Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

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Re: Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

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Flamerule 21, 1358 DR – at Vale Estate

The chaos and death among the gods had sparked a lengthy conversation between Avintae, Teris, and Mi-Le about the nature of impermanence and attachments. Mi-Le believed that in such an unstable world, cultivation of the mind was the most sensible approach.

"The liberated mind is a most precious thing. But you needn't wonder what it's like. What's most important is the practice of freeing it. These recent events, as horrible and painful as they are, present a most unique opportunity to show others the Way," Mi-Le mused. "I think I must take advantage of them."

“...Can I be honest...?” Teris ventured.

"I would insist on it."

“...I don't really think it's.. um... appropriate... to use these events to tell people to change... I think compassion and understanding would be better...” Teris said hesitantly.

Mi-Le knew the truth of the genasi’s words almost as soon as they were spoken. "...Yes, I think you're right." The monk closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, noticing the mental undercurrent pulling toward this particular desire. As he watched it, it subsided. He would not walk about proselytizing, then. But he could at least write about it. Then, those who were searching could find the teachings of his monastery.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All That Is Mine

At my monastery, I was taught to reflect,
“All that is mine, beloved and pleasing, will become otherwise, will become separated from me.” And it’s so common to misinterpret this as some pessimistic doctrine of apathy and nihilism. But it’s just a statement of reality. It’s not saying that we shouldn’t care about people, or that there’s no happiness in the world. It’s pointing out that chasing after what we like and prefer doesn’t lead to lasting happiness. Grasping at what’s impermanent will leave us empty-handed, sooner or later.

Part of the problem is that we don’t really take the time to think about how impermanent everything really is. But impermanence has been staring us in the eyes all along, and recently it’s even been slapping us in the face. Recently I heard that the gods Bane and Bhaal died. How many gods does that make it now? The Old Order’s ancient nameless god, Mystra twice, Bane, and Bhaal. It seems to me that the gods have proven no more permanent and reliable than anything else in the world. If even the gods, whom so many take to be everlasting and secure, are in fact so impermanent, what can we really rely on for happiness?

Searching outward for happiness eventually leads to a dead end. True happiness cannot be realized as long as we’re chasing after something else. Only by turning inward can we realize true happiness. By letting go, turning inward, and settling into stillness, we can experience the Chán states, which transcend all other conditioned worldly happiness. But even the Chán states themselves are conditioned and impermanent. Through them, though, one can realize the unconditioned Way. One can become truly happy.


((Highlighted text adapted from Aṅguttara Nikāya 5:57.))


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Image
Eleasis 13, 1358 DR – East of the Chionthar River

Truth be told, Teris the fire genasi had long interested Mi-Le. They’d first met years ago, when Teris had not seemed very lucid. Then, when Teris had come into a more conventional frame of mind, he appeared to share many of Mi-Le’s values. So when Teris invited Mi-Le for a walk, the monk was happy to accept. Their walk had taken them to a clearing in the woods east of the Chionthar River.

"Not too long ago, I felt like I should show people the impermanent nature of the gods. I was quite eager to do so.” Mi-Le referred to their discussion at Vale Estate. “Your advice was apt then." The two continued to discuss many things.

Eventually, Teris asked, “Do... people ever lie to you...?”

"I suspect they do."

“Do you ever.. feel that... it's... harder to keep a hold on reality... when you never know who's being fake and who isn't...?”

"No. Unless the discussion is about the Way, I don't put much importance on it. And if it is about the Way, then in the end, we must rely on ourselves anyways."

“That sounds very lonely...”

"Mm. Self-sufficient. There's a difference between solitude and lonely." Mi-Le shrugged. "I suppose my sense of reality doesn't depend on the words of others, but on the nature of reality itself."

“I wish that was the same for me... I really wish it.”

Mi-Le gestured to the wilderness surrounding them. "You can ground your understanding of reality on this. The words of others are so fleeting."

Teris pulled a cranberry scone from his pocket and began to nibble at it. Baking was one of the druid’s hobbies, and Mi-Le knew he was good at it. The monk lapsed into silence, waiting for Teris to finish eating or continue the conversation whenever he was ready.

“I feel kind of conflicted... about the way your ... uh... Way.. works. How does anyone who follows it truly enjoy each other's company... or the things around them..? How can they fully embrace life...?”

"We simply think there's more to life than even those things, enjoyable though they might be. We believe that one cannot fully embrace life while remaining ignorant to the nature of its reality."

“But that's my point, though... Why can't you accept reality.. while enjoying what it offers?”

"When you truly see the nature of reality, it's not that you feel nothing for others, or become a dispassionate zombie toward all things. It's just that the more you understand the impermanence of things, the less your happiness depends on those things staying just so, remaining in some perfect state forever for your enjoyment."

“That's not what I mean... It's more.. um... Sometimes I get the feeling you're not allowed to enjoy things outside of thinking about the Way only.”

"Oh. Well, there's actually a lot of truth to that. But you're not a monk in my order or monastery. And it's not as bad as all that, for me. I suspect I'm allowed to enjoy a lot of the things you do. But yes, the primary focus is the Way."

“It just.. seems very sad to me.. I feel sad that you don't get to try things and that it's hard to connect with you.”

"Mm. I know this will sound dramatic, but the happiness to be realized through the Way surpasses worldly happinesses," Mi-Le said, thinking of the Chán states, and beyond that, enlightenment.

“...Has it happened yet...? That happiness...?”

It was a tricky question for Mi-Le. The monks of his monastery were not supposed to speak about their own personal spiritual attainments, such as the Chán states or enlightenment, to laypeople. Mi-Le respected that rule, because it was meant to guard against pride and guru worship. "I do not speak through blind faith," Mi-Le said carefully. "There are stages of that happiness. I do not claim to be completely enlightened. But I can say with confidence that there is validity to the Way."

“...But have you felt that happiness?” Teris insisted.

Mi-Le considered whether a truthful answer would break his monastery’s rules. More importantly, he searched his own intentions. Would he be speaking out of ego, or an earnest wish to provide a helpful answer? After some consideration, he permitted himself to say, "Yes." Beyond that one word, he could elaborate on the Way without discussing his own spiritual attainments. "At the coarsest level, there is a state wherein all negative mind-states and hindrances vanish, and one feels rapture and bliss that transcends worldly happiness. This alone is worth following the Way. But it is not the culmination of the Way. And, frankly, it is a mind-state that can be realized through the practices of other religions too."

“Which ones..?

"Oh, take your pick. Eldath, Sune, Ilmater, Lathander all come to mind."

“...Sune...?”

"My understanding of Sune's teachings is that of true love. Not romantic attachment. Insofar as Sune teaches true loving kindness, I respect her doctrine."

“Oh... well.. um… I've seen.. assorted things, in practice.”

"Yes. So I'm aware. But there are beneficial teachings within Her religion. And the practices of loving kindness can lead to the mental state I speak of."

“I know.. I think that's what makes me disappointed. There's so much good in it, then they throw in one part that destroys the whole point...”

"That's it exactly, Teris. That is the reason why my order practices as it does. You ask why we forego certain things, and that is why. We focus instead on what is pure. In any case, the mental state I speak of is known in my monastery as the first Chán. It is the first of four, and the four Cháns are not enlightenment, but are important to its realization."

“I feel like it's impossible for me to figure out how to do any of that... How do you learn how it works...?”

"The good news is that you don't have to practice Chán by trying to reach Chán. In fact, some would say it's counterproductive. In breath meditation, for example, the object is the breath, not Chán. In loving kindness meditation, the object is loving kindness, not Chán. It's kind of like sleeping: sleeping isn't something you consciously choose to do, it's something that kind of happens to you, when the conditions are right." Mi-Le considered his next words. "Teris, I don't think you need to worry about who you should be or anything like that. You're already what you should be. You're kind. And loving kindness is absolutely essential to Chán."

“Oh.. well... I try to be, anyway...”

"That's all you need to try to be, then. And maybe throw in some breath meditation too, while you're at it."

“Would it help me feel less anxious and not panic as much...?”

"Mm. It tends to. There are many different kinds of meditation. Breath meditation isn't what I naturally incline towards, but it's a good practice."

“I don't really know how to do meditation stuff...”

"Nothing to it, really. Sit up straight, eyes closed. Rest your hands comfortably. Be aware of the breath as you breathe in, and be aware of the breath as you breathe out. Don't control the breath. Just let it flow naturally, however it's flowing. If a distraction comes up, whether internal or external, acknowledge it. Don't fight it, don't follow it. Just acknowledge it, then go back to the breath. That's about it."

“Is there a way to make it easier to not get distracted..?”

"Yes. Meditate in solitude, in a quiet place. A quiet grove is perfect."

“What if.. I kind of... have trouble with getting lost.. uh.. mentally..?”

"That'll happen. Don't judge yourself for it. Just acknowledge it, without berating yourself or anything. And go back to the breath. Think about it this way: this whole time we've been talking, you've been breathing. You just haven't been paying attention to it. Well, with this practice, you're just paying attention to it."

“...Alright. I think I'd like to try it next time I'm off at the special place...”

"I hope you have fun with it, Teris. It can be an enjoyable and relaxing thing."
Mi-Le (彌勒) - "Meditate, monks. Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later." ((-Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146))
-Monk of the Old Order and the Way. Will not kill.
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Re: Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

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In Dependence on Chán
  • “Monks, I say that the destruction of the taints occurs in dependence on the first Chán. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the second Chán. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the third Chán. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the fourth Chán. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the base of the infinity of space. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the base of the infinity of consciousness. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the base of nothingness. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the base of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. I say that the destruction of the taints also occurs in dependence on the cessation of perception and feeling.

    “When it was said: ‘Monks, I say that the destruction of the taints occurs in dependence on the first Chán,’ for what reason was this said? Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, a monk enters and dwells in the first Chán …. He considers whatever phenomena exist there pertaining to form, feeling, perception, volitional activities, and consciousness as impermanent, suffering, an illness, a boil, a dart, misery, affliction, alien, disintegrating, empty, and non-self. He turns his mind away from those phenomena and directs it to the deathless element thus: ‘This is peaceful, this is sublime, that is, the stilling of all activities, the relinquishing of all acquisitions, the destruction of craving, dispassion, cessation, enlightenment.’ If he is firm in this, he attains the destruction of the taints. But if he does not attain the destruction of the taints because of that lust for the Way, because of that delight in the Way, then, with the utter destruction of the five lower fetters, he becomes one of spontaneous birth, due to attain enlightenment there without ever returning from that world....”

    “When it was said: ‘Monks, I say that the destruction of the taints occurs in dependence on the second Chán,’ for what reason was this said? Here, with the subsiding of thought and examination, a monk enters and dwells in the second Chán....”
Similarly with the other levels of Chán up through the base of nothingness.

((Adapted from Aṅguttara Nikāya 9.36.))
Mi-Le (彌勒) - "Meditate, monks. Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later." ((-Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146))
-Monk of the Old Order and the Way. Will not kill.
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Re: Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

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Corrupt Monks

In my travels, I've come across many different monastic orders and communities. Some were inspirational. Many were not. Some even made me wonder whether enlightenment is possible. I think my teacher must have had such encounters too, given some of his words:

  • "So too, when evil monks are strong, well-behaved monks are weak. At that time the well-behaved monks sit silently in the midst of the monastic community or they resort to the outlying provinces. This is for the harm of many people, for the unhappiness of many people, for the ruin, harm, and suffering of many people, of devas and human beings.
    ...
    "So too, when well-behaved monks are strong, evil monks are weak. At that time the evil monks sit silently in the midst of the monastic community or they depart for other regions. This is for the welfare of many people, for the happiness of many people, for the good, welfare, and happiness of many people, of devas and human beings."


    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    "If you don't gain a mature companion,
    a fellow traveler, right-living & wise,
    wander alone
    like a king renouncing his kingdom,
    like the elephant in the wilds,
    his herd.

    "We praise companionship
    — yes!
    Those on a par, or better,
    should be chosen as friends.
    If they're not to be found,
    living faultlessly,
    wander alone
    like a rhinoceros."
((Adapted from Aṅguttara Nikāya 2.39 and Suttanipāta 1.3, respectively.))
Mi-Le (彌勒) - "Meditate, monks. Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later." ((-Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146))
-Monk of the Old Order and the Way. Will not kill.
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-[Bio]

((Feel free to reach out to Mi-Le for forum RP!))

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Re: Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

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Patience in the Practice

To gain insight into a state of concentration, you have to stick with it for a long time. If you push impatiently from one level of concentration to the next, or if you try to analyze a new state of concentration too quickly after you've attained it, you never give it the chance to show its full potential and you don't give yourself the chance to familiarize yourself with it. So you have to keep working at it as a skill, something you can tap into in all situations. This enables you to see it from a variety of perspectives and to test it over time, to see if it really is as totally blissful, empty, and effortless as it may have seemed on first sight.


((Adapted from "Jhana Not by the Numbers" by Thanissaro.))


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Image
Alturiak 20, 1352 DR – At the shrine of Eldath

Mi-Le had received his teacher's summons to return to the monastery in Shou Lung. The summons had been brought by a young monk named Tara, and her journey had no doubt been a long one. The two monks had never met before; Mi-Le had left the monastery a year before Tara was born, and she had joined the monastery when she was nine. However, from their ongoing conversation, it was obvious to Mi-Le that Tara had a deep understanding and appreciation of the Way.

"You mentioned that the first Chan is simply the absence of the five hindrances," Mi-Le said. "This matches my understanding of our teacher's words. Although other monks have said the first Chan also entails concentration, unification or one-pointedness of mind, I don't think our teacher mentioned these factors when he spoke of the first Chan. It's only in the second Chan that he mentioned concentration, one-pointedness of mind, the subsiding of thought. What do you think?"

Tara nodded thoughtfully. "Personally, I think there's thought in each of the four Chans, depending on how you define thought. I mean, there's always mental activity going on, right?" Mi-Le recalled experiences in which all conceptual thought had been absent from his mind, but he chose not to speak about those at the moment, wanting to hear Tara's words. "Actually, with experience, the first Chan doesn't really feel all that remarkable or different from normal thought. Eventually you can shift into it kind of easily."

"I found that to be the case, as well!" Mi-Le smiled. "At first the first Chan seemed very dramatic and earth-shattering, but over time it stopped being such a big deal. Of course, you notice the stark difference between, say, an angry mental state and the first Chan. But eventually, there's not much difference between the first Chan and your default resting mental state." Perhaps it was because, with practice, one's default mental state became more still and tranquil. "Do you remember the metaphor of the ball of soap powder suffused with moisture? In the first Chan, the meditator likewise 'suffuses his body with the rapture and happiness born of seclusion'?" Tara nodded. "I've noticed when the mind is at rest and the hindrances are gone, the body relaxes and a tingling warmth spreads up my back and through my body. What are your thoughts?"

Tara nodded and smiled brightly. "Yeah! I have the same experience, or something similar. You can enter the first Chan by searching out the hindrances and relaxing them. But it's good to develop other methods of entering Chan, like breath meditation. You can use the pleasant tingling warm sensation as a meditation object, but I don't know if that'll always be reliable."

"Oh, I don't use the pleasant warmth as a meditation object. That just happens. And in truth, I don't often use breath as a meditation object these days, either. I just watch for the hindrances and relax them, and the mind stills."

"That's the insight method, and I think it's valid. I've also noticed a kind of forward momentum in my mind, and I try to relax that too."

"Oh yes. I do that when I search for the hindrances. I look for the underlying mental 'pull'. When I find it and watch it, it usually subsides."

"Yeah, I think when that happens, it's the second Chan. I have the same experience you’re describing: let the mind rest and rapture and pleasure come. I think when it happens in formal meditation and you’ve checked the hindrances, there's a good chance you’re going into the second Chan. It’ll start feeling like the joy can't be contained by the body. For me I feel it rise through my spine, then it's gone, then it comes back again. It might be somewhat different for everyone." Tara paused briefly as a thought occurred to her. "Just try to observe and not expect or 'wait' for anything - I made that mistake!" She laughed. "When a person gets experienced with Chan, you can spot the hindrances like colors and enter as you wish."

"I spot hindrances like mental pressure or ripples." The two smiled at each other. "I'm glad I can talk to you about this, Tara." Mi-Le wasn't supposed to speak about his own personal spiritual attainments with laypeople, but he could do so freely with another monk. He decided to speak further. "I've had experiences where I felt like I was entering a supremely tranquil state where there was absolutely no conceptual thought. What do you think that was?"

Tara hummed thoughtfully. "It depends, and people have different ideas about what a thought is. Any other things you can describe about it?"

"It's just surpassingly still. No mental ripples, no verbal thought, no mental concepts except the perception of mental stillness." Mi-Le shrugged.

"Any pleasant or unpleasant feelings?" Tara asked.

"Not that I recall."

"If the hindrances were also gone, it could be the fourth Chan. It’s the quietest and at that stage there’s only neutral feeling. The fourth Chan tends to be unstable when people first experience it though, because it’s not comfortable like the other Chans. To be honest, I don't practice the fourth Chan much. It's kind of a weird one because of the effect it has on you in daily life."

"Like things become less important?" Mi-Le laughed.

"Your expression gets all impassive, and everything and everyone seems silly and stupid." Tara's laughter rang like crystalline chimes through the forest clearing. "The perception of mental stillness might be one-pointedness, since in the fourth Chan that's what remains. I'm not sure."

"What did you mean by the fourth Chan not being comfortable?" Mi-Le asked. "It felt very still."

"Oh, I meant that people tend to get thrown off by the neutral feeling and lack of pleasure. The third Chan sometimes feels very similar in stillness, at least to me. So sometimes people confuse the two."

"I might get thrown off by an intrusive thought; then the Chan will instantly end."

"I don't know... I think you can absolutely have thoughts in Chan. They might be less, or sometimes it seems like there's no thought, but you're not aiming to be a dead plant. I think the only issue is when thought is tied to the hindrances. But I don't know, I'm not a master." Tara laughed.

"All I can say is, I don't remember any thought in that state. But when I got an excited thought about how 'deep' I was, I got knocked out of that supreme stillness."

"Hah! I think that happens to everyone whenever we have a new experience." Tara looked at Mi-Le, smiling. "By the way, I'm kind of in awe of how you've been practicing all this time without a teacher. I've had so much confusion and questions throughout the years, I can't imagine not having had a teacher answer my questions and direct me. The doubt hindrance would be so hard."

"It has been hard," Mi-Le admitted with a wistful smile. "I feel like I've taken the long way."

He realized it was past time to return to his master.

((Adapted from a dialogue between two spiritual friends.))
Mi-Le (彌勒) - "Meditate, monks. Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later." ((-Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146))
-Monk of the Old Order and the Way. Will not kill.
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Re: Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

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Tarsakh 1352 - At the Monastery of the Fearless Mountain in the Arakin province of Shou Lung

Whereas Mi-Le had traveled for decades through Shou Lung and Faerun, Brother Ren had spent that time practicing at their monastery. Mi-Le was truly grateful to meet Brother Ren again after so many years and speak with him about the Way. Their discussion, however, was challenging certain understandings that Mi-Le held about his own practice.

"Watching the hindrances should be something you do if they arise and strongly distract you from the breath. The hindrances can be a secondary object, but the breath is the primary object," Brother Ren said. "Spend only a minute watching the hindrances until they disappear. Any longer than that, and there's a problem. At that point, you should just get up and walk."

"I've heard it said that the first Chan is simply the absence of the five hindrances. You think this is overly simplistic?"

Brother Ren nodded with a slight smile. "Overly simplistic."

"So there's more to the first Chan than the mere absence of the hindrances?"

"Yes."

"I've heard it said that the first Chan has unity of mind and is absent of conceptual thought. What do you think?"

"I agree."

"So the warm tingling sensation up the back, what is that?"

"That's joy and happiness."

"Didn't our teacher mostly discuss that in the context of the first Chan?"

"It can be present before the Chan states."

"And when one sees the hindrances vanish, and the happiness swells up? What is that?"

"That's mental stillness [dìng/定]."

"But there's still thought, thinking, when that happens."

At this, Brother Ren paused and looked at Mi-Le. "There's mental stillness before the Chan states too. There are varying depths of stillness."

"And when my mind stilled so much for a moment that there was no conceptual thought?"

"You had momentary stillness." Mi-Le understood "stillness" in this context to mean deep stillness, and that Brother Ren thought only this deep stillness could be considered a Chan state...

((Adapted from a discussion with a monk trained in the study of the Abhidhamma.))

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Thicket of Views

Chan is a complex and slippery issue to talk about sometimes. So many very revered monks and lay practitioners who are well-practiced and well-versed in the Way have widely divergent views about Chan... What it is, how to "get" there, how important it is, its place in relation to insight, liberation, etc. It's a jungle... as my teacher might have said in relation to all of the opinions: "a thicket of views, a wilderness of views..."

What you experience may or may not "officially" be Chan, and you could probably find many people to tell you one thing or another. What I offer is what many of my teachers have offered: it is best not to get into labelling these kind of meditative experiences. The clear classifications that some monks offer don't have to mean quite so much.

What makes sense to me is to really just hone in on working with the four foundations of mindfulness as a focus. The hindrances and mental qualities are suitable contemplations to use. Especially suitable are contemplations that bring you back into the body, including mindfulness of breath. But perhaps mindfulness of breath with a much more relaxed and broad focus than is often taught (many monks teach the narrowly-focused one-pointed attention to a very small area -- tip of the nose, abdomen, etc.) Whole body breathing and whole body presence -- what one monk refers to as the "somatic presence." That is, sensing the whole body within the framework of certain qualities such as groundedness, spaciousness, and the rhythmic quality of gentle in and out breathing. Very open, very broad, but not drifty or spacey. This is hard to describe in a brief entry.

Sometimes (often) it really helps to do some active contemplations, such as recollection of kindness, precepts, generosity, how someone else has helped you (gratitude), et cetera, as a way of softening the mind. Then the whole body breathing comes much more naturally.

When this style is fully developed, the attention can settle much more naturally on the breathing, rather than forcing one's attention onto the breathing, which just leads to tension usually. If the mind is happy and contented before turning attention to the breathing, then the breathing will just come and seek you out, rather than you having to hunt it down.

With that approach, given space and time, one can settle to and absorb into that very pleasant state of complete and undistracted bodily awareness. No labels, no definitions, no strain.

It doesn't generally do much good to try and "regain" a past experience you had... the desire for it just pushes the peaceful mind away to the background. Best to attend to gladdening the mind, tuning into the full body experience, and let breathing come to you gently, and then turn toward it with interest and curiosity... keeping it very simple.

Having said all of this, I encourage you to spend as much time doing sitting and walking meditation (without straining yourself or getting too intense) as you can fit into your daily life. And with a curious gentle attitude....you want to enjoy it!


((Adapted from advice given by a monk who deemphasizes the Commentarial tradition of Theravada Buddhism.))
Mi-Le (彌勒) - "Meditate, monks. Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later." ((-Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146))
-Monk of the Old Order and the Way. Will not kill.
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Re: Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

Unread post by Arn »

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Disenchantment

Píjuàn (疲倦) is a concept that is hard to explain to most people. I like to translate it as disenchantment, disillusion, or world weariness. In my mother language it's also expressed by yīn (陰), literally meaning negative, dark, or the opposite of light, and yànwù (厭惡), literally meaning disgust or hate. I prefer píjuàn (疲倦), which literally means tired; the words yīn (陰) and yànwù (厭惡) are too strong, in my opinion.

This disenchantment is an experience of being put off by or fed up with the phenomenal world, much like what happens when you suddenly see someone as they really are after being fooled by their charm for so long.

Píjuàn (疲倦) is not simply depression or despair from facing hardship or loss, but rather a deep disappointment that one has been deluded for so long. It arises from a deep insight into the true nature of life.

Even though we know that everything is impermanent on a conceptual level, this insight shakes the very fabric of our view of life, much like the realization that the love affair is really over.

  • "Just as when boys or girls are playing with little sand castles: as long as they are not free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those little sand castles, that's how long they have fun with those sand castles, enjoy them, treasure them, feel possessive of them. But when they become free from passion, desire, love, thirst, fever, & craving for those little sand castles, then they smash them, scatter them, demolish them with their hands or feet and make them unfit for play."
Although this might sound like awful doom and gloom, it's an aspect of letting go that leads to liberation and true happiness. Many people might prefer an interpretation of impermanence where they simply embrace and savor each fleeting present moment. But in the tradition of my monastery, truly understanding impermanence leads to disenchantment.

((Adapted from the works of Ajahn Thiradhammo. Highlighted text adapted from Saṃyutta Nikāya 23.2.))
Mi-Le (彌勒) - "Meditate, monks. Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later." ((-Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146))
-Monk of the Old Order and the Way. Will not kill.
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Arn
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Re: Mi-Le: Reflections on the Way ((IC in BG and CK))

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Desire and Happiness

All phenomena, my teacher once said, are rooted in desire.

Everything we think, say, or do — every experience — comes from desire. Even we come from desire. Consciously or not, our desires keep redefining our sense of who we are. Desire is how we take our place in the causal matrix of space and time.

The only thing not rooted in desire is the realization of the Way because it’s the end of all conditioned phenomena and lies even beyond my teacher's use of the word “all.” But the path that takes you to the realization of the Way is rooted in desire — in skillful desires. The path to liberation pushes the limits of skillful desires to see how far they can go.

The notion of a skillful desire may sound strange, but a mature mind intuitively pursues the desires it sees as skillful and drops those it perceives as not.

Basic in everyone is the desire for happiness. Every other desire is a strategy for attaining that happiness.

You want coin, a sexual partner, or an experience of inner peace because you think it will make you happy.

Because these secondary desires are strategies, they follow a pattern. They spring from an inchoate feeling of lack and limitation; they employ your powers of perception to identify the cause of the limitation, and they use your powers of creative imagination to conceive a solution to it.

But despite their common pattern, desires are not monolithic. Each offers a different perception of what’s lacking in life, together with a different picture of what the solution should be.

A desire for a snack comes from a perception of physical hunger and proposes to solve it with a chocolate chip cookie. A desire to climb a mountain focuses on a different set of hungers — for accomplishment, exhilaration, self-mastery — and appeals to a different image of satisfaction.

Whatever the desire, if the solution actually leads to happiness, the desire is skillful. If it doesn’t, it’s not. However, what seems to be a skillful desire may lead only to a false or transitory happiness not worth the effort entailed.

So wisdom starts as a meta-desire: to learn how to recognize skillful and unskillful desires for what they actually are.


((Adapted from Desires: A Study Guide, by Ṭhānissaro.))
Mi-Le (彌勒) - "Meditate, monks. Do not be negligent, lest you regret it later." ((-Saṃyutta Nikāya 35.146))
-Monk of the Old Order and the Way. Will not kill.
-[IC Journal]
-[Bio]

((Feel free to reach out to Mi-Le for forum RP!))

Wendi - Haggling crafter. [Bio]
Anatti
Meredith
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