Drop the rock

We tend to think of Sisyphus as a tragic hero, condemned by the gods to shoulder his rock sweatily up the mountain, and again up the mountain, forever.

The truth is that Sisyphus is in love with the rock. He cherishes every roughness and every ounce of it. He talks to it, sings to it. It has become the mysterious Other. He even dreams of it as he sleepwalks upward. Life is unimaginable without it, looming always above him like a huge gray moon.

He doesn't realize that at any moment he is permitteed to step aside, let the rock hurtle to the bottom, and go home.

Tragedy is the inertial force of the mind.

Stephen Mitchell "parables and Portraits"

On practising the sweeping form of meditation

...Not only do we experience their impermanence but we realize that we can only know whatever we fix our attention on. If we take that realization into our daily affairs, life becomes much easier. We do not have to put our attention on things that are troublesome, making life difficult for ourselves. When we experience negativity, we do not need to keep that in our consciousness. We are free to move our attention to that which is absolutely true, namely impermanence, non-satisfactoriness, and non-self. Or we can relate to the pure emotions of loving-kindness, compassion, joy with others, and equanimity. It is entirely up to us where our attention is focused. As an outcome of meditation we learn that we can choose what to think, which is a new and valuable approach to our states of mind. This is also how we can eventually change our consciousness into Dhamma consciousness at all times. We will have learned to let go of those thoughts that are not in line with absolute truth. practicing

-Aya Khema

All one

We can use mindfulness to observe that everything in existence consists of the four elements, earth, fire, water, air; and then check out what is the difference between ourselves and all else. When we take practice seriously and look at all life in such a way, then we find the truth all around as well as within us. Nothing else exists.

-Aya Khema

Meditation video - Jon Kabat-Zinn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nwwKbM_vJc

Refuge

We don't need to take refuge in mother or father again, someone to protect us and love us and say, "I love you no matter what you do. Everything is going to be all right," and pat us on the head. The Buddha-Dhamma is a very maturing refuge, it is a religious practice that is a complete sanity or maturity, in which we are no longer seeking a mother or father, because we don't need to become anything any more. We don't need to be loved or protected by anyone any more, because we can love and protect others, and that is all that is important. We no longer have to ask or demand things from others, whether it is from other people or even some deity or force that we feel is separate from us and has to be prayed to and asked for guidance.

Ajahn Sumedho

Relative vs. absolute

Live in the nowhere that you came from,

Even though you have an address here.

-Rumi

Joy

Joy at last to know there is no happiness in the world.

Does anyone know who this quote is from? I've seen it attributed to Ajahn Chah among others.

Impermanent impermanence

Anicca vata sankhara
Impermanent, alas, are all conditions

Uppada vaya dhammmino
Arising and passing away

Uppajjitva nirujjhan'ti
Having been born they all must cease

Tesam vupasamo sukho
The calming of conditions is true happiness

-Buddha

Impermanence

The birds have vanished into the sky

And the last remaining clouds have passed away

We sit together the mountain and me

Until only the mountain remains

-Li Po

Pain

Suppose I’m feeling uncomfortable during the sitting, and I turn to that dukkha and ask: “What is the cause of this suffering?” “It’s because the body is uncomfortable,” comes the answer.

So I decide to move. But after five minutes, I find the body is uncomfortable again. So this time, I look at the feeling a little more closely. And I notice something more: “I don’t want discomfort. I want pleasant feeling.”

Ah! So it’s not the painful feeling, that’s the problem; it’s the not wanting the painful feeling. Now that’s a very useful insight, isn’t it? That’s a bit deeper. I find that now I can be at peace with painful feeling and I don’t have to move. I don’t get restless and the mind becomes quite calm.

So I’ve seen that the cause of the problem isn’t the painful feeling; it’s the “not wanting” that particular feeling. “Wanting” is quite tricky stuff.

Bhikkhu Viradhammo

Creeping forward tentatively

I'd like to focus this blog on a Buddhist oriented quote of the day (or month or somewhere in-between). Since I'm no expert I'll rely on quotes from authoritative sources. I will draw heavily from Access to Insight. It isn't intended for beginners to Buddhism but all are welcome. I have a bias toward the Theravada school but I'd like to aim for a western Goldstein "One Dharma" approach.