Awake and Asleep (poem)

Awaken from all concept of "me",
and you are truly awake.
If ego grasps onto "awakening",
then you are still asleep.
When awakened, the ego is gone;
when asleep, only the self remains.
Sadly, he who says, "I am awake!"
has yet to awaken from the dream
called Ego — for the awakened
have forgotten about the self.
When you are truly awake,
it would be best to be humble
and abide in awakening.

The Five Spiritual Faculties and Its Potential In Education

Spiritual progress are dependent of the emergence of Five Spiritual Faculties — faith, vigor, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom. The conduct of the sentient being is governed by his sense-based instincts and impulses.

As we progress in our spiritual practice, new spiritual forces gradually take over. In the end the five cardinal virtues dominate and shape everything we do, feel and think. These virtues are called, in Sanskrit and Pali, indriya, variously translated by faculties, controlling faculties, or spiritual faculties. The same five virtues are called powers (bala) if emphasis is on the fact that they are "unshakable by their opposites."

Control (indriya) as a spiritual faculty prevents the Five Evils from dominating the mind. Mindful practice such as the meditation of samatha, which calms the mind so that it carefully observes both the mind and the Five Consciousnesses in the meditation of vipasyana.

Thus self-control arises, not because of the calm mind, but because when the mind becomes calm, the Five Spiritual Faculties arise.

Despite meditation's use in cognitive behavior therapy, those faculties still arise within the secular setting and in the absence of Buddhist mindful practice. Without the use of Buddhist training, these faculties — without spiritual guidance mdash; are wasted. Thus, cognitive behavior therapy becomes a replacement for biomedical control through medication.

If the Western public education system allowed for meditation and Buddhist spiritual guidance, then it is possible for the student to excel under the current curricula. As a result of such spiritual training, not only would a child be ready for post-secondary education, s/he would be ready for the world.

There would be less behavior problems in children and consequently improvement in their ability to learn.

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Reference:

"The Way of Wisdom: The Five Spiritual Faculties", by Edward Conze. Access to Insight, 5 June 2010, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/conze/wheel065.html .

Anxiety Relief Through Meditation

Sometimes, when sitting in my room meditating, my mind gets restless. Anxiety leads to emotions and feelings appearing to get the better of reason. It's as though I have two minds.

When of two minds, it's as though the heart battles with reason.

Once I've calmed down, I let the heart-mind exercise compassion.

How do I calm down? I start by concentrating on my breathing. Within a minute, my heart slows down. At this point in my meditation, I let my thoughts come and go without following any of them. Since the object of the meditation is to collect my thoughts, I find that letting go of them leads to a calm mind.

When one lets go of thought, thoughts are free to dissipate.

Through single-minded concentration it is possible to rein in the heart through the use of reason. This requires no effort on my part, except to breathe and to observe my mind carefully.

If anxiety starts to rise, then I return to my breathing by "thinking breathing."

After a short while the mind is calm, all anxiety forgotten. As a result, I feel positive and self-assured. When the mind is calm, and the rational mind is once again in control, the heart-mind is free to exercise compassion.

At this point in my meditation, I start to generate good thoughts to ensure the positive frame of mind in which there is no room for negativity.

Then the meditation is over and I'm ready to handle the day.

Homage to Great Wisdom, Great Compassion, and Great Meditation

If I no longer am attached to self,
then being attached to reward
in the Pure Land of Bliss
through Buddha Recitation
is the working of the Dharma.
Homage to Amida Buddha!

For the Pure Land arose
because of Dharmakara's Vows,
and his promised rebirth
as Amida is fulfilled
by all sentient beings
who remember his Name.
Homage to Amitayus Buddha!

Homage to Infinite Light and Life!
Homage to the Light of Great Wisdom,
Homage to Amida Buddha!
Homage to the Life of Great Compassion,
Homage to Kuan Erh Yin!
Homage to the Great Meditation,
Homage to Mahasthamaprapta!

Only a Moment

Just as material things are made of dust, so too are our perceptions and thoughts mere dust. Just as it takes only a moment to wipe the dust from the surface of a mirror, so it takes only a moment to become enlightened, the moment all defiled intentions are cleared from our consciousness, we will see ourselves in the mirror of perfect truth.

— Master Hsing Yun, "Describing the Indescribable"