One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism QUOTES

41 " The next of the unwholesome actions of mind is ill will, with its many attendant variations: anger, hatred, impatience, and sorrow—all forms of aversion. We can notice the feelings of contraction and hardening of the heart when we get lost in or identified with mind states of ill will. These states of aversion arise when we don’t get what we want, or when we do get what we don’t want. They may come in response to present unpleasantness, such as pain, certain distressing emotions, or difficult life situations. Ill will of one kind or another can also arise when we remember certain past events or anticipate future ones. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

42 " The fourth of his insights that allowed him to triumph in his situation was the understanding that hatred, anger, and ill will never cease if we react with the same kind of feelings. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

43 " In this very straightforward teaching, the Buddha helps us understand the practice of freedom with a mature and long-ranging vision. Freedom is not simply doing what we want when we want it. That is addiction. Freedom is the wisdom to choose wisely. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

44 " THE FOUR REFLECTIONS Precious Human Birth The first of the mind-changing reflections contemplates the preciousness of our human birth. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

45 " For a long time in my meditation practice I felt embarrassed and ashamed when I saw unwholesome states in my own mind, states like pride or jealousy, ill will or selfishness; and instead of examining them and working free of them, I would judge myself and dig the hole I was in even deeper. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

46 " WE MOVE FROM THE FIRST OF THE TEACHINGS OF ALL THE Buddhas, doing no harm, to the second: acting for the good. This principle of One Dharma, common to all traditions, highlights the positive actions we undertake both for our own welfare and for the benefit and well-being of others. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

47 " Defects of Samsara The fourth reflection that turns our minds toward the Dharma is the reflection on the defects of samsara. Samsara is a Pali and Sanskrit word that means “perpetual wandering,” or the wandering through the endless cycles of existence. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

48 " We see this same process at work within this life as well. For one day, notice how many different worlds you create in your mind, riding the roller coaster of continually changing moods, emotions, and thoughts. You become happy when you think about your family, frustrated at work, excited about some future plans, angry at someone who’s being difficult, depressed about the state of the world, calm from your meditation … The play of the mind goes on and on. Samsara: perpetual wandering through the rounds of existence. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

49 " THESE FOUR MIND-CHANGING REFLECTIONS—OUR PREcious human birth, impermanence, the law of karma, and the defects of samsaric conditioning—turn our lives toward the Dharma, toward discovering the nature of our minds. These reflections begin to break apart the clouds of confusion and help us see the truth of our lives more clearly, help us let go more completely. Without them we are carried along on the powerful current of habitual action; with them, we enter into a timeless stream of awareness. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

50 " Impermanence The second mind-changing reflection that wakes us from the dreamlike state of ignorance is the contemplation of impermanence — impermanence not merely as an intellectual understanding, but rather as a way of being that has become incorporated into our living wisdom. We all know that things change, but how many of us live and act from that place of understanding? When we truly and deeply see the truth of impermanence, our hearts and minds relax. We are less likely to hold on to things, or even our own desires, quite so desperately. As we loosen our grip on what is always changing, we necessarily let go of struggle and so we let go of suffering. We can see this clearly with our own aging bodies. If we’re attached to their staying a certain way, then when they change through accident, disease, or by just getting older, we suffer. Ajahn Chaa, a wonderful teacher of the Thai forest tradition, expressed it very simply: “If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace. Your struggle in this world will have come to an end. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

51 " SIX SKILLFUL ACTIONS Generosity heads almost every list of actions for the good. For many people it is the easiest one to appreciate and develop because it brings such immediate delight to our lives. Generosity enacts the quality of nongreed; it is a willingness to give, to share, to let go. It may be the giving of time, energy, resources, love, and even, in rare cases, one’s own life for the benefit and welfare of others. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

52 " Hearing the Dharma and sharing it with others is the fifth skillful action. Words have power, and many people have become enlightened simply by attentive listening to the teachings. Listening itself is an art. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

53 " The second skillful action is morality (sila in Pali). In his praise of Ghatikara above, the Buddha Kassapa reiterates the five basic precepts of nonharming: refraining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and taking intoxicants. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

54 " When sila is strong, we are saying with our actions that no one need fear us. This is one of the greatest contributions we can give to the world, for our nonharming offers the gift of safety and trust to all those around us. And last, morality brings us the peace of nonremorse. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

55 " One of the oldest recitations of faith in Buddhism is taking refuge in what is called the Triple Gem: the Buddha himself, that person who awakened under the Bodhi Tree twenty-five hundred years ago; the Dharma, the truth, the law, and the body of teachings; and the Sangha, which means, in particular, the order of monks and nuns and, more generally, the community of wise beings. “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

56 " Generosity, morality, respect, service, listening to the Dharma, and meditation—these are actions for the good. Each one is a practice that can be cultivated and further refined, becoming the causes for our own happiness and the happiness of others. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

57 " My first dharma teacher, Anagarika Munindra, used to ask us, “Where is the end of seeing, the end of tasting, the end of feeling?” There is, of course, nothing wrong in these experiences—they simply do not have the ability to satisfy our deep yearning for happiness. The wonderful paradox of the spiritual path is that all of these changing phenomena as objects of our desire leave us feeling unfulfilled, while as objects of mindfulness they become the very vehicle of awakening. When we try to possess and hold on to experiences that are transitory in nature, we are left feeling finally unsatisfied. Yet when we look with mindful attention at the constantly changing nature of these same experiences, we’re no longer quite so driven by the thirst of desire. By mindfulness I mean the quality of paying full attention to the moment, opening to the truth of change. So it is not a question of closing our senses and withdrawing from the world, but of opening our eye of wisdom and being free in the world. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

58 " HAVING DEVELOPED SOME CONFIDENCE AND FAITH IN THE possibility of awakening, we are now faced with a very pragmatic question, “What do I do?” The Buddha responded to this question with incisive and disarming simplicity: “Do no harm, act for the good, purify the mind. This is the teaching of all the Buddhas. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

59 " This is not a breathing exercise; it is an exercise in awareness. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism

60 " Find a comfortable posture, either sitting cross-legged on a cushion, kneeling on a meditation bench, or sitting in a chair. Keep your back straight, but without strain or tension. Let your hands rest easily on your knees or lap. It may take some time and experimentation to find the posture that is most suitable for you, but as you practice you soon “find your seat.” Gently close your eyes and let your attention settle into the awareness of your body posture. Stay relaxed, simply feeling your body just as it is. You can make a very soft, silent mental note, or label, “Sitting,” to help keep your mind connected with this experience. "

― Joseph Goldstein , One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism