Comments for Ah! Dharma reflections based on the words of Anyen Rinpoche

Comment on The Third Jewel of Buddhism – the Sangha. by Myra

Myra — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 03:36:32 +0000

Thank you for this, David! Wonderful blog post. One of the things I find that I appreciate more and more about Sangha is that it gives me a good model for dealing with people in my life who are not dharma practitioners. I have found that any kind of difficult or stressful situations or communications I might have with a dharma brother or sister tend to resolve differently than those with other people, because we are both practicing (or at least attempting to practice) Bodhichitta. This helps remind me that this is possible, and is always a choice I can make in the heat of the moment, and make it easier for me to do this with others as well. Not 100% successful, but it definitely helps! It strikes me that Sangha is our little “fishbowl” for practicing in the world at large. Just my two cents.

Comment on The Third Jewel of Buddhism – the Sangha. by Alison Levin Bishop

Alison Levin Bishop — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:32:28 +0000

thank you David for your teaching. I appreciate how this helps me keep putting the pieces together! The Sarasota Sangha has been the support for my practice and I feel very fortunate indeed that we have sprung up as you have said. A friend, who poses interesting questions, just yesterday came in and asked about the way we need autonomy and freedom and yet we are also tribal or community beings. That reminds me of The Buddha’s teaching that we make sure that teachings are supported by our experience, and the Sangha helps us to make sure are actions are for the benefit of all sentient Beings.

Comment on Crystal Palace by SarahJ

SarahJ — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 21:28:43 +0000

Anatoly – love it “invisibly wealthier”, great description.

Your diligence with daily practice is admirable, too. April will come quickly for the Level II, looking forward to it.

Thank you for your comment!

Comment on Crystal Palace by Anatoly

Anatoly — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:01:22 +0000

After practicing daily since the retreat following the clear instructions given by Rinpoche I finally begin to notice a distinctly measurable shift in my experience. It is amazing in its subtle way of how tsa lung practice transforming the quality of my being in the world.
I’ve practice shamatha exclusively for over a year and gained some stability, but this practice really has been sharpening my ability for introspection and mindfulness. It feels that it has shamatha practice naturally woven into it.

During first few weeks I couldn’t relax into a flow of wind energy practice and it felt to be somewhat unnatural or mechanical, in other words my mind was focused on maintaining breath structure. Yet I had faith that with persistence of practice the effects were bound to manifest. Now I find my mind eased off more in its natural state within the practice and was able to observe awareness of awareness.

So what are the outcomes so far? I notice a much reduced impulse to hurry — there seems to be more spaciousness and time available within my domain of conventional existence. That results in having more patience with myself, others and outer conditions. Somehow it feels that I am invisibly wealthier.

Yet I remind myself not to get attached to any of that and keep on practicing.
So grateful to Rinpoche for the generous teaching!

Comment on The Eyes of Devotion by Angela Tsultrim

Angela Tsultrim — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 23:51:32 +0000

I love that story, that is one of my favorites. I also like the scooping out of flesh story, but I cannot recall all of the details. Looks like it is time for a reread. I can only hope and pray to get to that total surrender into devotion mind state and stay there.

Comment on The Eyes of Devotion by Clotilde Wright

Clotilde Wright — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 22:34:28 +0000

Thanks for the post and comment. There is a story in Words of My Perfect Teacher p. 173 that I find inspiring. There was a woman who asked her husband to bring back a relic of a Buddha for support for her prayers, the husband having forgotten his task, brought back a dogs tooth he found on his way back. The old woman thinking that it was a tooth of the Buddha, treated the object with such devotion, reverence and faith, it became a support for her practice and she attained accomplishment.

I guess it made me think that the focus here is on the mind of the practitioner rather the seemingly solid object of devotion which appears.

Comment on The Eyes of Devotion by Angela Tsultrim

Angela Tsultrim — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 20:49:01 +0000

In order to increase faith or pull myself out of a rut, I will write a poem or attach descriptive attributes to my Lama’s qualities and repeat them to myself before I meditate. If that does not seem to do the job, I go back to the scriptures, as in Words of My Perfect Teacher or Mother of Knowledge, to find the inspirational stories that first fired me up years ago … and if that does not do it, I pray and if that still does not do it I go to the Lama for help.

One question that really seems to pull me out of a fog is to ask myself, ‘Why do I love this Lama(s)?’ and I think about all of the amazing, miraculous things they have done and I do think, ‘Wow, that is truly amazing,’ but then I also think, through all their amazingness, they simply just love me and have complete and utter faith that there is a Buddha in me waiting to pop out at any moment. That life line, and it literally feels like a life line sometimes, to me is the essence of the ultimate truth. It’s like there is not even a flicker of a doubt that there is not a Buddha in me. Their belief in me, makes me re-believe in me. Big me, Buddha me, not little me, well maybe little me too, maybe the good little me in me too, but definitely not the ego me. Well, heck maybe they love the ego me too, it is an immeasurable love I am talking about here, but I do not think they support the ego me. Okay enough about me, how about all of you?

Comment on Crystal Palace by David S.

David S. — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 02:01:15 +0000

I find these practices can be very powerful- if I am able to be patient. There seems to be a very subtle line of non-conceptuality that is crossed, which can be relaxed and clear if I am able to be patient. But, if grasping is involved I tend to tighten up and my breath shortens.

Thank you for this post has inspired me to keep up my diligence- even if it is just a little bit every day. I know this has helped me to work with Rinpoche’s teachings in the past. Just keep practicing and all questions will be answered!

Comment on Crystal Palace by SarahJ

SarahJ — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 16:30:57 +0000

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Like Bird and Cloe already said, I find that calm and quiet arrive quickly and easily during this practice – easier to stay present and not become distracted as often. But the other techniques for managing your wind rising up are also really helpful when distraction comes up. I think the relaxation in your shoulders is a great thing to notice, breathing in this way diminishes the use of your upper trap and cervical musculature, so that makes a lot of sense.

Confusion, yes. Practicing Ngondro, particularly in the beginning, was where I became comfortable with being confused! I think that the repetition of a practice done while paying attention and keeping in mind the advice of one’s teacher eventually makes things clear. Patience, right on, Chris E.

Sticking to the practice is hard for me, too. But then I hear in my head Rinpoche saying something like … you’ve been given the teachings, what you do now is your responsibility.

Also, the same as being ok with the confusion, I am learning to also be ok with the ebb and flow of the quality and quantity of practice as dictated by so many factors. So, as long as I do *something* every day without missing, and when I look back I haven’t been slacking most of the time, then I am fine with it for now. If I have been slacking most of the time, then I know I have to reflect more on my motivation and the four noble truths, and then readjust my course.

Comment on Crystal Palace by Chris Lemig

Chris Lemig — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 15:56:30 +0000

I think the support groups we’ve set up for this practice are really helpful. Having a large sangha is a wonderful support of course but dividing that up into the smaller groups gives me even more focus and inspiration. This is an amazing practice and I find that already it is helping to stabalize my meditation. But I’m only human and sometimes I don’t want to do it, or I want to gloss over it. It’s at those times that I remember that my group is out there practicing hard so stop slacking and get to it!

Thanks for the great post Allison and Sarah!