DharmaSpring_Volume1_Calameo

ADHARMA SPRING

Reader

Including writings by THICH NHAT HANH middot PEMA CHODRON middot BHANTE HENEPOLA GUNARATANA

SHARON SALZBERG middot KHENCHEN THRANGU RINPOCHE middot JOHN DAIDO LOORI

ABOUT DHARMA SPRING

Dharma Spring was created by a small group of book lovers and entrepreneurs who are passionate about the path of meditation and the teachings of Buddhism Digital media and the social web have created new opportunities to connect people with content that enriches and inspires them We believe exciting new models for publishing are emerging and that the future of books has never been brighter

To learn more visit us at wwwdharmaspringcom

You can reach us at infodharmaspringcom We want to hear from you

A DHARMA SPRING READERVOLUME ONE Autumn 2015

Edited by

Peter Turner and the editors

of Dharma Spring

Photographs by

Andy Karr Julie DuBose

and Michael Wood

DHARMA SPRING

Cambridge Massachusetts

ContentsPart One Where We Begin 8

Our True Home 11SHARON SALZBERG

Why Meditate 15SAYADAW U PANDITA

The Play of Feelings 19MARTINE BATCHELOR

Leave No Trace 21SHUNRYU SUZUKI

Overcoming Our Resistance to Practice 23TULKU THONDUP

Part Two The Awakened View 26 Itrsquos Already Broken 29

AJAHN CHAHThe Good News 33

ETHAN NICHTERNDonrsquot Blink 35

DAININ KATAGIRIYour Practice is to Eat Your Life 39

ELIZABETH MATTIS-NAMGYELDeveloping a Different Attitude Toward Problems 43

LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHEAlready Buddha 45

JOSHO PAT PHELAN

Wersquod like to thank go Andy Karr Julie DuBose and Michael Wood [[TO CONFIRM]] for gracious use of their photographs Thanks also go out to the publishers whose books are excerpted here

DHARMA SPRING45 Prospect StreetCambridge Massachusetts 02139

Cover and frontispiece photographs by Michael Wood (Used by permission) To see more of Michaelrsquos work go to httpopeningthegoodeyebookcomEditing copyright copy2015 by Dharma Spring All rights reservedDesign and typesetting by Laura Shaw Design Inc wwwlshawdesigncom

A Note to the Reader

If you decide to purchase any of the books you find featured here please con-sider buying directly from the publisher using the link provided at the end of each book extract By doing so you are supporting these publishers more generously than if you made your purchases from other online retailers

5













JOSHO PAT PHELAN

6

Part Three The Path of Meditation 48

Stopping Calming Resting Healing 51THICH NHAT HANH

Mindfulness of the Breath 55JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN

Antidote for a Distracted Mind 59BHANTE HENEPOLA GUNARATANA

Meeting Self-Criticism with Lovingkindness 63AJAHN SUMEDHO

A Still Peaceful Mind 67JOHN DAIDO LOORI

On Being Off Balance 71JOHN TARRANT

Training the Mind 75THUPTEN JINPA

Be Grateful to Everyone 81PEMA CHOumlDROumlN

Quiet Mind and Thinking Mind 83KHENCHEN THRANGU RINPOCHE

We are Identical with the Buddhas 85LAMA PUTSE PEMA TASHI

7

PREFACE

Welcome to Dharma Spring And welcome to our first e-book anthology of excerpts from some of our favorite books by Buddhist teachers and writers

For us at Dharma Spring this book celebrates the beginning of a jour-ney as we put the finishing touches on our new website (wwwdhar-maspringcom) which will be available in October Our site will provide an array of book excerpts interviews book reviews book round-ups on specific topics as well as original essays and interviews with authors and teachers whose works we feature Our online bookstore will offer a broad selection of books for those new to meditation and long-time practitioners of Buddhism alike from publishers large and small

This e-book is also a gift to thank you for joining us on this journey This particular e-book covers a lot of ground introducing you to the breadth of topics wersquoll explore on our website Future e-book anthologies will focus on specific topics such as working with emotions specific medita-tion practices common obstacles to practice and more

If yoursquore interested in Dharma Spring and want to get advanced access to our sitendasha private viewingndashplease let us know Wersquore open to your ideas and suggestions about how we can improve the website Tell us what you think at infodharmaspringcom or contact me directly at peterdharmaspringcom

Wersquore looking forward to hearing from you

YoursPeter TurnerCo-Founder

8

9

Where We BeginPART ONE

Previous page Photograph by Michael Wood (Used by permission) To see more of Michaelrsquos work go to httpopeningthegoodeyebookcom

11

Our True HomeThe Path of LovingkindessSharon Salzberg

EDITORrsquoS NOTE We often feel a deep sense of isolation from ourselves and from others But that is not our true nature Our true nature lies in our deep subtle connection with others a connection born out of a truly felt sense of our own fundamental goodness This quality while inherent requires cultivation and a path to follow This path as Sharon Salzberg so beautifully describes in Lovingkindness The Revolutionary Art of Happiness leads to ldquothe liberation of the heart which is loverdquo

T hroughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and to feel connected with others Instead we often contract

fear intimacy and suffer a bewildering sense of separation We crave love and yet we are lonely Our delusion of being separate from one another of being apart from all that is around us gives rise to all of this pain What is the way out of this

The Buddha taught a systematic integrated path that moves the heart out of isolating

contraction into true connection

12

Spiritual practice by uprooting our personal mythologies of isolation uncovers the radiant joyful heart within each of us and manifests this radiance to the world We find beneath the wounding concepts of separation a connection both to our-selves and to all beings We find a source of great happiness that is beyond concepts and beyond convention Freeing ourselves from the illusion of separation allows us to live in a natural free-dom rather than be driven by preconceptions about our own boundaries and limitations

The Buddha described the spiritual path that leads to this freedom as ldquothe liberation of the heart which is loverdquo and he taught a systematic integrated path that moves the heart out of isolating contraction into true connection That path is still with us as a living tradition of meditation practices that culti-vate love compassion sympathetic joy and equanimity These four qualities are among the most beautiful and powerful states of consciousness we can experience Together they are called in Pali the language spoken by the Buddha the brahma-viharas Brahma means ldquoheavenlyrdquo Vihara means ldquoaboderdquo or ldquohomerdquo

The brahma-viharasmdashlove compassion sympathetic joy and equanimitymdashare a precious gift and the opportunity to practice them is the legacy of the Buddha By following this path we learn to develop skillful mental states and let go of unskillful ones The integrity we develop on a spiritual path comes from being able to distinguish for ourselves the habits and influences in the mind which are skillful and lead to love and awareness from those which are unskillful and reinforce our false sense of separation The Buddha once said

By following this path we learn to develop skillful mental states and let go of unskillful ones

13

Abandon what is unskillful One can abandon the unskillful If it were not possible I would not ask you to do it If this abandoning of the unskillful would bring harm and suffering I would not ask you to abandon it But as it brings benefit and hap-piness therefore I say abandon what is unskillful

Cultivate the good One can cultivate the good If it were not possible I would not ask you to do it If this cultivation were to bring harm and suffering I would not ask you to do it But as this cultivation brings benefit and happiness I say cultivate the good

From Lovingkindness The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzberg Forward by Jon Kabat-Zinn (Shambhala Publications 1995) Copyright copy1995 by Sharon Salzberg

All Rights Reserved

15

Why MeditateItrsquos a Fair QuestionSayadaw U Pandita

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Why should we meditate Itrsquos a question that arisesmdash consciously or notmdashevery time we sit down to practice In a sense itrsquos an ethi-cal question in that it speaks to our relationship with other beings ldquoWe do not practice meditationrdquo Sayadaw U Pandita says ldquoto gain admiration from any-one Rather we practice to contribute to peace in the world We try to follow the teachings of the Buddha and take the instructions of trustworthy teachers in hopes that we too can reach the Buddharsquos state of purity Having realized this purity within ourselves we can inspire others and share this Dhamma this truthrdquo

There are many forms of meditation in the Buddhist tradition but all of them have as their root the cultivation of concentration or ldquoone-pointednessrdquo of attention In his book In This Very Life Sayadaw U Panditamdasha renowned Burmese meditation mastermdashoffers his basic instruction for those new to medi-tation That said even seasoned meditators will find subtle insight and nuance here that is anything but basic

T o achieve peace of mind we must make sure our body is at peace So it is important to choose a position that will be

comfortable for a long period of time Sit with your back erect at a right angle to the ground but not too stiff The reason for sitting straight is not difficult to see An arched or crooked back will soon bring pain Furthermore the physical effort to remain

Photograph by Michael Wood (Used by permission) To see more of Michaelrsquos work go to httpopeningthegoodeyebookcom

16

upright without additional support energizes the meditation practice

Close your eyes Now place your attention at the belly at the abdomen Breathe normally not forcing your breathing neither slowing it down nor hastening it just a natural breath You will become aware of certain sensations as you breathe in and the abdomen rises as you breathe out and the abdomen falls Now sharpen your aim and make sure that the mind is attentive to the entirety of each process Be aware from the very beginning of all sensations involved in the rising Maintain a steady attention through the middle and the end of the rising Then be aware of the sensations of the falling movement of the abdomen from the beginning through the middle and to the very end of the falling

Although we describe the rising and falling as having a beginning a middle and an end this is only in order to show that your awareness should be continuous and thorough We do not intend you to break these processes into three segments You should try to be aware of each of these movements from begin-ning to end as one complete process as a whole Do not peer at the sensations with an over-focused mind specifically looking to discover how the abdominal movement begins or ends

In this meditation it is very important to have both effort and precise aim so that the mind meets the sensation directly and powerfully An essential aid to precision and accuracy is to make a soft mental note of the object of awareness naming the sensation by saying the word gently and silently in the mind like ldquorising rising falling fallingrdquo

There will be moments when the mind wanders off You will start to think of something At this time watch the mind Be aware that you are thinking To clarify this to yourself note the

In this meditation it is very important to have both effort and precise aim

17

thought silently with the verbal label ldquothinking thinkingrdquo and come back to the rising and falling

The same practice should be used for objects of awareness that arise at any of what are called the six sense doors eye ear nose tongue body and mind Despite making an effort to do so no one can remain perfectly focused on the rising and falling of the abdomen forever Other objects inevitably arise and become predominant Thus the sphere of meditation encompasses all of our experiences sights sounds smells tastes sensations in the body and mental objects such as visions in the imagination or emotions When any of these objects arise you should focus direct awareness on them and use a gentle verbal label ldquospokenrdquo in the mind

During a sitting meditation if another object impinges strongly on the awareness so as to draw it away from the rising and falling of the abdomen this object must be clearly noted For example if a loud sound arises during your meditation con-sciously direct your attention toward that sound as soon as it arises Be aware of the sound as a direct experience and also identify it succinctly with the soft internal verbal label ldquohearing hearingrdquo When the sound fades and is no longer predominant come back to the rising and falling This is the basic principle to follow in sitting meditation

In making the verbal label there is no need for complex language One simple word is best For the eye ear and tongue doors we simply say ldquoSeeing seeing Hearing hearing Tasting tastingrdquo For sensations in the body we may choose a slightly more descriptive term like warmth pressure hardness or motion Mental objects appear to present a bewildering diver-sity but actually they fall into just a few clear categories such as thinking imagining remembering planning and visualizing But remember that in using the labeling technique your goal is not to gain verbal skills The labeling technique helps us to per-ceive clearly the actual qualities of our experience without getting immersed in the content It develops mental power and focus In

18

meditation we seek a deep clear precise awareness of the mind and body This direct awareness shows us the truth about our lives the actual nature of mental and physical processes

Meditation need not come to an end after an hour of sitting It can be carried out continuously through the day When you get up from sitting you must note carefullymdashbeginning with the intention to open the eyes ldquoIntending intending Opening openingrdquo Experience the mental event of intending and feel the sensations of opening the eyes Continue to note carefully and precisely with full observing power through the whole transi-tion of postures until the moment you have stood up and when you begin to walk

Throughout the day you should also be aware of and men-tally note all other activities such as stretching bending your arm taking a spoon putting on clothes brushing your teeth closing the door opening the door closing your eyelids eating and so forth All of these activities should be noted with care-ful awareness and a soft mental label Apart from the hours of sound sleep you should try to maintain continuous mindful-ness throughout your waking hours Actually this is not a heavy task it is just sitting and walking and simply observing whatever occurs

From In This Very Life The Liberation Teachings of the Buddha by Sayadaw U Pandita (Wis-dom Publications 1995) Copyright copy 1991 The Saddhama Foundation All Rights Reserved

Labeling helps us to perceive clearly the actual qualities of our experience

19

The Play of FeelingsAt Rest in NeutralMartine Batchelor

EDITORrsquoS NOTE If you watch closely calming your mind you can see how feelings arise and interact Soon patterns emerge we seem to gravitate toward the extremes of pleasure or pain and ignore whatrsquos in between them In her book The Spirit of the Buddha former Buddhist nun Martine Batchelor presents her favorite selections from the Pali canonmdashsuch as this one on pleasant painful and neutral feelingsmdashaccompanied by her own commentary

Pleasant feeling is pleasant when it persists and painful when it changes Painful feeling is painful when it persists and pleasant when it changes

Neither-painful-nor-pleasant feeling is pleasant when there is knowledge of it and painful when there is no knowledge of it

(Majjhima Nikaya 44)

A pleasant feeling will continue to give us pleasure if it lasts but if it stops it will be transformed into an unpleasant feel-

ing A painful feeling will be perceived as painful the longer it persists but will be felt as pleasant when it stops

Neutral feelings are pleasant when we are aware of them and unpleasant when we are not If nothing special is happening to

20

us nothing specifically joyful or painful we do not feel much If we were aware of a feeling that is neither pleasant nor unpleas-ant it could be deeply restful because we actually feel calm and tranquil

Because nothing special or extreme is happening we can rest and just be aware of being alive in this moment and do whatever is required We might feel this way at work or at home It might be easier to do our work in that state as nothing will interfere we will not be too anxious or excited but stable and open in this moment At home we can use these moments to rest and breathe for a short timemdashwith nothing special to do nothing special to be

But if we do not cultivate mindfulness and we feel a neu-tral feeling it can turn into an unpleasant feeling because of its association with boredom We will feel that nothing special is happeningmdashnothing especially good nothing especially bad and from that we will often generate painful stories about being a boring person having a boring life the world being boring and actually end up in a painful place Sometimes it seems that we prefer to have painful feelings because they are somewhat excit-ing and we seem to feel more alive in them than with neutral feelings that we equate with nonexistence The problem is not with neutral feelings but with our relationship to them and our interpretation of them

From The Spirit of the Buddha by Martine Batchelor (Yale University Press 2010) Copyright copy 2010 by Martine Batchelor All rights reserved

Sometimes it seems that we prefer to have painful feelings because they are somewhat exciting

21

Leave No TraceThe Practice of ZenShunryu Suzuki

Editorrsquos Note People who are new to meditation sometimes think itrsquos about getting rid of our thoughts or at least not letting thoughts carry us away Of course we have to thinkmdashitrsquos the nature of the mind ldquoBut right thinkingrdquo writes Shunryu Suzuki ldquodoes not leave any shadow of your relative confused mindrdquo This shadow or trace is what amplifies your thought setting up a barrier between your mind and the things you experience ldquoWhen you do somethingrdquo Suzuki write ldquoyou should burn yourself completely like a good bonfire leaving no trace of yourselfrdquo

W hen we do something with a simple clear mind we have no notion or shadows and our activity is strong and

straightforward But when we do something with a complicated mind in relation to other things or people or society our activ-ity becomes very complex

Most people have a double or triple notion in one activity That kind of thinking always leaves its shadow on their activity The shadow is not actually the thinking itself Of course it is often necessary to think or prepare before we act But right thinking does not leave any shadow Thinking that leaves a shadow comes out of your relative confused mind Relative mind is the mind that sets itself in relation to other things thus limiting itself It is this small mind that creates gaining ideas and leaves traces of itself

22

If you leave a trace of your thinking on your activity you will be attached to the trace For instance you may say ldquoThis is what I have donerdquo But actually it is not so In your recollection you may say ldquoI did such and such a thing in some certain wayrdquo but actually that is never exactly what happened When you think in this way you limit the actual experience of what you have done So if you attach to the idea of what you have done you are involved in selfish ideas

In order to not leave any traces when you do something you should do it with your whole body and mind you should be concentrated on what you do You should do it completely like a good bonfire You should not be a smoky fire You should burn yourself completely If you do not burn yourself completely a trace of yourself will be left in what you do You will have some-thing remaining that is not completely burned out Zen activity is activity that is completely burned out with nothing remaining but ashes This is the goal of our practice

From Zen Mind Beginnerrsquos Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (Shambhala Publications 2009) Protected under the terms of the International Copyright Union All Rights Reserved

When you do something you should burn yourself completely like a good bonfire leaving no trace of yourself

23

Overcoming Our Resistance to PracticeTulku Thondup

EDITORrsquoS NOTE When we first begin to practice meditation we may feel great enthusiasm and inspiration But sooner or later the excitement and novelty wear off We might lose our motivation and feel like giving up Here Tibetan Buddhist teacher and scholar Tulku Thondup offers gentle encourag-ing advice on keeping going

W hen we start to do something meaningful and important such as meditation excuses always come up that prevent

us from giving it our whole heart and attentionWe can fritter away days and nights on mindless diversions

but when it comes time to meditate suddenly all sorts of obli-gations false expectations or doubts arise We might think ldquoI should be with my familyrdquo or ldquoI need to concentrate on mak-ing moneyrdquo or ldquoI should be doing some social workrdquo Or else we doubt the meditation ldquoIrsquom not equipped for this Maybe therersquos a better methodrdquo and so forth The self-deluding excuses are endless

Obstacles like these both in daily life and in meditation can start as innocent imps but turn into destructive demons if we are not careful A few years after arriving in India as a refugee from Tibet I began to learn English Whenever I picked up my English reader my concentration was always broken by such

24

thoughts as ldquoItrsquos more important to pray and meditate than to study English Before I can learn English I might be dead At death nothing but positive habits of mind will benefit merdquo But then when I prayed messages would come into my head such as ldquoLife is long refugee life is hard and in order to survive I must learn Englishrdquo

I indulged in all kinds of feasts of laziness to avoid what was good for me It took a lot of time and effort to overcome my resis-tance to learning English when I was supposed to study it and saying prayers when I was supposed to pray

Overcoming such habitual tendencies reprogramming my mental habits came as the result of long and consistent disci-pline through two methods (1) vigilant mindfulness and (2) applying the whip of right messages

Mindfulness is the term Buddhists use to describe the giving of oneself to the moment Instead of worrying about the past or planning for the future we learn to feel at home in the present It is the most wonderful guardian of our well-being if we live this way So no matter whether we are cutting the lawn or meditat-ing we should give ourselves completely to that Our minds are really most at home living fully like this but it can take practice before we learn to be in the present moment without chasing after cravings or worries

If we feel resistance to something one approach is simply to be aware of the resistance without judgment or guilt Then we can ease into the activity slowly with an open-hearted feel-ing that we will simply give ourselves to doing that Itrsquos surpris-ing how much we can learn to enjoy what wersquore doing if we are patient and open and if we just live in the present

From Boundless Healing Meditation Exercises to Enlighten the Mind and Heal the Body by Tulku Thondup (Shambhala Publications 2001) Copyright copy2000 Tulku Thondup Rinpoche

All Rights Reserved

If we feel resistance one approach is simply to be aware of the resistance without judgment or guilt


The Awakened ViewPART TWO


29

Itrsquos Already BrokenThe Cessation of SufferingAjahn Chah

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Great spiritual teachers often have an ability to convey essential truths using the simplest of words and metaphors Buddhist master Ajahn Chah (1919ndash1992) had this gift He was revered in his native Thailand where he founded nearly 200 monasteries and he was instrumental in bring-ing Theravada Buddhism to the West having inspired and mentored many Western Buddhist teachers including Ajahn Sumedho Ajahn Amaro and Jack Kornfield ldquoAjahn Chahrsquos teachingrdquo wrote Kornfield ldquowas done in the reality of the moment by example by metaphor by the aliveness of dialogue His teach-ing was direct and honest with no holds barred It is hard to wholly capture the vitality of his teaching in wordsrdquo

C an you prevent something thatrsquos breakable from breaking You say ldquoDonrsquot break my glassrdquo If it doesnrsquot break now

it will break later on If you donrsquot break it someone else will The Buddha says to accept this He penetrated the truth of these things seeing that this glass is already broken Whenever you use this glass you should reflect that itrsquos already broken Do you understand this The Buddharsquos understanding was like this He saw the broken glass within the unbroken one Whenever its time is up it will break Develop this kind of understanding Use

30

the glass look after it until when one day it slips out of your handmdashsmash No problem Why is there no problem Because you saw its brokenness before it broke

But usually people say ldquoI love this glass so much may it never breakrdquo Later on the dog breaks it ldquoIrsquoll kill that damn dogrdquo You hate the dog for breaking your glass If one of your chil-dren breaks it yoursquoll hate them too Why is this Because yoursquove dammed yourself up the water canrsquot flow Yoursquove made a dam without a spillway The only thing the dam can do is burst right When you make a dam you must make a spillway also When the water rises up too high the water can flow off safely When itrsquos full to the brim you open your spillway You have to have a safety valve like this Impermanence is the safety valve of the Noble Ones If you have this ldquosafety valverdquo you will be at peace

If we really see uncertainty clearly we will see that which is certain The certainty is that things must inevitably be this way they cannot be otherwise Do you understand Knowing just this much you can know the Buddha you can rightly do reverence to him As long as you donrsquot throw out the Buddha you wonrsquot suffer As soon as you throw out the Buddha you will experience suf-fering As soon as you throw out the reflections on Transience Imperfection and Ownerlessness yoursquoll have suffering If you can practice just this much itrsquos enough suffering wonrsquot arise or if it does arise you can settle it easily and it will be a cause for suffering not arising in the future This is the end of our practice at the point where suffering doesnrsquot arise And why doesnrsquot suf-fering arise Because we have sorted out the cause of suffering

For instance if this glass were to break normally you would experience suffering We know that this glass will be a cause for suffering so we get rid of the cause All dhammas arise because

Whenever you use this glass you should reflect that itrsquos already broken

31

of a cause They must also cease because of a cause Now if there is suffering on account of this glass here we should let go of this cause If we reflect beforehand that this glass has already broken even when it hasnrsquot the cause ceases When there is no longer any cause that suffering is no longer able to exist it ceases This is cessation

From Not for Sure Two Dhamma Talks by Ajahn Chah (available in its entirety free for use) translated from the Thai by Thanissaro Bhikkhu from A Theravada Library edited

by Access to Insight Access to Insight (Legacy Edition) 30 November 2013 Copyright copy2005 by Access to Insight All Rights Reserved Under the Creative Commons

Attribution 40 International


33

The Good NewsEthan Nichtern

EDITORrsquoS NOTE We are all weary commuters in search of the road that leads home restlessly seeking what it turns out we already have The metaphor is not at all new but Ethan Nichternrsquos approach to exploring the road map of the Bud-dhist path feels original and alive Nichtern a senior teacher or Shastri in the Shambhala tradition has written a new book brimming with freshness new angles of perspective and a provocative and culturally relevant lens through which to see this map of the road home

O ur lives and societies certainly generate a lot of bad news for anyone brave enough to pay attention Itrsquos a mark of

great maturity to realize that we canrsquot become properly optimistic about life and canrsquot take responsibility for the state of the world until wersquore willing to very honestly face the confused side of our situation This honesty is where the road home has to begin The historical Buddha first taught about the truth of dissatisfaction that comes from not knowing how to deal with our own mind to a group of intensely depressed spiritual seekers who were literally torturing themselves in the pursuit of happiness

Given this context Irsquove always thought that the Buddharsquos description of our dissatisfaction with the commute through life was simply meant to create a moment of honesty and relief in which his students could admit that they were having a hard time This is my favorite phrasing of the first noble truth Itrsquos


34

always okay to admit you are struggling Why are we struggling so much To reinterpret the second noble truth in the language of home people struggle because we donrsquot know where we belong and we always assume that home lies somewhere other than here and now a mistake that sets us on an exhausting commute

From The Road Home A Contemporary Exploration of the Buddhist Path by Ethan Nichtern (North Point Press 2015) Copyright copy2015 Ethan Nichtern All rights reserved

Itrsquos always okay to admit you are struggling

35

Donrsquot BlinkFacing Impermanence Dainin Katagiri

EDITORrsquoS NOTE There are some Buddhist teachers who have a knack for putting words together in a way that is especially potent Think of teachers such Choumlgyam Trungpa with phrases like ldquospiritual materialismrdquo and ldquoidiot compassionrdquo or Pema Choumldroumlnrsquos ldquostart where you arerdquo or ldquodonrsquot bite the hookrdquo Zen master Dainin Katagiri (1928ndash1990) has a different sort of language style when it comes to teaching Though he was not a native English speakermdashor maybe partly because ofmdashhe puts words together in a way that can seem odd at first as if they donrsquot quite make sense But yet they do

M aybe you think that if you practice zazen you will find para-dise This is just your mind When you do zazen donrsquot have

any expectations You donrsquot know what will happen Zen mas-ters always tell you ldquoDonrsquot expect enlightenmentmdashjust sitrdquo But have you experienced doing zazen in that way You always look at your zazen and say to yourself ldquoWhatrsquos the matter with my zazen Hey donrsquot sleeprdquo But sleep is always waiting for you a dizzy mind is always waiting for you

It is the momentary structure of time that makes you talk to yourself that way Impermanence creates a gap that makes your mind blink so you want to escape When you find it difficult to practice zazen yoursquore blinking But donrsquot escape You canrsquot escape the cruelty of impermanence which is always cutting off

36

your life so watch yourself carefully when you realize that yoursquore blinking Try to face impermanence directly with a way-seeking mind I donrsquot mean you shouldnrsquot blink your eyes in zazen thatrsquos okay But as much as possible try to go ahead Take one step without blinking your mind Turn your mind away from the gap you sense from impermanence and turn toward true imperma-nence Stare at reality face-to-face without blinking and become yourself with open eyes This is the Buddharsquos practice

When you practice zazen no matter how you feel just con-centrate on breathing without thinking ldquoMy concentration is goodrdquo or ldquoMy concentration is poorrdquo Whatever you feel donrsquot worry about it Take care of your breathing with wholehearted-ness Thatrsquos enough Just to follow this practice is to live a signifi-cant life Maybe you donrsquot think so but itrsquos true After you under-stand this point if you are willing to practice zazen thatrsquos good I recommend that you practice At that time you can settle on yourself with dignity like a big mountain and start to walk step-by-step But if you donrsquot understand the fundamental nature of impermanence and think there is something you can get from the practice of zazen you will find despair

Zazen doesnrsquot give you somethingmdashitrsquos the complete oppo-site In zazen you will find many things about yourself that you never noticed before things you did not want to see so you hid them under many layers of decoration When you start to prac-tice zazen something leads you to gradually take those layers off What leads you to take off your layers day in day out Imperma-nence takes them off Whether you like it or dislike it the more you practice the more layers of decoration you remove without any reservation Sometimes you feel sad or pensive when you

Impermanence creates a gap that makes your mind blink

37

remove decorations and see zazen in its naked nature because you realize the gap between your mind which wants or expects something and zazen itself But thatrsquos all right Just try to take one step forward without blinking without falling to the ground If you plunge into zazen and experience something unexpected donrsquot attach yourself to what you feel from that experience All you have to do is take care of your posture and breathing with a kind considerate and thoughtful spirit If you practice hard and one by one remove the layers that cover you finally there is nothing left to take off and nothing that separates you from other beings

Without your layers of decoration you are a person who is completely transparent you have no form You cannot say who you are because there is nothing there no concept of you no concept of zazen When there is no concept of you or zazen there is just transiency just time So you are not you you are time Thatrsquos all You may be surprised or upset But if you just watch yourself with a calm mind you can see the truth that everything changes moment after moment At that time you can realize yourself as a human being who exists in the domain of imperma-nence attain enlightenment and save yourself from suffering

From Each Moment is the Universe Zen and the Way of Being Time by Dainin Katagiri (Shambhala Publications 2007) Copyright copy2007 by Minnesota Zen Meditation Center

All rights reserved

39

Your Practice is to Eat Your LifeElizabeth Mattis-Namgyel

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel has a fresh clear no-nonsense approach to the Buddhist teachings She is a longtime student and teacher of Tibetan Buddhism under her husband the Tibetan master Dzigar Kongtrul Here she boils the teaching down to one core instruction learn how to digest your life

A s we study the life of the Buddha we realize that he asked basic human questions about happiness suffering freedom

from suffering compassion interdependence death life and the nature of things But if we were to pare all these questions down into one essential question we might come up with some-thing like this how do we take in the world of ldquothingsrdquo That is how do we process the continuous stream of occurrences that arise in our life How do we digest experience

When we eat we ingest process and eliminate food Our bodies use food as fuel for life and eliminate what is no longer useful It would be great to say that we digested our experience with such ease But there is something about being human that doesnrsquot come naturally to us We canrsquot seem to take experience in let it work on us and then let it go Either we refuse to ingest experiencemdashin which case our life doesnrsquot nourish usmdashor we


40

hold on to experience until it turns toxic The struggle we have with experience gives us mental and emotional indigestion

Life presents itself to us but wersquod often prefer to live in fan-tasy Wersquod rather not ingest our experiencemdasheat our lifemdashin the way that it presents itself to us Wersquod rather be someone else somewhere else having a different experience We may wonder Why should we take in the fullness of life That means we have to take in sadness uncertainty and fear Why canrsquot we just take in whatever makes us comfortable Yet this very attitude toward our experience points to the struggle we have with our world

There is no life without experience Life and experience are synonymous Life just unfolds so we canrsquot reject experience the way we can food But we can fight it tooth and nail And this is what I am talking about here We can turn on the news and not really hear the names of the soldiers who died in Iraq that day We can blame others for all the conflict in our lives and never learn to self-reflect or resolve a situation creatively We can vent our emotions all over the placemdashand in doing so we may imagine that we are responding directly to life But do we really let life in this way Or in reacting are we keeping life at bay And if we keep our life at a distance how can it nourish us How can it move through us How can we absorb it and let it work its magic

When we look at any of the accomplished masters of our lin-eage we never see them struggle with conceptual or emotional indigestion in the way we do They take in all experience with one taste utilizing everything as food for realization Experience moves through their bodies through their awareness and nour-ishes them The great masters are always ldquoeatingrdquo and whatever

All the disappointment we encounter when nothing special comes our way directs us to the point of practice

41

they eat generates boundless energy intelligence and compas-sion It turns out that practice accomplishment is nothing more than learning to be natural with our experiencemdashnot unlike the bodyrsquos natural ability to digest food

As practitioners we might wonder What would it be like to be so natural so ordinary We should ask this question again and again because it does away with all the fluffy fantasies we have about spirituality all this waiting for something special to happen all the excitement we feel when something unexplain-able occurs all the disappointment we encounter when nothing special comes our way It directs us to the point of practice find-ing contentment in being fully human natural and ordinary

From The Power of an Open Question The Buddharsquos Path to Freedom by Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel (Shambhala Publications 2010) Copyright copy2010 Elizabeth

Mattis-Namgyel All rights reserved

43

Developing a Different Attitude Toward ProblemsLama Zopa Rinpoche

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Herersquos a deeply encouraging teaching from Tibetan Bud-dhist master Zopa Rinpoche on learning to welcome our problems because they are actually the source of our awakening

I n this challenging modern time with many problems and much unhappiness human beings are especially overwhelmed by

suffering and their minds are not resilient This is because they are unable to recognize as beneficial the problems and harm they experience and to see these problems as causes of happi-ness Human beings who have not encountered the Dharma are unable to recognize this and unable to train their minds in this recognition

Instead of seeing all the problems you experiencemdashwhether caused by living beings or by situations and circumstancesmdashas problems you need to develop the habit of recognizing them all as beneficial conditions supporting happiness and in fact being causes of happiness But you canrsquot change your perception all at once You must begin by trying to recognize small problems as beneficial then gradually as you become more accustomed to

Photograph by Julie DuBose Used by permission To see more of Juliersquos work please visit httpeffortlessbeautybookcom

44

this you can start to recognize larger more serious problems as good even pleasurable and ultimately necessary for your hap-piness You will see everything that disturbs you as essential for achieving happiness

But make no mistake The practice of thought transformation is not intended to eliminate problems but rather to enable you to use the problems you experience to train your mind to move step by step along the path to enlightenment and ultimate happiness It is not that you will no longer receive harm from other people or from circumstances or from disease and old age you will sim-ply not be disturbed by anything that happens The events that the untrained mind perceives as problems cannot in and of them-selves disturb your practice of the Dharma they cannot prevent your attainment of the realizations of the path to enlightenment In fact when you practice thought transformation not only do problems not disturb you they actually help you to develop your mind and continue your Dharma practice

How do you use problems in support of your Dharma prac-tice and your attainment of happiness You have to train your mind in two ways First you stop the thought of complete aver-sion to suffering and second you generate the thought of wel-coming problems When you have accomplished this and actu-ally feel happy rather than unhappy to have problems problems no longer become obstacles to generating the path to enlighten-ment within your mind

From Transforming Problems into Happiness by Lama Zopa Rinpoche (Wisdom Publications 2001) Copyright copy2001 Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche All rights reserved

When you feel happy to have problems they no longer become obstacles to enlightenment

45

Already BuddhaJosho Pat Phelan

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Most of us come to meditation hoping to fix something about ourselves or our livesmdashto become calmer or better in some way Zen priest Josho Pat Phelan abbot of the Chapel Hill Zen Center in North Carolina reminds us that in the Buddhist view therersquos no need to improve ourselves

M ost of us are drawn to practice meditation out of a sense that something is missing from our lives We may feel a lot

of stress or tension and want to become calm We may have a bad habit like smoking that we want to stop and we think that sitting meditation may give us the support we need Or we may come to practice out of mental or emotional pain or frustration

I would be suspicious if someone told me that they had a strong conviction that they were Buddha and they wanted to begin practicing meditation in order to realize their ldquoBuddha-nessrdquo From our human point of view most of us are motivated to practice out of pain or a deep need to change our lives But from Buddharsquos point of view we are already Buddha and when we

When we practice we are just expressing our awakened quality of being

46

practice we are just expressing our awakened quality of being We have unconditioned nature we are unconditioned nature but at the same time most of us are ignorant of our uncondi-tioned being

In order to actualize the Buddha we already are or to com-plete the activity of being Buddha we need to practice We donrsquot have to be in a meditation hall to practice Our practice is not even dependent on meditation Since we are already Buddha we can never leave the environment of practice

From ldquoPolishing a Tile Actualizing a Mirrorrdquo in Receiving the Marrow Teachings on Dogen by Soto Zen Women Priests edited by Eido Frances Carney (Temple Ground Press 2012)

Copyright copy2012 Temple Ground Press All Rights Reserved


48

49

The Path of MeditationPART THREE

Previous page Photograph by Julie DuBose Used by permission To see more of Juliersquos work please visit httpeffortlessbeautybookcom

51

Stopping Calming Resting HealingThich Nhat Hanh

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Shamatha (ldquocalm abidingrdquo) and vipashyana (ldquolooking deeplyrdquo or ldquoinsightrdquo) are often described as the two wings of a bird two funda-mental qualities that must be cultivated and balanced in the practice of med-itation Here Thich Nhat Hanh focuses on shamatha and how it functions in creating the environment for insight While shamatha is sometimes translated as ldquostoppingrdquo itrsquos not so much about completely ceasing having thoughtsmdashthis would be impossible Shamatha Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us means stopping in the sense of not being carried away by our emotions and habit energies every time a thought arises

B uddhist meditation has two aspectsmdashshamatha and vipashyana We tend to stress the importance of vipashyana (ldquolook-

ing deeplyrdquo) because it can bring us insight and liberate us from suffering and afflictions But the practice of shamatha (ldquostop-pingrdquo) is fundamental If we cannot stop we cannot have insight

We have to learn the art of stoppingmdashstopping our think-ing our habit energies (ldquovashanardquo) our forgetfulness the strong emotions that rule us When an emotion rushes through us like storm we have no peace We turn on the TV and then turn it off We pick up a book and then we put it down How can we stop this state of agitation How can we stop our despair anger and crav-ing We can stop by practicing mindful breathing mindful walk-ing mindful smiling and deep looking in order to understand

52

When we are mindful touching deeply the present moment the fruits are always understanding acceptance love and the desire to relieve suffering and bring joy

But our habit energies are often stronger than our volition We say and do things we donrsquot want to and afterwards regret it We make ourselves and others suffer and we bring about a lot of damage We may vow not to do it again but we do it again Why Because our habit energies push us

We need the energy of mindfulness to recognize and be pres-ent with our habit energy in order to stop this course of destruc-tion With mindfulness we have the capacity to recognize the habit energy every time it manifests ldquoHello my habit energy I know you are thererdquo If we just smile to it it will lose much of its strength Mindfulness is the energy that allows us to recognize our habit energy and prevent it from dominating us The first function of shamatha is to stop

The second function of shamatha is calming When we have a strong emotion we know it can be dangerous to act but we donrsquot have the strength or clarity to refrain We have to learn the art of breathing in and out stopping our activities and calming our emotions We have to learn to become solid and stable like an oak tree and not be blown from side to side by the storm The Buddha taught many techniques to help us calm our body and mind and look deeply at them They can be summarized in five stages

1 RecognitionmdashIf we are angry we say ldquoI know that anger is in merdquo

2 AcceptancemdashWhen we are angry we do not deny it We accept what is present

We have to learn the art of stoppingmdashstopping our thinking our habit energies our forgetfulness the strong emotions that rule us

53

3 EmbracingmdashWe hold our anger in our two arms like a mother holding her crying baby Our mindfulness embraces our emotion and this alone can calm our anger and ourselves

4 Looking deeplymdashWhen we are calm enough we can look deeply to understand what has brought this anger to be what is causing our babyrsquos discomfort

5 InsightmdashThe fruit of looking deeply is understanding the many causes and conditions primary and secondary that have brought about our anger that are causing our baby to cry Perhaps our baby is hungry Perhaps his diaper pin is piercing his skin Our anger was triggered when our friend spoke to us meanly and suddenly we remember that he was not at his best today because his father is dying We reflect like this until we have some insights into what has caused our suffering With insight we know what to do and what not to do to change the situation

After calming the third function of shamatha is resting Suppose someone standing alongside a river throws a pebble in the air and it falls down into the river The pebble allows itself to sink slowly and reach the riverbed without any effort Once the pebble is at the bottom it continues to rest allowing the water to pass by When we practice sitting meditation we can allow our-selves to rest just like that pebble We can allow ourselves to sink naturally into the position of sitting resting without effort We have to learn the art of resting allowing our body and mind to rest If we have wounds in our body or in our mind we have to rest so they can heal themselves

Stopping calming and resting are preconditions for heal-ing If we cannot stop the course of our destruction will just con-tinue The world needs healing Individuals communities and nations need healing

From The Heart of the Buddharsquos Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh (Harmony 1999) Copyright copy1998 2015 by Unified Buddhist Church Inc All Rights Reserved

55

Mindfulness of the BreathJoseph Goldstein

EDITORrsquoS NOTE In his brilliant recent book Mindfulness A Practical Guide to Awakeningmdasha commentary on the Satipatthana SuttamdashJoseph Goldstein singles out this line from the text ldquoUnify the practice of meditation with its goal and lsquoone abides independent not clinging to anything in the worldrsquo This line encapsulates the entire pathrdquo Satipatthana which Goldstein translates as ldquoThe Four Ways of Establishing Mindfulnessrdquo is a key text in the Theravada tradition and fundamental to understanding vipassana or insight meditation Here Goldstein unpacks the first of the four foundations the body (the others being feelings mind and phenomena)

I n the Satipatthana Sutta the Buddha gives a series of progres-sive instructions regarding the breath which is the first of the

contemplations on the bodyHere and in many other discourses the Buddha is point-

ing us to an invaluable and often overlooked treasure our own breath

Bhikkhus when mindfulness of breathing is devel-oped and cultivated is of great fruit and great benefit When mindfulness of breathing is developed and cultivated it fulfils the four foundations of mindfulness When the four foundations of mind-


56

fulness are developed and cultivated they fulfil the seven enlightenment factors When the seven enlightenment factors are developed and cultivated they fulfil true knowledge and deliverance

The humble breath is such a good object of meditation because it is always present and it is a suitable object for all personality types It leads to both deep concentration and pen-etrative insight It is the antidote to distraction and discursive thoughts and it is a stabilizing factor at the time of death

We start the practice with the simple awareness ldquoI know Irsquom breathing in I know Irsquom breathing outrdquo Wersquore not forcing or con-trolling the breath in any way As we breathe in we know wersquore breathing in when we breathe out we know wersquore breathing out Itrsquos very simple although perhaps not so easy at first The mind will have a tendency to get carried away by plans and memories and judgments and commentsmdashall kinds of mental proliferation But each time we notice that wersquore not on the breath in this part of the practice we simply gently let go and begin again

In the second set of instructions on mindfulness of breath-ing the Buddha says ldquoBreathing in long one knows lsquoI breathe in longrsquo Breathing in short one knows lsquoI breathe in shortrsquordquo The idea here is not to control the breath in any way but simply to notice how it is Just this exercise can help to decondition the pattern of controlling the breath We are just being mindful of how each breath presents itself whether long or short The instruction is a reminder that this is not a breathing exercise but a training in mindfulness Any kind of breath will do

The refinement of the breath can become the vehicle for a further refinement of mind

57

At times the breath can become very refined sometimes even imperceptible We shouldnrsquot try to make the breath stronger in order to be able to feel it Rather let the breath draw the mind down to its own level of subtlety It is like listening to someone playing a flute as they walk off into the distance The refinement of the breath can become the vehicle for a further refinement of mind At those times when it really does disappear and we canrsquot feel it at all simply be aware of the body sitting until the breath appears again by itself

From Mindfulness A Practical Guide to Awakening by Joseph Goldstein (Sounds True 2013) Copyright copy2013 Joseph Goldstein All rights reserved

59

Antidote for a Distracted MindBhante Henepola Gunaratana

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Regardless of whether we are new to mindfulness medita-tion or are seasoned practitioners we all experience distractions that break our concentration and our ability to cultivate mindfulness Actually losing our con-centrationmdashbecoming ldquomindlessrdquomdashis an inevitable part of the practice of med-itation Buddhist teacher Sharon Salzberg says ldquoBeginning again and again is the actual practice not a problem to overcome ldquo Here Bhante Henepola Gunaratana a monk and revered meditation teacher in the Theravada tradi-tion offers one of his favorite techniques for working with the distracted mind

A t some time every meditator encounters distractions during practice and methods are needed to deal with them Many

useful strategies have been devised to get you back on track more quickly than that of trying to push your way through by sheer force of will

Concentration and mindfulness go hand in hand Each one complements the other If either one is weak the other will even-tually be affected Bad days are usually characterized by poor concentration Your mind just keeps floating around You need a method of reestablishing your concentration even in the face of mental adversity Luckily you have it In fact you can choose from an array of traditional practical maneuvers

Some thoughts just wonrsquot go away We humans are obses-sional beings Itrsquos one of our biggest problems We tend to lock


60

onto things like sexual fantasies and worries and ambitions We feed those thought complexes over years of time and give them plenty of exercise by playing with them in every spare moment Then when we sit down to meditate we order them to go away and leave us alone It is scarcely surprising that they donrsquot obey

Persistent thoughts like these require a direct approach a full-scale frontal attack Buddhist psychology has developed a distinct system of classification Rather than dividing thoughts into classes like ldquogoodrdquo and ldquobadrdquo Buddhist thinkers prefer to regard them as ldquoskillfulrdquo versus ldquounskillfulrdquo An unskillful thought is one connected with greed hatred or delusion These are the thoughts that the mind most easily builds into obses-sions They are unskillful in the sense that they lead you away from the goal of liberation Skillful thoughts on the other hand are those connected with generosity compassion and wisdom

They are skillful in the sense that they may be used as spe-cific remedies for unskillful thoughts and thus can assist you in moving toward liberation You cannot condition liberation It is not a state built out of thoughts Nor can you condition the personal qualities that liberation produces Thoughts of benev-olence can produce a semblance of benevolence but itrsquos not the real item It will break down under pressure Thoughts of com-passion produce only superficial compassion

Therefore these skillful thoughts will not in themselves free you from the trap They are skillful only if applied as anti-dotes to the poison of unskillful thoughts Thoughts of generos-ity can temporarily cancel greed They kick it under the rug long enough for mindfulness to do its work unhindered Then when mindfulness has penetrated to the roots of the ego process greed evaporates and true generosity arises

You can find a specific antidote for any troubling thought if you just think about it awhile

61

This principle can be used on a day-to-day basis in your own meditation If a particular sort of obsession is troubling you you can cancel it out by generating its opposite Here is an example If you absolutely hate Charlie and his scowling face keeps pop-ping into your mind try directing a stream of love and friendli-ness toward Charlie or try contemplating his good qualities You probably will get rid of the immediate mental image Then you can get on with the job of meditation

Sometimes this tactic alone doesnrsquot work The obsession is simply too strong In this case yoursquove got to weaken its hold on you somewhat before you can successfully balance it out Here is where guilt one of manrsquos most misbegotten emotions finally serves a purpose Take a good strong look at the emotional response you are trying to get rid of Actually ponder it See how it makes you feel Look at what it is doing to your life your hap-piness your health and your relationships Try to see how it makes you appear to others Look at the way it is hindering your progress toward liberation

This step may end the problem all by itself If it doesnrsquot then balance out the lingering remainder of the obsession by once again generating its opposite emotion Thoughts of greed cover every-thing connected with desire from outright avarice for material gain all the way to a subtle need to be respected as a moral person

Thoughts of hatred run the gamut from pettiness to murder-ous rage Delusion covers everything from daydreaming to full-blown hallucinations Generosity cancels greed Benevolence and compassion cancel hatred You can find a specific antidote for any troubling thought if you just think about it awhile

From Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Henepola Gunaratana (Wisdom Publications 1991) Copyright copy2011 Bhante Henepola Gunaratana All rights reserved

Generosity cancels greed Benevolence and compassion cancel hatred

63

Meeting Self-Criticism With LovingkindnessAjahn Sumedho

EDITORrsquoS NOTE We tend to bring high hopes and expectations to our medi-tation practice We come looking for greater peace of mind greater happiness Theravadin monk Ajahn Sumedho explains that if everything goes right you will meet all kinds of mental states in your practice including self-hatred and anger Meditation offers us a new way of facing those feelings we normally avoid or repress

W e always start metta (or loving-kindness) practice with ourselves We say ldquoMay I be at peace May I be happy or

contented May I be at ease with whatever is going on in my mind and bodyrdquo It is not difficult to be at ease with ourselves when everything is going well but when things are not we tend to try to annihilate the things we donrsquot like in ourselves

People come to me all the time asking ldquoHow do I get rid of anger How do I get rid of jealousy How do I get rid of greed and lust How do I get rid of fear How do I get rid of every-thing I could go to a psychiatrist maybe he might help me get rid of itrdquo Or sometimes we practice meditation to get rid of all these awful things so that we can achieve blissful states of mind and bodhisattva-like visions We hope we will never have those nasty feelings ever again On the one hand there is hope and


64

longing to be happy On the other hand there is resentment and the reaction of disgust and aversion to our hellish unpleasant mental states

People can be very self-critical very self-disparaging When I ask ldquoDo you practice mettardquo the people who disparage them-selves the most who really need to practice metta are the ones who say they canrsquot stand it This ability to criticize ourselves sounds like we are being terribly honest doesnrsquot it We have intel-ligent critical minds so we think about ourselves in very negative ways We criticize ourselves because a lot of the things we have done in the past come up in the presentmdashmemories tendencies or habitsmdashand they donrsquot live up to what we would like them to

be Likewise we donrsquot live up to what we think we should beWhen I was trying to be a good monk I was desperately

trying to live up to an ideal I could do that to a certain degree Through the life we live as monks and the restrictions on it we are restrained from involving ourselves in heavy karmic activi-ties However we still have to face the repressed emotional fears and desires of the mindmdashwe really canrsquot get away with anything in this life As monks we must also be willing to allow even the most unpleasant awful things to attain a conscious state and we must confront these things In meditation we allow things that wersquove turned away from or rejected to take conscious form In order to do this we must develop metta the attitude of patience and kindness toward these repressed fears and doubts and toward our own anger

When I was newly ordained I thought of myself as a very good-natured person who wasnrsquot very angry and didnrsquot hate peo-ple But after ordination when I started meditating I began to feel vast amounts of hatred for everybody and I thought ldquoThis

Through acceptance the mind goes through a kind of catharsis in which all the negativity manifestsmdashand passes away

65

meditation is making me into a demonrdquo I had thought ldquoIrsquoll go and meditate live out in the jungle alone get very calm and be able to communicate with celestial beings and stay in a high state of blissrdquo Instead when I first started meditating as a novice the first two months were nothing but unmitigated aversion I hated everyone I could think of I even hated the people I loved and I hated myself

I began to see that this was a side of myself that had been repressed expelled from my consciousness by the ideal image of myself that I had tried to hold on to I had never allowed real hatred aversion disappointment or despair to be fully con-scious I had always reacted to them

Before I was ordained I had a general weariness and despair with regard to social situations that arose because I had been liv-ing on the level of smiles and pleasant greetings I had been get-ting along socially in a superficial way so I had never allowed the fears and hatred to take a conscious form In meditation when I could no longer stop them all these repressed feelings began to arise in consciousness

There was resistance to them of course because that was the way I had always dealt with those conditions ldquoHow do I get rid of themrdquo ldquoHow can I stop themrdquo ldquoOh I shouldnrsquot be feeling like this itrsquos disgustingrdquo ldquoAfter all theyrsquove done for me and I still hate themrdquo These feelings made me hate myself So instead of trying to stop them I had to learn to accept them And it was only through acceptance that the mind was able to go through a kind of catharsis in which all the negativity manifestedmdashand passed away

From The Mind and the Way Buddhist Reflections on Life by Ajahn Sumedho (Wisdom Publications 1994) copy1995 2011 English Sangha Trust All rights reserved

67

A Still Peaceful MindThe Practice of ZazenJohn Daido Loori

EDITORrsquoS NOTE There have been hundredsmdashmaybe thousandsmdashof books published on Zen practice the Buddhist tradition that Bodhidharma famously declared as ldquoa special transmission outside the scriptures not relying on words or lettersrdquo That said if yoursquore going to read one book on Zen you canrsquot go wrong with Daido Loori Roshirsquos Finding the Still Point Itrsquos short practical to the point and from the heart Herersquos an excerpt from Daidorsquos introduction

T here are many schools of Buddhism and a vast array of teachings on how to realize our true nature Some schools

focus on the rules of conduct Others concentrate on academic study and debate Still others use visualizations and chanting of sacred sounds and words In Zen the emphasis is on zazen or sitting Zen Zazen is the heart of the Zen path

To practice zazen is to study the self In its early stages zazen has the appearance of what is normally called meditation But we should understand that zazen is more than just meditation It is not mere contemplation or introspection It is not quieting the mind or focusing the mind Zazen is sitting Zenmdashone aspect of Zen There is also walking Zen working Zen laughing Zen and crying Zen Zen is a way of using onersquos mind and living onersquos life and doing this with other people No rule book has ever been


68

written that can adequately describe Zen You have to go very deep into yourself to find its foundations

The great Zen Master Eihei Dogen said

To study the Buddha Way is to study the self To study the self is to forget the self To forget the self is to be enlightened by the ten thousand things

To study the self is zazen To forget the self is zazen To be enlightened by the ten thousand things is zazenmdashit is to recog-nize the unity of the self and the whole phenomenal universe

Zazen is a very simple practice It is very easy to describe and very easy to follow But like all practices it takes ldquodoingrdquo in order for anything to happen And what happens with zazen can transform our lives

Most of us spend our time preoccupied We are constantly carrying on an internal dialogue While we are involved in talking to ourselves we miss the moment-to-moment awareness of our life We look but we donrsquot see We listen but we donrsquot hear We eat but we donrsquot taste We love but we donrsquot feel The senses are receiving all the information but because of our preoccupa-tions cognition is not taking place Zazen brings us back to each moment The moment is where our life takes place If we miss the moment we miss our life

When the mind is at rest the body is at restmdashrespiration heartbeat and metabolism slow down Reaching this still point is not something unusual or esoteric It is a very important part of being alive and staying awake All creatures on the earth are capable of manifesting this stillness

A still mind is unobstructedmdash always open and receptive

69

In zazen as you practice letting go of your thoughts and internal dialogue and bringing your mind back to the breath the breath will slowly get easier and deeper and the mind will naturally rest The mind is like the surface of a pond When the wind blows the surface is disturbed Then there are waves and ripples and the image of the sun or the moon or whatever the surface is reflecting is broken up

When the wind quiets down the surface of the pond becomes like glass The stilled mind is like a mirror It doesnrsquot process it just reflects When there is a flower in front of it it reflects a flower When the flower is gone the reflection is gone When a fire engine goes by we hear the fire engine When the fire engine is gone its reflection is gone The mind returns to that origi-nal smooth surface A still mind is unobstructedmdash always open and receptive It doesnrsquot hold on or attach to anything At any moment in time it is free

From Finding the Still Point by John Daido Loori (Shambhala Publications 2007) Copyright copy1996 2007 Dharma Communications All rights reserved

71

On Being Off BalanceAn Invitation to Koan PracticeJohn Tarrant

EDITORrsquoS NOTE What is the heart of koan practice One reasonable answer is found here in John Tarrantrsquos charming account of how he got started at itmdashsimply by noting and refusing to let go of the unanswerable questions that arose for him from life rdquoWhen I was off balancerdquo Tarrant writes ldquokoans pushed me further off balance and into unknown territory I liked thatrdquo

A t twenty-two I was an occasional secretary and live-in gar-dener to the Australian poet Judith Wright In her garden

butterflies swirled satin bowerbirds built bowers and danced with flowers and blue clothes pegs in their beaks lorikeets and small wallabies passed through on their separate roads At the foot of the paddock the leftover rainforest beganmdashgreat fes-tooned trees hanging in the sky like branching neurons When the neighbor died his wife buried him down by the creek and dared the timidly inquiring police to find him I had a desk in the basement and bush rats ran over my toes The hallucina-tory mushrooms I occasionally took seemed hardly necessary to make life more numinous

Still there were questions that would not go away None of the usual solutions to life that were on offer meant much to me


72

and like many young people I didnrsquot at first expect to live for a long time When I continued living anyway and needed to make a life I found myself yearning to make sense of things I had noticed as almost everyone does moments of great and appar-ently everlasting beauty followed by standard-issue miseries and found the incongruence hard to deal with I wanted to be loyal to that beauty while not dodging the dark bits

ldquoBut what is the universe made ofrdquo I asked ldquoHow does it all go together Can it come apart What are we doing hererdquo It seems odd now that I didnrsquot ask ldquoWhy are we unhappyrdquo Per-haps I took happiness as secondary a corollary of answering the ldquowhatrsquos it all aboutrdquo questions My question was urgent but I wasnrsquot sure what it was I wasnrsquot certain if I had one question or many And I didnrsquot want an answer in the conventional sense Instead I wanted a magic key to a realm in which the insoluble and even indefinable questions made sense One of the good things about Judith Wright was that while she was herself pas-sionately involved in the outer political tumult of that timemdashover war and Aboriginal land rights and saving the Great Barrier Reefmdashshe knew immediately what I meant

ldquoYou probably need to go to India for thatrdquo she said without apparent irony and turned back to her typewriter It was as if I had asked where she kept the paper clips

ldquoOhrdquo I said slightly let down I had hoped she might be able to tell me herself

I took her reply to mean that for certain kinds of knowledge you have to undertake a journey It isnrsquot like pouring water into a bucketmdasha process by which neither water nor bucket is much changed It seemed that if I took this journey I would be utterly changed And before setting out I couldnrsquot predict what that

What is the universe made of How does it all go together Can it come apart What are we doing here

73

change would be That was interesting to me It encouraged me to set off with only the vaguest directions

It might give plausibility to my account to say that I was led to koans by a blinding flash but I just stumbled across them in a book They looked to be a kind of Chinese poetry It was at a time when managing my mind had come to seem like a really good idea and I needed a method I knew immediately that koans might help It was as if I held out my hand to see if it was rain-ing and a yellow ball fell into my palm I didnrsquot understand the koans but they made my life seem beautiful even the painful and miserable parts and that changed the value of everything

When I was off balance koans pushed me further off balance and into unknown territory I liked that I was always struggling to have things make sense and koans allowed me or required me to work with life more the way an artist would loving espe-cially the material that didnrsquot make sense They were keys to another realm where even serious problems had a different and lesser valence

From Bring Me the Rhinoceros And Other Zen Koans That Will Save Your Life by John Tarrant (Shambhala Publications 2008) Copyright copy2004 2008 John Tarrant

All rights reserved

75

Training the MindAn Introduction to LojongThupten Jinpa

EDITORrsquoS NOTE The lojong practice of mind training is based on a set of 59 slogans or aphorisms which serve as the focus of meditation and recollection The practice part of the classical Tibetan Buddhist tradition goes back to the 12th century Here renowned scholar and translator Thupten Jinpa discusses the history and relevance of the lojong

W ithin the vast body of Tibetan spiritual literature one genre stands out for its inspirational power universality

and down-to-earth practicality qualities that have made these teachings dear to the Tibetan people for generations I am refer-ring to a collection of texts and their associated contemplative practices known simply as lojong or ldquomind trainingrdquo which first appeared in the land of snows almost a millennium ago At its heart the Tibetan mind training teachings represent a profound celebration of the spiritual ideal of genuine altruism a deeply felt compassion for all beings and a dedication to serve their welfare This is an ideal shared across many of worldrsquos great spiritual and humanistic traditions By the twelfth century lojong had become a most cherished spiritual heritage on the vast Tibetan plateau with attendant myths and legends associated with its origin and development


76

The Tibetan term ldquolojongrdquo is composed of two syllables ldquoLordquo stands for ldquomindrdquo ldquothoughtrdquo or ldquoattitudesrdquo while ldquojongrdquo con-notes several interrelated but distinct meanings First ldquojongrdquo can refer to training whereby one acquires a skill or masters a field of knowledge ldquoJongrdquo can also connote habituation or famil-iarization with specific ways of being and thinking Third ldquojongrdquo can refer to the cultivation of specific mental qualities such as universal compassion or the awakening mind Finally ldquojongrdquo can connote cleansing or purification as in purifying onersquos mind of craving hatred and delusion

All these different meanings carry the salient idea of transfor-mation whereby a process of training habituation cultivation and cleansing induces a kind of metanoesis from the ordinary deluded state whose modus operandi is self-centeredness to a fundamentally changed perspective of enlightened other-cen-teredness Today thanks to research on neuroplasticity we have a much better appreciation of the brainrsquos capacity for transforma-tion and change

Broadly speaking all the teachings of the Buddha can be char-acterized as ldquomind trainingrdquo in the senses described above How-ever the genre called mind training or lojong refers to specific approaches for cultivating the awakening mindmdashthe altruistic aspiration to seek full awakening for the benefit of all beingsmdashespecially through the practice of equalizing and exchanging of self and others as found in Shantidevarsquos eighth-century classic ldquoA Guide to the Bodhisattvarsquos Way of Liferdquo

There is no denying that historically the mind training teachings evolved in the context of Buddhist practitioners whose primary goal is to seek enlightenment in fact buddhahood for the benefit of all beingsmdashthe highest aspiration of a Mahayana

Broadly speaking all the teachings of the Buddha can be characterized as ldquomind trainingrdquo

77

Buddhist This said much of the popularity and success of mind training teachings lie in their universality their relevance to the everyday lives of people from all walks of life not just serious meditators Furthermore since the order in which the various aspects of mind training are enacted depends principally on where we are as spiritual aspirants as the early lojong teach-ers would say there is something in mind training practice for everyone

A central theme of mind training practice is the profound reorientation of our basic attitude toward both our own self and fellow sentient beings as well as toward the events we experi-ence In our current naiumlve everyday attitude we not only grasp at an intrinsically real ldquoself rdquo as being who we truly are we also cherish this ldquomerdquo at the expense of all others We feel hurt when someone insults us disappointed when someone we love betrays us outraged when provoked for no reason pangs of jealousy when others are successful and all of these tend to strike us more intensely the stronger our self-cherishing

The mind training teaching challenges us to question this By deeply understanding others as friends ldquomore precious than

a wish-fulfilling jewelrdquomdashas Langri Thangpa puts it in his Eight Verses on Mind Trainingmdashand recognizing that our true enemy lies inside ourselves we overturn our habitual self-centeredness It is self-cherishing that opens us to painful and undesirable experiences Mind training teachings admonish us to instead ldquoBanish all blame to the single source Toward all beings con-template their kindnessrdquo

The masters of the mind training teachings extend this prin-ciple to all possible situations They speak of taking onto the path

A central theme of mind training practice is the profound reorientation of our basic attitude toward

both our own self and fellow sentient beings

78

both good luck and bad both joy and pain both wealth and pov-erty In a beautiful stanza the Kashmiri master Shakyashri who came to Tibet at the beginning of the thirteenth century writes

When happy I will dedicate my virtues to allmay benefit and happiness pervade all of spaceWhen suffering I will take on the pains of all beingsmay the ocean of suffering become dry

Today as our world becomes ever more complex with the consequence of making even our everyday lives a source of stress and constant challenge I believe that these practical insights of Tibetan mind training can bring great benefit to many In my own life during now more than two decades living in the West amid all the complexities of modern existence I have come to appreciate more deeply the value of the Tibetan mind training teaching Confronted with the common question of how to main-tain a healthy balance between parenthood marriage and work and more specifically having to deal with the critical challenge of how to stay sane and rooted against all the social and cultural forces pulling us in so many directions I have found the clear and poignant wisdom of lojong especially the advice on maintaining a joyful state of mind a tremendous source of personal inspi-ration and strength So by making these Tibetan mind training teachings available for a general audience it is my sincere hope and wish that many readers will be able to share in the wonder-ful insights of the mind training teachings and experience their profound rewards

Excerpted and condensed from Essential Mind Training translated edited and with an introduction by Thupten Jinpa (Wisdom Publications 2011)

Copyright copy 2011 The Institute of Tibetan Classics


81

Be Grateful to EveryonePema Choumldroumln

EDITORrsquoS NOTE Be grateful for the people in our lives who drive us nuts It may sound counterintuitive but Pema Choumldroumln shows the wisdom of the log-ong slogan ldquobe grateful to everyonerdquo It certainly requires re-orienting the way we relate to the difficult people around us but doing so is profoundly transfor-mational and spiritually rewarding

T he slogan ldquoBe grateful to everyonerdquo is about making peace with the aspects of ourselves that we have rejected Through

doing that we also make peace with the people we dislike More to the point being around people we dislike is often a catalyst for making friends with ourselves Thus ldquoBe grateful to everyonerdquo

If we were to make a list of people we donrsquot likemdashpeople we find obnoxious threatening or worthy of contemptmdashwe would find out a lot about these aspects of ourselves that we canrsquot face If we were to come up with one word about each of the troublemak-ers in our lives we would find ourselves with a list of descriptions of our own rejected qualities which we project onto the outside world The people who repel us unwittingly show us the aspects of ourselves that we find unacceptable which otherwise we canrsquot see In traditional teachings on lojong it is put another way other people trigger the karma that we havenrsquot worked out They mir-


82

ror us and give us the chance to befriend all of that ancient stuff that we carry around like a backpack full of granite boulders

The people and situations in our lives can remind us to catch neurosis as neurosis to see when wersquore in our room under the covers to see when wersquove pulled the shades locked the door and are determined to stay there

Therersquos a reason that you can learn from everything you have basic wisdom basic intelligence and basic goodness Therefore if the environment is supportive and encourages you to be brave and to open your heart and mind yoursquoll find yourself opening to the wisdom and compassion thatrsquos inherently there Itrsquos like tapping into your source tapping into what you already have Itrsquos the willingness to open your eyes your heart and your mind to allow situations in your life to become your teacher With aware-ness you are able to find out for yourself what causes misery and what causes happiness

From Start Where You Are by Pema Chodron (Shambhala Publications 1994) Copyright copy1994 by Pema Chodron All rights reserved

ldquoBe grateful to everyonerdquo is a way of saying that we can learn from any situation especially if we practice this slogan with awareness

83

Quiet Mind and Thinking MindKhenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

EDITORrsquoS NOTE The Tibetan Buddhist practice of Mahamudra allows us to investigate the true nature of mind Here meditation master Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche shares simple instructions and exercises for those who wish to explore this practice

T he customary attitude is that thinking of something and being free of thought are entirely different states We tend

to prefer one state over the other but training in Mahamudra is to go beyond this When feeling quiet look into what it is that feels tranquil What is it that knows this calm What is the very identity of this state What is it made out of Look into what the very quality of stillness is Then when a thought moves rather than taking for granted that there is some thinker something thought of and an act of thinking look into what those aspects actually are Where did the thought come from and where does the movement of thought occur What is its nature How is it different from the quietness

Letrsquos question the vague assumption that there is a big differ-ence between our mind while quiet and while thinking It seems obvious that when quiet there is no thinking and when we are thinking then there is no quietness any more But we should now

84

investigate whether or not there is an actual difference in sub-stance between the twomdashnot superficially but in reality Is one good and superior and the other evil or inferior Is one empty and the other not

What exactly is going onWhen we look directly into the nature of the calm mind and

then the mind in motion we discover that there is no real dif-ference in quality between the two They are both empty and intangible The identity of the quietness is not identifiable there is nothing to grasp and when looking into the thinking mind you are unable to pinpoint any real thinker any concrete object that is being thought of or a tangible act of thinking In this way we find that there is no real difference between these two states They are essentially alike as they are both intangible Even then we should again look into exactly what this identical nature con-sists of Are they really identical in nature Or is it merely that they are similar and there is still some difference

From Crystal Clear Practical Advice for Mahamudra Meditators by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche (Rangjung Yeshe 2004) Copyright copy2003 Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

amp Rangjung Yeshe Publications All rights reserved

When we look directly into the nature of the calm mind and then the mind in motion we discover that there is no real difference

85

We Are Identical with the BuddhasLama Putse Pema Tashi

EDITORrsquoS NOTE We tend to think of awakened or enlightened beings as so much better than usmdashon a level unattainable by our humble lowly confused selves But our true nature as Lama Putse Pema Tashi tells us is the same as that of the awakened ones This excerpt is from Dzogchen Essentials Confu-sion Dawns as Wisdom a wide-ranging compilation of Dzogchen teachings that includes writings from Padmasambhava to Choumlgyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Among the synonyms for buddha nature are poten-tial and element A poisonous snake has the potential to

be poisonous when it bites it can instantly inject the poison In the same way we possess the potential for or basic element of enlightenment and that is why we can awaken it

Right now we have the basic element of disturbing emotions because we have not abandoned the emotional obscuration Since we have this potential when we encounter difficult cir-cumstances we become angry attached or proud Nevertheless we also have the potential for enlightenment If we remove the obscurations we can immediately realize the awakened state This is like extracting gold from gold ore The ore possesses the basic element of gold so if it is smelted the gold will appear Similarly milk has the basic component of butter and if it is churned the butter will appear Water however does not have

86

the potential to yield butter We can churn water for as long as we want but it will never produce any butter

Buddha nature is unformed which means that it is not cre-ated due to causes and conditions It is like spacemdashchangeless If you praise space it doesnrsquot feel delighted if you blame space it doesnrsquot feel sad Our basic nature does not improve when we become enlightened nor is it worsened when we are deluded It is unchanging because it is unformed

We should really understand and acknowledge that all of us possess this basic awareness We should not think of the bud-dhas as always up there in the enlightened state while we sentient beings are always down here far far below so that the difference between us is as vast as heaven In nature we are identical with the buddhas It is only that in our case this nature is presently veiled by obscurations Nonetheless these obscurations can be removed

From Dzogchen Essentials Confusion Dawns as Wisdom Compiled and Edited by Marcia Binder Schmidt (Rangjung Yeshe Publications 2004) Copyright copy2004

Marcia Binder Schmidt amp Rangjung Yeshe Publications All rights reserved

In nature we are identical with the buddhas It is only that in our case this nature is presently veiled by obscurations


wwwdharmaspringcom

ABOUT DHARMA SPRING

Dharma Spring was created by a small group of book lovers and entrepreneurs who are passionate about the path of meditation and the teachings of Buddhism Digital media and the social web have created new opportunities to connect people with content that enriches and inspires them We believe exciting new models for publishing are emerging and that the future of books has never been brighter

To learn more visit us at wwwdharmaspringcom

You can reach us at infodharmaspringcom We want to hear from you


Edited by


of Dharma Spring

Photographs by


and Michael Wood

DHARMA SPRING














JOSHO PAT PHELAN






5













JOSHO PAT PHELAN

6












7

PREFACE







8

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom


Edited by


of Dharma Spring

Photographs by


and Michael Wood

DHARMA SPRING














JOSHO PAT PHELAN






5













JOSHO PAT PHELAN

6












7

PREFACE







8

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom













JOSHO PAT PHELAN






5













JOSHO PAT PHELAN

6












7

PREFACE







8

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

5













JOSHO PAT PHELAN

6












7

PREFACE







8

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

6












7

PREFACE







8

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

7

PREFACE







8

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

8

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

9



11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom


11







12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

12





13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

13




All Rights Reserved

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

15







16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

16







17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

17





18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

18






19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

19









20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

20






21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

21






22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

22





23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

23







24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

24







All Rights Reserved





29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom



29





30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

30






31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

31






33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

33







34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

34




35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

35






36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

36





37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

37




All rights reserved

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

39







40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

40






41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

41





43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

43







44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

44






45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

45







46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

46






48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom


48

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

49



51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom


51






52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

52








53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

53







55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

55








56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

56






57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

57



59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

59








60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

60






61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

61







63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

63







64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

64







65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

65






67







68









69




71







72







73





All rights reserved

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

75






76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

76






77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

77








78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

78







81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

81







82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

82






83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

83






84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

84







85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

85






86








wwwdharmaspringcom

86








wwwdharmaspringcom


wwwdharmaspringcom

DharmaSpring_Volume1_Calameo

Documents

Transcript of DharmaSpring_Volume1_Calameo