morning mantra

[Dan]

Every morning, as I sit to meditate, I read a short stanza by the Dalai Lama, which pretty much says "be nice, don't get angry, you have a precious life, don't waste it"

Does anyone else have a reading or such they do before sitting?

Dan

[Chris McCarthy]

I am doing the Death and Impermanence meditations in WUTYL, Chapter 4, so I read the material that Ken outlines for each meditation period. I used to do a little reading, but I did it after the meditation because I didn't want to influence my sitting. However, I don't think there is a "wrong" way to do any of this work...

[Jim Ellsworth]

HI Dan,

I don't know if mantra is the correct word for what you do. My understanding of a mantra is that it usually involves a word, sound, or group of words that are repeated over and over again. Their aim is to sink into one's subconcious and therefore become deeply transformative. In my twenties I spent much time trying to read and apply the ideas about a mantram from Eknath Easwaran. I also followed Christian contemplative methods that use a one word or phrase reminder to bring one back from distraction. In my experience, both were helpful while doing them but didn't have the transformative effect that I hoped for.

I prefer the term "reminder" or the traditional term "chant" for the bit of reading that I usually do before meditation. I generally repeat the chant card that we use at our meetings. It takes about 5 minutes and it helps remind me of so much that I'm prone to forget (the preciousness, fragility, and impermanence of all life, the importance of my actions, of compassion, the need to take refuge, etc.) It helps set my intention for practice, which is to become increasingly awake and present to be of benefit for all beings.

I've memorized the chants and so can sometimes run through them without paying attention to their meaning. When I do, I sometimes "rewrite" them as I say them, in my own words, based on the particular needs of the day. (Stuff like: "I'm going to die, let me live fully now." "All beings are suffering. Let me be of use." "Reactivity takes over when left to my own devices, let me follow Buddha's example of awakening..") I find this helps to make the reminders come alive for me and breaks mindless repetition of the words.

Like Chris, I'm also going through meditations from the book. I'm working through the Four Immeasurables meditations. I've got a lot of work to do on them since they're so alien to the reactive patterns that have run much of my life. I find the more contemplative meditations from the book to be extremely helpful at bringing up emotional reactivity and transforming it into presence. For me, all the basic practice in meditation leads to them.

[Ann Braun]

I'm doing the Ngondro practices, a kind of practice set that involves reflections on death an impermanence, taking refuge, visualisations, prostrations and mantra recitation. I've been doing this since the end of 2003! Apparently some people do it intensively, for example during a retreat, but I'm slow, slow slow....

[Jim Ellsworth]

Ann's back! Good to hear from you again!

Question for you. Is this the practice that you once told me had gotten kind of stale for you but that Ken helped make it come back alive?

If so, I'm wondering what he said to help you reconnect with the practice?

I've tended to shy away from elaborate practices for tha fear that they will begun to feel repetitive for me but I'm aware that they can be quite powerful for many people.

[Ann Braun]

Ken has helped by demystifying the practice, clarifying translation issues and by being available to respond as practice questions arise.

I made a commitment to complete this practice and then left the teacher who had given it to me, so Ken's support has been invaluable. At this time I was doing the Vajrasattva practice, which involves the visualisation of the deity and 100,000 recitations of the 100 syllable mantra. ( For an example of a fairly introduction to the Ngondro take a look at this page on Thubten Chodron's website: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrayersAndPractices/preliminary_pract... )

Ken helped me to reconnect with the Vajrasattva practice, which had become a dry ritual, by asking questions that brought me directly into my own experience of it. I was convinced that I was doing something wrong and wasting my time, but he helped go beyond this attitude . Over the period of several yrs spent on this practice, some experiences that I had not previously been able to face (mainly family of origin issues) came up -- so Vajrasattva proved to be a powerful (though not easy) way of coming to terms with these. It is called a purification practice and the "purification" comes through what are known as the four opponent powers (for more about this see: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/GradualPathToEnlightenment/LR_044_Kar...) Ken also talks about this in one of his earlier podcasts -- If I can remember which one, I'll post a link to it.

I connected very deeply particularly with the preliminary part of the Ngondro, which involves reflections on death and impermanence, and with the mandala offering.

[Jim Ellsworth]

HI Ann.... I've been slow to reply to this one. Many traditional Vajrayana practices have never really appealed to me, especially when I hear people talking about 100,000 of this or 100, 000 of that. I've known some people who engaged in such practices in what appear to be an entirely ritualistic and very repetitive way, people who seemed no less reactive than the average Joe or Jane walking down the street. Even when I followed the Thubten Chodron links, which I tried to read with an open mind, I found myself turned off by the practice.

But perhaps it was a typical case of seeing something from the ouside rather than from within the practice. As you know, I've decided to start pursuing a long-time interest in Chod practice (I spell it in the easier form b/c I can't find the key for the o with two round circles above it!). The whole notion of working with "demons" by inviting them in and allowing them to "feed" on me might seem absurd to most people. But the alternative, fighitng with them in the hope that I'd eventually win them over, has proved , again and again, has really been a complete failure. "Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by striking back."

George has graciously agreed to explain some of the basics of the practice to me. On his recommendation, I've started practicing the Mountain Offering Ritual and also the Prayer Song to Mother Labkyi Dronma . It's been fascinating for me to see how much energy has been churned up by both practices.

My browser is giving me problems. Texi is bouncing all over the place when i type. ....going to post this now and do a followup on another computer!!!!!

Ann Braun said:

Ken has helped by demystifying the practice, clarifying translation issues and by being available to respond as practice questions arise.

I made a commitment to complete this practice and then left the teacher who had given it to me, so Ken's support has been invaluable. At this time I was doing the Vajrasattva practice, which involves the visualisation of the deity and 100,000 recitations of the 100 syllable mantra. ( For an example of a fairly introduction to the Ngondro take a look at this page on Thubten Chodron's website: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrayersAndPractices/preliminary_pract... )

Ken helped me to reconnect with the Vajrasattva practice, which had become a dry ritual, by asking questions that brought me directly into my own experience of it. I was convinced that I was doing something wrong and wasting my time, but he helped go beyond this attitude . Over the period of several yrs spent on this practice, some experiences that I had not previously been able to face (mainly family of origin issues) came up -- so Vajrasattva proved to be a powerful (though not easy) way of coming to terms with these. It is called a purification practice and the "purification" comes through what are known as the four opponent powers (for more about this see: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/GradualPathToEnlightenment/LR_044_Kar...) Ken also talks about this in one of his earlier podcasts -- If I can remember which one, I'll post a link to it.

I connected very deeply particularly with the preliminary part of the Ngondro, which involves reflections on death and impermanence, and with the mandala offering.

[Jim Ellsworth]

Ann,

Let me try this again...the text was bouncing all over the place as I typed on my other computer. Not sure why.

Just beginning this practice has released a tremendous amount of energy, and also left me drained and exhausted. It's really been surpsing to me. I've spent so much time just doing plain Jane shamatha/vipassana with contemplative meditation that it's surprsing to me that such a different practice could have such a powerful effect. I'm just beginning now but I'm really curious about what will evolve.

There's a second issue that's come up. At one point during the prayer, I recite "I confess all violations, conscious, or unconscious of the vows and training..." Well, in the five or six years that I've been practicing Buddhism, I've not wanted to take formal vows. Why? i didn't want to rush into Buddhism as an "identity" because it kind of seemed to miss the point. How could I "become" a member of a religion that had emptiness, non-self, and impermanence at its center.

Well, there's more to it than that. But now I'm really sensing a desire to make formal vows, in addition to the actual daily vows that I've already taken for the past few years. I contacted Ken who told me he's not performing formal vows at this point in time. So where does that leave me? I know that if I begin to study a practice like Chod, I won't "receive empowerment" unless I've completed the vows. So I'm looking around to see where I can take formal vows. At the same time, it makes me feel at a loss to think that I might seek to take vows with a teacher who's not really my "root" teacher, like I'd just be jumping through a hoop. But maybe that's no so bad either? I've wrapped myself up in the somewhat "reformist" approach of McLeod and Batchelor for so long, that it seems somewhat liberating and energizing to open up to the broader tradition.

So, I'll be interested in your thoughts. And I'm sure hoping that you can join us for the PP practice this week!

Jim Ellsworth said:

HI Ann.... I've been slow to reply to this one. Many traditional Vajrayana practices have never really appealed to me, especially when I hear people talking about 100,000 of this or 100, 000 of that. I've known some people who engaged in such practices in what appear to be an entirely ritualistic and very repetitive way, people who seemed no less reactive than the average Joe or Jane walking down the street. Even when I followed the Thubten Chodron links, which I tried to read with an open mind, I found myself turned off by the practice.

But perhaps it was a typical case of seeing something from the ouside rather than from within the practice. As you know, I've decided to start pursuing a long-time interest in Chod practice (I spell it in the easier form b/c I can't find the key for the o with two round circles above it!). The whole notion of working with "demons" by inviting them in and allowing them to "feed" on me might seem absurd to most people. But the alternative, fighitng with them in the hope that I'd eventually win them over, has proved , again and again, has really been a complete failure. "Problems worthy of attack prove their worth by striking back."

George has graciously agreed to explain some of the basics of the practice to me. On his recommendation, I've started practicing the Mountain Offering Ritual and also the Prayer Song to Mother Labkyi Dronma . It's been fascinating for me to see how much energy has been churned up by both practices.

My browser is giving me problems. Texi is bouncing all over the place when i type. ....going to post this now and do a followup on another computer!!!!!

Ann Braun said:

Ken has helped by demystifying the practice, clarifying translation issues and by being available to respond as practice questions arise.

I made a commitment to complete this practice and then left the teacher who had given it to me, so Ken's support has been invaluable. At this time I was doing the Vajrasattva practice, which involves the visualisation of the deity and 100,000 recitations of the 100 syllable mantra. ( For an example of a fairly introduction to the Ngondro take a look at this page on Thubten Chodron's website: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrayersAndPractices/preliminary_pract... )

Ken helped me to reconnect with the Vajrasattva practice, which had become a dry ritual, by asking questions that brought me directly into my own experience of it. I was convinced that I was doing something wrong and wasting my time, but he helped go beyond this attitude . Over the period of several yrs spent on this practice, some experiences that I had not previously been able to face (mainly family of origin issues) came up -- so Vajrasattva proved to be a powerful (though not easy) way of coming to terms with these. It is called a purification practice and the "purification" comes through what are known as the four opponent powers (for more about this see: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/GradualPathToEnlightenment/LR_044_Kar...) Ken also talks about this in one of his earlier podcasts -- If I can remember which one, I'll post a link to it.

I connected very deeply particularly with the preliminary part of the Ngondro, which involves reflections on death and impermanence, and with the mandala offering.