Dharma talks
Blooming like (lotus) flowers
All over the internet
By Jon Fernquest[Introduction|Article]
[Reading Questions|Answers]
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Dharma books and Dharma talks, the focus of today's article, can help us lead a happier life.
To "practice" football or tennis means to repeat skills used to win the game over and over again. We hope to improve and perfect our performance so we can win. When we take a shot on goal, with practice we will score a goal. The "practice of mindfulness" is a little different. The only person we are beating or winning a competition against, is ourselves. And everyone can win.
The practice of Vipassana meditation, noting each sensation and then returning to concentration on breathing, on the passage of air, in and out of one's nostrils, of the rise and fall of one's chest, until another sensation occurs, is noted, and one returns again to concentration on one's breathing. We can do this sort of meditation while walking to work or sitting on the bus or subway, perhaps not while driving a car or motorcycle. Calm people ("jai yen") are a pleasure to talk to and be with and meditation can help us become calm. Calm people are one of the "national treasures" of Thailand.
Dharma books are free and today's article tells you where to get them on the internet or in Bangkok.
Reading Questions
Here are some questions to guide your reading (See answers at end):1. What two realisations made the business people in this article into happy people?
2. How did their lives change after they started practicing mindfulness?
3. How old are Nantapat and Kiatsakon?
4. Is mindfulness practice best suited for older people who have experienced suffering in their lives?
What benefits does it have for younger people? (Express your opinion)
Bangkok Post Article November 02, 2007
Inspiring words from practitioners There's no denying that dhamma is good for life. Reading and listening to dhamma teachings can help elevate the soul and encourage one to be a good person. But it's not until we put the Lord Buddha's teaching into practice that we can see for ourselves that it can really change our lives for the better.practice - do something regularly
mindfulness - meditating, noting everything that happens (as in Vipassana meditation)
mindfulness practice - regularly meditating, being "mindful" of all experiences in everyday life
practitioners - people who do something regularly
there's no denying that - it is obviously true to everyone
dhamma - the teachings of the Buddha
soul - the non-physical part of a living being (human, animal, plant?) that continues to exist after death
encourage - give hope, confidence, and energy to continue doing a good thing
put idea into practice - actually do the idea, rather than just talk about the idea
A Market Trader
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Nantapat Peerapolporn, 37, admits that with three years of daily mindfulness practice she has the kind of happiness she has never experienced before.
"For a market trader like me, what would be more important than making a lot of money? My only goal back then was to get rich without causing trouble to anybody. Then I had the chance to attend my first vipassana course four years ago, and that opened a new world to me," she says.
A year later she took more intensive courses and began practising mindfulness in her daily life. "I gradually came to understand that spiritual happiness was much more important than material wealth," she says. "Now I'm much happier, even though I'm not wealthy at all."
From being a person who loved only herself, she now cares more about fellow humans and also animals. "The more I know myself, the more I realise the truth that all lives are equal. And I'm no different from them, as we all have our own suffering to deal with. So why do we have to exploit or bring more trouble to each other," she says.
She seems to be much more fortunate than most people in that she knows how to live a peaceful life. "Through mindfulness I see the root cause of my suffering and know how to live my life with the least of them. I am always willing to guide people with problems to practise mindfulness," she said.
admits - says something that they would not normally say
mindfulness practice - regularly meditating, being "mindful" of all experiences in everyday life
market trader - a business person who buys and sells goods in a market
material wealth - the money and valuable things we own such as a car or a house
fellow humans - people who are humans just like us (and therefore very much the same as us)
exploit - (negative) use for your own gain (note: "exploit a resource" has a neutral, non-negative meaning)
fortunate - had good luck
root cause - the most important cause
practise - do regularly to perfect
A Self-Employed Business Person
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Her good intentions are echoed by Kiatsakon Pummarin, a 49-year-old self-employed businessman, who is happy to share the benefits he gets from mindfulness practice with anyone who is interested.
Kiatsakon became serious about dhamma after listening to a dhamma lecture about hell, heaven and the cycle of birth and death during his first vipassana course eight years ago.
"At the time I was really determined to observe the Five Precepts and attend more vipassana courses with the hope that I wouldn't be sent to hell after death. But the more courses I followed, the more peacefulness and happiness I gained," he says.
After seven years of formal meditation practised regularly at home, he began to concentrate more on mindfulness practice in daily life. It's been a year so far, and he finds that his life has completely changed.
"Now I'm quicker at detecting my anger and greed and they can't get the better of me any more," he says. "They're just like unwanted feelings that I happen to know of, but I can stay calm with a neutral mind and see them go away in a very short time."
By observing his body and mind continually, Kiatsakon also discovered that he was able to stay neutral in nearly all situations, even when experiencing severe pain. "I feel I'm aware of the unpleasant feelings my mind has developed as a result of the pain. They just stop there and I can tolerate the pain calmly," he says.
Now he finds it interesting and even fun to learn more about his own mind, and he is pleased that his self-awareness is getting stronger over time. Having chosen to live a modest but meaningful life, he is determined to keep practising mindfulness until the last day of his life. "If I have to be born again, I hope to be born human so that I can continue to practise," he says.
good intentions -
echoed - repeat, say the same thing
self-employed businessman - a business owner, does not work for someone else
became serious about - started to think carefully about and treat as important
cycle of birth and death (samsara) - the world of life on earth (birth, sickness, death) with happiness mixed in, of course, the opposite of "Nibbana" or "Nirvana"
Five Precepts - five rules to follow in Buddhism often chanted individually or collectively: 1. Kill not, 2. Steal not, 3. Indulge in no forbidden sexual pleasure, 4. Lie not, 5. Take no intoxifying or stupefying drug or liquor
chant - words repeated over and over again
concentrate - give all your attention to, devote your mind to
detecting - finding, discovering
greed - desire to have more than is necessary or fair
stay calm, calmly - does not show or feel extreme emotions (anger, excitement, worry)
neutral - neither affected by other things, nor affecting other things
tolerate - allow other people to behave as they want, even though you don't agree with it
a modest life - does not require a lot of expensive things, uses just enough money as is necessary
Useful dhamma media
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Mindfulness practice is actually easy to perform if we fully understand the principles. Here's a list of dhamma media I find very useful for both newcomers and general practitioners.
Dhamma lectures in CD format by Luang Phor Promote Pamotecho
- Luang Phor Pramote's CDs are highly recommended for everybody who wants to know what mindfulness practice is all about. Sharing the same theme - how to correctly observe the body and mind with awareness - the lectures also include some dhamma knowledge and a question and answer session between the monk and his students/practitioners. The contents of each lecture are quite similar to one another, but it's still easy and fun to listen. You can start with any CD and you will know how it feels to be really "awake". The lectures are available in Thai at http://www.wimutti.net/pramote.
media - a physical form for communicating information (CD, DVD, internet, book, radio, tv, for example)
in CD format - on CD (could also be in DVD or tape formats)
recommended - suggest that something is good and should be used
a theme - an idea (developed and repeated)
awareness - know or realise that something is happening, noting that something is happening as in Vipassana meditation
"Withi Haeng Kwam Roo Chaeng" (Path to Enlightenment) by Luang Phor Promote Pamotecho
- The book offers a guideline for developing mindfulness for various levels of understanding. Only the first two chapters of this book are available in English at http://www.wimutti.net/pramote, which can be downloaded free of charge.
"Pratheep Song Dham" by Luang Phor Promote Pamotecho
- The first six chapters of the book give a detailed explanation on how to practise mindfulness with the focus on self-awareness and mind observation, while the next five chapters concentrate on the Buddhist scriptures. The book concludes with a compilation of the most-frequently asked questions about dhamma practice. The book is available in Thai at http://www.wimutti.net/pramote.
self-awareness - acting a in a thoughful manner, thinking before and while one does something (instead of acting thoughtlessly)
observation - carefully watching something (and noting the way that it works)
concentrate on - give all your attention to, devote your mind to
scriptures - the important sacred writings of a religion (such as Buddhism, Hinduism, or Christianity)
compilation -
most-Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) - common questions that most people ask (most websites have a special page with these questions, to save people the time of asking them over and over again)
"Khae Doo Kor Roo Chaeng" and "Had Roo Had Doo" by Acharn Surawat Seriwiwattana
- These two small books are in very easy language. "Khae Doo Kor Roo Chaeng" introduces easy methods on how to observe the body and mind. "Had Roo Had Doo" provides more details of the general principles of mind observation in daily life. The books are available in Thai at http://www.wimutti.net/surawat.
"Dae Thur Poo Roo Seuk Tua" or "To One That Feels" (English version) by Luang Phor Teean Jittasubho
- The book is a compilation of dhamma talks by the late Luang Phor Teean Jittasubho, one of the most remarkable teachers of Buddhist practice in modern times. It offers a direct approach to mindfulness practice with the focus on mind observation. "To One That Feels" can be downloaded for free at http://www.luangporteean.com.
All of the CDs and books are also given away at Suan Santidham in Chon Buri. Free copies of most of the items above can be obtained at Baan Aree Library on Soi Aree 1, Phahon Yothin Road. The place houses around 1,000 Thai dhamma books and a few English titles. For more information, contact the library at 02-279-7838.
remarkable - special or unusual in a surprising way
focus on - concentrate on, give attention to, devote mind to
given away - given to people for free
houses - keeps at the place
Dhamma novels by Suddasa Onkom
- This series of dhamma novels is not directly about mindfulness practice but, I believe, can inspire you to try dhamma practice. The "Sat Loke Yom Pen Pai Tam Kam" series is the novelisation of the life and teachings of the famous monk Luang Phor Jaran of Wat Ampawan in Sing Buri. The series details the monk's life from childhood to the present and recounts his experience with the law of karma in a hilarious style. A lot of dhamma teachings are also interwoven in a shrewd fashion. The series consists of five volumes so far - "Makalee Phon", "Naree Phon", "Sat Loke Yom Pen Pai Tam Kam", "Wattachak Chewit" and "Kwam Long Nai Songsarn". The third volume is also available in English under the name "Fruit of Karma". The books are on sale at leading bookstores.
novelisation - make into a novel
recounts - tells a story
experience - knowledge gained from doing for a long time
hilarious - funny, makes you laugh
interwoven - closely connected and combined with each other
shrewd - can quickly understand what is going on and act accordingly
fashion - way of doing something, manner
so far - up to this time
fruit of - the result of, what you receive as a result of
leading - one of the best
Answer Key:
1. What two realisations made the business people in this article into happy people?
a. Realising that the practice of mindfulness could change their life for the better.
b. Realising that making lots of money was not the most important thing in life.
("For a market trader like me, what would be more important than making a lot of money? My only goal back then was to get rich without causing trouble to anybody. Then I had the chance to attend my first vipassana course four years ago, and that opened a new world to me," she says.
A year later she took more intensive courses and began practising mindfulness in her daily life. "I gradually came to understand that spiritual happiness was much more important than material wealth," she says. "Now I'm much happier, even though I'm not wealthy at all.")
2. How did their lives change after they started practicing mindfulness?
Nantapat:
a. They understood that spiritual happiness was more important than material wealth.
b. They care more about other humans and animals.
c. They know themselves.
d. They realise that all lives are equal.
e. Other people suffer just like I do, so I avoid causing them to suffer.
f. Know the root cause of suffering, so I can avoid it as much as possible.
g. Guide other people to have a happy life practicing mindfulness like I do.
Kiatsakon:
a. Avoid going to hell.
b. Detect anger and greed and control them and their negative effects.
c. Stay calm.
d. Tolerate extreme pain with calmness.
e. Realising that a modest life can be meaningful and fulfilling.
f. Realising that it can be fun and interesting to learn more about one's own mind.
g. Increase chances of being reincarnated as a higher life form like a human.
3. How old are Nantapat and Kiatsakon?
Nantapat is 37 years old.
Kiatsakon is 49 years old.
4. Is mindfulness practice best suited for older people who have experienced suffering in their lives?
What benefits does it have for younger people? (Express your opinion)
