Themes for Daily Buddhist Contemplation!
This is a list of daily contemplations suggested the by Buddha!
Jaradhammomhi: I am of the nature to grow OLD!
Byadhidhammomhi: I am of the nature to get SICK!
Maranadhammomhi: I am of the nature to DIE!
Sabbehi me piyehi manapehi nanabhavo vinabhavo: Everything pleasing-charming to me becomes different, becomes not so!
Kinsmen of the Sun!
Young grief stricken Singala washed himself in the water among the crowd of yogis making their ablution. Quietly he waited for the dawn with the these Kinsmen of the Sun; and did his best to imitate their asanas. Sobriety and emotions made his body shudder.
“Householder’s son, why are you revering the quarters in this way?”
Singala replied, “Sir, on his deathbed my father said to me: ‘My dear, please revere the quarters.’ Honoring, respecting, and venerating my father’s words, I rose early and left Rajagaha; now with my clothes and hair all wet, I raise my joined palms to revere the various quarters—east, south, west, north, below, and above!”
The Murder of Precepts
#1 AVOID KILLING: As long as they live, the perfected ones give up killing living creatures, renouncing the rod and the sword. They are scrupulous and kind, and live full of compassion for all living beings.
#2 STOP STEALING: As long as they live, the perfected ones give up stealing. They take only what’s given, and expect only what’s given. They keep themselves clean by not thieving.
#3 TRY CELIBACY: As long as they live, the perfected ones give up unchastity. They are celibate, set apart, avoiding the base act of sex.
#4 DON’T LIE: As long as they live, the perfected ones give up lying. They speak the truth and stick to the truth. They’re honest and trustworthy, and don’t trick the world with their words.
Sankhara has the Heart of a Banana Tree!
Suppose, bhikkhus, that a man needing heartwood, seeking heartwood, wandering in search of heartwood, would take a sharp axe and enter a forest. There he would see the trunk of a large plantain tree, straight, fresh, without a fruit-bud core. He would cut it down at the root, cut off the crown, and unroll the coil. As he unrolls the coil, he would not find even softwood, let alone heartwood. A man with good sight would inspect it, ponder it, and carefully investigate it, and it would appear to him to be void, hollow, insubstantial. For what substance could there be in the trunk of a plantain tree?