Robin Beck

What Would Make YOU Happy?

What would make you happy -- a dream house, a dream job, dreamy people?

The kind of happiness derived from Buddhism does not depend on those things. In fact, many who escape the 9-5 rut find themselves dreadfully bored, and wind up pursuing hedonistic pleasures. As a result, they are no different than restless, hungry ghosts.

On the other hand, the compassion and wisdom derived from Buddhist chanting meditation is helpful in "getting ahead" or "getting out of dodge". If we can somehow chant for 'compassion and wisdom' while "in a rut", then we can figure out the best way to get out of the rut.

One problem many people identify with is difficult people; poor relationships with bosses, co-workers or family members, etc. That is a relatively easy one to solve. If one can do Mantra Powered Visualization, Zange, and Metta Cultivation, for a fortnight; the result will amaze both self and others. It is in our hands.

Mantra Powered Visualization/Amazing Grace

Chakra Chanting/Pix /Sounds

Zange

Confession & Metta Cultivation
Metta Bhavana {cultivation} is a practice to cultivate loving kindness. This is often done as a guided silent meditation. I worked the metta cultivation into the Zange and Mantra Powered Chakra Visualization Ritual. Here are two recorded guided metta meditations {Real Player needed}:

This one explains how the process works; how affection is expanded from a conditional, selfish, & partial attachment to an unconditioned or universal loving kindness: metta

This is an actual guided meditation session: Metta

A Basic Buddhism Guide: Loving-kindness Meditation , by Ven Pannyavaro.

Mantra Chanting, do Zange, do the Metta Cultivation. Time commitment: one or two 20 minute sessions a day.

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.
Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo

Posted by rbeck at May 19, 2006 07:17 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mantra Powered Visualization

The method I use centers on the Nichiren Lotus Sutra Mantra. The Om Mani Mantra also works well for Mantra Powered Visualization. See Om Mani Padme Hum & Four Armed Chenrizig. The caveat is I suggest balancing it with a Wisdom-Insight Cultivation such as; the Manjusri Mantra, or the Heart Sutra {Heart Sutra in English.} For really tough immediate problems with agressively hostile people, try compassionately sending them the Green Tara Mantra.

Zange {Zahn-gay}

For a Kuan Yin version, the "Great Compassion Mantra/Dharani" may be used. See Da Bei Zhou and The Dharma of Repentance of the Great Compassion.

For more in depth on Zange: see The Confessional Samadhi of the Lotus Sutra and Samantabhadra/Fugen Meditation Sutra

These would require more time commitment.

PostScript

How does one deal with difficult people?

Is it the person, or their actions thay are annoying? If it is their actions, should we treat them as they treat us? Is that person hurting us? If so, why? Can we change ourselves so that such people no longer hurt us? Or is it possible to simply avoid such people?

Do we react to such people with compassion & wisdom? Or do we react with resentment and other defiled emotions? It takes wisdom and insight to discern and defeat conniving people, metta & compassion to avoid becoming like them.

The Jaya Mangala Gatha illustrates this rather well.

JAYAMANGALA-GATHA w/ Translation into English by Lionel Lokuliyana

Buddhist Chanting Click to listen to the chanting in MP3 format:
Sunnataram Forest Monastery

Wayfarers:

Buddhist Hymns

Buddhist Hymns
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Love your brother and sister
Like your own soul. Cherish them.
Like the apple of your eye.

...

No grapes
Are gathered from thorn,
nor are figs plucked from camelthorn.
Good persons produce good from their treasure.
Evil people bring forth evil from their hearts,
speaking evil when they express themselves.

...

Be wise as serpents,and innocent as doves.

...

When will begin the repose of the dead?
And when will the new world appear?
The sanctuary you expect is here,
Although you cannot recognize it.

...

Those who seek shall find
and the doors will be opened to them.
Who knock.

...

The heavens will be rolled back, and the earth unfurled
before your eyes.
The Loving One sees neither death nor fear

---

When will the kingdom come?
It will never come if you are
expecting it. Nobody will say look here
or look there. Yet the kingdom
is spread throughout the earth and no one sees it.

Posted by rbeck at May 22, 2006 04:00 PM