19. Some links

http://www.tricycle.com/
http://www.westernbuddhistreview.com/
http://www.ciolek.com/WWWVL-Buddhism.html
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/BuddhismParents/BuddhismParents.html
http://www.geocities.com/bodhi_01au/index.html
http://www.windhorsepublications.com/
http://www.peacefuldwelling.org/
http://www.nyimc.org/
http://www.dharma.org/index.htm
http://www.aryaloka.org/
http://www.kamalashila.co.uk/
http://www.sangharakshita.com/
http://www.fwbo-nyc.org/
http://www.metta.lk/tipitaka/
http://www.geocities.com/manjushri_2000/buddhisttexts.html
http://www.dharmalife.com/
http://www.jamyang.co.uk/teachings/download_audio_mp3_teachings.html
http://www.ratnaprabha.freeserve.co.uk/
http://www.theopensecret.com/
http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/storybuddha.htm
http://www.fwbo-nyc.org/pdf-files.html
http://www.tibetanpaintings.com/
http://www.newyorkbuddhist.org/welcome/index.htm
http://diamondsutra.org/
http://www.cbsd.com/
http://www.geocities.com/longislanddharmagroup/
http://www.tbrc.org/
http://www.himalayanart.org/
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/index.html
http://www.tbmsg.org/index1.html
http://www.rmanyc.org/
http://www.bodhipaksa.com/photos/Padmasambhava2005/
http://www.dharma-media.org/media/general/dwnld/thanka/guru_rinpoche/emanations.html
http://www.dharma-media.org/media/general/dwnld/thanka/bodhisattvas/aryas.html
http://www.dharmalife.com/
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/outsources/audio.html
http://www.dharmastream.org/dharmatalks.html
http://www.satya.com/research/mantra.htm
http://www.thaistudents.com/album/index.html

18. spiritual urgency, courageous effort

When William woke at 5, I got up, even though it's Saturday. No work to get me up. But it's the only quiet time, and I like to meditate first thing in the morning. I made some coffee and read Sayadaaw U Pandita's book In This Very Life. He writes about courageous effort and spiritual urgency. Vajramati was talking about discipline of Milarepa. He said, "let me go home and tell them I'm going to be here." Milarepa said, "either stay or go and don't come back." So he stayed and became one of his top disciplines with great commitment to the three jewels. Having a child has taught me the importance of spiritual urgency, courageous effort.

The Metta Sutra

Metta Sutta: The Buddha's Words on Kindness

This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in saftey,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born,
May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings:
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.

The Heart Sutra

the heart sutra
 
The Bodhisattva of Compassion,
When he meditated deeply,
Saw the emptiness of all five skandhas
And sundered the bonds that caused him suffering
 
Here then,
Form is no other than emptiness,
Emptiness no other than form.
Form is only emptiness,
Emptiness only form.
 
Feeling, thought, and choice,
Consciousness itself,
Are the same as this.
 
All things are the primal void,
Which is not born or destroyed;
Nor is it stained or pure,
Nor does it wax or wane.
 
So, in emptiness, no form,
No feeling, thought, or choice,
Nor is there consciousness.
 
No eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
No colour, sound, smell, taste, touch,
Or what the mind takes hold of,
Nor even act of sensing.
 
No ignorance or end of it,
Nor all that comes of ignorance;
No withering, no death,
No end of them.
 
Nor is ther pain, or cause of pain,
Or cease in pain, or noble path
To lead from pain;
Not even wisdom to attain!
Attainment too is emptiness.
 
So know that the Bodhisattva
Holding to nothing whatever,
But dwelling in Prajna wisdom,
Is freed of delusive hindrance,
Rid of the fear bred by it,
And reaches clearest Nirvana.
 
All Buddhas of past and present,
Buddhas of future time,
Using this Prajna wisdom,
Come to full and perfect vision.
 
Hear then the great dharani,
The radiant peerless mantra,
The Prajnaparamita
Whose words allay all pain;
Hear and believe its truth!
 
Gata gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha

17. Vajramati

I met with Vajramati last night. We went to a crepe place. Good catching up with him. I've decided to focus more on going to sangha meetings on Tuesday night for a few months, and forgo the alternating of seeing him and then going to sangha meetings. I need more meditation support at the moment. I was worried he would be offended or off put, I do really appreciate his taking time out for me. And it's been wonderful to deepen our friendship. But right now I think I need to meditate more. It's such a struggle with children, a child, my sonny boy. He's woken up at 5am today, and he's taken a long time to go back asleep. So I'm going to meditate today. Monday-Yes, Tuesday-no, Wednesday-no, Thursday-yes!

16. Dayalocana

Ten years ago Dayalocana was ordained in the F/WBO. I don't know her except just a brief hello, but she's a leader up at Aryaloka, an important outpost of the FWBO in North America, on the eastern seaboard. Congratulations to Dayalocana!

I meditated this morning, I actually got up at 6 am. I think I'm going to skip mindfulness of breathing, in favor of the Bramha Viharas: metta, karuna, mudita & upekkha.

I read some of the first long discourse. Been reading Sayadaaw U Pandita's book In This Very Life also.