You deserve the unfiltered truth, no matter how potent

Rami Dhanoa

Published in The Taoist Online

5 days ago (thetaoist.online)

Who told you that meditation is all about ‘doing nothing’ or merely accepting the way things are manifesting?

Sure, you need to be doing a lot less than what your labeling, neurotic mind is used to. And you must accept reality for what it is.

But how can that be all?

If you try these pop-mindfulness instructions, you can get some inner calm. Then, the storms of the mind inevitably re-surface.

It’s watered down because corporate mindfulness is petrified of what the Buddha said:

“Let only my skin, sinews and bone remain, and let the flesh and blood in my body dry up; but not until I attain supreme enlightenment will I give up this seat of meditation”

A hard lesson you’ll only learn after experience

If you sit without a strong intention, guess what?

The intentions lurking in your subconscious will hijack your so-called practice.

It’s not that you should be thinking about your motivation while meditating. Simply you need to remind the monkey mind why it should work hard (or mentally work less) beforehand.

Tibetans and Indians are obsessed with auspicious astrological timings for a reason: beginnings karmically matter; they are the initial push that either leads to success or failure.

To awaken, you have to be much more than your therapist

You have to know what unlocks your zealous vigor — what fires you up to work on your mind?

For the Buddha, it was having tried everything he could (and failing to reach his goal, despite mastering it all).

Then — getting a clear glimpse of how to reach success, and not giving his heart a single moment’s thought of failure.

He knew, deep down, that the distractions and temptations of the world would only lead to the same cycles of temporary stimulation and deep sorrow.

There was nowhere to escape to for him. No refuge except within, in the goal he knew he could attain. So he went for it.

Discipline took him home

Today, there are clarion calls for being more easy on ourselves — probably because of all the abusive workplaces we’ve suffered.

But we can be kind and also disciplined. Because to be unmindful and lazy in life is an expression of deep unkindness!

In the Appativana (‘Unstoppable’) Sutra, the Buddha proclaims:

“If we have not attained what can be reached through human firmness, human persistence, human striving, there will be no relaxing our persistence.”

Your humanity itself should inspire you

Millions of people for millennia have worked at uncovering the innate bliss of their minds and succeeded.

Whole civilizations have even been built around helping us attain this. It’s not something out of left field; it’s your life purpose to get the happiness you seek.

You just need to be guided (or rather, influenced) to seek liberation, instead of further bondages that you mistake for happiness.

It’s not supernatural either

According to scientific studies, meditation practice for merely 13 minutes a day for 8 weeks significantly improves memory, mood, and emotional control.

You get results — with minimal but consistent effort — and then get inspired to put in more. And discover more. This biofeedback snowballs, until you reach the goal. But it can’t happen until you take the first step, and commit to walking!

Chances are, what withers and dries up won’t be the stuff you want to have around anyway.

Written by Rami Dhanoa

·Writer for The Taoist Online

Re-thinking human potential with meditation & Indic philosophy.

Letting the Water Settle

The Buddha and a few disciples happened to pass a lake.  Buddha stopped and asked one of his disciples to fetch some water because he was thirsty. When the disciple reached the water, he noticed some people were washing clothes and a bullock cart was crossing the lake.  The water was quite turbid. The disciple thought, “How can I give this muddy water to my Lord!” So he told Buddha the water was unfit to drink. After a half an hour, Buddha asked the same disciple to return to the lake for some water to drink. The disciple obliged. This time he found the water was absolutely clear. The mud had settled down and the water above it was crystal clear. So he collected water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.  Buddha looked at the water and then up at the disciple.  He said, “You let it be and the mud settled down on its own.” “ Your mind is also like that. When it is disturbed, just let it be.  Pause. Give it a little time. It will settle down.” Author Unknown     AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

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One Fine Day

Buddha told his disciples, “Whoever makes an effort can attain enlightenment in seven days. If he can’t manage it, certainly he will attain it in seven months, or in seven years.” The young man decided that he would attain it in one week, and he wanted to know what should he do.  “Concentration” was the reply.  The young man began to practice, but in ten minutes he was already distracted. Little by little, he began paying attention to everything that distracted him, and thought that he was not wasting time, but was getting used to himself. One fine day he decided it was not necessary to arrive at his goal so fast, because the path was teaching him many things.  It was at that moment that he became an Enlightened one. Author Unknown   AN OPPORTUNITY FOR DAILY REFLECTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE SCHOOL OF PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY