The Middle Way Archives - Mindful Happiness

January 14, 2021 By Admin

The Heart Sutra – Thich Nhat Hanh

“Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.” This ultimate mantra is one of the most important in Buddhism. Thich Nhat Hanh’s new translation of The Heart Sutra offers a great deal of enlightened, sometimes more advanced, information and process. Avalokitesvara and other great Bodhisattvas present important views of this pivotal Buddhist sutra. The words used to describe it – great, highest, illuminating, and the end of suffering – offer great hope to Buddhist practitioners. Gate, itself, implies ending suffering, liberation, mindfulness, ending duality, reaching the other shore (enlightenment, nirvana, etc.). Paragate implies going all the way to the other shore – becoming enlightened. Parasamgate sum implies the the world-wide sangha or the entire human community. Bodhi is the light inside, and Svaha means joy. Keep in mind there may be slightly different translations of these words in Buddhist texts.

Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svah

In this paragraph, we go over chanting. Chant this: “Gate Gate Paragate Parasamgate Bodhi Svaha.” Or if you like in English: “Gone gone, all the way over, gone to the other shore of enlightenment.” This sutra is chanted deep from within the heart, your heart. It reflects the teachings of the Prajnaparamita. Ultimately it teaches the real truth of emptiness. Some say this mantra is even more important than The Diamond Sutra. The important teaching dealing with ultimate emptiness include sinlessness, aimlessness, ending conventional designation, The Middle Way, interbeing, and the ultimate interbeing of all that arises and falls – everything that exists. The Buddha’s words to Sariputra are relevant: “This body itself is emptiness. And emptiness itself is this body. This body is not other than emptiness. And emptiness is not other than this body.” Associated mudras with The Heart Sutra are placing the tips of mid-fingers to the tops of thumbs, and next tips of ring fingers touching tops of thumbs.

To learn more about The Heart Sutra see the book, Fragrant Palm Leaves. In the end, The Heart Sutra notes there is no self-narrative, so strive to go beyond craving, fear and suffering. To many chanting, meditating and practicing with The Heart Sutra are the highest forms of spiritual practice. Be courageous; practice! See what the outcomes are for you. Has practice impacted your thoughts, emotions, behaviors?

For more information refer to Thich Nhat Hanh (2017). The Other Shore: A New Translation of The Heart Sutra…Berkely, CA: Palm Leaves Press, pp. 115-120, etc.m

Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont and the Home of The Monkton Sangha

Author of Mindful Happiness

March 10, 2015 By Admin

Meditations on Emptiness

An Advanced View on Meditations on Emptiness

An earlier post on the Dalai Lama’s book, Meditations on the Nature of Mind, ended with suggested meditations (my own personal contemplation’s) about emptiness. I will first review those contemplations. Contemplate deeply on what emptiness means personally to you. Contemplate about a time when you received a glimpse of personal emptiness. Contemplate on your experience to see if it was positive, neutral, of negative (happiness, neutral or suffering). Why do you think you experienced it the way you did? Contemplate on ways you may be able to use the experience of emptiness to reduce personal suffering and increase personal happiness. Please do these four contemplations one after the other before you attempt to contemplate of what follows here. I created these suggested contemplations after my own long meditation practices on emptiness. Keep in mind that Lord Marpa noted a very long time ago that only fools think emptiness is the same as nihilism. It is not nihilism. Also remember that when your mind shifts away from the object of your contemplation (emptiness) gently return attention back to the object, AND each time try to go deeper into concentration on your contemplation.

What follows here is a compilation of various insights about meditation on The Middle Way and on emptiness. Some come from The Dalai Lama; some come from T’song-kha-pa; some come from Nargarjuna; some come from Chandrakirti; and, some very far less exquisite ideas come from me. My effort here is to make the wisdom of the wisdom leaders more pragmatic and practical for us today, in our world as it is now. A key concept in the process of becoming enlightened is that we do it more for the sake of others. Thus, the bodhisattva/bodhichitta compassionate action ideals are seriously pursued. Our practice is based on the desired unification of two important bodies: Dharma and Form. The Dharma refers to the body of emptiness and other ultimate realities, and the form refers to the body of Buddha. Pursuit of Buddhist Dharma and the experience of emptiness connect us to the pure path of liberation. Wisdom about no-self, impermanence, dependent origination, karma, causes and effects, interconnectedness, conventional vs ultimate truth, and ultimate emptiness of intrinsic existence of all phenomena – all lead the way to liberation and enlightenment. They all lead us from conceptual knowing to experiential knowing, and from the Samara world of conditioned sense pleasures and suffering to wisdom. In many respects to practice a wisdom-informed life IS to move along the path, The Middle Way to complete realization. In the final analysis of emptiness, there lies a clear implication that there is no such reality as an object becoming established on its own. Therefore, there can be no-self nature, thus no-self. What appears to be concrete in nature is actually made up of totally dependent arisings. One may experience a contradiction here; if we are the Buddha already, does it matter if it is just emptiness? The answer to this inquiry is far more complex than it sounds. Only our thoughts and our minds perceive the concrete self-phenomena as existing in and of their own. The correct view of it all suggests that there is no thought or cognition about Dharma (even if we study it); it is more about post-perceptual experiences and understanding via pure wisdom experiences. T’song-kha-pa noted that in the “profound Middle Way” there is NO independent, intrinsic, concrete self or things. It is pure wisdom of experiential awareness.

Now on to the contemplation practices.

Again, I am creating these on my own as means to experience some glimpse of emptiness in meditation.

1) Contemplate about your own compassionate actions for the benefit of others. When you feel/experience being deep enough into contemplation, add the experience of emptiness to this process. Be mindfully aware of what happens in the experience?
2) Contemplate deeply in the ultimate wisdom that there is no intrinsic existence in any phenomena, including your own contemplation right now. What happens in your experience?
3) Contemplate deeply about how your own life is conditioned via sense pleasures and avoiding suffering. Go even deeper, and contemplate the factors of non-existence (emptiness) in this process. What happens to your experience at this point?
4) Contemplate deeply on the experience of experiential awareness now. Continue until you are experiencing just experiencing without conceptual or cognitive awareness. Now what happens to your experience?
5) Lastly, contemplate deeply on what experiential insights may have been found via your four experiential contemplations. Shift gently to cognition now, and note what the insights are.

Now take a few deep, slow, calm breaths and bring your experiential self back into awareness. Be aware! Move your body slightly before you attempt to stand up. Think about what you might wish to share with others.

For more information refer to The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso). (2009). The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason. Boston: Wisdom Publications, pp. 119-147. Also refer to The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso and others). (2011). Meditation on the Nature of Mind. Boston: Wisdom Publications, pp. 126-139.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!

February 28, 2015 By Admin

Advanced Meditations – The Middle Way

Advanced Meditations – Middle Way -Wisdom Path Between Extremes

These meditation practices are advanced, and combine complex ideas from Nagarjuna (Indian Master), T’ong-Kha-Pa (Tibetan Master), and The 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso). In keeping with the mixed secular nature of my meditation center, I have decided to present these complex ideas with several of my own contemplative meditation practices (Christian meditation, Thomas Merton, and multi-level Lectio Divina formats). Such an integrative combination of ideas and approaches best fits the integrative nature of my meditation teaching. In summary, the ideas come from the foundations of Tibetan Buddhism, the guided content of the meditations comes from me, and the style of meditation comes from Christian contemplative traditions. The practice of meditating on the middle way is quite serious, and requires three major changes in one’s life. These changes are: renunciation of samsara, altruistic awakening of compassion (Bodhichitta and Bodhisattva stages), and holding correct Buddhist views (causes and effects, dependent origination, non-duality, wisdom, no-self, and ultimate emptiness of all phenomena). In turn, these practices and beliefs require compatibility with the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-Fold Path, and the three jewels (Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha). The Four Noble Truths note the presence of suffering via dissatisfaction and impermanence as well as the cessation of suffering (happiness), while the Eight-Fold Path guides the meditator to ultimate enlightenment (complete understanding to nirvana). The Buddha reminded us that the ultimate wisdom to attain enlightenment already lies within us (and that it also may be ultimately empty). The mantra – Om Muni Muni Mahamuniye Svaha – translates into “The able one, The great able one” who becomes enlightened. The Dalai Lama reminds us that there are many paths to these ends – Middle Way, Great Middle Way, Great Seal, Great Perfection and others all lead to the same ends: renunciation, compassionate actions, and correct view.

Meditation Practice on Renunciation

Using Christian contemplative meditation – repeatedly bringing attention back to and deeper and deeper into concentration on the object of meditation – let’s begin our practice.

1) After settling into a comfortable meditative state, contemplate deeper and deeper on the conditioned cycles of short-term joy and general suffering via repeated conditioning from impermanent sensory experiences we attach to. Here we are clinging and attaching to anything that satisfies us, and avoiding anything that causes us pain. This extreme seeking/attaching/avoiding way of life ends up with us simply suffering.

2) Contemplate deeply on how you grasp and cling to impermanent people, places and things.

3) Contemplate deeply on how you avoid experiences (people, places, things) that may bring suffering and pain.

4) Contemplate deeply on why you cannot simply be content with whatever arises and falls away in your life. It is all impermanent.

Meditation Practice on Compassion

1) Contemplate deeply on how your own soft-heartedness and loving kindness feel in your body.

2) Using body, speech and mind – contemplate deeply on the last time you used compassionate action to reduce the suffering of others.

3) Contemplate deeply on non-duality and interconnection of all things – and why this should help you be more compassionate.

4) Work hard to develop self-compassion now. Contemplate deeply on how your own self-compassion feels right now, right here.

Meditation Practices on Emptiness

1) Contemplate deeply on what emptiness means to you – remember it has nothing to do with nihilism.

2) Contemplate deeply on the last time you experienced a glimpse of emptiness in personal experience.

3) Contemplate deeply on why/if the idea/experience of emptiness causes discomfort in your mind and body.

4) Contemplate deeply on how you may utilize ultimate emptiness as a way to experience less suffering and more happiness.

Now take a few calm, deep, slow breaths and return your attention back to the group or your environment (if meditating alone).

I hope this advanced meditation helped to bring you closer to your personal goals and to attaining a glimpse of enlightenment.

For more information refer to The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) (2009). The Middle Way: Faith Grounded in Reason. Boston: Wisdom Publications, pp. 119-147. Also refer to The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) et.al. (2011). Meditation on the Nature of Mind. Boston: Wisdom Publications.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

CLICK HERE to Order!