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Greetings Dear Dharma Friends, "If you don’t discipline your mind, if you don’t discipline your awareness, it is not difficult to be apprehensive of what is to come." The Buddha’s teachings always returns us to the mind. In the Dhammapada, the very first verse proclaims: "All experience is preceded by mind, Led by mind, Made by mind. Speak or act with a corrupted mind, And suffering follows As the wagon wheel follows the hoof of the ox." Here the Buddha is reminding us that the quality of our lifestyle is shaped not by what happens to us, but by how the mind meets those experiences. The future becomes fearful not because it is inherently frightening, but because an undisciplined mind projects anxieties, confusions and uncertainties forward. This is where the Buddha’s profound teaching of the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination (Paticca-samuppada) comes alive. He taught that all suffering arise through conditions. And the root of this chain is ignorance - avijja- a kind of blindness, or not-seeing. This ignorance is not simply lack of information, but rather the deep unawareness of how reality truly works. When we are blind in this way, the mind is left untrained, untamed, and easily misled by habit and reactivity. This is why the cultivation of the mind- through meditation, the slowing down in our actions, in our choices, rather than reacting so quickly, wise reflection- is so central to the path. To cultivate awareness is to be totally present, totally involved and engaged in what is happening in the moment. It is to learn to see before doing, to see before speaking, to see before acting or respond. Take note that the word react wasn’t used, but respond instead! This seeing is not with the eyes, but rather insight, with the wisdom developed over time. When the Buddha said, “You are what you think,” he was pointing to this profound truth: our thoughts shape our character, our character shapes our actions and our actions shape our world. If we think with ignorance, we continue to weave suffering. If we chose to live in awareness, compassion, and wisdom, we begin to weave a different quality, that of aliveness, presence, joy and freedom. So the question becomes: how do we train our mind so that it doesn’t fall into blindness? The answer is through discipline- of gentle but steady training born from present awareness. We begin with the breath, and observe it, as our mind settles into the body, more present, more grounded and more clear. Breath by breath, we develop this marvelous quality established through consistent discipline. This week, let us reflect on the discipline of awareness. Each time, we pause before doing a task, each time we notice before we engage the speech or the thought, we are breaking the chain of suffering. We are interrupting ignorance with mindfulness. We are planting wholesome seeds that will take root forward in time. The Buddha did not teach that life will be free from difficulties, but rather he showed us that with a cultivated mind, we do not need to be apprehensive. We meet the present moment with a trained, positive and calm mind. A mind protected, rid of defilements, trained in self- control, choosing to "live in the field of right intention.” “One who makes merit is delighted in this life, Delighted in the next, Is delighted in both worlds. Here she is delighted, knowing, “I have made merit.” Reborn in the realm of bliss, she delights even more. One who recites many teachings But, being negligent, doesn’t act accordingly, Like a cowherd counting others cows, Does not attain the benefits of the contemplative life. One who recites but a few teachings, Yet lives the Dharma, Abandoning passion, ill will, and delusion, Aware and with a mind freed, Not clinging in this life or the next, Attains the benefits of a contemplative life." We offer the merit of our practice to all beings everywhere. May they all be happy and free of suffering! With unconditional love, ~ Ven. Bao Co
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