rinpoche and to see the amazing progress made in building the new Care Centre, which will be used as a model for the healthcare community, putting into practice some of Tibetan buddhism’s so-called “wisdom teachings” on death and dying. I have always found these teachings particularly compelling and back in 2000 I made a video to help fund-raising for the centre. There is a short version on YouTube. Great to see that it is now a reality.

This is the first in an ongoing series of posts highlighting the very best online Dharma teachings available on YouTube and other video sites. There are some genuine classics out there and I don’t know of any sites that showcase them. Anyway, in the interests of promoting free access to the universal wisdom of the Buddha, here are some selections from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa, Ven. Suzuki Roshi, Sogyal Rinpoche, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche, and Ven. Pema Chödrön. More coming soon!

Over and over, when sitting with someone near death, I notice how they hang on to ’what used to be.’ In one sense, looking back serves as a useful re-view of a life’s ups an downs, pleasures and pains, adventures and misadventures. Nothing wrong with that. What is troubling is that ’grasping’ keeps us from living what’s happening in real time, in this bed, at this bedside … now. Everything, including our own death, could come at any moment.

I am reminded of my own grasping and clinging: if only my Beloved would come back, I’d be truly happy; if only I didn’t have this nerve damage in my leg, I could run another half-marathon; if only I could still my mind, I wouldn’t be spending so much time fantasizing. And so on.

Ancient teachers remind us to practice dying every day, to let go of what’s gone, to realize the law of impermanence. So what the dying teach me is to let go now (and every moment) so that when the time comes for my body to give up, my mind will be clear and present. Seems a huge undertaking, and so it is. And the best time and place to begin is now.

“Grasping is the source of all our problems,” writes Sogyal Rinpoche, the Tibetan teacher, “Since impermanence to us spells anguish, we grasp on to things desperately; even though all things change. We are terrified of letting go, terrified, in fact, of living at all, since learning to live is learning to let go. And this is the tragedy and the irony of our struggle to hold on: Not only is it impossible, but it brings us the very pain we are seeking to avoid.”

source: Sogyal Rinpoche. (1995). Glimpse after glimpse: daily reflections on living and dying. HarperSanFrancisco, Feb.2. image: “Grasping” www.kinardist.com.

By now everyone has read and seen the devastation caused by the earthquake measuring a magnitude of 7.9 in the Sichuan province of China.  We have been holding our breath these past couple of days since dear friends of ours were living and working in China but were extremely fortunate and arrived saftely back home in India. 

Many, many  others are yet to be accounted for, and have not been left untouched by this horrific natural disaster– something of this extent not witnessed in over thirty years.

There are several relief organizations  scrambling to help those who have been affected by this catastrophe, though what’s growing increasingly frustrating is how the local government is really making things difficult for aid-workers to get through and deliver assistance ASAP.

We continue to send our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this tragic event.

-shanti

                                                 “This day is a special day, it is yours

                           Yesterday slipped away, it cannot be filled anymore with meaning

                                                   About tomorrow nothing is known.

                                           But this day, today, is yours, make use of it.

                                                Today you can make someone happy.

                                                      Today you can help another,

                                                This day is a special day, it is yours.

                                                              -INDIAN POEM-

Plus ça va et plus je pense que lorsque les journalistes parlent du Tibet, ils parlent d’un Tibet que les Chinois ont d’ores et déjà détruit. Et que les médias incultes finissent d’achever en le présentant sous sa version Pays des Neiges touristico-folklorique tout juste bonne pour les adeptes de clubs-Med spirituellement branchés et couleur-locale… Ce Tibet de pacotille dont rêvent les fabricants de disneyland planétaires et les organisateurs de villages olympiques avec retransmission en mondiovision n’est pas le vrai Tibet. Le Tibet magnifique, l’immense Tibet spirituel qui force l’admiration du monde entier, il ne faut évidemment pas commencer par lui donner les dimensions minuscules qu’il a sur la carte actuelle (où les Chinois ont déjà tout écrabouillé avec le rouleau compresseur de leur ignorance crasse et de leur bétise militaro-matérialiste. Le Tibet éternel est plus que jamais mental, INTERIEUR… Et ce Tibet là est IMMENSE, disséminé dans des millions de têtes dans le monde entier. Il s’est réfugié à Dharamsala avec le Dalaï-Lama ; il a été emporté dans les coeurs de centaines de lamas qui ont essaimé aux quatre coins du monde pour transmettre les enseignements de Guru Rinpoché. Il a été emporté dans le vent sur le souffle profond des grands maîtres (Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoché, Kalou Rinpoché, Sogyal Rinpoché (pour ne parler que de ceux que j’ai lus ou rencontré). A l’époque de l’exil, ces grands méditants se sont envolés comme des abeilles pour porter au loin leur chargement de rouleaux sacrés et d’enseignements précieux. Il y a désormais des centres du dharma et des lamas tibétains respectés dans le monde entier. C’est là qu’est le vrai Tibet ; C’est là que brûle encore la flamme de l’immense héritage spirituel du Tibet. C’est ce Tibet INTERIEUR (incomparablement plus vaste que celui qui figure sur la carte chinoise) qui continuera éternellement d’irradier et d’assurer la transmission des enseignements du Bouddha. Les Chinois n’y peuvent plus rien. Parce qu’ils ont déja perdu. En comparaison de cette flamme, celle qu’ils ridiculisent avec leurs policiers olympiques en tenue bleue est déjà pratiquement éteinte !

OM AH HUNG BENZA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

PS. Chacun aura compris que je n’écris évidemment pas ce post pour dire qu’il faut arrêter le combat et abandonner toute revendication face aux dirigeants chinois. Je dis simplement qu’il faut cesser de parler d’un “petit” Tibet folklorique. C’est un grand Tibet, un immense Tibet spirituel dont j’aimerais que les médias parlent au lieu de nous faire croire à une tête d’épingle qui serait condamnée à s’effacer sur la carte de Chine.

Qu’ils commencent déjà par rendre le Tibet
J’ai honte ça se dit comment en chinois ?

Think of it this way: each morning you wake up, you have one less “sleep” … counting down from whatever your life span may be. Say you hope to live to age 74 (the average for Canadian women) and you’re now 41 … your life expectancy is 27,010 days with 12,410 remaining (not counting fatal accidents or terminal illnesses). Whether you believe in heaven and paradise, hope to reach nirvana or return for another round as a higher being … fact is, we’re all dying. At least our body is, our “bag of bones” as ancient Zen masters called it. Just look at how it has already changed over the years and how it continues to change with each day. We die the moment we’re born. 

I’m not being morose, don’t get me wrong. I’m the first one to hide my head in the sand and look for a distraction: breakfast, a shower, maybe staying in bed a little longer, read another chapter, finish last night’s video, think about the day ahead, plan chores and projects, worry about old business, scheme about new stuff. Anything but realize that this moment, this breath, could be my last. The ego, the self, just won’t have it. It refused to contemplate its own mortality.  

So we’re in a quandary. The logical mind knows about the inevitability of death and dying. Each days it hears news of death somewhere in the world; occasionally closer to home. The frightened mind, also known as the “small self”, would rather not hear or, even better, deny death alltogether. It believes that life will continue indefinitely or, at least, for many many more years.  

There’s always a middle way: it incorporates both views, the logical and the emotional. It let’s me see fear and hope, presence and absence, awake-ness and sleep. It also accepts, without criticism, that I’d rather avoid thinking about death. And it opens the possibility to at least consider my own mortality, to see it as another step along an unknown path. The moment I go there, anxiety diminishes (but does not go away); I’m able to become conscious about this phenomenon called “my life.” I begin to become curious about what it’s like to be alive. What if death is just a stage along the path — a path I entered when I was born (or even before?) and I’ll leave with my last breath (or beyond?). I don’t really know, do I? How about admitting that it’s all a mystery, something utterly un-knowable?. 

Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, writes: “We do not like to think about death. We would rather think about life. Why reflect on death? When you start preparing for death you soon realize that you must look into your life now… and come to face the truth of your self. Death is like a mirror in which the true meaning of life is reflected.”