Summary of Philosophy Class 28th May 2015
Are there any good books that talk about living in the present?
Yes Thich Nhat Hanh has a book called Our Appointment with life. It is a discourse on a sutra by the Buddha on how to live in the present moment.
The sutra itself translates as follows:
“Do not pursue the past.
Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is.
The future has not yet come.
Looking deeply at life as it is
in the very here and now,
the practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom.
We must be diligent today.
To wait till tomorrow is too late.
Death comes unexpectedly.
How can we bargain with it?
The sage calls a person who knows
how to dwell in mindfulness
night and day
‘the one who knows
the better way to live alone.’
Do not lose yourself in the future.
The past no longer is.
The future has not yet come.
Looking deeply at life as it is
in the very here and now,
the practitioner dwells
in stability and freedom.
We must be diligent today.
To wait till tomorrow is too late.
Death comes unexpectedly.
How can we bargain with it?
The sage calls a person who knows
how to dwell in mindfulness
night and day
‘the one who knows
the better way to live alone.’
There is a very good summary of the teaching here: http://mountainsangha.org/the-sutra-on-knowing-the-better-way-to-live-alone/
What is the best thing to do when your thoughts go wild?
Focus on your breath. The more you bring your awareness to the breathing, the more your breathing becomes controlled and slower. When you breath slower, tranquility comes to your emotions (and vice versa when you are stressed then you breath quicker and more erratically). Focusing on the breath really helps bring a state of calmness to the mind.
Does meditation make you a happy person?
Matthieu Ricard spends a large part of his life meditating in Nepal and is often known as the happiest man in the world. He keeps a very positive attitude on life and this really helps with his happiness.
You can read about him here:
This is his page and he has some really useful information on meditation is useful: http://www.matthieuricard.org/en/medias/matthieu-ricard-why-are-you-called-the-happiest-man-in-the-world-1-of-5
What are the four Brahma Viharas?
These are also known as the four sublime abodes - and they are feelings that we work on in meditation that bring us to permanent states of happiness.
'Metta' is loving kindness
'Karuna' is compassion
'Mudita' is sympathetic joy
'Upekkha' is equanimity
'Metta' is loving kindness
'Karuna' is compassion
'Mudita' is sympathetic joy
'Upekkha' is equanimity
Comments
Post a Comment