TRAINING THE MIND – 8 VERSES<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Buddhism is a way of life based on the training of the mind. It\u2019s one ultimate aim is to show the way to complete liberation. Liberation from suffering by the attainment of the Unconditioned, a state beyond the range of the normal untrained mind. Its immediate aim is to strike at the roots of suffering in everyday life. <\/p>\n

The first seven verses of the Eight Verses for Training the Mind deal with the practices associated with cultivating the method aspect of the path such as compassion, altruism and aspiration. To obtain Buddhahood, and so on. The eighth verse deals with the practices that are directed toward cultivating the wisdom aspect of the path.<\/p>\n

Verse 1<\/strong>
\nWith a determination to achieve the highest aim for the benefit of all sentient beings Which surpasses even the wish-fulfilling gem, May I hold them dear at all times.
\nVerse 2<\/strong>
\nWhenever I interact with someone, May I view myself as the lowest among all, And, from the very depths of my heart, respectfully hold others as superior.
\nVerse 3<\/strong>
\nIn all my deeds may I probe into my mind, and as soon as mental and emotional afflictions arise- As they endanger myself and others- May I strongly confront them and avert them.
\nVerse 4<\/strong>
\nWhen I see beings of unpleasant character oppressed by strong negativity and suffering, may I hold them dear for they are rare to find. As if I have discovered a jewel treasure.
\nVerse 5 & 6<\/strong>
\nWhen others, out of jealousy treat me wrongly with abuse, slander, and scorn, may I take upon myself the defeat and offer to others the victory.
\nWhen someone whom I have helped, or in whom I have placed great hopes, mistreats me in extremely hurtful ways, May I regard him still as my precious teacher.
\nVerse 7<\/strong>
\nIn brief, may I offer benefit and joy to all my mothers, both directly and indirectly, May I quietly take upon myself All hurts and pains of my mothers.
\nVerse 8<\/strong>
\nMay all this remain undefiled by the stains of the eight mundane concerns; And may I, recognizing all things as illusion, Devoid of clinging, be released from bondage.<\/p>\n

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For those who admire the spiritual ideals of the Eight verses on Transforming the Mind, it is helpful to recite the above verses and reflect upon the meaning of the words, while trying to enhance their altruism and compassion. Those of you who are practitioners of other religious traditions can draw from your own spiritual teachings and try to commit yourselves to cultivating altruistic thoughts in pursuit of the altruistic ideal.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

With a wish to free all beings I shall always go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha until I reach full enlightenment.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

“In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.”<\/em>
\n– His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama<\/p>\n

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MEDITATION<\/strong><\/h2>\n

How To Do Basic Breath Meditation<\/strong>
\nWhether you’re trying meditation for the first time or just want a refresher, you can’t go wrong with this easy-to-follow meditation.
\nFind a quiet and uplifted place where you can do your meditation practice. When starting out, see if you can allow 5 minutes for the practice, and increase that amount over time.\u00a0Take your seat.<\/strong>\u00a0Sit cross-legged on a meditation cushion, or on a straight-backed chair with your feet flat on the floor, without leaning against the back of the chair.<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Find your sitting posture.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Place your hands palms-down on your thighs and sit in an upright posture with a straight back – relaxed yet dignified. With your eyes open, let your gaze rest comfortably as you look slightly downward about six feet in front of you.
\n2.\u00a0Notice and follow your breath.<\/strong>\u00a0Place your attention lightly on your out-breath, while remaining aware of your environment. Be with each breath as the air goes out through your mouth and nostrils and dissolves into the space around you. At the end of each out-breath, simply rest until the next in-breath naturally begins. For a more focused meditation, you can follow both the out-breaths and in-breaths.
\n3.\u00a0Note the thoughts and feelings that arise.<\/strong>\u00a0Whether you notice that a thought, feeling, or perception has taken your attention away from the breath, just say to yourself, “thinking,” and return to following your breath. No need to judge yourself when this happens; just gently note it and attend to your breath and posture.
\n4.\u00a0End your session.<\/strong>\u00a0After the allotted time, you can consider your meditation practice period over. But there’s no need to give up any sense of calm, mindfulness, or openness you’ve experienced. See if you can consciously allow these to remain present through the rest of your day.
\nCongratulations – you’ve just meditated.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Meditation can be defined as a practice where an individual uses a technique, such as focusing their mind on a particular object, thought or activity, to achieve mentally clear and emotionally calm state. Meditation has been practiced since antiquity in numerous religious traditions and beliefs. Since the 19th century, it has spread from its origins to other cultures where it is commonly practiced in private and business life. Meditation may be used with the aim of reducing stress, anxiety, depression, and pain. It can also be used with the aim of increasing peace, perspective and happiness.
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THIRTY-SEVEN PRACTICES OF THE BODHISATTVAS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You see that all things are beyond coming and going, yet still you strive solely for the sake of living beings – To you, my precious guru inseparable from Lord Avalokita, I offer perpetual homage, respectfully, with body, speech and mind.<\/p>\n

The perfect Buddhas, who are the source of all benefit and joy, come into being through accomplishing the sacred Dharma. And since this in turn depends on knowing how to practice, I shall now describe the practices of all the Buddhas’ heirs.<\/p>\n

The basic structure of the text illustrates the complete path of the Bodhisattva in 43 verses, which include a verse for each of the 37 Practices with an additional 2 verses in the beginning and 4 at the end. The first 2 verses are the traditional ones which express homage to a deity, the embodiment of enlightened qualities and then state the purpose for writing the text and the author’s commitment to do so. The main body of the text is divided into 3 parts, the first which deals with the causes that give rise to Bodhicitta (the mind of awakening). The mind training of a superior individual is discussed in the second part of the text, where the central topic is how to engender supreme Bodhicitta. In this section there are 5 main divisions that give advice on how to develop Bodhicitta and how to keep it from degenerating. First one should realize the equality of self and other and learn how to exchange one’s own happiness for another’s suffering. Secondly the text shows how to bring all situations of worldly life, including obscuring emotions and mistaken views onto the path, or how to integrate them into one’s practice. The third is how to practice the six perfections. The fourth describes how to work with one’s negative side and failures, and finally, there is a summary and dedication. The third main section is the conclusion, which contains a recapitulation of the purpose of the text, the reasons that establish its integrity in relation to the tradition of the teachings, an apology for any errors that might be found and a dedication. In summary, Ngulchu Thogme has given the entire structure of a Bodhisattva’s path: from first engendering bodhicitta in one’s mind stream, to maintaining, and then further developing this bodhicitta up to the level of enlightenment.<\/p>\n

When reciting the 37 Practices, as a Dharma practice it is recommended to read the Prostration before Practice #1 and all Epilogues A-E after Practice #37.<\/p>\n

Let us begin by developing the enlightened attitude – that we want to attain the perfect state of Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings, in number as vast as the sky. To accomplish this state, we must diligently engage in listening, reflecting, and meditating upon the genuine teachings.<\/p>\n

In general the tradition of the Mahayana contains two types of practices:<\/p>\n

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• One purifies obscurations of the mind;<\/li>\n
• The other develops a sound motivation, a good attitude;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

  The former practice, in which we purify our mind of mental obscurations and strains, is the “progressive stages of meditation on emptiness.”
  \nThese progressive stages progressively lead the meditator from the relative to the ultimate seven main practices. In Tibetan, the word for “practice” literally translates as to bring into experience. So, 37 practices can actually brought into experience.<\/p>\n

  Imagine a criminal imprisoned in a cell or dungeon for life. After he has been there a long time a friend visits and advises him, “Don’t stay here any longer! You must do something to get out, to get free of this!” The friend explains the route out, with all the shortcuts and secret passages.<\/p>\n

  The friend explains, “You have to go here, and there; there are actually four paths or legs on this journey. When you have gone through all four segments of the path, finally you will be completely free and will never have to come back and undergo this kind of band experience again.” The path to enlightenment is like this.<\/p>\n

  As we progress on the path, our wisdom is somewhat weak initially and can eliminate only the greatest, most superficial and gross obscurations. On the path of seeing, one has strong enough wisdom to enable one to eliminate the grosser obscurations in the sequence of the sixteen moments of the path of seeing. These wisdom processes are called forbearance and liberation. Then on the path of meditation, the remaining, more subtle, obscurations are eliminated in nine cycles. There are nine cycles of the path of meditation called the three great, three middling, and three smaller cycles.<\/p>\n

  “We should reflect on the idea that since the beginning of time, sentient beings have been mentally unstable because they have been slaves of delusion, they lack the eye of wisdom to see the path leading to nirvana and the enlightenment, and they lack the necessary guidance of a spiritual teacher. Moment by moment, they are indulging in negative actions, which will eventually bring about their downfall.”<\/em>
  \n– His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama<\/p>\n

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  MINDFULNESS<\/strong><\/h2>\n

  To understand how to practice mindfulness in daily life, we have to look at all eight steps of the Buddha’s noble eightfold path.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

  From the beginning, the path of awakening includes all aspects of out human lives: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and social. The aim is a mindful life. This means that our relationship to our sexuality and our consumerist economic system, our parenting, and our politics are all part of the path. It is easier to sit in mindful meditation than to put those practices to work as we go about our daily life. It is not easy work but rewarding work. The purpose of life is to become awakened and create JOY in all we do and for whom we do it for. If you are not creating JOY then stop what you are doing. Bring mindfulness to the action and create JOY. Be the change in your surrounding community. Everyone wants a better way to live and when you show your JOY by practicing what you study you will be that change.<\/p>\n

  This approach to living fully is outlined in the eightfold path. “Right mindfulness<\/strong>” is one aspect of this path, alongside right view, right intention, right effort, right meditative engagement, right speech, right livelihood, and right action. The sanskrit word samyak<\/em>\u00a0– often translated as “right” or “perfect” – can also mean “complete.” Engaging mindfulness encourages complete engagement with life.<\/p>\n

  Let’s walk through these aspects of the Buddhist spiritual path, returning mindfulness to her rightful place among her seven less famous but equally important sisters and brothers.\u00a0Keeping the word “Mindfulness” forefront in your mind as you contemplate these actions.<\/strong><\/p>\n

  Right View<\/strong>\u00a0“What are we doing and why?” Loving Kindness to self.
  \nRight Intention <\/strong>Acknowledging our motivation will lead us to the correct intent.
  \nRight Effort<\/strong>\u00a0“Effort, non-effort, and effort, non-effort-it’s beautiful.”
  \nRight Meditative Engagement<\/strong>\u00a0Engage our bodies and our minds in the process.
  \nRight Speech<\/strong>\u00a0Leaving pauses in our speech allows for genuine dialogue.
  \nRight Livelihood<\/strong>\u00a0Our work is the way we contribute to the common good.
  \nRight Action<\/strong>\u00a0It is not just sitting in compassion it is putting the action to work.<\/p>\n

  “Whether we are doing something good and worthwhile with our lives or not, time never waits but keeps flowing. Not only does time flow unhindered, but correspondingly our life too keeps moving onward all the time. If something has gone wrong, we cannot turn back time and try again. In that sense, there is no genuine second chance. Hence, it is crucial for a spiritual practitioner constantly to examine his or her attitudes and actions. If we examine ourselves everyday with mindfulness and mental alertness, checking our thoughts, motivations, and their manifestations in external behavior, a possibility for change and self-improvement can open within us. Although I myself cannot claim with confidence to have made any remarkable progress over the years, my desire and determination to change and improve is always firm. From early morning until I go to bed and in all situations of life, I always try to check my motivation and be mindful and present in the moment. Personally, I find this to be very helpful in my own life.”<\/em>
  \n– The Dalai Lama XIV<\/p>\n

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