Q4-19980603-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-shining_the_light_of_death_on_life_part_1-43031 Leandra Tejedor

Talk: 19980603-Larry_Rosenberg-UNK-shining_the_light_of_death_on_life_part_1-43031 Leandra Tejedor.json Start_time: 01:20:34 Display_question: As a beginner to this kind of meditation, I understand being mindful of breath, but do we also practice being mindful of fears, and the feelings connected to those? Keyword_search: meditation, Christian meditation, breath, Buddha, awareness, aging, sickness, death, calm, steady, clear mind, wisdom, compassion, monastery, forgiveness, peace, love, samadhi, concentration, impermanence, Cambridge, Mandrakes bookstore Question_content: Questioner: As a beginner to this kind of meditation, I did Christian mediation for a while. I understand that a lot of it has to do with being mindful of the breath and being mindful of…and but do you take some of these fears someone gets involved with, and as part of the practice, to try to be mindful, of what those feelings are. Larry: I see. You're really new to this, though. Questioner: Yes. Larry: The Buddha’s teaching has nothing to do with the breath. Questioner: Oh. Larry: That's a device. I mean, it's a beautiful, natural, simple device, but it's all about awareness of what is. The breath can help you do that. And even the breath teaching of the Buddha, initially, it's used to develop a calm, and clear mind. Now, let's say we're talking about some pretty heavy things tonight, right? We're talking about aging, sickness, and death. And that just is an idea. The day may come where you're in bed, and you are sick. The day may come where you are dying. It will come. Or suddenly your mind, you wake up one morning, you feel stiff and suddenly, oh, my God, I'm getting old. So how do you practice with that? If the breath can be used to calm, and steady the mind, to quiet it, to give it some stability, so that you can then examine your fear of aging, fear of death, see into it, and to resolve that. Do you see what I'm getting at? Questioner: (inaudible) Larry: Yeah, that's right. So finally, the breath is a very beautiful... it's actually extraordinarily simple, and profound door, into deep wisdom, and compassion. But it's the wisdom and compassion, that's important. And the breath is useful, insofar as it helps you learn to live in awareness. There are other methods that are used. Breath is just one we use a lot here. And so, whatever helps you be awake, then that's what the Buddha is talking about. Questioner: (inaudible) Larry: Like what? Questioner: Like fear, sadness, longing. So that tomorrow, when I go into private chiropractors, would it be appropriate to remind myself of those phrases? Larry: Those phrases that are chanted in monastery sometimes every day. Or we don't have time. We're going to go into it more detail. That's exactly what I want to do. But I can give you a preview. Let's say ,let's use the Buddha's words, I am sure to become old. I cannot avoid aging. Let me ask you, in your Christian meditation, did you ever use words? Questioner: Yes, just one word. Larry: What word? Questioner: Centering prayer, I might use forgiveness. I might use peace; I might use love. And then that would be just the words, to still your mind. Larry: Yes. And then? And then that's the end of the meditation. Questioner: Right Larry: See, that's the beginning of our work here. The calm is a prelude that enables the mind to be fit, to then examine all the rest. But we can make up, since you've had practice doing it, you could use the word aging, or you could improvise on the in breath, aging on the outbreath inevitable. Or I must age, or just take up those words and just say them. But now, when you say them, you can sit and breathe. You don't have to make it so systematic. Just sit quietly, like, get calm, however you do it, and then introduce those phrases, but really listen to what those words are. Break_line: I'll read one just to… I am sure to become old. I cannot avoid aging. And you can paraphrase it in your own language. I'm sure to become old. Sure to become old. I can't avoid aging. They're just words, but they can sink deeper and deeper into the heart, and then they could evoke something. And when they do, then that's what you bring. Whatever level of samadhi or concentration of mind, stability of mind, join it and experience it and see the impermanent nature of that. See, that, too, is impermanent. It falls away. And then there's peace. Do you see what I'm getting at? Break_line: Okay, but be creative. The other day I was walking past the store in Cambridge. It was a bookstore that I've gone to, oh, hundreds of times. Not in a long time, because they don't sell spiritual books. But when I had more conventional academic, psychological interests, and so forth. It was called Mandrake's Bookstore. Many of you know it, and I knew man. I know. And it was a good store, and I bought my... and then suddenly yeah, and suddenly, I guess I hadn't been up that street for a while. I walked past and where's Irwin. Where's Mandrakes? And it was a different kind of store with work…it was just something. They had demolished two stores, and I kept grabbing for it and it wasn't there. So, I just paused, and I visualized Mandrake was there, and now it's as if it was never there. I don't know where he is. All those books are gone. There's a whole new, fresh life. People…you could see them at work, and smiling, and a cup of coffee, and a donut. What happened to Irwin, and that whole gang. Gone. And so, it evokes something, some sadness, some feeling of loss. Nice memories of Irwin. I just stayed with it. In its own way, that's a small thing, but it contributes to making this lawfulness real for you. Use your creativity. Don't be afraid to play with these. End_time: 01:26:28