Buddhism Arises When Peace Flourishes

Ultimate reality, being Nirvana, cannot happen in these desperate times, when few people realize the important of being calm yet vigilantly observant. In this world, it's a rush of birth, life and death, often repeated and filled with suffering.

Wars arise due to vast differences of culture fighting for resources, yet patient diplomacy might have achieved long-lasting compromises. Instead, evil karma dominates
in the form of terrorism, though now the people finally realize that peace requires vigilance in these uncertain times.

In the 21st century, the words of the Buddha fall on deaf ears:
"A warrior may have conquered
one thousand foes but he who
conquers himself is truly a warrior."

Likewise, the words of Mohammad's companion Jabir are forgotten: "You have arrived
with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad — the striving
of a servant of Allah against his foes — to the Greater Jihad — the striving of a servant of Allah against his desires — the holy war that all Muslims must fight."

Instead, the only holy war is the lesser jihad, for a militant Millennialism is all that is left for the servants of Allah.

How can there be any peace then?

Forgotten is the peace of the Saracens, and the greatness of the Ummayad Caliphate
whose adminstration of al-Andalus brought peace to the Arabs, Berbers, Separdic Jews
of Eastern Europe, and the Musalimah until the taifa kingdoms arose.

Then the Inquisition forced out the Arabs and Jews, and resulted in the Conversos during the Reconquista, bringing suffering to pious Jews and Muslims alike.

Since then, the Hispanics suffered under the fascist regime of Franco but bloomed during the Carnation Revolution.

Today, Buddhism has enlightened Europe, with Tibetan and Zen being the most popular.
Humanistic Buddhism has replaced atheism both in Europe and in the Americas. Yet this has more to do with the peace found in the West, rather than war.

It appears that Buddhism arises in nations when peace prevails, which implies
that war-torn nations are not ready.

Even so, it is the duty of Buddhists everywhere to practice for the benefit of all sentient beings, rather than for attachment to the mind and the body. By doing to other sentient being that one does for the self, it is possible to await the time when all sentient beings come to know the Buddha willingly.

My Thoughts on Meditation

During meditation, I breathe from the abdomen. This works for both the sitting and walking forms of meditation.

In time my mind becomes calm, as I practice deep breathing. After five minutes or ten minutes, I stop meditating.

After over twenty years of meditation, the deep breathing part of meditation are a reflex to me. It may be practice at home, while walking, and even when riding on the bus.

While at home I do practice meditation, on the road it is possible to practice the physical form of meditation.

Meditation As The Cure for Suffering

"Train in concentration, which is the cause of shamatha, and train in prajna, which is the cause of vipashyana." — Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Trulshik Adeu Rinpoche

In the First Noble Truth, all life is suffering.
In the Second Noble Truth, the cause of suffering is tanha.
In the Third Noble Truth, suffering can be relieved.
In the Fourth Noble Truth, the Noble Eightfold Path
is prescribed to relieve suffering in all sentient beings.

Suffering is mental unrest. The Eightfold Path of Buddhism relieves the mind of it. Its cause is tanha.

Tanha or trishna is craving, desire and thirst. It is also aversion, desire, and hunger-thirst. Its opposite is upekkha is peace of mind, serenity, and equanimity.

Craving arises through the action of aversion — a person's craving for the object of desire causes one to hunger for it , and this results in attachment due to desire.

Hunger-thirst arises through ignorance, ass one's peace of mind is disturbed by the desire for satisfaction. Yet aversion to the object of desire is what causes craving to arise.

Thus, the Three Poisons of aversion, attachment, and ignorance lead to suffering.

To help relieve suffering, meditation is prescribed. It consists of shamatha and vipashyana, the main two meditation practices of calm abiding and clear seeing.

Shamatha is the meditation of calm abiding that is abiding tranquility which works on the conceptual mind, to free it of the Three Poisons.

Vipashyana is the meditation of clearing seeing that is the meditation of intense insight, which has three prerequisites consisting of reliance on a spiritual teacher, sincere engagement in extensive study, and appropriate reflection.

Prajna refers to insight into the cure for suffering through meditation. It is also known as primordial wisdom, the primordial and non-dual knowing aspect of the nature of mind.

---

References:

Quote from Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Trulshik Adeu Rinpoche, trans. Schmidt & Kunsang, Skillful Grace: Tara Practice For Our Times; New York 2007. Rangjung Yeshe Publications

Prajna: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Prajna

Prajna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prajna

Three Poisons and Tanha: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta%E1%B9%87h%C4%81#Relation_to_the_three_poisons

Shamatha: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Shamatha

Vipashyana: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Vipashyana

Prajna as primordial wisdom: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Primordial_wisdom

http://ubcbuddhism.wordpress.com/2011/10/20/9929/
Dr. Fleischman’s description of meditation was a self-reflective melding of natural scientific theories with the worldview that underlies vipassana meditation. He stressed two points in particular: (1) The natural laws that govern our world also govern us as embodied beings; cultivating awareness of our embodied existence, through concentration and observation, provides insight into the world itself. (2) The practice of meditation is supported by ethical practice, both in terms of basic precepts and the voluntaristic, service orientation of the vipassana movement itself. In addition to being detailed and informative, his talk was imbued with a wonderfully dry humor, making it accessible and entertaining.

Relieving suffering (poem)

through carelessness anything is possible,
even the pain of a toothache,
or the heart inflamed with a myriad of feelings,
be it anger, fear or love.
yet through meditation it is possible
to eradicate the harm caused by anger and fear,
replacing them with calmness and fearlessness,
while cultivating loving-kindness to benefit all.

---

Originally posted: November 18 2005 at 0137H
Updated: February 8, 2013 at 2316H

Unmade State of Being (Meditation for Awakening Self Nature True Mind)

There Exists an Unconstructed, Unconditioned and Unchanging State!

At Savatthi the Blessed Buddha once said to his monks:

Bhikkhus, I will teach you the Unconstructed, Unconditioned & Uncreated State, and the very way leading to this unconstructed, unconditioned & uncreated state...

Listen and pay alert attention to that, which will lead you to lasting happiness!!!

And what, bhikkhus, is this unconstructed, unconditioned & uncreated state?

The elimination of Greed, the elimination of Hate, & the elimination of Ignorance:
This is called the unconstructed, unconditioned & uncreated state of Nibbana...

And what, bhikkhus, is the good way leading to this unconstructed, unconditioned and uncreated state of eternally pure bliss, open freedom and stilled peace?

Awareness of the body as a collection of organs is a way to this unconstructed...

The four foundations of awareness is a way to this unconstructed...

Serene, calm and profound insight is a way to this unconstructed...

Absorption into concentrated, directed thought and sustained examination is a way...

Absorption into emptiness, into signlessness, and into the uninclined is a way...

The four right efforts is a way to this unconstructed state...

The four roads to force is a way to this unconstructed state...

The five pure abilities is a way to this unconstructed state...

The five pure powers is a way to this unconstructed state...

The seven links to awakening is a way to this unconstructed state...

The Noble 8-fold Way