One-Page Prison Dharma

Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, all Hawaii prisons went on lockdown in mid March 2020, barring all visitors including Prison Dharma Volunteers. Rinpoche's April 1st inspirational talk to WCCC's 300 inmates was postponed. Instead, he wrote a letter to the inmates, which became the first of a series of One-Pagers.

One-Pagers are messages of inspiration, encouragement and comfort that are contributed not only by Prison Dharma volunteers but also Hawaii's wider mindfulness community. It may be a silver lining in the very dark Coronavirus cloud that now more people can participate without having to enter the prison or train. Submissions are welcome; need not be original writing nor have Buddhist content. If you'd like to contribute something---a page of inspirational quotes, an excerpt from your favorite poetry or dharma book, a clipping of a feel-good story from the paper--- please contact r_siciliano@yahoo.com

One-Pagers are posted below with the most recent first. They were listed chronologically previously from March 2020.

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | October 20, 2021 | Prayer to Future Beings

by Joanna Macy

You live inside us, beings of the future.

In the spiral ribbons of our cells, you are here.

In our rage for the burning forests, the poisoned fields, the oil-drowned seals, you are here.

You beat in our hearts through late-night meetings.

You accompany us to clear-cuts and toxic dumps and the halls of the lawmakers. It is you who drive our dogged labors to save what is left. O you who will walk this Earth when we are gone, stir us awake. Behold through our eyes the beauty of this world. Let us feel your breath in our lungs, your cry in our throat. Let us see you in the poor, the homeless, the sick. Haunt us with your hunger, hound us with your claims, that we may honour the life that links us. You have as yet no faces we can see, no names we can say. But we need only hold you in our mind, and you teach us patience. You attune us to measures of time where healing can happen, where soil and souls can mend. You reveal courage within us we had not suspected, love we had not owned.

O you who come after, help us remember:

We are your ancestors.

Fill us with gladness for the work that must be done.

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | October 13, 2021 | Poems and Reflections

The mind is everything.

What we think we become.

—Lord Buddha

For hate is never conquered by hate.

Hate is conquered by love.

This is an eternal law.

—Lord Buddha (The Twin Verses )

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.

If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him.

If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought,

happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

—Lord Buddha

Confused by thoughts,

we experience duality in life.

Unencumbered by ideas,

the enlightened see the one Reality.

—Hui Neng

O Snail,

Climb Mount Fuji

But slowly, slowly!

—K.Isha

Walk and touch peace every moment.

Walk and touch happiness every moment.

Each step brings a fresh breeze.

Each step makes a flower bloom.

Kiss the Earth with your feet.

Bring the Earth your love and happiness.

The Earth will be safe

when we feel safe in ourselves.

—Thich Nhat Hahn

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | October 5, 2021 | Blaming and Understanding

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Blaming Never Helps

When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the lettuce. You look into the reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and arguments. That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.

One day in Paris, I gave a lecture about not blaming the lettuce. After the talk, I was doing walking meditation by myself, and when I turned the corner of a building, I overheard an eight-year-old girl telling her mother, “Mommy, remember to water me. I am your lettuce.” I was so pleased that she had understood my point completely. Then I heard her mother reply, “Yes, my daughter, and I am your lettuce also. So please don’t forget to water me too.” Mother and daughter practicing together, it was very beautiful.

Understanding

Understanding and love are not two things, but just one. Suppose your son wakes up one morning and sees that it is already quite late. He decides to wake up his younger sister, to give her enough time to eat breakfast before going to school. It happens that she is grouchy and instead of saying, “Thank you for waking me up,” she says, “Shut up! Leave me alone!” and kicks him. He will probably get angry, thinking, “I woke her up nicely. Why did she kick me?” He may want to go to the kitchen and tell you about it, or even kick her back. But then he remembers that during the night his sister coughed a lot, and he realizes that she must be sick. Maybe she behaved so meanly because she has a cold. At that moment, he understands, and he is not angry at all anymore.

When you understand, you cannot help but love. You cannot get angry. To develop understanding, you have to practice looking at all living beings with the eyes of compassion. When you understand, you cannot help but love. And when you love, you naturally act in a way that can relieve the suffering of people.

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Submitted by Lekshe, volunteer meditation teacher

Written by Thich Nhat Hanh, from Peace is Every Step

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | September 28, 2021 | “Place”

On the last day of the world

I would want to plant a tree

what for

not for the fruit

the tree that bears the fruit

is not the one that was planted

I want the tree that stands

in the earth for the first time

with the sun already

going down

and the water

touching its roots

in the earth full of the dead

and the clouds passing

one by one

over its leaves

At his Maui home, in the 1980s, the poet W.S. Merwin and his wife raised more than 2,000 trees in an effort to restore the rainforest.These trees are now part of the Merwin Conservancy. This poem was inspired by this effort.

Submitted by Margaret, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | September 22, 2021 | Love Thyself

There’s a common misunderstanding that the best way to live is to try to avoid all pain.

A much more interesting, kind, adventurous, and joyful approach to life is to begin to develop our curiosity, not caring whether the object of our inquisitiveness is bitter or sweet.

When people start to meditate or work with any kind of spiritual discipline, they often think that somehow they’re going to improve, which is a sort of subtle aggression against who they really are. It’s a bit like saying, “If I jog, I’ll be a much better person.”

But meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice is you or me or whoever we are right now, just as we are. That’s the ground, that’s what we study, that’s what we come to know with tremendous curiosity and interest.

It’s very helpful to realize that being here, sitting in meditation, doing simple every day things like working, walking, talking with people, bathing, using the toilet, and eating, is actually all that we need to be fully awake, fully alive, fully human. It’s also helpful to realize that this body that we have, this very body, and this mind, are exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, and fully alive. Furthermore, the emotions that we have right now, the negativity and the positivity, are what we actually need. It is just as if we had looked around to find out what would be the greatest wealth that could possibly possess in order to lead a decent, good, completely fulfilling, energetic, inspired life, and found it all right here.

Being satisfied with what we already have is a magical golden key to being alive in a full, unrestricted, and inspired way. One of the major obstacles to what is traditionally called enlightenment is resentment, feeling cheated, holding a grudge about who you are, where you are, what you are. This is why we talk so much about making friends with ourselves, because, for some reason or another, we don’t feel that kind of satisfaction in a full and complete way.

The ground of loving-kindness is this sense of satisfaction with who we are and what we have. The path is a sense of wonder.

Our true nature is not some ideal that we have to live up to. It’s who we are right now, and that’s what we can make friends with and celebrate.

From The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | September 15, 2021 | Tonglen

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From The Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron

Tonglen practice has to do with cultivating fearlessness. When you do this practice for some time, you experience your heart as more open. You begin to realize that fear has to do with wanting to protect your heart: you feel that something is going to harm your heart, and therefore you protect it.

When you do tonglen, you invite the pain in.

The essence of tonglen practice is that on the in-breath you are willing to feel pain: you’re willing to acknowledge the suffering of the world. From this day forward you’re going to cultivate your bravery and willingness to feel that part of the human condition. You breathe in so that you can really understand the first noble truth, that life is suffering. With every in-breath, you acknowledge the truth of suffering, not as a mistake you made, not as a punishment, but as part of the human condition.

The essence of the out-breath is the other part of the human condition. With every out-breath, you open. You connect with the feeling of joy, well-being, satisfaction, tenderheartedness, anything that feels fresh and clean, wholesome and good. You connect with that and you breathe it out so that it spreads and can be experienced by everyone.

All that you need in order to do tonglen is to have experienced suffering and to have experienced happiness.

If you were just like everyone else, you would breathe in the good parts and breathe out the bad parts. But this path, the path of the warrior, is a lot more daring.

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | September 8, 2021 | What’s not Wrong?

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by Thich Nhat Hanh from Peace is Every Step

We often ask, “What’s wrong?” Doing so, we invite painful seeds of sorrow to come up and manifest. We feel suffering, anger, and depression, and produce more such seeds. We would be much happier if we tried to stay in touch with the healthy, joyful seeds inside of us and around us. We should learn to ask, “What’s not wrong?” and be in touch with that. There are so many elements in the world and within our bodies, feelings, perceptions, and consciousness that are wholesome, refreshing, and healing. If we block ourselves, if we stay trapped in our sorrow, we will not be in touch with these healing elements.

Life is filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. Our breathing, for example, can be very enjoyable. I enjoy breathing every day. But many people appreciate the joy of breathing only when they have asthma or a stuffed-up nose. We don’t need to wait until we have asthma to enjoy our breathing.

Awareness of the precious elements of happiness is itself the practice of right mindfulness. Elements like these are within us and all around us. In each second of our lives we can enjoy them. If we do so, seeds of peace, joy, and happiness will be planted in us, and they will become strong. The secret to happiness is happiness itself. Wherever we are, any time, we have the capacity to enjoy the air on our skin, the wonder of our breathing. We don’t have to travel anywhere else to do so. We can be in touch with these things right now.

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Submitted by Lekshe, volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist meditation one pager 2021-09-01 Monkey Mind

When you first begin to meditate, expect to face some difficulties. Your mind will wander off constantly, darting around like a bumblebee and zooming off on wild tangents. Try not to worry. The monkey-minded phenomenon is well known. It is something that every advanced meditator has had to deal with. They have pushed through it one way or another, and so can you. When it happens, just note the fact that you have been thinking, day-dreaming, worrying, or whatever. Gently, but firmly, without getting upset or judging yourself for straying, simply return to the simple physical sensation of the breath. Then do it again the next time, and again, and again, and again.

Somewhere in this process, you will come face-to-face with the sudden and shocking realization that you mind is on wheels barreling pell-mell down the hill, utterly out of control and hopeless. No problem.. It has always been this way, and you just never noticed. Your mind is No more unsettled than everybody else’s around you. The only real difference is that you have confronted the situation; they have not. So they still feel relatively comfortable. That does not mean that they are better off. Ignorance may be bliss, but it does not lead to liberation. So don't let this realization unsettle you. It is a milestone actually, a sign of real progress. The very fact that you have looked at the problem straight in the eye means that you are on your way up and out of it.

Mindfulness In Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana

Submitted by Rachael, Prison Dharma Volunteer and Mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | August 25, 2021 | Breathing in

As your body settles and your eyes close, bring your awareness to your breathing. Notice the breath coming in, and the breath going out. Follow the breath with your awareness... in...and out... not trying to change it in any way. Breathing in, feeling the breath as it passes through your nostrils... breathing out, feeling the breath as it leaves your nostrils. Awareness lightly and gently on your breath…

“Breathing in, I know I am breathing in...Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.”

If thoughts come in...as they always do... acknowledge the thoughts, without judgment, and let them go... let them drift away like clouds floating across the sky... and bring your awareness back to your breathing... to the present moment.

“Breathing in... I know I am breathing in...Breathing out... I know I am breathing out...”

Each time your attention moves away from the breath... distracted by a thought perhaps, maybe something that is bothering you or worrying you... notice the thought, acknowledge the thought, and then let it go... and bring your awareness back to your breath, back to the present moment. Letting your full awareness be on the breath... as it comes in... and as it goes out... noticing the familiar rhythm of the breath.

“Breathing in, I calm my body...Breathing out, I smile...”

When you bring your awareness to the breath in this way, you are connecting the mind and the body and spirit in the present moment.

“Dwelling in the present moment...I know this is a wonderful moment...”

Continue to mindfully breathe in this way for as long as you like.

As we bring this meditation to an end, eyes closed just a little while longer... notice how you are feeling... your body... your mind... your spirit. If you like, offer gratitude for this time you have taken for yourself... to be quiet... to breathe.. and bring yourself back.

From Thich Nhat Hanh, “A Short Teaching on Mindfulness Breathing”

Submitted by Margaret, Prison Dharma Volunteer

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | August 19, 2021 | Really?

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Once upon a time in old Japan, a teenage girl became an unwed mother. Fearing her parents’ wrath, she told them the baby’s father was the local Zen Buddhist master. She thought she wouldn’t be punished by her parents because they always held the master in high regard. Her parents believed her and took the newborn baby to the master. Once there, they started cursing him.

“You, who pretend to be a monk, have soiled the Buddhadharma! We didn’t see your vile nature and were deceived by you. We never believed you could do something like this. You’re worse than an animal. This is your son. Take him!”

The master replied calmly, “Really?” and took the baby in his arms. The parents felt justified in their reproach and spread the story around. Before long, everyone heard and gave the master dirty looks wherever he went.

The master, holding the weak infant, went to ask for milk from a family with another newborn baby. They said, “If it wasn’t for the sake of the poor baby, you wouldn’t get anything!”

Day after day, the girl suffered tremendous guilt. Finally, she couldn’t bear to see people treating the master unfairly and confessed the truth to her parents. Ashamed, the parents went to confess to the master.

The master replied in the same way.

“Really?”

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Story excerpted from Tales For Transforming Adversity, Khenpo Sodargye

Submitted by Lily, Volunteer Meditation Teacher

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | August 11, 2021 | Walking Mediation

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From Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace in Every Step

Walking meditation can be very enjoyable. We walk slowly, alone or with friends, if possible in some beautiful place. Walking meditation is really to enjoy the walking – walking not in order to arrive, but just to walk. The purpose is to be in the present moment and, aware of our breathing and our walking, to enjoy each step. Therefore we have to shake off all worries and anxieties, not thinking of the future, not thinking of the past, just enjoying the present moment. We can take the hand of a child as we do it. We walk, we make steps as if we are the happiest person on Earth.

Although we walk all the time, our walking is usually more like running. When we walk like that, we print anxiety and sorrow on the Earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print peace and serenity on the Earth. We can all do this, provided that we want it very much. Any child can do it. If we can take one step like this, we can take two, three, four, and five. When we are able to take one step peacefully and happily, we are working for the cause of peace and happiness for the whole of humankind. Walking meditation is a wonderful practice.

When we do walking meditation outside, we walk a little slower than our normal pace, and we coordinate our breathing with our steps. For example, we may take three steps with each in-breath and three steps with each out-breath. So we can say, “In, in, in. Out, out, out.” “In” is to help us to identify the in-breath. Every time we call something by its name, we make it more real, like saying the name of a friend.

If your lungs want four steps instead of three, please give them four steps. If they want only two steps, give them two. The lengths of your in-breath and out-breath do not have to be the same. For example, you can take three steps with each inhalation and four with each exhalation. If you feel happy, peaceful, and joyful while you are walking, you are practicing correctly.

Be aware of the contact between your feet and the Earth. Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet. We have caused a lot of damage to the Earth. Now it is time for us to take good care of her. We bring our peace and calm to the surface of the Earth and share the lesson of love. We walk in that spirit.

From time to time, when we see something beautiful, we may want to stop and look at it – a tree, a flower, some children playing. As we look, we continue to follow our breathing, lest we lose the beautiful flower and get caught up in our thoughts. When we want to resume walking, we just start again. Each step we take will create a cool breeze, refreshing our body and mind. Every step makes a flower bloom under our feet. We can do it only if we do not think of the future or the past, if we know that life can only be found in the present moment.

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Submitted by Lekshe, volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | August 4, 2021 | Cookie of Childhood

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by Thich Nhat Hanh from Peace is Every Step

When I was four years old, my mother used to bring me a cookie every time she came home from the market. I always went to the front yard and took my time eating it, sometimes half an hour or forty-five minutes for one cookie. I would take a small bite and look up at the sky. Then I would touch the dog with my feet and take another small bite. I just enjoyed being there, with the sky, the earth, the bamboo thickets, the cat, the dog, the flowers. I was able to do that because I did not have much to worry about. I did not think of the future, I did not regret the past. I was entirely in the present moment, with my cookie, the dog, the bamboo thickets, the cat, and everything.

It is possible to eat our meals as slowly and joyfully as I ate the cookie of my childhood. Maybe you have the impression that you have lost the cookie of your childhood, but I am sure it is still there, somewhere in your heart. Everything is still there, and if you really want it, you can find it. Eating mindfully is a most important practice of meditation. We can eat in a way that we restore the cookie of our childhood. The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it.

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Submitted by Lekshe, volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | July 28, 2021 | Wise and Compassionate

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Each day, may we be kind, compassionate and wise beyond words.

Each day, may we work for the good.

Give us the energy and commitment to work for the welfare of all beings,

especially the sick, the tormented, the destitute, and the desperate.

Help us seek nonviolent ways for dealing with human conflicts.

Help us work together harmoniously to eliminate the causes of violence and suffering,

especially poverty, social inequalities, intolerance, anger, and fear.

Bless our aspirations for peace,

Join our prayers for peace and our efforts for peace.

Strengthen the courage of our convictions.

Give us the courage to turn the other cheek,

And help us encourage each other as we continue to strive for peace on earth.

For as long as space endures

And as long as living beings exist

May I, too, endure

To remove the sufferings of the world.

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Buddhist prayer

Submitted by Lekshe, volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | July 21, 2021 | Awareness Exercises

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1. Try to be mindful for one minute in every hour.

2. Touch base with your breathing throughout the day, wherever you are, as often as you can.

3. For one week, be aware of one pleasant event per day while it is happening. Notice these, and notice your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Look for patterns.

4. During another week, do the same for one unpleasant or stressful event per day while it is happening. Again, notice your bodily sensations, thoughts, feelings, and reactions/ responses. Look for underlying patterns.

5. Bring awareness to one difficult communication per day during another week. Notice what happened, what you wanted from the communication, what the other person wanted, and what actually happened. Look for a pattern over the week. Notice your own mental states and their consequences as you communicate with others.

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From Jon Kabat-Zinn, from Full Catastrophe Living

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | July 14, 2021 | Be Aware

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Every time we make a transition from one activity or location to another, we can use that moment to be aware. For example,

1. When you wake up, be aware that you are waking up. Take a moment to collect yourself. If you wake up with a head full of thoughts, take a breath and let some fresh air into your mind, just for a moment.

2. When you start to get up and out of bed, notice that you are changing the position of your body and your consciousness. Now you’re awake! It’s a new day! The sun is up! Take just a second to notice that there is movement. Take a breath as you notice.

3. If you encounter other people immediately, be sensitive to this event. Know that this is a moment that you can feel inner stillness, no matter what is going on outside.

4. As your day gets underway, with breakfast, work, class, play, meetings, realize just for a moment that there is a transition now between activities. Mindfully notice that one activity is ending, another one is beginning. Notice if there is flow, or awkwardness; if the transition is easy or difficult; feel how your body is responding to the change. You don’t have to judge how you feel or how the transition is going—instead, just notice, and maybe briefly describe it to yourself: “I feel tired as I get walking,” “I feel energetic as I see my friend,” “My back aches,” “This is Monday, and this is how Monday feels right now,” and after you’ve noticed, and acknowledged that you’re moving, let that thought go so you can be aware of the next observation.

5. Use everyday cues in your environment to remind yourself to center, relax, and be aware. Every time you open or close a door, for example, is an opportunity to stop for a split second and be mindful: “I’m opening the door.” “There is the door handle.” “I’ve entered a room.” Then let these observations go.

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From Jon Kabat-Zinn, from Full Catastrophe Living

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager | July 07, 2021 | Surf’s Up!

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You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

It is a commonly held view that meditation is a way to shut off the pressures of the world or of your own mind, but this is not an accurate impression. Meditation is neither shutting things out nor off. It is seeing things clearly, and deliberately positioning yourself differently in relationship to them.

One way to envision how mindfulness works is to think of your mind as the surface of a lake or ocean. There are always waves on the water. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small, and sometimes they are almost imperceptible. The water’s waves are churned up by winds, which come and go and vary in direction and intensity, just as do the winds of stress and change in our lives, which stir up waves in our minds.

It is possible through meditation to find shelter from much of the wind that agitates the mind. But ultimately the winds of life and the mind will still blow. Meditation is about knowing this, and how to work with it.

There is a poster of a seventy-ish yogi, Swami Satchitananda, in full white beard and flowing robes atop a surfboard riding the waves off a Hawaiian beach. The caption read, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

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From Jon Kabat-Zinn, from Wherever You Go, There You Are

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

One- Pager Buddhist Meditation #5---- Prisoners in a Troubled World ----- April 22, 2020

We are in the midst of a health crisis, that of the COVID-19 virus affecting our population that has been declared a pandemic by the president of the United States of America. This pandemic has caused much anxiety, and really teaches us the true human condition we share with one another. People are lined up in the big box stores buying as much toilet paper as they can, often reminding us of a “feeding frenzy” exhibited by sharks and other animals. People are hoarding many items that sustain their lives, even to the extent of skirmishes over products, taking items out of someone else’s shopping baskets and placing them in their own carts. It has been reported that “entrepreneurs” are buying hand sanitizers and re-selling them at higher prices.

It is a sad state that we are all going through, but it gives us an opportunity nevertheless to learn from all of this, to learn the Buddhist teachings. For all of us trapped in anger, fear, or hopelessness, let us remember the reality of the Buddha’s First Noble Truth: Life is suffering, and through that we can become aware that our experience is the first step in coming to peace and understanding.

I read somewhere that we are all prisoners of life and death. But the question is, what kind of prisoners do we want to be? We have an opportunity here to access the human spirit, that of loving kindness to all beings. When the happiness of others is our happiness, and their sadness our sadness, it is called the heart of compassion. We should all try to live a life of metta* each day of our lives as we encounter this pandemic. We realize from the teachings of Buddhism that we are all surrounded by the mythical Indra’s Net, that each is as valuable as the next, and that each of us are surrounded by Amida Buddha’s Boundless and Infinite Compassion.

Shinran Shonin teaches us that we are always within the Buddha’s grasp, no matter where we may be or what condition we are living in. Though we now live in this world of uncertainty, we understand that that the Teachings makes us realize that we are in the constant grasp of the Oneness of life. As Rennyo Shonin wrote in the Letter on White Ashes, “Impermanence in this world creates a condition of uncertainty for all. So, we should all take heart the true nature of this world and live a life of deep reflection guided by All-inclusive Wisdom and All-embracing Compassion.”

Let us therefore continue to live our lives exhibiting loving kindness and compassion to others, while taking the time to being careful with our own health and well-being. It is a time to continue following the guidance of the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and the government for the benefit of all of us. May we all live in safety and well-being.

Namo Amida Butsu,

Rev. Bert of Windward Buddhist Temple

*Metta is the ancient Pali word for compassion. The object of metta is loving kindness. Buddhists believe that those who cultivate loving kindness will be at ease because they see no need to harbor ill-will or hostility. It is generally felt that those around a person full of loving kindness will feel more comfortable and happy too. Radiating loving kindness will contribute to a world of love, peace and happiness. There are meditation practices that help cultivate metta. When the pandemic is over, and volunteers can return to teach meditation, you are all welcome to attend meditation classes on Sunday afternoons.

One Pager Buddhist Meditation #8 May 14,2020 HOW TO LIVE

Advice from Patrul Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher who lived in the 19^th-century.

His book, Words of My Perfect Teacher,continues to be widely read today as a foundational text.

“The proud will never be pleased.”

When you are proud, you cannot be pleased easily. When you are very proud, you find it difficult to be fulfilled. Your expectations are high and you take things very personally. It is healthier not to take things personally and not be proud. Try to be aware of this in daily life.

“The jealous will never be happy.”

When you have a lot of jealousy towards others, it will be difficult to feel even a moment of happiness. Your mind will constantly be in competition with other, trying to improve things, change things, and get something better. Jealousy always gives you unhappy and dissatisfied in life.

“The greedy will never be satisfied.”

When you are very greedy or have a lot of attachment, it will be difficult to be satisfied in life, because you will feel that you never have enough. You will always subtly be complaining. You will not be very happy. You will always feel like you are missing something. You will want to have more. It’s very important to learn to be satisfied. Remind yourself to be content with what you have. Remind yourself that you need to be satisfied with whatever you have in life.

“The hateful will never be reconciled.”

When you are a hateful or angry person, it is very difficult to make friendships, reconcile, forgive, or forget. And it will be difficult for others to forgive you. So you need to watch your hatred and remember to let go of it. Give yourself and others some space. Be kind to yourself, your family members, your spiritual brothers and sisters, your friends, colleagues, and everyone.

“The stingy will never have enough”

When you are very stingy, you feel that you never have enough. Stinginess makes it difficult for you to give things to others. Stinginess makes it difficult for you to support your family, friends, charitable activities, and people in need. Whoever practices Dharma should be aware of all negative thoughts and emotions.

“The ignorant will never accomplish much.”

When you are ignorant, you cannot accomplish much, because you don’t see things clearly. Without awareness, you can’t achieve your goals. Ignorance means not seeing things clearly, not understanding. You need to be very clear in life, especially in your spiritual life, and develop awareness on the spiritual path. When you don’t see your spiritual path clearly (what life is about, what you are doing in life), lacking clarity and wisdom, you will feel lazy and confused. With so many blind spots, you will never accomplish much in life, either spiritual or material.

Submitted by Lekshe, soon-to-be Prison Dharma meditation teacher at WCCC.

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #10 May 19, 2020 Letter from Dr Dean

My Friends at WCCC,

Two things:

First. what gets us into our particular life situations starts with thoughts. Likewise, the way to change ones' outlook on life is to have different thoughts. Sounds simple but let’s get real. At first we may not even be aware of how much we think all day or how that affects our action.

Secondly, one of the most common responses to meditation practice is 'I can't do that.' Presence meditation practice might be the first time you may be aware of how much you prattle to yourself all day and how bizarre, repetitive and negative the internal conversation is.

Everyone in our country is obsessed with freedom. And a lot of crazy behavior gets justified because it proves how free one is. Really?

Do you have the freedom to walk across the room with peace in your mind and make it to the other side? So, how free are you?

You are always going to have thoughts. It’s like the ocean has waves. Our brain is a busy affair. Thoughts and having a human body is natural and we do not war on nature. But continuing the metaphor, are you skilled enough to ride at least the smaller shore break and smart enough to not go when the swell is raging?

Meditation gives you some strength of mind, strength to have a second between your thoughts and a dumb action. Meditation also teaches you when to not believe your own anger and frustration. It gives you some peace and freedom.

Freedom to enjoy your own mind, freedom to be kind, freedom to uplift others and freedom to know a respite of peace. It's hard work but then really you either learn to ride the waves or you practice getting tossed about. Which is freedom?

Aloha,

Dr. Dean, Prison Dharma meditation volunteer teacher at Halawa

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #12 June 3, 2020 The Spiritual Purpose of Loneliness

Loneliness is not about being alone. We could be in the

middle of a crowd of people at a party and feel lonely.

Loneliness is less about the circumstances in our lives than it is about our state of mind. We could be alone, doing something we love and enjoying the solitude. It’s all in our minds, not where we are or who we are with.

The first thing to know is that in this mindfulness practice, whatever you feel is okay. No emotion is bad or wrong or shameful. All emotions are natural, logical and HUMAN.

Always, the first step is just to feel the emotion. Let the energy of the emotion flow through your body. Feel its vibrations, color, size, temperature. It is only energy. It cannot hurt you and it is temporary. If your mindfulness is strong, you will see the tiny changes and what started off as very unpleasant becomes interesting.

Above all, don’t run away from the emotion of loneliness. It is very easy to avoid uncomfortable emotions. We would not feel loneliness if we didn’t have the capacity to feel its opposite: connection or love.

In the conventional world, we are connected with the people we know. However, we are connected in another way—a more spiritual way, in Ultimate Reality. In meditation, the usual separateness of “I, me, mine” that we normally feel, falls away and we merge with everything that we thought was not “me.” Within the vast matrix of interconnections, we realize that we are linked to the eternal Source of wisdom,love and compassion. We are, in truth, never alone.

Emotions of loneliness include sadness, shame, fear, anxiety, embarrassment. We think of them as difficult and negative, but they are the body’s natural and biological response to feeling alone and isolated.

Overcome Loneliness Through Meditation.

Cultivate self-compassion and self-acceptance

Identify thoughts that contribute to a negative self image.

Learn how to be with your lonely feelings with patience and kindness.

Meet parts of yourself that you never knew existed.

Develop empathy by discovering all your emotions, the bridge to human connection.

Know deeply that you are infinitely more than what you think or how you appear.

Practice being alone, enjoying the solitude.

Learn emotional skills to be self-sufficient.

Submitted by Joan, Prison Dharma volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #15 June 24, 2020 Mindful Hand

This technique is from a hands-on energy healing from Japan. Its origins are traditional Chinese medicine which views the body as an integrated whole, with all its parts connected in very complex ways. The wise ones from the East say that our fingers are connected to organs which in turn process emotions:

Thumb = Worry

Pointer finger = Fear

Middle finger = Anger

Ring finger = Sadness

Pinky = Trying too hard

A change in energy and movement in one part of the body, produces a healing effect throughout the body. As soon as you are aware of an emotion arising in the body, do this technique to bring balance and calm. From the position of calm, you are then able to know what skillful and beneficial action should follow. That is wisdom.

Let’s say you are triggered and an emotion comes up. Identify the emotion: worry, fear, anger, sadness or the obsession of wanting something badly and trying too hard to get it. Some people call this “grasping” or “clinging.” Hold the finger of that emotion and feel the sensations in the body. Watch the sensations change. Just notice the vibrations, heat, resistance, intensity and movement. You can even rate the intensity of the energy on a scale of 1 to 10. Watch it get more intense, peak and then get less intense.

Most importantly, be aware of when it ends. When we are not aware of endings of sensations, we mistakenly think that it is a chronic condition and a normal emotion that would pass when left alone, becomes stuck and can last a very long time.

Nothing is static and permanent in the body. Be aware of subtle changes. We don’t have to know what it is that is changing. We can simply call it energy.

For severe depression and thoughts of suicide, put your palms together. This connects us with the eternal energy source that is available to all. This energy source serves every cell in our body and produces a beneficial balance and brings order into chaos.

Submitted by Joan, Volunteer Prison Dharma Medidtation Teacher at WCCC, OCCC

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #16 Metta: The Philosophy and Practice of Universal Love July 1, 2020

The Pali* word metta means loving-kindness, friendliness, goodwill, benevolence, fellowship, amity, concord, inoffensiveness and non-violence. The Pali commentators define metta as the strong wish for the welfare and happiness of others. Essentially metta is an altruistic attitude of love and friendliness as distinguished from mere amiability based on self-interest. Through metta one refuses to be offensive and renounces bitterness, resentment and animosity of every kind, developing instead a mind of friendliness, accommodativeness and benevolence which seeks the well-being and happiness of others. True metta is devoid of self-interest. It evokes within a warm-hearted feeling of fellowship, sympathy and love, which grows boundless with practice and overcomes all social, religious, racial, political and economic barriers. Metta is indeed a universal, unselfish and all-embracing love.

Metta makes one a pure font of well-being and safety for others. Just as a mother gives her own life to protect her child, so metta only gives and never wants anything in return. To promote one's own interest is a primordial motivation of human nature. When this urge is transformed into the desire to promote the interest and happiness of others, not only is the basic urge of self-seeking overcome, but the mind becomes universal by identifying its own interest with the interest of all. By making this change one also promotes one's own well-being in the best possible manner.

Metta is the protective and immensely patient attitude of a mother who forbears all difficulties for the sake of her child and ever protects it despite its misbehavior. Metta is also the attitude of a friend who wants to give one the best to further one's well-being. If these qualities of metta are sufficiently cultivated through the meditation on universal love, the result is the acquisition of a tremendous inner power which preserves, protects and heals both oneself and others.

Apart from its higher implications, today metta is a pragmatic necessity. In a world menaced by all kinds of destructiveness, metta in deed, word and thought is the only constructive means to bring concord, peace and mutual understanding. Indeed, metta is the supreme means, for it forms the fundamental tenet of all the higher religions as well as the basis for all benevolent activities intended to promote human well-being.

* Pali is an ancient language of India, derived from Sanskrit

Submitted by Lekshe, soon-to-be Prison Dharma Meditation Volunteer Teacher

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #19 July 22, 2020 Mettá Sutta Back Story Part 1

Once upon a time, five hundred monks received instructions from the Buddha in the particular techniques of meditation suitable to their individual temperaments. They then went to the foothills of the Himalayas to spend the four months of the rains' retreat by living a life of withdrawal and intensive meditation. In those days, a month or two before the rains retreat started, monks from all parts of the country would assemble wherever the Buddha lived in order to receive direct instructions from him. Then they would go back to their monasteries, forest dwellings or hermitages to make a vigorous attempt at spiritual liberation. That was how these five hundred monks went to the Buddha, who was staying at Savatthi in Jeta Grove in the monastery built by Anathapindika.

After receiving instructions they went in search of a suitable place, and in the course of their wandering they soon found a beautiful hillock at the foothills of the Himalayas. This, according to the commentary, "appeared like a glittering blue quartz crystal: it was embellished with a cool, dense, green forest grove and a stretch of ground strewn with sand, resembling a pearl net or a silver sheet, and was furnished with a clean spring of cool water." The monks were captivated by the sight. There were a few villages nearby, and also a small market-town ideal as alms-resort. The monks spent a night in that idyllic grove and the next morning went to the market town for alms. The residents there were overjoyed to see the monks, since rarely did a community of monks come to spend the retreat in that part of the Himalayas. These pious devotees fed the monks and begged them to stay on as their guests, promising to build each a hut near the grove on the sandy stretch so that they could spend their days and nights plunged in meditation under the ancient boughs of the majestic trees. The monks agreed and the devotees of the area soon built little huts in the fringe of the forest and provided each hut with a wooden cot, a stool and pots of water for drinking and washing.

After the monks had settled down contentedly in these huts, each one selected a tree to meditate under, by day and by night. Now it is said that these great trees were inhabited by tree-deities who had a celestial mansion built, appropriately using the trees as the base. These deities, out of reverence for the meditating monks, stood aside with their families. As the monks neared their forest dwellings reciting the Mettá Sutta, thinking and meditating on the underlying meaning, the hearts of the deities became so charged with warm feelings of goodwill that they materialized themselves in human form and received the monks with great piety. They took their bowls, conducted them to their rooms, caused water and food to be supplied, and then, resuming their normal form, invited them to occupy the bases of the trees and meditate without any hesitation or fear.During the three months of the rains retreat, the deities not only looked after the monks in every way, but made sure that the place was completely free from any noise. Enjoying perfect silence, by the end of the rainy season all the monks attained to the pinnacle of spiritual perfection. Every one of the five hundred monks had achieved liberation and become an arahat.

Indeed, such is the power intrinsic in the Metta Sutta.* Whoever with firm faith recites the Sutta, invoking the protection of the deities and meditating on metta, will not only safeguard herself in every way but will also protect all those around her, and will make spiritual progress that can be actually verified. No harm can ever befall a person who follows the path of metta.

* Part 2 next week: Metta Sutta (Discourse on Loving Kindness)

Submitted by Lekshe, soon-to-be Prison Dharma Meditation teacher at WCCC

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager#22 August 12, 2020 Aloha Spirit

When the late Nana Veary, spiritualist, philosopher, healer, and author, was growing up during the early nineteen-hundreds, she spent a lot of time with her grandparents in a fishing village called Pu’uloa at the mouth of Pearl Harbor. In her book, “Change We Must,” a book that chronicled her spiritual journey, she recalls the experiences encountered in the fishing village that deeply influenced her life. One such experience caused her to wonder and search for the truth about the inner being of humans throughout her life. One summer day, a stranger arrived at the fishing village. Nana’s grandmother, after being informed by the village children that a stranger was coming, reached out and invited the stranger to come in and dine. After the stranger dined and left, Nana asked her grandmother if she knew the man. The grandmother answered that she did not. When Nana heard the answer, she asked her grandmother why she had fed him. Hearing that, the grandmother became visibly angry and ordered Nana to sit on the floor in front of her. The grandmother said to Nana “Listen to what I’m going to tell you and never forget it for as long as you live. “I was not feeding the man, I was entertaining the spirit of God within him.”

Back then, as a youngster at the fishing village, Nana did not know that her grandmother’s generation and generations before believed that spirit was in everything. Every being and nonbeing was endowed with spirit. They were in touch with it in themselves, were open to it and manifested it in their relations. Thus, the meaning of what Nana’s grandmother said, “I wasn’t feeding the man, I was entertaining the spirit of god within him.” This practice of honoring the other was so much a part of the culture that it needed no name. As Nana observes, “Today we call it the Aloha Spirit.” She goes on to say that today we have to be taught it but to the Hawaiians of old it was inherent and natural. “They lived it.” Generally though, what we learn today are the behavioral traits of the Aloha Spirit, not what’s inherent. Nana does not use the word casually. She says that “Aloha is a feeling, a recognition of the divine. When you say aloha to someone, you are conveying or bestowing this feeling.” Sadly, we are so far removed from the spiritual culture of early Hawai`i. As Nana sees it, we are disconnected from our spiritual selves. And this separation from the spiritual source leads to deterioration. To Nana “Anything or anyone separated from the source begins to deteriorate mentally and physically and dies spiritually.” Therefore, our great challenge now is to awaken to our disconnection and reconnect to our spiritual source. “Change We Must.” We begin to change when we start, as Nana says, to reconnect to our spiritual source through experiencing the deep silence within.

Though there are other approaches, one of the ways in which we do this is through meditation, the doorway to silence. At Mindful Hawai`i, we believe that when more and more people start and sustain a meditation practice, of their choosing, the deep cultural foundation of Hawai`i will move in the direction of a cultural condition that approximates that of early Hawai`i where the act of aloha came from within and the act was the spirit. Something to think about: when this shift occurs, we will all come from a common spirit embodied in the manifestations of the rich diversity that we are, A MINDFUL HAWAI`I.

Submitted by James of Mindful Hawai'i, friend of Prison Dharma Meditation Volunteers

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #25 Emotional Flooding September 2, 2020

We've all been overwhelmed by emotions, whether it is rage, manic excitement or depths of depression. No matter what the trigger may have been, we have all felt so overcome by emotions that we can't think straight and feel that we are not in control. Strong emotions come in like a tidal wave, flooding us with bodily sensations: racing heart rate, sweating, shallow breathing. We hear the familiar screaming voices either inside our heads or outside. Also riding the tidal wave are memories—-the movies in our heads of past events that triggered the same emotions. Emotional flooding is comprised of heightened bodily sensations, and thoughts about protecting ME. The thing about emotional flooding is that it feels like one "thing." We can even name it--it's "that [expletive]" We usually blame the thing "out there."

Emotional flooding becomes a habit because they are a reaction to the same trigger, usually a person. It is all familiar and almost predictable. It is so predictable we rarely stop to question any of it. Is this helpful to me or anyone involved? Is there another way to understand this?

What To Do When You Are Flooded

-Breathe deeply and slowly. This will slow down the nervous system taking it out of the revved up fight/flight/freeze state.

-Call it. "This is suffering," or "Wow, I'm really overwhelmed," or "Avalanche. Avalanche. Avalanche." This creates some space between you and the experience.

-Do something, anything, to shift your mind out of it. Do something physical to get out of your head and to get into your body. Bodily sensations and thinking can be separated at these times to bring you back into calmness.

-Take a temperature of your body to know when your nervous system has returned to a calm state. If at the height of emotion, it feels like a 10, but within minutes, the body will return to 0-3. BUT, that is only if you stop feeding the nervous system with your thoughts. Once you are no longer in the grips of intense emotional flooding, are you able to think and act wisely. You can reflect:

++why did I get so triggered and feel so threatened by what happened? Is this a habit?

++what will happen to me and to my relationships, if I continue this habit?

++am I holding on to a limiting belief about myself? What would happen if I let go of that belief?

The Buddha said if a person is shot by an arrow, he should pull the arrow out and tend to the wound, rather than asking "who shot the arrow? why did he shoot it? who helped him? whose fault is it?"

Emotional flooding is suffering. We take care of suffering by understanding it inside our own mind and body

Submitted by Joan, Prison Volunteer Meditation Teacher at OCCC

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #28 September 23, 2020 “Which Movie”

Do you love films like I do? If you watch many foreign films you may have noticed that the world-views and philosophies of different countries affect the type of movies that are made there. For instance, have you noticed that many films made in America and Europe have themes of good guys vs. bad guys? The main character is usually a hero who is strong, smart, good-looking and who chases a big goal/dream. The villains are bad people who want to stop him/her. Stories play out as epic battles between good and evil, where good should win.

Story lines in Eastern films are different. Often there is no actual conflict, because of the understanding in the East is that there are no "good guys" and "bad guys.” That’s because everyone has both good and bad qualities. Instead of one main character, there are many characters working together to solve a problem or achieve something good for society. If there are “bad guys” they are seen as being initially good people, who get confused or manipulated.

In the West, there have to be “happy endings” because of the belief that everything is possible–with enough grit and the right stuff– the two lovers will get together, the world will be saved and everybody will live happily ever after. Everyone gets exactly what "they deserve"–the good guy gets the beautiful Princess and the bad guy gets his just punishment.

However, Eastern storytelling doesn't always end happily. Literary critics say that this is because Eastern cultures see life as a chain of events, instead of it a single final epic battle followed by a happy ending. Lovers sometimes don't get together, and sometimes the dream is not achieved. Eastern films can leave the audience with a bittersweet feeling because there is a sense that there are no tidy resolutions.

These different story lines affect us in ways we may not know and they may be directing our lives right now. Do you see yourself as a hero/heroine fighting evil? Or are you waiting for a hero to save you? If that's the movie you are in, then your life has to include bad guys to battle, and many obstacles to block you from attaining your goal. You will believe that everyone, including yourself, deserves what happens to them. You will believe that there can be only one winner. You will always be waiting for the handsome Prince or Princess and that happy ending—which we know only happens in fairy tales.

I love this story of the Spaceship. We are on this spaceship—Earth, hurtling through space, stuck with each other. If one of us is suffering, the unhappiness ripples out and affects everyone. In the same way, positive energies ripple out and affect everyone. When we share the same destiny, we realize that there are no winners and losers. We win and lose together. A wise philosopher from China, Lao Tsu, said that the battles and dramas we see in our lives, are reflections of the dramas in our own minds. The state of the world depends upon your thoughts and movies in your head. The external world will only come into order if the inner world has done so. The movie we see "out there" is what is created and projected from our own core beliefs.

Submitted by Joan, Volunteer Meditation Teacher, OCCC

Buddhist‌ ‌Meditation‌ One-Pager #32 ‌ ‌October 21,‌ ‌2020‌‌ The Stream of Life

‌

Buddhism teaches us of “Two Truths:” Conventional Reality—the social world of everyday experience, and Ultimate Reality—the natural world of the universe.

The laws of Conventional Reality govern our relationships with people and property. The laws of Ultimate Reality govern our relationships with Nature, the universe, God.

When we break the laws of Conventional Reality, we pay the penalty. When we break the laws of Ultimate Reality, the consequences are neither immediate nor direct: it may take years to see the effects of pollution; it may take lifetimes to discover your pure deathless soul; it may take countless transgressions to finally find God.

There are very real consequences to our actions, so it is important to pay attention. Before modernization (and in indigenous cultures today) wisdom came from paying attention to smallest changes in the weather or in ocean currents.

Like a stream whose calm surface flows over invisible currents and churning whirlpools, our seemingly mundane lives are constantly changing and unpredictable.

• Superficial appearances can deceive; we can never know the depths of another.

• Events and people are uncontrollable; some people create turbulence and pull others down into their whirlpools.

• Sometimes we achieve our goals easily; sometimes we “swim up stream.”

Daoism, teaches us of Wu wei, an understanding that when we swim with rather than against currents, we can effortlessly achieve what we want: when we don’t harm others, we live in harmony; when we care for the natural world, it provides us with abundance; when we are in unity with the Cosmos, we are at peace.

Are you flowing with the river or against it? Ask yourself, how much am I struggling right now? Am I struggling because I don’t like the direction of this stream? Am I being pulled down by a whirlpool of my own creation or of someone else’s?

Try this: relax and imagine you are floating in the ocean, looking up at the sky, and trusting that the water will hold you up. Trust that your life stream will carry you towards your highest purpose. It will not always be easy, there will be whirlpools and shallows. But when you find yourself being dragged down, look up at the sky. Your awareness of what is happening will allow you to float back to safety and ease.

Submitted by Joan, Prison Dharma Volunteer

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #34 November 04, 2020 Desires and Aversions

--------------------------------------Yoga Sutras: (37: II.7-9) (Geshe Michael Roach and Christie McNally)

Is It Wrong to Like Things?

Assailed by what feels good, we begin to like things.

Assailed by what feels bad, we begin to dislike things.

Grasping is a thought that comes all on its own,

Even for those who understand, and then grows even stronger.

In other words, grasping doesn’t mean grabbing, or even wanting. It doesn’t mean pushing away, rejecting. It means looking at something the wrong way: I see it, it’s available to me, I deserve it, and I will get it. Or I see it, yuck, that’s something I hate, get it away from me! Reacting in this push-pull way is normal, but wastes energy and misdirects your mind. A tactic to work with this: I see it. Oh. I see it. (Pause.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------“Relax and Be Aware” From Sayadaw U Tejaniya

Examine your habits of liking and disliking. To have thoughts of liking and disliking is not a problem. It only becomes a problem when these thoughts become the attitude by which we relate to reality. Judgements, opinions, and likes and dislikes solidify into attitudes when we identify with them, believe in them, and react to them compulsively.

We can choose to relate to these thoughts in another way, which is through right view. To do this, acknowledge thoughts as a process of nature that is happening. Don’t struggle with them: see them, learn from them, and then leave them alone. Just see that they are nature.

See all experience with interest and curiosity. And when something stops happening, recognize it has stopped.

Then notice how that feels.

Submitted by San, Prison Dharma Volunteer and Mentor

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #35 November 11, 2020 Humor and Kindness

There are two indispensable tools on the journey to joy. One is kindness, especially to yourself. The other is humor, because you’re going to cry tears of laughter when you realize how much you keep missing the point.

As a child, I was taught that distrusting oneself and being hard on oneself was the way to heaven. Be kind to yourself? Eww! Treat yourself like you would your best friend? Creepy, right?

Wrong.

Let these words penetrate: Give yourself sympathy. Give yourself a break. Appreciate yourself. As I’m writing this, I’m being kind to myself, and I’m tearing up. Go ahead: For one minute, bathe yourself in appreciation. (I’ll wait.)

Weird, right? What happened? Simple. You were kind to yourself.

Try this. Treat yourself like you treat a good friend. You might tease them once in a while, but you would never treat them with the suspicion or harshness you treat yourself. They would leave.

Being kind and having humor isn’t an excuse to be mean, lazy and funny at the expense of others. Indeed part of self-love is trusting that we recognize when we hurt somebody, and are humble enough to make amends.

If you’re like me, you sometimes think you’re the worst person in the world. But that’s kind of funny isn’t it? You got stuck with being the worst person in the world? You mean there are none worse? See? It’s silly.

Humor and self kindness are like left-right boxing combinations—first humor then kindness. Counterpunch the champion complainer within, with, “This person is goofy, but I love ‘em.”

This is not a one-time deal, this kindness-humor thing. For days, even months, you may forget to be kind to yourself. What to do? Well, smile and follow up with the humor-kindness combo, again and again.

Don’t pull any punches.

Submitted by Jaynine, Prison Dharma Volunteer

Donkey Transforms Suffering Meditation One-Pager #37 November 25, 2020

Once a farmer's donkey fell into a well. Despite considerable fretting, the farmer couldn't think of a way to save it. In the end, he thought, "This donkey is already old, and it's also time to fill in this well. It's no use wasting energy on saving the donkey". He asked all his neighbors to help him fill in the well with earth. The donkey quickly realized what was happening and moaned in panic, but after awhile, it calmed down. The farmer couldn't help looking down into the well and was amazed by what he saw: the donkey quickly shook off every shovelful of soil that came down and then stamped it firmly under its feet. In no time at all, the donkey reached the opening of the well, jumped out, and ran away.

from Tales of Transforming Adversity, Khenpo Sodargye

Sometimes misery keeps raining down on us. Unable to escape, some people give up,

cursing their fate, "I'm doomed to fail", "Why am I so unlucky?" Thinking like this is not only useless, it can lead to depression and disease.

Others get angry and blame others, "It's not fair! I never get a break!", "It's all The Man's fault". Reacting this way may lead to fighting, revenge or worse.

Wise people, on the other hand, do not react with fight nor flight. Instead they face their suffering head on. They are able to transform suffering into motivation for overcoming life's trials and tribulations. Working this way through hardships gives them courage to triumph over future ones.

Buddha became awakened after witnessing the suffering of old age, sickness and death. He teaches that everyone suffers, without exception. The privileged suffer in mind, stressing about holding onto their wealth and status. The underprivileged suffer in body, from lack of food, clothing and shelter. We all suffer from being separated from loved ones, encountering enemies, not getting what we want and getting what we don't want. Since suffering is inescapable, there is no use in trying to avoid it or to fear it. The trick is to be masters of our own minds, by viewing every painful experience not as suffering, but as a tool for growth and lasting happiness. The donkey story teaches us that suffering can be a stepping stone to liberation. No matter how much misery strikes you, just shake it off like dust and soil, stamp it firmly under your feet, and never let it bury you.

Submitted by Lily, Prison Dharma Volunteer

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #40 December 16, 2020 Tao Te Ching 41

“The Tao” means “The Way.”

The wise student hears of the Tao and practices it diligently.

The average student hears of the Tao and gives it thought now and again.

The foolish student hears of the Tao and laughs aloud.

If there were no laughter, the Tao would not be what it is.

Hence it is said:

The bright path seems dim.

Going forward seems like retreat.

The easy way seems hard.

The highest Virtue seems empty.

Great purity seems sullied.

A wealth of Virtue seems inadequate.

The strength of Virtue seems frail.

Real Virtue seems unreal.

The perfect square has no corners.

Great talents ripen late.

The highest notes are hard to hear.

The greatest form has no shape.

The Tao is hidden and without name.

The Tao alone nourishes and brings everything to fulfillment.

73.

A brave and passionate person will kill or be killed.

A brave and calm person with always preserve life.

Of these two which is good and which is harmful?

Some things are not favored by heaven. Who knows why?

Even the sage is unsure of this.

The Tao of heaven does not strive, and yet it overcomes.

It does not speak, and yet it is answered.

It does not ask, yet is supplied with all its needs.

It seems at ease, and yet it follows a plan.

Heaven’s net casts wide.

Though its meshes are coarse, nothing slips through.

Submitted by San, Prison Dharma Volunteer and Mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #41 December 23, 2020 Healing Sounds, Liver and Heart

Ancient Chinese techniques to transform negative energy into positive energy.

The Liver Sound (Repeat 3 times)

The liver sound transforms the emotional energy inside the liver into kindness.

Position: Sit on the edge of your chair with feet shoulder length apart. Place hands palms-up on your thighs. Raise your hands palms-up over your head and interlock your fingers. Lean slightly to the left. Look up.

Liver sound: Place the tongue near the palate and, with a long, slow exhalation produce the sound “SHHHHHHHHHH.”

Visualization: Return your hands to the palms-up position on your lap and smile to your liver. Imagine a green light shining upon and inside your liver, surrounding it. Concentrate on feeling the virtue (power) of kindness.

The Heart Sound (Repeat 3 times)

The heart sound transforms the emotional energy inside the heart into love, joy and happiness.

Position: Sit on the edge of your chair with feet shoulder length apart. Place hands palms-up on your thighs. Raise your hands palms-up over your head and interlock your fingers. Lean slightly to the right. Look up.

Heart sound: With the mouth wide open, exhale a deep breath slowly and produce the sound “HAWWWWWWWW.”

Visualization: Return your hands to the palms-up position on your lap and smile to your heart. Imagine a red light shining upon and inside your heart, surrounding it. Concentrate on feeling the virtue (power) of love, joy and/or happiness. Know that the red light is burning away and transmuting any hatred emotion or self-pity into the virtue emotions.

Submitted by Margaret, Prison Dharma Volunteer

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #43 January 6, 2020 The Five Precepts

Mindfulness gets a lot of press these days. And for good reason: mindfulness is the cornerstone of a life well lived. It's the ability to pay stable attention to whatever is happening, right now, in all its weirdness and complexity, without turning away.

Mindfulness is power and beauty. But there's something you should know: mindfulness is not enough.

When Buddha taught mindfulness, he always taught it as part of a whole. He never said, "Pay attention to your breath and you will be free of suffering." More like, "Pay attention to your breath as a way of steadying your mind, and then look at your life."

So look at your life. Closely. Notice your mind states. Notice your heart states.

And, also, if you want to be happy, make sure you're taking care of things like goodness, sweetness, love, and compassion. In fact, Buddha said goodness, not mindfulness, is the foundation of a good life.

So, how do you lead a good life? With The Five Precepts:

1. Observe right speech

2. Only take what is offered

3. Refrain from sexual misconduct

4. Refrain from intoxicants

5. Refrain from killing

Think of these as a road map. Try them out and see what happens. Take one at a time into your days, knock around with it for a while, and see if things get better.

Based on How Not to be a Hot Mess by Craig and Devon Hase

Submitted by Lily, volunteer Meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #45 January 20, 2020 Right Speech

How often have we gotten into trouble because of what we said? What messes have we created from spreading gossip, bending the truth, or outright lying? Ever think about how differently life might've turned out, if only we had been more careful with our words? Buddha offered some good advice on the subject of Right Speech.

What is Right Speech? Here are four simple questions you can ask yourself just before you open your mouth to say something:

1. Is it True?

Is what I’m about to say True? Is it clear and honest? Or am I bending things in some way? Am I spinning, pushing truth a bit, massaging the facts to get what I want? If the answer to any of the questions is anything but “yup, this is true,” then the Buddha advises that you don’t speak. Instead, take a moment, hold your tongue and consider other options.

2. Is it Kind?

Is what I’m about to say Kind? Is it considerate? Is it caring? Is it taking into account the other person’s feelings---even when I perceive the other person has harmed me? Again, if the answer to any of these questions is anything other than “yes, this is kind,” then the Buddha advises silence.

3. Is it Timely?

Is what I’m about to say timely? Is this the right time to say this? Might there be another time to say this honestly and kindly that would better serve everyone.

4. Is it Helpful?

Are these words helpful? Are they going to move the situation forward in a skillful way? Sometimes, it’s hard to know what’s helpful and what’s not. But taking the time to consider your intent helps.

The key is to check your mind. What are you thinking? Could your thoughts be truer, kinder. The more you say what’s true, kind, timely and helpful, the more peace you will feel. And the more friendly the world will become.

Based on How Not To Be A Hot Mess, Devon and Craig Hase

Submitted by Lily, Volunteer Meditation Teacher

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #47 February 2, 2021 The Power of Now

When something “goes wrong” or there is some loss or upset, your conditioned response will be involuntary, automatic, and predictable, fueled by the one basic emotion that underlies the mind-identified state of consciousness: fear.

So when such challenges come, as they always do, make it a habit to go within at once and focus as much as you can on the inner energy field of your body. This need not take long, just a few seconds. But you need to do it the moment that the challenge presents itself. Any delay will allow a conditioned mental-emotional reaction to arise and take you over. When you focus and feel the inner body, you immediately become still and present. If a response is required in that situation, it will come up from this deeper level. Just as the sun is infinitely brighter than a candle flame, there is infinitely more intelligence in being than in your mind.

The key is to be in a state of permanent connectedness with your inner body—to feel it at all times. This will rapidly deepen and transform your life. The more consciousness you direct into the inner body, the higher its vibrational frequency becomes, much like a light that grows brighter as you turn up the dimmer switch and so increase the flow of electricity. At this higher energy level, negativity cannot affect you anymore, and you tend to attract new circumstances that reflect this higher frequency.

If you keep your attention in the body as much as possible, you will be anchored in the Now. You won’t lose yourself in the external world, and you won’t lose yourself in your mind. Thoughts and emotions, fears and desires, maybe still be there to some extent, but they won’t take you over.

Please examine where your attention is at this moment. You are reading these words—that is the focus of your attention. You are also peripherally aware of your surroundings, other people, and so on. Furthermore, there may be some mind activity around what you are hearing or reading, some mental commentary. Yet there is no need for any of this to absorb ALL your attention. See if you can be in touch with your inner body at the same time. Keep some of your attention within. Don’t let it all flow out. Let this be your practice for days or weeks to come.

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From Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #48 February 10, 2021 Mindful Breathing

Identify the in-breath as in-breath and the out-breath as the out-breath. When you breathe in, you know that this is your in-breath. When you breathe out, you are mindful that this is your out-breath.

Just recognize: this is an in-breath, this is an out-breath. Very simple, very easy. In order to recognize your in-breath as in-breath, you have to bring your mind home to yourself. What is recognizing your in-breath is your mind, and the object of your mind—the object of your mindfulness—is the in-breath. Mindfulness is always mindful of something. When you drink your tea mindfully, it’s called mindfulness of drinking. When you walk mindfully, it’s called mindfulness of walking. And when you breathe mindfully, that is mindfulness of breathing.

So the object of your mindfulness is your breath, and you just focus your attention on it. Breathing in, this is my in-breath. Breathing out, this is my out-breath. When you do that, the mental discourse will stop. You don’t think anymore. You don’t have to make an effort to stop your thinking; you bring your attention to your in-breath and the mental discourse just stops. That is the miracle of the practice. You don’t think of the past anymore. You don’t think of the future. You don’t think of your projects, because you are focusing your attention, your mindfulness, on your breath.

It gets even better. You can enjoy your in-breath. The practice can be pleasant, joyful. Someone who is dead cannot take any more in-breaths. But you are alive. You are breathing in, and while breathing in, you know that you are alive. The in-breath can be a celebration of the fact that you are alive, so it can be very joyful. When you are joyful and happy, you don’t feel that you have to make any effort at all. I am alive; I am breathing in. To be still alive is a miracle. The greatest of all miracles is to be alive, and when you breathe in, you touch that miracle. Therefore, your breathing can be a celebration of life.

An in-breath may take three, four, five seconds, it depends. That’s time to be alive, time to enjoy your breath. You don’t have to interfere with your breathing. If your in-breath is short, allow it to be short. If your out-breath is long, let it be long. Don’t try to force it. The practice is simple recognition of the in-breath and the out-breath. That is good enough. It will have a powerful effect.

From Thich Nhat Hanh

Submitted by Jaynine, volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #50 | February 24, 2021 | Releasing Tension and Walking Meditation

Fourth Mindfulness Exercise: Releasing Tension

The next exercise is to release the tension in the body. When you are truly aware of your body, you notice there is some tension and pain in your body, some stress. The tension and pain have been accumulating for a long time and our bodies suffer, but our mind is not there to help release it. Therefore, it is very important to learn how to release the tension in the body.

In a sitting, lying, or standing position, it’s always possible to release the tension. You can practice total relaxation, deep relaxation, in a sitting or lying position. While you are driving your car, you might notice the tension in your body. You are eager to arrive and you don’t enjoy the time you spend driving. When you come to a red light, you are eager for the red light to become a green light so that you can continue. But the red light can be a signal. It can be a reminder that there is tension in you, the stress of wanting to arrive as quickly as possible. If you recognize that, you can make use of the red light. You can sit back and relax—take the ten seconds the light is red to practice mindful breathing and release the tension in the body.

So next time you’re stopped at a red light, you might like to sit back and practice the fourth exercise: “Breathing in, I’m aware of my body. Breathing out, I release the tension in my body.” Peace is possible at that moment, and it can be practiced many times a day—in the workplace, while you are driving, while you are cooking, while you are doing the dishes. It is always possible to practice releasing the tension in yourself.

Fifth Mindfulness Exercise: Walking Meditation999

When you practice mindful breathing you simply allow your in breath to take place. You become aware of it and enjoy it. Effortlessness. The same thing is true with mindful walking. Every step is enjoyable. Every step helps you touch the wonders of life. Every step is joy. That is possible.

You don’t have to make any effort during walking meditation, because it is enjoyable. You are there, body and mind together. You are fully alive, fully present in the here and the now. With every step, you touch the wonders of life that are in you and around you. When you walk like that, every step brings healing. Every step brings peace and joy, because every step is a miracle.

The real miracle is not to fly or walk on fire. The real miracle is to walk on the Earth, and you can perform that miracle at any time. Just bring your mind home to your body, become alive, and perform the miracle of walking on Earth.

From Thich Nhat Hanh

Submitted by Jaynine and Rachael, volunteer meditation teachers

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #52 | March 10, 2021 | Relax and Be Aware

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On pain

View pain as Impersonal

We generally judge pain as a negative experience. The word itself feeds that image into our mind, so when we have pain, the mind’s automatic reaction, whether we are conscious of it or not, is to dislike it. When we come across discomfort in the body or the mind, we need to see this negative reaction clearly in the mind and to adjust it by bringing in right view.

We do this by reminding ourselves that pain is not inherently a negative experience. Pain is nature. It is neither good nor bad.

Feeling “painful” is in the mind. For the same physical experience, there may be aversion in the mind toward it, or the mind may be equanimous toward it. So we need to work with the mind to understand more about its involvement in the process.

How does the mind interpret pain? How does the mind create pain for itself? How does it create the experience of “pain,” “painfulness,” and all the attendant pains for itself?

On Uprooting Unskillful Mental Qualities

Consider aversion (or dislike, disgust, or hate). We observe aversion because we want to know its true nature. We don’t try to remove aversion when it arises because as soon as we try to push aversion away, there is more aversion!

There are two means by which unskillful mental qualities are uprooted. One is that you simply become aware of them, and they naturally disappear. In this case, awareness does the work.

The other way is that understanding arises about whatever unskillful root quality is present. In this case, wisdom does the work.

In this way there is no preference, nor any pushing away.

There is only interest to watch and to learn.

From U Tejaniya | Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #53 | March 17, 2021 | Mice Advice

Once, a little mouse wanted dearly to be strong and brave. Looking up at the sky one day, the mouse was struck by its vastness and thought that the sky must be the strongest thing that there was. It called out, “Sky, you must not be afraid of anything. I’m so very small. Could you help me be strong and brave?”

The sky replied, “I’m afraid of some things. I’m afraid of dark clouds. When they cover me up, I can’t see anything.”

So the little mouse concluded that dark clouds were even stronger than the sky. It found a dark cloud and said to it, “Cloud, you can cover the sky and block out the sun. You must be the strongest thing in the world. You must not be afraid anything. I’m so very small. Could you help me be strong and brave?”

The dark cloud said, “I am afraid of strong winds. I work hard to cover the sky, but when the wind comes, I’m blown away.”

So the little mouse went to the wind with the same question. The wind answered, “I am afraid of walls. I can’t go through them, so walls are stronger than me.”

So then, of course, the little mouse went to see a wall and asked, “Wall, you can stop the wind. Are you the strongest thing in the world?”

The wall’s answer stunned him: “Not at all. What I’m most afraid of are mice! They can make holes in me, and enough of those can make me collapse.”

The little mouse rolled over in astonishment. “I’ve looked everywhere, searching the world for the strongest thing, but it turns out that actually it is me!”

There is no point in comparing ourselves to others. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. There’s always someone better than you at something, so don’t be over-inflated. Since even the greatest have weaknesses, don’t be overly self-critical either. It’s a mistake to look at the strengths of others and conclude that we’re worthless. Often we don’t realize how powerful we ar

From Tales for Transforming Adversity by Khenpo Sodargye

submitted by Lily, Volunteer Mediation Teacher

Buddhist Meditation One Pager#56 April 7, 2021 Mustard Seed

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A woman who was abandoned by her husband lost her child to a fatal illness shortly afterward. She was overcome with sorrow. With her dead child in her arms, she went to the Buddha and begged him to bring the child back to life. The Buddha said, "First bring me a mustard seed from a household where nobody has died." The woman went from door to door, but not a single family had been spared from death. Finally, she realized that people are bound to die and that everyone is equal in this way. She then began to make peace with her child's passing.

Suffering is rooted in clinging. The more you deeply you realize the law of impermanence, the less overwhelming your suffering will be. If you understand the impermanence of fame, its loss won't surprise you. If you understand the impermanence of romantic love, its failure won't make you desperate. If you make peace with the impermanence of life, you can recover from the devastation of a loved one's death.

The moon waxes and wanes, dim and bright;

Likewise people can become happy or sad, together or separated.

Su Shi, 11th Century Chinese poet

This is the law of impermanence. Nobody and nothing can escape from change. If you understand this, your mind will be open, and change won't drive you to despair.

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Submitted by Lily, volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #57 April 14, 2021, Healing Sounds

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The ancient Chinese practice of “Healing Sounds” transforms negative energy into healing light and vitality. Do these three times a day to refresh the body and mind.

THE SPLEEN SOUND

The spleen sound transforms the emotional energy inside the spleen into openness, fairness and justice.

Position: Sit on the edge of your chair with feet shoulder length apart. Place hands, fingers of each hand touching the others, palms-up, under your left ribcage. Inhale and with breath held, slightly push the sides of your hands in and slightly up, under the rib.

Spleen sound: While moving the hands under the ribs, place the tongue near the palate, and with a long, slow exhalation, produce the sound “WHOOOOOOOO” from the throat, like the sound of an owl.

Visualization: Return your hands to the palms-up position on your lap and smile to your spleen. Imagine a yellow light shining upon and inside your spleen and pancreas, surrounding them. Concentrate on the virtue (power) of openness, balance and fairness.

Repeat two more times (a total of three), including the hands position and visualization.

TRIPLE WARMER

Lie flat on your back, if possible. With your mouth open, exhale slowly as your produce the sound “HEEEEEEEE.” Imagine a huge rolling pin flattening out your body from the forehead down to the toes. This will balance all the energies activated by the other sounds and help relax the body fully.

Repeat two more (a total of three) times.

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Submitted by Margaret, Prison Dharma Volunteer

Buddhist Meditation One Pager #58 April 21, 2021 A Warrior's Creed

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I have no armor:

I make benevolence and righteousness my armor.

I have no castle:

I make immovable mind my castle.

I have no sword:

I make absence of self my sword.

A warrior's creed - anonymous samurai song - 14th century

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Submitted by Thanh, volunteer meditation teacher

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #60 | May 5, 2021 | The Tortoise

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Once upon a time in India, the future Buddha was the king's adviser in things temporal and spiritual. This king talked incessantly. And the future Buddha, wanting to cure this talkativeness of his, sought a skillful way to do so.

In a nearby pond a tortoise having a conversation with two wild swans who were visiting.

"Friend tortoise, the place where we live, at the Golden Cave in the Himalayan Mountains, is a delightful spot. Will you come there with us?"

"I'd love to, but I can't fly", said the tortoise. He suddenly came up with an idea. "If each of you hold one end of a stick, I can bite it in the middle, and we can all fly together!"

So off they went. As they flew they passed over a village. Children saw them and clapped, saying, "What clever ducks, making a turtle fly!" The tortoise was annoyed and wanted to say, "This idea was mine; I'm the clever one! Tortoise, not turtle! Swans, not ducks...", but he didn't want to fall so he swallowed his pride and kept quiet.

A little while later they passed another village, where onlookers called out, applauding the ducks. This time the tortoise couldn't restrain himself and shouted "This was my idea!" As soon as he opened his mouth, he fell to the ground and died.

The king, with his courtiers, went to see the dead tortoise. He asked, "What happened?" The future Buddha, seizing this teaching moment uttered these verses:

Verily, the tortoise killed himself

While uttering his voice;

Though he was holding tight to stick,

By a word he slew himself.

Behold him then, oh excellent by strength!

And speak wise words, not out of season.

You see how, by his talking overmuch,

The tortoise fell into this wretched plight!

The king said, "Oh teacher, are you speaking of us?"

And the future Buddha spoke openly, and said, "Oh great king, be it you, or be it any other, whoever talks beyond measure meets with some mishap like this."

And the king henceforth refrained himself, and became a man of few words.

Submitted by Lily, volunteer meditation teacher. From Jataka Tales, circa 300 BC, a collection of 550 anecdotes and fables that depict earlier incarnations of the Buddha.

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #61 | May12, 2021 | Concentration Meditation

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Start by taking a couple of deep breaths. On the inhale, stretch up the spine, and find some alertness and composure. On the exhale, settle and soften the body.

Check out your attitude. Can you sit in a way that’s relaxed and open? This is the quality of equanimity. You’re making a commitment to not getting uptight about the fact that (1) this meditation thing may feel weird at first and (2) there are almost definitely going to be unwanted distractions and sounds and thoughts and feelings. It’s all fine. You’re letting this stuff be there right from the start.

Bring your attention to the breath. You don’t want to control or interfere with it. Just breathe normally. What does it FEEL like? Get nerdily curious about it.

The instruction is to notice some part of the sensation of breathing. It might be the feeling of air at the nostrils, or the feeling of the breath moving in to the chest or belly, or even the continuous flow of all these together—whatever jumps out most at you. The idea is to pay attention to your breathing without trying to control it in any way.

If you can bring an attitude of enjoyment to it, all the better. It’s okay if you have to fake the interest a bit at first.

See if you can let the simplicity of the activity come as a relief. Nothing you need to do here except breathe. One breath at a time. This is an exploration.

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From “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” by Dan Harris with Jeff Warren

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #62 May 19, 2021 Why The Breathe?

Why choose breathing as the primary object of meditation? Why not something a bit more interesting? A useful object of meditation should be one that promotes mindfulness. It should be portable, easily available and cheap. It should also be something that will not embroil us in those states of mind from which we are trying to free ourselves, such as greed, anger and delusion. Breathing satisfies all these criteria and more. Breathing is something common to every human being. We all carry it with us wherever we go. It is always there, constantly available, never ceasing from birth till death, and it costs nothing.

Breathing is a non-conceptual process, a thing that can be experienced directly without a need for thought. Furthermore, it is a very living process, an aspect of life that is in constant change. The breath moves in cycles--inhalation, exhalation, breathing in and breathing out. Thus it is a miniature model of life itself.

The sensation of breath is subtle, yet it is quite distinct when you learn to tune into it. It takes a bit of an effort to find it. Yet anybody can do it. You've got to work at it, but not too hard. For all these reasons, breathing makes an ideal object of meditation. Breathing is normally an involuntary process, proceeding at its own pace without a conscious will.

Yet a single act of will can slow it down or speed it up. Make it long and smooth or short and choppy. The balance between involuntary breathing and forced manipulation of breath is quite delicate. And there are lessons to be learned here on the nature of will and desire. Then, too, that point at the tip of the nostril can be viewed as a sort of a window between the inner and outer worlds. It is a nexus point and energy-transfer spot where stuff from the outside world moves in and becomes a part of what we call 'me', and where a part of me flows forth to merge with the outside world. There are lessons to be learned here about self-concept and how we form it.

Breath is a phenomenon common to all living things. A true experiential understanding of the process moves you closer to other living beings. It shows you your inherent connectedness with all of life. Finally, breathing is a present-time process. By that we mean it is always occurring in the here-and-now. We don't normally live in the present, of course. We spend most of our time caught up in memories of the past or leaping ahead to the future, full of worries and plans. The breath has none of that 'other-timeness'. When we truly observe the breath, we are automatically placed in the present. We are pulled out of the morass of mental images and into a bare experience of the here-and-now. In this sense, breath is a living slice of reality. A mindful observation of such a miniature model of life itself leads to insights that are broadly applicable to the rest of our experience.

Mindfulness In Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana

Submitted by Rachael, Prison Dharma Volunteer and Mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #63 | May 26, 2021 | Meditation Practice

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Start in the usual way, relaxed, with a straight spine. Take a few breaths.

Get curious about what’s going on with you in this moment. Is there any way in which you’re not totally fine? Anxious, heartbroken, dull, stressed, blah. All of these feelings are fine. Allow yourself to feel what you feel. Be this exact person at this exact time. Just breathe into your body and sit, accepting.

Now start by creating a simple intention inside yourself to be well. It’s a reasonable request—the desire to be healthy and not in pain. A short phrase here can help:

“May I be well.” You could also wish to yourself, “It’s okay,” or “Feel better.” Choose words that feel natural to you. You’re not trying to fix the problem: you’re going below it, to the most simple and uncomplicated intention: Obviously, I’d prefer not to suffer. Who wouldn’t?

Some people like to use an image to help with this, for example, themselves as a little kid. Can you connect to the reasonable feeling of wanting that kid—you—to be happy, to be no longer in pain?

May I be well. The practice is to return, again and again, to the simple intention for you to be well, and then sending that intention to yourself.

Notice what feelings come up. All are fine and natural. You may feel loving and calm; if so, enjoy! Or you may feel annoyed or self-conscious. Also no problem. Have a sense of humor about this meditation bringing up your black, black heart. No matter what feelings come up, you are doing this correctly. Congratulate yourself.

Finish with a couple of breaths.

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From “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” by Dan Harris with Jeff Warren

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #64 | June 02, 2021 | Meditation Practice

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“May I be well.” Create this intention, say these words to yourself, connect to this simple and reasonable intention. You can think, “It’s okay” or “Feel better.” Keep it simple and stick with one phrase, once you decide.

Return, again and again, to holding this thought. You might want to have an image of yourself as a kid, and direct your desire for wellness to this younger you.

It might happen that some specific part of your body hurts, or that some particular emotion is acutely aggravating you. Then imagine sending your caring intention directly into that part, that pain, opening a healing channel, sending in vibes. “May I be well.” It’s not necessary, or even desirable, to stop and analyze WHY it hurts, or to label it, diagnose it, tell yourself the story of the injury, or try to fix it. Surround the pain in acceptance. Bathe it with your kindness.

You may want to use your breath to bring this intention to yourself.

Whether you feel comfortable or on edge, be aware that you can bring this meditation to an end. A good way to finish this meditation is to expand the circle of compassion out. Imagine your whole body filled with this intention, to be well. Imagine, then, this intention spreading out to people around you. May they also be well. Think of it as a final act of generosity, and you are one of the recipients.

Finish up by feeling the breath and the body.

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From “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” by Dan Harris with Jeff Warren

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #65 | June 09, 2021 | Meditation Practice: Noting

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When meditating, you have the option of doing something called “noting.” This means you silently say to yourself (i.e., “note”) “In” when you breathe in, and “Out” when you breathe out. Or you can count breaths: one to ten, then start from one again. Up to you. Lots of people find that noting helps them stay on track. It’s the skillful use of thinking to HACK thinking. You take over the thinking bandwidth for your own meditative purposes.

If you don’t like working with the breath, no problem. Choose another sensation: maybe the feeling in your hands, or the feeling of contact with the chair or cushion. You can even use sound if you prefer—continuous background sounds work best, like the distant drone of traffic, or the hum of a ceiling fan. Many objects can work. Choose one and then stay on it as best you can. Try not to jump around looking for a “better” sensation. Any sensation can get weirdly fulfilling with time.

If you do find that a sneaky thought has come up from below and carried you off to some other planet, then try to notice what happened. This is the mindfulness part. “Where has my mind been? Oh, it was planning/blanking/fantasizing.” Now you know! The move now is to try to let the distraction go, in a leisurely and non-uptight way.

Return to the breath.

This is a big moment, and an important one. It’s not unusual to start judging yourself here—to think about how bad you are as a meditator and to go off on some catastrophizing tangent about how you are uniquely doomed, et cetera. Instead, try the opposite: take a moment to generate a brief sense of satisfaction at having noticed your distraction. Here you are: snapping back into awareness! You can do this right now as you read this—notice your own mindful awareness. SNAP. Takes a split second. Beginning again.

When you’re ready, open your eyes, or look around. Take a few moments to relax.

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From “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” by Dan Harris with Jeff Warren

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #66 | June 16, 2021 | Counting Breaths

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Start by stopping, wherever you are: lying in your bed, standing in a line. Try this with your eyes open, but keep your gaze soft (it’s the perfect secret meditation). In this meditation, we’re intentionally breathing more deeply than normal, exaggerating the air flow to help us feel it more.

Big Inhale: “One.” And exhale: Make the out-breath nice and long. See if you can let it be a release, your whole body softening as the diaphragm relaxes. As you breathe out, imagine you are breathing out whatever worry or concern my have been spinning around in your head.

Big Inhale: “Two.” Exhale.

Inhale. “Three.” Exhale.

Let these big, easy breaths feel natural. It’s like riding an ocean swell. Breathe comfortably, not too big, not too hard.

Inhale. “Four.” Exhale.

As you count each breath, get interested in how fully you can feel the sensation of breathing, its softness and rhythm. Really try to get into it as you lie, sit, or stand there, breathing. Notice how you’re able to shift your attention, so that your thoughts get less and less loud as your breath gets more and more in focus. Keep counting until you get to ten.

If you get distracted and forget where you were, start over from one.

How patient can you be with each breath? Breathe like you have all the time in the world.

Try to get to ten with steady attention. When you’re ready, stop and notice any feelings of settledness or calm you may have. Tune back into your surroundings.

Welcome back. You can come here anytime.

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From “Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics” by Dan Harris with Jeff Warren

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #67 June 23, 2021 Finding The Breath.

The first step in using the breath as an object of meditation is to find it. What you are looking for is the physical, tactile sensation of the air that passes in and out of the nostrils. This is usually just inside the tip of the nose. But the exact spot varies from one person to another, depending on the shape of the nose. To find your own point, take a quick deep breath and notice the point just inside the nose or on the upper lip where you have the most distinct sensation of passing air. Now exhale and notice the sensation at the same point. It is from this point that you will follow the whole passage of breath. Once you have located your own breath point with clarity, don't deviate from that spot. Use this single point in order to keep your attention fixed. Without having selected such a point, you will find yourself moving in and out of the nose, going up and down the windpipe, eternally chasing after the breath which you can never catch because it keeps changing, moving and flowing.

Do not be discouraged if you find your own will getting in the way. Just use that as an opportunity to observe the nature of conscious intention. Watch the delicate interrelation between the breath, the impulse to control the breath and the impulse to cease controlling the breath. You may find it frustrating for a while, but it is highly profitable as a learning experience, and it is a passing phase. Eventually, the breathing process will move along under its own steam. And you will feel no impulse to manipulate it. At this point you will have learned a major lesson about your own compulsive need to control the universe.

Breathing, which seems so mundane and uninteresting at first glance, is actually an enormously complex and fascinating procedure. It is full of delicate variations, if you look. There is inhalation and exhalation, long breath and short breath, deep breath, shallow breath, smooth breath and ragged breath. These categories combine with one another in subtle and intricate ways. Observe the breath closely. Really study it. You find enormous variations and a constant cycle of repeated patterns. It is like a symphony.

Don't observe just the bare outline of the breath. There is more to see here than just an inbreath and an out-breath. Every breath has a beginning, middle, and end. Every inhalation goes through a process of birth, growth, and death; and every exhalation does the same. The depth and speed of your breathing changes according to your emotional state, the thought that flows through your mind and the sounds you hear. Study these phenomena.

You will find them fascinating.

Mindfulness In Plain English by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana

Submitted by Rachael, Prison Dharma Volunteer and Mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #68 | June30, 2021 | The Tyranny of Time

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At some stages of our life, we may feel as if there is never enough time.

At other stages, time may weigh heavily upon us.

The antidote to time stress is intentional non-doing, and non-doing is applicable whether you are suffering from “not enough time” or “too much time. The challenge here is to put this proposition to the test in your own life, to see for yourself whether your relationship to time can be transformed through the practice on non-doing.

Inner peace exists outside of time. If you commit yourself to spending some time each day in inner stillness, even if it is for two minutes, for those minutes, you are stepping outside of the flow of time altogether. The calmness, relaxation, and centering that come from letting go of time transform your experience of time when you go back into it. Then it becomes possible to flow along with time during your day rather than constantly fighting against it or feeling driven by it, simply by bringing awareness to present-moment experience.

Four Ways to Free Yourself from the Tyranny of Time

1. Remind yourself that time is a product of thought. Minutes and hours are conventions, agreed upon so we can conveniently meet and communicate and work in harmony. But they have no absolute meaning; they are relative.

2. Live in the present more of the time. When you find yourself thinking about the past or future, release that. Be fully present. Choose not to multi-task. Make eye contact. Own your moments.

3. Take some time every day to just be, to meditate. Even a few moments will nourish the timelessness in you.

4. Simplify your life in certain ways. Preserve some daily space for silence, for non-doing.

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Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #69 | July 07, 2021 | Surf’s Up!

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You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

It is a commonly held view that meditation is a way to shut off the pressures of the world or of your own mind, but this is not an accurate impression. Meditation is neither shutting things out nor off. It is seeing things clearly, and deliberately positioning yourself differently in relationship to them.

One way to envision how mindfulness works is to think of your mind as the surface of a lake or ocean. There are always waves on the water. Sometimes they are big, sometimes they are small, and sometimes they are almost imperceptible. The water’s waves are churned up by winds, which come and go and vary in direction and intensity, just as do the winds of stress and change in our lives, which stir up waves in our minds.

It is possible through meditation to find shelter from much of the wind that agitates the mind. But ultimately the winds of life and the mind will still blow. Meditation is about knowing this, and how to work with it.

There is a poster of a seventy-ish yogi, Swami Satchitananda, in full white beard and flowing robes atop a surfboard riding the waves off a Hawaiian beach. The caption read, “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

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From Jon Kabat-Zinn, from Wherever You Go, There You Are

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

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Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #70 | July 14, 2021 | Be Aware

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Every time we make a transition from one activity or location to another, we can use that moment to be aware. For example,

1. When you wake up, be aware that you are waking up. Take a moment to collect yourself. If you wake up with a head full of thoughts, take a breath and let some fresh air into your mind, just for a moment.

2. When you start to get up and out of bed, notice that you are changing the position of your body and your consciousness. Now you’re awake! It’s a new day! The sun is up! Take just a second to notice that there is movement. Take a breath as you notice.

3. If you encounter other people immediately, be sensitive to this event. Know that this is a moment that you can feel inner stillness, no matter what is going on outside.

4. As your day gets underway, with breakfast, work, class, play, meetings, realize just for a moment that there is a transition now between activities. Mindfully notice that one activity is ending, another one is beginning. Notice if there is flow, or awkwardness; if the transition is easy or difficult; feel how your body is responding to the change. You don’t have to judge how you feel or how the transition is going—instead, just notice, and maybe briefly describe it to yourself: “I feel tired as I get walking,” “I feel energetic as I see my friend,” “My back aches,” “This is Monday, and this is how Monday feels right now,” and after you’ve noticed, and acknowledged that you’re moving, let that thought go so you can be aware of the next observation.

5. Use everyday cues in your environment to remind yourself to center, relax, and be aware. Every time you open or close a door, for example, is an opportunity to stop for a split second and be mindful: “I’m opening the door.” “There is the door handle.” “I’ve entered a room.” Then let these observations go.

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From Jon Kabat-Zinn, from Full Catastrophe Living

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #71 | July 21, 2021 | Awareness Exercises

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1. Try to be mindful for one minute in every hour.

2. Touch base with your breathing throughout the day, wherever you are, as often as you can.

3. For one week, be aware of one pleasant event per day while it is happening. Notice these, and notice your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Look for patterns.

4. During another week, do the same for one unpleasant or stressful event per day while it is happening. Again, notice your bodily sensations, thoughts, feelings, and reactions/ responses. Look for underlying patterns.

5. Bring awareness to one difficult communication per day during another week. Notice what happened, what you wanted from the communication, what the other person wanted, and what actually happened. Look for a pattern over the week. Notice your own mental states and their consequences as you communicate with others.

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From Jon Kabat-Zinn, from Full Catastrophe Living

Submitted by San, volunteer meditation teacher and mentor

Buddhist Meditation One-Pager #72 | July 28, 2021 | Wise and Compassionate

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Each day, may we be kind, compassionate and wise beyond words.

Each day, may we work for the good.

Give us the energy and commitment to work for the welfare of all beings,

especially the sick, the tormented, the destitute, and the desperate.

Help us seek nonviolent ways for dealing with human conflicts.

Help us work together harmoniously to eliminate the causes of violence and suffering,

especially poverty, social inequalities, intolerance, anger, and fear.

Bless our aspirations for peace,

Join our prayers for peace and our efforts for peace.

Strengthen the courage of our convictions.

Give us the courage to turn the other cheek,

And help us encourage each other as we continue to strive for peace on earth.

For as long as space endures

And as long as living beings exist

May I, too, endure

To remove the sufferings of the world.

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Buddhist prayer

Submitted by Lekshe, volunteer meditation teacher