This is a Druid ritual for planting, I thought I would post it now as we are just moving past the Spring Equinox in the western hemisphere, which is a good time both for planting seeds and for thinking about the things that you want to manifest in your life. However it can be done at any time of year. I find it a nice way of adding to the already relaxing and meditative practice of gardening and growing things.
Step 1:
Sit quietly and bring to mind that which you wish to bring into manifestation over the coming weeks, months or year.
Step 2:
Pour soil into Pot/ touch the earth, say:
'This earth will support me'
Place the seed in the soil, say:
'This see will inspire me.'
Place ash on soil, say:
'This ash will nourish me.'
Pour water on soil/seed, say:
'This water will bless me.'
Conclusion:
'May the shining Sun be a father to me.
May the glowing Moon be a mother to me.
May the lights of heaven and earth guide me on my Journey.'
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Basic Fundamentals of Walking Meditation
Many people who think of meditation often think of a formal exercise involving sitting still on a chair or cushion with our eyes closed. It can come as a bit of a surprise to such people to find out that walking can be considered a form of meditation practice, and that walking meditation can become a major part of our daily routine, contributing substantially to or overall consciousness development and sense of inner peace and centred-ness. It is well worth investing the time and effort in learning to do walking meditation, as we spend a substantial portion of our day walking from one destination to another, and if we know how to walk in a meditative manner, then time spent walking can become time spent relaxing and meditating!
Walking meditation can be simply defined as any walk that we undertake where we are using the process of walking to develop our mindfulness, awareness of the present moment and other states conducive to inner peace and happiness. Below I describe some very simple walking meditation techniques that can be used by anyone. Be sure to begin your walking meditation with a conscious decision to stop worrying about your personal life, work projects etc., and to focus on enjoying the process of walking in the here and now!
Initial concentration builders:
Method 1
Walking at a pace that is comfortable for you note how many steps it takes you to breathe in and breathe out, then combine your observation of your breathing with your steps. Lets say it takes you three steps to breathe one in breath and three to breathe out. As you take each step on the inhalation inwardly say to yourself ''In'', and as you breathe out with each step say ''out''. So the basic pattern in this example would be in, in, in, out, out, out, in, in, in, out, out, out and so on. Try and get yourself into a rhythm use it to keep your attention in the here and now.
Method 2
A simple variation on method one. Lets stay with the rhythm of three steps in and three steps out. As you breathe in you recite “step, step, focus”, as you breathe out “step, step, relax”. Continue in this way using the last step of the inhalation to prompt yourself to focus, and the last step of the exhalation to prompt you to relax. If you like you can substitute other words for the focus/relax combination, for example here/now, present/awareness, calm/ease. Choose a combination that is effective and pertinent to you!
Method 3
Pick an object a distance in front of you, such as a tree. Then, as you walk toward it, try and be mindful of the tree and of the present moment with each step and each breath that you take. Once you reach the object, relax for a few steps/breaths, then pick out another object in the distance to focus on in the same way. Build your mindfulness based upon your awareness of the physical object, your breathing and your steps.
Once you have a little bit of focus:
Method 1
As you walk and breathe, pick one sense power, such as your hearing or sight. Try and focus on that sense power mindfully, being aware of all the information that is coming into your awareness through that sense door. So, if you choose your hearing for example, try and pick out all the sounds that are available to you, the wind in the trees, the bird calls, the distant waterfall, the traffic, and so on... Pay full attention to this one sense power with each step, try and experience this as if it is the first time that you have heard, seen or felt.
Method 2
Once you have some experience of method 1, expand your sensory awareness to take in the whole experience of walking in the present moment. With each step and breath try and experience walking in and experiencing the physical and sensory world as if for the first time. Allow time to disappear, so that the full power of the present is able to impact itself upon your being.
Walking meditation can be simply defined as any walk that we undertake where we are using the process of walking to develop our mindfulness, awareness of the present moment and other states conducive to inner peace and happiness. Below I describe some very simple walking meditation techniques that can be used by anyone. Be sure to begin your walking meditation with a conscious decision to stop worrying about your personal life, work projects etc., and to focus on enjoying the process of walking in the here and now!
Initial concentration builders:
Method 1
Walking at a pace that is comfortable for you note how many steps it takes you to breathe in and breathe out, then combine your observation of your breathing with your steps. Lets say it takes you three steps to breathe one in breath and three to breathe out. As you take each step on the inhalation inwardly say to yourself ''In'', and as you breathe out with each step say ''out''. So the basic pattern in this example would be in, in, in, out, out, out, in, in, in, out, out, out and so on. Try and get yourself into a rhythm use it to keep your attention in the here and now.
Method 2
A simple variation on method one. Lets stay with the rhythm of three steps in and three steps out. As you breathe in you recite “step, step, focus”, as you breathe out “step, step, relax”. Continue in this way using the last step of the inhalation to prompt yourself to focus, and the last step of the exhalation to prompt you to relax. If you like you can substitute other words for the focus/relax combination, for example here/now, present/awareness, calm/ease. Choose a combination that is effective and pertinent to you!
Method 3
Pick an object a distance in front of you, such as a tree. Then, as you walk toward it, try and be mindful of the tree and of the present moment with each step and each breath that you take. Once you reach the object, relax for a few steps/breaths, then pick out another object in the distance to focus on in the same way. Build your mindfulness based upon your awareness of the physical object, your breathing and your steps.
Once you have a little bit of focus:
Method 1
As you walk and breathe, pick one sense power, such as your hearing or sight. Try and focus on that sense power mindfully, being aware of all the information that is coming into your awareness through that sense door. So, if you choose your hearing for example, try and pick out all the sounds that are available to you, the wind in the trees, the bird calls, the distant waterfall, the traffic, and so on... Pay full attention to this one sense power with each step, try and experience this as if it is the first time that you have heard, seen or felt.
Method 2
Once you have some experience of method 1, expand your sensory awareness to take in the whole experience of walking in the present moment. With each step and breath try and experience walking in and experiencing the physical and sensory world as if for the first time. Allow time to disappear, so that the full power of the present is able to impact itself upon your being.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Meditating ‘Cold Turkey’
With regards to meditation it is better to get in to good habits as soon as possible, and one of the main good habits that we are trying to develop right from the outset of our meditation practice is discipline and focus. This means that once we have sat down on our meditation seat we are entirely focused on the job at hand and do not allow our mind to be knocked off course by distractions, no matter how much they may be nagging us. To this end it can sometimes be better to focus on the quality of our meditation practice rather than the quantity. Five minutes of really focused and applied meditation is worth more than twenty minutes where our application is somewhat half hearted, and our mind spends 90% of the time distracted!
To this end here is a five minute meditation where we practice stopping our thoughts ‘Cold Turkey’:
Sit comfortably with a naturally straight back, have a watch or other timing device handy.
Take a few deep breaths, centre yourself, then imagine that the past and future dissolve away, only the present remains.
Be aware of the inner voice in your mind that is talking pretty much all of the time in our waking life, take about 1 minute to watch it and listen to it, ensuring that you do not get identified with it.
Using your watch or countdown timer, now begin a period of five minutes where you are 100% focused, and your only task is to let go of your thoughts and stop thinking. Imagine that the thoughts and images in your mind are like a TV, as soon as a thought or an image appears, inwardly press the ‘off’ button on your inner remote control, and let go of the thought, return your mind to zero, no thought.
For the five minutes that you have given yourself, apply yourself to this task with total commitment. No ifs and no buts, your only job is to keep alert, be fully present and stop thinking. You are not asking yourself to be perfect, but you are committing yourself to really applying yourself for this short time to do the very best you can. Initially you may get knocked off track a few times, but if you do it regularly with real application, you will find that your ability will improve substantially in a short period.
Once the five minutes is up, spend a final minute relaxing and observe the space that you have created in your mind through your efforts. When you bring the meditation to a close, be sure to congratulate yourself, for that short time you can say with your hand on your heart that you gave it your all!
As well as creating good meditation habits, this form of ‘power meditation’ also trains our mind to focus quickly on the tasks immediately at hand in our life. This in turn helps us to achieve the goals that we have set ourself, save time and get more out of the opportunities that we have in each day.
To this end here is a five minute meditation where we practice stopping our thoughts ‘Cold Turkey’:
Sit comfortably with a naturally straight back, have a watch or other timing device handy.
Take a few deep breaths, centre yourself, then imagine that the past and future dissolve away, only the present remains.
Be aware of the inner voice in your mind that is talking pretty much all of the time in our waking life, take about 1 minute to watch it and listen to it, ensuring that you do not get identified with it.
Using your watch or countdown timer, now begin a period of five minutes where you are 100% focused, and your only task is to let go of your thoughts and stop thinking. Imagine that the thoughts and images in your mind are like a TV, as soon as a thought or an image appears, inwardly press the ‘off’ button on your inner remote control, and let go of the thought, return your mind to zero, no thought.
For the five minutes that you have given yourself, apply yourself to this task with total commitment. No ifs and no buts, your only job is to keep alert, be fully present and stop thinking. You are not asking yourself to be perfect, but you are committing yourself to really applying yourself for this short time to do the very best you can. Initially you may get knocked off track a few times, but if you do it regularly with real application, you will find that your ability will improve substantially in a short period.
Once the five minutes is up, spend a final minute relaxing and observe the space that you have created in your mind through your efforts. When you bring the meditation to a close, be sure to congratulate yourself, for that short time you can say with your hand on your heart that you gave it your all!
As well as creating good meditation habits, this form of ‘power meditation’ also trains our mind to focus quickly on the tasks immediately at hand in our life. This in turn helps us to achieve the goals that we have set ourself, save time and get more out of the opportunities that we have in each day.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Breathing Meditation for Calming the Mind, Body and Spirit
In both the Wednesday and Tuesday classes over the next few months we are going to be using a basic fundamental meditation 'form' at the beginning of each class, so I am placing it on the meditation blog so that people can print off a copy and use it by themselves during the week.
In this meditation we focus on three different physical aspects of our breathing in order to calm the energies of our body, mind and spirit. According to Taoist philosophy, our bodies 'qi' or energy is centred in the belly, our mind qi or energy is centred in the heart, and the qi of our spirit/soul is located in the centre of the brain and head. Accordingly we focus on the movement of the breathing in the nostrils, chest and belly on order to calm and centre these three aspects of our being.
Within this context the 'mind at the heart' refers to our emotional being and the everyday discursive thoughts that flow through our mind during the day. The 'Spirit in the head' refers to the pure essential awareness that lies at the centre of our being, but also to the reflective, philosophical and ethical aspects of our thinking (in Yoga philosophy this is what as referred to as the 'intellect' as opposed to the everyday mind).
So, here it is:
1. Having seated yourself in a comfortable meditation posture with a straight back, make a decision to yourself to give yourself a mental holiday, and put down your 'inner baggage'. You should approach the meditation in a light spirit, as if it is a game that you are playing with yourself.
2. Bring your awareness into the present moment, be aware of your body, breathing, mental activity, what appears to your sense awareness. Consciously decide to let go of the past and future. Imagine that the past and future dissolve away, so that temporarily only the present moment exists for you. Relax into the present moment.
3. Become aware of the inner dialogue or voice in your mind that is constantly commenting on everything. Listen to this voice for a short while, then consciously let go of it. Be aware of the natural space and silence in your mind, become a listener rather than a talker! Relax further into the space and silence of your mind.
Don't rush through these first three stages, if you try and go from your normal everyday busy mind to focusing exclusively on the breathing it can be quite frustrating! Stages 1-3 above are designed to bride the gap between an initially moving and distracted state of mind and a focused,concentrated one.
4. Focusing on the breathing in the nostrils.
Become aware of your breathing, in particular the breathing as it enters and leaves the nostrils. You will note a slightly cool sensation on the in breath, and a slightly warmer sensation on the out breath. Take the breath within the nostrils as your object of focus. If you like, see if you can count from 1-5 or 1-10 without becoming distracted. When your concentration is relatively steady, consciously relax the face, head, brain and neck as you breath so that energy can flow freely through the top part of your body.
5. Focusing on the breathing in the chest.
When you feel ready, lower the focus of your breathing down to the chest. Be aware of the movement of the Chest, ribs and lungs as you breathe in and out. If you find counting the breaths helpful for focus, then do this. Once your attention is relatively stable, you can consciously relax the Chest, shoulders and back so that energy flows freely through this area of your body and torso.
6. Focusing on the breathing in the belly.
Now move your attention down into your abdomen. Notice that as you breathe in and out your belly naturally rises and falls. Take the movement of your belly as you breathe as your object of focus, again use counting if you find it helpful. Once you feel like your attention is relatively stable, then consciously relax the whole abdomen, hips and pelvis as you breathe.
7. For the final part of the meditation simply change the focus of your concentration from the breathing and body to a state of pure awareness. Up to this point we have been using our awareness to focus on the breath. Now we turn the focus of our attention in upon itself so that the object of our meditation is awareness itself. In this final stage of meditation the main thing is just to keep the mind in a state of 'letting go'. This will allow our pure awareness to manifest freely, and we will then be able to gently sustain our attention upon it.
8. Bring your mind fully back into your physical body, be aware of the earth beneath your feet and your physical surroundings, when you feel ready relax your concentration and bring the meditation to a close.
A 15 minute meditation period per day is sufficient to develop your proficiency in this meditation. Initially you will find that you have to work through each of the stages systematically, but over time you will find that you can move through stages 1-6 relatively quickly and easily, and extend the duration of stage 7.
A final note here is that you can find a related standing practice based around the three 'dan tiens' or 'elixir fields' which you can find here on the Creative Qi gong blog.
In this meditation we focus on three different physical aspects of our breathing in order to calm the energies of our body, mind and spirit. According to Taoist philosophy, our bodies 'qi' or energy is centred in the belly, our mind qi or energy is centred in the heart, and the qi of our spirit/soul is located in the centre of the brain and head. Accordingly we focus on the movement of the breathing in the nostrils, chest and belly on order to calm and centre these three aspects of our being.
Within this context the 'mind at the heart' refers to our emotional being and the everyday discursive thoughts that flow through our mind during the day. The 'Spirit in the head' refers to the pure essential awareness that lies at the centre of our being, but also to the reflective, philosophical and ethical aspects of our thinking (in Yoga philosophy this is what as referred to as the 'intellect' as opposed to the everyday mind).
So, here it is:
1. Having seated yourself in a comfortable meditation posture with a straight back, make a decision to yourself to give yourself a mental holiday, and put down your 'inner baggage'. You should approach the meditation in a light spirit, as if it is a game that you are playing with yourself.
2. Bring your awareness into the present moment, be aware of your body, breathing, mental activity, what appears to your sense awareness. Consciously decide to let go of the past and future. Imagine that the past and future dissolve away, so that temporarily only the present moment exists for you. Relax into the present moment.
3. Become aware of the inner dialogue or voice in your mind that is constantly commenting on everything. Listen to this voice for a short while, then consciously let go of it. Be aware of the natural space and silence in your mind, become a listener rather than a talker! Relax further into the space and silence of your mind.
Don't rush through these first three stages, if you try and go from your normal everyday busy mind to focusing exclusively on the breathing it can be quite frustrating! Stages 1-3 above are designed to bride the gap between an initially moving and distracted state of mind and a focused,concentrated one.
4. Focusing on the breathing in the nostrils.
Become aware of your breathing, in particular the breathing as it enters and leaves the nostrils. You will note a slightly cool sensation on the in breath, and a slightly warmer sensation on the out breath. Take the breath within the nostrils as your object of focus. If you like, see if you can count from 1-5 or 1-10 without becoming distracted. When your concentration is relatively steady, consciously relax the face, head, brain and neck as you breath so that energy can flow freely through the top part of your body.
5. Focusing on the breathing in the chest.
When you feel ready, lower the focus of your breathing down to the chest. Be aware of the movement of the Chest, ribs and lungs as you breathe in and out. If you find counting the breaths helpful for focus, then do this. Once your attention is relatively stable, you can consciously relax the Chest, shoulders and back so that energy flows freely through this area of your body and torso.
6. Focusing on the breathing in the belly.
Now move your attention down into your abdomen. Notice that as you breathe in and out your belly naturally rises and falls. Take the movement of your belly as you breathe as your object of focus, again use counting if you find it helpful. Once you feel like your attention is relatively stable, then consciously relax the whole abdomen, hips and pelvis as you breathe.
7. For the final part of the meditation simply change the focus of your concentration from the breathing and body to a state of pure awareness. Up to this point we have been using our awareness to focus on the breath. Now we turn the focus of our attention in upon itself so that the object of our meditation is awareness itself. In this final stage of meditation the main thing is just to keep the mind in a state of 'letting go'. This will allow our pure awareness to manifest freely, and we will then be able to gently sustain our attention upon it.
8. Bring your mind fully back into your physical body, be aware of the earth beneath your feet and your physical surroundings, when you feel ready relax your concentration and bring the meditation to a close.
A 15 minute meditation period per day is sufficient to develop your proficiency in this meditation. Initially you will find that you have to work through each of the stages systematically, but over time you will find that you can move through stages 1-6 relatively quickly and easily, and extend the duration of stage 7.
A final note here is that you can find a related standing practice based around the three 'dan tiens' or 'elixir fields' which you can find here on the Creative Qi gong blog.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Reflections and practices for the Christmas period
I recently sent a message to the students on the I AM University Singapore Training Program which I thought those who have been attending the weekly meditation classes might find of some value. So here it is!:
"As for things to emphasize over the Christmas and New Year period, here are a few ideas:
- Focus on relaxation, regeneration and renewal of your inner and outer energy levels. Christmas can be hectic sometimes, and unless we are careful we can end up speeding through it in the same way that we do the rest of the year! The Winter Solstice and the birth of the Christ can be seen as the rebirth or renewal of the Christ child / Child of Light within ourselves, and an opportunity to begin the new year with a spirit refreshed and revitalized. Give yourself a chance to do this!
- Focus on balanced enjoyment, fun, play, communion with nature and the planet. Christmas may be totally over commercialized and exploit the attachment that children have to the idea of receiving gifts, but we can se through that and really get in touch with the sprit of play and the child within, as well as with our outer children and child relatives!
- Be prepared to look anew at your relationship to giving and receiving. Observe the quality with which you engage with these two fundamental human activities. Deepen your experience of them.
- Look back on 2008. Focus on the things that you have enjoyed and achieved, and that others around you have done and achieved. Increase you appreciation of these things, rejoice in them!
- Think about your core goals for 2009, what inner or outer goals are going to be on the top of your agenda over the next year?
- Focus on quality communication with family and friends. Often during the year we get so caught up in the practical aspects of day to day life that the quality and depth of our communication with those close to us deteriorates. Over the Christmas period, be aware of your speech and interaction with yourself and others, try and make it four or five star quality, rather than just 'budget hotel' service! (I'm not quite sure about that last analogy, but I thought it worth including as it communicates a certain something!)
Wishing you all the very best for the Christmas and New Year periods, it has been a pleasure working with all of you over this last year, and I look forward to being of service in 2009!"
Yours in the creative spirit of God,
Toby
"As for things to emphasize over the Christmas and New Year period, here are a few ideas:
- Focus on relaxation, regeneration and renewal of your inner and outer energy levels. Christmas can be hectic sometimes, and unless we are careful we can end up speeding through it in the same way that we do the rest of the year! The Winter Solstice and the birth of the Christ can be seen as the rebirth or renewal of the Christ child / Child of Light within ourselves, and an opportunity to begin the new year with a spirit refreshed and revitalized. Give yourself a chance to do this!
- Focus on balanced enjoyment, fun, play, communion with nature and the planet. Christmas may be totally over commercialized and exploit the attachment that children have to the idea of receiving gifts, but we can se through that and really get in touch with the sprit of play and the child within, as well as with our outer children and child relatives!
- Be prepared to look anew at your relationship to giving and receiving. Observe the quality with which you engage with these two fundamental human activities. Deepen your experience of them.
- Look back on 2008. Focus on the things that you have enjoyed and achieved, and that others around you have done and achieved. Increase you appreciation of these things, rejoice in them!
- Think about your core goals for 2009, what inner or outer goals are going to be on the top of your agenda over the next year?
- Focus on quality communication with family and friends. Often during the year we get so caught up in the practical aspects of day to day life that the quality and depth of our communication with those close to us deteriorates. Over the Christmas period, be aware of your speech and interaction with yourself and others, try and make it four or five star quality, rather than just 'budget hotel' service! (I'm not quite sure about that last analogy, but I thought it worth including as it communicates a certain something!)
Wishing you all the very best for the Christmas and New Year periods, it has been a pleasure working with all of you over this last year, and I look forward to being of service in 2009!"
Yours in the creative spirit of God,
Toby
Friday, December 12, 2008
Breathing meditations
Here are three forms of breathing meditation that I have recently published on the 'Creative Qi Gong' Blog:
'Breathing in a circle'
'Wave breathing'
'Core body breathing'
'Breathing in a circle'
'Wave breathing'
'Core body breathing'
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The Six Perfections: The Bodhisattva’s Path to Enlightenment.
Over the next few weeks in the Tuesday evening meditation classes we shall be focusing on the six perfections, and so in my next few blog articles over the coming weeks I intend to focus on each of the six perfections in turn and explain them a little.
Possessing the ‘Mind of Enlightenment’ (or bodhichitta in Sanskrit; ‘chitta’ meaning mind and ‘bodhi’ meaning enlightenment) is what distinguishes a Bodhisattva (translated literally: ‘being bound for enlightenment’) from other people. The mind of enlightenment itself is, simply put an intention to become an enlightened being in order to free other living beings from suffering, and lead them also to the blissful, happy state of enlightenment. A Bodhisattva who possesses this intention has essentially dedicated him/herself and all of her actions to the greater good of the planet and the evolution of the living beings who abide within the Planetary Being.
In a sense the mind of bodhichitta is quite a natural one. If someone were to ask you ‘would you like to become a Buddha so as to free others from suffering and lead them to the bliss of enlightenment? Most of us would answer “Yes that seems like a nice idea!” So, a Bodhisattva is simply someone whose main agenda or intention in life has become this.
The question then is, so, I want to become a Buddha out of love and compassion for other living beings, how do I do this? In Buddha’s teachings on the perfections we accomplish our enlightenment by training in six forms of enlightened action; giving or generosity, discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom. These six types of action are the main inner and outer pathways that the Bodhisattva treads in order to accomplish her/his enlightenment for the benefit of others.
The perfection of giving
Giving in Buddhism is defined as a virtuous or positive intention to give (when giving is done in expectation of return, or with ulterior motive we cannot really therefore include such actions in this practice). An act of giving becomes the perfection of giving when we develop the intention of Bodhichitta before and as we engage in the action.
The power of intention and dedication.
In general, if we are mindfully holding the mind of enlightenment in our consciousness, then we can transform any action into an act of giving through the power of our intention, and by using our creativity. For example before we go to sleep at night we can think to ourselves “In the same way that I am now caring for and resting my body by sleeping, may all living beings also receive adequate rest and relaxation”. Or, if we step over a snail on a pathway, taking care not to harm it we can do so thinking “Through my action of caring for this snail, may all beings be protected from danger and harm”. Similarly at the end of any action we can dedicate the positive energy of the act to the welfare of all. For example if we put 50cents in a hospital charity can, we can think “may my action of giving be a cause for all living beings to experience good health and long life”. Alternatively, if we have enjoyed a good dinner with friends and lots of laughter we can think as we go home “May the joy that we have experienced this evening be a cause for all living beings to have lives filled with joy and laughter”.
So, using the power of our mindfulness and of intention and dedication we can transform many of our daily actions into the actions of a Bodhisattva!
More methods for cultivating the perfection of giving.
In his teachings on the six perfections, the Buddha divided giving into four major types:
1) The giving of material things.
2) The giving of ‘dharma’ or good counsel and wisdom (to ourselves as well as other people!)
3) Giving fearlessness. This is in the sense of protecting others from suffering and fear.
4) Giving love.
One fun practice to do each day is to simply try and consciously perform one of each of these four types of giving with the motivation of bodhichitta. If there are no opportunities to do them physically (there usually are!) then they can always be done inwardly, for example by sending others love through visualization, or by praying for those who are in danger. If we do this each day we will be pleased to feel that we are making a positive contribution to the evolution of the planet, and the happiness of the beings that live there. We may also be pleasantly surprised at how much giving we are already doing, but may not have appreciated up to this point.
Awareness of giving.
In general, being aware of times in the past and present when we have practiced giving and simply rejoicing and enjoying our generosity, however great or small really enhances the power of our mind of giving. Also, being aware and rejoicing in the generosity of others is another easy and powerful practice.
An essence level meditation on giving.
Sit quietly and clam your mind through focus on the body and breathing. Then bring to mind an act of giving that you or others have engaged in in the past, or that you may be going to do in the future. Focus on the pleasant feelings that arise from your contemplation, breathe these feelings in and out, allowing them to fill your body and mind with the energy and radiance of generosity. When you finish dedicate your meditation to the welfare of all living beings with a prayer such as “Through the power of my meditation may all living beings experience peace of mind combined with both inner and outer abundance.” In your spare moments during the day, return to the breathing and feelings of generosity that you generated. Let your mind rest regularly in this state.
Possessing the ‘Mind of Enlightenment’ (or bodhichitta in Sanskrit; ‘chitta’ meaning mind and ‘bodhi’ meaning enlightenment) is what distinguishes a Bodhisattva (translated literally: ‘being bound for enlightenment’) from other people. The mind of enlightenment itself is, simply put an intention to become an enlightened being in order to free other living beings from suffering, and lead them also to the blissful, happy state of enlightenment. A Bodhisattva who possesses this intention has essentially dedicated him/herself and all of her actions to the greater good of the planet and the evolution of the living beings who abide within the Planetary Being.
In a sense the mind of bodhichitta is quite a natural one. If someone were to ask you ‘would you like to become a Buddha so as to free others from suffering and lead them to the bliss of enlightenment? Most of us would answer “Yes that seems like a nice idea!” So, a Bodhisattva is simply someone whose main agenda or intention in life has become this.
The question then is, so, I want to become a Buddha out of love and compassion for other living beings, how do I do this? In Buddha’s teachings on the perfections we accomplish our enlightenment by training in six forms of enlightened action; giving or generosity, discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom. These six types of action are the main inner and outer pathways that the Bodhisattva treads in order to accomplish her/his enlightenment for the benefit of others.
The perfection of giving
Giving in Buddhism is defined as a virtuous or positive intention to give (when giving is done in expectation of return, or with ulterior motive we cannot really therefore include such actions in this practice). An act of giving becomes the perfection of giving when we develop the intention of Bodhichitta before and as we engage in the action.
The power of intention and dedication.
In general, if we are mindfully holding the mind of enlightenment in our consciousness, then we can transform any action into an act of giving through the power of our intention, and by using our creativity. For example before we go to sleep at night we can think to ourselves “In the same way that I am now caring for and resting my body by sleeping, may all living beings also receive adequate rest and relaxation”. Or, if we step over a snail on a pathway, taking care not to harm it we can do so thinking “Through my action of caring for this snail, may all beings be protected from danger and harm”. Similarly at the end of any action we can dedicate the positive energy of the act to the welfare of all. For example if we put 50cents in a hospital charity can, we can think “may my action of giving be a cause for all living beings to experience good health and long life”. Alternatively, if we have enjoyed a good dinner with friends and lots of laughter we can think as we go home “May the joy that we have experienced this evening be a cause for all living beings to have lives filled with joy and laughter”.
So, using the power of our mindfulness and of intention and dedication we can transform many of our daily actions into the actions of a Bodhisattva!
More methods for cultivating the perfection of giving.
In his teachings on the six perfections, the Buddha divided giving into four major types:
1) The giving of material things.
2) The giving of ‘dharma’ or good counsel and wisdom (to ourselves as well as other people!)
3) Giving fearlessness. This is in the sense of protecting others from suffering and fear.
4) Giving love.
One fun practice to do each day is to simply try and consciously perform one of each of these four types of giving with the motivation of bodhichitta. If there are no opportunities to do them physically (there usually are!) then they can always be done inwardly, for example by sending others love through visualization, or by praying for those who are in danger. If we do this each day we will be pleased to feel that we are making a positive contribution to the evolution of the planet, and the happiness of the beings that live there. We may also be pleasantly surprised at how much giving we are already doing, but may not have appreciated up to this point.
Awareness of giving.
In general, being aware of times in the past and present when we have practiced giving and simply rejoicing and enjoying our generosity, however great or small really enhances the power of our mind of giving. Also, being aware and rejoicing in the generosity of others is another easy and powerful practice.
An essence level meditation on giving.
Sit quietly and clam your mind through focus on the body and breathing. Then bring to mind an act of giving that you or others have engaged in in the past, or that you may be going to do in the future. Focus on the pleasant feelings that arise from your contemplation, breathe these feelings in and out, allowing them to fill your body and mind with the energy and radiance of generosity. When you finish dedicate your meditation to the welfare of all living beings with a prayer such as “Through the power of my meditation may all living beings experience peace of mind combined with both inner and outer abundance.” In your spare moments during the day, return to the breathing and feelings of generosity that you generated. Let your mind rest regularly in this state.
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