Samadhi: The Meditation of Pure Joy

The cure for anger is simple:
cultivate love and practice patience
in the face of anger, desire, hatred, jealousy
and worldliness too base for comfort.
Show compassion for all sentient beings,
and know that loving kindness leads to
compassion so powerful, it burns away
evil karma until all that is left is merit.

May all sentient beings be happy!
May all sentient beings attain the pure joy of liberation!
May all sentient beings focus on the one-pointedness of mind!
May all sentient beings aspire to attain Buddhahood!
May all sentient beings become determined to be bodhisattvas!
May All sentient beings be loving in the face of anger and hatred!
May all sentient beings remember the kindness of their parents!
May all sentient beings be excellent to each other!

Gone away is this vain grasping self,
for in its place is selflessness as virtue
which drives away selfishness and its companions.
All that is left is the pure joy of liberation.

---

Originally posted on February 21, 2013 at 7:09 AM

Laugh at the devil (poem)

Laugh at the devil
and he shall flee.
Laugh - God, damn it - laugh!
It relieves misery.

Laughter is a gift
so very divine.
Its message is to uplift,
and to let the heart shine.

So laugh at the devil
until he does flee.
Laugh - God bless you! Laugh!
Laughter brings you victory!

For good cheer arises
When we all laugh aloud.
It's the voice of surprises,
That makes us all proud.

Laugh at the devil
and he shall flee.
Laugh - God, damn it - laugh!
It's the sound of glory.

Here's To Life (poem)

Having sunshine, when it used to rain,
is like wiping all those tears away
and forgetting about the pain.
Here's to life I enjoy, just for today.

Be Mindful of Your Mind! (poem)

Be mindful of your mind in your daily practice.
With all sincerity, serenity is what you find
When breath leads to the single-mindedness
Of samadhi so pure that Nirvana is but
A heartbeat away from a walk in the Buddha Field
leading towards bliss and the non-abiding Nirvana.

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.

Like the Essence of Dharma (poem)

Hard it is to be born poor,
even harder to accept is
becoming poor when once rich.
Free are creatures small
that fly about or crawl,
but freer still is Man.

Liberation is a process binding
all sentient beings to samsara,
yet freeing the one thing
sentient being have: consciousness.
For it is the consciousness
that Nirvana frees, not the soul.
For consciousness is non-self,
and on contemplating
the whole universe,
is contained within the heart-mind.

When such joy is found,
easy is the peace of mind
regardless of want.
Craving thus ended is gone,
replaced by calm abiding.
Easier is acceptance
of one's lot in life,
to not strive needlessly, lest
the joy of being
is traded in for gold.

For the joy of being is
more precious than gold itself.
It is more precious
than the sweet life.
Those who have never tasted
the sweetness of life
are free of mental caries
which lead to sadness —
they know the Void is all things.

For the Void is the Buddha womb
which gives birth to peace,
within your heart-mind, but calls
out to you calmly,
that peace called Buddha Nature.
All "I", "me", or "mine"
are but conceptions, not things
which last forever &mdash
If "I" truly existed,
it would always weep
for lack of profit, but then
the selfless know well
the folly of such delusions.
If "me" existed,what would be
the point of "you" except
to make the world less lonely?
If "mine" existed, would that
allow "yours" to share?
Thinking these conceptions things,
each of us is free to choose
the delusions or let go
of it, to uncover peace of mind.

With peace comes the calm mind,
achieved through careful contemplation
whilst letting go of conceptions,
and holding onto nothingness,
the seed of well being,
freed in spite of strife,
close to the struggle called life,
yet closer still in the midst of
physical poverty to the endless process
called by many names: freedom,
joy of being, letting go, liberation...
Ignore the distraction of egoistic Love,
lest it be the death of Nirvana.

Holding tightly, the ignorant fear such freedom —
death overtakes everyone.
And yet, the Buddha
Shows a shining example.
Letting go, the seeker is free
to explore nothingness,
which is filled with potential
far greater than death:
the pure joy of peace of mind!

Where once these words first brought fear,
they shall bring joy on the retelling.
Contained within what was written is like
the essence of the Dharma,
but feel free to doubt this.
To anyone who fails to research anything
written here, and, in fleeing, hides
behind disbelief: walk on with lack of faith
but respect the Buddha as the mother of boundless joy.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

June 15, 2010: It's the middle of June now, and I'd like to be prepared for the onset of SAD now when I am at my highest.

That means for the month of September, I'll see if the mirtazapine makes a difference.

While on this med, I do not mistake the fatigue for depression.

Currently, the changes in sleep pattern appear to mimic the changes in sleep pattern I would undergo during the longer days of summer.

Tho I enjoy sleeping more than usual, both because of the medication and because it's a healthy hobby! :p YMMV

IMHO the best way to beat SAD is to make sure that I have plenty to do in the fall and winter. Being on-line 24/7 does not healthily preoccupy my time.

My plan during the summer is to study Vajrayana, and get involved in the Buddhist community outside Jodo Shinshu.

Hopefully by the fall I'll see how committed I am to this path because it would preoccupy my time during the winter.

Update: 20130124.1820

Over the course of two years since the original post, I veered back to Pure Land Buddhism, of the Chinese flavor mixed with True Pure Land school.

My medication also has been reduced to gabapentin and cyclobenzaprine with good results for sedation and sleep architecture.

For about six months I even tried out Baptist.

Yet I always return to Pure Land since I grew up on it. It's just like when I try to pray, I return to the Nembutsu.

Recently I have affirmed my commitment to Amida Buddha. Over the past month, Buddha Remembrance has resulted in focus, joy, and peace of mind.

As a result of these improvements I've noticed that meditation has resulted in one-pointedness of mind due to ease of focus. This has improved my mood, resulting in more experiences akin to pure joy. Due to ease of focus during meditation, I have also achieved peace of mind.

For focus is related to pure concentration in meditation; joy, the fruit of concentration; and peace of mind, the essence of clarity of mind. The improvement in my mood has allowed me to enjoy being outside, riding transit while on errands.

Overall, I have managed Seasonal Affective Disorder through the use of meditation and regular exercise.

Pure and Strong, This Unconditional Love (poem)

Pure as the cool raindrops
falling from the sky,
this love knows no bounds,
only happiness and joy.
Strong as the gentle breeze,
only knowing love,
this soul seeks the one
who embraces with ease.
And I who am not innocent
still stands up tall to
face the day as I am,
unafraid and willing to be

Pure as the warm sunshine
upon my own face,
this love knows the joy
that happiness can bring.
Strong as the ocean waves
breaking upon the beach,
this soul is at one
with all, home once again.
Thus I who am no innocent
will arise to meet
the day without regret,
unafraid and willing to see

Love untouched by hatred,
pure as the angels above,
strong as the warrior,
unafraid of the changes within.
Oh! Do not be afraid
when your emotions grasp
what is left of your heart.
Just love with true innocence,
and believe in who you trust!
For He who is near is
nearer to thee, when grasped
by His unconditional love.

Joy Arises

In the unthinkable, inscrutable, ordinary nature of reality there is no difference between freedom and bondage. No matter what arises, when you perceive your original nature, the joy arises automatically--and what joy!

-Shabkar, "The Flight Of The Garuda"

It is prudent to remain full of joy as much as possible.

Freedom and bondage should not determine nor be a condition of your joy.

Thus is it the intense focus of meditation on one single thing in one's life that help bring about this joy spontaneously.

This is the fruit of true mind control.

Universal Responsibility

Adopting an attitude of universal responsibility is essentially a personal matter. The real test of compassion is not what we say in abstract discussions but how we conduct ourselves in daily life.

-His Holiness the Dalai Lama, "Imagine All the People"

Just talking about harmlessness isn't enough.

When spiritual practice (meditation) does not lead to reciprical compassion from others, a person's conduct should still be to practise harmlessness.

To feel guilty for past wrongs is not enough - one must strive to learn from one's mistakes.

Even in the Dhammapada it is written to not cling to regrets and worries.

Dhammapada 67-68:

It's not good,
the doing of the deed
that, once it's done,
you regret,
whose result you reap crying,
your face in tears.

It's good,
the doing of the deed
that, once it's done,
you don't regret,
whose result you reap gratified,
happy at heart.


As well, the cure for regrets about wrongs done is simply letting go:

348:

Gone to the beyond of becoming,
you let go of in front,
let go of behind,
let go of between.
With a heart everywhere let-go,
you don't come again to birth
& aging.


Thus what the Dalai Lama says about the real test of compassion is ... how we conduct ourselves in daily life.

Panentheism Revisited (poem)

Panentheism Revisited

I. First Truth

When one part of it hurts
The whole universe hurts.

Yet only rarely does humanity
realize the role of suffering
is to shape the human spirit wisely.

Always awake, enlightened, truly whole,
the whole universe is infinite
to this fool, yet is the source of life,
atom by atom, molecule by molecule.

II. True Joy

When one part of it rejoices
The whole universe rejoices.

Then, humanity may only feel joy
as spontaneous, the spark of freedom
to appreciate life as it is.

From the universe came the soul pristine,
the gift to seed in this mortal coil
at birth, only to be returned at death,
to the infinite, pristine and unchanged.

III. Illumination and Enlightenment

When one part of it illuminates
The whole universe is illuminated.

Here and there, wisdom slowly ebbs and flows
with the human tide on this grain of sand,
sometimes seeing the whole universe.

Through love and compassion, the wise support
with kindness their equals, the foolish,
sharing the wealth of the infinite,
securely complemented with prudence.

Saio's Horse

When Great Evil occurs, Great Good will follow.

In China, there once was an old man who lived on the outskirts of a town. He was a little strange for he never got depressed about sad events nor delighted on joyous occasions.

As it happened, one day, his horse escaped. But when his neighbors came to console him, he didn't seem to care much about it saying, "No, it is nothing to be depressed about."

After a few days, his wayward horse came back in the company of a fine horse whose beauty could hardly be matched by any other in the land.

His neighbors joyfully said, "We thought the loss of your horse was a cause for grief, but it turned out to be a reason for celebration." However, the old man did not pay any attention to their reaction saying, "This is nothing to be overjoyed about."

Some time later, the old man's son was out riding the beautiful horse when he fell off, breaking his shoulder. The neighbors once again grieved and tried to console the old man but again he seemed undisturbed by the incident.

Soon thereafter, a revolt broke out in the land and all the able-bodied young men of the village were rounded up and sent off to fight and die. Due to the serious injury to his shoulder, only the old man's son was not conscripted and he alone was left behind and survived.

This parable is the source of the old Chinese proverb "Every happening in one's life is like Saio's horse." "Saio" means "the old man living in the fortress in the north." In truth, it is difficult to judge what is going to be the cause of happiness and unhappiness.