Taoism is NOT Buddhism: 4 differences

(Tao Temple) China's Taoism vs. India's Buddhism explained: 4 differences that really matter

(Tao Temple) ZEN: What happens when Taoism and Buddhism collide?

Art of dying: How Zen masters face death

(Buddha's Wisdom) Zen wisdom on death: Why Buddhist masters die smiling

Bhutan building Mindfulness City, eating

(60 Minutes)

• What is "mindfulness" (sati)?

Sati (Pali sati [1], Sanskrit स्मृति, smṛti), literally "memory" [2] or "retention" [3] [previously rendered "vigilance," "bare awareness," "wakefulness," "presence of mind," "presence," "to bear in mind"] is commonly translated as mindfulness, "to remember to observe" [4].

It is an essential part of Buddhist practice [occurring 14 times in the list of the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment].

It has the related meanings of calling to mind the wholesome Teachings (Dhamma) such as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (Satipatthanas), the Five Faculties, the Five Powers, the Seven Factors of Enlightenment, the Noble Eightfold Path, and the attainment of insight [5].

What is there to mindfully eat?

(South China Morning Post) What people eat in Bhutan? Cheese

Moreover, it means observing and remaining aware of mental and physical phenomena (dhammas), which is the actual practice of maintaining lucid heightened-awareness of these dhammas [6].

The bodily and mental phenomena one practices to remain aware/mindful of are these processes/"things." This is done in order to counter the arising of unwholesome states, the removal of unwholesome states [7][8], to develop wholesome states, and to sustain wholesome states to attainment of insight (vipassana).

It is the first factor of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. "Right" or "correct" mindfulness (Pali sammā-sati, Sanskrit samyak-smṛti) is the seventh factor (limb or element) of the Noble Eightfold Path.

Definition

The Buddhist term translated into English as "mindfulness," "to remember to observe" [4], "to remember to remain observant," originates in the Pali term sati and in its Sanskrit counterpart smṛti.

According to Robert Sharf, the meaning of these terms has been the topic of extensive debate and discussion [8].

• Ven. Analayo strives for an academic definition from the ancient texts.

Smṛti originally meant "to remember," "to recollect," "to bear in mind," as in the Vedic tradition of remembering [memorizing slokas of] sacred texts.

The Pali term sati also means "to remember" the phenomena being observed in Sattipatthana, that is literally "the fourfold setting up of mindfulness," as well more generally remember the Teachings of Tipitaka ("Three Baskets" or collections of the) texts.

In the "Discourse on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness" (Satipațțhāna Sutta), the term sati means "to maintain awareness of reality," where sense-perceptions are understood to be illusory and misleading so that the true nature of phenomena can be directly seen [8] and penetrated.

• [What is their true nature? It is tilakkhana, marked by the Three Universal Characteristics of Existence, which are impermanent, disappointing, and impersonal, a lakkhana being a "mark" or "characteristic" of all phenomena, all dhammas, all "things."]

Sharf refers to the Questions of King Milinda (Milindapanha), King Menander I, which explains that the arising of sati calls to mind the wholesome phenomena (dhammas) such as the Four Foundations of Mindfulness...and the attainment of insight [5]. More

• 60 Minutes, Jan. 2025; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wikipedia Wiki edit

August Uposatha Moon (What happened? )

WHAT HAPPENED?

Traditional Buddhists gather for uposatha.

We arrive at 8:00 am dressed all in white to take the Eight Precepts with a monk, chanting (call and response) repeating an ancient formula in the language of the Buddha, Pali (Magadhi, the easier lingua franca version of Sanskrit). Then we are served breakfast, traditional island fare.

The Buddha mostly taught lay practitioners.

Taking our seats on the folding backrests provided for meditation, the monks chanted and gave sermons, with everyone smiling and encouraging everyone else.

Half of what is going on is in the ancient Buddhist island Sinhalese language of Sri Lanka. Before long, it's time for lunch, but before we eat the donor family receives a special blessing. They are offering it to benefit their dearly departed mother, so a special "transfer of merit" ceremony is conducted, where they gather in a circle up front and pour clear water into a cup until it is overflowing, as monks chant that what is given here benefit the grateful dead. If the departed should rejoice at this act of merit -- giving to feed practitioners of the Eight Precepts -- that will be excellent mental karma for those departed beings on the other side of the veil. They will therefore, in a place with very few opportunities to perform any skillful karma, gain that opportunity. Then we eat. Soon we will practice mindfulness walking meditation as a group, but that is always available to practice individually, inside or outside in the warm sun.

Understanding the meaning of uposatha days in Buddhism (spiritualculture.org)

.

Although mostly silent and very respectful, people love to chat, mingle, and socialize. We sit apart from the crowd in the large outdoor patio near the temple's giant bodhi tree. The monastery looks like a high school with many rooms, offices, monks' quarters, a giant lawn, bell tower, parking lot, bathrooms, reading room, gym floor, stage, and lots of pews. It was originally built as a Protestant church in the valley with a great view of the San Gabriel Mountains on a very quiet street in the middle of Suburbia.

In the other direction, on a distant hill is Going West (Hsi Lai) Mahayana Buddhist Monastery, one of the largest Buddhist complexes in the U.S. Another talk is followed by a guided meditation with a singing bowl gong and very soothing words. Tea is offered to us individually. We meditate and about 5:00 pm, as the retreat is ending, the ordinary Sunday Rains Retreat services are just beginning. What had been about 50 participants balloons up to more than 100, also all dressed in white, arriving to hear a sutra or sermon.

We are in a side classroom, near the special golden cetiya shrine room, with the Nepalese monk Ven. Suwan, and the pews are filled with everyone else listening to the Dhamma in Sinhalese. The English class addressed the deeper meaning of the Four Noble Truths:

1. Unsatisfactoriness (dukkha) is universal
2. There is a cause (a reason why)
3. There is a solution (cure)
4. There is a path-of-practice to end all suffering.

It is called "noble" (Aryan) because these four truths are "ennobling," this is, leading towards enlightenment for the practitioner who realizes their deeper significance.

The historical Buddha did not teach them for people to memorize or "believe," but rather to realize that these universal are always true and guide living beings toward liberation from all suffering all the way to the realization of nirvana. That could take lifetimes or be accomplished in this very life.

There's no time to waste and no telling we'll ever get an opportunity like this for eons, so precious is a human rebirth and all the more rare to ever meet the Dhamma, the Buddha's Teachings with a body and mind about to put his instructions into practice. Then dinner is served, a great assortment of island fare, mostly vegetarian/vegan and lots of conversation and mingling. It was a blessed time and repeats every month with the dates noted on this poster:

Event details

Monthly Day Retreat Calendar

It's that time of year again, "Buddhist Lent," the Rains Retreat (Vassa), for intensive practice.

There is the weekly observance in accordance with the phases of the moon, but generally the full moon is thought to be the most important and it is usually the one observed the uposatha with the Eight Precepts and intensive meditation and hearing the Dhamma (Dharma).

The Theravada/Pali language tradition of Southeast Asia (Sri Lankan, Burmese, Thai, Cambodian, Laotian, and to a lesser degree in Vietnam and the United States) observe it in this way, particularly in the large diaspora communities of the United States. In the greater Los Angeles area, where all of these ethnic and cultural communities are represented, temples hold special events.

The Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara (now the MindfulnessMeditationCenter.org) deep in the suburbs of the San Gabriel Valley city of Covina, is having a daylong Full Moon Observance Meditation retreat on Sunday, August 10, 2025, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

This service is FREE or by donation (dana) and includes breakfast and lunch. It is conducted in Sinhalese and English. And there is an opportunity for any questions and requests for clarification. WEAR ALL WHITE as is the ancient custom from the time of the Buddha. (It is not an enforced rule but really does help and will certainly make one more comfortable and show respect among the locals from the East).

• Mindfulness Meditation Center
• 1023 N. Glendora Ave., Covina,
• SGV, Los Angeles County 91724
• INFO: (626) 364-7497

Mindfulness of Eating (meditation)

This is regular eating, mindless and full of craving (for dopamine). How is it done mindfully?

I don't want to look fat (muffin topping) in a bikini at the pool party (collegepill.com)

Budai, the Fat Happy Bodhisattva

What is the FAT founder of world's third largest religion (when the 1 billion uncounted Buddhists in communist, and therefore officially atheist, Buddhists are counted) in the world going to teach us about being fit? The fact is the popular depiction of "Fat Happy Buddha" is not the historical Buddha Shakyamuni (born Prince Siddhartha Gautama) but rather a monk (now elevated to bodhisattva) named Budai (also Putai, Hotei), a Chinese monk with a big sack of candy for children, a luck-bringing jolly fellow very reminiscent of the West's Santa Claus.

Fat on a slippery wet diving board

ABOUT: Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, is professor of medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the founder and director of its renowned Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Clinic. His clinic was featured in 1993 in the public television series Healing and the Mind with Bill Moyers. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the author of 15 books, in print in over 45 languages. These include Full Catastrophe Living; Wherever You Go, There You Are; Coming to Our Senses; and Mindfulness for Beginners.

• Eating Meditation – Sounds True

Vesak (Buddhist X-mas) Hollywood (5/25)

What special thing did Siddhartha do under the Bodhi tree that caused his enlightenment?

Documentary: The Buddha, PBS documentary (narrated by Richard Gere) with the Dalai Lama

WHAT HAPPENED?

It was like practicing in a peaceful forest

Practitioners arrived early for a 7:00 am start by taking the Eight or Ten Precepts (a chanting ceremony led by monks). There were more than 50 practicing, with a large support crew of food donors and onlookers, serving us breakfast and preparing lunch delicacies.

Before the first walking meditation session could begin, Mara reminded us that life is samsara: A devotee passed away, and the abbot and assistant abbot had to race off to provide the ceremonial blessings (the transfer of merit ritual), leaving the responsibility of providing an hour-long Dharma talk to Wisdom Quarterly.

• That talk covered this basic question. Play along at home. "What is better, what is hard or what is easy?"

Someone yelled, "Hard!" Wrong. Another person yelled, "Easy!" Wrong. It was a trick question. It can neither be said that the hard way is the better way, nor that it's the easy way. It depends. Sometimes what is "the hard way" is actually the easy way in the long run. The Buddha did not hand us a needlessly difficult path. He made it as easy as a normal person could expect.

There's a difference between easy and lazy. We all would like a shortcut, but a lazy person seems to prefer no cut, no effort, nothing to do. That's what sells. Hard work starts looking pretty good by comparison. The Buddha was criticized severely for stealing rich kids from their riches because he would give a talk, and rich, handsome, and prominent young adults would ask to ordain and live a life of wandering asceticism. Parents would berate the Buddha that he was cheating those kids out of their right inheritances because they could have been rich and prominent and lived a life full of pleasure but were now instead doomed to the drudgery of austerities and poverty and deprivations (no children, families, houses, kingdoms).

The Buddha countered that he would never give someone the lesser thing for a greater thing. What he was saving those disciples from were exactly the painful vicissitudes of a household life in exchange for liberation, wisdom, and freedom -- that far more valuable than kids, a spouse, and a household to look after like everyone else. They were, of course, free to disrobe and return to the "lower" life if the "high" life did not suit them. But their karmic merit for having been monastics almost ensured a superior rebirth hereafter. So far from losing, they were gaining even in a worldly sense.

What would you rather, brown rice or mangoes?

Farmers were working in a field in ancient Magadha (proto-India) when the Buddha was set to speak. Brahmins were eager to defeat him in debate. One farmer asked the other what was going on. Why were people taking dana (generous donations) in that direction. The other farmer explained that those people were going to see the great Samana (Wayfarer), whereas they as farmers were poor and had to work planting rice.

The Compassionate Teacher

Just then the Buddha and his retinue came walking in direction of the talk. The farmers were thrilled to see him and donated rice. The Buddha asked what they were doing. They explained they were planting rice, too busy to attend his talk. Strangely, the Buddha asked if they wouldn't prefer mangoes. "Well, of course, we'd prefer mangoes. But we're rice farmers. We plant rice. We get rice. "Still," the Buddha said, "wouldn't you prefer mangoes." "Of course we would," they said, "but we plant rice, we get rice."

"What if after planting the rice, you prayed for mangoes?" the Buddha asked. The farmers thought him daft and no sadhu ("holy man") they needed to worry about missing hearing give a sutra. He obviously knew nothing about farming. "Praying won't change anything if one has planted rice, venerable sir." The Buddha shocked them by saying:

"In exactly the same way, the karma you do gives you the vipaka/phala (karmic resultants and fruit) you get. It won't matter if, sowing bad deeds, you pray for good results. You will get bad results all the same." Suddenly, the farmers thought he was very wise and did know farming after all.

They asked him, "What will you be talking about today, venerable sir?" "The Brahmins will ask me about karma and try to trick me and best me in debate. Not engaging them, I will try to teach them about the efficacy of actions. I only hope they understand me as well as you have." The farmers bowed and made offerings, overjoyed that they had had the chance to hear and see (drishti) the Great Teacher in the flesh.

Then the example of the layperson's problems was given: See 83 Problems: A Buddhist Sutra (parable).

A drunk man was desperately searching for something under a lamp. A sober man passed and asked what was going on. The drunk man said he lost something very valuable. The sober one started looking and asked, "You lost it around here?" pointing to the area. The drunk said, "No, I lost it over there," pointing to the dark. "Then WHY are you searching here?" exclaimed the sober fellow. "The light is better," the drunk explained. In other words, "it's easier." It isn't about what easy, is it? It is about what is fruitful, profitable, easier in the long run. What's easier -- going to college, doing homework, getting good grades, and sticking to it until there's a degree in hand or blowing smoke, living on the couch, and watching lots of TV, then getting a menial job when it's time to eat and consume more blowable smoke?

The answer seems obvious but isn't. The first way is easier. That's why we do it. The second way is going to lead to an impossible life of hardships, privations, and eventual starvation and trouble when, with preparation (keeping one's nose to the grindstone in the early years when it would have been more fun to do otherwise) it could have been avoided. What seems "easy" will become very hard. This is why the Buddha always encouraged strenuous effort to practice the path, but when on the mat, one has to calm down. The Dharma talk made the distinction between samvega (a "sense of urgency" to practice, such as when we experience a great deal of pain or loss, as by the death of a relative or a failure of a relationship), santosha (contentment, a sense of effortless ease), and laziness.

Too much effort and too little effort are faults, whereas contentment in practice is the Middle Way the Buddha advised. Of course, we have to get our behinds to the mat in the first place. That's when a sense of urgency comes in handy. And, of course, we have to be well rested. That's when a little laziness goes a long way. Over-efforting, straining, striving is no way to gain calm, such as that of meditative absorption (jhana), but laziness will surely never get it either. The easy way, in this case, is balance, the middle way that avoids extremes of effort and indolence, just as hedonism and severe asceticism are avoided. It's tempting to think that contentment is easy, but it isn't. Try it. Try to be content. It's quite hard. Throwing everything away, taking vows of poverty and austerity, is even harder -- and it won't help BECAUSE real letting go is not external.

But I want it all!

It's an inside job. It is internal letting go that the Buddha called nekkhamma, the basis of dana ("letting go," generosity, giving, sharing, relinquishing, or what is generally termed "renunciation"). What is the use of being rich if one clings to those riches, worries, is sleepless, is unable to share, comes to events and gives but leaves early to go check on one's stuff? That is no "giving," no "letting go," no ease of mind that enjoys the riches. Now imagine another rich person, who attends events, gives, and doesn't even lock the door when leaving home. "Did you lock your door when you left?" a caring friend asks. "I don't know. I think so, maybe not." "What are you crazy? You'll be robbed!" "Eh, then I'll get some more." Now, that's a rich person, enjoying those riches, doing what should be done to ensure future wealth (sharing), and not losing sleep over it. We can learn from this by practicing letting go even as we have things and our comfortable Western lives.

The Buddha did not say (as Jesus was reputed to have said), "Give up everything and follow me." The Buddha gave advice to householders on how to grow rich and hang on to their riches. This is the Householder's Dhamma found in the Sigala Sutta. Sigala was a young man, and the Buddha advised him that as for money, the best Buddhist practice was to divide into four equal parts and

1. Pay bills (to cancel out past debts)
2. Secure new inventory (for future profits)
3. Save for a rainy day (anticipating unexpected costs)
4. Spend now for enjoyment.

This is the way to grow rich AND enjoy one's riches here and now. That sutra is FULL of valuable advice on friendship and many other things particularly suited for ordinary householders wishing to live in the world rather than externally renouncing it. Buddhism is not an ascetic tradition for the vast majority of Buddhists. It is so for sincere monastic practitioners, but as most of them seem to have gone the way of temple priests, they more resemble the ancient Brahmins (priestly caste) of the Buddha's day than the samanas (wandering ascetics) the Buddha laid down as the direct path to enlightenment and liberation in this very life. It seems everyone prefers immediate riches.

How long is samsara (the continued wandering on called the Wheel of Death and Rebirth)? It is endlessly long, coming to no natural end. We can get off the carousel, but that takes some hard effort that pays off in endless ease and peace. We foolishly think it's easier to just keep doing what we've been doing and praying for a different result. But our ease is going to cost us. It won't feel easy or wise to have been lazy when effort was called for, and greed is no match for contentment. Contentment is the way to meditative success because balance (the middle way) is the key, avoiding extremes of effort and laziness.

How do I let go to go deep in zen?

"There is no way to happiness..." What, why? "...because happiness is the way." Ease is the way to success in meditation, not gritting one's teeth and straining. It leads to calm, absorption to purification, purification to success in insightful realization (vipassana). Jhana begets wisdom.

Then the chief monks returned, lunch was served, with devotional offerings to the Buddha preceding the rich and varied meal and gift bags for all, chanting blessings. We rested, socialized, did another round of meditation, then Juan, a bright student of Ven. Punnaji (RIP), detailed the Four Noble Truths from Ven. Punnaji's idiosyncratic perspective, altering nearly all the traditional terms. More blessings followed, with a trip outside to pay homage to the Bodhi Tree next to the stupa on the grounds of the vihara. We were all offered blessed wrist threads for protection and "holy" (blessed) water.

Event details

VESAK is Buddhism's "Christmas" as it celebrates the Buddha's birthday, but it much more than that.

Can Buddhists have a sense of humor? Ask dope rapper Arj Barker.

Buddhist Center of North Hollywood

But it's much more than that, as it commemorates when the wandering ascetic Siddhartha became the Buddha (supremely enlightened) and passed into final nirvana, events that all occurred on the full moon day in May (technically on the ancient lunar calendar's month of Vesakha).

It is a massive celebration around the world nowadays. And the party comes to North Hollywood on Sunday, with the tradition lunar observance, free island cuisine, chanting, blessings, devotional activities, and insight/mindfulness meditation known as vipassana.

This is so cool, just wish you were here to be.

• This year is special because the Center has asked Wisdom Quarterly to answer questions, lead meditation, and give a Dharma (Dhamma) talk on the attainment of enlightenment in this very life (what Siddhartha did under the Bodhi tree that caused his spiritual awakening) and/or the development of merit for riches, sensual pleasures, and incredible rebirth possibilities as taught by the Buddha.

O, Buddha, what is the true nature of existence?

Theravada Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka off the tip of India celebrate these three amazing events on a single day, sometimes carrying on the holiday season for a week or more.

It is the year's most important all-day lunar observance called the Uposatha ("Sabbath" day). If one were only going to do one, this would be it.

Curries of Ceylon, Serendib, Lanka

This is a time of intensive Buddhist practice of the Eight Precepts, meditation (bhavana), chanting of sutras, protective blessings (parittas), devotion activities (pujas), and lots of Sri Lankan island delicacies.

Wisdom Quarterly's own teacher, Dharma editor, and meditation guide invites ANY QUESTION on life, the universe, and everything (sex, drugs, rock 'n roll, Zen, existence, koan riddles, even imponderables), addressed from the perspective of the historical Buddha. Wear white as was the ancient custom of the Buddha's day.

EVENT IS FREE (PLEASE RSVP):

Lunch is served at about noon, so feel free to come-and-go for any part of the celebration.

• Sarathchandra Buddhist Center
• 10717 Oxnard Street
• North Hollywood, LA, CA 91606
• (Nature Center) Buddhist Xmas (Vesak) celebration, North Hollywood Buddhist Temple (FREE), Sun, May 25, 2025, 7:00 AM | Meetup
• (Disclosure Project) Buddhist Xmas (Vesak) celebration, North Hollywood Buddhist Temple (FREE), Sun, May 25, 2025, 7:00 AM | Meetup
• (PasaDharma) Buddhist Xmas (Vesak) celebration, North Hollywood Buddhist Temple (FREE), Sun, May 25, 2025, 7:00 AM | Meetup
• Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B., Wisdom Quarterly

LA Fire FREE healing session (2/8)

WHAT HAPPENED?

As above, so below. There are two stories to The Awareness Center, a Kundalini Yoga studio in Pasadena. Entering the room, participants spread out on borrowed yoga mats on the hardwood floor, most of the group was already on stage, waiting for Seven to make an entrance.

The large shamanic drum began to drone, the bowls came alive with their unique vibrations attuned to each of the chakras, and the rainstick began to pour.

Event details

The natural elements are for us, even fire.

Spend an hour with Dr. Ling O'Connor and healers gathering for a sound bath, deep relaxation, reiki massage, and meditation. 

We're offering a FREE sound bath and emotional healing to support Los Angeles residents affected by the recent fires.

• Cause of Eaton Fire? Edison tower sparks

Join Dr. Ling O'Connor, Meditation Guide Seven, musician nurse Devorah Anderson, the Zildjian Mistress Linda Lau Cole, Azalea, Frank, and our very own Urban Shaman Seven for deep relaxation and recentering at The Awareness Center yoga studio in Pasadena.

Experience Tibetan singing bowls, harmonium, shamanic drum, rainstick, temple muyu, gong, and more.

Sound has no power to vibrate or cleanse

Shamans connect us to unseen energies.

This healing session promotes deep relaxation with breath work, emotional release, healing touch, reiki, and physical/spiritual renewal. 

Soothing vibrations restore balance, ease stress and strain, and bring back peace of mind. It's time for the recovery to start by resetting our own nervous systems. First, attend to the body, the mind will follow, and wholeness is in sight.

WHO IS IT FOR? Those most impacted whether emotionally, psychologically, or physically by the Eaton Fire/Los Angeles Fire. (Yeah, this means you). RSVP FREE:

• Disclosure Project: LA FIRE FREE HEALING, sound bath, meditation for all impacted by disaster, Sat, Feb 8, 2025, 4:00 PM | Meetup
• PasaDharma: LA FIRE FREE HEALING, sound bath, meditation for all impacted by disaster, Sat, Feb 8, 2025, 4:00 PM | Meetup
• Nature Center: LA FIRE FREE HEALING, sound bath, meditation for all impacted by disaster, Sat, Feb 8, 2025, 4:00 PM | Meetup
• Email: dancinglunarin@gmail.com

Resolution 2025: Practice Meditation

I was once angry and full of ardor in India (Sharon on left), with Dipa, Dipa Ma, and Joseph G?

Mindfulness is attention, bare attention, but it's not just attention, which we advert to at will. Mindfulness (sati) is a dispassionate looking on without expectations or resistance but rather full of allowing and acceptance. That kind of looking and listening. People all over this country misuse the word "mindfulness" everyday, never realizing that when the Buddha used it, and he used it a lot, like about 14 times in the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment, he meant something that people understood from other things he had said. There's no sense in thinking that we know if we don't, as that will only frustrate us. Wrong mindfulness is a danger. Could make a person feel anxious or unpleasant or distressed. Real allowing, like Tara Brach talks about, is the immediate antidote to those kinds of temporary states.

Just some words of uplift from Wisdom Quarterly

I should probably practice the Path, right? - Ya think? Nah, let it practice you, doing through you, naturally. - What, by some kind word to a cashier? - No, just real being there, noticing without judging or evaluating, expecting or measuring, wanting anything to be any different than it actually is. Just presence. - Ugh. Sounds dreadful. - Yeah, Daria, y'know, we're alive anyway, what if we were to do the radical act of living it? We're there anyway, going through the motions.

By developing the practice of "mindfulness" (sati, satipatthana, "balanced effort," sthira-sukha, not too tight, not too lax, bare present moment awareness that is full of acceptance, gently abandoning resistance, internally letting go, nekkhkamma), it becomes effortless and habitual to stay in the present moment.

It is always the present moment, which is really all there is, as much as we miss the mark most of the time. We drag the past or future here to waste this moment with two infinite unrealities, going over the no-longer-existent or the not-yet-and-maybe-never-to-be-existent.

Rather than abandoning ourselves, let's be present with ourselves free of resistance. In this way we can open to our lives and realize our potential for the stages of enlightenment in this very life. Western lay practice is particularly suited to it; however, our mental habits of rushing, striving, objectifying, measuring, comparing, goal settling, muscling, striving, struggling, and forcing all get in the way. We have yang, okay.

The West has very much misunderstood one thing about the Path the Buddha pointed out. It does not need stronger and stronger determination, with the intensity to allow one's blood to dry up and bones become dust. This is sure to fail. This is exactly why the wandering ascetic Siddhartha kept failing to find what he was looking for. What he needed was balanced-effort which, therefore, meant balancing yang with yin, stiffness with softness, striving with allowing, contentment (santussita) over a sense of urgency (samvega). But ask around. It's as if no one has ever heard the oldest and most popular story in the world, the Allegory of the Buddha's Life or "Every Person's Quest"). It's not only about him and what he let go, overcame, saw for what it was, and awakened as a result, it is about us, too.

Let us now practice our powerful yin. Powerful? The Earth is very yin, wet and solid, sitting, observing without getting sucked in, sometimes immovable. It is not holding on with brute force or clinging as we might conclude. It is just allowing, and its nature is such.

We are not making up the Truth, memorizing it, but finding it and allowing it to reveal itself like a sitter at a still forest pool who need only sit still all ever so gentle breaths to come and go, and marveling at all the marvelous forest creatures who present themselves at the waterside to drink.

We are softly, vigilantly noticing, so much so that we may begin to notice what has been there to be found all along. It may reveal, it may not. Let it. Allow it either.

The Buddha did not create enlightenment (bodhi) or liberation (nirvana). They have always been, for they are unmade, unformed, unfabricated.

The path-of-practice to realize the liberating Truth, that he made known again finally allowing the jhanas and their purifying affects on his heart/mind then immediately undertaking systematic insight practices (fourfold sati-patthana). Mindfulness provides stability for the first by bringing back the wandering mind again and again, having noticed it is of a nature to wander off, then bringing laserlike attention on the Four Foundations of which one is mindful. (See the Maha Satipatthana Sutta for the details on this).

Now that it, the Truth, the Dhamma exists in the world and there are peaceful places to withdraw to and practice, now that we have peace, sufficient food, imperfect but sufficient health, and just the beginnings of clarity, let us determine to investigate. The Dhamma (Dharma) is inviting us to "come and see" for ourselves.

There is nothing to believe or accept ahead of time, just the willingness to persist to the culmination of serenity (samadhi, the jhanas) and insight (vipassana). The Kalama Sutta makes it all open and a great place to begin, not falling into misunderstanding by skimming but reading it to the end.

Sharon Salzberg is an amazing living teacher able to both explain and point from experience. - Wisdom Quarterly.

The place is? Mm, somewhere else? The time is? Ugh, some other time? If we never practice and make a persistent effort rather than waiting for a "perfect plan," we will wander aimlessly upcycling and downcycling without end.

Encouragement from the Buddha

Hey, where'd you come from, li'l guy?

Maybe this will be encouraging for the philosophical types, not that we Westerners suffer any of that tendency. No, not us. One time a conniving sophist came to the Buddha with a trick question, even though the Buddha could perfectly well see his heart and his motivation/intention. He innocently asked, something to the effect of:

"O, Great Aryan Guru-jii, those who practice your Path, will they all attain the goal, or half of them, or none of them, or how is it?" You'll never guess what the Buddha replied. Go on. Guess.

(Did he by any chance say 144,000? Because that would be quite a coincidence!) No, he didn't say that.

He remained silent. His attentive attendant monastic Ananda, one of the most beloved figures in all of Buddhism, became distressed. The Brahmin repeated his question a second and third time. Those times, too, the Buddha only replied passively with noble silence. The debater, insulted that his plan to engage the Buddha in some verbal wrangling and a debate he felt sure he was going to win, got up and left.

Fortunately for us, Ananda asked the Buddha why he had remained silent. He had tremendous psychic and intuitive powers beyond the scope of our understanding (an imponderable amount) and could discern the best answer to whatever was asked of him. Why not this innocent-enough question?

The Buddha explained that if he had said either all, some, or none, each answer would give rise to inaction, inactivity, not striving, not exerting, not letting go, and never mind that the Brahmin was more interested in eel-wriggling philosophical debater than real firsthand experience and understanding.

• (Hey, Ananda, why? Well, if we're all going to eventually make it, why bother? It'll happen anyway. If some of us are never going to make it no matter if we strive and strive, why bother. We're not going to make it. If, yeah, well, some of us who endeavor are yet others who endeavor are not, what's the fairness in that, Ziggy? Why bother? There is not right answer as all lead to inaction and not setting off and persisting on the Path. (Ah, I get it. That Buddha was wise.)
• Hey, but, psst, on the side, just between you and me, what is the correct answer? You know, just for historical purposes in case it ever comes up in real life. Yeah, right, the Buddha explains:

Then he answered humble Ananda to remove all his perplexity, and his answer was profound directly for us.

The Buddha answered by giving a simile of a marvelous and impenetrable fortress so well built that not even a very flexible cat could squeeze through its walls and ramparts to gain entrance. But there are four guarded and well-marked gates by which to freely enter.

Then he said: Ananda, just as a ruler, owner, or guard at the gate on duty is not interested in counting how many are inside now, or how many remain outside, or how many will eventually pass him coming in -- all of that he sets aside. But the one thing he does know with certainty is that if someone is inside, that person gained entrance by one of the four gates, alluding to the teachings he made known like, say, the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (AN 10.95).

Ananda was startled and in awe, at peace and rejoiced at the Buddha's words. So why do we do this to ourselves, piling up points of contention, fearfully "needing" to know everything in advance -- What will it take? How long will it take? If I fail, do I get all of my suffering back in full? -- a tangle of views and disputes, more clever questions than could possibly have ever been asked by any ancient before us. You know, they weren't as smart as us, those old seekers on their spiritual quest in millennia and aeons past?

Practice and see. It is of immediate benefit. If one is burdened by clinging, how long after letting go will I feel relief?

Immediate. Simultaneous. Just as soon as. It isn't the common, "Be good now, and be rewarded with a slice of heaven later" religious deal. It isn't, "Well, if I don't become a monastic and go all in, what's the point, Droopy Dog?"

• You know what the man should have asked, and thank goodness someone else did? "What does it take to conduct this path-of-practice? Who can succeed? Who is it for that you have taught for 45 human years what you taught?" That question, remarkably, he did answer. It's for the average person or deva (light being, lit. "shining one" of which there are many kinds but presumably those closer to human plane of existence, of average intelligence, the manyfolk. He didn't attain in a deva world and come down from on high to tell people what's up and give commands and threats. He in fact said the human plane is the easiest place to attain enlightenment. Why? It is because there are worse worlds, like the animals, ghosts, and those suffering worse than we suffer. And there are much better worlds, the many planes of the various kinds of devas, where they party and celebrate, cavort and conduct entertainments so much and so pleasing, who's got time to strive or just sit there? I need a cool dress for the cotillion! A corsage, a suit, a cape to really make an entrance, and so on and so forth. But the human plane, which is not just this Earth, is like the seashore beach where the waves are tumbling and being tossed about in torments and tempests. We get swept away, sure, but we can usually swim back to the sort of safety of the beach. Inland, where the parties endlessly roar, as well as celestial wars and more troubles than one would think the long-lived devas (deus, Olympic gods, asuras, gandhabbas) would have to endure given their good but far from perfect previous karmic merit. Here we experience enough pain to remember why we need and want to practice for freedom and complete liberation; yet, here, too, we experience enough pleasures that it's kind of nice and devic sometimes. That's why it's best to practice here and not delude ourselves, imagining, "Oh, yeah, later, when I'm in the mood."

If it were not so, we would not bother to say all of this. As peace grows, the heart gains confidence (saddha) which gently impels us forward.

Which way will you turn tomorrow on the way to the whatchamacallit thingy? Yeah, that's the way you usually go, but what if that path is blocked by the remains of a bonfire or crowds in the crosswalk or heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic? Since you don't know for sure, you shouldn't leave the house. Too risky. Play it extra-safe. Stay in bed. Sleep in. Bliss (piti) can wait. It's always been waiting. 💖

Hear about Wisdom Quarterly's Blogisattva Award chances?

• See Accomplished Theravada Buddhist meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg
• For more detailed advice as the stages begin, see also British teacher Beth Upton
• Other remarkable resources are Czech polymath and dual-ordained monk Ven. Dhammadipa (Ven. Xing-Kong), Tina Rasmussen, powerful Sayalay Dipankara, Stephen Snyder, Sayalay Susila, Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, Melissa McKay, Pema Chodron...and many others
• Text by Teacher Seven for Wisdom Quarterly; animated video by Sharon Salzberg (sharonsalzberg.com, podcast, videos, all that jazz someone else has to manages), Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation)