Practice in lay life Discourse to the White-clad disciple

1
Practice in lay life Discourse to the White-clad
disciple

• 20101218 e-talk
• Plum Blossom Sangha Austin, Honey Locust Sangha
  Omaha, Blue Ocean Sangha Miami, Heartland Sangha
  KansasCity

2
Introduction

• The 4th e-talk of the 1st of 4 year training
  program of the OI
• Breathe
• Now
• How (todays talk)

3
The sutra opening

• The Buddha teaching to
• Shariputra
• Anathapindika and
• 500 lay men and women
• .if they study and practice the Five
  Mindfulness Trainings and the Four recollections,
  they will realize without hardship the capacity
  to abide happily in the present moment
•  Buddhism is an art, a way of life
• Happiness for self and others
• In the here and the now
• Faith in something true, good and beautiful

4
Contemplation of Buddha 1 of 2My mindfulness
shining near and far

• 10 characteristics of the Buddha
• 36 beauties visualization
• Recitations
• Art works, statues, prostrations
• Reading
• Old path white clouds

5
Contemplation of Buddha 2 of 2

• Awakening, enlightenment, understanding and love
  are very concrete you can touch it and taste it
• Faith born from the results of the practice
  (daily food) the mother of all realizations
• Bodhicitta faith in something True, Good and
  Beautiful (energy)
• Aspiration for a more meaningful life
• Faith in Buddha and self protection and shining
  light wisdom
• Evoking the name, contemplating reading,
  talking, singing about his life, his actions,
  his love, his wisdom
• A refuge
• As a result, their thoughts are clear, they feel
  joy, and the arrive at the first of the 4
  contemplations, abiding happily in the present
  moment with ease and without any hardships

6
Contemplation of Dharma my breathing, guarding
body and mind

• the teachings, the practices, which bring about
  mindfulness, serenity, understanding, love and
  emancipation
• it is subtle, deep and lovely
• reciting the sutras, practicing the way of
  awareness
• good for all walks of life (the ocean deep and
  shallow the taste of liberation)
• you can taste it for yourself, here and now
• relief of suffering transform and liberate
• timelessness, universal
• selective watering
• prajna, maitri and karuna are fruits of the
  practice, not concepts to discuss and to study

7
Contemplation of the Sangha my 5 skandhas,
working in harmony

• the community that practices the dharma under the
  guidance of the Buddha
• four-fold sangha manifestation of the dharma and
  the Buddha
• on the way of liberation and awakening
  understanding and love
• living the dharma making it alive
• living according to the 5 Mindfulness Trainings,
  realizing samadhi, prajna, vimukti (liberation)
• no coming, no going, no being, no non-being
• an inspiration, a consolation and a refuge
• its qualities harmony and awareness
• individual practice makes us become better
  elements of the sangha quality of sangha
  improves
• sangha building is a practice

8
Contemplation of the Mindfulness Trainings

• the Mindfulness Trainings
• 3 parts the essence, the form and its effects
• faith and belief it is possible
• practice, experience and understand, taste the
  results
• they become essential if we do not want to fall
  into the realms of sufferings
• peace and happiness
• guiding light
• a refuge
• True, Good and Beautiful
• Living in mindfulness, living in accord with the
  Mindfulness Trainings
• Not imposed on us
• A protection and a practice tool
• Mindfulness brings about understanding and love
  NOT blind faith but a practice that is born out
  of Mindfulness of suffering
• Keep us in the land of the Buddha protection and
  refuge in the realms of the 4 immeasurable minds
  and out of the realms of animals, hungry ghosts
• Interbeing nature with Dharma and Buddha
• Necessary for the successful practice of
  mindfulness meditation

9
Interdependence

• True Buddha
• mindfulness, understanding and love
• True Dharma
• impermanence, non-self and nirvana
• True Sangha manifestation of the Buddha and
  the Dharma
• sila, smrti, prajna openness, freshness and
  happiness
• Mindfulness trainings
• Each one contains the 3 Jewels
• Each contains the 4 other ones

10
Practice in daily life

• Wake up Austin
• Tricycle your life is your practice