Seeing our goodness, a trait I feel is missing in many

[anthbrown84]

Hello Dhamma friends,

I feel I have a gift that most people will benefit from and if love to share it

I have underwent some amazing changes in recent times, all through finally FINALLY seeing the goodness that lies in the heart.

I have spent the best part of my life beating myself up, being hard on my self, feeling intense guilt, feeling patronised due to having a low opinion of myself...

I see it all around me, westerners in particular basically hating themselves because we have grown up in a culture that thinks this is the way to make ourselves feel better for doing something wrong, at least if we beat ourselves up THAT MUCH is righteous surely? Of course it's not...

If anyone has any insecurities, is hard on themselves etc etc etc (who isn't right?) Then I strongly encourage you to look into your heart and allow yourself to feel the goodness within... if you keep the precepts, practise generosity in some way, are kind to people as generally Buddhists are, then I guarantee you there is a store house of back dated, unaddressed goodness waiting to smile back at you... and what a relief that is let me tell you! Infact we don't even need to see or feel anything solidly good for this to work, because actually the LACK of greed and hatred in our hearts is easily over looked as nothing, when infact it is rare and beautiful to have a heart where there is an abundance of non harm and non hatred... the fact you can look I to your heart and know you simply won't hurt a fly is beauty enough isn't it?

My teacher (Candana Bikkhu, some of you may have attended his talks that I post links for) had to tell me to do this time and time again... my defilements were ruling the roost that much that I didn't even properly hear his advice... but when I did, it felt like I'd opened a treasure chest, and that chest was my heart.

This of course is the ultimate form of metta, as when we deeply love ourselves (which is a by product of simply turning towards the goodness inside) then we automatically overflow with kindness for all beings... how could we not? We are uprooting the defilements that are blocking that unbound love


If anyone would like to comment, share etc, then I'd love to hear it

May you all be well

Anthony

[Ceisiwr]

This is a nice post. I'm glad you are in a more positive place.

[Sam Vara]

Hello Dhamma friends,

I feel I have a gift that most people will benefit from and if love to share it

I have underwent some amazing changes in recent times, all through finally FINALLY seeing the goodness that lies in the heart.

I have spent the best part of my life beating myself up, being hard on my self, feeling intense guilt, feeling patronised due to having a low opinion of myself...

I see it all around me, westerners in particular basically hating themselves because we have grown up in a culture that thinks this is the way to make ourselves feel better for doing something wrong, at least if we beat ourselves up THAT MUCH is righteous surely? Of course it's not...

If anyone has any insecurities, is hard on themselves etc etc etc (who isn't right?) Then I strongly encourage you to look into your heart and allow yourself to feel the goodness within... if you keep the precepts, practise generosity in some way, are kind to people as generally Buddhists are, then I guarantee you there is a store house of back dated, unaddressed goodness waiting to smile back at you... and what a relief that is let me tell you! Infact we don't even need to see or feel anything solidly good for this to work, because actually the LACK of greed and hatred in our hearts is easily over looked as nothing, when infact it is rare and beautiful to have a heart where there is an abundance of non harm and non hatred... the fact you can look I to your heart and know you simply won't hurt a fly is beauty enough isn't it?

My teacher (Candana Bikkhu, some of you may have attended his talks that I post links for) had to tell me to do this time and time again... my defilements were ruling the roost that much that I didn't even properly hear his advice... but when I did, it felt like I'd opened a treasure chest, and that chest was my heart.

This of course is the ultimate form of metta, as when we deeply love ourselves (which is a by product of simply turning towards the goodness inside) then we automatically overflow with kindness for all beings... how could we not? We are uprooting the defilements that are blocking that unbound love


If anyone would like to comment, share etc, then I'd love to hear it

May you all be well

Anthony

A superb post, both true and uplifting.

There are some themes in common with this little book (actually it's a chapter from a longer book) by Ajahn Sucitto.
https://forestsangha.org/teachings/book ... ge=English

You might want to take a look.

[Ceisiwr]

Reminds me of the Visuddhimagga:

4. For loving-kindness should not be developed at first towards the following four kinds of persons: an antipathetic person, a very dearly loved friend, a neutral person, and a hostile person. Also it should not be developed specifically (see §49) towards the opposite sex, or towards a dead person.
5. What is the reason why it should not be developed at first towards an antipathetic person and the others? To put an antipathetic person in a dear one’s place is fatiguing. To put a very dearly loved friend in a neutral person’s place is fatiguing; and if the slightest mischance befalls the friend, he feels like weeping. To put a neutral person in a respected one’s or a dear one’s place is fatiguing. Anger springs up in him if he recollects a hostile person. That is why it should not be developed at first towards an antipathetic person and the rest.
6. Then, if he develops it specifically towards the opposite sex, lust inspired by that person springs up in him. An elder supported by a family was asked, it seems, by a friend’s son, “Venerable sir, towards whom should loving-kindness be developed?” The elder told him, “Towards a person one loves.” He loved his own wife. Through developing loving-kindness towards her he was fighting against the wall all the night.1 That is why it should not be developed specifically towards the opposite sex.
7. But if he develops it towards a dead person, he reaches neither absorption nor access. A young bhikkhu, it seems, had started developing loving-kindness inspired by his teacher. His loving-kindness made no headway at all. He went to a senior elder and told him, “Venerable sir, I am quite familiar with attaining jhána through loving-kindness, and yet I cannot attain it. What is the matter?” The elder said, “Seek the sign, friend, [the object of your meditation].” He did so. Finding that his teacher had died, he proceeded with developing loving-kindness inspired by another and attained absorption. That is why it should not be developed towards one who is dead.
8. First of all it should be developed only towards oneself, doing it repeatedly thus: “May I be happy and free from suffering” or “May I keep myself free from enmity, affliction and anxiety and live happily.”
9. If that is so, does it not conflict with what is said in the texts? For there is no mention of any development of it towards oneself in what is said in the Vibhaòga: “And how does a bhikkhu dwell pervading one direction with his heart filled with loving-kindness? Just as he would feel loving-kindness on seeing a dearly loved person, so he pervades all beings with loving-kindness” (Vibh 272); and in what is said in the Paþisambhidá: “In what five ways is the mind-deliverance of loving-kindness [practiced] with unspecified pervasion? May all beings be free from enmity, affliction and anxiety and live happily. May all breathing things [297] … all who are born … all persons … all those who have a personality be free from enmity, affliction and anxiety and live happily” (Paþis II 130); and in what is said in the Mettá Sutta: “In joy and safety may all beings be joyful at heart” (Sn 145). [Does it not conflict with those texts?]
10. It does not conflict. Why not? Because that refers to absorption. But this [initial development towards oneself] refers to [making oneself] an example. For even if he developed loving-kindness for a hundred or a thousand years in this way, “I am happy” and so on, absorption would never arise. But if he develops it in this way: “I am happy. Just as I want to be happy and dread pain, as I want to live and not to die, so do other beings, too,” making himself the example, then desire for other beings’ welfare and happiness arises in him. And this method is indicated by the Blessed One’s saying:

I visited all quarters with my mind
Nor found I any dearer than myself;
Self is likewise to every other dear;
Who loves himself will never harm another (S I 75; Ud 47).

11. So he should first, as example, pervade himself with loving-kindness. Next after that, in order to proceed easily, he can recollect such gifts,2 kind words, etc., as inspire love and endearment, such virtue, learning, etc., as inspire respect and reverence met with in a teacher or his equivalent or a preceptor or his equivalent, developing loving-kindness towards him in the way beginning, “May this good man be happy and free from suffering.” With such a person, of course, he attains absorption.

CHAPTER IX The Divine Abidings

[Dhamma Chameleon]

That's beautiful, Anthony! Metta and mudita.

[mikenz66]

If anyone would like to comment, share etc, then I'd love to hear it

Thanks great Anthony. Recollection of one's virtue and generosity is an important practice that, as you say, is often overlooked.

Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects their own ethical conduct, which is unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by sensible people, not mistaken, and leading to immersion. When a noble disciple recollects their ethical conduct their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. … This is called a noble disciple who lives in balance among people who are unbalanced, and lives untroubled among people who are troubled. They’ve entered the stream of the teaching and developed the recollection of their ethical conduct.

Furthermore, you should recollect your own generosity: ‘I’m so fortunate, so very fortunate. Among people with hearts full of the stain of stinginess I live at home rid of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share.’ When a noble disciple recollects their own generosity their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. … This is called a noble disciple who lives in balance among people who are unbalanced, and lives untroubled among people who are troubled. They’ve entered the stream of the teaching and developed the recollection of generosity.
https://suttacentral.net/an11.11/en/sujato

Mike

[mjaviem]

... we don't even need to see or feel anything solidly good for this to work, because actually the LACK of greed and hatred in our hearts is easily over looked as nothing, when infact it is rare and beautiful to have a heart where there is an abundance of non harm and non hatred... the fact you can look I to your heart and know you simply won't hurt a fly is beauty enough isn't it?
...

[anthbrown84]

If anyone would like to comment, share etc, then I'd love to hear it

Thanks great Anthony. Recollection of one's virtue and generosity is an important practice that, as you say, is often overlooked.

Furthermore, a noble disciple recollects their own ethical conduct, which is unbroken, impeccable, spotless, and unmarred, liberating, praised by sensible people, not mistaken, and leading to immersion. When a noble disciple recollects their ethical conduct their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. … This is called a noble disciple who lives in balance among people who are unbalanced, and lives untroubled among people who are troubled. They’ve entered the stream of the teaching and developed the recollection of their ethical conduct.

Furthermore, you should recollect your own generosity: ‘I’m so fortunate, so very fortunate. Among people with hearts full of the stain of stinginess I live at home rid of stinginess, freely generous, open-handed, loving to let go, committed to charity, loving to give and to share.’ When a noble disciple recollects their own generosity their mind is not full of greed, hate, and delusion. … This is called a noble disciple who lives in balance among people who are unbalanced, and lives untroubled among people who are troubled. They’ve entered the stream of the teaching and developed the recollection of generosity.
https://suttacentral.net/an11.11/en/sujato

Mike

I love the quote, the generosity part in particular feels relevant to me in that I feel I could be more generous l, not necceserally with money, but with my time, sharing food etc...

This is a lovely reminder!

[pegembara]

Hello Dhamma friends,

I feel I have a gift that most people will benefit from and if love to share it

I have underwent some amazing changes in recent times, all through finally FINALLY seeing the goodness that lies in the heart.

I have spent the best part of my life beating myself up, being hard on my self, feeling intense guilt, feeling patronised due to having a low opinion of myself...

I see it all around me, westerners in particular basically hating themselves because we have grown up in a culture that thinks this is the way to make ourselves feel better for doing something wrong, at least if we beat ourselves up THAT MUCH is righteous surely? Of course it's not...

If anyone has any insecurities, is hard on themselves etc etc etc (who isn't right?) Then I strongly encourage you to look into your heart and allow yourself to feel the goodness within... if you keep the precepts, practise generosity in some way, are kind to people as generally Buddhists are, then I guarantee you there is a store house of back dated, unaddressed goodness waiting to smile back at you... and what a relief that is let me tell you! Infact we don't even need to see or feel anything solidly good for this to work, because actually the LACK of greed and hatred in our hearts is easily over looked as nothing, when infact it is rare and beautiful to have a heart where there is an abundance of non harm and non hatred... the fact you can look I to your heart and know you simply won't hurt a fly is beauty enough isn't it?

Anthony

Virtue is a trait that seems rare but when we look, it is actually all around.

"For a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue, there is no need for an act of will, 'May freedom from remorse arise in me.' It is in the nature of things that freedom from remorse arises in a person endowed with virtue, consummate in virtue.

"For a person free from remorse, there is no need for an act of will, 'May joy arise in me.' It is in the nature of things that joy arises in a person free from remorse.

"For a joyful person, there is no need for an act of will, 'May rapture arise in me.' It is in the nature of things that rapture arises in a joyful person.

"For a rapturous person, there is no need for an act of will, 'May my body be serene.' It is in the nature of things that a rapturous person grows serene in body...

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html