August 2007 Newsletter

Vipassana Fellowship Newsletter

August 2007 - 2nd Edition

"There's saving grace in Goodness in this world; there's truth, compassion, purity of life."- Vatta Paritta

Final call for our last Online Meditation Course of 2007

Vipassana Fellowship's online meditation courses have been offered for 10 years and have proven helpful to meditators in many countries around the world. Our final course for this year starts on September 1st. It serves as a practical introduction to samatha (tranquillity or serenity) and vipassana (insight) techniques from the Theravada tradition of Buddhism. Intended primarily for beginners, the 90 day course is also suitable for experienced meditators who wish to explore different aspects of the tradition. The emphasis is on building a sustainable and balanced meditation practice that is compatible with lay life.

Comments from participants earlier this year include: "It has already made a significant change to my own well-being and hopefully as a result, that of those around me." - J, UK.; "I really think this is just such a wonderful use of modern technology and the Internet, as it has provided someone like myself with access to a teacher who would not have it otherwise...I thought it was a great combination of the fundamental teachings, presented in a very 'user-friendly' format." - P, USA; I liked that the information you gave was short and to the point, full of good wisdom, without rambling on and on. It kept me looking forward to the next reading, without feeling overly committed for a beginner. And the other part is what I was really looking for.... how to integrate what I learned into the acts of daily living. Over the years I have read so many books on Buddhism... but yet did not have the drive or commitment to put all that knowledge into daily practice. Your daily lessons helped me do that. So thank you for that. You helped me accomplish that goal.... ongoing goal, that is." - M, USA; "From what I've read and studied so far, in just three months I have learned so much about myself and why I do what I do, and how I can change it. Your daily writings really helped me find direction... But the most helpful thing I've found so far is meditating. I never thought I could do it at all, but that is where most of my insight has come from. And that is directly thanks to you... Thank you so much for all the help. And your answers to my questions were so kind and gentle - I have even learned to be kinder to myself! You will probably hear from me sooner or later with some questions - hope you don't mind!" - J, USA; "I remain grateful to you for giving the opportunity to learn and practise vipassana. It is a well constructed course indeed. Combining equally the samatha practice with vipassana really made me understand the essence of the meditation practice in daily life." - A, India; "I LOVED the course. I am a long time meditator and decided that I wanted more authentic meditation & guidance. This was MORE than what I could have imagined. I could go on and on, but what else can I say." - M, USA; "In all honesty, I think its excellent, especially for people like me who due to work and family constraints can't get out on a retreat. I think that I probably gained more from starting with your 3 month course than I would have by starting on a 10-day retreat anyway." - P, France.

The course is suitable for users of any major operating system (Windows, Apple Mac, Linux) provided they have a recent web browser that can display Flash files. The course uses our Online Course Campus which adds additional flexibility and permits greater interactivity. Participants also receive an audio supplement on CD-Rom containing guided meditations and chants to support the online material.

Our course is led by Andrew Quernmore, an experienced meditation teacher based in England, and begins on Saturday, September 1st, 2007. Andrew wrote our first course ten years ago and he has personally led each course since then.

Registration for the September course is available at:

http://www.vipassana.com/course/

Applications will be considered until the start of the course. Please note that the Audio Supplement is despatched from the UK by Airmail but late applicants will be able to work with identical online versions of the main audio files until the CD-Rom arrives.

Parisa

If you have taken one or more of our online courses you are eligible to subscribe to our Parisa support and encouragement programme for former participants. Parisa provides ongoing access to our courses and new monthly material to provide inspiration for your practice.

http;//www.vipassana.com/parisa/

Getting Hold of Myself

by Eileen Siriwardhana

(Mrs. Eileen Siriwardhana graduated from the University of Ceylon in English, Sinhala and Pali. She was Principal of Visakha Vidyalaya, the premier Buddhist Girls' School in Colombo. She is known also as a distinguished writer in Sinhala.)

I told myself never to do certain things:

Never to fly into a rage when things have gone wrong,

But something is simmering inside me;

Then I try to get hold of myself

But I can't!

Never moan and lament over loss and disaster,

But something is writhing inside me;

Then I try to get hold of myself

But I can't!

Never be elated over triumphs and victories,

But something is dancing inside me;

Then, too, I try to get hold of myself,

But I can't!

Exasperated,

I try and I strive

But I can't!

I just can't get hold of myself, Can you?

If you can, please let me know how.

Yes, I can.

And you can, too,

If you turn to the Buddha.

"Irrigators lead the waters.

Fletchers bend the shafts.

Carpenters bend the wood.

The wise control themselves."

Just as a water-course is dammed and directed through channels towards a chosen direction, so too the mind must be bent and consciously directed towards good, towards virtue, towards righteousness.

To amass wealth, to dig up the treasures from the bowels of the earth, man makes laborious efforts and spends enormous sums of money, but to dig up the invaluable treasures of the mind, man makes little or no effort. But to make the effort man has first to realize, he has first to understand the mysterious and mighty potentialities hidden within his mind.

On the other hand, if, though well aware of the natural destructive forces within him, man makes little or no effort to curb them, he thereby causes untold misery to himself and to others.

Latent in man are both saintly characteristics and destructive tendencies. It is strange that too often the vices latent in man seem almost natural and spontaneous, whereas the dormant virtues have to be brought to the surface with great effort. It is worth noting that every vice possesses its opposite, a noble virtue which may not appear to be natural and automatic, yet which lies within the range of every person.

And so man lives enveloped in miseries of various types. Man is never happy, never satisfied, always frustrated, always wanting something more, something new. His mind is constantly in turmoil, and the misfortune is that he thinks that this has to be the natural condition common to all. This is delusion, or moha.

"Blind is the world.

Few are those who clearly see.

As birds escape from a net,

few go to the blissful state."

It is a pity that man does not realize that all these fears, sorrows, phobias and miseries are mind-made -- and can be eliminated. A man can live in a constant state of bliss and joy devoid of unnecessary sufferings and live life to its fullest if only he would live the word of the Buddha, for the word of the

Buddha embodies peace. This is why the arahats often uttered:

"Calm in mind,

Calm in speech,

Calm in deed,

who rightly knowing is wholly freed,

perfectly peaceful and equipoised."

A desert traveler with parched lips and burning soles will be gladdened on hearing that an oasis is not far off. But he will not experience real joy until he tastes its waters with his lips, and dips his soles in the cool waters. In like manner the word of the Buddha gladdens our hearts, but we should not stop until we have tasted the bliss of that

noble state which is the panacea, the only panacea, for all the ills of the world.

"There is no medicine comparable to the Dhamma.

Taste of it.

Drink it, O monks."

The Dhamma is to be lived, not merely to be read about or listened to. Listen. Think. Practice.

In our day-to-day lives, in the course of being engaged in our daily chores, we should think of the innumerable times when we have neglected the word of the Buddha. Yet the incense chamber of the Buddha should be created within our hearts, and that fragrance must pervade every thought, every word, every action of our waking life.

"Purify your mind," said the Blessed One. Now think of the numberless unwholesome thoughts that daily pollute the mind. We speak and we act impulsively, rashly. Our words and our actions are often harsh; we cause pain of mind to others, which in turn brings on remorse. A whole train of unwholesome thoughts are unleashed as a result of our inability to control our mind. We get angry. That anger even results in chemical changes in the body which can be injurious to our health, and to the well-being of others. And then we repent for a lifetime a few words uttered impulsively.

So, realizing the unhappiness we bring upon ourselves and the suffering we cause others, we must first understand and accept the fact that we are not on the right path. What is the remedy? Do not let the mind drift. Take hold if it. Cultivate it. What is cultivation? It is meditation. It is a process of mind cleansing. What are the steps leading to purification of the mind, which is the heart of the Buddha's message?

1. To know the mind -- that is so near to us; and is yet so unknown.

2. To shape the mind -- that is unwieldy and obstinate, and yet may turn to pliant.

3. To free the mind -- that is in bondage all over, and yet may win freedom here and now.

-- "The Heart of Buddhist Meditation," by Nyanaponika Thera

To know the mind one has to watch it from moment to moment. Take a few minutes off your daily chores and sit down in a quiet place and be mindful of your thoughts. Watch carefully the thought processes coursing incessantly through your mind like the rising and falling away of the ocean waves, but continuous -- in a never-ending flow they arise and they fall away. Recognize each thought as pleasant or unpleasant, as the nature of the thought may be. We have to be honest with ourselves. We must recognize jealousy as jealousy, know it to be unwholesome, cast it aside and substitute its antidote or opposite -- which is appreciative joy or mudita.

We can gradually increase the period of watching by a few minutes each day. After some time we will find that when watching and perceiving, all shades and nuances of thought pass through our mind. With practice, this process will become automatic, natural and effortless, even while we are engaged in our daily activities. This is as it should be -- a very desirable condition for our well-being, for then we will be constantly mindful. An action performed with mindfulness will be a skillful action. The result, or vipaka, of such action will be pleasant and good. So constantly our mind will be suffused with satisfaction, joy and bliss.

Let us look at a few of the common unwholesome states which too often pollute our minds:

Anger is a destructive vice which can be subdued with loving-kindness or metta.

Aggression is another vice that is responsible for much human suffering, errors and atrocities. Its antidote is compassion or karuna.

Jealousy poisons one's system. It has a corroding effect on a person like rust on metal. It will destroy a person. Appreciative joy or mudita is the remedy.

There are other universal characteristics that upset the equilibrium of man. They are attachments to the pleasurable and aversion to the non-pleasurable. The opposite force is equanimity, or upekkha, which alone can combat these two subtle but most prevalent defilements ever present in the mind.

Impregnated in the vices mentioned are the germs of a dreaded disease which seems to be taking its toll of many human lives today. Self-destruction, depression, a sense of hopelessness, despair, gloom, pessimism, meaninglessness of life, are some of the symptoms of this dreaded disease which leads to so much unhappiness. The disease is ignorance.

The cure for the disease is the substitution of the opposite virtues for each of the latent vices. This will lead to the recognition of the beauty of life, its worthwhileness, its purposefulness. The substitution of wholesome pleasant thoughts is a recognized form of mental therapy. These virtues tend to elevate man. If cultivated with diligence, man will realize that the earth is such a beautiful place, that human life is noble, and that it is still possible to gain peace for oneself and for others.

Source: extract from The Heart Awakened (Bodhi Leaves No.93; Copyright BPS, Kandy, Sri Lanka.)

The Vipassana Fellowship Newsletter is published about 10 times each year and is sent only on request and to previous participants of our courses. Vipassana Fellowship is an organisation dedicated to the dissemination of accurate and useful information on Buddhist meditation practices as found in the Theravada tradition. Our next mailing will be in September. Our site can be accessed via the vipassana.com and vipassana.org domains.