Burlington Buddhist Sangha

In the Ball of Honey Sutta (MN 18), the Buddha stated that the cause of “conflict lies within, in the unskillful habits of the mind, rather than without.” He identified this unskillful habit of the mind as papanca.

The  Pali term papanca does not have direct English equivalent and is often translated as proliferative thinking or conceit of self. This week Denise shared a talk given by Christina Feldman on papanca and how we might work with it while meditating and as we go about our daily lives.

You can listen to Christina’s talk here: https://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/44/talk/14581/

Prior to our sitting, Denise read the first verse of the Dhammapada, as translated by Gil Fronsdal:

All experience is preceded by mind,
Led by mind,
Made by mind.
Speak or act with a corrupted mind,
And suffering follows
As the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox.
All experience is preceded by mind,
Led by mind, Made by mind.
Speak or act with a peaceful mind,
And happiness follows
Like a never-departing shadow.

Dhammapada

Denise also read the following poem to close our gathering:

Forget About Enlightenment
Sit down wherever you are
And listen to the wind singing in your veins.
Feel the love, the longing, the fear in your bones.
Open your heart to who you are, right now,
Not who you would like to be,
Not the saint you are striving to become,
But the being right here before you, inside you, around you.
All of you is holy.
You are already more and less
Than whatever you can know.
Breathe out,
Touch in,
Let go.

John Welwood

 In this time of stress—political, racial, economic, familial, and certainly mental—the Buddha’s teachings are particularly useful, even precious.  Ordained Bhikkhuni Ayya Medhanandi, who directs a Hermitage in Ontario, recently offered a talk titled “When Fear Dies,” in which she presents the Buddha’s teachings on how we can respond to anxiety, fear, impatience or aggression, whether these arise in others or ourselves.  

She states that the “Buddha’s teaching on love – and fear being the absence of love – has become urgent” and that it is more critical than ever that we practice metta within our Sangha, training to carry it out into the wider world, where we can influence our environment toward peace. 

This last Sunday Eveline guided our reflections on how we can practice skillful actions that heal ourselves and others during this acute time of turmoil in our culture and around the world.

The talk is available here: https://dharmaseed.org/talks/audio_player/391/62094.html

Eveline also read from the book Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, by Rev. angel Kyodo williams and Lama Rod Owens. 

What can we learn about our habitual patterns of whiteness so that we do not perpetuate racial harm? This Sunday, Joey utilized a podcast of Sharon Salzberg interviewing Ruth King about her book, Mindful of Race: Transforming Race from the Inside Out.

Joey read some excerpts from King’s book, referencing the Six Hindrances to Racial Harmony.

You can listen to the interview here: https://www.sharonsalzberg.com/metta-hour-podcast-episode-124-mindful-of-race-with-ruth-king/

Other resources mentioned during this week’s Sangha:

• Resmaa Menakem’s book, My Grandmother’s Hands: https://www.resmaa.com/books
• Layla Saad’s 28 day challenge turned workbook: http://laylafsaad.com/meandwhitesupremacy
• Proctor & Gamble ad: The Look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC7lbdD1hq0

Experiences we have and thoughts that we think can trigger strong emotions in our minds and bodies. Some of these feelings can be overwhelming. Paradoxically, these sensations can make it extremely difficult to notice the overwhelm, instead causing us to react in increasingly unskillful ways. In this week’s Sangha, Payton explored the challenging practice of becoming aware of strong emotions and techniques we can use to relate to them skillfully.

We listened to excerpts from a talk by Guy Armstrong entitled Working with Difficult Emotions (2008-11-09 at IMS) which you can listen to here: https://www.dharmaseed.org/teacher/79/talk/4277/

Some notes Payton had from the talk include:

Watch children deal with their emotions. They’re not scared of them. They don’t hold back, and the emotions don’t get stuck. (If trauma doesn’t exist.) This teaches us that we don’t have to get rid of these unwholesome emotions. We just need to be aware that they arise, have their time of expression, and then pass away. They only remain if we resist them or think about them. They can be extremely compelling, but usually what’s compelling about them is the storyline that sustains them, not the emotion itself.

This is the third foundation of mindfulness: Citta discussed in the Satipatthana Sutta. It has to do with the state of mind we are experiencing. Sometimes this state of mind is strongly obvious, but many times it can be strongly coloring our other experiences (body sensations, thoughts, perceptions) but in such a subtle way that we are not even aware of it. Therefore, becoming aware of a coloring emotion, our current Citta, is the first step toward working skillfully with it. Naming it can be extremely helpful, but we don’t even have to have an accurate name for it; even just knowing “there’s something coloring my experience now” can be enough.

Two things need to happen: first there needs to be an attitude shift toward acceptance of the emotional state; second we need to bring greater understanding to these states. We need to see and fully understand how they arise, are sustained, then pass away. When we learn the steps of this ride, it loses its mystery and power.

There are three areas we can examine: how it feels in the body, the mind (notably Vedana and Citta), and the thoughts. Body will always have contraction around a strong emotion. Mind will always have a mental coloring or flavor. These two things seem the same (eg: coffee with milk) but they are separate. The third thing is thoughts: all afflictive emotions are sustained by thinking. Storylines are sustaining the emotion.

There are four primary emotions: Sadness, Desire, Anger, and Fear. Possibly also self-judgement. All these are tied to time that’s in the past and future.

Andrea also brought up the modern psychology concept of the Wheel of Emotions (a much more detailed map than the four listed in the talk), which you can read about here: https://positivepsychology.com/emotion-wheel/

Refuge is a central concept in the path of liberation. Today Zac focused on the experience of refuge through personal experience and an exploration of teachings.

The talk we listened to was an excerpt from an audio book called “Truly Seeing” by Thich Nhat Hanh. Here’s a link to the audio book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Truly-Seeing-Thich-Nhat-Hanh/dp/1888375396.

The five mindfulness trainings (precepts): https://plumvillage.org/mindfulness-practice/the-5-mindfulness-trainings/

Araka’s Teaching: https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.070.than.html

Thich Nhat Hanh on Taking Refuge: https://plumvillage.org/extended-mindfulness-practises/#taking-refuge

Zac read two quotes, excerpted below, from Jack Kornfield’s “The Wise Heart”, both found here: https://jackkornfield.com/finding-refuge-part-two/

“We take refuge in the Buddha, but what is this Buddha?  When we see with the eye of wisdom, we know that the Buddha is timeless, unborn, unrelated to any body, any history, any place.  Buddha is the ground of all being, the realization of the truth of the unmoving mind.  So the Buddha was not enlightened in India.  In fact he was never enlightened, was never born, and never died. This timeless Buddha is our true home, our abiding place.” 

Ajahn Chah, from The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield

“Your true nature is something never lost to you, even in moments of delusion, nor is it gained at the moment of enlightenment.  It is the nature of your own mind, the source of all things, your original luminous brilliance.  You, the richest person in the world, have been going around laboring and begging, when all the while the treasure you seek is within you.  It is who you are.”

Huang Po (1^st century Chinese zen master), from The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield

Lama Rod Owens: Trust, Refuge, & Gratitude: https://wanderlust.com/journal/lama-rod-owens-trust-refuge-and-gratitude/

Finally, Zac is teaching a retreat for teens and young adults August 3 – 7: https://ibme.com/register/youth/online-teen-retreat-east-august/. If you could help spread the word, that would be awesome!

If you know any teens or young adults who could use some heart-centered connection and community that’s based in awareness and kindness and some tools to cope with all the craziness right now, check this out.

Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme) is a nonprofit organization offering mindfulness retreats for young adults (ages 15 -25) across the country. Our programs introduce teens to mindfulness through guided meditation, mindful movement, small group discussions, and creative activities. We have full and partial scholarships available, and no teen has ever been turned away for lack of funds. 

What benefits do teens receive from the retreats? 

• Learn how to focus in, calm your mind, and let go of distractions 
• Deepen your understanding of emotions and develop skills for navigating them 
• Develop listening, speaking, and relational skills in an authentic, supportive community 
• Connect with the best inside yourself and others. Get away. Turn off your phone. Step back into yourself 

Check out this video (under 2 minutes) which has multiple teen retreat alumni sharing how iBme has helped them. 

Jack Kornfield, founder of Spirit Rock meditation center and one of the principal bringers of vipassana meditation to the west, once found himself having to explain, at length, to the Dalai Lama how it could be that, in the West, an individual could not like himself, could find herself unworthy of others’ love, or could stumble at the first step of the metta meditation as it is taught here: “May I be happy, may I be free of suffering, may I find contentment and ease.”

There may be many explanations for why this is such a widespread phenomenon, but rather than looking to the causes, Lama John Makransky has spent years of deep study in buddhism and psychology finding a way of opening us up to a non-egoic path to self love.  And even if we are at ease with the metta meditation, and not caught in self-deprecation, this can bring us real benefit.  

Michael A guides our reflections this Sunday, utilizing Lama John’s guided meditations, designed to open this aspect of the whole person.

The materials on which this Sunday’s presentation is based can be found on the website of the Foundation for Active Compassion.

Lama John Makransky’s framing talk and guided meditation are contained within the first session of a seven-week course he gave at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, spring/summer 2020.
https://foundationforactivecompassion.org/media/watch/a-secure-core-of-compassion-and-awareness-for-insecure-times/

The introductory frame and guided meditation are from 4:52 to 39:00 and Makransky’s follow-up review/reflection continues to 49:00.

Lama John also refers to printed instructions which can help recall the details of practice for this and subsequent meditations. Those instructions of the various phases and varieties of this meditative tradition can be found here:
https://foundationforactivecompassion.org/media/read/meditations-of-sustainable-compassion-and-wisdom/

At the bottom of the frame is a downloadable practice guide for the entire path of this practice. Read the tips at the end of the practice guide, and then take it slow, cultivating a thorough practice.

Today we have available a wide range of sitting meditation practices. Although what each practice emphasizes may vary, they usually begin with the instruction to take one’s seat and assume one’s meditation posture:  we begin by tuning into our bodies. This past Sunday, Denise guided our practice, taking us deeper than we may be accustomed to going into this fundamental basis of practice.  

Denise writes, “I was recently reintroduced to the power of establishing and maintaining a stable yet dynamic posture as a central part of meditation practice using Will Johnson’s guide The Posture of Meditation (1996). Focusing on posture as the central focus of meditation was a powerful experience and I realized it was time to revisit some of the ‘basics'”.

The posture of meditation exercise Denise led closely followed one guided by Sunada Takaga, who is an order member in the Triratna Buddhist community. Takaga led this meditation on retreat for women who have asked to be ordained. You can listen to this practice here. The actual exercise begins at about 11:00 minutes into the recording.

Denise also read from the poem “Clearing”, by Martha Postlewaite.

Finally, a poem by Tsongkhapa:

The Human Body at Peace with Itself

The human body, at peace with itself,
Is more precious than the rarest gem.
Cherish your body – it is yours this time only.
The human form is won with difficulty,
It is easy to lose.
All worldly things are brief,
Like lightning in the sky;
This life you must know
As the tiny splash of a raindrop;
A thing of beauty that disappears
Even as it comes into being.
Therefore set your goal;
Make use of every day and night
To achieve it.

from: ‘Readings From The Refuge Tree of the Western Buddhist Order’ – compiled an edited by Lokabandhu and Cittapala.

This Sunday’s sangha continued our dialog on the important theme of race which has been a deep topic of the past few weeks. Jeff H shared a recent talk by Tara Brach titled “A Courageous Presence with Racism.”

Jeff says,

The topic is important to me. I have black family members and coworkers about whom I care, but have not taken personal action to end racism and heal America. I thought that it was enough to just not be a racist. I am ready to take action in the hope that my 9-year-old nephew may have a brighter future than he would under the status quo. It is important for me as a practitioner and member of the Sangha to do the inner work necessary to take skillful action. Together we stand a better chance of getting it “more right” so I welcome the continued dialog.

The link to the Tara Brach talk is here: https://dharmaseed.org/teacher/175/talk/62054/

A recent reading list of books on issues of race: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/06/a-reading-list-on-issues-of-race/

A short piece written by a white man with black family members: “Dear White People: 6 Guidelines for Impactful Actions in Support of the Black Community”: https://www.jediheart.com/blog-posts/dear-white-people-6-guidelines-for-impactful-actions-in-support-of-the-black-community

Jeffrey followed Mike B.’s presentation of Reverend angel Kyodo williams’ talk on the theme of Practice, Justice, and Social Change with a continued focus on racial justice and the experience of being white. We watched the video Color of Fear, in which a multi-racial group of men confront a white man’s blindness to his own racial identity and its impact on them. 

Full Color of Fear Video link (1:20)

Jeffrey’s much shorter edited version. (44 min.)

Rev. Williams states, 

“The necessary bias that the [white supremacist] system requires in order to be perpetuated has permeated our sanghas—our spiritual communities—and in this very moment, we are called to put aside business as usual.”

https://library.angelkyodowilliams.com/social-justice-buddhism-excerpt-from-radical-dharma-w-omega/

Williams believes that one cannot get Awakened without getting “Woke”, that is, understanding the social and historical roots and mechanisms of white supremacy. 

How do we Get Woke around the ways that white supremacy conditions, infects, permeates our practices, structure, ways of understanding, ways of communicating here, in this place? This space, this sangha? 

Discussion largely centered around the video.

More Resources

• NYT article on reparations (from Ginny)
• Reminder: Mike B. posted Essex teen Tilly Krishna’s 30-Day calendar of personal acts of anti-racism
• Dismantling Racism article (from Ginny) (Jeffrey: I just read this, it’s amazing! Highly relevant to the challenge implied in Rev. Williams’s quote above)  

The minds and hearts of most people these days are filled with feelings and ideas about how we can find our way to a more just society. Yet trying to deal with the problems themselves is often quite difficult, unless we have a deeper source of wisdom to draw upon than those that are circulating in public discourse. This morning, Mike B. explored these thoughts along with a recorded interview with Zen teacher and activist angel Kyodo williams.

The interview is available here: https://onbeing.org/programs/angel-kyodo-williams-the-world-is-our-field-of-practice/

Other links shared during our very lively discussion include:

• Seven Day’s article on Tilly Krishna’s calendar: https://www.sevendaysvt.com/vermont/essex-teen-creates-30-day-anti-racism-challenge/Content?oid=30566483
• White privilege article Margaret mentioned: https://psychology.umbc.edu/files/2016/10/White-Privilege_McIntosh-1989.pdf
• Link from Ginny on actions white people can take in this moment:  https://www.jediheart.com/blog-posts/dear-white-people-6-guidelines-for-impactful-actions-in-support-of-the-black-community
• The “fingers of white privilege” video that Margaret shared: https://www.tiktok.com/@allisonholkerboss/video/6833184953233149190?lang=en
• A little reflection by Chas Dicapua that Margaret referred to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8A3Ts83Yaw&pbjreload=101