Ordinary Mind Course : Session 4

In the fourth session of the course, we dive into a topic which serves as the bedrock of the spiritual path. Although easily mistaken for a Victorian guilt trip, virtue and renunciation are actually the causes for great joy and can serve as a compass in times of confusion or doubt. We practice "The Primary Practice" - a type of body scan meditation that also includes all of the five physical senses and then gradually opens the heart to the totality of experience.

Transcript

Welcome back to the Ordinary Mind Meditation Podcast,

Where each week we explore the principles of Buddhist meditation,

Both in theory and in practice.

This podcast is presented by the Bodhi and Bass Hermitage.

For more resources and information,

Go to www.

Bodhibass.

Com.

Before we start,

Please sit comfortably and breathe deeply in.

As you exhale,

Release all the accumulated pressure in the body,

Mind and heart.

In this series,

We will be using meditation to investigate the reality of our life,

Our very own mind,

Heart and body.

As you listen,

Don't try to forcefully follow what I am saying.

Simply listen to the words as you would to the sound of nature or a piece of music.

As the mind immediately begins to make judgments and comments,

Acknowledge these thoughts and softly let them go and bring your attention back to the sound of my voice.

Breathe deeply in.

Here we go.

Having talked about compassion in the last session,

This time an equally important topic is calling.

But this one is far less glamorous and is a key piece of the Buddhist path that is often placed aside.

This is the subject of virtue and renunciation.

In the context of a Western society with a Judeo-Christian background,

It can be tricky to convey the Buddhist concept of morality,

Since we tend to associate it immediately with the feelings of shame,

Guilt and fear of retribution.

But in a Buddhist context,

We're concerned with the eradication of attachment,

Aversion and ignorance so that we can let the basic goodness innate to us manifest fully.

In fact,

Virtue is the bedrock on which all other parts of the path are built.

In a traditional context,

Freedom from suffering is said to be attainable by traveling the noble eightfold path.

The first three factors of the path are honest speech,

Honest action and honest livelihood.

In order to be brief,

These can all be kept quite simply by following what in Chan Buddhism are known as the three universal precepts.

Practice all good,

Renounce all evil and act for the benefit of others.

The reason for doing this in Buddhism is not to avoid some awful future in hell since we're already in a realm with plenty of suffering.

It is simply that one cannot properly practice and develop the necessary ground for realization and freedom from suffering if one is full of remorse.

In other words,

It's hard to practice meditation after a day of raping and pillaging.

There is a conversation that the Buddha had with his attendant Ananda which illustrates this causal chain rather beautifully.

One day Ananda asked the Buddha,

What,

O venerable one,

Is the reward and blessing of wholesome morality?

The Buddha answered,

Freedom from remorse,

Ananda.

End of freedom from remorse,

Asked Ananda.

Joy,

Ananda.

End of joy.

Rapture,

Ananda.

End of rapture.

Tranquility,

Ananda.

End of tranquility.

Happiness,

Ananda.

End of happiness.

Concentration.

End of concentration.

Vision and knowledge according to reality.

End of the vision and knowledge according to reality.

Turning away and detachment,

Ananda.

End of turning away and detachment.

The vision and knowledge with regard to deliverance and freedom from suffering,

Ananda.

It is said that when one has a realization into the nature of things as they are and is liberated from suffering,

One will act virtuously at all times with the innate Buddha wisdom now guiding one's every action.

But in the meantime,

For us simple folk,

The solution for knowing how to act lies in the five precepts or mind trainings.

Buddhist clergy may follow anywhere from ten to three hundred and eleven rules in their life,

But for a lay person,

Five are all that's needed.

As opposed to the Judeo-Christian commandments,

These are not rules imposed by an outside authority that are to be followed blindly or literally.

These are practices that can be used as a way to guide our actions in moments of uncertainty,

So as to avoid creating any negative conditions and habits that might hurt our practice.

Atmos discernment and self-honesty are needed in order to know when one is not aligned with what is good or to be aware when things are not in harmony.

These five mind trainings are as follows.

1.

To abstain from taking life.

2.

To abstain from taking what is not given.

3.

To abstain from sexual misconduct.

4.

To abstain from false speech.

And 5.

To abstain from intoxicating and obscuring the mind.

Again,

One must apply one's judgment to see where these fit in one's life and where the line that shouldn't be crossed is in each case.

If looked at from another perspective,

The precepts can be also seen as practices of renunciation.

Here is another term that can sound awfully uptight and Victorian if taken without context.

In fact,

Renunciation is a basic reaction to our having understood that our usual habits and methods do not lead to the end of suffering.

When we act out of greed and attachment,

We might satisfy momentary cravings and get some pleasure,

But as we well know,

This is not sustainable.

When we realize that acting in this way doesn't get us true happiness,

The reasonable reaction is renunciation or the turning away from such pursuits.

In a deeper sense,

There is an even more basic way in which renunciation is relevant to each of our lives.

Our most subtle form of greed or craving is our addiction to thoughts and sensory experiences in general.

We're fascinated by all the different games that the mind is playing,

As entertained by them as we are by binging a series on Netflix.

Real renunciation is actually giving up our delight in memories,

Hopes and daydreams,

Our attachment to all the different forms of mental entertainment.

In a deeper sense,

There is an even more basic way in which renunciation is relevant to each of our lives.

Our most subtle form of greed or craving is our addiction to thoughts and sensory experiences in general.

We're fascinated by all the different games that the mind is playing,

As entertained by them as we are by binging a series on Netflix.

Real renunciation is actually giving up our delight in memories,

Hopes and daydreams,

Our attachment to all the different forms of mental entertainment.

For today's practice,

I'd like us to start working on a way to let go of our strong habitual attachments.

The antidote for our addiction to our sensory experience is the awareness of impermanence.

Impermanence is one of the three universal characteristics of phenomena,

Together with unsatisfactoriness and non-self,

Which we touched on in previous sessions.

By recognizing the impermanence of each and every phenomenon that we experience,

We can begin to realize the futility of depending on transitory things for lasting happiness.

We can learn to embody this realization and thus begin to practice true renunciation.

For this we will work with our senses.

To start with,

Sit comfortably with your legs crossed or on a chair,

With your back upright yet free of tension.

You may close your eyes or keep them slightly open,

Yet totally relaxed.

Begin by taking a few deep breaths.

In and out.

Let's practice a few healing breaths as we did in the previous sessions.

Breathe deeply in.

Hold.

And out.

Now,

Let us dive into the senses in a practice which is known in some places as the primary practice.

Slowly bring awareness to your physical tactile sensations.

Start with the sensations of breathing.

Put your attention on the area of your legs and backside on the floor,

Cushion or chair as each breath arises and passes away.

Truly go into the feeling,

The sensation.

Don't imagine anything,

Don't judge or elaborate in any way,

Simply dive fully into the sensations that are present.

Feel the sensations in the feet,

Around the shins and calves,

Around the thighs.

Now move slowly up to the area of your abdomen,

Chest and back and feel the sensations of breathing,

Arising and passing,

Coming and going.

Whatever distraction arises,

Bow to it mentally and release it.

Then,

Once again,

Dive fully into the sensations in the area of your belly and chest as the breath arises and passes.

Feel how your back expands and contracts,

Constantly changing,

Constantly moving.

Now,

Shift your attention up to the area of your neck.

As each breath arises and passes,

Feel how it moves through the throat and how it feels when it leaves.

Feel how the back of the neck feels and how the vulnerable front of the neck is feeling.

Experience fully,

Taste it fully.

Now move your focus slowly up to the head and experience the sensations that are present as you breathe,

How the cheeks feel,

How the nose feels,

The forehead and the back of the head.

Go right into it.

Really feel what it's like to have these sensations.

They are arising and passing this most basic human experience.

As you shift your focus to the eyes,

Leave the tactile sensations and dive deeply into the sensation of seeing.

If your eyes are closed,

Focus on what you're seeing in the back of your eyelids.

Feel the subtle sensations that are changing each and every moment.

Feel how the light dances behind your eyelids,

All the different shapes.

Now shift your attention to your ears,

To the sensations of hearing.

Allow the sounds around you to pass through you freely,

Changing in every moment.

Some near,

Some far,

But all right here in your very own experience.

As you move your attention to your mouth and nose,

Feel all the smells and tastes that are present.

This is one of our most subtle senses.

Feel how you taste and how you smell.

Feel the sensations that stay longer and the ones that stay only briefly.

Finally,

Allow your awareness to open to any and all experience present.

Sit fully with body,

Mind and heart in this whole catastrophe,

As Zorba the Greek called it.

Allow all of experience to happen.

Really open your heart to it.

And a few moments here.

Feeling yourself gently back.

Repeat this practice daily,

And each time pay close attention to the changing aspects of sensations and experiences that are present.

Once you have internalized this practice,

You may move on to session 5.

Thank you for joining me,

And may you be content and at peace.

Ami tofos!

You

Reviews

Thanks for the guidance; I like the structure of this guided meditation.

Deeply saddened it ended!