Category Archives: Meditation

Three Marks of Existence

The Three Marks or The Three Basic Facts of Existence

In Buddhism, the Three Marks of Existence are three characteristics shared by all sentient beings, namely impermanence (anicca), suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and non-self (anatta).

AnnicaImpermanence – Nothing ever stays the same, and change is often painful in some way. You fall in love with your young lover who promises their love is forever. They then grow old with you. Then they die. As they grew older, they changed, becoming slower, in more pain, and perhaps with difficulty thinking straight. Once they die, they change physically; one way or another they decompose, returning to the environment and becoming part of something new. Remember hearing about the “Cycle of Life?” A cycle is a series of changes.

DukkhaSuffering – We’ve talked about this a lot here in the past. This isn’t simple physical pain that we’re talking about, although that’s certainly a part of it. Some of the dukka results from our desire to fight impermanence. You want to hold on to the things that are changing. No one wants to grow old and die, and sometimes it’s a real fight. Dukka isn’t always this dramatic though- sometimes it’s a simpler desire- like the desire to smack that guy in the restaurant who won’t get off his cell phone, or the need for a new car. What all these various types of suffering have in common is desire, the root of all suffering.

AnnataNon-Self – (Also called Anatman) This is the hardest to grasp for most of us. I mentioned a decomposing body above; aren’t you really the same body right now? Isn’t part of you made up of people that came before, both physically (raw materials) and genetically? Are you the same person you were when you were five years old? Are you even the same person you were yesterday? Which part of your body is really you? You can’t pick a single point? You can sense many parts of your body, but can’t you also sense what’s going on around you in the room? Are you a part of the room? Yes. Is the room a part of you? That’s one to meditate on.

Impermanence – Not Even the Mountains?

Impermanence – Not Even the Mountains?

A reader wrote:

I’m a big fan of your Daily Buddhism blog and thought that you’d be interested in seeing this 8-minute film that I recently made about impermanence, “Mountains Made of Chalk, Fall into the Sea, Eventually.”

The synergy of creative collaboration can result in magic beyond our imagining.  Witnessing Genna Panzarella paint this 8×10′ mural of Mt. Tamalpais as it was when it was whole, literally inside of what used to be the mountaintop, is akin to stealing a peek through the kimono of mystery… the misty mystery of impermanence.

The project bears a great resemblance to the process of making a Sand Painting.

You are welcome to link to it in your blog if you feel that it would be a worthy addition to it.

https://vimeo.com/119016971

Mountains Made of Chalk, Fall into the Sea, Eventually. from Gary Yost on Vimeo.

My Response:

Well, there it is, up there in the link. Take a minute (or eight) to watch the movie. As you point out, it is similar in many ways to the monks who do sand mandalas [Link to 2009 Mandala Post].

The reasons (mostly Tibetan) monks spend hours or days creating intricate mandalas made of sand seems to be an exercise in patience and concentration. It’s another form of concentration/meditation. When they are finished, they sweep up all that sand and destroy the beautiful work of art they have been working on, one grain of sand at a time, for days. Why? In many ways, the destruction of the mandala is the most important part of the process.

This erasing of the art demonstrates and exemplifies the Buddhist idea of impermanence. The Pali word for this kind of impermanence is anicca. This lack of permanence extends to everything. Your mood today. Your job. The personal problem you are dealing with this week. Your life. The mountain the artist in the movie is on. The planet Earth itself. None of these things are permanent; some will go away quickly, some take decades, some may take millions of years, but nothing is forever. The knowledge that nothing lasts and that change is the only thing that is inevitable is a big part of the Buddhist’s conception of suffering (dukkha).

How do we get past this idea that everything is temporary? As the mandala-making monks and the chalk artist in the movie above have learned, the best way to deal with it is to embrace change.

Does anyone have an experience or story they’d like to share that demonstrates something you have learned about impermanence? Post in the comments!

 

Andy Puddicombe: All it Takes is 10 Mindful Minutes

Today, just a quick video.

 

Buddhism and University

A reader writes:

I have just recently started listening to your podcasts and I am hooked. I was first introduced to Buddhism in a religious studies course and was immediately intrigued. I’ve always wanted to learn more and try to put it into practice, but I didn’t know where to begin and most books and lectures I have on the subject seem confusing and complex. Your podcast is exactly what I’ve been looking for. I can follow it, it’s simple, and I can get a clear understanding of what Buddhism is all about.

I am a 23 year-old university student trying to finish my undergrad. It has been really tough because I also suffer from anxiety disorders and depression. I had fairly severe concussion in my second year of school which exacerbated my preexisting poor mental health. I should have quit school then. I always knew it wasn’t for me and I felt like I didn’t belong there, but I stayed in denial thinking that it will get better and I’ll make it work. This never happened, but I tried again this year to get closer to graduation and now I am almost done the school year but I’m failing my courses and am too far to recover. In my mind, I don’t believe I can graduate and even if I get second chances to finish papers I know I will squander them. The anxiety and depression have negativity taking over my entire being, it is hard to get out of once you are sucked into it. When I don’t have to think about school, or do school work, or even just attend classes, I feel so incredibly relieved.

The problem is that so much time and money have been spent, all for me to just drop out and not graduate. It is hard to stay in a positive state of mind about it. I feel guilt, anger, frustration, self loathing… all of these negative things. There is a push from my family to find other options, a different program, a transfer to college, anything to take advantage of the credits I already have. I don’t want to do this, I just want to put this in the past and move forward. But how can I quit knowing how much I have wasted? This is where depression and anxiety really kick in and become debilitating.

University

I guess basically my main dilemma at the moment is: should I find a way to make school work, whether changing my program, transferring credits to another school or whatever… or do I just leave school and move on, do some research and find something I’m interested in (also another reason I feel so trapped, I don’t know what to do if I’m not at university).
From just the few podcasts I’ve listened to I see so much potential for Buddhism to help me; with my anxiety, depression, self confidence, self hatred… and how to deal with school.


This was more of a novel than I intended to write, but I just had to get all of that out. I’m really looking forward to hearing the rest of the podcasts, thank you for doing them!

And my response:

There’s a lot of information that you aren’t telling me, such as how long you’ve got left, what country you live in, and what your major is. You don’t say it explicitly, but I’m assuming you are about to finish your third year of a four year program.

I teach college, and sooner or later, every student feels like quitting. I thought about it myself “back in the day.” Self-doubt and hard times are normal for a student, and my advice is always to stick it out if you possibly can. Those student loans aren’t going away (assuming you’re an American, other countries might be more forgiving).

You say you feel trapped when not at University, so I assume you don’t want to quit because you’ve better things to do. I’ve covered Depression and Dealing With Hatred (not specifically self-hatred, but much of that applies) before, so check out those older posts.

You’re failing your classes, so you’ve made some mistakes and possibly bad choices,that much is clear. Now, the question is, do you want to dwell on the past (grasping), or move on to the future? You’re beating yourself up over whatever mistakes you’ve made, and that’s poisoning your whole experience at school. Without knowing your major, I can’t comment on your career outlook, but most of the time, a degree is very important. Why would you want to sacrifice your future for a mistake you made in the past?

My Buddhist advice is to let the past go. Trying to change yesterday is only going to hurt your future prospects. Go ahead and accept the F’s and do better next term.

Another point is that you mention a concussion and mental issues. Are you taking medication? I am not a doctor, but that seems like an avenue you may want to investigate.

I don’t know the specifics, and it’s hard to give real advice, so I’m going out on a limb with all that. From my non-Buddhist experience, students that quit generally do regret it forever. If you’re going to be saddled with the debt, you may as well get the degree.

Good luck, and don’t give up!

 

 

The Five-Minute Buddhist Meditates: Getting Started in Meditation the Simple Way

Hey guys, just q quick note to let you know the new book is out. If you enjoyed “The Five-Minute Buddhist,” then this one takes up right where the other left off. If you noted that the first book didn’t get into meditation too heavily, it’s because I thought the subject was a little too big for that one. 

It’s available for the Kindle immediately, with Nook and Paperback being available early next week.

 

The Five-Minute Buddhist Meditates: Getting Started in Meditation the Simple Way

By Brian Schell, October 2013

ISBN-13: 9781493571765
Publication date: 10/24/2013
Pages: 74

Amazon Link: http://t.co/PMGcU6T6PF

A jargon-free, plain language introduction to the basic concepts and styles of meditation and real-world applications. There’s no mystical mumbo-jumbo involved, just useful tips that will help you incorporate short, easy-to-follow meditation sessions into your daily life.

We’ll cover Buddhist-inspired meditation methods, such as Watching the Breath, Conceptual meditation, and Loving-Kindness meditations, as well as an overview of many other forms.

This book can be used as a companion book to the original Five-Minute Buddhist or read as a standalone book. No previous knowledge is required.

Chapter List:

1 Introduction/Foreword
2 Why Meditate?
3 Types of Mediation
4 First Steps
5 All That Buddhist Stuff
6 Next Steps
7 Involving Meditation in Your Life
8 Further Steps
9 Conclusion
10 Resources and Links

Local Buddhist Groups & Sangha

A Reader Wrote:

Over the last week or so, I’ve been listening to the Daily Buddhism podcase.  I started with 0, and now I’ve made it to 23.  The Four Noble Truths, 8-fold Path and 5-Precepts helped me tremendously to determine what is basic.

This morning, I reached out to a local Buddhist community I found online;  I plan to attempt a teaching session in a few days. I confess, I was a little taken aback by the chanting videos I saw on their web site.

Also this morning, I made it to episode 20 in your podcast teaching.  You discussed that Tibetian Buddists chant in the Tibetian language.  This was revealing.

I live in the Dayton, Ohio area as well.  Is it still true that the only local community is Tibetian?  I realize I’m listening to content from 2008. (Your story about the wind storm and subsequent power loss took me on a trip down memory lane.)
I’m hoping to hear another more ‘Zen-type’ group has surfaced in the last 5 years.

My Response:

I’ve included below a list of the groups/organizations I know of in the area. Be sure to note that I’ve not been to any of these, except Gar Drolma, and that was several years ago. I’m not recommending or endorsing any of these. There are probably others in the area that I don’t know about. If I’ve missed one, please post details in the comment section.

Also consider the Internet. There are many other great websites and podcasts out there pertaining to Buddhism and Meditation. Books, magazines, and videos are also available. Do not be afraid to “Go it alone” if your community doesn’t have what you want. Don’t ever feel that you need to go to some group that believes things that you don’t. Having a good Sangha (Community) is important, but in modern times, a Sangha doesn’t have to be local. It’s my opinion that there are many modern, and completely legitimate)  substitutes for “Going to church on Sundays.”

But anyway, to answer your question:

The Dayton Area has a few Buddhist places now that weren’t around when I posted all that. Here’s an updated list:

Gar Drolma (Tibetan)
1329 Creighton Ave. Dayton, OH 45420 | (937) 252-2220
http://www.gardrolma.org

Soka Gakkai International (Soka Gakkai)
4700 Wilmington Pike, Kettering, OH. 45440 | 937.433.0097
http://sgi-usa.org/sgilocations/results_list.php?showonly=US&tab=US&distance=20&state=WV

Dharma Center of Dayton (Ekayana)
425 Patterson Road, Dayton, Ohio 45419  | 937-750-5416
http://www.rkina-dayton.com

Zen Fellowship of Dayton (Zen)
8690 Yankee Street, Dayton, Ohio 45458
http://www.cincinnatizencenter.org/zfd.html

 

Thich Nhat Hanh: On Birth and Death

TNH

Yesterday we talked briefly about Bardo, which is a Tibetan concept and involves the afterlife.

I tend to lean more toward the Zen methods, and easily the most famous, most well-respected Zen teacher today is Thich Nhat Hanh. We’ve discussed him here before many times, most notably back when I introduced the Five Precepts. He’s a great man, and very entertaining as well. Here’s a LONG video of him discussing the Zen thoughts concerning Birth and Death. It’s roughly an hour and 40 minutes, so maybe you don’t want to watch this one at work.

His accent is a little hard to follow at times, but if you stick with him, you’ll be fine. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Staying Focused and Working on Mindfulness

A reader writes:

I am a sort of Buddhist novice, trying to reach mindfulness, and practice mindful action even in ordinary life.

What I don’t know and would like to ask you is – are there any specific techniques / tools to discern the moments of weakness when you are slipping and losing your concentration, succumbing to ones fears and anxiety, both in meditation and/or in one’s everyday life (with its pressures and all)?

I’m asking that because I feel that if I improved in this, I could make a huge progress in my practice.

O. R.
Czech Republic

My response:

This is something that we all have to work through, myself included. It’s a matter that falls under the concept of “Right Mindfulness.” Staying focused on the task or problem at hand and not getting distracted.

You have the right idea when you say you have trouble both while meditating and out in everyday life. This is the point of Right Mindfulness, which is often confused with Right Concentration, which is not the same thing, but definitely have some overlap here.  If you can stay on task, keeping yourself focused on the job, you’re doing better than many of us. Most of us have great plans to live a Buddhist lifestyle and then before we even get to work, we’ve given someone the finger on our drive or smoked a cigarette on the way to work. It’s easy to forget and be distracted by real-world events.

You would think things would be different at home or at a meditation center, when you’re sitting on a cushion, in whatever position works best for you. Staying focused should be easy, right? Nope– Quite often it’s even worse. This is where the idea of “Monkey Mind” comes in. We all have a little thought-monkey in our heads that jumps from mental tree to mental tree, making as much noise and chatter as it can– but only when we’re trying to clear our minds of all thoughts. These mental distractions can be just as bad or worse than the external distractions that we run into daily.

Clearing out these distractions is the goal of all meditators, whether you’re meditating on a koan, doing walking meditation, or simply trying to clear your mind. The path to eventual victory is continued practice and knowledge that we all have this problem to some extent, even the monks who meditate all day have the problem from time to time. They have, however, learned to deal with it. When they feel their minds wandering, they immediately recognize that their minds are wandering and re-focus. It sounds a little redundant, but they are mindful of their distractions. This is what you need to watch for, and realize when you have wandered. Don’t chastise yourself for the monkey-attack, but instead just refocus and get back to it.

Another possible suggestion is to vary your style of meditation. Instead of sitting in the same place doing the same thing all the time, try some walking meditation, or try doing a mantra. Mix it up a little. When walking or repeating a mantra, your mind is, while not exactly busy, at least doing something, and this might be enough to make a difference.

Just remember to be here in the present moment, doing whatever it is you’re doing. Be here now.

 

 

Schizophrenia and Buddhism

A Reader Wrote In: 

Hello, I’ve just found your website and podcasts. I’ve wanted to start studying Buddhist philosophy since 2008 when I was volunteering in Nepal, but only now I feel like I have the dedication to really pursue it.

Right now I’m listening to podcast 46, and there was a part that I wanted to address. In the podcast, you briefly talk about addiction and mind-altering substances, and how they can make the mind less clear and so on. I do understand this perfectly clear, it makes sense, but I was just wandering what would a buddhist say about psychiatric disorders? I myself am schizophrenic and more or less I understand that most “heavier” drugs imitate the effects of schizophrenia. That’s why it sort of sprung to my mind. What’s also interesting is that I’ve been told that intense meditation can actually be harmful for schizophrenics, that it may trigger hallucinations. Are there some precautions I should take before taking on meditation?

So what would be your Buddhist view on schizophrenia and the like? I’m sorry if this has been answered somewhere on the site before, but I just felt like asking it myself. I’ve often wondered why I am schizophrenic and what kind of attitude I should have about the whole thing. I’m not anywhere near finding my own answer, most of the time I just dismiss the question and try not to think about it. I hope you could give me some insight into how Buddhism sees my disorder as. Maybe I then can find a new way of looking at the whole situation of my sickness.

Best regards!
J. from Finland

And my Response:

Just last week, I put up a post “Magic Mushrooms” which revisited the topic of drugs and addictions. Generally speaking, most Buddhists see mind-altering drugs as bad, but there are limitations on that. I don’t know the specifics of your case, but since you are on these medications based on your doctor’s prescriptions, I would assume that you would suffer more without the drugs calming your mind than if you did without.

From the Buddhist perspective, having a clear mind is very important to successful meditation, and good meditation is necessary to attaining Enlightenment. Depending on the symptoms or effects of your schizophrenia, you probably have a hard time meditating on your own. The drugs may actually be beneficial in your case. It’s unfair and a unfortunate that you have this condition, but there isn’t much you can do about it on your own, at least so doctors would tell us. If current science says drug X will help you, then by all means use it until something else comes around. Some drugs have side effects, and only you and your doctor can judge whether those effects (hallucinations in your case) are bad enough to merit changing prescriptions.

Either way, you are going to have a hard time of it. Do your best, keeping in mind the rules of karma, make the best of the hand you’ve been dealt and live as an example for others.

 

 

Guest Post: What Does Meditation Do?

And now we have our first guest post in ages. This one is by Dr. Douglas Gentile, who writes the American Buddhist blog at usbuddhist.blogspot.com.  He has been training in multiple Buddhist traditions since about 1989.  In his professional life he is an award-winning researcher, author, and university professor.

What Does Meditation Do?

By Douglas Gentile

Western stereotypes about meditation are interesting.  People often initially come to meditation because they believe it will bring them bliss, or bring sudden enlightenment, or at least be a relaxing break from the stresses of the day. Yet, instead, it often feels really bad, and people then believe they’re doing it wrong or that it doesn’t work.  But what does meditation actually do?

There are many answers to this, at many different levels of analysis, but at least in the beginning stages for most new meditators, it allows us to see how the mind works.  It is constantly jumping — emotions follow thoughts which follow emotions which follow thoughts and on and on ad nauseum.  Sometimes this is called “monkey mind,” although I personally think that’s somewhat unfair to monkeys.  By recognizing how easy it is to get trapped into this pattern of chasing every thought and feeling to the next, and how difficult it is to slow that pattern, it teaches us that we don’t need to put quite so much faith in our thoughts and feelings.  They will all change, even if we try to hold on to them.

This can allow us to not react when under their influence.  We can refrain from automatically reacting.  We can pause briefly and add some space, and perhaps even relax to see what will happen naturally.  This can allow for a much gentler approach both to oneself and to others.

As an example, my girlfriend once told me that she didn’t trust me entirely.  She wasn’t being unkind or attacking me – it was simply true.  My immediate reaction was to feel hurt and I immediately thought of all sorts of angry things I could say in response or to make a pronouncement about how we couldn’t be together then.  But it was bedtime, so instead I lay in bed and let my thoughts and feelings flow as they would until I finally slept (not particularly well).  The next day I was able to express my disappointment with her lack of complete trust, but I could also see how my behaviors had caused it.  She was right not to entirely trust me – I had told her not to in several small ways.  My disappointment was, in fact, equal to hers.  She was disappointed that she wasn’t able to trust me completely and to always be feeling as though she might lose this relationship soon.

By recognizing that my immediate thoughts and feelings were not “truth,” and indeed were limiting my view as long as I focused on them, I was able to not be trapped into believing I had to act on them at the minute I was thinking/feeling them.  Adding a pause allowed for a better view on the situation, and ultimately meant that we didn’t even argue at all – instead, we had a good conversation and a better understanding of each other because of it.

If we consider the stereotypes about the outcomes of meditation, this example doesn’t fit any of them.  At no point in this experience did it feel blissful, enlightened, or relaxing to me.  But meditation had allowed me to see the nature of mind, so that the thoughts and feelings didn’t feel so solid or overwhelming that I had to do something at the minute I was caught in them.  If I had, it would invariably have been less than skillful and would likely have made the situation worse rather than using the opportunity to make our relationship better.

Comment here, or on the original post at http://usbuddhist.blogspot.com/