“Water, if you don’t stir it, will become clear of mud;
The mind, left unaltered, will find its own natural peace.”
~ Buddha
This morning’s sitting was a challenge. My mind was all over the place, and refused to settle down.
I finally got up, warmed my coffee, and gave it another shot ….
Over the years, through persistent mindfulness practice, I’ve come to understand what makes my mind muddy. And I recall the very first time I engaged in mindfulness. I’d just started reading Bhante Gunaratana’s “Mindfulness in Plain English”. I was vacuuming in the villa, and had been watching my thoughts for quite a while. When I realized “Oh, this is mindfulness!” … I was shocked to find what my mind was saying to itself.
It is said that when the great master, Buddha himself, was asked to summarize his teaching, he said this:
The non-doing of any evil,
the performance of what’s skillful,
the cleansing of one’s own mind:
this is the teaching of the Awakened One.
The Buddha, Patanjoli and Christ all provide us clear cut instructions on how to live an ethical life. And their teachings are very similar. The Buddhist and Yogic paths have always been a bit easier for me to grasp, as I don’t believe in a judgmental God. It is us, mind, and our interpretations of our own actions, our beliefs which we cling to, that cause us suffering, in life and upon death.
There are certain things we simply shouldn’t do, or these things will absolutely stir up the mind and cause us unease. They are best to be avoided …. Otherwise, we can never reach an enlightened state, samadhi, or even an enjoyable sunrise sitting for that matter 😉
In his Noble Eightfold Path to Enlightenment, Buddha summarizes ethics into three principles:
- Right Speech (not to engage in false, slanderous, harsh or idle speech)
- Right Action (not to engage in killing, stealing, or sexual misconduct)
- Right Livelihood (never to trade or deal in weapons, living beings, meat production, poison, or intoxicants)
In his Yoga Sutra – Chapter 2 Path to Realization, Patanjoli lists out the first two limbs of Yoga. These universal truths, transcend birth, place, era or circumstance, and constitute the great vow of Yoga. As a Yogi, I take my yogic vows very seriously. I keep a copy in my calendar, and I look at them every day.
Yamas – Restraints
- Ahimsa: Non Harming (compassion for all living things)
- Satya: Non Lying (commitment to truthfulness)
- Asteya: Non Stealing (to not take what isn’t given)
- Brahmacharya: Sense Control (celibacy or mindful use of sexuality)
- Aparigraha: Non Hoarding (letting go of greed and attachments, charity)
Niyamas – Observances
- Soucha: Cleanliness (inner and outer purity)
- Santosha: Contentment (modesty, happiness with what we have)
- Tapas: Zeal (disciplined use of our senses – the burning off of desire)
- Svadyaya: Self-Study (self reflection and awareness)
- Ishvara Pranidhana: Surrender to the Divine (lay actions at the feet of God)
Over time, with mindfulness, if we keep referring back to these basic instructions, we will see when we fall off the path. And we will see that which creates suffering. The mind begins to learn that it doesn’t like suffering, and slowly over time, we engage in actions which create less and less strife. For example, we say harsh words to someone, they feel the pain, but we too feel the pain, and the mind will rehash it over and over. Best to use Tapas, keep the words in. Engage in right speech.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought:
It is founded on our thoughts,
It is made up of our thoughts.
If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought,
pain follows him, as the wheel follows the foot of the ox that draws the carriage.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought:
It is founded on our thoughts,
It is made up of our thoughts.
If a man speaks or acts with pure thought,
Happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves.
~ Buddha’s Dhammapada Verses 1 and 2
This is the way of the Buddha and the Yogi. Ahimsa. Non-Harming.
