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KAI MANO VAKYA
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Stress is not what happens to us. It’s our response to what happens, and response is something we can choose.” ~Maureen Killoran
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FLOW- PATANJALI YOGA SUTRA
AD- WHAT CAN I GET FROM YOU?
EASTERN ORTHODOX - PRAYER OF THE HEARTS
Onward, Forward, Godward |
CUP OF BLISS
Sorrow touches me not, Pain affects me not; All joy, all bliss I am, Eternal satisfaction I am.
The silvery moon, the brilliant sun Are my eyes. The rivers are my veins. The stars, the mountains, The herbs, trees and plants, The Vedas and the Devas Are my expression, my breath.
My exhalation is this universe, My inhalation is dissolution. The world is my body, All bodies are mine. All hands, ears, eyes are mine. The fire is my mouth, The wind is my breath.
Energy, time proceed from me. All beings throb in me, All hearts pulsate in me. Causation I am, In all quarters I am, Quarters are my garment.
All time is now, All distance here; I fill all space, Where can I move? No space to move. Infinite I am, Unconditioned I am, Bhuma I am Bhumananda Svarupoham.
a) Bhuma - Infinite b) Bhumananda Svarupoham - I am the True Self of Infinite Bliss |
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To those seeking more pleasant circumstances in saṃsāra, the Buddha taught the virtues which ensure a pleasant rebirth and also benefits in this life. For such practitioners, even if life is unfair, they can have faith that their virtue is the real source of benefit.
To those seeking freedom from saṃsāra and genuine wisdom, the Buddha taught the threefold training, which annihilates all affliction. For those who have completed this training, they are unbound from the world, so how could they experience anything unfair about it?
Thus the Buddha taught to those inclined a temporary reprieve from the unfair pains of the world, and to others a path to an unending freedom from those pains.
B
Adhipateyya Sutta: Governing Principles (AN 3.40)
There are these three governing principles. Which three? The self as a governing principle, the cosmos as a governing principle, and the Dhamma as a governing principle.
"And what is the self as a governing principle? There is the case where a monk, having gone to a wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling, reflects on this: 'It is not for the sake of robes that I have gone forth from the home life into homelessness; it is not for the sake of almsfood, for the sake of lodgings, or for the sake of this or that state of [future] becoming that I have gone forth from the home life into homelessness. Simply that I am beset by birth, aging, & death; by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs; beset by stress, overcome with stress, [and I hope,] "Perhaps the end of this entire mass of suffering & stress might be known!" Now, if I were to seek the same sort of sensual pleasures that I abandoned in going forth from home into homelessness — or a worse sort — that would not be fitting for me.' So he reflects on this: 'My persistence will be aroused & not lax; my mindfulness established & not confused; my body calm & not aroused; my mind centered & unified.' Having made himself his governing principle, he abandons what is unskillful, develops what is skillful, abandons what is blameworthy, develops what is unblameworthy, and looks after himself in a pure way. This is called the self as a governing principle.
"And what is the cosmos as a governing principle? There is the case where a monk, having gone to a wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling, reflects on this: 'It is not for the sake of robes that I have gone forth from the home life into homelessness; it is not for the sake of almsfood, for the sake of lodgings, or for the sake of this or that state of [future] becoming that I have gone forth from the home life into homelessness. Simply that I am beset by birth, aging, & death; by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs; beset by stress, overcome with stress, [and I hope,] "Perhaps the end of this entire mass of suffering & stress might be known!" Now if I, having gone forth, were to think thoughts of sensuality, thoughts of ill will, or thoughts of harmfulness: great is the community of this cosmos. And in the great community of this cosmos there are brahmans & contemplatives endowed with psychic power, clairvoyant, skilled [in reading] the minds of others. They can see even from afar. Even up close, they are invisible. With their awareness they know the minds of others. They would know this of me: "Look, my friends, at this clansman who — though he has in good faith gone forth from the home life into homelessness — remains overcome with evil, unskillful mental qualities." There are also devas endowed with psychic power, clairvoyant, skilled [in reading] the minds of others. They can see even from afar. Even up close, they are invisible. With their awareness they know the minds of others. They would know this of me: "Look, my friends, at this clansman who — though he has in good faith gone forth from the home life into homelessness — remains overcome with evil, unskillful mental qualities."' So he reflects on this: 'My persistence will be aroused & not lax; my mindfulness established & not confused; my body calm & not aroused; my mind centered & unified.' Having made the cosmos his governing principle, he abandons what is unskillful, develops what is skillful, abandons what is blameworthy, develops what is unblameworthy, and looks after himself in a pure way. This is called the cosmos as a governing principle.
"And what is the Dhamma as a governing principle? There is the case where a monk, having gone to a wilderness, to the foot of a tree, or to an empty dwelling, reflects on this: 'It is not for the sake of robes that I have gone forth from the home life into homelessness; it is not for the sake of almsfood, for the sake of lodgings, or for the sake of this or that state of [future] becoming that I have gone forth from the home life into homelessness. Simply that I am beset by birth, aging, & death; by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, & despairs; beset by stress, overcome with stress, [and I hope,] "Perhaps the end of this entire mass of suffering & stress might be known!" Now, the Dhamma is well-taught by the Blessed One, to be seen here & now, timeless, inviting all to come & see, pertinent, to be seen by the wise for themselves. There are fellow practitioners of the chaste life who dwell knowing & seeing it. If I — having gone forth in this well-taught Dhamma & Vinaya — were to remain lazy & heedless, that would not be fitting for me.' So he reflects on this: 'My persistence will be aroused & not lax; my mindfulness established & not confused; my body calm & not aroused; my mind centered & unified.' Having made the Dhamma his governing principle, he abandons what is unskillful, develops what is skillful, abandons what is blameworthy, develops what is unblameworthy, and looks after himself in a pure way. This is called the Dhamma as a governing principle.
"These are the three governing principles."
There is in the cosmos no secret place for one who has done an evil deed. Your own self knows, my good man, whether you are true or false. You underestimate the fine witness that is yourself, you with evil in yourself that then you hide. The devas & Tathagatas see the fool who goes about out of tune with the cosmos. Thus you should go about self-governed, mindful; governed by the cosmos, masterful, absorbed in jhana; governed by the Dhamma, acting in line with the Dhamma. The sage who makes an effort in truth doesn't fall back. Whoever through striving — overpowering Mara, conquering the Ender — touches the stopping of birth, is Such, a knower of the cosmos, wise, a sage unfashioned with regard to all things.
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(Microblog #3)
Andrew Cooper-Sansone
“I can’t believe I did that,” is not an admission that we are incapable of accepting our own actions. Rather, it acknowledges that our actions were somehow incompatible with our values, suggesting that our minds aren’t always unified.
The pathological extreme is seen in dissociative identity disorder (DID). A person with DID might believe she is in the morning a white olympic gymnast, at noon a powerful black CEO, and in the evening a stay at home dad (1).
DID individuals have distinct patterns of brain activity, especially altered activity in the prefrontal cortex (2), a region involved in self control. It is thought to be a response to early childhood trauma (1-3), and it makes living a normal life difficult.
Like individuals with DID, we should seek to fuse our disparate identities. But how?
Become aware of the voice of wisdom within and follow its advice. You should not seek to be a bland, monotonous version of yourself, but one that consistently acts according to your deepest held values.
In this way, you’ll exercise your prefrontal cortex, cultivate self control, and have no trouble believing what you’ve done, because what you’ve done will always be unified with what you value most.
References:
1. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder
B Togmay Sangpo instructed in “The Thirty-seven Practices of Bodhisattvas”:
In brief, whatever you are doing
Ask yourself, “What’s the state of my mind?”
With constant mindfulness and mental alertness
Accomplish others’ good—
This is the practice of bodhisattvas.
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