Tantra
Part 1 of a 2 part class series.
Some notes from tonights workshop..
Q. Why do we need to practice tantra?
A. Because we view the world with a contaminated mindset.
Anything we enjoy has a tipping point. Because of that, it makes it impure. In Buddhism it is called changing suffering.
The first example tonight was pizza (great example!). We experience bliss while we enjoy our pizza, but after a certain point pizza can no longer be the cause of happiness. We get sick when we over do it. Making this impure.
We are settling for the brief moment. We thinking "this is happiness."
Another example was being in a relationship. We experience suffering not being in one (loneliness, etc) and then experience suffering when we are in one. Maybe not right away, because for that brief moment we experience bliss.
It is a manipulating of external conditions thinking it will bring us happiness. But no, it is contaminated. It is never going to work out in samsara. Samsara is basically everyday life from deeply ingrained lens of discontent, unhappiness, etc etc.
For authentic happiness we have a whole lot we need to give up. That all lies within our minds. Within our habitual thinking.
Talk about mind training. Damn.
Tonight we went over the first three elements to practicing Tantra.
1. Renunciation
2. Bodichitta
3. Realizing emptiness
For renunciation it is about letting go the influence samsara has on us and that includes it's causes.
"Removing the veil of ignorance."
We know better, so we do better. Effort, concentration, mindfulness...
For bodhichitta, we work on developing our compassion. Developing bodhichitta is a training to attain enlightenment to benefit all living beings. 💗
We want to erode self cherishing. The underpinning of this is self grasping. Whether that is devise speech, wrong views, self agenda... these things cause problems. This want or need to control. Problematic.
Makes me think of relationships too. A few times tonight this was used as an example too.
We expect others to fulfill something that is out of their hands and impossible - i.e. expecting others to make us happy.
When they don't, we fault and blame.
This does not just apply to people, but also weather, places, things, events, etc etc. So we fault and blame, and then that can lead to and will lead to (if we don't watch our mind and train it!) to resentment.
Watch your mind, know it like the back of your hand, and train it. Make new grooves.
Relationships...
Attachment is NOT love.
Pure love would not bring us worry or anxiety.
Or anything we "love."
We think "oh this precious object," whether it is a person or a thing, "it makes me happy."
Um, no. It doesn't.
Pure love is wanting another to be happy. It has nothing to do with us.
For realizing emptiness, we talked about the correct understanding of the way things really are.
What really helps me for this is the phrase "nothing exists independently" and also "all phenomena are dependent upon it's parts. Nothing exists inherently."
We talked about the power of the imagination. Also how one of our biggest challenges in understanding emptiness is ordinary appearances and ordinary conceptions of self, others, etc etc.
Our potential is to be extraordinary.
We must remember our potential and this short and precious human life. How can we make it meaningful?
It helps to remember to ask ourselves when interacting with difficult people:
"how are we relating to them?"
We must train ourselves to see people who are difficult as our kind spiritual teacher. How people appear is based on what is inside your/our mind. Also, how else would we improve with something without practice? So we rejoice for the opportunity to practice our kind spiritual teachers.
We discussed our waking and subtle minds too, and how to train them.
Awake = Gross waking consciousness
Sleep = Subtle
Life is like a dream (row row row your boat...).
Everything is an appearance to the mind. Luckily, knowing this we have a lot of flexibility.
We must train our minds in sleep too! I remember a few weeks back having an amazing dream where I was upset about something but in my dream I told myself to "train your mind Denia." I woke up so happy. Everything is sinking in.
I liked how our teacher tonight mentioned how much we fault and blame, even to the extent to blame our bed (sleeping on the wrong side) for when we sleep poorly. That was a good example.
I liked the story of the beggar who found the jewel too.
So this beggar, found a jewel. He didn't need it. He couldn't find anyone else who needed it so he took it to someone who could use it. The King. He told himself he knows no one poorer than the king.
We talked about the "ultimate wealth" = contentment. To me, that is saying "yes" and "this too" to all things.
"Everything that exists is welcome, everything that is belongs."
I liked this saying that was mentioned tonight too, "jealousy is like a thorn in the flesh." Because um yeah, it helps no one and it hurts only us.
Back to how we relate with others...
"For as long as we relate to someone as difficult, they will be."
Karma...
Remembering that "our karma follows us like the shadow of a body."
The ways of Tantra..
"The way someone or something appear, contradicts how they exist."
We think separate from our mind based on how it appears. How it appears is due to imprints, karma, delusions, etc etc..
How something appears may seem separate...
It is not separate.
"Things do not exist beyond mere name."
I would like to aspire to train to project purity, and always see the best in situations and in others.
I had a colleague tell me that I do that. It felt so good to hear.
One last thing.. so people do not freak out by this language..
*I italicized a bunch of words used in Buddhism.
"Remain natural while changing your aspiration."
Some notes from tonights workshop..
Q. Why do we need to practice tantra?
A. Because we view the world with a contaminated mindset.
Anything we enjoy has a tipping point. Because of that, it makes it impure. In Buddhism it is called changing suffering.
The first example tonight was pizza (great example!). We experience bliss while we enjoy our pizza, but after a certain point pizza can no longer be the cause of happiness. We get sick when we over do it. Making this impure.
We are settling for the brief moment. We thinking "this is happiness."
Another example was being in a relationship. We experience suffering not being in one (loneliness, etc) and then experience suffering when we are in one. Maybe not right away, because for that brief moment we experience bliss.
It is a manipulating of external conditions thinking it will bring us happiness. But no, it is contaminated. It is never going to work out in samsara. Samsara is basically everyday life from deeply ingrained lens of discontent, unhappiness, etc etc.
For authentic happiness we have a whole lot we need to give up. That all lies within our minds. Within our habitual thinking.
Talk about mind training. Damn.
Tonight we went over the first three elements to practicing Tantra.
1. Renunciation
2. Bodichitta
3. Realizing emptiness
For renunciation it is about letting go the influence samsara has on us and that includes it's causes.
"Removing the veil of ignorance."
We know better, so we do better. Effort, concentration, mindfulness...
For bodhichitta, we work on developing our compassion. Developing bodhichitta is a training to attain enlightenment to benefit all living beings. 💗
We want to erode self cherishing. The underpinning of this is self grasping. Whether that is devise speech, wrong views, self agenda... these things cause problems. This want or need to control. Problematic.
Makes me think of relationships too. A few times tonight this was used as an example too.
We expect others to fulfill something that is out of their hands and impossible - i.e. expecting others to make us happy.
When they don't, we fault and blame.
This does not just apply to people, but also weather, places, things, events, etc etc. So we fault and blame, and then that can lead to and will lead to (if we don't watch our mind and train it!) to resentment.
Watch your mind, know it like the back of your hand, and train it. Make new grooves.
Relationships...
Attachment is NOT love.
Pure love would not bring us worry or anxiety.
Or anything we "love."
We think "oh this precious object," whether it is a person or a thing, "it makes me happy."
Um, no. It doesn't.
Pure love is wanting another to be happy. It has nothing to do with us.
For realizing emptiness, we talked about the correct understanding of the way things really are.
What really helps me for this is the phrase "nothing exists independently" and also "all phenomena are dependent upon it's parts. Nothing exists inherently."
We talked about the power of the imagination. Also how one of our biggest challenges in understanding emptiness is ordinary appearances and ordinary conceptions of self, others, etc etc.
Our potential is to be extraordinary.
We must remember our potential and this short and precious human life. How can we make it meaningful?
It helps to remember to ask ourselves when interacting with difficult people:
"how are we relating to them?"
We must train ourselves to see people who are difficult as our kind spiritual teacher. How people appear is based on what is inside your/our mind. Also, how else would we improve with something without practice? So we rejoice for the opportunity to practice our kind spiritual teachers.
We discussed our waking and subtle minds too, and how to train them.
Awake = Gross waking consciousness
Sleep = Subtle
Life is like a dream (row row row your boat...).
Everything is an appearance to the mind. Luckily, knowing this we have a lot of flexibility.
We must train our minds in sleep too! I remember a few weeks back having an amazing dream where I was upset about something but in my dream I told myself to "train your mind Denia." I woke up so happy. Everything is sinking in.
I liked how our teacher tonight mentioned how much we fault and blame, even to the extent to blame our bed (sleeping on the wrong side) for when we sleep poorly. That was a good example.
I liked the story of the beggar who found the jewel too.
So this beggar, found a jewel. He didn't need it. He couldn't find anyone else who needed it so he took it to someone who could use it. The King. He told himself he knows no one poorer than the king.
We talked about the "ultimate wealth" = contentment. To me, that is saying "yes" and "this too" to all things.
"Everything that exists is welcome, everything that is belongs."
I liked this saying that was mentioned tonight too, "jealousy is like a thorn in the flesh." Because um yeah, it helps no one and it hurts only us.
Back to how we relate with others...
"For as long as we relate to someone as difficult, they will be."
Karma...
Remembering that "our karma follows us like the shadow of a body."
The ways of Tantra..
"The way someone or something appear, contradicts how they exist."
We think separate from our mind based on how it appears. How it appears is due to imprints, karma, delusions, etc etc..
How something appears may seem separate...
It is not separate.
"Things do not exist beyond mere name."
I would like to aspire to train to project purity, and always see the best in situations and in others.
I had a colleague tell me that I do that. It felt so good to hear.
One last thing.. so people do not freak out by this language..
*I italicized a bunch of words used in Buddhism.
"Remain natural while changing your aspiration."
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