..續本文上一頁to be like a freshwater salmon that swims all the way upstream, and just when it is halfway into a bear”s mouth, rather than trying to wiggle out, thinks, “Oh well, I”m halfway in anyway.” Wiggling out of distraction takes some might and clarity.
I”ve heard people say, “I”m too lazy and love my ego too much to dedicate my time to practice.” That kind of laziness and lack of intention will never support realization. The Buddha said that if flies, grubs, and bacteria had a capacity to aspire for enlightenment, they would attain it. That would be embarrassing, wouldn”t it
A grub attaining enlightenment before we did. In the sutra it says, “All things are circumstantial.” The circumstances we need are created by the might and clarity of our intention and how we carry it out in our lives.
It”s not as if we have no diligence. The alarm rings, it”s 4 a.m. The temperature has dropped into the single digits. We don”t want to get out of bed, but it”s Monday and there will be consequences. We get up. We scrape the snow off the windshield, heat up the car, and head to work for nine hours, maybe more. To do this every morning takes a little vision, a little might and clarity. Surely if we can do this, we can find a little time to practice.
A Modern-Day Mango Grove
If we can put time into perspective, organize our schedules, wiggle out of distraction with might and clarity, and think about what makes life meaningful, we will surely find time to practice, to relax the mind. Ordinarily, relaxing means taking our minds off our daily routine, laying on the couch, and watching a movie or going to sleep. Usually relaxing means distracting ourselves from the stresses of daily life. But we have spent half our lives sleeping without ever feeling rested. This is because we haven”t focused on relaxing the mind itself.
What could be more relaxing than letting go of preferences and worries
What better way is there to reduce our self-clinging than by contemplating bodhichitta
What can liberate our hopes and fears other than letting them arise and disassemble themselves naturally in the space of an open mind
Meditation leaves plenty of room for everything: all of our hopes, fears, and anxieties as well as our joys and aspirations. There is no need to control our thoughts, because when we practice we have committed ourselves to letting them be—not judging them as good or bad, spiritual or not spiritual, helpful or harmful. Is there any other activity that can accommodate the mind and its various arisings in this way
The only thing we need to practice is a quiet place to sit: a room, a park bench, or our own bed. The sutras describe a peaceful mango grove as an ideal place to practice. The Buddha and his disciples practiced meditation in such a place. If you think about it, in the midst of our busy lives, any quiet place to sit can be our modern-day mango grove.
Previously published in Buddhadharma magazine March 1, 2009
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