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Spring Meditation 2008

All the seeds of all the flowers of tomorrowprecepts, recognise and learn from them and
are in the seeds of today. An Indian Buddhistthen  move  on.
saying.
I think that the guardians on our sense doors
I love this saying. For me it carries withinare even more important today because of the
it the fundamental message of dependentnature of our modern world. We are constantly
arising. No single flower or seed isassailed with images, sounds, smells which
independent of itself. It carries within itprobably are not too skilful. (Just take a
the past and the future. All the flowers oflook at the majority of our advertising. Most
yesterday and all the flowers of tomorrow. Inadvertising these days breaks at least one of
this meditation I am coupling this with thethese precepts, particularly false speech!)
Buddhist approach of guardians of the senseWe post our guardians and then with
doors and for me, this is the essence of themindfulness, watch the feelings and emotions
Dharma. In Buddhism, we have the concept ofthat are involved. If we can practise and
the 5 usual senses, plus the 6th which is themaintain our mindfulness during the day, away
mind itself. Through our senses we openfrom the cushion, then we have at least some
ourselves up to the world and experience it.chance of not allowing these unskilful
If we apply mindfulness to these senses weelements to take hold. We can keep watch and
can capture the essence of anythingjust  allow  the  positive  seeds to develop.
experienced and understand it. We can then
decide if it is skilful and unskilful. I likeHere we come back to this beautiful Indian
this idea of skilful and unskilful, rathersaying. All the seeds of all the flowers of
than good and evil. It feels softer and moretomorrow  are  in  the  seeds  of  today
forgiving somehow, and also somehow more
personal. Rather than some higher powerWith mindfulness we develop our positive
deciding our fate based on our thoughts andseeds and weed out the negative. The Buddha
actions, we decide for ourselves. We are veryexplained to us that actually, we are only
much in control of our own destiny. Our ownalive for 1/64th of a finger snap. Everything
Karma!before is a memory, everything to come is a
plan, a fantasy, a dream. We are constantly
I came to Buddhism because of its approach tobeing reborn and our actions take us forward
the  precepts.  The  precepts  are  :-to the next 1/64th lifetime. If we are
mindful to the precepts, through the
To  refrain  fromguardians on our sense doors, particularly
the mind, then suddenly each 1/64th lifetime
..harming  living  beings.is important and worthwhile. Each is positive
and each takes us forward to the next. We
...taking  things  not  freely  given.develop  positive  Karma.
...sexual  misconduct.A phrase I like to use here which sums this
up is "As Buddhist, we capture and celebrate
...false  speech.the most intimate nature of the present
moment"
...intoxicating drinks and drugs causing
heedlessness.So the more I stay mindful, the more I
capture each moment with mindfulness, aware
Although each precept describes that which isof what I am feeling, thinking, doing, the
unskilful, for example "do not take whatbetter  the  next  1/64th  lifetime  will be.
isn't freely given", unlike many other
religions I love the positive view that isThis, for me at the moment is dependent
presented alongside - for example "Bearising and this is the experience of Karma.
generous"I carry forward the results of my previous
lifetimes. Not lifetimes before this body was
Obviously this is explored here at the veryborn, but lifetimes just moments ago. I love
high level, but Buddhism requires us tothis way of thinking and I love the Dharma.
explore these precepts inside ourselvesAnd I am only just starting to experience and
without reference (necessarily) to others.understand  it!
They become our personal measure and we are
our own judges here. It is here that theInterestingly, this also underlines for me
guardians on our sense doors becomewhy I don't feel I make progress on the
important. Particularly the guardian on ourcushion during formal meditation. My
mind. Our own 'mindfulness of mind'. This ismeditation is practise for the following day.
why we meditate I believe. To help us toTo  help  me  stay  mindful.
train ourselves to be mindful and able to
catch  the unskilful and develop the skilful.Cultivating mindfulness on this clear spring
morning. With the sound of birdsong and the
However, coupled with this is the step in thebabbling brook, the guardians on my sense
Eightfold path of Right Effort. Although wedoors are far from busy. I feel the gardener
judge ourselves, at the same time we arein my mind, watching my thoughts, tip his hat
encouraged to be gentle on ourselves. Pushin acknowledgement to Mara and her unskilful
ourselves, but not too hard. Guilt is afriends, but call and welcome in the skilful
delusion in Buddhism. So we are encouraged toto his home.
recognise our unskilful actions against the



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