Cultivating the Way: Understanding Enough

[林愛偉]

Edited October 7, 2008 by 林愛偉

[thelerner]

Thank you Lin, very timely.

 

I live very far from that ideal. While I'm happy where I am, I understand that the Way you articulate is ultimately the direction I should move toward.

 

 

Michael

[林愛偉]

Thank you Lin, very timely.

 

I live very far from that ideal. While I'm happy where I am, I understand that the Way you articulate is ultimately the direction I should move toward.

Michael

 

 

Hi Michael,

 

Its just a headsup...but really, just smile, and you'll be alright hehehe

 

***adding this in: I meant for this to mean anyone to just smile, and all things will be good.

Edited October 8, 2008 by 林愛偉

[minkus]

Thanx Lin, nice article i enjoyed reading. Cannot agree more.

 

Ive been told alot about simplicity by my grandma who lived true world war 1 and 2. Aswell several friends of me who came from Bosnia and Jugoslavia after the war. They simply didnt had another option so they learned to be happy with less and to be inventive with what they had.

 

Regards, Mike

[seadog]

Well I have had the great fortune in my life to have been dirt poor and also to have had luxary.

The following are some of the conculsions I've come to.

A lack of or too many "things" has no bearing on ones degree of virtue,wisdom,compassion or ability to empathise.

Poverty sucks as they say and its true from what I've seen.It leads to poor health,inferior education and it especially effects women who often bare the brunt of it.

I have met unhappy homeless and unhappy millionaires,the cause of their unhappiness in either case stem from a lack of love in their lives,love of themselves and those around them.

I have also met happy penniless wanders and happy well healed aristocrats. In both cases the reason they were happy was they were doing what was right for them,in other words they were following their hearts.

 

Humility has nothing to do with how you cloth yourself or the pitch of your roof,humility is the intention in your heart.

What good would it do if you were to give all you have away and live a "simple life" but still have a heart of venom.

Its not a case of how thirfty we are or how hard we work,its what is in our heart that counts.

If your heart is true nobody can educate you to be contrary to your true heart.

There are burdens equal to being rich as their are to being poor when it comes to cultivation.

Rather I believe the condition that is most conducive to fulfilling your mission, is the one best obtained.

[林愛偉]

Well I have had the great fortune in my life to have been dirt poor and also to have had luxary.

The following are some of the conculsions I've come to.

A lack of or too many "things" has no bearing on ones degree of virtue,wisdom,compassion or ability to empathise.

Poverty sucks as they say and its true from what I've seen.It leads to poor health,inferior education and it especially effects women who often bare the brunt of it.

I have met unhappy homeless and unhappy millionaires,the cause of their unhappiness in either case stem from a lack of love in their lives,love of themselves and those around them.

I have also met happy penniless wanders and happy well healed aristocrats. In both cases the reason they were happy was they were doing what was right for them,in other words they were following their hearts.

 

Humility has nothing to do with how you cloth yourself or the pitch of your roof,humility is the intention in your heart.

What good would it do if you were to give all you have away and live a "simple life" but still have a heart of venom.

Its not a case of how thirfty we are or how hard we work,its what is in our heart that counts.

If your heart is true nobody can educate you to be contrary to your true heart.

There are burdens equal to being rich as their are to being poor when it comes to cultivation.

Rather I believe the condition that is most conducive to fulfilling your mission, is the one best obtained.

 

 

One must abide with causes and conditions.

[hagar]

So you're saying that a substatial aspect of your intention of cultivating the mind is preparation?

 

h

[Unconditioned]

Lin,

 

Thank you for the article. At first I was nodding all the way. Even just yesterday I got into an argument with my fiance over some things that she thought we 'needed' for our new apartment. I argue for simplicity almost to a fault.. or maybe to a fault... if things are falling apart but can still be used, then I keep using them.

 

I am called 'cheap' by a lot of people but I just don't have the money most of the time to have the 'nice things'. So, I agree that as a society we have become very distracted, very comfortable and lulled by entertainment.

 

That aside though, I don't necessarily think that nice things are bad. I look at a skyscraper and think of all the hard work that it took to build it. From the first thought to the last rivet. I sit at my computer and marvel at the great minds that conceived the idea and the hard work it took to create it. Everywhere I look I see the beauty from which all of man's creations have come from and I am in complete awe. I see the divine at work in all our ideas.

 

So that leaves me in a bind. These beautiful ideas scream out of our unique human minds and intuition yet they tend to bind us in greed/lust and leave us blind.

 

So my conclusion is to work on myself, see the beauty in all things, and hope that I can some day center my being in the Tao itself.

 

Once again, thank you for these insights.

-Nate

[passenger1980]

I don't know, i believe true art (being literature, films, music, etc) teaches us and uplift our spirit, even if it contains violence or harsh despictions of the human condition. Love, humour, joy are wonderful things to experience, perhaps one of our best qualities as human beings.

 

To me, the problem lies, not in deny all these things, but in observe them as the phenomena they are. To not make them our own, that's where the ego lies, and it always wants more. I don't blame the ego though, after all, we are not really sure what will come next, and sickness and death is around the corner. We just want to be happy in our own particular way.

 

But i get the message about a simpler world, which is very much at hand if humankind unites and do it right once and for all. We have all the technology and knowledge to do it. Sadly, this kind of thought has been around for ages, and evil thoughts, egoism, hate & inflicted pain seems to always be present and conspire against the idea.

[林愛偉]

So you're saying that a substatial aspect of your intention of cultivating the mind is preparation?

 

h

 

Not preparation. Abiding with conditions means to not get angry. To understand the causes of those conditions, and not be moved by them.

 

Reason for cultivating is simply to attain wisdom. Aspire to do the work of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and end the cycle of birth and death...Maybe one day I will such wisdom.

 

Peace and Blessings,

Lin

[Gerard]

Investigate the mind. Hurry!

 

Yes true. But in society you can't. Too many distractions.

 

Best place to do that is away from society. Read Walden by H. D. Thoreau as an example of how this works:

 

http://www.literaturepage.com/read/walden.html

 

 

Then come back and help others to show them that suffering can be exhausted. Gautama Buddha did it.

[林愛偉]

Yes true. But in society you can't. Too many distractions.

 

Best place to do that is away from society. Read Walden by H. D. Thoreau as an example of how this works:

 

http://www.literaturepage.com/read/walden.html

Then come back and help others to show them that suffering can be exhausted. Gautama Buddha did it.

 

You can, and its one of the best place to do it in. Not easy though. So many distractions just feed the fire for cultivation.

 

Its better to be home than at the temples.. There is a saying:

 

Zai Jia, chu jia, chu jia, zai jia...Dou shi Yige xin.

 

It doesn't matter at home, or at the temple, at the temple or at home...

stillness is all in the heart.

 

Of course its not easy out there, but that's where one gets stronger, more diligent. When its easy, cultivation has nothing to temper itself with.

Outside in the world, is like making swords...heat the metal, shape it, cool it, add layers to make it stronger by heating and shaping, cooling.. a whole process.

 

Its tempering the metal, just like cultivation.

 

For some, in the world is good, for others in the temples is good. Same mind, but the conditions for cultivation are different.

 

 

Peace and Blessings Brother,

Lin

[.broken.]

Edited October 11, 2008 by .broken.

[林愛偉]

I would like to hear your experience of the effects computer games can have. Mine has been that they can encourage abilities in concentration, problem solving and perseverence - not to mention hand-eye co-ordination. Admittedly, I have seen negative effects too, but this by no means writes off all the benefits that they can have.

By no means unbelievable. If something is better for you and in less supply then it stands to reason that it is dearer. Simple economics. The unbelievable thing is that relatively few people value vegetables. Funny, isn't it, how meat was once considered a luxury and is now a major part of the staple diet in the modernised world to the detriment of our health.

 

Whether vegetables are considered "tasty" or not is entirely individual. Personally, I would eat vegetables in preference to most other foods on offer.

As do all electricals.

 

Research has shown that even the 50-60Hz AC supply (at least, that's the frequency used in the UK) interferes with brain waves, particularly in one's sleep. Indicating that we aren't even safe from the wires which enter our homes.

 

I agree with you that movies, tv and computer games can have a great influence over one's emotional stability. Arguably, books are no different either. It's all a matter of internal reactions to information received from the environment.

 

It has to be said that I am a great fan of much of what you write. There is great clarity, simplicity and truth. However, I cannot help but feel that this article is, in part, a reaction to what you have experienced since your return to the USA. This seems almost contradictory to the transmission of dharma which I came to expect. Yes, we must investigate our minds, but this is no different now than it was in the times gone by. The externalities will always change with time, but our self-perpetuated attachment to them is ours to conquer.

 

Yours humbly,

James

 

 

Well, this short piece is based on what I have seen as a result of modern technological indulgence, not due to personal experiences. I don't watch tv, really, but I do listen to instrumental music: er hu, gu zheng/gu qin and flute.

 

Computers in general cause the eyes to weaken by pulling the organ to fix itself in one zone with the lights of the screen shining out. I know that the glare has been reduced due to certain type screens for comps nowadays, so that is good, but not the cleanser of all. THe electromagnetic charge off the computer is heavy on the brain, causing the mind to fix on the actions on the computer which then waste a lot of energy. its like a demon eating one's essence..a m achine to eat one's concentration..slowly...

 

The games plant seeds of violence in the mind, plant causes of situations that would never really happen to the person playing. That in turn plays on the person's emotions while playing, causing them to go up and down, causing false thinking and flippant speech. This has chemical reactions in the body, and makes the body's energy off balanced a lot.

 

Though hand and eye coordination are utilized, that skill can be done with more practical exercises.

 

The transmission of Dharma lies in the transmission of falsity. If there is suffering, there is Dharma. Problems as we face now has been problems people faced in the past. The only difference is we have technological attachments: But we still have the same greed, happiness, love, hate, lust, desire, joy...etc.

 

China was and is no different. People all over the world all have the same emotions, just viewed differntly, which is the causes for the myriads of things.

 

The teachings never change, but the manner in which they are expounded do. A play on words here and there causes the mind to investigate, contemplate. Thus planting the seeds for clarity in the future.

 

 

Peace and Blessings...and well thought out response you gave.

 

Lin

[seadog]

Yes true. But in society you can't. Too many distractions.

 

Best place to do that is away from society. Read Walden by H. D. Thoreau as an example of how this works:

 

http://www.literaturepage.com/read/walden.html

Then come back and help others to show them that suffering can be exhausted. Gautama Buddha did it.

 

I believe it is important to spend time away from others in wild places on your own.

Because in doing so, we are confronted with the realisation of how fundamentally important our are relations to one another truly are.

 

When the realisation of the importance of others in your life is fully understood, society distractions are seen for what they truly are.

A blessing.

[.broken.]

Well, this short piece is based on what I have seen as a result of modern technological indulgence, not due to personal experiences.

 

That was indeed quite clear I am by no means attempting to invalidate your words, as wisdom requires no previous experiences and can be applied universally. At the same time, that is also what didn't sit comfortably with me, rather than being universal wisdom, this was a lot more localised. There is a subtle difference between relating to beings in this time of human development, making them see the error of their whimsical ways, and giving direction, which is often misinterpreted as preaching.

 

I know what it is you are trying to relate, yet there were hints of guidance which came off as slightly superior and dismissive of this stage of human development, particularly their material achievements.

 

The focus is, was, and should remain, solely upon cultivation. Beings will see for themselves where they are going wrong if the right seeds are planted. Telling them so is what closes their minds to the Truth.

 

The transmission of Dharma lies in the transmission of falsity. If there is suffering, there is Dharma. Problems as we face now has been problems people faced in the past. The only difference is we have technological attachments: But we still have the same greed, happiness, love, hate, lust, desire, joy...etc.

 

China was and is no different. People all over the world all have the same emotions, just viewed differntly, which is the causes for the myriads of things.

 

The teachings never change, but the manner in which they are expounded do. A play on words here and there causes the mind to investigate, contemplate. Thus planting the seeds for clarity in the future.

Peace and Blessings...and well thought out response you gave.

 

Agreed. Simply seperations in time and space (location), yet the same mind.

 

Words are simply a number of symbols arranged horizantally to relay internal meaning and experience. Mastery of communication comes from being able to converse with all walks of life and opening their minds, and hearts - or as you put it, plant the seeds for clarity in the future. One should be able to plant seeds in the mind of a toilet cleaner at an Irish pub as well as the president of the USA. Real wisdom lies, not only in being able to do this, but in being able to open the hearts and minds of all with the same few words.

 

Yours, in admiration,

James

[林愛偉]

That was indeed quite clear I am by no means attempting to invalidate your words, as wisdom requires no previous experiences and can be applied universally. At the same time, that is also what didn't sit comfortably with me, rather than being universal wisdom, this was a lot more localised. There is a subtle difference between relating to beings in this time of human development, making them see the error of their whimsical ways, and giving direction, which is often misinterpreted as preaching.

 

I know what it is you are trying to relate, yet there were hints of guidance which came off as slightly superior and dismissive of this stage of human development, particularly their material achievements.

 

The focus is, was, and should remain, solely upon cultivation. Beings will see for themselves where they are going wrong if the right seeds are planted. Telling them so is what closes their minds to the Truth.

Agreed. Simply seperations in time and space (location), yet the same mind.

 

Words are simply a number of symbols arranged horizantally to relay internal meaning and experience. Mastery of communication comes from being able to converse with all walks of life and opening their minds, and hearts - or as you put it, plant the seeds for clarity in the future. One should be able to plant seeds in the mind of a toilet cleaner at an Irish pub as well as the president of the USA. Real wisdom lies, not only in being able to do this, but in being able to open the hearts and minds of all with the same few words.

 

Yours, in admiration,

James

 

 

I never thought you wee trying to invalidate :-) Universal wisdom comes in all shapes and sizes, of course you know; Worldly Wisdom is just intellect, Universal Wisdom holds Worldly Wisdom in its Bosom. Different in characteristics, yet can point to something similar. Kind of like Amitabha Buddha and Vaidurya Light Buddha: they are both Buddhas, but use "different" characteristics that resonate with "different" minds.

 

A fool I am indeed... no universal wisdom on my shore. I'm still rowing the boat. hahahaha

 

 

Peace and blessings,

Lin