Blog

The Buddha’s teaching is straightforward: liberation is not clinging. That’s a radical and uncompromising statement. And to me, it’s very inspiring—OK, this is the work to do, and the first step is using the power of increased concentration, that comes from our consistent and constant practice, to begin to see the places of attachment, identification and fixation of mind. And through seeing, letting go—the end of clinging, freedom—comes.

Considered individually, each of the five spiritual faculties performs its unique task. Together, they establish inner balance and harmony. Above the complementary pairs of faith and wisdom and energy and concentration, is the faculty of mindfulness, the third faculty, protecting the mind from falling into extremes.

For the last two days, I sat with His Holiness (“HH”) the Dalai Lama to receive his teachings. I have been receiving teachings from him since 1980. This year, the quality of his teachings seemed to take on more urgency—certainly he always sees the need to urge us on to deeper meditation, contemplation, reflection and action. Yet, I was struck by the immediacy of his pleas that we practice with spiritual urgency, study to realize more deeply “true nature” and reflect and contemplate in such a way that our practice and study are not superficial but more deeply investigative of the nature of this precious human birth and its world.

Once faith in the Path is established, “heroic effort,” the second of the Five Spiritual Faculties, is an indispensible ingredient in our quest for freedom and happiness.

When it comes to generosity it seems there’s always an internal battle going on in my mind. Why do I offer to do things? How much should I give? What are my real intentions? I can honestly say that I have never really been at peace with my relationship to gift. There are a great deal of entanglements here for me.

As we enter the Autumn season, we contemplate landscapes that remind us that we, as part of nature are shedding the Summer season to make room for Winter, inevitably giving way to renewal and light. We reflect together on what can empower the mind in its journey toward illumination, “enlightenment.” One group of factors given prominence in the Buddha’s discourses on the thirty-seven requisites of enlightenment is the Five Spiritual Faculties: faith, energy, mindfulness, concentration and wisdom.

This waking life is like a dream. If we know we’re dreaming, will we hold on to the people in the dream? get upset about how we feel or that we lost something in that dream? Son to Mom: “Pretend you are surrounded by monsters and they are all coming at you. You’re really frightened. You think they’re going to attack you. What would you do?” Mom: “I don’t know—What would you do?” Son: “Stop pretending!”

The Buddha said “In whatever way [we] conceive, the truth is ever other than that.” Does that shake you up? Remember that more often than not, we’re in a state of delusion. We don’t see things as they truly are, but through the lens of habits acquired over a lifetime. In response to painful reaction, we form views of ourselves and others as a way to steady ourselves through uncontrollable change.

We have been reflecting on the teaching of not-self, exploring personal experience through the five aggregates—Form, Feeling, Perception, Mental Formations and Consciousness.