Buddhism by the Numbers
Six Paramitas
- Mindfulness meditation
- Concentration
- Diligence
- Insight
- Generosity
- 5 Mindfulness Trainings, or 5 Moral Precepts
Four Minds of Love
- Love (maitri (Sanskrit) or metta (Pali))
- Compassion (karuna)
- Joy (mudita)
- Equanimity, (upeksha or upekkha).
Three Jewels – the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha
Three Dharma Seals
- Impermanence
- No self (shunyata)
- No ideas (nirvana)
Four Noble Truths
- The reality of suffering or ill-being (dukkha)
- The cause of suffering (samudaya) – ignorance
- The cessation of creating suffering (nirodha) – the way out
- The path of practice
Noble Eightfold Path
- Right View
- Right Thinking
- Right Mindfulness
- Right Speech
- Right Action
- Right Diligence or Right Effort
- Right Concentration
- Right Livelihood
Two Truths – our best description of truth; reality itself which is beyond mental understanding
Interdependent Co-Arising, 12 links. Starting with ignorance and ending with bodily death. The wandering through samsara – birth, death, reincarnation. The enactment of Karma – all action produces consequence, so all events are results of past action, thus all events are opportunities for healing past actions.
Five Aggregates (skandas)
- Form
- Feelings
- Perception
- Mental formations
- Consciousness
Buddhist psychology, structure of the mind
Four Levels of Consciousness
- Store – the continuous background that never ceases, all info brought in through Mind and Sense are processed by Store. Store is collective, it organizes and maintains inputs from all “individual” minds. The level on which Karma operates, infinitely complex interactions between individual and collective.
- Manas – mediator between Store and Mind, called the Lover because it looks at Store, grabs a piece of it – the thought “I am” – and claims it as its own self. It does not know that it is entirely deluded in its perception of having a separate self, that its object of attachment is only an image it has created, not a correct perception of reality.
- Mind – level that operates when awake or dreaming, where we have choice about where to place attention. Called the Gardener because it cultivates Store which then manifest what we have chosen, regardless of whether we are aware of what we have chosen.
- Sense – consciousness that arises from contact of a sense organ with an object it can recognize. If it does not recognize it, it cannot perceive it. Objects of perception do not exist separately from the Sense Consciousness that perceives them.
The Five Mindfulness Trainings (Five Precepts) from Plum Village
Reverence For Life (Refrain from harming living things)
Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I am committed to cultivating the insight of interbeing and compassion and learning ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to support any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, or in my way of life. Seeing that harmful actions arise from anger, fear, greed, and intolerance, which in turn come from dualistic and discriminative thinking, I will cultivate openness, non-discrimination, and non-attachment to views in order to transform violence, fanaticism, and dogmatism in myself and in the world.
- True Happiness (Refrain from taking what is not given)
Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing, and oppression, I am committed to practicing generosity in my thinking, speaking, and acting. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others; and I will share my time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need. I will practice looking deeply to see that the happiness and suffering of others are not separate from my own happiness and suffering; that true happiness is not possible without understanding and compassion; and that running after wealth, fame, power and sensual pleasures can bring much suffering and despair. I am aware that happiness depends on my mental attitude and not on external conditions, and that I can live happily in the present moment simply by remembering that I already have more than enough conditions to be happy. I am committed to practicing Right Livelihood so that I can help reduce the suffering of living beings on Earth and stop contributing to climate change.
- True Love (Refrain from sexual misconduct)
Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I am committed to cultivating responsibility and learning ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families, and society. Knowing that sexual desire is not love, and that sexual activity motivated by craving always harms myself as well as others, I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without true love and a deep, long-term commitment made known to my family and friends. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct. Seeing that body and mind are one, I am committed to learning appropriate ways to take care of my sexual energy and cultivating loving kindness, compassion, joy and inclusiveness – which are the four basic elements of true love – for my greater happiness and the greater happiness of others. Practicing true love, we know that we will continue beautifully into the future.
- Loving Speech and Deep Listening (Refrain from lying or gossip)
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and compassionate listening in order to relieve suffering and to promote reconciliation and peace in myself and among other people, ethnic and religious groups, and nations. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am committed to speaking truthfully using words that inspire confidence, joy, and hope. When anger is manifesting in me, I am determined not to speak. I will practice mindful breathing and walking in order to recognize and to look deeply into my anger. I know that the roots of anger can be found in my wrong perceptions and lack of understanding of the suffering in myself and in the other person. I will speak and listen in a way that can help myself and the other person to transform suffering and see the way out of difficult situations. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to utter words that can cause division or discord. I will practice Right Diligence to nourish my capacity for understanding, love, joy, and inclusiveness, and gradually transform anger, violence, and fear that lie deep in my consciousness.
- Nourishment and Healing (Refrain from taking intoxicating substances)
Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I am committed to cultivating good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking, and consuming. I will practice looking deeply into how I consume the Four Kinds of Nutriments, namely edible foods, sense impressions, volition, and consciousness. I am determined not to gamble, or to use alcohol, drugs, or any other products which contain toxins, such as certain websites, electronic games, TV programs, films, magazines, books, and conversations. I will practice coming back to the present moment to be in touch with the refreshing, healing and nourishing elements in me and around me, not letting regrets and sorrow drag me back into the past nor letting anxieties, fear, or craving pull me out of the present moment. I am determined not to try to cover up loneliness, anxiety, or other suffering by losing myself in consumption. I will contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.
The Aramaic Lord’s Prayer
Abwoon d’bwashmaya,
O Birther! Mother-Father of the Cosmos, the Breathing, Ever-Shimmering Light and Life of All, You shine within us when we remember. Name of names, our small identity unravels in You; where ears and eyes awaken, there Heaven comes.
Neetha qadasha shmach.
Help us breathe Your Holy Breath and let go of busy forgetfulness, clearing an inner shrine where we feel Your Wholeness, Light and Life.
Teytey malkuthah,
May we enter the sanctuary of our shared Heart and live Your Desire as our own so our joint Will embraces all creation and births a new world of peace.
Nehwey tseveeyanach aykanna d’bwashmaya oph b’araha.
Create in us a divine cooperation with the rays of Your Power and Beauty, awakening our heart’s desire to unite Heaven and Earth through our sacred Union.
Hawlan lachma d’sunqanan yaomana.
Your Guidance will fill our needs for food and understanding as we grow each day within the circle of our lives.
Wash bwoqlan chaubayn aykanna daph chanan shbwoqan el’chay’yabayn.
We know that You already forgive our hidden past and secret shames, untying the inner knots of our mistakes, just as we forgive the mistakes of others and unbind our hold on their guilt.
Oola tahlan el’neesyona.
Let us not be deluded by the appearance of things and forget Reality; may we loosen the grip of our errors that hold us back from our true purpose.
Ela pautzan min bisha.
From Your Vital Fire, Your Creative Desire, comes the Light and Song that sanctifies and beautifies all – it renews eternally in our lives and throughout Creation.
Metol dilahkee malkutha oohayla ooteeshbokta el’ahlam almin.
Truly, power to these statements, may they be sealed in our hearts and be the ground from which all our actions grow, committed fully in faith and trust, as together we say:
Ameyn.
Amen.
Abwoon d’bwashmaya,
Neetha qadasha shmach.
Teytey malkuthah,
Nehwey tseveeyanach aykanna d’bwashmaya oph b’araha.
Hawlan lachma d’sunqanan yaomana.
Wash bwoqlan chaubayn aykanna daph chanan shbwoqan el’chay’yabayn.
Oola tahlan el’neesyona.
Ela pautzan min bisha.
Metol dilahkee malkutha oohayla ooteeshbokta el’ahlam almin.
Ameyn.
English translation of Aramaic Beatitudes
- Tubwayhun l’meskenaee b’ruch d’dilhonhay malkutha d’ashmaya.
Happy and aligned with the One are you who devote yourselves to establishing your home in the breathing of the luminous field of energy that pervades all creation; you hold and are held by the Universal Word and feel the power of the cosmos to accomplish it through your own hands.
- Tubwayhun lawile d’hinnon netbayun.
Safe and blessed are you who are willing to fully feel and accept your inner emotional turmoil, and your deep longing for the new to come; you will return from your wanderings, Love itself will come to knit your fragmented mind, body and feelings into a greater wholeness, and you will see the true fulfillment of your longing.
- Tubwayhun l’makikhe d’hinnon nertun arha.
Then, as you surrender to Spirit and soften what is rigid within, the judgment and guilt that accompany what has been resisted are released; you will suddenly ripen into renewed inspiration, and the abundance and confident strength of the earth will flow through you.
- Tubwayhun lahleyn d’kaphneen watzheyn l’khenuta d’hinnon nisbhun.
With your new confidence in trusting this process as the way to knowing Divine perfection, you are blessed to realize that seeking fulfillment in the unnatural state of the world only leaves you weakened and parched; letting the illusion go and continuing to be moved by the breath of Spirit, you trust completely the embrace of Love, and open to the true desires of your soul. Then will you find yourself uplifted by a Power that moves you from within and supports you from all around, the fulfillment of a new world.
- Tubwayhun lamrachmane dalayhun nehwun rachme.
Now, restored in Union with this One radiant Love in the depth of your own being, you will begin to extend and to receive that same great power of universal Love, extending and receiving the grace that blesses the world.
- Tubwayhun lahleyn dadkeyn b’lebhon d’hinnon nehzun l’alaha.
As you align yourself with Love as your only purpose, allowing the Mystery of Spirit to radiate its Presence into you and through you, revelation from God will flash directly into the very depth of your being and you will realize that God is everywhere.
- Tubwayhun lahwvday shlama dawnawhay d’alaha nitquarun.
As you are diligent with your spiritual practice, returning ceaselessly to your original wholeness, you are moved to express God’s Peace with every action, and so you become a channel for the restoring power of God’s new creation.
- Tubwayhun lahleyn detrdep metol khenuta dilhonhay malkutha d’ashmaya.
Then there comes the blessing of being pushed by the cosmic birthing power further out of all that is familiar and comforting to you, into the deepest knowing of your Self, the knowing that your true home is in the Divine Mystery.
- Tubwayhun immath damhasdeen l’khon waradpin, l’khon wamrin,
elaykon kul milla bisha metolath b’dagalutha.
Your new creations will provoke fear in others who are not yet ready to allow themselves to heal. They will judge and attack you with vicious words, whisper behind your back, smear you with slander, or even separate themselves from you and conspire against you as they seek to divert you from your unfolding in Spirit. Yet are you blessed, because this reaction is in direct response to your rebirth in the Universal Home of the Cosmos and serves to reinforce it.
- Hadeyn khadaw w’rwazw dagarkhun s’gee b’ashmaya, hakana geyr r’dapw l’nabiya d’men q’damaikun.
Soften and dissolve the last subtle traces of ego so the radiance from the Source within will expand and extend as you mature fully into the ecstasy of Union. All who have awakened to Divine Purpose through their devotion to unfolding the Way of the living soul have passed through this final learning. With nothing more to learn, you now fully participate in the eternal unfolding of creation with and within God.