Web of Connection
  • Home
  • About
    • Photos
    • Newsletter >
      • Recent News
      • Archived Newsletters
    • Ayya Dhammadhira
    • Board of Directors
  • Programs
    • Meditation and Inquiry
    • Youth
    • Community Garden
    • Retreats
    • Classes
  • Resources
  • Calendar
  • Donate
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Photos
    • Newsletter >
      • Recent News
      • Archived Newsletters
    • Ayya Dhammadhira
    • Board of Directors
  • Programs
    • Meditation and Inquiry
    • Youth
    • Community Garden
    • Retreats
    • Classes
  • Resources
  • Calendar
  • Donate
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Articles on how the Dharma speaks to our modern world.
Mindfulness and the Ecological Crisis
File Size: 498 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

     Walking the path

Picture
 


               “No one saves us but ourselves.
​                No one can and no one may.
                We ourselves must walk the path."                
                 
​                               -
the Buddha

Dhamma Talks by Ayya Dhammadhira
Equanimity 7.29.18.MP3

Notes from recent "Awareness for Life" classes. If you miss a class, you can follow along and do the inquiry portion on your own. Please feel free to share your comments below so we can all learn from each others' questions and experience. Thank you.

​
Picture
                                                                                      6-29-19

                          Gain and Loss


We begin with an opening chant that sets our intention, both for ourselves and for others:   “Universal Well-Being”

May I/everyone abide in well-being
In freedom from affliction
In freedom from hostility
In freedom from ill-will
And may I/they maintain well-being in myself/themselves

This gives us an initial direction for our spiritual practice. We want to experience well-being which is more than just a temporary happiness. Rather it is something that is deeper and more lasting, something that can remain with us even during difficult times.

Another word for spirtual practice is cultivation (bhavana in Pali). This implies ongoing attention to what can be developed. Our aim in this thematic study is to learn from the example of nature and apply these lessons to our life. The Buddha chose to use similes from nature to illustrate many of his points, i.e. handful of leaves. 

Today we will look at gain and loss (aka success and failure) as part of the natural unfolding. How do we define gain and loss and is it a reliable measure of our well-being?  

Usually, we assess gain and loss based on our personal preferences: 


1.  If we want something and it happens, we consider that to be gain. 
2. If we want something and it doesn’t happens, we consider that to be loss. 
3. If we don’t want something and it doesn’t happen, that can also be gain (although less often recognized)
4. If we don’t want something and it happens, we consider that as loss. 

My own example from tending the garden: I planted many seeds. They germinated and began to sprout but insects ate them before they had a chance to get strong and resilient. Consequently, I don’t have a crop of beans, carrots or beets.

Problem: the sense of entitlement - these beans are "mine" just because I planted them (clinging/wanting/expecting). When the plants don’t survive, I suffer, thinking “I won’t have a harvest for myself and for other CSA members. How can I not suffer? 

    Let go of the sense of entitlement (it’s mine)
    Recognize impermanence/uncertainty
    Rejoice that the insects have food and that they are building soil
    Plant more seeds somewhere else
    Kill the insects 

Which of these responses demonstrate generosity, kindness and clarity (the three wholesome roots of action)?

Inquiry

Think of some examples from your own life (see the four types of gain and loss listed above).

Now ask yourself, "Is the gain really a good thing in and of itself"? Does it provide lasting satisfaction? Is there a way that it could lead to something that is not so helpful, i.e. complacency or harm to others who feel differently? Example: I get a raise at work. I use this money to go gambling so I can get even more money.

Is failure always a “bad” thing? Or is there a way that it could lead to something beneficial for you and/or be good for others?  Example: I don’t want it to rain on the day of my picnic. It rains. The plants and animals get a drink.

How does this apply to our meditation practice? Do  you consider the following to be gain/progress or loss/failure?

I have peace of mind when I meditate……
My thoughts are all over the place when I meditate…..
My body feels relaxed and at ease when I meditate…..
There is pain in my back and legs when I meditate….

What makes the difference in our experience? Is it what is happening or our how we view what is happening which then determines our reaction to our experience?  Can we see the same experience from a different angle and experience less/no stress? Consider this Chinese parable.

On a collective level, how does our society view gain or “progress”? Do you think that this way of measuring things is helpful? What does it lead to? How is it similar or different from the example of using one's raise to go gambling?

Revisiting the chant: “Universal Well-Being”

May I/everyone abide in well-being
In freedom from affliction
In freedom from hostility
In freedom from ill-will
And may I/they maintain well-being in myself/themselves

Is the affliction, hostility and ill will something that is imposed on me from the outside or does it have to do with my view and attitude toward what is happening? What helps me to abide free from affliction, hostility and ill will?
​        

Picture
Earth Touching Mudra, 6-22-19

In most religions there are symbols, statues and drawings that represent  key teachings or are used as avenues of worship, reflection or practice. In Buddhism we don’t actually worship the Buddha and yet frequently there are Buddha statues and other iconography displayed in temples and Dharma halls. This iconography is something that we may or may not relate to depending on how we view them.
                    
Let’s look at a few.


In fact, the Buddha never asked anyone to make a statue of him and never encouraged people to treat him like a God. When asked how to deal with his body after death, the Buddha simply suggested the traditional way of honoring a teacher which was to pile a mound of rocks on top of the place where s/he died. Hence, we have the stupa which is a memorial often usually containing the ashes or relics of the teacher inside. It is usually rounded on the bottom and goes upward pointing towards the sky, possibly signifying the connection between the Earthly realm and the heavenly or sublime realm. 

You may have noticed that the Buddha statues vary in posture. They depict different events and qualities that were exemplified in the Buddha’s life. They can be inspirations for us if we understand their meaning. 

The Bhumisparsha or Touching the Earth Mudra depicts the Buddha sitting with one hand raised to show that he’s teaching, the other reaching down to touch the Earth below. It represents the moment that Buddha finally defeated all the snares of Mara and gained Enlightenment. Mara, the Tempter, asks who will stand as witness to his right to gain Enlightenment. Buddha reaches down and touches the Earth as he says, “The Earth is my witness.”

As the legend goes, the Buddha made a strong determination not to get up from his seat until he achieved full enlightenment. Mara comes with his army to defeat the Buddha because Mara would rather have people remain in ignorance. Whether or not we look at Mara as external or internal, the temptations to move away from clear seeing are strong. In the case of the Buddha they came in several forms:

temptation to power, gain, honor and reknown
temptation toward sensual pleasures which are fleeting
tempation toward an easy life without challenges or struggle
temptation toward excitement 

That’s when the Buddha touches the Earth, claiming it as his witness. Why does the Buddha touch the Earth? How does the Earth serve as his witness?

Here's one of many commentaries that I have found useful for contemplation: 

“When Buddha touched the Earth, he accepted the Earth, just as it is. Not an Earth that was re-made into what HE wanted, but the Earth, sky, oceans and rivers, just as they were at that moment. No waiting for it to be better, no waiting for it to change. But the Earth, with all it’s beauty and horror and disasters, as it was in that moment. It introduced an entirely new way of looking at time. Time, for the Buddha, stopped existing. 

 Not in the literal sense, of course. But from a practical viewpoint, time had effectively stopped. Because Buddha never again obsessed over the past, or feared what the future might bring. He didn’t worry about yesterday or tomorrow. He simply existed outside of the flow of time: Past or future.
 
With that one act, he found the timelessness inside of time. He found that true time is only to be found in THIS moment. Not tomorrow, not yesterday, not this morning, but right now. There IS no time if you live in the moment, going from moment to moment to moment, accepting what is and what is not. 

Simply saying to yourself, “This moment will never exist again. I will savor and capture it fully. I will experience it fully, right now, before it escapes. We say, “Time marches on.” With that one act of touching the Earth, Buddha stopped the march with a single gesture. He taught us to look for the timelessness within time. To stop, not to smell the roses, but to save ourselves. To stop the endless march toward an unknown future somewhere out there. To stop running from past regrets. In the end, to just stop. Because this moment of timelessness is all we ever really have. Just this moment. No other. Just this one timeless moment which includes everything.”            
                                                                                           Cindy Bird, Huffington Post

Here's another commentary that adds a different perspective: 

“Just before he realized enlightenment, it is believed that the demon Mara tried to frighten him with the armies of demons and monsters including his daughters who tried to tempt him to get out of meditation under the Bodhi tree. While the demon king Mara claimed the throne of enlightenment for himself, his demon army claimed to be the witness for Mara's enlightenment. Mara then challenged Siddhartha about the witness. Then the former prince reached out his right hand to touch the earth as it is believed that the earth itself roared "I bear you the witness!" Hearing the roar from the earth herself, the demon king disappeared. The following morning saw the first appearance of the one who is awakened, the Buddha. 

Hence, it is believed that the Bhumisparsha mudra, or "the earth witness" mudra commemorates the Buddha's victory over the temptation by the demon King Mara.This particular mudra does not only represent the defeat of Mara and his demonic army by the Buddha, it also represents the unwavering or firmness shown by the Buddha while he was in the pursuit of enlightenment by meditating under the Bodhi tree.”

Whether you think of this legend as fact or parable, please take the essence of the teaching and see how it applies to your life. Here are a few of my own observations of Mara’s temptations compared to the Buddha’s response:

Mara’s temptation                                            The Buddha’s example__

​power over the Earth - using                                                     connection with the Earth, humble
force over people and nature                                                    non-combative (turning arrows into flowers)


promises satisfaction in the future                                          discovers satisfaction in the present moment      
 
attention directed outward                                                       attention directed inward                                                                    

distracting with excitement of                                                 recognizing the impermanence of all                  
sensual pleasures                                                                         conditions leads to dispassion and contentment



What does the Buddha touching the Earth mudra signify to you?

Inquiry and Discussion Questions:
​

1.  What snares of Mara do you experience in your life? What gets you off track, distracts you, or undermines your confidence?

2.  Do you ever feel like taking the easy way out instead of looking directly at a situation to see how things really are -either internally or externally?

3.  What fears come up when you are faced with looking at matters deeply?

​4.  In this very moment - leaving aside both past and future - upon what can you rest with confidence? What do you connect with that serves as a witness to your capacity to awaken?

8/1/2017 0 Comments

Social Justice

Picture
​These days, social justice is big topic amongst people who consider themselves to be spiritual, conscientious or just plain responsible citizens. One doesn’t have to look far to see examples of unfair treatment, inequality, violence toward minorities and silenced voices to know that our “land of the free” isn’t quite living up to its name. Responses to this glaring incongruity range from grief to outrage and from determination to despair. For a while, I have been considering what is the most appropriate response in light of the spiritual teachings I have been exposed to. 


In the Christian tradition, Jesus explicitly told his followers to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and shelter the poor. He also was quick to point out the hypocrisy of the pharisees, the religious elite who found it easy to justify their oppression of those less privileged. Similarly, the Buddha clearly wasn’t in favor of the caste system, admitting even the “untouchables” into his order of monks. He was also critical of the ruling religious authorities (Brahmans) who had no qualms about maintaining their high position at the expense of others. And yet, the Buddha saw further into the roots of the problem.


Commenting on passages related to conflict and injustice in the Pali Canon, Bhikkhu Bodhi says, “We can see from these texts that the Buddha does not clamor for changes merely in the outer structures of society. He demonstrates that these dark phenomena are external projections of the unwholesome proclivities of the human mind and thus points to the need for inner change as a parallel condition for establishing peace and social justice.” I’ve taken this quote from a text published in 2005. In the recent edition of Buddhadarma, Bhikkhu Bodhi calls for a “bolder agenda, a program of collective resistance inspired by a radically different vision of human interconnection, one that affirms our duty to respect and care for one another and to maintain a habitable planet for generations yet unborn.”

The key work is parallel; these two approaches can happen simultaneously. We need to be able discern both internal and systemic causes of distress rather than addressing symptoms alone. To use Dr. David Loy’s analogy, Christianity encourages us to pull the drowning man out of the water, but doesn’t always ask how he got pushed into the river in the first place. Worse yet, some Buddhists will see the man drowning in the water as his karma and, at most, wish him a more fortunate rebirth. Of course, both traditions could be understood in a much deeper and more inclusive way.



We need to recognize that the roots of injustice are deeply embedded in the human psyche and so is the capacity to bring forth what is beneficial and beautiful. The outcomes we see will depend on which conditions we support. When we realize how interconnected we are, we will know that helping ourself and helping others is no different. All beings - not only human - depend on healthy food, clean water and supportive relationships. May we not lose sight of our shared humanity by pursuing individual goals at the expense of the whole. 
                                                    

References:

Bodhi, In the Buddha's Words, 2005
Bodhi, "Let's Stand Up Together", Buddhadarma, Spring 2017
Loy, David R. A New Buddhist Path

0 Comments

    ​Ayya Dhammadhira is a Buddhist monastic trained in the Thai Forest Tradition in lineage of Ajahn Chah. She spent eleven years at Amaravati and Chithurst Buddhist Monasteries in England from 2001-2012.  In 2012,  she took the higher ordination as a bhikkhuni in Los Angeles, CA.  As an alms mendicant bhikkhuni living outside the support structure of a monastery, Ayya Dhammadhira relies on the ongoing support of individuals like you to continue her practice and service in community.

    Archives

    July 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Photo used under Creative Commons from Dainis Matisons