Chapter 6 Flashcards
How do we define “insight”?
Insight means seeing ourselves as we truly are and the world as it truly is. This “seeing” is not through the eyes but through direct experience. We need to bring ourselves into a sympathetic relationship with how things really are, rather than wanting the world to confirm to our desires.
The gap between these two things (our egoistic expectations) is what causes so much of our suffering.
Insight also means seeing inside. It reveals that we are not separate from the world and that the qualities all around us in the world also apply to us.
The rational mind alone is of limited use to insight.
Page 98-99,101
What are the three marks or three “lakshanas”? Why are they relevant?
They are the three marks/lakshanas of reality.
Stated in the negative, they are impermanence, insubstantiality and unsatisfactoriness. In positive terms, we could say that the world is dynamic, alive, and full of beauty.
What is important is not what is positive or negative, but that everything we see is not fixed, everything is subject to change, and that nothing is totally discrete from everything else. Most importantly, this insight needs to be directly experienced in relation to ourselves.
Page 99
What gives us our sense of self?
It is feelings (from bodily feelings and emotions) rather than an idea (from the mind) that gives us our sense of self.
This means if we want to change the way we experience ourselves we have to take notice of our feelings and emotions.
It is our feelings that largely determine the way we are.
Page 100
What are the three poisons? Why is delusion so difficult?
The three poisons create the volitional agency of the ego (a sense of control over the ego). The three poisons are greed, hatred and delusion. We cannot think or way out of delusion as we rarely experience delusion directly. It is often veiled by a complex web of greed and hatred. Therefore, to deal with delusion, a better approach is to work with our greed and hatred, which are the emotional supports of delusion.
Page 101
What is the definition of delusion in Buddhism?
Delusion refers to our dullness, bewilderment, and misperception; our wrong views of reality.
The poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion are a byproduct of ignorance—ignorance of our true nature, the awakened heart of wisdom and compassion. Arising out of our ignorance, these poisonous states of mind then motivate nonvirtuous and unskillful thoughts, speech, and actions, which cause all manner of suffering and unhappiness for ourselves and others.
Greed, hatred, and delusion are deeply embedded in the conditioning of our personalities.
https://www.sunyatacentre.org/the-three-poisons/#:~:text=Hatred%20refers%20to%20our%20anger,our%20wrong%20views%20of%20reality
New to me: Delusion
It is delusion that prevents us from entering into a full relationship with our true nature and the world of which we are part.
Page 102
New to me: dropping sense of self
Mental chatter and physical sensations that occur during meditation all occur without request (unbidden). We need to stop attaching the idea of a self to them.
Page 104
What does it mean to “abide with””?
When being mindful, we can use the expression “abiding with”. This means “waiting with”. So to abide with the body means to wait with the body. However, the image of the body abiding with the breath suggests a “being in”, because it implies a physical closeness.
Page 105
Pointers on posture, breath and body:
The relationship between posture and awareness is critical.
Our bodies hold our history in a sense.
Linking the breath and the body is to be aware of the breath and the body. We should not separate them.
The practice is “earthed” through the body. The body connects with the Earth and the world.
We have called the Earth goddess. We have earth, sky, and breathing world to support us.
Page 106-107
What is the purpose of meditation?
We are ultimately concerned with overcoming the dualism of self and other.
To do this, you need to start to close the gap between self and other (including the world).
It is also an opportunity to express qualities of awareness and kindness.
Page 109
We use our imaginative ability to remember the world, the earth and the sky and the life all around us.
Page 110
The other context to notice is the body. Our bodies are the “we” manifestation of the world.
Page 111
New Ritual: Entering the shrine room
Bow to the shrine on entry, then walk up close to it and bow again before taking my seat. Don’t be so fixated on which seat I want.
New Ritual: Before I meditate
Need to come back n fill this in
When getting distracted in meditation:
Bring your mind back to the body first, re-establishing mindfulness of your direct experience. First, establish the ground and then awareness of the body posture and sensations in the body. Then bring back a sense of your breath.
This method of anchoring your meditation will reduce distractions in the long run.
Page 112-113
