108days

Day 92

What is Meditation?

I found this quote today on page 15 of a little book called Art of Tea. It says:

WATCHING IS MEDITATION. What you watch is irrelevant. You can watch the trees, you can watch the river, you can watch the clouds, you can watch children playing around. Watching is meditation. What you watch is not the point. The quality of observation, the quality of being aware and alert—that's what meditation is.

Day 91

108 Days Weekly Reflection

1. This week, I completed a daily practice period: 

   _____ Every day
   _____ Almost every day
   _____ More often than I did the week before
   _____ Less often than I did the week before
   _____ Once or twice
   _____ Not at all

2. As I participate in this 108 day journey, I am noticing:
3. If I had to use one word to describe my feelings or my approach to practice this past week, it would be __________________. If I could say more, I would say:
4. Particular challenges this week:
5. In support of my practice next week, I will:
6. I would like to learn more about:

A printer-friendly version is offered for offline use.

Day 90

Working with Shenpa

Pema Chödrön speaks often about shenpa (or, getting hooked) in meditation practice. I love listening to Pema. She reminds me often that yes, we all deal with the same "difficulties," when we enter into meditation practice and no, it doesn't mean anything "bad". Today I'd like to share this video on working with Shenpa.

Day 89

Mantra Meditation, Part II

Some years ago when I first started to learn about the Korean Zen tradition I Google searched quite a bit and found some wonderful resources. Sadly, several of the sites that I referenced have come and gone. I'm glad I thought to save this list of mantras originally posted on the Golden Wind Zen Group's site. Below I am posting an abbreviated list (excluding the longer mantras and cermonial mantras). They can now be found here on Dochong's blog. Some of these are specific to the Korean Zen tradition, others are more widely used.

For reference:

• Bosal is the Korean word for Bodhisattva (the English translitereation is sometimes written Posal).

• Ji Jang Bosal is Korean for Kshitigarbha (commonly known in the west as Jizo, the Bodhisattva who watches over children.

• Kwan Seum Bosal is the Korean for Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion (Also referred to as White Tara).

• Amita Bul is Korean for Amitabha, Buddha of the Pure Land

• Sogamuni Bul is Korean for Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha.

• Junje Bosal is Korean for Cundi Bodhisattva, the Mother of all Buddhas.

The Mantras

Clear mind, clear mind, clear mind... Don't Know.
To relieve the mind of a lot of thinking.

Gate, gate, paragate, parasamgate, bodhi svaha
"Let's go, let's go, let us go beyond; opposites disappear, absolute appears"

Ji Jang Bosal
The Great Vow: "I vow to save all beings"; helps the dead and the suffering.

Kwan Seum Bosal
Great Love, Great Compassion mantra; takes away any kind of suffering.

Namu Amita Bul
Pure Land Mantra.

Namu ata shiji nam sammota guchi nam Om ajana baba jiri jiri hum
Saves all beings in Hell. If you try this, then Hell will be broken and all beings can come out.

Namu bo bo jeoli kali dali tata adaya
Mantra to invite all Buddhas.

Namu chilguji bul modae junje bosal
Makes Great Love, Great compassion. (Mother's Mind) Anytime there is a problem, if you try this, the problem will disappear.

Namu de bang kwang bul hwa um gyung
This world is complete, but our minds are not complete. So this mantra makes our mind become complete and strong.

Namu Sogamuni Bul
Done to save all beings.

Om
Universal mantra of truth.

Om aranam arada
Opening Buddha's true Dharma

Om aridara sabaha
Correct eyes, correct ears, correct mouth.

Om ba ara mil
Pure Land Mantra

Om ba ara minaya sabaha
Mantra to clean whole world.

Om ba ara tobiya hum
Opens the mind - makes the mind wide.

Om biro gije sabaha
Takes away Karma.

Om chi lim
Protects the body, no bad energy can enter.

Om gara jiya sabaha
Breaks Hell.

Om ja rye ju rye junje sabaha burim
For universal mystic energy.

Om mani padme hum
For when the human mind is dark or small, it cannot do correct action, cannot see, cannot hear correctly, so doing this will make the mind wide.

Om maro ruke sabaha
To take away one's Karma.

Om nam
For purification, cleans the energy of a place.

Om salba motcha moji sadaya sabaha
Mantra for repentance.

Suri suri maha suri su suri sabaha
Cleans your mouth - gets rid of bad speech and many desires.

Day 88

Mantra Meditation, Part 1

As mentioned in a previous post, Buddhist mala beads are typically used in chanting rituals. One common mantra is Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha which is the subject of this YouTube video about Tara, a feminine deity who embodies Compassion:

The mantra is melodic and musical in this particular video but it is also fine to speak the syllables. It is common to chant a mantra 108 times (or a fraction thereof). Chanting can be liberating, cleansing, and energy building. It can be a wonderful supplement to a daily sitting practice.

Day 87

Today I'd like to share this brief passage from Practicing the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle:

Forget about your life situation for a while and pay attention to your life.

Your life situation exists in time. Your life is now.

Your life situation is mind-stuff. Your life is real.

Find the "narrow gate that leads to life," it is called the Now. Narrow your life down to this  moment. Your life situation may be full of problems—most situations are—but find out if you have any problem at this moment. Not tomorrow or in ten minutes, but now. Do you have a problem now?

Something about that line "Your life situation is mind-stuff" struck a chord with me. There is always what is alongside all of our thoughts... our mind-stuff about what is. Do we waste our lives stuck in the mind-stuff while never tasting the Now? Something to consider.

Day 86

Question of the Week

It has been said that many of the things we tend to want to avoid can be embraced as subjects during meditation practice. I've read about people working through depression, anger, laziness, and sadness through sitting.

Are you finding that you are more open to embracing the uncomfortable and taking it on as just another thing to look at as a student of meditation?

I'm finding that I am and it has been one of the greatest benefits of this 108 day cycle. I'll be back to talk more about it later.

Day 85

Meditation and Yoga

This month's issue of Shambhala Sun focuses on combining Meditation and Yoga practice. Among the many resources in this issue is an article about an asana (yoga pose) series for meditators. Find it here:

http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3293&Itemid=244

Day 84

108 Days Weekly Reflection

1. This week, I completed a daily practice period: 

   _____ Every day
   _____ Almost every day
   _____ More often than I did the week before
   _____ Less often than I did the week before
   _____ Once or twice
   _____ Not at all

2. As I participate in this 108 day journey, I am noticing:
3. If I had to use one word to describe my feelings or my approach to practice this past week, it would be __________________. If I could say more, I would say:
4. Particular challenges this week:
5. In support of my practice next week, I will:
6. I would like to learn more about:

A printer-friendly version is offered for offline use.

Day 83

Holiday Weekends

So in the USA this is a holiday weekend, full of activity and (in some cases) travel. Sometimes when our normal routine is interrupted or changed in some way we miss our daily meditation practice. This post is just a reminder to squeeze it in between the barbeque and planned time by the pool.

When you taste the sweetness of solitude
and tranquility
you become free
of sorrow and sin,
fully savoring the sweetness of
the way

...from Chapter 15 in The Still Point Dhammapada, on Happiness, pg. 103

Reveling in the extra day off this weekend, I've been caught up in playing games and watching movies with my daughter... But there's still time for a 20 minute sitting.

Whether you live in America or not, take pause this weekend and be grateful for the men and women who take up the charge to keep you safe. Remember those who have given their lives and those who have given their time.