lotusinthemud

on the road again - going west

Packing again after the washing, ironing and email turnaround - I'm off to Cumbria soon. Not to stay in the lodge, as Dharmavidya and Prasada are there for the week (I'll spend tomorrow with them) but to stay with my sister Kathy and brother-in-law Dougal at Caudale Beck. I'll be seeing my sister Janet and my Mum, too, as they are staying nearby. Taking the camera, of course.

Taking waterproofs and wellies, too, of course - they might be needed in Cumbria at any time of year but how much more so at the moment, with the extreme weather the UK has been experiencing recently, with more on its way. Hoping my Amida Sheffield buddies aren't awash.

if we are aware at the point where the process of reaction begins...

A sensation appears, and liking or disliking begins. This fleeting moment, if we are unaware of it, is repeated and intensified into craving and aversion, becoming a strong emotion that eventually overpowers the conscious mind. We become caught up in the emotion, and all our better judgment is swept aside. The result is that we find ourselves engaged in unwholesome speech and action, harming ourselves and others. We create misery for ourselves, suffering now and in the future, because of one moment of blind reaction.

But if we are aware at the point where the process of reaction begins - that is, if we are aware of the sensation - we can choose not to allow any reaction to occur or to intensify. . . in those moments the mind is free. Perhaps at first these may be only a few moments in a meditation period, and the rest of the time the mind remains submerged in the old habit of reaction to sensations, the old round of craving, aversion, and misery. But with repeated practice those few brief moments will become seconds, will become minutes, until finally the old habit of reaction is broken, and the mind remains continuously at peace. This is how suffering can be stopped.

~ S.N. Goenka via Tricycle

the point where the process of reaction begins

A sensation appears, and liking or disliking begins. This fleeting moment, if we are unaware of it, is repeated and intensified into craving and aversion, becoming a strong emotion that eventually overpowers the conscious mind. We become caught up in the emotion, and all our better judgment is swept aside. The result is that we find ourselves engaged in unwholesome speech and action, harming ourselves and others. We create misery for ourselves, suffering now and in the future, because of one moment of blind reaction.

But if we are aware at the point where the process of reaction begins - that is, if we are aware of the sensation - we can choose not to allow any reaction to occur or to intensify. . . in those moments the mind is free. Perhaps at first these may be only a few moments in a meditation period, and the rest of the time the mind remains submerged in the old habit of reaction to sensations, the old round of craving, aversion, and misery. But with repeated practice those few brief moments will become seconds, will become minutes, until finally the old habit of reaction is broken, and the mind remains continuously at peace. This is how suffering can be stopped.

~ S.N. Goenka via Tricycle

imagine a pond of clear water.....

All of [the] hindrances - desire, anger, sloth and torpor, restlessness, doubt - are mental factors. They are not self, just impersonal factors functioning in their own way. A simile is given to illustrate the effect of these different obstructions in the mind. Imagine a pond of clear water. Sense desire is like the water becoming colored with pretty dyes. We become entranced with the beauty and intricacy of the color and so do not penetrate to the depths. Anger, ill will, aversion, is like boiling water. Water that is boiling is very turbulent. You can't see through to the bottom. This kind of turbulence in the mind, the violent reaction of hatred and aversion, is a great obstacle to understanding. Sloth and torpor is like the pond of water covered with algae, very dense. One cannot possibly penetrate to the bottom because you can't see through the algae. It is a very heavy mind. Restlessness and worry are like a pond when wind-swept. The surface of the water is agitated by strong winds. When influenced by restlessness and worry, insight becomes impossible because the mind is not centered or calm. Doubt is like the water when muddied; wisdom is obscured by murkiness and cloudiness.

~ Joseph Goldstein

imagine a pond....

All of [the] hindrances - desire, anger, sloth and torpor, restlessness, doubt - are mental factors. They are not self, just impersonal factors functioning in their own way. A simile is given to illustrate the effect of these different obstructions in the mind. Imagine a pond of clear water. Sense desire is like the water becoming colored with pretty dyes. We become entranced with the beauty and intricacy of the color and so do not penetrate to the depths. Anger, ill will, aversion, is like boiling water. Water that is boiling is very turbulent. You can't see through to the bottom. This kind of turbulence in the mind, the violent reaction of hatred and aversion, is a great obstacle to understanding. Sloth and torpor is like the pond of water covered with algae, very dense. One cannot possibly penetrate to the bottom because you can't see through the algae. It is a very heavy mind. Restlessness and worry are like a pond when wind-swept. The surface of the water is agitated by strong winds. When influenced by restlessness and worry, insight becomes impossible because the mind is not centered or calm. Doubt is like the water when muddied; wisdom is obscured by murkiness and cloudiness.

~ Joseph Goldstein

freja, age 10 1/2

Gosh, she looks so like Simon, her Dad, at that age......

Lovely Freja, looking so like her Daddy, Simon

freja swinging

Freja swinging, originally uploaded by Sujatin.

the outsourcing of the u.s. government

The Bushites Have Outsourced Our Government to Their Pals

    By Jim Hightower
    The Hightower Lowdown:

The sprawling $43 billion homeland security department (HSD) is known chiefly for being the agency in charge of America's color-coded terrorist-threat alarm system ("Good morning, Americans. Today is Yellow. Be vigilant. Report all suspicious people.") It's boogeyman nonsense, of course, doing absolutely nothing to make our country safe. But such falderal helps those in charge obscure HSD's real mission: to serve as a giant federal cookie jar for corporate America. Go to HSD's website, and you'll find a prominent section called "Open For Business." There, on any given day, corporate shoppers can scroll through the hundreds of contracts and grants available to them. Just dip in and grab some cookies.. ::read more

guard the wound of our mind

Shantideva emphasizes the importance of guarding our mind by drawing the following analogy:

If a part of our body is wounded and we must walk through a jostling crowd, we shall be especially careful to guard and cover that wound. In a similar manner, when we are dwelling amongst harmful people or objects that cause our delusions to arise, we should guard the wound of our mind carefully.

If we are anxious to protect an ordinary wound that can at most give us but a little temporary pain, then surely we should be highly motivated to guard the wound of our mind. If our mind remains unprotected and uncontrolled, it can lead us into hellish experiences of deep suffering and torment until we feel we are being crushed between two mighty mountains [Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life, 19-20]

~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Meaningful to Behold

guard the wound of our mind

Shantideva emphasizes the importance of guarding our mind by drawing the following analogy:

If a part of our body is wounded and we must walk through a jostling crowd, we shall be especially careful to guard and cover that wound. In a similar manner, when we are dwelling amongst harmful people or objects that cause our delusions to arise, we should guard the wound of our mind carefully.

If we are anxious to protect an ordinary wound that can at most give us but a little temporary pain, then surely we should be highly motivated to guard the wound of our mind. If our mind remains unprotected and uncontrolled, it can lead us into hellish experiences of deep suffering and torment until we feel we are being crushed between two mighty mountains [Guide to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life, 19-20] 

~ Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Meaningful to Behold