Mindfulness Matters

Dukkha is
a Pali term central to the Buddha’s teaching. It’s difficult to translate.
“Suffering” captures some but not all of its aspects. Dissatisfaction captures
another portion of is variance. Even if were to speak Pali as the Buddha did,
the word wouldn’t be enough. Dukkha translates to “bad wheel.”
The Buddha had to turn to metaphorical images to convey the sense of dukkha,
for instance, an oxcart whose wheel was off its axle, for
example. This conveys the notion of things being “off,” “awry,” or “out of
balance.” The “bad wheel” will exert its effect on everything we do; every
experience, every perception, every everything.

While sitting in a large group of meditators at the Green Mountain
Coffee Roasters (GMCR) headquarters with Shinzen Young recently, I bumped into
another metaphor for dukkha – background radiation. As I sat
I noticed a pervasive sense of feeling, feeling with an emotional coloring.
Although subtle, it was clearly perceptible. It seemed to be a tinge of
sadness, poignancy, or some such quality as that. It was radiating in the
background of my awareness. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, and I
wondered if that was dukkha? As long as there is a story of me there
will be this background radiation. When it is no longer present, I suppose I’ll
be enlightened, but I don’t expect this anytime soon!

This background radiation can be understood as a pervasive and
unconscious feeling tone. Much of mental life (over 99%) occurs outside of
conscious awareness, and this is true for feelings and emotions too. It seems
as if this background radiation is a repository or a dumping ground for all the
“selfing” that goes on throughout the day. All the aspects of what the Buddha
called, “I, me, mine.” The things I want, the expectations I have that may not
be met or I fear may not be met. It all boils down to desire and what I do with
it.

When you meditate you will no doubt notice this background radiation
when you sit. Fitting the definition of dukkha
it is pervasive, permeating every cell in the body, coloring in some subtle way
every thought, image, and conscious emotion we experience. This is not a bad
thing, although I think it behooves us to become familiar with this energy and
to see what memories and images it is connected too. It is also the case that
my background radiation likely feels different than yours because I have had a
different life history and have different genetics. Let me know what your
background radiation feels like.

To find it, turn your attention to your body and away from stories of
the future and past. Turn your attention from talk to the feeling tone of the breath
and body and keep returning your attention whenever it moves away. Tomorrow, I
will present detailed instruction on how to practice mindfulness meditation. 

In his latest book, Against the Stream: A Buddhist Manual for Spiritual Revolutionaries, Noah Levine, author of Dharma Punx, tells us just how radical the Buddha’s teachings are in a refreshing new way. He starts, “Against the Stream is more than just another book about Buddhist meditation. It is a manifesto and field guide for the front lines of the revolution. It is the culmination of almost two decades of meditative dissonance from the next generation of Buddhists in the West. It is a call to awakening for the sleeping masses.” This revolution began 2500 years ago with Siddhartha Gautama (aka, “Sid” aka, the “Buddha”) but Levine feels it is has gotten bogged down in dogmatism and corruption of the Buddha’s original teachings. He goes back to these teachings and so this book is more about Buddha than Buddhism. It’s a “radical, and subversive personal rebellion against the causes of suffering and confusion.”

The Buddha found a way beyond suffering, but this path does not provide insurance against pain and difficulty; it is not a meal ticket to unceasing bliss. This is one of the first planks of the revolutionary manifesto. The first plank is that there is no self, no “me” to suffer. This is discovered through real-time mindful awareness of the present moment. After his awakening, the Buddha did not set forth to teach right away. He hesitated. “To ask people to accept pain and a spiritual liberation that does not include bliss all of the time seemed crazy.” As it was 2500 years ago, this path is still hard. Levine cautions, “If you are looking for a quick fix or easy salvation, turn back now, plug back into the matrix, and enjoy your delusional existence. This is a path for rebels, malcontents, and truth seekers.”

The Buddha used a metaphor to help direct his future. He looked at a lotus pond and realized the lotuses were at different stages of development. Many were still stuck in the mud and deep under the water. Some had reached the surface, and others had broken through. If the mud is the unenlightened existence of ignorance, hatred, and greed, there were those who, no matter what, would not get the teachings. However there were others that would be more receptive, more ready to here the truth of what he taught and be willing to try it out for themselves. Thus, the Buddha set out on his 45-year teaching career.

To wake up in our society is a radical act. To reject consumerism and the relentless pursuit of pleasure is downright un-American. Levine is right in this way that there was something radical for the Buddha’s insights in the Axial age and that radical spirit persists in the Information Age. His teachings went “against the stream.”

The Revolutionary Manifesto: (1) Defy the lies (materialism, et cetera) “Human beings have created a deeply dysfunctional culture” The American ideal, oppression of native peoples, immigrants, slavery. Organized religion has a history of violence, extremism “I would reject so-called Buddhism along with the rest, because much of what masquerades as Buddhism today is in direct opposition to what the Buddha actually did and taught” (e.g., direct experience versus dogma; the example of the Shugin controversy in Tibet, should people beseech this deity?) “The spiritual revolutionary defies both the internal and external forces of oppression”

2. Serve the truth. “We must dedicate ourselves to finding the deepest compassion and highest wisdom, and from that place we can live in accordance with the truth of reality” “The spiritual revolutionary practices nonviolence … generosity …” and engagement to help others” in other words waking up from our self-centered existence that generates suffering. 3. Beware of teachers. Be a light unto yourselves” said the Buddha. “Don’t believe anything based on tradition or charismatic presentation” Sit down and discover or confirm the truths for yourself.

4. Question everything. “Accept nothing as true until you have experienced it for yourself”

Among humans, these things, namely,
Gain, loss, status, disrepute, blame, praise, pleasure, and pain
Naturally are impermanent, uncertain, and liable to change,
The wise, ever mindful, understand these things,
And contemplate them as always shifting and changing
Thus, delightful things cannot oppress their minds,
They have no reaction to disagreeable things,
They have abandoned all liking and disliking (for worldly concerns).
Further, they know the path of nirvana, dust-free and without sorrow,

They have reached the other shore of existence and know this correctly.

1) Taking delight in money, materials possession; Feeling distress when separated from these things
(2) Taking delight in praise and things that boost the ego; Feeling distress when receiving criticism or disapproval
(3) Taking delight in maintaining a good reputation or personal image; Feeling distress when image and reputation are diminished

(4) taking delight when making contact with pleasurable things; Feeling distress when making contact with unpleasurable things.