Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
sequeller
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

Post by sequeller »

"Dukkha", the first of the Four Noble Truths is very usually translated as "suffering". But on the path of practice a more helpful way of understanding this key term might be as "a lack of true happiness". This rendering is supported by the Buddha's reference to Nibbāna, the cessation of dukkha, as "paramam sukham" or "ultimate happiness".

Looking at dukkha as suffering and considering our practice to be a path leading out of suffering can often lead to problems of motivation. It can be difficult to rouse a sense of urgency when we are experiencing wholesome mental states. They are pleasurable and uplifting: it goes against the grain to see them as suffering.

It is a lot easier to understand why the first fruits of Dhamma practice might prevent us from realising the highest fruit. We can still appreciate the beauty of wholesome mental states. But, at the same time, we can acknowledge that the joy of wholesomeness is just a dim reflection of the supreme happiness of Nibbāna. We can recognize the inherent limitations of conditioned happiness, even the most pure, and use it as a spur to further efforts. Doing so, the Buddha once said, was a key factor in his own enlightenment.

Ajahn Jayasāro
30/5/23
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sequeller
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Today is Visakha Puja, the day on which we commemorate the birth, enlightenment and passing from this world of the Buddha.

Of these three momentous occasions, we give paramount importance to the enlightenment. To Buddhists, it is the most momentous event in world history. By means of his enlightenment the Buddha proved the innate human potential for the cessation of all suffering, and the perfection of purity, wisdom, and conpassion. His achievement revealed that we are not the creatures or the plaything of supernatural forces. We can make our own destiny. The Buddha made it clear that enlightenment is attainable by all human beings, male and female, and of all social classes.

But it is by no means an easy task. Buddhist enlightenment can only be achieved through the Noble Eightfold Path, a profound, systematic and comprehensive education of every aspect of our life, inner and outer. Fortunately for us, the Buddha spent the forty five years of his life after his enlightenment tirelessly expounding the fine details of this path of education. For this reason, a lineage of enlightened disciples was established and survives to this day, proving the timelessness of the teachings.

"Arahaṃ sammāsambuddho bhagavā
Buddhaṃ bhagavataṃ abhivādemi"

"The Lord, the Perfectly Enlightened and Blessed One.
I render homage to the Buddha, the Blessed One"

Ajahn Jayasāro
3/6/23
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sequeller
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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The other day i was asked about the Vinaya the collection of training rules and conventions that constitutes the Buddhist Monastic Code. My questioner thought is sounded very complicated and restricting. In my reply, i compared keeping the monks rules to driving a car. Drivers keep a huge number of rules every time they drive, but don't feel at all oppressed by them. Some rules, like keeping on the right (or left) side of the road are so fundamental as to not seem like rules at all. Others, like signalling when making a turn, have obvious safety value. Still more rules are simply matters of etiquette and politeness.

For experienced monks many rules are such integral parts of our monastic culture and way of life, that they do not feel like rules at all. Others enhance our wellbeing or sharpen our mindfulness. Many are concerned with etiquette and are aimed at maintaining harmony within the Sangha. We feel no more constricted by the Vinaya than a driver does by the Highway Code.

Voluntarily adopting intelligent boundaries for one's actions and speech, and learning how to live within them creates self-respect. It is conducive to an uncluttered mind grounded in the present moment. It contributes to an atmosphere - whether in a monastery, a home or a workplace - of safety, trust, integrity and kindness.

Ajahn Jayasāro
6/6/23
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sequeller
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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When the Japanese Zen Master Bankei passed away, a blind man who lived near his monastery said, "As i cannot watch peoples faces, i must judge their character by the sound of their voices. Usually, when i hear someone congratulate another upon their happiness or success, i also hear a subtle tone of envy. When people express sorrow for the misfortune of another, i often hear within their words a faint pleasure and satisfaction. But in my experience, Master Bankei's voice was always sincere. When he expressed compassion, compassion was all i ever heard"

Look for these subtle feelings that the blind man referred to, even if it feels uncomfortable. If you detect a small pleasure in the pain of even good friends, or a certain displeasure in their happiness or success, it doesn't mean that you are a bad person. These feelings are just normal reactions of an unenlightened mind. But they are also stains on the mind that can and should be washed away by Dhamma practice. Doing so is not easy, but it brings great joy.

Ajahn Jayasāro
10/6/23
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sequeller
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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As a teenager i enjoyed the rituals at football matches. I loved to join in the ritual greeting of out team as they ran onto the pitch, the ritual songs in praise of our favourite players, and the ritual abuse of the referee when he made (what we thought to be) wrong decisions.

As a monk, i have enjoyed rather different kinds of ritual. But Buddhist rituals share some of their most basic benefits with worldly rituals. In a non-rational and emotionally uplifting way they unite all the members of our community. They ground us in our lineage and culture. But Buddhist rituals go beyond the worldly in important ways. They aim at mindfulness rather than mindlessness. They can quickly take the mind out of its usual pre-occupations into heightened states of awareness, a deep joy in the profound significance of the Three Refuges of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Buddhist meditators, especially in the West, can be overly cerebral. Wisely undertaken, rituals can open the heart and redress that imbalance.

Ajahn Jayasāro
13/6/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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We feel ourselves surrounded by unpredictable and uncontrollable change. This provokes fear and anxiety. People adopt different strategies to deal with their unease. Some people try to make themselves so busy, physically and mentally, that they have no time to dwell on deeper matters. It is the idea behind the cartoon characters that can run off the edge of a cliff, but not fall as long as they don't look down. Other people devote themselves single-mindedly to a cause or a dream. Many people distract themselves with alcohol or illegal drugs. Perhaps the most common response is to place faith in a changeless but benevolent supernatural force.

The Buddhist approach is different. The Buddha taught us to study change, to understand its causal nature. When we look more closely within, we can discover the root cause of our fear and anxiety. The culprit is the idea we have of ourselves as a solid, separate, independent entity. In fact, all that can be found is a flow of phenomena with no owner or controller standing behind it. We realise that we are not vulnerable, fragile creatures threatened by change. Our life is simply a particular expression of that same universal change that surrounds us. Seeing this, how could there be fear ?

Ajahn Jayasāro
17/6/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Buddhism teaches us that wisdom expresses itself in behaviour. The more clearly we see ourselves and the world around us the less we mistreat ourselves and others. Virtuous conduct is not only the precursor of wisdom, but also its outcome. The easiest way to evaluate a student's understanding of Buddhism is not through a written test of their intellectual knowledge of Dhamma, but by an examination of their conduct: what they do, what they don't do, and why.

Similarly, meditators cannot assume that profound experiences on the sitting mat are necessarily an indication of long-term progress towards liberation. A more reliable sign would be a growing sense of gratitude and appreciation for all the good things they have received in their lives. Even more importantly, whether meditation has led them to understand the relationship between action, speech and mind to such a degree that they shrink away from the very idea of transgressing any of the five precepts.

Ajahn Jayasāro
20/6/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Here is a very straightforward mental task: be continuously aware for one full minute as you breathe in that you are breathing in, and as you breathe out that you are breathing out. Almost everybody finds this task extremely difficult. But why is that ?

Why can't you just think about the things you want to think about, and not think about the things you don't want to think about. You can decide to keep your hands still in your lap and do it. Why can't you just decide to make your mind still and do that ? Why are you unable to even be sure what your next thought will be ?

Questions like these have important implications. Consider the role your views, opinions and beliefs play in your sense of who you are. Those views, opinions and beliefs may scam solid and substantial, bedrock of your personality and identity. But the mental stuff of which they are composed is thought. And thought is the opposite of solid and substantial. This is one of the reasons why Buddhist meditation can be so world-shaking. It makes you question everything you hold most dear. Including the very you who is asking the questions.

If you are blessed with at least one good friend, if you find joy in generosity and kindness, if you have clear moral boundaries, you can assimilate the discoveries made during meditation. They do not fill you with fear: they feel like a huge weight falling from your shoulders.

Ajahn Jayasāro
24/6/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Good actions, good results; bad actions, bad results. This, in a nutshell, is the law of kamma. It seems straightforward. But without investigation (e.g. what is a good action ? what is a bad action ? what is a good or bad result ? What is the time frame for a result to occur ?) it can be misleading. We will suffer if we assume that when we act well and with a pure intention, only good things should result. Goodness will always threaten and anger some people, and make others jealous. We forget this when being falsely accused of impure, selfish motives we rebel, "It's not fair! It's not right". It's not, in fact, anything other than the way the world is.

On one occasion, a woman called Cinca feigned pregnancy and claimed the Buddha was the father. A certain bhikkhuni accused Ven. Dabba Mallaputta - an arahant since he was seven years old - of rape. A fellow monk accused Ven. Sāriputta of violent conduct.

Even the best of human beings, impeccable in conduct, have sometimes been given a rough ride by the unenlightened beings around them. Why should we be any more entitled to fair play than them ?

Good actions lead to an increase of goodness in our hearts and the world. That increase is the good result that never fails. And it occurs the moment the act is performed.

Ajahn Jayasāro
27/6/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Imagine while driving along a lonely road you see a car crashed into a tree. You park and rush over to see what you can do. As you approach the car you catch sight of the driver, unconscious behind the steering wheal. You become aware of a strong smell of alcohol. You conclude that the driver was almost certainly drunk when he crashed his car. What do you do next ? Do you say to yourself, "Serves him right!", get back in your car and drive off. I don't think you would. I think you would get out your phone and call an ambulance.

The Buddhist response to suffering, whatever its cause, is guided by compassion: "Can i help?" and wisdom: "How best can i help ?". The idea that believing someone to be receiving the fruits of previous actions makes us indifferent to their plight, is false. It seriously misrepresents the Buddha's teaching on volitional action (kamma). Indifference to the suffering of our fellow beings is the perversion of equanimity, not its expression.

Knowing the relationship between alcohol consumption and car accidents is useful! It may help us prevent future accidents. Similarly, knowing the relationship between unwise actions and suffering may help us to prevent such suffering in the future. In the meantime, we do what we can to reduce the suffering already present.

Ajahn Jayasāro
1/7/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Could it be that the American Declaration of Independence was influenced by the Buddha's Four Noble Truths ? In making the "pursuit of happiness" a key "inalienable right" it tacitly accepts that happiness has not yet been attained - i.e. that there id dukkha - but it can and should be searched for. Nobody has a right to happiness but all have a right to pursue it in ways that do not harm others. Buddhists might add that the pursuit of happiness should also not harm the pursuers themselves. They might assert that this ability to avoid harming ourselves is ultimately only possible with an exploration and education of our inner world. After learning how to de-clutter and to stabilise the mind, we need to probe fundamental questions like - What exactly is happiness, anyway ? What is the relationship between long-term happiness and short-term sensual pleasures ? What contribution does generosity play in the pursuit of happiness ? Healthy friendships ? Keeping precepts ? Meditation ? Buddhism is a path of inquiry into the nature of things. Without that inquiry we will always be the blind following the blind.

Ajahn Jayasāro
4/7/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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Mettā meditation techniques start with the easy and gradually proceed to the difficult and challenging. The meditator begins, for example, with radiating metta to themself, followed by those they respect and love, then people they have no particular feelings for. Only when the mind has been strengthered in this way, do they turn to those to whom they feel anger and resentment.

Meditation teachers in the West often comment that whereas oneself may be seen as an obvious starting point for metta in Buddhist cultures, it is not the case amongst their students. Many meditators speak of crippling self-aversion and feelings of unworthiness. In such circumstances, a good alternative may be to begin by spreading metta to a cat or puppy.

Here is anther method: no matter how negative people are about themselves, it is rare to meet anyone who is averse to their own physical organs. So that's where you start. "May my eyes be well! May they be free of cataracts and glaucoma. May they never go blind. May my ears be well! May they never go deaf. May my teeth be well! May my spine be well! May my lung be well! May my kidneys be well!"

You can go through the whole body. Take your time.

The body and mind are intimately connected. When metta is radiated to the various parts of the body, it does not remain confined to the body. It slowly seeps into the feelings that meditators have towards their whole life and who they are. Metta for oneself becomes natural and normal.

Ajahn Jayasāro
8/7/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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A refuge is a place of safety and calm. Whatever the external circumstances may be, a refuge provides us with all that we need to survive and flourish. The Buddha taught that the true refuge is internal and that it is something that we must create for ourselves. On one occasion, he listed ten virtues that contribute to the feeling of inner refuge:

1) Adopting appropriate boundaries for one's actions and speech.
2) Reading, studying widely and in depth.
3) Cultivating good, healthy relationships.
4) Being easy to speak to, open to feedback.
5) Finding ways and developing skills to contribute to the welfare of one's community.
6) Cultivating love for the Dhamma, finding joy in the teachings.
7) Making a steady effort to abandon the unwholesome and develop the wholesome. Diligent, brave, preserving and resilient in one's efforts.
8) Being at peace with and appreciative of the material supports one has acquired through honest endeavour.
9) Developing mindfulness. Knowing how to bear in mind, moment by moment, everything that is most relevant right now to growth in Dhamma.
10) Knowing how to think clearly, how to reflect, how to learn from experience. Seeing things in their true light.

Ajahn Jayasāro
11/7/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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In the Thai Forest Tradition, teachers tend to avoid using technical terms and try to teach the Dhamma in simple down-to-earth language. They sometimes adopt an everyday word or phrase to encapsulate a key teaching in a fresh way. They use it continually for a certain period, and when it becomes stale they find a new one.

In the last years of his teaching career, Ajahn Cha was very fond of the word 'my nae'. The literal meaning of this word is 'not sure'. Applied to future events it might be rendered as 'maybe / maybe not'. Applied to present experience it points to the inherent instability of conditioned phenomena.

By emphasizing the unpredictability of all things, inner and outer, Ajahn Cha introduced a new perspective on the contemplation of impermanence, one that included reference to the other two universal characteristics. All thing that arise pass away, and exactly how and when they do so is inherently unpredictable. It is 'my nae'. There is no guiding deity in control of existence, only a vast, unimaginably complex web of causes and conditions. No constituent of that web can provide a sure refuge. The simple phrase 'my nae' includes within itself aniccā, dukkha and anattā.

Ajahn Jayasāro
15/7/23
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Re: Yellow Page Teachings - Ajahn Jayasāro

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One of the strengths of the monastic order (Sangha) is that its Disciplinary Code (Vinaya) allows for no exemptions. However senior a monk may be, no matter how liberated, he must still keep all the same rules that he did when he first became a monk. Great importance is given to the elders leading by example. This tradition may be traced back to the Buddha himself.

On one occasion, during an inspection tour of monastery lodgings, the Buddha and his attendant, Ven. Ananda, came across a monk suffering from dysentery. The monk was lying on the floor fouled by urine and excrement. When the Buddha asked why none of his fellow monks was nursing him, the monk replied, "Because i do nothing for the Sangha". The Buddha instructed Ven. Ananda washed the monk's body, before lifting him onto his bed.

Later, the Buddha addressed the resident Sangha. "Monks, you have no mother or father who might tend to you. If you do not tend to one another, who will then tend to you ? Monks, whoever would tend to me, should tend to the sick." Thus, the Buddha showed his own willingness to clean urine and excrement from sick monk's body. He also made it clear, that such care and compassion should be shown to all monks without exception. Even to those who might not seem to deserve it.

Ajahn Jayasāro
18/7/23
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