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The Practice of Meditation
by Dogen
Truth is perfect and complete in itself. It is not something newly
discovered; truth is not far away. It is nearer than near. There
is no need to attain it, since not one of your steps leads away
from it.
Don't follow the advice of others; rather, learn to listen to the
voice within yourself. Your body and mind will become one, and you
will realize the unity of all things. Even the slightest movement of
your conceptual thought will prevent you from entering the palace of
wisdom.
The Buddha meditated for six years; Bodhidharma for nine. If such
effort was required of these ancient Masters, how much more is required
of you.
Your search among books, sifting and shuffling through other peoples
words, may lead you to the depths of knowledge, but it cannot help
you to see the reflection of your true self. When you have thrown away
all your conceptions of mind and body, the original person will appear,
in his fullness.
To obtain the inestimable benefits of meditation, you should first make
a firm decision to meditate every day. Your meditation room should be
clean and quiet. Wear loose clothing and remove your shoes. Sit on a
cushion, with legs crossed, in as comfortable a manner as possible.
Keep your back straight. Don't lean tothe left or right; don't tip
forward or bend back. Your ears should be in line with your shoulders.
Keep your tongue at the roof of your mouth and close your lips.Your eyes
should be slightly open, unfocused on the floor at a forty-five-degree
angle. Breathe through your nostrils.
Before you begin meditation, take several slow, deep breaths. Hold your
body erect, allowing your breathing to become normal again. Many thoughts
will crowd into your mind. Don't dwell on thoughts of good or bad. Don't
desire to attain enlightenment. Let your thoughts come and go, without
getting involved in them or trying to suppress them. Think the unthinkable.
In other words, think no-thinking.
Meditation is not a way to enlightenment, nor is it a method of achieving
anything at all. It is peace and blessedness itself. It is the actuali-
zation of wisdom, the ultimate truth of the oneness of all things.
In your meditation, you yourself are the mirror reflecting the solution
of your problems. The human mind has absolute freedom within its true
nature. You can attain this freedom intuitively. Don't work toward
freedom; but allow the work itself to be freedom.
When you want to rest, move your body slowly, and quietly stand up.
Practice this meditation in the morning or in the evening or at any
leisure time during the day. You will soon realize that your mental
burdens are dropping away one by one, and that you are gaining an
intuitive power previously undreamed of.
There have been thousands upon thousands of people who have practiced
meditation and obtained its fruits. Don't doubt its possibilities
because of the simplicity of its method. If you can't find he truth
right where you are, where can you hope to go in search of it ?
Life is short, and no one knows what the next moment will bring. Cultivate
your mind while you still have the opportunity. You will soon discover
the treasure of wisdom, which in turn you can share abundantly with others,
bringing them happiness and peace.
Success
To laugh often and love much; To win
the respect of intelligent persons
and the affection of children; to earn the
approbation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends; to
appreciate beauty; to find the best in
others; to give of one's self; to leave the
world a bit better, whether by a healthy
child, a garden patch, or a redeemed
condition; to have played and laughed
with enthusiam and sung with exultation;
to know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Only Way
it's not my way to save the world
and carry all of it's burdens
and the sorrows of humanity upon my shoulders.
it's not my way to embrace the world
with open arms of love unrestrained
and bare my heart to its painfulness.
it's not my way to guide the world
and all of the anguish that it holds
to steer it down the long road from hate.
it's not my way to teach the world
to obey the religions of hope and peace
and manipulate them into my beliefs.
it's not my way to replenish the world
with the happiness it has been stripped of
by selfish thoughtless apathy.
it's not my way to embelish the world
with decorative thoughts of kindness
and wishes for a brighter day.
it's not my way to feed the world
and fill the hearts that are hungry
from a society that devours one another.
it's not my way to restore the world
to a condition of brotherly love
and mercifully reach out my hand to help.
it's not my way to inflict the world
with a belief in a higher power of light
that can guide them to an invisible faith.
it's not my way to cradle the world
from the path of desolation and loneliness
it has induced upon itself over time.
it's not my way to love the world
and to treat every man as an equal
killing off prejudice and limitations.
it's not my way
it's our way
and it's the only way.
by Lacie
2nd page of Meditations & stuff
More meditations & the way home