Nature is a series of cycles and rhythms. The rhythm of our normal breathing coincides with nature. We are neither drawn to push or pull our breath. The rhythm of the breath gives us our clue. We do not need to be caught up in the flow of breathe; we merely need to watch it happen. This action of quietly sitting and watching breathing is called Anapanasati. The action itself is the tool to tranquility. With anapanasati we watch the flow of breathing without attaching any feelings of judgment to it. We simply watch the inhalation and exhalation. More specifically we watch the beginning, middle and end of the in-breath, and the beginning, middle and end of the out-breath paying particular notice to the small space in-between. Without thought of good or bad, pleasurable or non-pleasurable we quietly observe. Most of the time we find our minds are racing. The actions of the mind and the racing thoughts drag us from place to place, thought to thought. We will notice this when we loose the focus on the breath. We need to be patient with ourselves as the process of training the mind takes some time. We simply return to the breath. The deliberate action of breathing is so much slower than the actions of the mind that by focusing our attentions on the breath we find ourselves calming and resting in a quiet more relaxed state. The mind is calmed and we sit quietly expecting nothing.

The first time you place a collar and leash on a puppy he rebels and fights. Training the mind to be calm is at first like a puppy. We are not accustomed to reining in our thoughts, mental associations and judgments. We need to be gentle with ourselves and return over and over again to the starting point of the breath. Our willingness and commitment to begin over and over will bring about the tranquility we are looking for. It is in the attitude we foster that brings about an ability to be patient. Letting go of everything for those few moments, you can always go back to them if you choose. But during the meditation we have only to watch the breath, as we relax anapanasati resumes and the conditions are there to allow insight to the self.

In meditation we have no goals other than to be present. Allowing the mind to notice itself and the small thoughts that arise and fall away. Thoughts like the breath arise and fall away. We take our clue from nature in that all things arise and fall away.

We cannot expect to be able to sit quietly practice anapanasati and gain a tranquil state in the first 15 minutes of meditation. Small steps and a willingness to return to the beginning again and again will help to ensure tranquility. The process of reigning in the mind takes practice. You crawl before you walk. You walk before you run.

Mindfulness, insight and wisdom are the jewels of a good meditation practice. Mindfulness is the noticing the entire ordinary phenomenon around us. Pointing us toward watching helping us to become observers of ourselves and space we occupy. In this way we extend our mental awareness. From awareness comes insight, insight of the self through meditation is wisdom. Through self knowledge and wisdom we can become the authentic person. It is through the knowledge and acceptance of self that compassion becomes a value.

When your actions are performed, with the thought of loving the self, and without delusion, we can more readily see the cycle of life. Namely, that nothing is permanent, that all that arises will also fall away. An understanding of the impermanence of physical and mental conditions give rise to the fact we are able to see the perpetual action of samsara in our lives.

Our bodies breathe at their own paces. Luckily we do not have to tell ourselves to breathe. We can not control the breath for long periods of time. Our influences are short lived. The breath itself and the conditions of the body dictate the breath. The in-breath predicates the out-breath as likewise the out-breath shapes and forms the in-breath. Realizing this, we are watching the breath as it exists naturally. Breathing is part of our nature and part of nature itself. Being aware of this we are practicing Vipassana meditation.

Nature is the great teacher. The generating of compassion is by mindfulness, insight to ourselves and self wisdom. Wisdom does not come from books or classrooms or listening to teachers. It comes from the knowledge of self and mindful observation of the ordinary.

Breathe! You are alive!

“May All Beings Have Happy Minds”

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

More often we as western practitioners of Buddhism look to the effects of Dharma and not the origin of Dharma. People have commonly used the definition of Dharma as the body of teachings from the Buddha. Dharma is teaching. It is the teachings from texts and classrooms and Dharma teachers. Moreover, Dharma is the events of life [phenomena]. These are the opportunities we can use for learning. Learning and understanding the action of Dharma in our lives helps us to unite the experience and the effects of Dharma. As westerners we are trying to understand a wide angle concept. It it like trying to throw a net into the night sky and gather in every star. Some stars would be left, causing a division in the universe. There can never be divisions in Dharma. Every interpretation is valid and welcome. No authority is too great to be questioned, too sacred to be touched. Unlimited interpretative freedom through free will is the quintessence of Dharma, for Dharma is as limitless as truth itself. No one can ever be its sole mouthpiece.

Sometimes confusion begins from basic concepts such as the differences between religion and Dharma. So, what is Dharma, in a nutshell? First and foremost Dharma is nature and the natural laws of nature. It means to live by moral and ethical principles of the society without surrendering the freedom to question them. Dharma, by its nature is continually evolving and not rigid or inflexible. The continuous evolution of Dharma has come about through debate, and the triumph of logic, consensus and harmony. Most importantly, Dharma is not linked to any religion or set of beliefs.

Today we need a new Dharmic Consciouness in the world, a recognition of the universal Dharmas of being, consciousness and bliss that unite all creatures. We as sentient beings have the honor of knowledge. We need to place ourselves and other beings in the light of natural laws of nature. We must develop a sense of joy that comes in every step as we follow the path of our Buddhist nature. We must allow the energy of undertanding and the compassion that comes from living the Dharma keep us joyful. All beings have the right to exist without interference, to develop their own awareness, and find their own happiness. Much of the global crisis today has come about because we human beings have abandoned Dharma and sought to impose our beliefs and desires, not only upon other human beings, but on all of life and nature, subordinating the entire planet to our selfish ends. Unless we return to Dharma, it is unlikely that we can flourish, or perhaps even survive as a species. Restoring and reviving Dharma, therefore, is probably the most important issue today.

Dharma is learned. It is more than the effect of education. It is the living in harmony with the self.

The Buddha discovered that the mind always carries some object or the other, be it anger, hatred, ill will or loving-kindness, compassion, goodwill, and so on. He referred to these mental objects as Dharma. Then he realized that mental objects such as anger, hatred and ill will (akusala) have the characteristic of defiling the mind, making one miserable. He also realized that mental objects such as loving-kindness, compassion and goodwill (kusala) have the characteristic of purifying the mind, making one cheerful. He called these mental objects akusala (unskillful) or kusala (skillful), as the case may be, on the basis of such realizations. It was not because of some blind belief or just to establish some sort of authority.

Dharma may be defined as the laws of nature or nature of laws which, when realized through insight, lead one gradually towards the goal of full liberation.

Three Essential Components

At this point a definition for the term Darma is needed. The definition takes care of the following three essential components of Dharma:

• The focal point is laws of nature or nature of laws, cutting across all sectarianism.

• These laws, or their nature, have to be realized through insight at the experiential level, thereby saving Dharma from being degraded into a mere intellectual game.

• One should have the feeling of being led on to the final goal of full liberation, which will make one persevere on the path of Dharma.

The Universal Character of Vipassana or Dharma

The universal characteristics of Vipassana mediatation allow the understanding of Dharma. Dharma lies in “self-introspection”, for which the Enlightened One proclaimed:

All those who, in the past, purified their deeds of body, speech and mind did so only through self-introspection;

All those who, in the future, will purify their deeds of body, speech and mind, will do so only through self-introspection; and

All those who, in the present, are purifying their deeds of body, speech and mind are doing so only through self-introspection.

For us a practical definition of Dharma is anything that will bring us to harmony with the self. Each of us in our own way must strive to accomplish those things that calm us and the space we occupy.

We can learn from anything and from anyone. There is no universal law that states Dharma must either be painful of pleasant. It simply is.

What we do with the knowledge is often the cause for suffering or consternation. How many times have you heard someone say; “stop I don’t want to hear any more I may have to change the way I feel.”

The understanding of what constitutes Dharma is of paramount importance to westerners. Dharma is not only the knowledge but the tool. Notice the small things that arise in meditation. Study the way we “fit” into society. Allow the transformation and purification of self to happen. Be happy with self knowledge. Remember that if there is something that arises in your introspection that you found unpleasant: Change it! Your karma changes everyday. We know that today is the child of yesterday, just as tomorrow will be the child of today. Start to make the changes today that you wish for yourself in the future.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

There are found in Buddhism chiefly two types of meditation techniques. The Buddha developed two interrelated systems of meditation which enabled him to achieve enlightenment. The first meditational system is called the development of serenity or tranquility (samathabhavana).

The practice of samatha, also called Samadhi meditation, produces a calm, serene, and concentrated mind. In this format you are learning to concentrate and distill your mind into a single subject or thought direction. The benefits of this style are characterized by inner peace, and sense of a unified self. Having a firm calm interior is essential in developing a base by which self introspection and self knowledge are possible. It is fundamental to other levels of meditation, that you practice centering the self and improving your ability to concentrate on a single subject. You will develop the skill of not allowing distractions to remain as an impediment to your meditation and your commitment to understanding the self improves through practice.

The reasoning behind concentration and centering is to quell the agitations of the body and psyche. Practicing calmness helps to naturally suppress the mental irritations that impede good spiritual development. These mental impediments are called the Five Hindrances (pancanivarana):

1. Sensual Desire (kamachanda) is the desiring of pleasant sights and sounds, smells, tastes, and feeling of the body. Here you find yourself spending long periods of time thinking about body needs or sensory triggers. Imaginings and attachment to feelings as well as sexual preoccupation are found here.

2. Ill-Will (byapada) is having or harboring bad thoughts or having a disdain or hatred for things, events and, most often, people.

3. Sloth and torpor (thinamiddha) is a heaviness or sleepiness that beginners often find it necessary to overcome.

4. Restlessness and worry (uddhaccakukkuca) is mental activity which is uncontrolled. Remorse, preoccupations with work, time watching and inability to relax are manifestations of this hindrance.

5. Skeptical doubt (vicikiccha) is having an uncertainty about the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha — the Triple Gem — and a lack of confidence that the result of using the training will be to make a difference. Will it be worth the the effort?

The goal of meditation is akin to that of Buddhism in general. It is a way to reduce suffering. As these hindrances arise and affect our meditations, our ability to maintain a calm and serene countenance is drastically reduced. When this occurs, our ability to lessen our own suffering is as well similarly reduced.

I would offer these four basic steps in your quest to develop Samadhi meditation.

1. At the outset develop a suitable meditation place. The choosing of a place to meditate is crucial. Stay away from areas like your favorite easy chair, your bed or favorite place at the family table. Your body is already “function conditioned” to these locations.

2. Practice to first learn the basic step of keeping focused on a certain idea, thought or object.

3. Try to recognize the hindrances as they arise and begin to suppress them. Do not be dismayed by your temporary inability to partially suppress mental irritations.

4. Begin to realize your efforts. At this stage you will to be able to fully concentrate on the idea, thought or subject of your meditation. With practice your meditations grow in length and productivity. Your abilities to concentrate strengthen and the mind is able to remain focused for longer and longer periods of time.

When you start the meditation practice, in this method you must select an object, thought or idea as your point of genesis. There are a number of suitable subjects to choose from. You might try watching your breath (anapanasati) or trying the loving-kindness meditation often referred to as (metta) meditation. Other meditations you want to try later are meditation on feelings (vedanānupassanā) and meditations on the body (kāyānupassana).

Vipassana meditation rests on the foundations that have been formed by understanding the theory and practice of Samadhi meditation. It is important to note that the word Vipassana is a compound word of two parts vi-passana.

Vi meaning to “divide or separate”, and passana meaning “seeing”.

The mind exists in elemental parts. Vipassana attemps to separate the mind parts from the body. This is a special skill that is developed through the practice of Vipassana mediation. Why would we want to do this? The purpose of this meditation is to provide for us a view of what the mind and body connection actually is.

At the outset we need to have a list of the characteristics of life.

They are:

1. Impermanence (annica)

2. Suffering (dukkha)

3. Non-self (anatta)

The center of vipassana or insight meditation is aimed at penetrating these three characteristics. Insight meditation is a journey. Essentially it is a journey of the self into the body and mind and the influences of the senses. We are a product of conditioning. Conditioning is like a training of the mind and body. If we can see the correlations and connections between senses, perception, mind and body, we can learn to understand suffering and its causation.

To understand suffering we must first be able to clearly see it. Suffering is caused by clinging or attachment. Attachment is not easy to identify without knowing the objects of attachment. Buddhism identifies these items as the Five Aggregates of clinging (pancuppadanakhanda):

1. Material form (rupa)

2. Sensations or clinging (vedana)

3. Perception (sanna)

4. Volitional formations (sankhara)

5. Consciousness (vinnana)

The Buddha emphasized the importance of meditation in the daily life of everyone. It is notable that in his time he felt it crucial for people to stay grounded in everyday life.

Remarkably he said this over 2600 years ago.

Insight meditation helps us develop the ability to see through the hindrances of the mind, dissolve the power of the ego and become very well acquainted with who we are.

We need to remember when we go out into the world our mind and body go with us. The mind is the instrument by which we stay in contact with the world. It is also the instrument we use to remain in contact with ourselves. If there is a lack of self then we suffer. If we suffer then others around us suffer.

We must develop empathy for feelings of others. Developing empathy for the feelings of others emerges out of a deeper love for others and an understanding of ourselves which is achieved through meditation. True empathy changes behavior. By understanding ourselves and what causes us to suffer, we can relate to others and their suffering even if we can not relate to the cause of the suffering.

Buddhism is a thinking person’s faith. We urge meditators to use discernment and practice openly and freely. Buddhism is a down to earth wisdom. It teaches us to shake off the sensual and sexual obsessions, recognize the elements of frustration and suffering and awaken to our individual possibilities.

When things trouble us we need to look at the source. Four things matter. Life is suffering. Realize the causes of suffering. Liberation exists for the suffering, and there is a way to achieve it.

Continue to practice the meditation experience. It is a path. By being true to ourselves we can follow the path that much easier. Our lives and the relationships we have benefit from the practice of meditation. The experiences of enlightenment come in small moments for most of us. Our lives are filled with so much that it is important to recognize the moments of peace and calm.

It is the goal we give to ourselves. Peace and calm.

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319

“Body impermanent like incense rising;
mind enlightened in the empty sky;
thoughts un-attached like the falling breath.”
- Bhante Kassapa

Our thoughts are never ceasing. Some of them are connected to other thoughts or ideas, some are connected to feelings and all are a barrier to a good meditational practice. For us the goal of non-thought is not realistic. Thoughts continue without prompting. Our goal is non-attachment to the thought. What do we mean by that? Allowing the thought the freedom to exist and enter our thinking is very natural. What we must do is begin to train our minds not to associate an additional thought or idea to the original thought. What do we mean by this? As an idea enters our mind during meditation we simply observe the rising and falling of the breath. The thought will rise and will also fall away leaving a quiet emptiness, if we do not seek to cultivate the thought into an extended conversation with ourselves.

Meditation is not thinking. We are using the quiet time of meditation as a tool to observe. Observation is the natural state of letting thoughts rise and then fall away, as a parallel to our breathing. Rising and falling of the breath is a natural rhythm, which we do not need to maintain. We do not try to change, strengthen, shorten, force or deepen our breath. We only observe the natural rising and falling. You work to develop awareness of the universe inside you.

Doing this you deepen the awareness of the universe outside the self. Be mindful of the energy of the mind. Be patient with yourself. It is natural for the mind to grasp. Our entire lives have been categorized by the experiences we have lived through. The identification process and putting feelings into words is how our memories are formed. In the context of meditation, when something enters the mind that is pleasing, we wish to pursue it. When something displeasing enters, we wish to escape from the thought. This activity is chasing phenomena, and not the mind. It is an action of the mind.

Meditation seeks to develop an understanding of what is mind and what are phenomena. Once we have separated them and learned to recognize what grasping at phenomenon is and what the mind is we can be more at ease. Mindfulness is like a mirror. It reflects only what is presently happening. True mindfulness is not judging, conceptualizing, or attaching any bias. It is purely a nonjudgmental observational activity. It is an activity to just sit and look. Take the time observe your inner world without attaching a single concept to the moment of observation.

Think about this for a moment. You are able to look at any object or situation and declare it neither positive nor negative. Neither is it right or wrong. You can look and not be surprised by anything. You are simply observing. No changes, no protracted reflections, just observing things in their natural state. This is the state of the person practicing Vipassana Meditation. The meditator is able to sit and observe. Very much like a scientist in the lab watching, with no preconceived ideas or suggested outcomes, the cultures growing in a Petri dish, or observing the happenings on a slide under a microscope, we are to sit and simply observe. Observation, pure observation, is a skill which must be developed.

The first step of this developmental process is acceptance of our natural states. This is especially true when dealing with the mind’s more unpleasant states. What do we mean by this? If we are hungry but on a diet do we lie to ourselves and say, “No. No I am not hungry.” Of course not, we must accept the idea that we are hungry. What about fearfulness? If we are afraid of something and that is the state of our mind, then accept that we are afraid. There is no way to observe our fear if we do not accept that we are fearful. It is the same for most conditions of the mind. Before we can observe and work on irritation, agitation and frustrations we must first accept them.

We can never examine our own depression without fully accepting it. Acceptance is an important step to mindfulness and self awareness. Whatever experience we are having, it is just another of life’s experiences, nothing more, nothing less. We have had countless experiences and will have countless more. Each observation is another chance to be aware. Each mind condition is an opportunity to gain more self knowledge and grow closer to the authentic self. What we are attempting to do is to reach the original mind. The unconditioned mind is the mind that exists before understanding sense experience. The pure mind is able to observe the incidents of life without attaching a value to them. This action is what we call pure observation.

The original mind is able to observe the feelings that arise. When a baby cries out of hunger, he does not know or attach a reason for the hunger. He does not have the symbols or letters stamped on his mind. He only feels hunger. That is the original mind. We already have this mind within us. Our meditation and mindfulness are tools that help us to cultivate a pure mind, one that is able to observe without attachment. A mind unattached to excitement by sense objects, liberates us to observe our ever changing mental states without the need to react to them. The pure mind is by its own nature perfectly peaceful. The pure observational mind is tranquil; and it is already within us.

“Body impermanent like incense rising;
mind enlightened in the empty sky;
thoughts un-attached like the falling breath.”
- Bhante Kassapa

I Wish You Peace,

Bhante Kassapa

Bhante n. Kassapa Bhikkhu
bhante_kassapa@yahoo.com
Buu Mon Temple
Port Arthur, Texas, 77640
409.982.9319