cattaribrahmavihara

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The 5 Steps of Forgiveness & the Ten Pāramī

StepAligned PāramīExplanationRecognizing kilesa and reflecting on kammaPaññā (Wisdom) & Upekkhā (Equanimity)Seeing attachment clearly & maintaining balance in response.Determining to cultivate virtuous relationships & uphold ethical conductSīla (Virtue), Adhiṭṭhāna (Determination) & Khanti (Patience)Ensuring ethical behavior, making a strong commitment to wholesome relationships, and practicing…

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5 Steps to Forgiveness

This is specifically for romantic relationships but I suppose it could work for any relationship. Recognize that kilesa (lust) formed the basis of your relationship. Recognize that both of you followed your enflamed desire in the pursuit of pleasure. Make the aditthana (determination) that you all relationships you enter into will be done with clear eyes and will be based on the Dhamma. Allow…

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How Absurd

How utterly absurd it is to demand that you be treated as you like. How absurd is it that you care only for people if they are useful to you. How absurd it is to expect anything from another. Knowing that most people are as ladles to soup when it comes to the Dhamma, how can you blame them for choosing to act in ways that harm themselves and others? If you are truly training your heart and mind,…

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Justice Isn’t a Buddhist Word

https://www.reddit.com/r/theravada/s/LFXok3AnfA

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The Five Precepts

“Ãcariya Mun then explained to them the essential meaning of the five moral precepts, a code of conduct applying equally to all living beings. First: Every living being values its own life, so no one should destroy that intrinsic value by taking someone else’s life. This results in very bad kamma. Second: All beings cherish their own possessions. Even if they don’t appear to have much value, the…

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The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

When unjustly we are blamed for the misdeeds of others, and are falsely accused of flaws that we lack, and are always the object of verbal abuse, this is the wheel of sharp weapons returning full circle upon us from wrongs we have done. Till now we’ve despised and belittled our gurus; hereafter let’s never accuse others falsely, but give them full credit for virtues they have. The excerpt above…

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No Obstacles. No Practice.

According to Thanissaro Bhikkhu, “No obstacles, no n perfections” is a Thai saying that serves to remind us that it is impossible to develop spiritually in the absence of trying circumstances. Perhaps this is why a Buddha is always born in the human realm according to the Theravada. Turning to the perfections, or parami as they are called in Pāli, they are a list (of commentarial provenance I…

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Dasa Chakra Ksitigarbha Dharani

Dasa Chakra Ksitigarbha Dharani

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A Blessing or a Curse

In the video below, at one point Ajahn Vajiro, says one of the guiding principles of his life was to be a blessing, rather than a curse, to those around him. Do we make people’s lives easier or harder? Do we try to understand them? Do we offer a compassionate ear? Do we treat them with kindness and generosity? Or do we curse them? Make them feel unwelcome, like an interloper? May my life be as…

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Mudita on the Mind

I have been practicing mudita more intently lately and have had great results. I have undertaken to do a round of my 108 bead mala focussing on one person for each bead whose fortune I can rejoice in. It has served as a door to compassion and metta for difficult beings and a way to brighten the mind when thinking of those who it is easy to admire. I am compiling a playlist of Dhamma talks on the…

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Seek Forgiveness, Don’t Demand It

In this life, for as long as I can remember I have hurt people both intentionally and unintentionally. Just because I now seek to repair some of the damage I’ve done and take accountability, doesn’t mean I can demand forgiveness. That this is my kamma is a hard lesson to learn but complaining and whining does nothing but compound the problem. May I have the strength of character to confess my…

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Marriage According to Ajahn Fuang

Theravadin Buddhist monk ] Ajaan Fuang Jotiko rarely allowed his talks to be taped, and he was even more adamant about not allowing anyone to tape his conversations.Somehow, though, the following conversation was taped with his permission.In it, he’s giving advice to some of his students — young women in their late twenties and early thirties — who were being pressured by their parents to settle…

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What Is This?

I realized today that I spend a lot of time trying to manage my mood by fabricating other experiences to distract me from the existential dread that I often feel. To be sure, this dread is as impermanent as anything else, but when it is present, I look for ways to distract myself from it. There is a niggling fear that, if I allow it to come into full awareness, it t will swallow me whole. At this…

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Uposathat Reflection: This Pain Is The Practice

I have to be somewhat selective about how often I listen to Ajahn Nyanamoli as I find that I react unskillfully and get a little neurotic about my practice. Truth is, I am not ready to become a monk at yet and I often feel a strange sense of shame and a desire to do better. Basically, everything that the Ajahn is saying is right, it is I who needs to work on my perceptions. May all beings benefit…

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A Rough Morning

So far, the c say has not started well for my daughter. She didn’t want the waffles I made her. She hated the outfit I picked out. She enlisted her mother in an impromptu smear campaign. Things are not going her way. And, yet, I found myself contemplating these verses from the Maha Mangala Sutta: To support mother and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful…

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A Vow to Let Go

I vow not to take offense at unpleasant words or deeds, knowing they arise from causes and conditions.I vow to let go of resentment and ill will, seeing them as burdens I need not carry.With mindfulness and wisdom as my guides, may I respond to all things with equanimity and goodwill.

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Problems

From now on, no matter what problems I have to face, I won’t become irritated by them. I won’t identify any circumstances or obstacles I experience as problems. I’ll regard them as positive Excerpt from: “Transforming Problems into Happiness” by Thubten Zopa. I have greatly benefited from returning to the Lojong teachings but, as a fabricated state, my ability to maintain calm and equipoise in…