The Pure Mountain Path

Our greatest enemy is not another human being. It is what comes from within. It is through our own self that we hear the sounds of anger and hatred that poison our thoughts. Some think this is due to the bad karma we built up as the origin of this suffering, but regardless of where it came from, we must learn to do battle with such images and sounds. The greatest battlefield that we face is the fought within the human heart.

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The egret’s feathers

Catching the sunlight

Of the early morning

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Ode to a Slacker

I have a folding chair

On the patio of my apartment

Next to some plastic plants

That I do not have to water

It is on the third floor

I like to get up early

And brew some coffee

That is stronger than my ambition

Half a teaspoon will do

I take a book and go out on the porch

And drown myself in the sunshine

Occasionally

I will look up from my reading

At the busy road that passes by my world

I see all the people

Who are being beaten to death by the rapids

The ones rushing over the falls

While I stand on the banks and watch

I smile in bemusement

Now excuse me while I rush

Into the kitchen

For another cup of coffee

–Anna S.

I was told once that you can judge the shepherd by the quality of his sheep. It is also true that you can judge a person by the quality of their actions. They may tell you of their skill as a shepherd, but how are their sheep? Do their actions match their words? Are their sheep healthy, happy? Are they content; at peace? Do not be fooled by the clothing of the shepherd. Look at the sheep instead.

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Many of the decisions we make are based on something other than our principles. Sometimes we avoid the responsibility and pain of separating good and bad, not because we lack the wisdom but because we lack the courage. There was a Russian writer named Alexander Solzhenitsyn who once said that there is a line separating good and evil that runs “through every human heart” and that every action he took, however small, was for one or the other. The same is true for ourselves. That is why it is important to practice diligently so that we can perform the right actions.

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May I be

The kind of person

My dog thinks I am

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Kerouac; On The Road

Knowledge or what is considered knowledge clutters up the mind the way hair can clog a drain. When this happens, very little wisdom can pass through. We have information fed into us from an early age, much of it useless ‘knowledge’. We attend colleges and are forced to take classes we have no interest in for the sake of a ‘well-rounded education’. More likely it would be honest to say a well-paid for education. When the mind is saturated with what passes for knowledge, wisdom has little chance to be absorbed.

The chimes outside

———

Dust off my memories

Hello again!

—-

Doctor’s office

Reading old magazines

With dedicated practice, one who is with the way discovers that all of our attractions, aversions and fears, cravings, as well as our conceptions, perceptions and opinions are all mental constructs. That is to say, totally fabricated by the mind. They are like a large cloud and our new discovery is an airplane that just goes right through it. We cannot see through this cloud when we on the ground, but with the airplane, we slice right through to the clarity of the other side.

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When you’re young

Relationships are formed on lust, dreams,

When you’re older

They’re formed on comfort, shared experiences

When the mind becomes concentrated, we can then eliminate the extraneous habitual thought patterns. As they begin to subside (as a result of the persistent practice of one-pointed meditation), the mind can then be not only concentrated, but also more thoroughly one with the object of meditation. It is a sort of inner expansion of attention on the object of meditation. The mind becomes like a piece of fine crystal.

When the mind is like a crystal, it possesses no coloring of its own. It is clear and pure. This means that when you place your attention on some object, your mind is able to fill with total concentration of that object, i.e. become one with it. Shaping the mind into a form like a crystal does not mean we are enlightened, but it does allow the mind to become the lantern that shines brightly into the deepest recesses of the mind.

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Sunlight and shadows

Playing checkers on the floor

Lazy Tuesday afternoon

When we are able to get our mind under our control, that is the time when we can use the mind like a backhoe to dig down and explore those subtle components that comprise our actions. Of course, these actions are what creates our karma, so you can see how important this is. Reaching this state is not the final goal. Instead, it is clear evidence of having the skill to tame the mind. When we can do that, we can use the mind like a valuable tool, exploring the darkest caves of our mind, now equipped with a powerful lantern.

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The Buddha

Wasn’t a Buddhist

Why should I be?

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The wind, sounding like rushing water

Pines glowing

Boston, MA at night

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Not the water

What difference does it make?

I can’t hold either