Mindfulness-Based Everything: The Dharma of Daily Living

 From the archives of the Dharma Talk Blog. Monday, March 29, 2010 In Praise of Silence This past weekend, I attended a memorial service for a friend in an Episcopal church. I have not been a regular attendee to these kinds of institutions for a long time, now only setting foot in them for weddings, funerals, or, as in the case of Chartres Cathedral, to sightsee. Perhaps my being such an infrequent visitor is what brought my attention to something that seemed very obvious to me, but may not have been to those more accustomed to these places: the inability for many people to tolerate silence.  Now, I do not intend any disrespect to the Episcopal Church, nor to any other. However, it seemed to me that, in the context of a time of remembering a person who has passed away, silence is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal. The minister, no doubt a well-meaning, experienced, and learned man, asked if anyone had anything they would like to share about the deceased. After onl...

Many years ago, I heard a rendition of what is called a "spontaneous vajra song." In the Tibetan Buddhist traditioni, vagja songs are improvisational teaching poems that expresses a realization occurring in that moment by the yogi who is reciting it. The first vajra song I heard was from the Venerable Lama Gendun Rinpoche :  Happiness can not be found through great effort and willpower, but is already present, in open relaxation and letting go. Don't strain yourself, there is nothing to do or undo. Whatever momentarily arises in the body-mind has no real importance at all, has little reality whatsoever. Why identify with, and become attached to it, passing judgment upon it and ourselves? Far better to simply let the entire game happen on its own, springing up and falling back like waves without changing or manipulating anything and notice how everything vanishes and reappears, magically, again and again, time without end. Only our searching for happiness prevents us from ...

 A koan is a teaching device often used in certain traditions of Buddhism, particularly the Chan  and Zen  lineages. In some ways they are considered "dharma riddles," and like most riddles, working with them can be either fun or frustrating. Sometimes they take the form of a question ("What is the sound of one hand clapping?"), or they can be embedded in a teaching story. Here's one... "The leader of a monastery encounters two novice monks arguing about the movement of the flag atop the temple. One monk says the flag is moving, and the other insists that the wind is moving. The leader tells them, 'It is your mind  that is moving."  See what I mean about frustrating? And yet, did you notice that your mind stopped just for a second, as though all the gears and wheels froze up? That's one of the results of hearing a koan, perhaps because of the paradoxical nature of these questions or stories; the human mind may not be able to hold the polaritie...