Truth helps me (poem)

When the facts be known,
all romantic and silly notions
fall away, to be forgotten
as the truth helps me see
the situation oh-so-clearly.

Yet I do not mourn the loss
of passion, for my heart has
risen above it all, only to
come to know true love
in its many-splendored guise.

Indeed, passion lost implies
freedom's reign over desire.
Through mindful control of passion,
the ego's hold on the mind
is released forevermore.

By letting go of clinging,
I let unconditional love
inspire me to see the truth
of egolessness in life.
For that I am so grateful.

---

Originally posted March 15, 2005 at 9:48 PM

Kokoro / Heart-mind: One heart, two-minds

心が思いやりを象徴するので、心臓心が感情を感じている。

合理的心臓が理性と制御を象徴するので、我々は愚かになるといけないので、それは、心を支配するようべきである。

Romaji transliteration:
Kokoro ga omoiyari o shōchō surunode, shinzō kokoro ga kanjō o kanjite iru.

Gōri-teki shinzō ga risei to seigyo o shōchō surunode, wareware wa oroka ni naruto ikenainode, soreha, kokoro o shihai suru yōbekidearu.
English translation:
Because the heart symbolizes compassion, the heart mind feels emotion.

Because the rational mind symbolizes reason and control, it ought to dominate the heart, lest we become mindless.

What this means is the heart symbolizes emotions and feelings; and the rational mind, reason and control. This is the essence of the original concept of "one heart and two minds" (一つの心、二心 / hitotsu no kokoro, futagokoro).

Notes on Storehouse Consciousness: Citta and Alaya

In the Lankavatara Sutra, Citta is derived from the root ci, which means "to pile up" and "to arrange in order". Thus, the Citta is akin to "a storehouse into which the seeds of all thoughts and deeds accumulate" and are stored.

Yet the Citta has two meanings, general and specific. Generally-speaking, it means "heart-mind", the emotive part of the mind which includes the activities of Manas — intellect or mind-sense which grasps mental objects — and Manovijnana (sixth consciousness), and also of the Vijnanas (the five consciousnesses).

In this sense, it represents a person's mindset or state of mind which may be dominated by emotions.

Specifically the Citta is the Alayavijnana in its relative aspects, which is distinguishable from the rest of the mental faculties i.e. the pure mind that is free of the defilements of attachment, hatred and delusion.

In the form of Citta-matra, Mind-only, "Citta" is identifiable with the Alaya in its absolute aspect.

Alayavijnana means storehouse consciousness, for alaya is a storehouse "where things are hoarded for future use." As a cumulative faculty, the Citta is thus identified with the Alayavijnana. Yet the Alaya "is not a Vijnana," and "has no discerning power in it."

Indeed, the Alaya "indiscriminately harbours all that is poured into it through the channel of the Vijnanas."

The Alaya is the mind-stream, the stream of consciousness which is neutral, indifferent, and non-judgmental.

Regarding citta, the mind is first calmed during samatha meditation.

Then the mind is purified when liberating insight arises during vipassana meditation.

---

Reference:

Lankavatara Sutra: http://lirs.ru/do/lanka_eng/lanka-nondiacritical.htm
Citta: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citta
Vipassana: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassana
Instructions on breath meditation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati_Sutta

Healing the Broken Heart Through Faith and Belief (poem)

I give thanks to the Buddha, for his role in helping us.
I give thanks to the Dharma for dependent arising explains the Four Noble Truths to us.
I give thanks to the Sangha who wrote the sutras that guide us.

When it feels like your heart has broken
free of your mind's gentle embrace,
make them whole again with breath meditation,
mantrayana and devotion to the Buddha.

May the comprehensive love of Amida tame the mind.
May the great compassion of Avalokiteshvara heal the heart.
May the active security of Mahasthamaprapta protect
one's Buddha Recitation and be mindful of Amida.

For the heart-mind, being the Bodhi Mind,
may only be formed from feelings and reason
being acted upon by one's sincere belief
that all sentient beings are our mothers!

Namu Amida Butsu

Meditation at Work Pays Off

Homage to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha.

Earlier this morning, I worked from midnight until 6 AM.

Afterwards, I felt my emotions and feeling with a freshness that happens after being up all night, being of service to my boss.

Work consisted of patrolling an underground parkade.

In between each other, I decided halfway through the shift to meditate, specifically breath meditation. Additionally, I also quietly chanted the Nembutsu after finishing the final patrol.

Later, on the bus home I felt sad that my roommate is back under psychiatric care temporarily.

Then it happened: the same joy I had experienced last month.

This joy though had a loving-kindness touch to it. Yet I cannot discount it as the result of fatigue.

Because I put my sincere faith in Amida Buddha's Primal Vow and belief in rebirth in the Pure Land, this explains how meditation for three hours resulted in the pure joy that loving-kindness causes bubble out of my heart-mind.

Through meditation, the heart of feelings was brought closer to the mind of reason to become one as the heart-mind.

After Buddha Recitation (Buddha Remembrance by chanting the Nembutsu - Namu Amida Butsu), the heart-mind became Bodhi Mind.

Arising from the Bodhi Mind came this joy, all due to loving-kindness.

Once again, meditation and Buddha Recitation in earnest results in liberation from repression and introversion for this follower of Amida Buddha.

In giving homage to Amida Buddha's boundless life of compassion and boundless light of wisdom, Buddha Remembrance set my heart-mind free.

Now this follower of Amida is humbled, for this joy arose out of loving-kindness due to the Name-that-calls!

Namu Amida Buddha!

Breath Meditation (poem)

With the breath it begins,
the quiet meditation
of the skillful one.
Without preconceptions,
the mind is emptied of bias.
Each thought comes and goes,
with focus on the breath.
Heart and mind become as one
yielding the blessed heart-mind.
Amidst the one-pointedness of mind.
the Bodhi Mind arises until
Emptiness is filled with bliss.
In pure joy, the skillful one
returns to the breath and rises.

Where is love when lost in the midst? (poe)

Where is love,
this heart of mine asks?
Lost in the midst
of passion deep,
answers my heart.
Please wait for love
to return from
its absence in
this heart of mine.

The End of Suffering

The Buddha said:
What is Right View?
The knowledge of suffering,
the origin of suffering,
the end of suffering,
and the way of practice
leading to the end of suffering.
This is Right View.

-after Digha Nikaya

And what is the way of practice for the Pure Land practitioner but deep listening?

Deep listening occurs when the devotee listens with his heart instead of his mind.

---

Deep listening:
http://www.mindful.org/in-love-and-relationships/relating-to-others/deep-listening
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/practices/features.php?id=15570

Mere Notion Is Real (poem)

While Buddha Nature is but a notion,
how does it exist in the body?
It exists just as the heart-mind exists
when one is deep in meditation,
eyes opened and mind awakened
to the glory of the Absolute.

Your Heart Has Blossomed

If your heart has blossomed
and given birth to a wish
for what can't be expressed,
your mind not enmeshed
in sensual passions:
you're said to be
in the up-flowing stream.

-Dhammapada, 16, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

All of the Buddha (Poem)

We are all of the Buddha:
To be enlightened,
All we must do is open
Our hearts, sincerely
Abiding with the Dharma.

Hyperbole in Vasistha's Yoga

One may revolve on the wheel of birth and death for a thousand lifetimes: this will not cease till one has fully mastered the mind and till that mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity. - The Story of Prahlada, Vasistha's Yoga, V:43

This quote is from the last two paragraphs of Verse 43 of Chapter 5 in Vasistha's Yoga, which is the metaphorical Story of Prahlada.

The literal meaning of the above sentence implies the concept of reincarnation. Yet it is hyperbole because it does not mean that a person is fated to "revolve on the wheel of birth and death (Samsara) for a thousand lifetimes".

Rather, it implies that a person may feel like as though she is repeating the same pattern of behavior, and that "this will not cease" until she "has fully mastered the mind" through "contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite", ibid.

This mastery of the mind where "the mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity" is achieved by abandoning one's illusions about objective phenomena as clearly stated in the rest of the quote:

...Abandon all illusory appearances of objective phenomena, whether they appear within you or outside you. Contemplate the sole reality of consciousness for the cessation of repeated birth, Taste the pure consciousness (which is, in truth, the essence of all that exists) by resolutely renouncing objectivity of consciousness, (all the concepts and percepts) and contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite. You will surely cross this river of world-appearance and rebirth. - ibid.

Hence, the purpose of hyperbole here is to inspire and thus motivate the disciple to apply the physical exercises in yoga to achieve "a state of supreme peace and equanimity".

Compassion: Letting the Head Rule Over the Heart

Once touched by compassion, a person has difficulty reverting to his previous life when passion ruled.

He knows that reason tempers emotions.

Thus, this is the essence of the concept of "mind over matter."

In matters of love, it is prudent to let the head rule the heart.

Otherwise, we end up falling in love, not with the object of our desire, but with a false love, the pale reflection of unconditional love itself.

In doing so, we see life as though "through a mirror darkly."

By letting reason rule over passion, a person who truly knows compassion, having risen above his passions, is truly able to love all people equally, unconditionally. This called equanimity

Let this be the measure of the depth of your compassion, to allow the embrace of unconditional love to touch your heart.

All it takes is love...

---

Originally posted: May 18, 2005 1715H
Updated: February 8, 2013 2051H

The Three Factors of Adolescence

The following are notes made on Brent Cameron's interview with Joseph Chilton Pearce in March 2005 issue of Common Ground.

The adolescent's rapid physical development of the human brain itself occurs predominately in the pre-frontal lobes.

Along with the brain's growth spurt, which ends around age 21, comes the potential for:

1. A high sense of idealism
   
   • present models of idealism
     
   • occurs as early as ages 11-12
2. A sense of hidden greatness
   
   • the conviction that deep within the heart-mind is a core of self that is very great and that if people just realized how great they are, they would respect them.
3. The sense of great expectation
   
   • something tremendous is supposed to happen around the next corner or the next hill moment by moment
     
   • this is a heart-felt sense which will lead to their next stage of evolutionary development.

Commentary The interview makes the conjecture that public education tries to grow minds for university, not for human transcendence.

In doing so, the State might be sowing the seeds of discontent in its citizens.

For this is done for money, and not always for the benefit of the children.

Shiva Devotion, Buddhist Practice

I pay homage to Ganesha.
I pay homage to Parvati.
I pay homage to Shaiva.

Let their blessings shower forth...

Inspired by Irina, I will try to synthesize her music into my eclectic literary lifestyle as a Buddhist.

For at the core of my being, I do not exist: the world and its all its splendor is reflected in my soul.

Another source of inspiration is insomnia, so undoubtedly most of my brain is half-asleep. Supposedly I do not greatly appreciate the depth of the wisdom here intellectually.

However, emotionally and psychologically, the spiritual essence and the depths of my mind and body are at one.

If this is delusion, then it is a peaceful one.

For Love of a divine nature which is Buddha Nature arising to acceptance of sunyata, which is emptiness, is the ocean of mercy into which my heart-mind returns.

Please do not rationalize what was just written, and forget all about logical analysis of these words as psycho-social phenomena. This is not solely a reaction to insomnia.

Rather, this is Love expressing itself through me, all the devas and devis adoring the Godhead, radiating their loving-kindness.

These words are expressing the deepest love reflected from the noble source: the Absolute.

So be it.