Everything Changes

The essence of Buddhism can be summarized in two words: Everything changes. This is the basis of the Buddha's Four Noble Truths. Nothing that you can point to or hold is permanent. Point to any object you see: it is not lasting. Hold onto any object (person or thing): it is not lasting. And because of the fact that everything changes -- everything is impermanent -- suffering follows. Our minds think of things as lasting, and we suffer when they change.

Some things change in the blink of an eye: You work hard all your life, save money, correct mistakes, plan for the future -- but in an instant your life is changed by a heart attack, a stroke, a sudden diagnosis of stage four cancer. Or your loved one dies. Or your lover abandons you for someone else. Or you lose all your material possessions. Everything can change over night. Other things change dramatically over time. Your once-youthful body deteriorates into old age.

We call changable things "conditioned," or "composited." They exist because of conditions. We like to think that love itself is unconditional, but we find over and over again that people fall out of love. People can even disown their children. Best friends fall into disfavor. Cherished colleagues drift apart.

New cars and houses become old and need repair or replacement. Even a house of solid stone and steel is composited. The tiny particles in the stones and steel are subject to weathering. They break down. The highest mountains will break down too over the course of time.

So far all of this has been stated in a rather negative light: change brings suffering. But so does suffering bring change! Our pain leads us to look deeper. To have discipline. To focus and to work toward something beyond the conditioned, composited world. Because everything changes, our mental processes can change too. Our understanding can change. Our expectations can change. This is the path of liberation, of seeing things as they really are. Connecting with the unchangable within you that lies deeper even than your mental processes.

We don't need a lover, a room of friends, a new car, a gorgeous house, piles of cash, praise at work, stature in our community. All of these things come and go. (We mostly feel that they go, because it is hard to let go of something that feels good.) We only hold them or point to them for a short time.

Standing on the shore, we can see the ebb and flow of the water. But the ocean remains. If we take our vision off the shoreline of our life, the depth of our being remains unchanged by ebbs and flows, gain and loss. That's what Buddhist contemplation means; what meditation is: looking deeply into your ocean.

Take Heed of Me

Please take heed of me

With an open heart, I plead with you devotedly

Take heed of me

From the expanse of space

From the bliss of emptiness

Come to me

Surround me in your retinue of compassion

Clothe me in your strength

Dispel the darkness of ignorance that obscures my view

Reveal to me the path of liberation

Remove the poisons from my mind

Please take pity on me, glorious teachers

Please forgive me for my mistakes

My eyes are clouded with tears

Suffering pours through my veins

My heart has lost its will

Please heed the cries of your imperfect child

Bless me with your guidance

Bless me with your protection

Grant me refuge

Lift me swiftly into your arms

Let me be contentment within myself

Grant me the realizations of pure body, speech, and mind

Let me learn to alleviate the suffering of others

You who are inseparable to me

Let our minds be as one

No suffering, no illusion, no anger, no ill will

Embodiment of loving kindness

Take heed of me

With devotion I am pleading to you

Please bless me without delay

Please bless me in this very spot

Please bless me in this very moment

Calling the Lama from Afar

In Vajaryana Buddhism, there is a practice called Lama Jang Bö (blama rgyang ‘bod) which means Calling the Teacher from Afar. The practice is deeply rooted in devotion to one’s higher nature. It is posited in the idea that the teacher and the student are spiritually inseparable. In fact all beings are connected to one another. No matter the level of accomplishment, no matter the time (past, present, or future), no matter the realm (earthly or other), all beings are connected. When we ask for the help of others, we are accessing our own ability to help ourselves. Their energy and ours combine to form the conditions we need in order to change our present situation.

I will publish (in a separate entry) a practice from my teaching that some might find beneficial in times of need. May it bring blessings to the world.

Inseparable

In a spontaneous display of love

I am renewed in you

Stop Fighting Nature

There is suffering in life. There is a cause. There is a cure. There is an end.

When we get cut deeply, the pain is a signal to the brain that we must tend the wound. Even after we clean it and bandage it, the cut still hurts for many days. We must tend the wound every day and be patient with the pain. Little by little it improves. The same is true for emotional wounds. We should not try to force ourselves to “get over it.” That is absurd. We must allow ourselves the period of pain while we tend the wound. If we do, then we stop fighting nature and hasten our recovery.

Being Gentle With Yourself

If you think that your life is holy

And ordinary things are unworthy

Your mind is flooded with delusion.

Even the wisest ones are unfinished

Until they have gone beyond.

True Friendship

The Venerable Ananda once observed to the Buddha: “This is half of the spiritual life, Lord: admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie.”

The Buddha responded to Ananda: “Not so. Not so. Admirable friendship, admirable companionship, admirable camaraderie are not half of the spiritual life. They are the whole of spiritual life.”

We cannot reach our fullest flowering unless we associate with the right people. The right people are not just the ones who make us laugh, who take our side, who tell us what we want to hear. The right people are the ones we can learn from, whose good qualities we can emulate. They tell us with love and timeliness what is truthful and what is necessary for our progress.

Sometimes we think people are admirable friends, only to find out later that they cannot carry our pains or tolerate our joys or help us navigate our shortcomings. It is dreadfully painful when we come to this awareness. Yet it does no good, and it is wasteful of our energy, to try to find fault with them. Hold everyone in respect, but keep close only those who are worthy of your high esteem.

Mind of Equilibrium

What is the mind of equilibrium?
It is the Middle Path itself.
The young prince became the Buddha when he discovered
that neither indulgence nor self torture are right.
The same is true with our thoughts.
You will always be subjected to praise and blame,
but do not let either affect the poise of the mind:
instead follow the calmness, the absence of pride.

Expansive Love

In the Sutta Nipata are the most beautiful words:
Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this expansive love with a one-pointed mind
And your life will bring heaven to earth.

Five Subjects for Frequent Recollection

It is in my nature to grow old. I cannot avoid aging.

It is in my nature to grow ill. I cannot forego illness.

It is in my nature to die. I cannot escape dying.

All that I cherish as mine will one day be separated from me.

I alone am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related to my actions, dependent upon my actions. Whatever I do, for good or for bad, I shall be the heir of my deeds.

We should reflect often on this.