Eight easy steps to happiness. Yet another viral Facebook update to mock me. As I sit here, feeling relatively unhappy myself, I wonder “what is wrong with me that I cannot find happiness in this Huffington Post article?!?!?!” Oh right. Because that would be ridiculous.
In the fundamental teachings of the Dharma, the practice of giving, or dana, in all forms is considered an important pillar of practice. It is the first of the 10 Paramis (heart/mind qualities of an awakened being), and the first of the three pillars of Dharma—giving, ethics and the cultivation of wisdom. Development of a heart of generosity (Pali: caga), from which dana naturally flows, is viewed in the teachings as the ground upon which virtue and wisdom are developed, the path to and the expression of enlightenment. Caring and selfless offering of time, attention, resources, and support is an expression of interdependence and a letting go that leads to happiness. Fundamentally, it is a template for the heart that lets go, frees itself from attachment and thus, dukkha.
When I’m listening, I’m almost always planning what the next words out of my mouth will be. I try, rather unsuccessfully, to be more present while communicating, but it wasn’t until my first day of Insight Dialogue practice that almost infinite layers pasted over possible mindfulness.
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If when you hear “monkey mind” you think, “more like 100 monkeys on steroids piled into a 2’x2’ cage with banana-scented bars,” then this article is for you.
Mindfulness is the seventh aspect of the Eightfold Path. Through mindfulness, we develop awareness of all phenomena coming and going. We develop a kind and spacious mind by cultivating mental qualities of: awareness (recognizing what is true right here and now), interest (penetrating with awareness what is true) and acceptance without dependence or clinging (without taking experience on as an identity). In this way, our mindfulness practice is not superficial—it is penetrating.
Where do the instructions for metta practice come from? The suttas give relatively little instruction on what actually to do, beyond generating universal good will that we find in the Metta Sutta, and the practice of focusing on each direction, in an oft-cited pericope:
On the night of the Buddha’s awakening, he vowed: “I shall not give up my efforts until I have attained liberation by perseverance, energy and endeavor.” This quality of samaviriya, wise effort or courageous energy, is the first step of the meditative aspect (wise effort, mindfulness and concentration) of the Eightfold Path. The Buddha’s awakening demonstrated the power of indefatigable and balanced energy arising from spiritual urgency—the recognition that now is the only reality.
This was a conversation with my dad about my metta experiments last year. Let me back up. I was starting to feel too obsessed with money. And although probably no more than the average person in New York. As many of us know, it can be hard to make your rent each month. And, like many of us know, you can count yourself lucky if you have an apartment to pay rent on.
Wise Livelihood is often discussed in terms of “shoulds.” We should earn our living in a righteous way, gain wealth by legal, peaceful, honest and harmless means. And there are 5 specific kinds of livelihood the Buddha said should be avoided: dealing in weapons, living beings, meat production and butchery, poisons, and intoxicants. These point to noble relationship to work. Yet, there is a risk that we will reflect on wise livelihood as a series of rules that, if we follow the “shoulds” and avoid the “should nots”, will mean we can check off that limb of the Path as fulfilled.
