Download July/August 2012

INSIDE
DHARMA
The Buddhist Newsletter Serving the Inmate and Ex-offender Sangha
"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is tied
up with mine, then let us work together." -- Lilla Watson, Aboriginal activist
Volume X , Issue IV
Right Understanding
By H. Cruz CSP Corcoran, Ca.
JULY-AUG
2012
I Take Refuge In...
By Scott Darnell L C C Sumner, Illinois
I am a person who happened to come across the
I joke with my cellmate sometimes when we come in
teachings of Gautama Sakyamuni Buddha while doing
from chow that we’ve returned to our fortress of
time in California State Prison. It made me realize that
solitude. After the company of a hundred-plus inmates
the Dharma teachings spoke to me. It also made me
let loose in a dining hall, those first few moments of
realize a lot of things in life and it cause me to think
silence after the cell door closes can feel like a cool
over and analyze myself. It’s been 18 years that I have
breeze on a hot day. You can’t help but stop for a
been down (incarcerated). I am beginning to look at
second to let the quiet sink in and breathe a deep sigh
this experience as a journey in my life, as a life time of
of relief. That moment of silence, that return to a place
lectures and lessons to be learned. Matter of fact, it
of stillness is what refuge is all about. In Pali the word
made me a better person. Why and how? For one, like
for refuge or taking refuge is sarana-gamana. Sarana
Buddha Sakyamuni said in his teachings, that you
refers to sanctuary, a shelter where one can feel safe
should never believe anything unless you’ve proven it
and at peace, while gamana is the act of returning to
to be true after putting it to the test. That’s one thing
such
a
place.
In
that I fell in love with. The
teachings,
Buddhism,
the
place
we
Even in our worst moments
because they are straight forward without
return to is our true and
hidden agendas nor any violence in its
throughout the day, even when awakened native state
context. There are several consequences
which in the ultimate
we get wrapped up in old
that are an unavoidable circumstance that
sense is beyond thought
I had encounter while being in here.
patterns and make a travesty of and description. It is the
However, due to the emphasis of right
inherent
place
and
our efforts to follow the
understanding in the Dharma, I began to
emptiness
encompassing
precepts, it’s refreshing to know all of realty in liberation.
handle problems real smooth and was
able to let go of it just as easy as I could
we have an opportunity at a
This state of being, this
for myself because of the right
moment’s notice to be still, take Buddha nature, calls to us
understanding of nothing in this world is
in our practice when our
permanent. It happened several times on
refuge and be present in
thoughts begin to drift,
different occasions and it seems like Mara
reminding us that all we
something
beyond
the
limited
is trying his best to get the best of me with
need do is return to that
grasp of conventional reality.
repeated trials. Never the less, the
place of silence and safety
teachings of the words in Dharma serve
we were moving away from. Thirty seconds later we
as tools and weapons for me to solve the problems
may drift into chaos again, but thankfully our place of
with not much difficulty. It made me see the whole
refuge remains waiting for our realization and return.
picture because of me knowing the Four Noble Truths
While that place of refuge may be ubiquitous, the
and the Eight Fold Path. Consequently, it also came to
accessibility is dependent in part on our ability to have
my understanding that the Dharma is in everyday life
faith in our true nature and realize we are far more
because we apply it daily whether we realize it or not.
than the image we often create for or accept of
As a result, I am very thankful for Gautama for these
ourselves. Of course that’s not always easy.
experiences because it’s like he spoke to me in so
Sometimes we get lost either in our failures or our
many ways. According to one of his teachings, he said
accomplishments, thinking they are the sum total of
that “he who sees my teachings, sees me”. So my
who we are. When that happens it might help to go
friend, my advice to you is everything that you do,
back to the definition of refuge, specifically gamana.
don’t mean a thing without proper understanding
Since gamana is the act of returning to this place of
because without it, you’re walking blind trying to reach
sanctuary, then not only does this place exist, but we
your destination.
must have been there before. In fact, this place is our
origination and true home. Whatever failures or
accomplishments we may cling to conventionally
seem miniscule by comparison. We can take this a
step further in contemplation of the Great Heart Sutra,
which tells us this state of realization and awakening,
this ‘other shore’ is a place we’ve never even left. In
this sense, the act of taking refuge is more an exercise
in reacquainting ourselves with the truth that has
always been.
Even in our worst moments throughout the day, even
when we get wrapped up in old patterns and make a
travesty of our efforts to follow the precepts, it’s
refreshing to know we have an opportunity at a
moment’s notice to be still, take refuge and be present
in something beyond the limited grasp of conventional
reality. Whatever we choose to call this sanctuary: mu,
nirvana, buddha-mind, or even a fortress of solitude, it
invites us every instant to stop, let the quiet sink in and
breathe a deep sigh of relief.
Lies and Lying Or
The Absence of It
Paul Zamora WSP Rawlins, WY
I think that for many of us as we have had the
opportunities and the many experiences that go along
with years of accumulated living; we have done one of
two things in regards to false truths. One, that we have
become very proficient at the use of having a forked
tongue; or second, we have grown too love ourselves
and those that we share life with enough to realize the
freedom and simplicity that go along with honest
speech and communication. It seems that by a certain
age we become what is known as grown up or mature.
What that amounts to or classifies us as being
responsibility and trustworthy, to be accountable. One
becomes responsible through trial and error, through
life’s many opportunities, to experience the definition
of consequences in the truest scene. Hence the
phrase: No pain, No gain. Through these experiences
one can gain insight into cause and effect at its
deepest level; what it really means to have an impact
on those around us. The ripple effects on those we
know, on those we trust and on those we love. This
leaves absolutely no room to argue that honestly is in
fact the best policy.
Removing the Blindfold
By: Joshua Katus
Imagine for a moment, if you will, that you are being
led down a long hallway. You know no details
concerning the hall for you are blindfolded and your
hands are secured behind your back. The only reason
you can even tell the hall is long is because you can
hear the echo of footsteps, yours and whoever's is
guiding you, bouncing back at you from a distance.
Ahead of you, you hear a door open. A sense of
spaciousness leads you to assume that you are being
taken into a room. Suddenly your guide grabs you by
the shoulders and begins to spin you in circles. Any
sense of direction you may have had quickly
dissolves-down is up, up is down, north is west and so
is east. You find yourself being roughly pushed into a
chair and a little voice whispers in your ear, "Just sit
still and the blindfold will be removed shortly." As you
begin to catch your breath and gather your senses,
you hear the footsteps of your guide recede. Any
number of thoughts may go rushing through your head
at this time, but one eventually pops in and sticks out
from the rest-you never heard a door close after your
captor left. The question is, what do you do now? Do
you sit still and wait for the blindfold to be removed as
instructed or do you try to find your way out of the
room despite your present circumstances? The above
can be used to illustrate our struggle for
enlightenment. You see, in Buddhism we are taught
that a person's true nature is not only good, but is in
fact enlightened. We call this idea Buddha-nature and
in the above example it is represented by sight. Sight
is something we know we have, but at times (like
when we are blindfolded) we are unable to use it and
are therefore left in the dark. It may help to remember
that Buddha is not necessarily a person, but rather it is
a title. Buddha means "the awakened one" and
historically it is used to refer to the man Siddhartha
Gautama after he achieved enlightenment. So if we
accept this idea that we are already enlightened
beings, what is it that keeps us from accessing our
enlightenment? What is it that keeps us blindfolded?
What keeps us in the dark? The answer to this can be
found in the Buddhist teachings of the three poisons.
The three poisons are the three main states of mind
that keep us in the darkness of ignorance. They are
greed, aversion, and delusion. A look at each of these
three with examples from both the life of the free
person as well as that of the prisoner will show us how
the poisons cloud over our fundamental Buddhanature and cause us to suffer. First up is greed, or
desire. Greed is that want, that craving, for anything
you believe to be pleasurable. This need not apply
only to material things. Wanting to go certain places,
be with certain individuals, or try certain experiences
all fall under the umbrella of greed. Often it is thought
that giving in to this greed will bring us happiness, yet
if you look at things closely, you will see that even
fulfilling these desires causes you suffering. In today's
world, you have greed conditioned into you on a daily
basis. How is this, you might ask? The answer is
simple-through advertising. The whole point of
advertising after all is to make you want something
you don't have. You can't turn on the T.V.; tune in the
radio; open a magazine, newspaper, or book; or even
drive down the highway without seeing something that
tells you that you need something newer, bigger,
faster, or better than what you already have. And yet,
even when you give in and make the purchase, it will
disappoint eventually. Whatever it is, the product,
person, or place will not truly satisfy; the newness will
wear thin, expectations may not be met, parts will
break, or something even better and shinier will come
along and you'll once again be caught up by the
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poison of greed. Even in the prison system where
people have so little, greed is a factor. You see guys
who have a different kind of radio than you do or a pair
of shoes that you can't purchase at your institution and
you want them. You see someone get a larger portion
of your favorite meal in the chow hall and you want
more for yourself. A new item is made available
through the store and everyone wants to buy as much
as they can often causing it to sell out before some
people even have a chance to purchase any. But yet
again when all is said and done, the radio or shoes
wear out, the meal is finished and you get hungry
again regardless of how much you had, and those
brand new chips turn out to be nothing more than
chips after all. The greed that drives us never satisfies
us. Next up is the poison of aversion, or hatred.
Aversion is the opposite of greed; it is that state of
mind that drives you to avoid anything you find
unpleasant. Due to aversion you may spend more
time and energy trying to avoid a situation than it
would have taken to just deal with the situation in the
first place. Behavior such as this usually results in
nothing more than you enduring suffering and being
more miserable than you were to begin with. Take for
example the idea of being assigned to work on a
pro-ject with someone you don't like, or maybe even
someone you can't stand. The easy solution to this of
course is simply to buckle down and do the work. The
poison of aversion however, steers you away from this
easy route. Thanks to aversion you try to get
transferred off the project. When that doesn't work you
come up excuse after excuse not to meet with the
person. All this accomplishes however, is getting you
into a situation where your back is against the wall.Now your deadline is approaching, you still have to
work with this person, and now you're under a lot of
unnecessary stress to top it all off. Once again, the
same holds true in the prison environment. Guys will
go to extreme measures to avoid associating with
another inmate because of their race, their sexual
orientation, the nature of their charges, or even what
part of the country they are from. They may go to such
extremes as skipping meals just to avoid having to sit
next to the kinds of people they have such an aversion
to- wards, and then they will have the audacity to get
mad at those very same people and blame them for
their hunger later. Aversion does nothing to alleviate
suffering, it merely perpetuates it. Finally, there is the
poison of delusion, or ignorance. In this sense
ignorance is not merely a lack of knowledge, but also
encompasses having false knowledge of how things
really are. Often delusion is viewed as the strongest of
the three poisons for it is delusion that gives rise to
greed and aversion as well as the rest of our defiled
emotions (Kleshas) such as jealousy, arrogance, and
pride. The best example of delusion is the same for
the free person as well as the incarcerated and it can
be found in how you view yourself. Most people view
their self as a solid, unchanging, and very real person.
This is why it is so easy to give into emotions when
insults or perceived harm (as well as praise and
pleasure) are thrown your way; you feel that YOU
personally are being affected by the situation. If you
look closely however, you will see that this is not the
case. Think back to when you were five years old. Try
and remember what you looked like, what frightened
you, what your likes and dislikes were, what made you
happy and mad, and what you believed in. Are all
those things the same now? Is that five-year-old you?
If it's not you then who is it? Repeat this exercise in
increments of five years, envisioning yourself at ten,
fifteen, twenty, etc... and even progressing into the
future until you see yourself as old as you feel you will
live to be. Are all these visions you? Do you see a
solid, unchanging, permanent self? It is when you
come to see that your self is in a constant state of
change and this applies not only to yourself but to
everything that you have begun to master the poison
of delusion. So now you see that it is the blindfold of
the three poisons that prevents you from using the
sight of your Buddha-nature. Still, the question now
remains, how do you remove the blindfold? Do you do
as the little voice whimpered and just sit still? Or, as
so many of us are likely to do, do you get up and
attempt to fight your way out of the blindfold when you
realize that you have been left alone with the door still
open? While the latter option may seem like the better
choice (especially to those who lack patience), it
proves futile. Essentially this method attempts to fight
the poisons with aversion and you've already seen
how well that's likely to work. All you're apt to do is
cause yourself more suffering, winding up with a
bloody nose from running into the wall, bruises on
your shins from bumping into fur-nature, and knots on
your head from shelves that may be about. And so, as
Buddhists, we opt to sit, with sitting being a meta- phor
for practice. Now those who practice Zen might say
that sitting is no metaphor, sitting is the practice, but it
may also entail chanting the mantra Nam-MyohoRenge-Kyo if you 'Te Nichiren or doing some of the
visualization practices of Tibetan Buddhism. The point
is you practice to obtain the wisdom of insight which
gives you a direct experience of the true nature of the
three poisons for that is the key to unknotting the
blindfold. As always, these are the words of a mere
student. Any errors are the fault of the author alone.
May any merit obtained from sharing these thoughts
be dedicated to all sentient beings that they might free
themselves from.
Waiting for a Shower
Paul Zamora WSP Rawlings, WY.
Dear Inside Dharma,I’d like to say thanks a lot for all
that you do. In response to your question, “Where are
you?” in the March- April issue. Well I’ve been down
for two years now. During this time I have heard the
word -respect- being misused many times. It is a word
often used as a cop-out or an excuse for someone to
start trouble. Here is one personal example. I’m on a
pod with 84 inmates. There are eight showers, four up,
four down and some worked better than others. The
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shower that I prefer had some ones bag hanging on
the hook. I kept an eye on it for a good hour. I finally
went up and moved the abandoned bag over to the
next hook. I was barely half undressed when a guy got
in my face saying, “hey man, you don’t touch some
one’s s___ man!” That ain’t showing RESPECT man!”
I simply said that I waited for some time to use this
shower. I carefully moved your bag respectfully. I don’t
want any trouble from you. With that said he grabbed
his bag and left the area. It seems to me that if one
has respect, one would not leave his belongings
unattended making it appear that the shower is taken
when there is such a shortage of showers. But then
that’s my opinion, Man! If I didn’t have some
knowledge of Buddhism and Taoism under my belt, I
truly believe my sentence would have ended in the
first 4 or 5 months. I meditate 2 or 3 times a day, every
day for about 35 or 45 mins. each time. I have
gathered up several good books and continue to do
so. There is no library in here and we are denied use
of the internet. Folks like you and a dear friend I have
on the outside, who is constantly sending me packets
of information of all sorts, mostly pertaining to
Buddhism really help keep me going. A couple of
weeks ago my wife of 11 ½ years sent me a letter
stating that she no longer wants a relationship with
me. I honestly never thought I would read those words
from her. Like Buddha said, “There is suffering”.
Without having the 4 Noble Truths and the Eightfold
Path, I would be lost or worse.
Forgiveness -- A Second Look
By Z.L. King
Recently I shared the forgiveness newsletter, Inside
Dharma, Jan-Feb 2012, Volume X, Issue I, with four
different inmates here at Hill Prison, Galesburg,
Illinois. All four inmates, plus me, were able to extract
gems of Buddha wisdom from the forgiveness
newsletter. Briefly forgiveness means to be made
whole. The Buddha’s teachings must be practiced.
The more that we practice, the more we will benefit
from these noble teachings. Forgiveness is a simple
and direct way to put Buddhist teachings into practice.
Loving-kindness meditation is another simple and
direct method to put the Buddha’s teachings into
practice. Another word for loving-kindness is metta. In
my practice, as a Buddhist, I cry profusely, almost
each day. The Buddha’s teachings are very deep and
profound. Each day I spend some time in sitting
meditation and each night I sleep with Buddhist beads
under my pillow. Should I die, I want to die thinking
about the Buddha and his noble teachings. My study
and practice of Buddhism has been to help establish
and maintain a proper Buddhist worship service here
in prison. Each and every day of my life I try to be a
good example of the Buddha’s teachings. Often I fall
short, but get back up, again and again. At first, 1998,
I read everything that I could get my hands on by or
about Buddhist authors and teachers. Before long I
had more than 50 Buddhist teachers. A teacher, for
me, is anyone that causes me to read their books or
book, over and over again. In my 14 years of Buddhist
study and practice, I have been blessed to read more
than 300 books by Buddhist authors. Some of my
Buddhist teachers and spiritual teachers are well
known. For more than 45 years now, I have been in
prison, as a first offender, serving time for murder. Yet,
I consider myself blessed to be able to study and
practice the noble Buddha’s teachings. Also, I am
blessed to have a host of wonderful Buddhist
teachers. Since 2007 I have recommended and
continue to recommend the following books as an
introduction to Buddhism:
Fundamentals of Buddhism by Peter D. Santina
Basic Buddhism Course by Phba Punthorn Plamintr,
Ph.d.
What the Buddha Taught by Halpola Rahula
The Teaching of Buddha by Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai
After
reading the above four Buddhist books, the
Buddhist inmates are asked to read anything that they
like or i would be happy to recommend a book to each
of them. In total, I have recommended between 20-30
Buddhist books to the Buddhist inmates here at hill
prison and we are blessed to have most of those
books in our Buddhist chapel library. Some of our
Buddhist books and spiritual books have been stolen,
but this is a prison--smile!! The Teaching of Buddha by
Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai is available in 44 languages
including english, and has been freely given to
millions.
Forgiving In Steps
From the website “ A View on Buddhism”
- Allow memories, images and emotions to come up in
your mind that you have never forgiven yourself for.
- Can I accept that I am just an ordinary human being
with some bad and some good qualities?
- Did I not suffer enough from these actions?
- I have learned and grown, and I am ready to open
my heart to myself.
"I forgive myself for whatever I did, intentional or
unintentional.
May I be happy, free of confusion, understand myself
and the world.
May I help others to be happy, free of confusion and
understanding."
- Now imagine in front a person I love and want to
forgive.
- Can I accept this person as a human being with bad
and good qualities?
- When ready, say:
"From my heart, I forgive you for whatever you did,
intentional or not.
May you be happy, free of confusion and understand
yourself and the world.
Please forgive me for whatever I did to you, intentional
or unintentional.
May we open our hearts and minds to meet in love
and understanding."
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- Try to feel the warmth of the healing between you.
- Now imagine in front someone I have hurt
- Can I accept the other as an ordinary human beings
with bad and good qualities?
- When ready, say:
"Please forgive me for whatever I did to you,
intentional or unintentional.
May you be happy, free of confusion and understand
yourself and the world.
Please forgive me for whatever I did to you, intentional
or unintentional.
May we open our hearts and minds to meet in love
and understanding."
- Try to feel the warmth of the healing between you.
- Now imagine in front a person I feel very negative
towards
- Can I accept this person as a human being with bad
and good qualities?
- When ready, say:
"Please forgive me for whatever I did to you,
intentional or unintentional.
May you be happy, free of confusion and understand
yourself and the world.
Please forgive me for whatever I did to you, intentional
or unintentional.
May we open our hearts and minds to meet in love
and understanding."
- Try to feel the warmth of the healing between you.
Monthly Buddhist
Column
Dear Dharma Friends:
Below is a copy of my monthly
Buddhist column. This column will
appear in the Kansas City Star
newspaper on Saturday,
Lama Chuck Stanford
(Lama Changchup Konchok Dorje)
Rime Buddhist Center
Question: What are the advantages of prayer?
Answer:
Buddhism is a non-theistic religion,
therefore; prayers are not directed to a supreme
being. Yet, all of us have wishes or aspirations that
are often manifested through prayers. From the
Buddhist perspective prayers rely upon our own inner
power, and innate basic goodness. Too often prayers
are a mere laundry list of our material desires, that
reinforces our clinging and grasping at things we
mistakenly think will bring us happiness. At its most
fundamental level prayer is a form of energy that helps
us connect to our inner consciousness, while also
connecting us with the vast web of interdependence.
In Thich Nhat Hanh's book the "The Energy of Prayer,"
Dr. Larry Dossey in the Introduction says, "For what is
prayer but communication with the Absolute, from
whence we arose, with whom we are connected, and
to whom we shall return?" If prayer is a bridge to the
Absolute then our prayer should have the energy of
faith, compassion and love. Thich Nhat Hanh says, "If
our prayer lacks these elements then it is like trying to
use a telephone when there is no electricity in the
wire. The mere fact that we pray doesn't lead to a
result." Therefore, prayer has the potential to
transform us. It can transform us from the grasping
and clinging to materials possessions to connecting us
with the transcendent Absolute.
Editor’s Notes
Dom Lupo
Dear Friends,
I would first like us all to give deepest bows to
Rev. Kalen McAllister. Kalen has completed her
journey of the Dharma Transition. Rev. McAllister is
the spiritual head of our Sangha and puts all that she
is into this organization, while continuing her own path
to the understanding of the Dharma and the liberation
of all beings. She is an inspiration to us all. Kalen
experience got me thinking. Here is a person who has
dedicated her life to the Dharma, Why? Why do we
study? What do we get out of it? I went to school for
the study of psychology, I learned that humans don’t
do anything that doesn’t do something for them. It’s
just how we are hard wired. This can translate in a lot
of ways. What we get back can be as simple as it’s
something to do. Or, it can be as lofty and it’s God’s
work and I gain favor with God for doing it, and
everything in between. Why do you study the
Dharma? Do you do it for just something to do or
maybe it does something for you that nothing else
has. But this is going to be the theme for the next
issue, “Why do you study the Dharma” “What does it
give you?” We’ll need your submission in by Aug18th
at the latest to make it in the Sept/Oct issue. Now for
something completely different as Monty Python
would say. I have some new resources for you. The
following are groups I found off of the Naljor Prison
Dharma Service web site. Many thanks to them. I’ll try
to include more the next issue and will re-print these in
6 months.
Buddhist Association of the United States
1709 Mexico Ave.
Tarpon Springs, FL 34689
We welcome inquiries from all schools of Buddhism.
You may write to receive books on Buddhism and our
Buddhist Correspondence Course. This course is
designed to acquaint the student with the
fundamentals of Buddhism, with a focus on meditation
and mindfulness practice.
Dharma Publishing
2910 San Pablo Ave
Berkeley, CA 94702
Tel: (510) 548-5407
We prefer to send books to prison libraries where they
can be enjoyed by many, but we can also send
individual books to prisoners upon request.
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National Buddhist Prison Sangha / Zen Mountain
Monastery
PO Box 197, South Plank Road
Mt. Tremper, NY 12457
The National Buddhist Prison Sangha is a nationwide
support network offering personal guidance, support,
and instruction for prisoners interested in Zen
Buddhist practice through correspondence, books,
audio tapes, and a series of training manuals specially
designed for prison practitioners.
Noble Silence Program 100-Day
Dharma Instructions
NFPP, 23611 NE SR26
Melrose, FL 32666
Free Dharma instructions (meditation, Buddhist
spirituality) are available for anyone inside or out of
prison, and to institutions anywhere in the USA or
Canada . This is NOT a book, but rather instructions.
For more information write to the address above and
please send a self-addressed stamped envelope if
possible.
Parallax Press
PO Box 7355
Berkeley CA 94707
We offer the engaged Buddhist teachings of Thich
Nhat Hanh. You may write to receive slightly damaged
books free of charge. You may request a specific
Thich Nhat Hanh book, however it may not always be
possible to fulfill your request, or simply write to
request our catalogue
Remember, if your address changes for any reason
please let us know as soon as possible. When relying
on donations to keep things up and running, even the
smallest savings can increase what we can do. If a
newsletter is returned it cost us double to try and get
to where it needs to go. Our newsletter is available to
anyone, but if you are not an incarcerated person
there is a $12.00 a year subscription rate. It is always
free to the incarcerated and the newly released.
Why Practice?
By Will Holcomb
Shinzo Zen Meditation Center
St. Louis, MO
Pali is the language of the
earliest written record of the
Buddha’s teaching. Dukkha is a
Pali word that is difficult to
translate into English, and it sits dead center in the
middle of the Buddha’s project to liberate all beings.
You can tell dukkha is difficult to translate because
various scholars have used so many different English
words
for
it:
suffering,
stress,
pain,
or
unsatisfactoriness, to name a few. None of these
quite take in the full scope of dukkha, so often the
word is left untranslated. The Buddha says, “Birth is
dukkha; aging is dukkha; death is dukkha; sorrow,
lamentation, pain, distress, and despair are dukkha.
Association with the unbeloved is dukkha. Separation
from the loved is dukkha; not getting what is wanted is
dukkha.
In short, the five clinging aggregates
[everything we hold on to] are dukkha.” So dukkha is
not just a concept; it is something we all experience
every day, some days a little bit, other days a lot, but it
always involves, at its core, dissatisfaction with the
way things are.
During Saturday meetings we have been studying the
four noble truths: the existence of dukkha, the cause
of dukkha, the possibility for the cessation of dukkha,
and the path to the cessation of dukkha.
One effect of practice is greater awareness of your
mental and emotional states…and greater awareness
of dukkha. Just as you become more aware of
posture and breathing, you become more aware of
dissatisfaction when it is present, coming and going,
sometimes great, sometimes small. You become
more sensitive to the various forms of dukkha,
sometimes hot, like anger, or cold, like despair, or
tepid, like boredom. The Buddha taught that the root
cause for all of these is craving or clinging, the desire
for things to be other than they are.
Knowing that the nourishing root of dukkha is craving
can be useful. You can ask yourself, what is the root
of this dissatisfaction I feel? What do I desire? Is this
a desire I want to cultivate or is it something I want to
free myself from?
Sometimes just becoming more aware, exposing the
root, kills the dukkha-weed…or it may take more time
and more practice.
Perhaps, the root of the
dissatisfaction is not clear. That’s OK. Just practice
by noticing the bodily sensations you are
experiencing, perhaps a tightness in the chest or in
What do I desire? Is this a desire
I want to cultivate or is it
something I want to free myself
from?
the gut, tension around the eyes or in the upper back,
or a vague sense of fear. Notice that…and notice how
it changes as you continue to observe. Then notice
how it tends to dissipate and go away, sometimes
quickly, other times slowly.
Working with dukkha and the cessation of dukkha is
not a selfish activity. It’s a public service.
The
dukkha we carry around is impossible to keep inside
our skins. It tends to spill out everywhere, in unskillful
speech and actions and in harm to self and others.
The dukkha that dissipates and ceases doesn’t leave
a void. The space naturally fills in with kindness and
compassion. These tend to spill out
6
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