Playing The Similarly.
Welcome to the Ordinary Mind Meditation Podcast,
Where we explore the principles of Buddhist meditation both in theory and in practice.
There are a few concepts that are as misunderstood as the concept of karma in Buddhism.
In day to day usage,
It has come to express something akin to fate,
And usually bad fate.
One can hear things like,
I fell and twisted my ankle,
That's my karma.
But karma in Buddhism is not really like that.
Karma means very simply,
Action.
But as it carries a very broad meaning in its original usage,
It's easier to leave the borrowed original word,
Rather than translate it.
The Buddha's understanding of karma was so radical that it challenged the social norms of his time,
Such as the Indian caste system.
This is because the Buddha held that karma is not deterministic,
But rather a highly complex system with multiple feedback loops and a multitude of possibilities at each turn.
An action in the present is conditioned both by past causes and by present causes.
A future action is determined both by present causes and by future causes.
An action in the present can actually also be conditioned only by present causes.
And even this is a simplification of reality,
Since most actions are conditioned by such a large number of past and present causes.
There are three possible kinds of action,
Those of body,
Those of speech,
And those of mind.
Intentions in the form of mental activity,
Or actions of mind,
Are usually what conditions one's physical actions.
And so,
An often used metaphor for the mind is a garden,
Where one can plant either positive seeds or negative seeds.
If we plant seeds of hatred,
We will condition future outcomes which involve some kind of hatred.
If we plant seeds of kindness,
We will condition future outcomes which involve certain kinds of kindness.
An easy way to see this in everyday situations is by examining cases where an activity that we do often seems different in response to the mental state that we're in.
For example,
If I'm driving after having received some good news,
I will be very kind to everyone and even if someone cuts me off,
I'll shrug it off easily.
On the other hand,
If I'm driving after having just had an argument with a friend,
I'll usually assume all the other people on the road are out to get me.
And the only thing that changed in all this is the landscape of my own mind.
It follows that a useful way of looking at karma is as the accumulated habitual patterns that dictate our current state of mind and behavior,
Or our current situation.
But we should also remember that Buddhism isn't deterministic.
There is,
In some sense,
Free will.
It's just that our current choices are limited to a certain spectrum determined by our past actions.
But indeed,
There is a choice,
And this is the choice of our intention.
Whenever we face any decision,
We may ask ourselves,
What is my best possible intention in this current situation?
If you've listened to session 3 of the podcast,
You might choose to act for the well-being of all.
I'd also like to suggest that this is the true meaning of growing up.
Rather than just blindly following social norms and living out our years propelled by the inertia of our past habits and conditioning,
We can take responsibility for our own situation.
And rather than weakly submitting to our past and blaming it for our misfortunes,
We may set the best intention right now and thus sprout forth a garden of positive actions.
In today's practice,
Let us examine how conditioning works in our most immediate space,
Our very own mind and body.
By looking into it deeply,
We will see how it is possible to let go of the stories and conditioning dictating our situation and move toward peace and contentment in every moment.
To begin,
Let us practice some healing breaths to calm down and settle in.
Sit on the floor,
On a cushion or a chair.
Make sure that your back is relatively straight and yet utterly free of tension.
Now for 4 seconds,
Breathe deeply in.
2,
3,
4.
Hold for 16.
2,
3,
4.
1,
2,
3,
4.
1,
2,
3,
4.
1,
2,
3,
4.
And out for 8.
2,
3,
4.
1,
2,
3,
4.
Now once again,
Slow breath in.
Mi,
To,
Fo.
Hold Mi,
To,
Fo.
Ah,
Mi,
To,
Fo.
Ah,
Mi,
To,
Fo.
Ah,
Mi,
To,
Fo.
And out.
Mi,
To,
Fo.
Ah,
Mi,
To,
Fo.
Do this a few times.
Now that the mind has calmed down a bit,
Bring your attention to any pleasant feeling,
Sensation,
Thought or emotion that is present,
Even if it's just a tiny semblance of restfulness somewhere in the body.
Pay full attention to it,
Without making any judgments.
Now investigate how this thought or feeling came about,
How it abides and how it changes as you observe it.
Did it arise without a cause or with a cause?
A single cause or many causes?
As it changes,
It becomes the cause for new arising.
Watch this unfolding with curious attention.
Now bring your attention to any unpleasant feeling,
Sensation,
Thought or emotion that is there.
Anything from pain to just slight discomfort will do.
Rest your attention there for a bit.
Did this thought or sensation come about without any cause?
Perhaps a sensory input triggered some disturbing thought,
Or maybe your leg is numb as a result of sitting here for a while.
In any case,
Try to investigate the cause of this unpleasant sensation or thought.
Also look deeply into how it feels right now.
Pay very close attention without making any judgments of good or bad about it.
As it changes,
What new phenomena arise out of it?
What is this feeling or thought the cause for?
What will come from it?
Now lessen and arouse in the mind this following thought.
As human beings who are mortals,
We're ruled by conditions,
Not by ourselves.
All the suffering and joy that we experience depend on conditions.
If we should be blessed by some great reward,
Such as fame or fortune,
It's the fruit of a seed planted by us in the past.
When conditions change,
It ends.
Why delight in its existence?
But while success and failure depend on conditions,
The mind neither waxes nor wanes.
And so,
Those who remain unmoved by the wind of joy silently follow the path.
So things are happening all the time,
Another cause and another result.
The myriad things are arising and passing.
Constantly creating something,
We act out of our desire to attract more and more things that cause pleasure and to hold on to them,
Or by our desire to push away all the things and experiences that we dislike.
But what would it be like to just give up the chase?
As you sit here,
What is it like to just let go of everything completely and just fully sit,
Totally and fully aware and wakeful,
Without any kind of pushing or pulling,
Without wanting anything?
Just like this,
Just this very moment,
Taste it fully.
Without wanting anything,
Without trying to get any outcome,
Without depending on any results.
Just giving it up.
Bring yourself gently back.
To finish,
Let us plant the seeds for positive actions by reading a small verse of intention setting.
Arouse the following thought in your mind.
Any merit generated by the positive action of training my mind like this,
I now dedicate to the well-being and happiness of all beings.
Through this good fortune,
May I and all beings together be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May we be fully content.
May I offer this gift with no attachment or prejudice.
May I give it freely with no thought of giver,
Receiver or gift at all.
Repeat this exercise a few times a week,
Until you feel you've mastered it to a sufficient degree,
And afterwards use it as often as you feel inclined to.
Next time we will discuss the interesting and very often misunderstood concept of emptiness,
And practice a highly advanced practice to aid us in familiarizing ourselves with it.
Until then,
May you be content and at peace.
Amid all fuh.
