Early morning

Huang Er Chuan

My best routine is to wake up, read some, and meditate. Today I read Anamatagga Samuta (see below SN 15.3)

It's a full moon today. When the Buddha was alive, at one point, he told the monks to scatter, and teach the Dharma. Perhaps the area could not support so many monks easily. But they would gather on a full moon, stay up all night discussing the dharma. The popularity of the Dharma where the Buddha taught it is in contrast to the vicious battling of doctrines of Jesus. The Life of Brian captures it.

I had an image of a father meditating with his two daughters. One daughter meditated smooshed alongside the father. In a way, I do that with the Buddha. 

In my Buddhanasati, remembrance of the Buddha, I imagine the Buddha inviting me to meditate at a tree nearby him. He beckons me to meditate.

I always struggle with the neutral in metta, my attention easily wanders away from someone I little hate or love. But I also struggle with the enemy, the person I am in discord with. I think about the woman who would not stop honking even though I asked her to because my daughter was sleeping upstairs. She perhaps isn't confident backing out of the street, which is what I do when someone is blocking the street too long. But I forgive her easily, it was so long ago. People just have traits I despise in myself, like Trump's transparent narcissism. I loathe that in myself. So I can hate the traits I disown, and pretend are not part of me. But I can even forgive those. What is the true enemy? Is it my lack of willpower to meditate every day? That's even easy to forgive. I think metta really does work.

SN 15.3 Assu Sutta: Tears

At Savatthi. "Bhikkhus, this samsara is without discoverable beginning. A first point is not discerned of beings roaming and wandering on hindered by ignorance and fettered by craving What do you think, bhikkhus, which is more: the stream of tears that you have shed as you roamed and wandered on through this long course, weeping and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable-this or the water in the four great oceans?"

"As we understand the Dhamma taught by the Blessed One, venerable sir, the stream of tears that we have shed as we roamed and wandered through this long course, weeping and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable-this alone is more than the water in the four great oceans."

"Good, good, bhikkhus! It is good that you understand the Dhamma taught by me in such a way. The stream of tears that you have shed as you roamed and wandered through this long course, weeping and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable-this alone is ​more than the water in the four great oceans. For a long time, bhikkhus, you have experienced the death of a mother; as you have experienced this, weeping and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable, the stream of tears that you have shed is more than the water in the four great oceans. "

"For a long time, bhikkhus, you have experienced the death of a father ... the death of a brother ... the death of a sister ... the death of a son ... the death of a daughter ... the loss of relatives ... the loss of wealth ... loss through illness; as you have experienced this, weeping and wailing because of being united with the disagreeable and separated from the agreeable, the stream of tears that you have shed is more than the water in the four great oceans. For what reason? Because, bhikkhus, this samsara is without discoverable beginning .... It is enough to experience revulsion towards all formations, enough to become dispassionate towards them, enough to be liberated from them."