Self Reflection

This is a post from Rebecca's blog Minimalism Made Simple (https://www.minimalismmadesimple.com) Its not Buddhist but its good.

You go through life day by day, just trying to get by an)d achieve your goals. Sometimes it feels like you are never going anywhere. Have you ever considered trying self-reflection? Self-reflection is the act of looking back on your life's work, whether that be good or bad. It's a good way to see just how much you have accomplished or what you need to work on.

The Importance of Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is an important part of growing as a person.It is always important to both be in the present moment, as well as look to the future. However, if we take a brief moment, whether that be at the end of the day, month or year to reflect on our actions, we can take note and be better for the future. Many people just go blindly throughout life, not thinking about what they are doing.This is a recipe for bad habits and failure. These people may put out negativity and not realize it.

They wonder why all these bad things happen to them, and it may be in fact, because of their actions.

On the flip side, you may be doing something right and reap the rewards, but never realize what it was that you did, so you never repeat it ever again.

Practicing self reflection will allow you to get a good idea of your progress and actions in life and to essentially fine-tune how you do things.

The Benefits of Self Reflection

Aside from getting a good idea of what you achieved and how you act as a person, there are several self reflection benefits.

Better Relationships

Any time you are faced with a new relationship or even a conflict, self-reflection can help. You can spend some time looking inwards to asses your situation and make an educated decision based on how you feel about the relationship, and not necessarily in the heat of the moment. This can apply to a love interest, toxic relationships with friends or family members, or building a relationship with an acquaintance or family member.

Greater Sense of Self

Practicing self-reflection or introspection allows you to sit alone with yourself, which many people rarely get the chance to do. It can get quite uncomfortable at times, but this is required for growth. In this reflecting time, you get to silence the outside noise and listen to what YOU want. What your energy levels are, your health status, your passions, everything. Truly knowing one's self gives you a lot of power and a sense of calmness when tackling everyday life.

Stronger Decision Making Skills

Adding on to knowing one's self better through self-reflection, you will find that your ability to make decisions will simplify, as well. When you have a strong sense of self, and truly know your values, you shouldn't hesitate when going to make a decision. The answer should be clear to you. This relieves a lot of questioning and stress for yourself.

15 Ways to Practice Self-Reflection

1. Identify the Important Questions

Think of some questions that you want to ask yourself routinely (daily, weekly, monthly) to use as an assessment for your self-reflection.

Some examples are:

What habits did I achieve this week?

What could I better improve on?

How did I feel overall today?

(Remember that if you have feelings of depression or anxiety, it’s always best to speak with someone. Online Therapy offers helpful tools and resources.)

2. Meditate

You don't have to be perfect with this, it will be uncomfortable at first.But just sit in silence for as long as you can and see how your mind wanders. What are you thinking about? Take note of that and try to focus on your breathing.

3. Journal

Writing in a journal like a diary is a great way to get your thoughts and feelings out.

It is also a great tool to look back on to see any patterns in your habits and thoughts.

4. Do A Writing Exercise

Does your mind feel jumbled with thoughts and decisions?

Simply set a timer for 5-10 minutes and write everything that comes to mind.

Notice any patterns? What thoughts are important and which are fleeting?

Writing exercises are great to get your thoughts out on paper (or computer) to organize them better.

5. Take a Walk In Nature

Being out in nature is shown to improve mood. Get some fresh air and clear your head.

6. Talk to Yourself Out Loud

Sometimes hearing yourself talk out loud can be a great way to have realizations.

Having a conversation with yourself allows you to get your thoughts out and self-reflect.

7. Perform Breathing Exercises

From simple to complex, breathing exercises allow you to steady your heart rate and calm down.

This brings your mind to a calmer place to think more clearly.

8. Read

You don't have to read self-improvement books alone.

Some of my best self-actualizations have come from reading fiction novels. You get a realization of what you enjoy and what you don't.

Reading is truly a form of meditation.

9. Analyze a Past Event

Pick an event that you have certain feelings about. Take a few moments to analyze that particular event.

Why do you feel the way you do about that event?

What did you do well in this particular event? What could you improve upon in the future?

10. Assess What You Are Grateful For

Taking the time at the end of the day to think about what you are grateful for can improve your mood and way of thinking.

Try to think of just three things that you are grateful for at the end of each day.

11. Try a Yoga Class

Being in a calm and relaxing environment like you are when you are in yoga has many benefits.

Some benefits include improved flexibility and better breathing.

In this time, you may find yourself meditating and sifting through your thoughts. The perfect time for some self-reflection.

12. Track Your Feelings

Grab a journal or an app and track your feelings each day.

Do you notice any trends in your moods?

Often seeing why you react to certain stigma brings a sense of peace a realization for why you do what you do.

13. Perform a Self-Check Up

You don't have to visit the doctor's office for this one!

Simply sit down with yourself and assess different areas of your life.

Career, Love-Life, Education, Hobbies, Family, Fitness, etc.

How happy are you with your efforts in each area? What can you start improving on?

(I personally love this Healthy Meal Planner bundle to improve my simple eating goals.)

14. Set Specific Goals

After performing the self-reflection actions above, setting specific goals to achieve can greatly improve your progress.

Where do you want to be mentally and physically in the next 6 months? 3 years? 5 years?

Visualizing these goals helps to make them a reality.

15. Try Counseling

Seeing a counselor or therapist can be a great way to talk about yourself in a professional, non-judgmental setting.

Your counselor will help you dig deeper into who you are and bring on some strong self-reflection.

Examples of Self-Reflection

To put the tips above to good use, I am going to share a few self-reflection examples that you can practice in your everyday life:

• Taking a 30-minute walk in nature once a week.

• Listen to your thoughts and feelings.

• Wake up 30 minutes earlier. Sit down with a cup of coffee and read a book that you are excited about.

• Try sitting in a dark room in silence with your thoughts for just 5 minutes every day. Try to add on time as you go.

• You are feeling a little stressed today. Your mind is jumbled. Set a timer for 5 minutes and write out all of your thoughts.

  Visualizing your to-do list and what you were thinking about made you realize you don't need to stress so much.

• Take the time to assess a particular past event that you keep having dreams about.

  You can find out why that event was stressing you out.

• Think about a particular habit. You are now more aware of this habit in your everyday life and will be improving yourself immediately.

As you can see, self-reflection can be a great way to improve your overall life. By taking some time out of your day to reflect on past events, you will have a better sense of self. This sense of self will allow for things like better relationships and improved decision-making in your everyday life.

Stress will be cut-down and the cluttered thoughts, no more. Pick one or two ways to practice self-reflection and start implementing them into your everyday routine.

Self Reflection

"Know Thyself" 

Self-reflection is crucial for humans to flourish–both on the mundane and on the spiritual path.  Phakchok Rinpoche teaches here in an excerpt from a recent visit to Gomde Austria, making the point that regular reflection is really the deep meaning of mindfulness. Rinpoche asks a question: Do we begin every meditation session by reflecting on our actions and our character? Do we know our own ground?

We’re busy people and have lots of responsibilities and activities, so often we may forget to engage in self-reflection.  But, we may want to look carefully at what we prioritize.  If we don’t make time for self-reflection, we don’t need to apologize–but we should remind ourselves how important this is.  And we should begin our meditation sessions with a few minutes of reflection–don’t leave it to the last thing we do. If we form the habit of checking ourselves, we are actually taking steps toward becoming a bodhisattva, a buddha.

However, if we don’t spend time in self-reflection, we continue making mistakes.  And that means we continue as sentient beings rather than transforming into buddhas.  Sentient beings don’t improve because they keep repeating mistakes.  But self-reflections helps us to avoid that pitfall.

That’s not new information for many of us–we’ve heard this message before.  Indeed, self-reflection is not unique to Buddhist thought. As the mosaic pictured here reminds us, the ancient Greeks and Romans advised seekers to “Know Thyself”. But we we need to check–are we making self-reflection a top priority?

Meditation Becomes Mainstream   

Rinpoche jokes that these days many doctors and those in the medical profession even remind us to relax, let go,  practice meditation, watch our breath–to keep ourselves physically healthy. Now, mindfulness and meditation is becoming more mainstream–and this is a good thing.  But, we can’t leave meditation at watching the breath.

On top of that, we need to also practice reflection.  And we have to remember all our different roles and responsibilities–are we upholding all our responsibilities and treating people kindly? Moreover, we honestly look at our behavior–our thoughts, words and actions. And if we see that we made mistakes, we remind ourselves–this is what being mindful really means.  If we’re not mindful, we may not watch our speech–and we say things we later regret, or things that cause others pain. Without self-reflection, we won’t notice these small slip-ups.

Self-reflection On Crucial Points of Practice

This reflection time also gives us an opportunity to recall key points of teaching.  We can remind ourselves of our motivation–taking time to generate, and really feel bodhicitta, for example.  And we take the time to notice that we were lazy, or distracted, or agitated–and we then reset our intention. This is the way to practice spiritual self-reflection. As we familiarize ourselves with this process, we can go deeper in our reflection.

Self-reflection on Our Own Negative Emotions

We start by looking at our own negative emotions–which emotion causes us most problems? Really take some time to check each one of the negative emotions.  In Buddhist teachings, we speak of five negative or destructive emotions: anger, pride, jealousy, attachment and ignorance.   We watch our own behavior and examine in a detailed way–where do we repeatedly make mistakes? Ignorance, Rinpoche remarks, comes down to not seeing our own mistakes. When we are ignorant, we don’t want to admit our mistakes and we don’t have any motivation to improve. When we have a method to improve, and we understand that but don’t apply the method–that is ignorance.

Reflection Exercise

In the morning, before you go about your daily activities, take just a few minutes to reflect on your motivation and your intentions.  If there is a quotation from a teaching that inspires you, read that silently, or aloud.  If there is a spiritual figure who inspires you, look at a photo or representation of that being. Think about how you wish to transform. If you know that you may encounter difficult situations in your day, reflect on how you can prepare yourself to meet those with an open and kind heart.

You may want to think of a word or phrase to repeat silently to yourself during the day to keep you on track.  And if you know that you are struggling with one of the negative emotions, gently remind yourself of that–and set the intention not to give into that habit. Some people find it helpful to use a written note as a reminder.  Experiment with what works for you–you can be playful in your reflection, not harsh and self-critical. in this way, if you catch yourself under the influence of negativity, you can laugh at yourself–aha–that’s anger–and then you give yourself space to shift gears. You may find that just catching yourself in this way, and identifying the emotion, immediately deflates its power.

Again, at the end of the day, spend a few moments in self-reflection.  Think about your actions, your words and your thoughts during the day.  Were you able to maintain awareness? If you made mistakes, acknowledge those and reflect on how you might have acted differently. Don’t dwell on negativity or judge yourself harshly–instead, simply think–next time I will react differently. As you go to sleep, make the commitment to continue your transformation.

Meditation Involves the Body, the Breath, and the Mind

Foundation: The Body

Posture is important in meditation. The posture of your body has an effect on the posture of your mind. If you slouch, the mind tends to slouch. If you’re too stiff, the mind tends to get too stiff. As Pema Chodron says, “not too tight, not too loose”.

Posture Instructions: Fearless and Gentleness

• If you have a meditation cushion, take your seat in the middle of the cushion, and feel your connection to the earth.
• Cross your legs, which are almost like roots into the earth, and place your hands passively on your thighs.
• Have an attitude of dignity, even nobility, almost as if you’re taking a throne.
• As we work our way up, the back is firm, but not stiff.
• The shoulders are gently pulled back, opening the chest area, revealing the heart.
• The central instruction about posture is opening the heart, which is symbolic for also opening the mind.
• The back is strong, stable, and unwavering, representing the masculine quality of fearlessness.
• The heart center is soft, receptive, and open, representing the feminine quality of gentleness.
• The head is aligned on top of the spine, which for many people means pulling your head back.
• The eyes are open, resting about six feet or so in front of you.
• The visual field is open, receptive, unfocused.
• The lips are slightly parted, as if you were saying the word “ah.”
• The tongue is resting on the back of the upper teeth.

If Sitting on a Chair:

• Sit squarely on the chair but don’t lean against the back.
• Plant your feat on the ground and rest your hands passively on your thighs.
• The rest of the technique for the posture is the same.

The Breath

• Gently but precisely bring your awareness to the natural movement of your breath.
• Don’t imagine it, don’t visualize it, just simply feel it.
• Feel the movement of your breath as it goes in and out.
• That’s it.

Surrender to the Simplicity

• You’re just sitting and breathing. An important aspect of meditation is its uncompromising simplicity. Don’t try to outsmart the practice. Let the simplicity work on you.
• Complexity doesn’t stand a chance against simplicity. In meditation, the complex mind eventually surrenders to the simplicity of the technique.

The Mind

• Whenever anything arises in your mind that distracts you from your breath – a thought, fantasy, image, emotion, whatever – you simply but precisely label that distraction as “thinking” and then return to your breath.
• “Thinking” is not a reprimand. It’s an act of recognition, an act of lucidity.
• Within the context of lucid dreaming, you can replace the label “thinking” with “wake up.” Every time you notice you’ve been distracted, you wake up from that and come back to your breath.
• It’s very gentle, like popping a bubble with a feather. Thoughts are just the play of your mind. Thoughts are never the problem.
• Using the language of lucid dreaming, once you get hooked into the contents of your mind, you’ve gone non-lucid. To get lucid, you simply recognize the thought and come back to your body and breath.

Practice 15 to 20 Minutes a Day

• 
  If you can do longer, that’s great, but 15 minutes is enough. It also helps to do it first thing in the morning.
• Be a bit tight at first, and lean into establishing this good habit.
• The goal is to get to the point where it doesn’t feel quite right if you’re not meditating, just like for most of us it doesn’t feel quite right to go to bed without brushing our teeth.
• If you stick with it, you’ll get to the point where meditation almost seems to “do you.” It comes more naturally, gets easier, and builds on itself. But we have to invest in it a bit before we can reap these benefits, just like with any other noble venture.

A Method of Shamatha Meditation

Shamatha means “peaceful abiding” or “tranquility.” Also called mindfulness or concentration meditation, shamatha is an important introductory practice that leads to the practice of vipashyana, or insight meditation.

The purpose of shamatha meditation is to stabilize the mind by cultivating a steady awareness of the object of meditation. The traditional practice of shamatha uses different kinds of supports or anchors for our practice. Eventually, this leads to practicing without supports and meditating on emptiness itself in an open awareness. For this particular practice, the instructions will be for shamatha meditation using the breath as the focus of our practice.

Shamatha meditation allows us to experience our mind as it is. When we practice shamatha, we are able to see that our mind is full of thoughts, some conducive to our happiness and further realization, and others not. It is not extraordinary that our minds are full of thoughts, and it is important to understand that it is natural to have so much happening in the mind.

Over time, practicing shamatha meditation calms our thoughts and emotions. We experience tranquility of mind and calmly abide with our thoughts as they are. Eventually, this leads to a decrease in unhelpful thoughts.

When we experience stable awareness, we are then ready to practice vipashyana, in which we develop insight into what “mind” is by investigating the nature of thoughts themselves. In the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism, the ultimate goal is to practice calm abiding and insight in union, which opens the door to realizing the true nature of mind.

Traditionally, shamatha practice is taught through instructions on the physical body and then looking at the meditation instructions themselves.

The Seven-Point Posture

The seven-point posture of Vairochana is an ancient set of posture points that are said to align the physical body with our energetic body. The posture has been practiced for thousands of years by Hindu and Buddhist yogis. The seven points are:

1. Sit cross-legged.
2. Hands in lap or on knees.
3. Have a straight back.
4. Widen the shoulders to open the heart center.
5. Lower the chin.
6. Open mouth slightly with the tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.
7. Eyes open, gazing about four finger widths past the tip of nose.

A Body-Sensitive Posture

We all have different bodies and capabilities. It is important to adjust this demanding traditional posture to meet the needs of our own bodies, and not struggle to adapt our bodies to the posture. What is most important in terms of body posture is keeping the back and spine as straight as possible and remaining comfortable. So the seven points of a more body-sensitive posture could be:

1. Sit on a cushion or a chair, stand, or lie down.
2. Arrange your hands in any way that is comfortable.
3. Hold your back as straight as possible.
4. Keep your shoulders relaxed and chest open.
5. Hold your head at whatever level is comfortable.
6. Keep your lower jaw slightly open.
7. Keep the eyes closed or open.

The Meditation

There are many kinds of breath meditations. Some have been written down, while others have only been transmitted orally from teacher to student. The following is a basic breath meditation from the Vajrayana tradition:

1. Adjust the body into a comfortable position, and start the practice by becoming aware of your breath. Notice the inhalation and exhalation.
2. As you notice the breath, continue to let go of thoughts as they arise. Each time you are distracted by clinging to a thought, return to the breath. Keep doing this over and over again.
3. Eventually, as you exhale, become aware of your breath escaping and dissolving into space. Experience the same thing with the inhalation.
4. Slowing down, begin to allow your awareness to mix into open space with the breath on both the inhale and exhale.
5. To deepen the practice, begin to hold the breath after the inhalation for a few seconds before exhaling. By doing this, you are splitting the breath into three parts: inhalation, holding, and exhalation. Keep doing this.
6. As you inhale, begin to chant om to yourself. As you hold, chant ah. As you exhale, chant hung. Chanting these sacred syllables helps to further support awareness and is believed to purify our minds.
7. As you continue with exhalation, relax more. Continue awareness practice, letting go of thoughts and returning to the breath. Do this for as long as you can.

Longchen Nyingtik Lineage

The Nyingtik Teachings

The Nyingtik teachings are the innermost secret teachings of Dzogchen. The Dzogchen teachings were revealed to Prahevajra (Tib. Garab Dorje) by Vajrasattva, and passed down through an unbroken lineage to present day masters. Within the Dzogchen teachings, there are three categories of teachings suitable to students of different capacity. The Nyingtik is the innermost secret cycle of teachings of the Category of Pith Instructions; this cycle is the most direct approach for students of the highest capacity.

Within the Nyingtik teachings, there are tantras and instructional texts. Regarding the instructional texts, Tulku Thondup explains:

The instructional teachings are elucidated and condensed in two major traditions of Nyingtik. The first one is the detailed teachings for/of the scholars, brought to Tibet by Vimalamitra and known as Vima Nyingtik. It is mainly based on the Seventeen Tantras and the Troma tantra. The second one is the profound teachings for/of mendicants [or yogis], brought to Tibet by Guru Padmasambhava and known as Khandro Nyingtik. It is mainly based on the Longsal Barma tantra. 

In the fourteenth century in Tibet, the great master Longchen Rabjam became the lineage holder of both of these Nyingtik traditions, and wrote a commentary on each tradition.

Longchen Rabjam, Jikmé Lingpa, and the Longchen Nyingtik Lineage

Longchen Rabjam

Longchen Rabjam (1308-1364)

Longchen Rabjam (1308-1364), also known as Longchenpa, was one of the greatest Dzogchen masters in the Nyingma tradition, and amongst the most brilliant and original writers in Tibetan Buddhist literature. He brought together into a cohesive system the teachings of Vima Nyingtik and Khandro Nyingtik, on which he wrote the ‘Three Yangtik’ or Inner Essencess.

Four centuries later, Jikmé Lingpa was tremendously inspired by the teachings of Longchenpa. After Jikmé Lingpa discovered the terma of Longchen Nyingtik (which included tantric sadhanas and teachings) he entered into a three-year retreat in the caves of Chimphu in which he fervently invoked Longchenpa with a Guru Yoga he had composed. Longchenpa appeared to him in three visions, through which he received the blessing and transmission of the wisdom body, speech and mind of Longchenpa, empowering him with the responsibility of preserving the meaning of the teachings of Longchenpa, and of spreading them. As a result, Jikmé Lingpa’s mind became one with the wisdom mind of Longchenpa.

In this way, Jikmé Lingpa became the lineage holder of Longchenpa’s teachings on the Vima Nyingtik and Khandro Nyingtik. Jikmé Lingpa was a reincarnation of both King Trisong Detsen and Vimilamitra. Therefore, the Nyingtik teachings of these two major lineages flowed together in Jikmé Lingpa.

The Longchen Nyingtik lineage includes both the terma of Longchen Nyingtik discovered by Jikmé Lingpa, and teachings of Longchen Rabjam on Vima Nyingtik and Khandro Nyingtik that were revealed to Jikmé Lingpa in a series of visions.

Most of the rituals and mudras of the Longchen Nyingtik tradition find their source in the Lama Gongdü, on which Jikmé Lingpa wrote his famous commentary, called a Detailed Commentary on the Lama Gongdü. The Lama Gondü is therefore held in high regard.

The Stages of Practice

Longchen Nyingtik Dieties

Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche said:

The cycle of the Longchen Nyingtik is composed of many sections. It includes the preliminary and main practices, the development and completion stages, and, most important, the practice of Ati Yoga, or Dzogchen. It thus constitutes a complete path to enlightenment.[5]

In the Longchen Nyingtik tradition, the preliminary (or ngöndro) practices are commonly referred to as the Longchen Nyingtik Ngöndro.

After completing the ngondro, training in the development and completion stages is done through sadhana practices such as Rigdzin Dupa. Traditionally, a student trains in a series of three sadhanas known as the Three Roots.

Finally, if the student is sufficiently prepared, a qualified teacher may give the students instructions in Dzogchen, which focus on the direct realization of the nature of mind.

The Revelation of Longchen Nyingtik

Regarding the revelation of the Longchen Nyingtik teachings, Tulku Thondup writes:

While Guru Rinpoche was visiting Tibet…he conferred the Longchen Nyingtik teachings on King Trisong Detsen, Khandro Yeshe Tsogyal, and Vairochana… He gave prophetic empowerments by saying that the teachings would be discovered by Jikmé Lingpa, an incarnation (tulku) of King Trisong Detsen.

So centuries later, when the prophetic empowerments of Guru Rinpoche ripened and the favorable circumstances came to fruition, the concealed Longchen Nyingtik teachings were accordingly awakened in the enlightened mind of Jikmé Lingpa as mind ter.

Jikmé Lingpa discovered the Longchen Nyingtik teachings as mind ter at the age of twenty-eight. Tulku Thondup writes:

In the evening of the twenty-fifth day of the tenth month of the Fire Ox year of the thirteenth Rabjung cycle (1757), Jikmé Lingpa went to bed with an unbearable devotion to Guru Rinpoche in his heart; a stream of tears of sadness continuously wet his face because he was not in Guru Rinpoche’s presence, and unceasing words of prayers kept singing in his breath.

Boudhanath Stupa

He remained in the depths of that meditation experience of clear luminosity for a long time. While being absorbed in that luminous clarity, he experienced flying a long distance through the sky while riding a white lion. He finally reached a circular path, which he thought to be the circumambulation path of Jarung Khashor, now known as Boudhanath Stupa, an important Buddhist monument of giant structure in Nepal. 

In this vision, the wisdom dakinis gave Jikmé Lingpa a casket containing five yellow scrolls and seven crystal beads. One of the scrolls contained the prophetic guide of Longchen Nyingtik, called Nechang Thukkyi Drombu. At the instruction of a dakini, he ate the yellow scrolls and crystal beads, and all the words and meaning of the Longchen Nyingtik terma were awakened in his mind.

Jikmé Lingpa kept this terma secret for years, and he did not even transcribe the terma until he entered another retreat in which he had a series of visions of Longchen Rabjam. Tulku Thondup explains:

In the earth-hare year (1759) he started another three-year retreat, at Chimpu near Samye monastery. During that retreat, because he was inspired by three successive pure visions of Longchen Rabjam, and he was urged by repeated requests of dakinis, he transcribed his terma as the cycle of Longchen Nyingtik. On the tenth day of the sixth month (monkey month) of the monkey year (1764) he made his terma public for the first time by conferring the transmission of empowerment and the instructions upon fifteen disciples. 

The Longchen Nyingtik terma consists of tantric sadhanas and teachings.

☝ Definitions:

terma - hidden teachings

Taking Refuge in the Buddha

This is a beautiful post from Tara Brach's blog about what it means to take refuge in the Buddha.

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As a teacher I’m often asked: What does it mean in Buddhist practice when you agree to “take refuge” in the Buddha? Does this mean I need to worship the Buddha? Or pray to the Buddha? Isn’t this setting up the Buddha as “other” or some kind of god?

Traditionally, there are three fundamental refuges are where we can find genuine safety and peace, a sanctuary for our awakening heart and mind, a place to rest our human vulnerability. In their shelter, we can face and awaken from the trance of fear.

The first of these is the Buddha, or our own awakened nature. The second is the dharma (the path or the way), and the third is the sangha (the community of aspirants).

In the formal practice of Taking Refuge, we recite three times: “I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the dharma, I take refuge in the sangha.” Yet, even though there is a formula, this is not an empty or mechanical ritual, but a practice meant to expand our understanding and intention.

With each repetition, we allow ourselves to open ever more deeply to the living experience behind the words. As we do, the practice leads to a profound deepening of our faith: The more fully we open to and inhabit each refuge, the more we trust our own heart and awareness. By taking refuge we learn to trust the unfolding of our lives.

The first step in this practice, taking refuge in the Buddha, may be approached on various levels, and we can choose the way most meaningful to our particular temperament. We might for instance take refuge in the historical Buddha, the human being who attained enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree 2500 years ago.

This doesn’t mean that we are worshiping the man who became enlightened, or setting him up as “other” or as “higher” than ourselves, but bowing and honoring the Buddha nature that already exists within us. For instance when the Buddha encountered Mara, he felt fear—the same painfully constricted throat, chest and belly, the same racing heart that we each experience when fear strikes our heart.

By willingly meeting fear with his full attention, the Buddha discovered fearlessness — the open, clear awareness that recognizes the arising and passing of fear without contracting nor identifying with it. Taking refuge in the truth of his awakening can inspire us on our own path toward fearlessness.

At the same time, those who are devotional by nature might seek safety and refuge in the living spirit of the Buddha’s awakened heart and mind. Much like praying to Christ or the Divine Mother, we can take refuge in a Being or presence that cares about our suffering.

In taking this first refuge, I sometimes say, “I take refuge in the Beloved” and surrender into what I experience as the boundlessness of compassion. When I am feeling fear, I surrender it to the Beloved. By this, I am not trying to get rid of fear, but rather letting go into a refuge that is vast enough to hold my fear with love.

In the most fundamental way, taking refuge in the Buddha means taking refuge in our own potential for liberation. In order to embark on a spiritual path we need faith that our own heart and mind have the potential to awaken. The true power of Buddha’s story, the power that has kept it alive for all these centuries, rests in the fact that it demonstrates what is possible for each of us.

We so easily believe limiting stories about ourselves and forget that our very nature—our Buddha nature—is aware and loving. When we take refuge in the Buddha, we are taking refuge in the same capacity of awareness that awakened Siddhartha under the Bodhi Tree. We too can realize the blessing of freedom. We too can become fearless.

After taking refuge in the Beloved, I turn my attention inward, saying “I take refuge in this awakening heart mind.” Letting go of any notion that Buddha nature is something beyond or outside my awareness, I look towards the innate wakefulness of my being, the tender openness of my heart.

Minutes earlier, I might have been taking myself to be the rush of emotions and thoughts moving through my mind. But by intentionally taking refuge in awareness, that small identity dissolves, and with it, the trance of fear.

By directing our attention towards our deepest nature, by honoring the essence of our being, our own Buddha nature becomes to us more of a living reality. We are taking refuge in the truth of who we are.

The Sakunagghi Sutta - The Hawk

This article is part of Trike Daily’s Sutta Study series, led by Insight meditation teacher Peter Doobinin. The suttas are found in the Pali Canon, which contains some of the earliest Buddhist teachings. Rather than philosophical tracts, the suttas are a map for dharma practice.

In The Hawk (Sakunagghi Sutta), the Buddha offers a compelling parable to illustrate the importance of practicing right mindfulness. The Buddha didn’t simply teach mindfulness. He taught right mindfulness. In practicing right mindfulness, the dharma student makes an effort to keep her mind on specific objects: the four foundations of mindfulness (or the four establishings of mindfulness, according to Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s translation). If we’re able to do so, we’ll move toward a true happiness in our lives. But if we don’t keep the mind in these places, the Buddha teaches, we’ll be bound to suffer.

The Buddha makes this point by telling the story of a quail who lives in a field with “clumps of dirt all turned up.” As long as she remains in this field, her “proper range,” she’s safe from predators, including the hawk. One day, however, the quail wanders outside the field, and, sure enough, the hawk swoops down and captures her. The quail laments her “bad luck,” remarking that if she’d stayed in the field of turned up dirt, the hawk “would have been no match for me in battle.” The hawk disagrees, and, to make his point, he deposits the quail back in the field. The hawk circles and swoops down. The quail, in turn, conceals herself behind a large clump of earth. And, sure enough, the hawk smashes into the dirt and dies.

The moral of the story is that we shouldn’t wander into what isn’t our “proper range.” The Buddha tells us: “In one who wanders into what is not his proper range and is the territory of others, Mara gains an opening, Mara gains a foothold.” Mara, in Buddhist lore, is the personification of unskillful qualities: desire, aversion, and delusion.

The Buddha goes on to say that the five strings of sensuality are “not your proper range.” Sensuality in this context refers to the grasping after sense pleasure. The sense experiences that the mind registers as “agreeable, pleasing, charming, endearing, enticing,” the Buddha indicates, are “linked to sensual desire.” In other words, it’s our tendency to crave these experiences, to chase after them, to want to hold on to them. 

The strings that hang from the five sense pleasures represent their “clingable” nature. It’s as if these pleasurable experiences have strings attached to them; and our tendency is to grasp after these strings. 

This is an important point. In the Buddha’s teachings, sensuality is not the pleasurable experience; it’s the grasping after the experience. Our problem is found in the way we relate to this experience, in our desire. The Buddha says:

The passion for his resolves is a man’s sensuality,
not the beautiful sensual pleasures
found in the world.
The passion for his resolves is a man’s sensuality.
The beauties remain as they are in the world,
while the wise, in this regard,
subdue their desire.
(AN 6.63)

Our happiness, the Buddha teaches, depends on what we do with our minds. 

It’s up to the dharma student to examine her relationship to sense pleasure. What is she doing with her mind? Does she let her mind wander off, outside its “proper range?” Does she put herself in a position in which she’s likely to grasp after the strings of sensuality? Does she let her mind become preoccupied with certain sense pleasures? What are the consequences? Is she going into dangerous territory? Is she putting herself at the mercy of the hawk?

Nowadays, of course, the different technological forms provide much of the sense pleasure that we’re apt to indulge in: the television, computer, laptop, smartphone, and so on. The Internet offers a vast array of pleasurable experience, all manner of images, movies, music, words, delivered at a moment’s notice, wherever we are. These technologies provide all kinds of ways to wander outside our “proper range” and into the “territory of others.”

When we wander outside our proper range, “Mara gains an opening.” We suffer. We become caught up in desire and aversion—wanting the various sense pleasures, displeased and dissatisfied when we don’t have what we want. We don’t live in the present moment. And, accordingly, we’re liable to act in unskillful fashion. We find ourselves cut off from the heart. 

The dharma student’s proper range is the four establishings of mindfulness: the body, the feeling tone of the body, mind states, and various mental qualities. This is where the dharma student is asked to put her mind. It all begins with the body. First and foremost, in practicing right mindfulness, we learn to keep the mind on the body by putting our focus on the breath. 

The body is our proper range. During his 45 years of teaching the dharma, the Buddha was very clear about this. If we can learn to keep the mind on the body, he said, we’ll find freedom from suffering, we’ll be able to know true happiness. In the Dhammapada, the Buddha says:

They awaken, always wide awake:
Gotama’s disciples
whose mindfulness, both day & night,
is constantly immersed
in the body.
(Dhp. 299)

The dharma student, following the Buddha’s instructions for right mindfulness, makes a wholehearted effort to keep her mind on her body. She doesn’t let her awareness go wherever it pleases. She’s proactive in her efforts to keep her mind on the breath and body. Her efforts are purposeful because she wants to avoid suffering and she wants true happiness. She’s aligned with her purpose—and motivated, as the sutta infers, by a sense of urgency—as she remains mindful of the breath and body. As the Buddha notes, the dharma student, practicing right mindfulness, is “ardent, alert, & mindful.” In maintaining alertness, the dharma student notices when she begins to wander outside of her proper range. She recognizes the movement in her mind suggesting that she should pick up the smartphone to check her emails, for example.The dharma student is ardent and makes a wholehearted effort to keep her mind in her “ancestral territory.” She stays with the body and the other establishings of mindfulness and doesn’t give in to her inclinations to grasp after sense pleasure, to succumb to Mara.

In offering the parable of the hawk and the quail, the Buddha is making an emphatic point. We should keep our mind in good places; we shouldn’t let it go wherever it would like to go. As the Buddha explains, there’s danger in wandering outside our proper range. The Thai ajahns [teachers] often talk about the danger involved in putting our mind in problematic places. We don’t typically hear Western dharma teachers use strong words like “danger” in describing the consequences of having an untrained mind. But to be certain, there is significant danger in not taking care of the mind, in craving, in grasping after sense pleasure. The danger, of course, is not physical, but mental, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. 

If we wander outside our proper range, we’ll suffer. On the other hand, if we remain in our proper range, if we practice right mindfulness, if we keep the mind on the body, we’ll come to know true happiness in this life.