Buddhist Tribe :) - Page 6

[Jwlinthelotus]

Originally Posted by enjoythesilence 

That's what I worry about. I feel sort of guilty incorporating Buddhism in to my spiritual practice when I have the feeling that most Buddhists would not approve that I am not 100% Buddhist. I could be wrong... BUT, it feels right to me to believe in both, despite the conflicts, and I guess that's what it has to come down to in a spiritual practice. Sometimes you have to make your own way. I am still relatively new to Buddhism, but I have not read anything to indicate that Buddha approved of blindly following the rules, just for the sake of it. Seems pretty contradictory to the original teachings, as I understand them.
 

Hi. Would like to respond to bold faced section specifically, with a direct quote from the Buddha himself that confirms the opposite of blind faith. It's from the Kalama Sutta in the original Pali (language) Canon. I copied this from oaks.nvg.org/kalama.html that has 4 free translations of the scripture quoted below. The words in parentheses are for inserted by the translators for clarification:

 "Do not go by reports (repeated hearing), by legends, by traditions, by rumours, by scriptures, by surmise, conjecture and axioms, by inference and analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by specious reasoning or bias toward a notion because it has been pondered over, by another's seeming ability, or by the thought, 'This monk (contemplative) is our teacher."

However, Kalamas, when you yourselves know: "Such and such things are unskilful (bad); blameworthy; criticized by the wise; and if adopted and carried out lead to harm and ill and suffering," you need to abandon them... On the other hand, when you know for yourselves that, "These and these things are skillful; blameless; even praised by the wise; and lead to welfare and happiness when taken up and carried out, then you should enter and remain in them."

If this helps you in your search for resolution to be a Pagan-Buddhist or just "Buddhist," I don't know, but I hope it does in some way. Historically speaking, actually, in India at the Time of the Buddha specifically, there was a huge amount of philosophical and religious discourse and meeting of traditions, and it appears that there was blending of rituals and traditions. For example, I have heard from reliable sources, though I haven't done the research myself, that Hindu and Buddhist Tantra (and I'm not talking about the Western confusion "Tantra" and the Kama Sutra, etc. BTW!) share many similarities, such that there is debate on which tradition was the bigger influence on the other.

Also, it might help to know that in the Tibetan Vajrayana and Bon traditions, especially, there is a major emphasis on understanding how the 5 physical elements and their relation with the human inner (spiritual elements) function and can be manipulated to attain Enlightenment or benefit others. In this regard the Buddhist "ngakpa" and Bon "shaman" (a word I hesitate to use, again for its modern over-use in the West), is very similar to a sorcerer or, perhaps, a Pagan or Wiccan/Witch. I know almost nothing about Pagan traditions though, so don't fault me for my ignorance. you might find further reconciliation there, you might find everything you need in some traditions of Buddhism you might not have explored yet, or you might find there is no contradiction between taking Buddhist precepts or becoming Buddhist "officially" and maintaining ties to the Pagan community, too. There are MANY Buddhist traditions, lineages and sub-lineages and kinds of teachers and sanghas/communities. Explore until you find the one(s) that are most welcoming and understanding to needs and connections.

The only thing I would say that might make the two mutually exclusive is if there are fundamental Buddhist precepts that would be broken by certain necessary activities in the Pagan tradition, or vice versa. Philosophical contradictions are maybe not so crucial, because even within Buddhism, there are many philosophical schools that have argued for centuries!  =)

Warm Regards to all conflicted Pagan Buddhists (or for that matter, Jewish-Buddhists, or Christian-Buddhists or any others!")

[Jwlinthelotus]

What is meditation?  How do you meditate?  What is the purpose?

Watch Sogyal Rinpoche's YouTube vidoes. I think he has one (and indeed I know he has whole courses on "What Meditation Really Is."

There are MANY ways to meditate, so it's hard to say what it is or is not. There are two aspects of Buddhist meditation practice (called shamatha or "quiescence" and vipassana/vipashyana or "insight")  but I think it might work for other traditions, too: The first part is the practice of calming the mind and refining and cultivating sustained voluntary attention and focus on a chosen object, such that the mind becomes a finely honed and serviceable tool for the second part, which is the penetration into the true nature of the object, ultimately the nature of phenomena, consciousness and existence itself. ALL the techniques ascribed to the Buddha and Buddhism fulfill one or both of those two functions, falling under shamatha, vipashyana, or the union of the two. So a working definition of meditation could be: "Any physical or mental technique or practice that effectively serves to (1) make one's mind more stable, calm, and virtuous, and on the basis of that mind, to (2) gain direct insight into successively deeper truths of existence."

My favorite analogy for meditation: The glass of muddy water.  Our ordinary mind is the cloudy, agitated, muddy water, full of turbulent thoughts and emotions in constant movement. Our true nature (Buddha Nature) is "Rigpa" (Primordial Awareness, clear, luminous, pristine and stainless like a pure glass of water). If you try to force the cloudy sediment to the bottom, the water

(the clarity of our true nature) only becomes more agitated and the clarity more obscured as the thoughts and emotions are stirred up again and again. If you leave the glass (mind) alone, leave it in its natural state of stillness and rest," slowly, gradually, the dirt and muck will settle and the pure, luminous clarity will shine forth effortlessly and spontaneously. This leaving the mind at rest in its natural, uncontrived state, is the practice of meditation.

Actually there are many techniques to achieve that returning to the natural state and abiding within it, and the Buddhist instructions provide hundreds of ways, some more gradual and others more "direct." Some involve ritual, devotion, and "doing stuff;" others less so or not at all, but the goal of all forms of meditation is the same: to cultivate (or reveal) the mind's true nature (Buddha Nature) and it's associated qualities of love, compassion, wisdom, generosity, skillful methods, etc., to abandon, reduce, transform or purify the negative mental/emotional states (the "dirt" in the "water" that obscures it, and bring the former to full actualization (Buddhahood, "Enlightenment" or "Awakening").

It is definitely a PRACTICE, and it takes patience, humor, sustained effort, moderation and freedom from judgement to progress. After 10 years, I can talk about it, but I cannot do it.

Aaron

[Jwlinthelotus]

Originally Posted by enjoythesilence 

How do you teach your child to meditate? I think my oldest might benefit from this, but I'm not sure where to start with her.
 

Hi, DW and I have 3 (soon to be 4) kids and we try to raise them as buddhists and teach them to meditate, but we are the worst possible examples. I tell them that sometimes. DD (now 11) lived from the ages of 1-5 in our Tibetan Buddhist dharma center, with two esteemed and wonderful lamas (teachers), and we take our kids to the dharma center and everyone loves them there. Our teachers are great examples what sincere Buddhist practice and meditation leads to, and our head teacher asked me to start a Buddhist "Sunday School" because I have been with him for a long time and I'm a school teacher by profession. I ran it for about 6 months, but we moved a bit far away to keep it going every week. We had about 4-10 regular students each week, some as young as 4 (like DD # 2) and others as old as DD #1. We did art and had discussions (as appropriate) on different topics and we read Jataka tales and acted them out. And I guided them in simple meditations. All this is great, and for the kids who were not my own, it worked very well to further their interest. I am also of the opinion that being a good example OR surrounding them with the best examples (accomplished teachers, if possible) is the best way to inspire them. If your child is interested, take her to a dharma center if you don't already. Encourage her to ask questions on whatever she wants. She could have a personal shrine (simple or elaborate as she wants) and a cushion that she can sit on for 5 minutes when she wants to calm down or "wake up"  As Tibetan Buddhists, which is often philosophical, ritualized and devotional (which I find great meaning in), we talk about the concepts and our oldest down to DS (almost 3) know some mantras and some of the deities, and they love our teachers and going to the dharma center. But we almost never insist that even the oldest sit for the full practice sessions most times (usually she plays with the younger ones in the yard!). Hope some of this is a bit helpful.

Best luck to you  =)

A.

[Jwlinthelotus]

Originally Posted by Holland73 

Do you have any particular favorite Buddhist writers and/or a specific branch you feel more drawn to?  

Tibetan Tradition (Tibetan/Indian Teachers): HH Dalai Lama (anything), Sogyal Rinpoche (Tibetan Book of Living and Dying), Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (The Joy of Living, Joyful Wisdom), Shantideva (8th c. Indian author of The Way of the Bodhisattva, w/ modern commentary by many teachers on CD, DVD, and in book form. Try Padmakara Translation Group's) Dzongsar Khyentse (What Makes You Not A Buddhist)

Tibetan Tradition, and on the dialogue between Buddhism/Spirituality and Science: B. Alan Wallace and HH Dalai Lama

[vydalea]

Jwlinthelotus  : I love the analogy.  Thank you!!

 

[puffingirl]

We made the muddy water analogy concrete for DD and created a "mind jar"--we got the instructions out of the children's book Moody Cow Meditates.  Basically, it's a jar of water with some other stuff in it to make it thicker (glycerin, a little soap) and sparkly glitter.  It's like a snow globe--you shake it up and watch the glitter slowly settle when the jar is still.  The minute or so of watching is about all the time DD can sustain right now but it helps her (and me!)  focus and get the idea.  When she's seen me get agitated, she'll sometimes bring me the jar. That, in itself, is a good wake-up too. 

[SweetSilver]

Originally Posted by puffingirl 

We made the muddy water analogy concrete for DD and created a "mind jar"--we got the instructions out of the children's book Moody Cow Meditates.  Basically, it's a jar of water with some other stuff in it to make it thicker (glycerin, a little soap) and sparkly glitter.  It's like a snow globe--you shake it up and watch the glitter slowly settle when the jar is still.  The minute or so of watching is about all the time DD can sustain right now but it helps her (and me!)  focus and get the idea.  When she's seen me get agitated, she'll sometimes bring me the jar. That, in itself, is a good wake-up too. 

I like this idea for a visual aid.  We are not a religious family, but I try to develop a sense of thankfulness and I've been trying ways to help the girls (and myself) calm down that they won't resist.  They still might resist this, too, but it's an idea worth trying.  Thanks!
 

[vydalea]

puffingirl - awesome.  that actually helps me.  i've had a VERY muddy mind lately! 

[Mittsy]

A question for those with preschool-elementary aged kiddo's, how do you encourage/bring them to meditation? I've been thinking about meditation cd's but not sure if those actually work. Also, when do you find time to meditate yourself? I co-sleep and wake up with my kids, we homeschool so we're together all day, and we don't have bedtimes here so we all go to bed together...... I'm not getting the where/how to fit in a consistent 15-20min meditation!

[Jessimaca]

Finally finished reading all the posts

I am very interested in learning more about buddhism.  I was actually introduced to the practice by a counselor that I saw for a short time about 6-7 years ago because I was having some issues with worrying/anxiety and she recommended some buddhist books that were extremely helpful for me!  That started my quest to learn more.  I live in a rural area so I haven't been able to do much more than read really.  I'm enjoying all the web and book recommendations on this forum.  I am also pregnant and excited to learn more about incorporating buddhism with parenting-- to keep my sanity  and I think the techniques discussed would really help my 5 year old stepson to focus which according to his kindergarten teacher he is having a tough time with.  I'm excited to learn more!

[Jessimaca]

I just wanted to add that I just made a goal to meditate every day for a short time-- 2 days down .  Any tips or types of meditation that others would like to share with me would be appreciated!

[mudhugger]

I'm very happy to have found this thread.  I've been practicing for about 7 years now, and live near a wonderful center-- although since having our DS, we haven't been able to attend.  It's wonderful hearing the different ways many of you are embracing Buddhism as a family!  I'm really missing our sangha, and have contemplated going to our center with ideas of how to make it accessible to families.  Would some of you who belong to temples and participate as families be willing to share how it works?  TIA

[wytchywoman]

I am glad to see this thread here as well. I skimmed through most of the posts, enough to see that I am not the only Pagan with heavy Buddhist undertones. Technically I consider myself to be a Wytch, and I feel (so far) that what I am learning about Buddhism augments and enhances my belief system. I am still fairly new at this, so I don't know what path this will take. At heart I am a Wytch and I don't think that will ever change, but Buddhism feels like the place I really need to be at right now. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say howdy.

[mrsmischief]

[puffingirl]

Just popping back in here and glad to see some new faces!  I am leaving tomorrow for a week long retreat and am both incredibly excited and a little nervous.  The first 5 days are a meditation retreat with Jack Kornfield (I love all his books) and then the last 2 days are a personal retreat just for me to take some extra time integrating everything before coming home.  Any time I commit to really spending some serious time going within and listening, I'm a little nervous about what will come up--whether very strong emotions or insights that I then really need to act on.  I've been struggling with trying to figure out what I want next in my life (DD will be starting kindergarten next fall!) and I'm hoping that by getting away from all my everyday stuff, I can get some more clarity (or at least make more peace with the unknowing). We'll see!  

[bostonmummy]

Hi Puffingirl - I think we must have been on the same retreat with Jack Kornfeld. Were you at the Kripalu retreat? It was incredible for my husband and me in so many ways. For one, it jumpstarted a meditation practice for me and got my husband's going again. But it was also where we conceived our first child! We played hooky one night from one of the evening sessions, and, boy, were we happy we chose to meditate on each other. :) I'm now 16 weeks and thinking a lot about how I'm going to want/need to connect with other parents interested in mindfulness. I hope your retreat was a wonderful experience for you, too. Would love to connect . . .

[kythe]

Is anyone still around?  I had been unable to attend meditations at our local temple for a long time due to my work schedule, but now that has changed and I'm remembering how life was better when Buddhism was an active part of it. :)  I've renewed my interest in practicing mindfulness. 

Does anyone else have any updates they want to share?

[kythe]

I'll bump this again.  I just took refuge as a Buddhist tonight at the full moon ceremony of our local temple.  I've had Buddhist leanings for about 10 years or so, and have long since considered myself pagan with Buddhist tendencies.  Now I'm officially Buddhist.  I feel comfortable that this is the spiritual path I want to take.  I can hold the basic precepts, and I plan to continue meditating regularly at the temple.  I won't really have to give anything up, the main difference is that I now have a set direction for my spiritual studies and a specific theology to lean on.  I'm happy with this.