My metta practise started with teachings by Bhante Sujato about the technique taught by Ajahn Maha Chatchai. This includes developing metta to oneself, a loved person, a neutral person, and a disliked person, and from there go to the radiation of metta to all directions, developing the metta nimitta and eventually the jhanas. I did this practise quite intensely for some time, and now am more varying with other types of meditation. But the feeling of metta as I learned to develop with this particular technique is usually pervading whatever kind of meditation I am doing.
Sure, I remember the posts you mention here. This is about Galadriel and Lothlorien which to my understanding are not part of star wars.
From the context I understood LOTR being a star wars figure, therefore my perplexity.
But probably thatâs just another deficiency of knowledge on my part⊠apologies for my humble stupidity!
No worries, it will be part of your training at Tilorien!
There will be a terrifying exam before your samaneri ordinationâŠ
Looking forward to that oneâŠ
All this discussion about LOTR on the thread⊠I couldnât get it out of my head! I had to do some doodle therapy, and the outcome is:
The fellowship and the mountain ring of Magadha!
featuring counterclockwise: Bhikkhunis Khema, Uppalavanna, Mahapajapati, Bhikkhus Moggallana, Sariputta, Ananda and the Buddha. And Mara on the left side
Sorry for the confusion @sabbamitta I was just illustrating my lack of scifi and fantasy knowledge. A rather confusing change of subject.
Ven. @yodha I havenât had a chance to share your doodles with kids yet but I check this thread every morning at 4.30am before puja and meditation for my happy Dhamma doodle boost.
(in reference to peopled out doodle in msg 126)
viveka nissitam, / seclusion is necessary!
viraga nissitam, / dis-passion is necessary
nirodha nissitam / cessation is necessary
vossagga-parinamim / release (it ) culminates in
People are attached to people;
People are dependent on people;
People are hurt by people;
And people hurt people.Whatâs the point of people,
Or the things people make?
Go, leave these people,
Whoâve hurt so many people.
Thag 2.15
I love this translation by Bhante Sujato!
Did you pick your name from that gatha?
Sort of. But not me.
I asked Bhante @sujato for a Pali name, and thatâs what he came up with (including the gatha).
Edit: Ayya @Vimala actually contributed the âMittaâ bit, and then Bhante came up with the rest of it.
It has an interesting (false) contradiction. The gatha talks of distancing from people but the name of the gatha is Sabbamitta, which means âfriendly with everyoneâ. One distances, and is not attached, precisely because of having loving-kindness. Friendships waxes and wane and need to be handled with much mindfulness and caring. Avoiding conflict oneâs dwelling is in metta- when associating up close, friendship should be tempered with equanimity (upekkha). Fewer relationships, equals samadhi protected.
With metta
Hello Linda, hereâs the Upakkilesa Sutta, part 2. It looks a bit like a mandalaâŠ
MN 128
âWhen, Anuruddha, I understood that doubt is an imperfection of themind and had abandoned doubt, an imperfection of the mind; when I understood that inattention is an imperfection of the mind and had abandoned inattention⊠abandoned sloth and torporâŠabandoned fearâŠabandoned elation⊠abandoned inertiaâŠabandoned excess of energy⊠abandoned deficiency of energyâŠabandoned longingâŠabandoned perception of diversityâŠabandoned excessive meditation upon forms, an imperfection of the mind; then I thought: âI have abandoned those imperfections of the mind. Let me now develop concentration in three ways.â
âThereupon, Anuruddha, I developed concentration with applied thought and sustained thought; I developed concentration without applied thought but with sustained thought only; I developed concentration without applied thought and without sustained thought; I developed concentration with rapture; I developed concentration without rapture; I developed concentration accompanied by enjoyment; I developed concentration accompanied by equanimity.
Kay, here you go!
Ud 1.10
In that case, BÄhiya, you should train yourself thus: In what is seen there must be only what is seen, in what is heard there must be only what is heard, in what is sensed there must be only what is sensed, in what is cognized there must be only what is cognized. This is the way, BÄhiya, you should train yourself.
âAnd since for you, BÄhiya, in what is seen there will be only what is seen, in what is heard there will be only what is heard, in what is sensed there will be only what is sensed, in what is cognized there will be only what is cognized, therefore, BÄhiya, you will not be with that; and since, BÄhiya, you will not be with that, therefore, BÄhiya, you will not be in that; and since, BÄhiya, you will not be in that, therefore, BÄhiya, you will not be here or hereafter or in between the twoâjust this is the end of suffering.â
May I also utter a request? This one is a bit less abstract.
I love similes, and this is one of my favourite ones:
âJust as, when it is raining and the rain pours down in thick droplets on a mountaintop, the water flows down along the slope and fills the clefts, gullies, and creeks;
these, becoming full, fill up the pools;
these, becoming full, fill up the lakes;
these, becoming full, fill up the streams;
these, becoming full, fill up the rivers;
and these, becoming full, fill up the great ocean;
thus there is nutriment for the great ocean, and in this way it becomes full.Thus associating with good persons, becoming full, fills up hearing the good Dhamma.
Hearing the good Dhamma, becoming full, fills up faith.
Faith, becoming full, fills up careful attention.
Careful attention, becoming full, fills up mindfulness and clear comprehension.
Mindfulness and clear comprehension, becoming full, fill up restraint of the sense faculties.
Restraint of the sense faculties, becoming full, fills up the three kinds of good conduct.
The three kinds of good conduct, becoming full, fill up the four establishments of mindfulness.
The four establishments of mindfulness, becoming full, fill up the seven factors of enlightenment.
The seven factors of enlightenment, becoming full, fill up true knowledge and liberation.
Thus there is nutriment for true knowledge and liberation, and in this way they become full.â
AN 10.61
Sure, @Sabbamitta, that shouldnât be too difficult. But please bear with me for a while because there are quite a few doodles in the pipeline⊠Ayya Vimala has also made a request, and I still donât have any inspiration for Bhante @Subharoâs heaven realm doodle.
The best I could do are the rainbows and stars of the âHeavenly beings visitâ doodle in post 25.
My vision of a heaven realm is just this:
Still in search of what is wholesome, seeking the supreme state of sublime peace, I wandered by stages through the Magadhan country until eventually I arrived at UruvelÄ, at SenÄnigama. There I saw an agreeable piece of ground, a delightful grove with a clear-flowing river with pleasant, smooth banks and nearby a village for alms resort. I considered: âThis is an agreeable piece of ground, this is a delightful grove with a clear-flowing river with pleasant, smooth banks and nearby a village for alms resort. This will serve for the striving of a clans(wo)man intent on striving.â (MN 26)
Provided there are no vicious insects and mosquitoesâŠ
So that would make quite a boring heaven realm. No flying bhikkhu(ni)s, no miracles, no refined sensual pleasuresâŠ
Could people post their ideas of heaven realms here? Maybe Iâll get some inspiration!
Oh, another one of my favorite passages. thanks for suggesting this @sabbamitta. Looking forward to @yodhaâs âdoodleâ
@yodha Well, Iâm not much help as my idea of a heavenly realm is also similar to MN 26. Another good description is in Mahakassapaâs verses 1062â1070 in the Thag 18.1.
No rush, Ven. @yodha, with the AN 10.61 doodle!
As for the heavenly realms: How if the doodle could somehow represent Sakkha and his heavenly musician Pañcasikha and the love song the latter presents to the Buddha? See for reference here:
Or find some inspiration here:
Rainbows & stars are of course always great!