The Noble Eightfold Path is one of the most important foundational Buddhist teachings. There is great wisdom in this path, all of which can be tried out and tested in everyday life. In following and practicing the path, you learn to see life realistically, without delusions crowding out your mind and creating a lot of mental noise and anguish, and you’ll benefit in many other ways.
On May 18th we discussed several topics at the sangha. Here is a recap for those who missed it.
* Being in the flow and how it relates to physical activity like running, walking, yoga, exercise, working in general. Flow is the one pointedness of mind and body in the present moment doing one thing and one thing only. If we take work, being in the flow or in the zone is that space when you are completely focused on what you are doing and being very productive doing it. Runners experience the flow as a runner’s high – when the mind shuts off and the focus is on the body running. There are many such examples of flow and it seems that it would make sense to structure your life in such a way as to increase the frequency and the duration of this state of mind and body. The best tool I know of to develop one-pointed concentration is a meditation on one point – the breath, the body, the sounds, etc…
*For more on flow states, the psychologist who originated the term following years of research is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. You can find a summary of his work through this TED talk: Flow, the Secret to Happiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXIeFJCqsPs
* When the seasons change so do our patterns. The change in seasons is almost like a wake up call for us to notice the impermanent nature of nature itself such as flowers, trees, water. It’s spring and flowers are beginning to bloom and the trees are forming new leaves, the water is getting warmer and the colors are different now as we walk along the canal path from only a few months ago. We all agreed that taking the time to notice this throughout the day is important and keeps one grounded in what is actually happening in the here and now. For some it’s especially important to get outside and be in nature but more importantly to just relax into what’s happening, while paying attention to the impermanent nature of nature. For many of us a change from winter to spring means being outside more so we appreciate nature more.
* Since we go outside more, there are more opportunities now to see our neighbors. We discussed the importance of knowing our neighbors and taking an interest by chatting them up to learn more about them. One suggestion is to ask them what they are planning for their next vacation and watch their face lite up as they tell you all about it.
* Since the sangha community gathers and contributes to road cleanup twice a year one member noted that cleaning up is a spiritual experience not to mention a useful community service. When one is picking up the trash you model respect for the street to the community. You are in a very true sense decluttering the road – which is a very true service to yourself and others. Similarly in your car or home if you take the time to clear out the trash and de-clutter you invite something new into the previously occupied space or just enjoy the space free of stuff that was previously there. Just like when you sit and meditate you declutter your mind to make room for what’s really important in your life to be visible.
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There are various forms of mindful body movements and exercises that greatly enrich our practice by reducing stress, induce relaxation, improve equanimity, concentration, and mood. Incorporating some type of mindful movement also enhances our sitting meditation practice. Yoga, for example, has been documented to provide health benefits including increased strength and flexibility, better balance and coordination, improved reaction times, better lung function, heightened cardiovascular conditioning, and weight loss, as well as asthma, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and heart disease.
The body is built to Move. Lets review a few of traditional disciplines built on movement.
Yoga is great for balance
Yoga is a multidimensional system that includes stretching and strengthening poses, breathing exercises, and ethical and meditation practices. It uses body, breath, and senses to reconnect the practitioner with the universe and move emotions and thoughts into stillness. So try out Yoga – take a class at a local yoga studio ( usually there are special pricing for first time students ) Alternatively you can do Yoga at home with a video or ask a friend to show you.
Tai Chi is for everyone
Tai Chi is a Chinese system of physical exercises that is believed to facilitate the flow of Qi (life force) in the body, promoting good health and vitality. Tai Chi utilizes movements that are Yin Yang opposites: softness and strength, forward and backward, action and calm.The best way to learn is to take classes – look for a local class in your community. You can find many examples of Tai Chi practice such as Walking online as well.
Qigong is control of life force energy
Qigong is a Chinese practice using movement, affirmations, breath work, visualizations, and meditation to improve the flow of “qi” or life force, restore internal harmony, and restore the practitioner’s harmony with nature. Beginners first learn physical movements coordinated with breathing techniques Once they learn the form, the next step is to find the subtle flow or fluctuation of energy within the postures, movements, breathing patterns, and transitions. This is called moving meditation. Among the exercises, there are many postures that are held for long periods of time such as tree pose which is similar yoga mountain pose. You can find many examples of Qigong practice online as well.
You can incorporate mindfulness whenever your body is moving.
Walking, walk the dog , with kids, walk @ lunch, running
Hiking, beach (pay attention to different parts of body, and shift to observing nature)
Lifting weights, push ups ( be mindful of the abdominal muscles )
Weeding ( focus on breath, and hands )
Washing Dishes ( focus on hands, breath )
Taking out the trash ( walking meditation )
Stretching (focus on breath, stretch)
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John Wenz was with us earlier in May for the continued exploration of Shantideva’s “Bodhisattva’s Way of Life” Chapter 9 Stephen Batchelor’s translation of the text is available for free online Also Chapter 9 is available here
Due to low enrollment – this retreat was canceled.
Saturday May 9 our sangha will hold a Meditation retreat with our special guest Beverly Sanford from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Makefield Friends Meeting that’s located at Dolington Rd in Newtown, PA ( Note: this is not at the Yardley Friends Meeting, but very close )
You may attend a partial or full day. Bring a lunch. Refreshments will be provided. The day will consist of lectures, meditation, walking meditation, a question and answer session in a beautiful and peaceful rural setting. Suggested donation is $35 for the full day or $20 for a partial day. Partial days usually are 9 AM to 1 PM, or 1 PM to 4 PM . *Dana for Beverly
Beverly Sanford is a teacher with the Princeton Buddhist Meditation Group, under the guidance of the Ven. Bhikshuni Karma Trime Lhamo, an American-born Buddhist nun. A practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for nearly 35 years, Ani Trime originally studied with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist masters to teach in the West.
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Beverly Sanford is a teacher with the Princeton Buddhist Meditation Group, under the guidance of the Ven. Bhikshuni Karma Trime Lhamo, an American-born Buddhist nun. A practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism for nearly 35 years, Ani Trime originally studied with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, one of the first Tibetan Buddhist masters to teach in the West.
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Friday, Aug 21 — Friday, July 28, 2015 ( 7 days ) Your Life Is Your Practice: Insight Meditation Retreat with Helen & George 1230 Pleasant St, Barre, MA 01005 (4.5hr drive from sangha)
Cost for Full retreat: $475 and up to $875 depending on accommodations
Note: Registration fees usually do not include compensation for the teacher, which will be accepted in the traditional form of dana (voluntary donation) in honor of the teachings.
Note: Registration fees usually do not include compensation for the teacher, which will be accepted in the traditional form of dana (voluntary donation) in honor of the teachings.
I have been familiar with meditation and the benefits of practice for about 14 years now and only in the last 5 years have I’ve seriously attempted to establish a regular meditation practice, with “daily practice” being the goal.
During these first years I’ve used the excuse of not enough time and allowed myself to meditate when I felt like doing it – well I did exactly that and I really didn’t feel like meditating very often. I would practice 10 min here and 5 min there, some month I didn’t feel like sitting at all, so that didn’t work at all.
Another attempt was to join Free guided meditations online that run for 15 or 21 days with hopes that they will motivate me to do a daily practice. It did work for a few days and then I used the same excuse of not enough time or I found something wrong with the guided sessions and fell behind. It worked, but only for a short time.
Over the years meditation became for me very similar to keeping active and physically fit. I knew of hundreds of reasons of why I should do it, but just didn’t take the time to do it regularly. I would have spurts of activity and then nothing for a while, followed by another spurt and so on… But reflecting on that I know that the only time I was successful is if I established a routine and made it really important for myself to keep that routine 100%. No excuses, Just Do It!
It was only after my family moved to Bucks County, and I started going to Monday evening meditation at the sangha(a community of practitioners), that my meditation would become more regular. I could always count on Monday night for 45 minutes of meditation and a wonderful discussion afterwards. One of the great aspects of a sangha is that you meet others with similar motivations as yourself and can ask for help as needed. So after some time I decided to ask for help and one member graciously agreed to support me with my goal of a regular practice. We became meditation buddies and kept each other accountable for getting on the cushion and sharing about what came up in our practice. We did that for a month or so and I was able to meditate on a regular basis with his support.
As of today I established a routine to meditate for as little as 5 min in the morning no matter what. I use an app on my phone which keeps time and measures how many days in a row I meditate as well as how many days total. I try hard to keep my streak going every day. There are also meditation friends in this app that I see are meditating and I can see their streaks. It definitely motivates me to keep going to get to my next milestone. So I would say finding this app definitely helped me keep my commitment to a regular daily practice.
I use the app during walking, sitting, and guided meditation of any kind, including Monday nights at the sangha. I don’t count the times I am purposefully mindful during the day and take a minute to myself to just breath. I don’t count Yoga practice, although it’s also a great moving meditation practice.
If I learned anything in establishing a practice that I can share with others it would be
Set an intention and make a 100% commitment to meditate every day or x number of days/week for at least 5 minutes. This is very important because why would you do anything without first making a commitment to it?
Establish a place you can meditate that is free from disturbance. I have a nook in my office with a cushion, a bell and a picture of meditating buddha for inspiration. I am sure you can find such a spot in your home.
Join a sangha community near you and participate in group meditation and discussions. This is key – they don’t call it the 3rd jewel of Buddhism for nothing! The sangha is my source of all 3 jewels. Meditation, Dharma talks and discussion, and community support. There are many virtual communities online you can join if you can’t find a group near you.
Don’t be hard on yourself and know that when you are ready, you will find a way to establish a regular practice and it will be nothing like you expect but it will transform your life. You will be ready when you commit 100% to meditating no matter what.
Here is a video that I found interesting that touches on what I mentioned here and more
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