Ethics 1. Right action behaving in a skilful way and not harming others 2. Right speech speaking truthfully 3. Meditation 4.
Right mindfulness being aware of yourself and the emotions of others 5. Right effort putting effort into meditation and positive emotions 6. In Tibet, the communist government controls the ordination of monks and nuns while also regulating life in the monasteries and nunneries.
It controls the education system, teaching children that Buddhism is old-fashioned. Modern science, up until now, has confined itself to studying phenomena that are material in nature. Scientists largely examine only what can be measured with scientific instruments, limiting the scope of their investigations and their understanding of the universe. Phenomena such as rebirth and the existence of the mind as separate from the brain are beyond the scope of scientific investigation.
Some scientists, although they have no proof that these phenomena do not exist, consider them unworthy of consideration. But there is reason for optimism. In recent years, I have met with many open-minded scientists, and we have had mutually beneficial discussions that have highlighted our common points as well as our diverging ideas—expanding the world views of scientists and Buddhists in the process.
Then there is materialism and consumerism. Religion values ethical conduct, which may involve delayed gratification, whereas consumerism directs us toward immediate happiness. Now, in ethical conduct sila , based on love and compassion, are included three factors of the noble eightfold path: namely, right speech, right action, and right livelihood. Right speech means abstention 1 from telling lies, 2 from backbiting and slander and talk that may bring about hatred, enmity, disunity, and disharmony among individuals or groups of people, 3 from harsh, rude, impolite, malicious, and abusive language, and 4 from idle, useless, and foolish babble and gossip.
When one abstains from these forms of wrong and harmful speech one naturally has to speak the truth, has to use words that are friendly and benevolent, pleasant and gentle, meaningful, and useful.
One should not speak carelessly: speech should be at the right time and place. Right action aims at promoting moral, honorable, and peaceful conduct. It admonishes us that we should abstain from destroying life, from stealing, from dishonest dealings, from illegitimate sexual intercourse, and that we should also help others to lead a peaceful and honorable life in the right way.
One can clearly see here that Buddhism is strongly opposed to any kind of war, when it lays down that trade in arms and lethal weapons is an evil and unjust means of livelihood.
These three factors right speech, right action, and right livelihood of the eightfold path constitute ethical conduct. It should be realized that the Buddhist ethical and moral conduct aims at promoting a happy and harmonious life both for the individual and for society. This moral conduct is considered as the indispensable foundation for all higher spiritual attainments.
No spiritual development is possible without this moral basis. Next comes mental discipline, in which are included three other factors of the eightfold path: namely, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration. Right effort is the energetic will 1 to prevent evil and unwholesome states of mind from arising, and 2 to get rid of such evil and unwholesome states that have already arisen within a man, and also 3 to produce, to cause to arise, good, and wholesome states of mind not yet arisen, and 4 to develop and bring to perfection the good and wholesome states of mind already present in a man.
Right mindfulness is to be diligently aware, mindful, and attentive with regard to 1 the activities of the body kaya , 2 sensations or feelings vedana , 3 the activities of the mind citta and 4 ideas, thoughts, conceptions, and things dhamma.
The practice of concentration on breathing anapanasati is one of the well-known exercises, connected with the body, for mental development. There are several other ways of developing attentiveness in relation to the body as modes of meditation. With regard to sensations and feelings, one should be clearly aware of all forms of feelings and sensations, pleasant, unpleasant and neutral, of how they appear and disappear within oneself.
In this way one should be aware of all movements of mind, how they arise and disappear. It goes from there to here. In the reality of the present, life is clear, vivid, awake, empty and yet filled with possibility. When we discover the middle path, we neither remove ourselves from the world nor get lost in it. We can be with all our experience in its complexity, with our own exact thoughts and feelings and drama as it is. We learn to embrace tension, paradox, change. Instead of seeking resolution, waiting for the chord at the end of a song, we let ourselves open and relax in the middle.
In the middle we discover that the world is workable. Ajahn Sumedo teaches us to open to the way things are.
For the awakening of the heart, conditions are always good enough. A committed meditator, she took a month off to come to our spring retreat. At first it was hard for her to quiet her mind. Her beloved younger brother had re-entered the psych ward where he had first been hospitalized for a schizophrenic break. She told me she was awash with emotion, overwhelmed by fear, confusion, shakiness, anger, and grief. I counseled her to let it all be, to just sit and walk on the earth and let things settle in their own time.
But as she sat, the feelings and stories got stronger. I encouraged her to acknowledge, one by one, all the inner wild animals that come and drink at the pool.
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