Loving Kindness Meditation

May I be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to me, may no difficulties come to me, may I have a calm and peaceful mind. May I have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May my parents be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May my teachers be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May family members and relatives be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May friends and acquaintances be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May unfriendly people and my enemies be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May unknown persons be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May all beings, with form and without form, visible, invisible, born or coming to birth, large and small, from the highest realm of existence to the lowest, be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

Greg Penn, DD

Greg Penn, DD who produces the Television Show "Aspire" was my first Buddhist Teacher in the middle 1980's, I thought I'd share a bit of his zaniness with you so you might get a flavor of my roots. He used to have a center in Escondido, CA but in the 90's he moved to Carmel, CA. I still communicate with him on occasion, and I have always loved his irreverent style.

The story is actually from the Collection of Zhaozhou's Recorded Teachings and isn't used too often by teachers; although I remember hearing it for the first time in 1993 during the opening of the Mojave Desert Zen Center (that later became the Great Bright Zen Center) in Las Vegas. Hope you can appreciate his levity.

Transcendental Dependent Arising

The Pratītyasamutpāda is frequently used to explain how disquietude arises depending on codependent conditions, the inference being that if one or more of the conditions are removed (if the “chain” is broken), the disquietude will cease. This theory, which I discussed in my last web log post, is at the core of Mahayana Buddhism, and played a major role in Nāgārjuna’s Madhyamaka theories. Yet, there is a lesser known text in the Pali Cannon that discusses its polar opposite, which is loosely translated at “Transcendental Dependent Arising.” The name of the text is the Upanisa Sutta in the Samyutta Nikaya, in which the discussions of the conditions not for disquietude but for enlightenment are given.

These theories would be considered “dangerous” by the Zen Masters and it is no wonder that they never discussed them. Any set of ideas that can be construed as a formula to enlightenment is really just empty. I include these because they shed some light into a mystery that must be unraveled by each individual. If you attach to this, it will become an enormous hindrance; yet half the Buddhists in the world are following this path. So forgive me, and I couldn’t resist.

1. disquietude (dukkha)
2. faith (saddhā) “disquietude is the supporting condition for faith”
3. joy (pāmojja, pāmujja) “faith is the supporting condition for joy”
4. bliss (pīti) “joy is the supporting condition for bliss”
5. tranquillity (passaddhi) “bliss is the supporting condition for tranquillity”
6. happiness (sukha) “tranquillity is the supporting condition for happiness”
7. concentration (samādhi) “happiness is the supporting condition for concentration”
8. knowledge and vision (yathābhūta-ñāna-dassana) “concentration is the supporting condition for the knowledge and vision of things as they really are”
9. disenchantment (nibbidā) “knowledge and vision of things as they really are is the supporting condition for disenchantment”
10. dispassion (virāga) “disenchantment is the supporting condition for dispassion”
11. emancipation (vimutti) “dispassion is the supporting condition for emancipation”
12. knowledge of destruction (āsava-khaye-ñāna) “emancipation is the supporting condition for the knowledge of destruction”

Loving Kindness Meditation

As the election gets nearer I have been doing Loving Kindness practice and I thought that if others could join me for the purpose of aspiring that the candidates and the country might become more loving and compassionate, so if you are not familiar with the practice here it is.

May I be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to me, may no difficulties come to me, may I have a calm and peaceful mind. May I have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May my parents be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May my teachers be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May family members and relatives be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May friends and acquaintances be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May unfriendly people and my enemies be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May unknown persons be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

May all beings, with form and without form, visible, invisible, born or coming to birth, large and small, from the highest realm of existence to the lowest, be well happy and peaceful. May no harm come to them, may no difficulties come to them, may they have calm, peaceful minds. May they have patience, insight, courage and compassion in meeting the challenges of life.

Chinese Caligraphy for Compassion