The 3 LIGHTS of the Heart
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This universe is made of the 6 Worlds of Samsara, with its Devas and Maras, it is based both on the 4 elements, originated from the nothingness, and on changement, that is why everything can be clearly seen just as an illusion, not real because without a self and always born from causes or conditions, only taking to Delusion or Dukkha.
This universe, where the Truth or Dhamma is so rare to appear, it is a prison made by the own Ignorance and by the cravings coming from it, that only take to the Delusion of the expectations for any type of ‘own’ happiness.
In this universe there are 3 LIGHTS, not born from causes or conditions and never changing nor finishing :
1st Loving Kindness or Metta, taking to unity and to overcome division or any difference through purity of Heart
2nd Wisdom or Panna of the Heart , the one that, when rightly trained, can defeat Ignorance, overcoming in this way the 6 lower Worlds of Samsara for reaching one of the 4 Higher Worlds or Nibbana.
3rd the Dhamma, also called the only never changing Law of this universe, saying : “everything changes”, where Impermanence or Anicca and Not-Self or Anatta can be found.
Because the Self cannot be found in anything inside this universe, any idea of Self is an illusion, since only and always based on both Dependent Origination or Karma and on continuous changement.
Once the Self is understood as untrue, then the Not-Self can be discerned and used to overcome samsara through its unchanging Law and Truth, i.e. the Dhamma, that is only available when a Buddha appears and during His Dhamma-Wheel turning.
This is my humble view of illusion and of reality…
With Mudita i hope it may help others too, above all in taking the right decision and follow the only 3 real things in this universe.
ENLIGHTMENT…
&
The 10 WAYS for achieving it…
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There are 10 worlds or planes of existence, the first 6 are in samsara, while the other 4 are above it and without rebirth, that is why they are also called the deathless.
How can one get to those 4 upper worlds void of any suffering caused by rebirth ?
From my humble understanding there are different possibilities, according to each one’s nature and/or karma and/or right view/effort/resolve :
1. Listening to a Dhamma talk on the 4 Noble Truths (Stream-Entry)
2. Understanding the Dhamma through the right evaluation of Anatta (Dhamma-Eye)
3. Training rightly in the 4 foundations of mindfulness (Samadhi-Bhavana)
4. Using right discernment of the Dhamma, i.e. : Sampajanna (Khippabinna)
5. Achieving any of the 4 Noble States through absorption or the liberation of heart (Brahmavihara-Bhavana)
6. Right resolve/resolution concerning the future, both in human life as wife/son of a next Buddha for example or willingly choosing one of the upper worlds destinations (i.e. : Arahant, Bodhisattva, Buddha)
7. Visiting Thusita and choosing it as next destination after the present human existence (Bodhisattva)
8. Hiding from karma by its understanding/seed and by the right handling of intentions, in order not to be seen anymore by both Mara and Yama after human death (being Astute)
9. Empathy based on gratitude, kind love and compassion, opening the gates of the spiritual path (Monks & Savakas)
10. Boundless love, overcoming duality and any conceit linked to a self (Pacekkabuddhas)
In my very limited knowledge, each one of the above 10 WAYS is valid/effective for ending forever the suffering of Samsara.
The only difference is the time needed in achieving the goal, if in the present exsistence or if more rebirths are needed.
Anyone seeing & wishing to end the suffering of Samara, should choose the one matching more his own nature, in order to step on ‘the path of the unshakable happiness’. 🙏✨🙏
There are 3 purposes for Samadhi-Bhavana or MEDITATION :
1st
to gain direct experience (Panna) of each Element (Dhatu) as one & the same and limitless & timeless through Absorptions on the 4 Brahmavihara, on the 4 Rupa and on the 4 Arupa Jahnas, with the 5th one as ‘Cessation’;
2nd
to overcome the 3 Tanha linked to sensations & thoughts, doubts & fears, conceit & consciousness, through their right evaluation according to the Dhamma (Vipassana), taking to the relevant disenchantment & dispassion for them because seen as changing or as conditioned (Dukkha);
3rd
another valid reason, that probably not many can fully understand, is visiting Thusita in Samadhi, in order to make it become next destination after death (Bodhisattvas or Sammasambuddha Path).
Any other Element or Plane of existence should be considered irrilevant for the achievemt of the final goal or even a danger, since taking time & effort away from what it is really needed for ending the suffering of Samsara forever. 🙏❤️🙏
Started uploading some practice vlogs to Youtube. Spending some time walking and sitting in the woods behind my house. Feel free to check them out if you’re interested.
Normally, people will allow their happiness to depend on a whole lot of conditions.
And the more you think about those conditions, the more you realize that they’re totally beyond your control: the economy, the climate, the political situation, the continued beating of certain hearts, the stability of the ground beneath your feet, all of which are very uncertain.
So what do you do?
You learn to look inside. Try to create a sense of wellbeing that can come simply with being with the breath.
Even though this isn’t the total cure, it’s the path toward the cure.”
~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu “Fears” Meditations1
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Good question, let me evaluate it too and share it with others…
Having discerned any wordly happiness as changing with delusion and depending on conditions based on ignorance…
How can I cling to it ? How can i crave for it ? How can i consider it real ?
Happiness is not different from suffering, both give results involving the 6 senses and they can be both perceived as pleasing or unpleasing, it only depends on the individual view or habit and on the clinging to it as a craving.
However, worldly suffering is felt as real by most and it affects many in different ways, unless the mind is duly trained with aware mindfulness and discernment based on right evaluation.
Then, most do not know how to train or are not in the conditions to understand and suffering becomes the main problem in their life.
Understanding the nature of suffering, it also means to see its root, that is ignorance, and how it affects us and others around us.
Once the root is understood, then Metta and Karuna become the eyes looking at the living beings in the world, resulting in the uprooting of greed and hatred too.
And when the wisdom born from mindful evaluation increases, then discernment takes to see the real happiness, totally void of conceit and craving, i.e. Mudita…
Mudita has different intensity or levels : the 1st is to see others happy or not suffering; the 2nd is to see that others ask questions about suffering or about the spiritual path for the sake of understanding; the 3rd is to know about anyone putting effort in the training of taming their mind; the 4th and higher is when others get any better understanding of the Dhamma or, even better, when attaining any spiritual goal on the Noble Path.
Mudita does not depend on conditions, it is not a craving, there is nothing to cling to, it is void of self and conceit, its nature never changes, it is simply the pure eternal happiness that everyone should look for, because it is outside of kamma and of becoming.
A stream-winner, also known as a sotāpanna, knows what is wholesome (kusala) and what is unwholesome (akusala). They know the method of practice through and through. Because of this clarity, they no longer experience skeptical doubt (vicikicchā) regarding what needs to be done to achieve full liberation. There’s no anxiety about the future because their confidence—rooted in direct experience—assures them that they can face whatever arises in this life. It’s impossible for them to fall into the hellish states you might fear encountering.
If you do encounter such states, it’s a sign that your practice is off track. The practice of the Buddha’s sāsana is wholesome at the start, the middle, and the end. Missteps indicate a lack of understanding between kusala and akusala. It means you are still wrestling with skeptical doubt about the correct method, and perhaps holding the view (or belief) that transformation isn’t possible in this very moment, regardless of the circumstances you face. This attachment to strong opinions or personality (sakkāya-diṭṭhi) can also lead to reliance on rites and rituals (sīlabbata-parāmāsa), hoping they might protect you from some imagined future suffering. This is magical thinking, which has no place in the practice of the Buddha’s path—often referred to as Buddhology, the science of awakening. The Buddha’s teachings are the cure for magical thinking, or superstitious beliefs, what we might call Sleepology, the science of being asleep.
If you are still searching for guidance, know that books and beliefs won’t provide the answers. Worldly knowledge, rites, and rituals won’t lead to awakening either. Instead, I encourage you to stop worrying about labels and titles and instead focus on associating with nobles. This association is an essential factor for attaining the path and fruit of stream-winning. And remember, the most important text you can study is the one between your ears.
The truth is we are all still little children of this mysterious thing we call ‘Nature.’
We are trying our best, given the information we have so far through our unique individual experience. If we can recognise that fundamental innocence within ourselves, within all beings, we are coming to relinquish blame of rights and wrongs. So what will this result in? Friendliness, compassion and quite a bit of joy. We can say forgiveness is more of a wise attitude we have even when we see others people hurting each other, trying to hurt us, and even when we ignorantly do so as they ignorantly do so.
Hell I don’t know! That’s okay. And I’m okay with you, brother, sister, you don’t know and you are confused as much as me and I celebrate your clarity. I know deep down we both want to be free, we want to be truly happy beyond any bounds we have and continue to sin and make our mistakes and errors, thats OK, may we together in this learning process learn to hold to truth, value truth, give it all up for the truth for our own good sake.
Thanksgiving to all beings who have made our way easier.
When we talk about “concentration” within the context of meditation practice, the term isn’t quite right for us English speakers. A more accurate way to describe this might be “repeating,” where we repeatedly apply the mind to an object and sustain the mind on an object. This process is “applied and sustained thought” (vitakka and vicāra), two qualities found in the first jhāna. The other three qualities of the first jhāna are best talked about in English as something like “success” (pīti), “satisfaction” (sukkha, the opposite of dukkha or “dissatisfaction”), and “going at once to the object”, doing this “in one go”, directly (ekaggatā).
The word “concentration” in English tends to suggest a kind of reduction or division, think of concentrated orange juice, where the water is removed. No one drinks concentrated orange juice straight from the package though; they add water back to make it whole once again. Similarly, in meditation practice, what we call “concentration” could be better understood and talked about as repeatedly “collecting” or “calming” the activities of the body and the mind.
Personally, I refer to samatha as “stopping.”
Samādhi, often translated as “concentration”, is more about the unification of the mind—a gathering together of scattered activities into a cohesive whole. It doesn’t fully arise until the second jhāna, when applied and sustained thought cease. So instead of thinking of samādhi as a “concentrated” or “one-pointed” mind, it’s more helpful to think of it as a “collected” or “unified” mind.
This understanding also frees us from the pressure to focus on nostrils, count breaths, or chase a “peak meditation experience” in hopes of achieving some grand cessation of experience and earning a fancy title. Some people don’t like hearing this and may cling to their rituals or techniques, pretending they didn’t hear it at all.
On a related note, it’s not easy to make a living by teaching to practice this way. It doesn’t lend itself to selling books or hosting retreats because if you learn to solve your own problems, you won’t need to follow a guru or buy the next $19.99 miracle technique. Perhaps this is why effective teachings are shared between friends rather than sold in the marketplace. But I digress…
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: dissatisfaction and the end of dissatisfaction—that’s all there is to it. It’s simple. Dissatisfaction is duality. Step out of it, right here and right now, and there’s nothing more to do. When the mind is free from dissatisfaction, the work is done, and life unfolds naturally.
If you find yourself slipping back into dissatisfaction (as we often do, we could even call it a bad habit), it’s a wake-up call. Take a look at your state of mind (your attitude) and make a change. Shift from an unwholesome mental state of dissatisfaction to a wholesome state of satisfaction, and then congratulate yourself for doing so.
This is one’s right noble effort.
“Lather, rinse, repeat.” When adventitious defilements arise in the mind, clean them out immediately. The Dhamma is everywhere, even on your shampoo bottle, if you’re paying attention.
Once the mind is free from the five hindrances, it’s fit for work. What work? The work of seeing clearly (vipassanā) the true nature of things. Stopping (samatha) and seeing (vipassanā) are not separate; they are two parts of the same path (or “method”). A mind burdened by hindrances can’t see clearly—by definition, it’s hindered!
So, remember to stop chasing stories and see reality for what it is, as often as you can. This is the essence of correct practice. It’s why you’ll hear people say, “the first jhāna is the path”—if you’re associating with good friends who practice effectively and understand the way.
This brings us to the importance of good friends. After his awakening, the Buddha didn’t write books or establish retreats; he built a community of practitioners. Through effective practice, this community transmits the Buddha’s teachings with minimal distortion, ensuring the door to liberation remains open for all who seek it.
For two and a half thousand years the teachings of the Buddha have been passed on from
teacher to student, shared between friends, and passed on from generation to generation.
This has been done in community, out of enthusiasm, compassion, and generosity.
These teachings and their potential for profound transformation, both personal and
collective, are now starting to take root globally.
At this pivotal moment, we are confronted with a choice: a choice between allowing
these teachings to become another item in the spiritual marketplace or to keep with
the traditions that have passed these teachings to us and ensure that they are taught
with integrity, effectiveness, and in a spirit of open hearted, enthusiastic generosity.
At Open Sangha Foundation we are creating, nurturing and supporting a community of
practitioners of Buddhadhamma, students and teachers, who are committed to ensuring
these teachings flourish in the 21st Century without succumbing to the market paradigm
and the various hidden barriers built into that system.
So now I Wake up, take a look, make a change.
I stop right here, right now, whatever thing I am doing, I can remember to consciously stop and see: what is happening right now? How do I feel? Which thoughts am I having? Then I enter the doors of the senses, how do my clothes feel on my skin? The feet on the floor? The butt on the chair? Can I take some deep breaths and remind myself how I can feel good with very little, because I believe that is enough, that I have arrived, that there is nothing to do and nowhere to go? I can be alive here and now, I let the chest expand with inhalation and contract with exhalation, such a gift that it is! Feeling safe, secure, wholesome on the inside, and satisfied.
Then first jhāna arises, I come to the state of the plateau, my homebase, the always on time train of the present moment. I let go of the worries, the neediness, the complaining, and the wanting for something more, for something next. Here the fire of the wholesome has started, from a little sparkle of intention, now the logs are on fire and it warms me up, what a joy to nourish it and keep it alive!
I will abide in the wholesome, I will get to know my mind and its mysteries because from here everything looks more clear and the clouds of doubt are far away, blown by the winds of conscious decision. Right effort and awesome thoughts in line, born one after another, from the womb of nourishment and awareness of my sweetest behalf, the one I call when I need to come to understand that this moment is all I have and I will be relaxed and chilled, swimming in an ocean of wholesomeness.
My safe environment is a state of mind that doesn't need boundaries to be protected, that I don't have to put a guard on, that I don't have to defend. It's an expanded light of softness that embraces all there is right here, right now.
Such a delight to abide in first jhāna.
Such a delight to be here and now.
In noble wisdom I trust, and I let myself flow in the stream of the never-ending present moment.
During the summer of 2022, I went to visit Huangmei (黄梅) in Hubei, China, which is apparently famous for two things, its opera (one of the five major Chinese opera styles) and for having the first Chan/Zen monastaries.
It was in hills of Huangmei that the fourth Chan patriarch, Dayi Daoxin (大毉道信), founded what is now referred to as Sizu Si (Fourth Patriarch Temple) in AD624. One of his disciples and Dharma heir, Daman Hongren (大滿弘忍), then went on to found another monastary in the area, Wuzu Si (Fifth Patriarch Temple). They were the first two Chan monastaries to be built and laid the foundation for the growth of Chan.
Anyway, I only knew all of this after reading Bill Porter’s ‘Zen Baggage’. When reading it, I noticed that Huangmei was actually pretty close to my wife’s hometown and it would be a worthwile stop off when going back to see her family (obviously my family would not be interested in going, so I decided to go by myself).
The journey was a pretty eventful one. After getting the train for a few hours, I had to get a taxi to a hotel near Wuzu Si. During the taxi ride, the weather took a turn for the worse with some of the worst thunder storms I’ve ever been trapped in. You could barely see a few metres in front of you and just saw some blurry lights of lorries around us. As we were on a motorway, we couldn’t just stop or get off the road, so had to keep going. The taxi driver was obviously panicking and trying his best to stop both of us from dying in a nasty car accident. We finally made it off the motorway just as the storms died down with a sigh of relief.
As my hotel was near Wuzu Si, I decided to vist there first. My hotel was part of a new holiday village, conveniently built at the bottom of an old path that led straight up to the temple. Luckily, it was an unusually cool day for a Central China summer and after about 20 minutes I arrived. To be honest, once you’ve been to a few temples in China, you’ve been to them all and I’ve been to some more aesthetically pleasing ones than this (and Sizu Si). However, that wasn’t the reason I went to visit. It was more of a pilgrimage to help me understand the history behind my chosen practice and to connect more deeply with it.
If I’m being honest, I don’t buy into the lineage as much as other Chan/Zen practitioners, as there’s obviously a lot of inaccuracies with them. But there was still a special feeling when I was walking around the temple grounds, knowing how many dedicated practitioners have cultivated the Way here. Writing about it now, makes me think of something spoken by Master Jing Hui (who coincidentally was the Head of Sizu Si for a long time)
“Temple” in Chinese is also called “Bodhimandala”, a word somewhat coincidentally similar to the present scientific term, the field of Dharma. Nowadays, there is a term “the magnetic field”, isn’t there? That is, the field of magnetism. This temple, a place where people come with a compassionate Mind, a Mind that seeks for the ultimate truth, and a place where such consciousness is likely to be concentrated, is a field of Dharma. What is consciousness? It is called Avijnapti-rupa, the “non-revealing”. Consciousness is a kind of invisible energy in the sphere of Rupadharma (the phenomenal world). It is this same consciousness that animates our faith and resolution to keep the precepts. It is also a non-revealing energy. If one truly has such faith and resolution, he will then hold on to it, never departing from the precepts because he is always charged by a powerful will. The Temple, or Bodhimandala, we say, is the field of the Dharma where the Sangha and practitioners carry on self-training, become enlightened, and affirm the truth. Among temples, the Yufo (Jade Buddha) temple – built some one hundred and twenty years ago, is perhaps the most recent... Suppose a temple was one thousand two hundred years old, the power of its field would be enormous.
Master Jing Hui – The Gates of Chan Buddhism
As I walked behind the main temple towards an older area, a group of old women were waiting to take advantage of a naive foreigner. One of them pointed me towards something that was apparently worth seeing, so I decided to follow her advice. Then she started following me and soon arrived at a cave area. I went inside and saw that it was an area of worship. She told me to put my hand on a hand imprint for good luck and then started lighting a candle for me. I knew then she was expecting some money from me, so I told her I didn’t want anything and she wasn’t getting any money from me. She then proceeded to beg me, constantly saying “amituofo” and she’s a poor, old woman. I gave in, gave her some money and walked away with a smile on my face as it was a bit of a comical situation.
It was getting towards lunch time and I was feeling hungry. I was looking forward to tasting some of the food in the temple’s vegetarian restaurant. However, my luck was out. I went inside only to be told it had been booked out for a private event, so wasn’t open to the public. I then walked back down to my hotel, stopping off for some reganmian (热干面 hot dry noodles). I rested in the hotel for the rest of the day, learning some Chinese, meditating and watching some terrible TV.
A few photos of Wuzu Si
The next morning, I got up early and wanted to be at Sizu Si early as I knew it would be hotter than the day before. A particularly friendly taxi driver drove me to the other side of the town. I got to the temple gates and walked in to see a builiding site. Seemed like I’d picked the wrong time to visit. Construction in Chinese temples is something that I’m used to seeing though, as they’re all generally expanding and building something. Knowing that I’d come a long way to visit and the taxi I booked wouldn’t be here for a couple of hours, I had to make the most of it. So I walked past the building site at the front of the temple and explored what I could.
The thing that struck me most about Sizu Si, was the amount of photos on the walls, especially the ones with foreigners in them (Bill Porter was in more than one of them). I’d never seen this before in a Chinese temple. There was also a display that had information about the international spread of Chan, which was something they seemed to take pride in.
I knew there were other areas around the temple to visit, but it was getting hotter and I didn’t fancy going too far, so just found a shaded spot to relax until my taxi came, enjoying the countryside landscape.
A few photos of Sizu Si
So, that was my rather uninteresting pilgrimage to Huangmei.
If there’s a me or mine, that’ll cost you a heavy fine. Delighting in the taste of wine? Surely you’ll miss out on the divine. Another candle at the shrine….I think not one goes from gross to fine. Not looking at the above or below instead what is really here, already the Seer. From flame to fire, he who kindles this burns down the world as himself: beware not to be the heir! Not seen or yet known, knowing I haven’t seen or yet known – my seed is safely sown. Wash away sin with nurturing! Uncertain in this could be gain: came to be certain to give up this could be, already in vain.
A desperate desire that one will remain untouched by the winds of the universe is what drives the sails of fear. To be forever untouched by calamity is akin to the search for happiness. It can easily be argued that a false security from our fears is even more sought after than our peace and happiness. Many of us right now are trading our happiness for a sense of false security. In part our societies have been arranged as such in an effort to guarantee our security.
We are willing to live in a prison chained to the wall while making the greatest effort to extend our arms so that we be holding a knife to each other’s throats if it means that we may feel as though we are safe. To live in a society where there is no trust, and everything must be legislated and sustained by force. To arm ourselves even under the nails of our toes. To bring to fruition the most perverted weapons imaginable so that if our safety is violated both throats will not only be slit but there will be no remnants. So that there will never be a conversation had by other beings as to who got the better of the other. To manipulate and abuse each other in an effort to become eternal.
Many of us have succumbed to a sense of desperation. When we have come to realize that this suffering lies in a poor education which leads us towards a deep disgust of ourselves and others will our societies be removed from such a primitive and self-castrating arrangement. There is a proven solution to this fear of security, and it is to keep the Dhamma in our minds and in our hearts. To abandon the notion of a life untouched by traumas. We are born in trauma, and we will die in trauma but we can remain calm and happy through it all. To overcome the world is to overcome all traumas. Our love for each other and the Dhamma will sustain us from everything that we fear. This wisdom and love is true security.
The one that loves everyone, and everything is able to face the most unfortunate and agonizing of situations. Yes, there will be pain however they cannot be moved in a matter that diminishes them as they are empowered by love. They are not weak and submissive their love is the strength of the universe itself. Though the winds of the universe take a path that seems to threaten their security they know that the only security that can be found in existence and outside of it is inside of themselves and their love for others. Though their bodies, possessions, family, friends, nations perish in the material they know that behind every lover, son, daughter, father, mother, and so on there is but one. It is in that love that one becomes eternal.
Though in this life one may fear imprisonment the one that has acquired a true love for themselves and others knows that the only prison that exists is outside of that love. They know that if they cannot provide for their family in the material that their family will be sustained by this universe. They know that their reputations lie only in their love. They understand that all fears are caused in the absence of love. Though they scream in pain as is the natural reaction of their bodies and instincts their minds are pacified by their love. The perfect hedonist finds this to be true and abandons that title.
Hate is what causes the fictional state of perdition and the fear of it not because it be a physical place in our world but because it is something that we have created for ourselves. Many have understood this fictional perdition as such and this hell has been used to abuse, manipulate, extract, and control by those who understand what great fear lies in it.
Hatred is a path that is effortless in its beginnings as it is an impulsivity, but to maintain that hatred one must frantically empty the ocean with the cupped palm of one’s hand. What great strength one has when one allows oneself to be vulnerable in love. To not be sullied by the thoughts of those who do not harness that strength, but instead castrate themselves using hatred as they have mistakenly identified it with strength.
Always remember that we share the power of creation and destruction. We can create and destroy our fears. The good news is that the Dhamma is with us and has always been with us and that a state of fictional perdition in this life is impossible unless one wishes to reside in the absence of love for themselves and others. Laws are imperfect creations of mankind that almost always fail to grasp the simplicity that is any action done in pure love away from ignorance and selfishness has but to agree with the universe.
I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost… I am hopeless. It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter II:
I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again. I can’t believe I am in this same place. But it isn’t my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter III:
I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it there. I still fall in… it’s a habit… but, my eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter IV:
I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
If you’re planning a trip to come to the land of smiles (Thailand), I wrote a brief guide containing information and tips on your travels here. See you here soon! 🙂
