Ask A Buddhist II

[notself]

Then where do you guys find truth?

To a Buddhist, at least for me, the truth is understanding of what makes us truly happy. To get to the truth one needs effort and dedication to a moral path that leads to wisdom. And, of course, the basis of all moral paths is the Golden Rule which is found in almost all religions both modern and ancient. It even appears in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead written about 1500 BCE.

For Christians it would be found in Matthew 7:9-12 and Luke 6:27-31

 

[rinnie]

That’s the question! And actually, I think of anything else, this is the major differentiator between Monotheistic approaches and the Non-theistic Buddhist traditions. The ultimate answer is “from your own experience”. You are guided by your teachers in terms of where to look for this truth, but ultimately it is your responsibility. There isn’t going to be “someone else” at any point letting you know whether your decisions were “correct” or not. And yes, that’s kind of a scary thought.

An example of this from the Tibetan Buddhist buddhist teachings is the Lojong teaching: "“Of the Two Witnesses, Hold the Principal One”.

(Edit) I really like what the great Dilgo Khyentse R(name removed by moderator)oche had to say about this:

I think thats another way we differ ALOT! See for us we are going to have Judgement day, thats when we find out if our decisions were right or wrong. And that’s truly a more scary thought! Its eternal life and happiness with Christ or heaven, Or complete misery and torment with the little red man with the horns

 

[rinnie]

To a Buddhist, at least for me, the truth is understanding of what makes us truly happy. To get to the truth one needs effort and dedication to a moral path that leads to wisdom. And, of course, the basis of all moral paths is the Golden Rule which is found in almost all religions both modern and ancient. It even appears in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead written about 1500 BCE.

For Christians it would be found in Matthew 7:9-12 and Luke 6:27-31

For us when we truly learn our faith, we found out that this is not where happiness happens.

I think I said this on the last thread, or maybe this one, but complete happiness does not happen until we reach eternal life with Christ.

But there is a certain kind of contentment and happiness that Can happen here, but its not near what true happiness is.

As we are told, no eye has seen, no ear has heard what God has ready for those who love him. Its like the perfect day that we have never completely got. You know how no matter what something is always missing. But many times in this world we come real close?

Well in heaven we come CLOSE every single day. ITs there it happens. Its great.

I don’t know what will make me happier seeing Jesus, my Papa, and Brother when we walk this new earth again, or seeing my Mom’s face when she see’s them, Either way its gonna be so great!

 

[Lodro]

For us when we truly learn our faith, we found out that this is not where happiness happens.

I think I said this on the last thread, or maybe this one, but complete happiness does not happen until we reach eternal life with Christ.

But there is a certain kind of contentment and happiness that Can happen here, but its not near what true happiness is.

Hmmm…here’s an interesting case where the Mahayana and especially Vajrayana teachings might actually be more aligned in spirit (no pun intended) with the Catholic view than the Theravadan view! That is in the whole good works vs. faith issue which translated into Buddhist language is sort of moral conduct vs. devotion and faith to the guru and the lineage. From the Mahayana view as I’ve mentioned, almost all conduct is relative. That doesn’t mean amoral by a long-shot, but it does means that the ultimate measure of realization of bliss-emptiness – which is I guess as close as we get to Nirvana or some kind of heavenly experience – comes down to how much we have faith in the teachings and our teacher. We may actually be instructed to do things that seem outside of our value system, with the intention of waking us up from our attachment and identification with that value system, which after all is constructed.

For some reason this reminds me of the story of Abraham and Issac, but I haven’t heard of any stories that went to that kind of extreme! But in the Tibetan lineage, stories like the meeting of Milarepa and Gampopa are common place. Marpa, Milarepa’s teacher made Milarepa build a stone tower, than told him that it wasn’t good enough, and he needed to build one even higher, and as you can guess this went on for years before Marpa was willing to give Milarepa any teachings. This is a demonstration of devotion, which is taken to be the greatest thing you can offer. There aren’t really any Tibetan siddhs that I remember reading about who became realized through doing good deeds.

I think thats another way we differ ALOT! See for us we are going to have Judgement day, thats when we find out if our decisions were right or wrong. And that’s truly a more scary thought! Its eternal life and happiness with Christ or heaven, Or complete misery and torment with the little red man with the horns

In the Mahayana tradition – and I think this goes for the Elders as well? – the most important thing is intention. In other words, it is far more important that your heart was absorbed in the teachings more than that you made all of the best choices from an external set of rules. And of course in both traditions, you have the possibility of redemption at any point. But in general to be in the place where you can benefit from that can take a lot of effort and faith.

So isn’t it the case that even if many decisions were throughout your life were “wrong”, if you end up in a state of grace, that is what will determine what will happen next? So you really have nothing to fear if you simply strive to act out of love and selflessness?

 

[notself]

I don’t know what will make me happier seeing Jesus, my Papa, and Brother when we walk this new earth again, or seeing my Mom’s face when she see’s them, Either way its gonna be so great!

I am so sorry that you have lost your father and brother. I’m sure you miss them.

It’s wonderful that you have such consolation in your faith.

 

[rinnie]

:hug3:

I am so sorry that you have lost your father and brother. I’m sure you miss them.

It’s wonderful that you have such consolation in your faith.

That is SO nice of you to say. Thank-you So So much. Just knowing there are people out there who care helps so much.:hug3:

But we will all be together at the supper of our Lord one day, and what a Supper it will be.

 

[rinnie]

Hmmm…here’s an interesting case where the Mahayana and especially Vajrayana teachings might actually be more aligned in spirit (no pun intended) with the Catholic view than the Theravadan view! That is in the whole good works vs. faith issue which translated into Buddhist language is sort of moral conduct vs. devotion and faith to the guru and the lineage. From the Mahayana view as I’ve mentioned, almost all conduct is relative. That doesn’t mean amoral by a long-shot, but it does means that the ultimate measure of realization of bliss-emptiness – which is I guess as close as we get to Nirvana or some kind of heavenly experience – comes down to how much we have faith in the teachings and our teacher. We may actually be instructed to do things that seem outside of our value system, with the intention of waking us up from our attachment and identification with that value system, which after all is constructed.

For some reason this reminds me of the story of Abraham and Issac, but I haven’t heard of any stories that went to that kind of extreme! But in the Tibetan lineage, stories like the meeting of Milarepa and Gampopa are common place. Marpa, Milarepa’s teacher made Milarepa build a stone tower, than told him that it wasn’t good enough, and he needed to build one even higher, and as you can guess this went on for years before Marpa was willing to give Milarepa any teachings. This is a demonstration of devotion, which is taken to be the greatest thing you can offer. There aren’t really any Tibetan siddhs that I remember reading about who became realized through doing good deeds.

In the Mahayana tradition – and I think this goes for the Elders as well? – the most important thing is intention. In other words, it is far more important that your heart was absorbed in the teachings more than that you made all of the best choices from an external set of rules. And of course in both traditions, you have the possibility of redemption at any point. But in general to be in the place where you can benefit from that can take a lot of effort and faith.

So isn’t it the case that even if many decisions were throughout your life were “wrong”, if you end up in a state of grace, that is what will determine what will happen next? So you really have nothing to fear if you simply strive to act out of love and selflessness?

Here is something that will really blow your mind. You mentioned the story of Abraham and his son. But look at what God did.

He spared Abraham his son, but Jesus was the Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world.

There is no greater love then to lay down ones life for the life of a friend.

 

[rinnie]

Hmmm…here’s an interesting case where the Mahayana and especially Vajrayana teachings might actually be more aligned in spirit (no pun intended) with the Catholic view than the Theravadan view! That is in the whole good works vs. faith issue which translated into Buddhist language is sort of moral conduct vs. devotion and faith to the guru and the lineage. From the Mahayana view as I’ve mentioned, almost all conduct is relative. That doesn’t mean amoral by a long-shot, but it does means that the ultimate measure of realization of bliss-emptiness – which is I guess as close as we get to Nirvana or some kind of heavenly experience – comes down to how much we have faith in the teachings and our teacher. We may actually be instructed to do things that seem outside of our value system, with the intention of waking us up from our attachment and identification with that value system, which after all is constructed.

For some reason this reminds me of the story of Abraham and Issac, but I haven’t heard of any stories that went to that kind of extreme! But in the Tibetan lineage, stories like the meeting of Milarepa and Gampopa are common place. Marpa, Milarepa’s teacher made Milarepa build a stone tower, than told him that it wasn’t good enough, and he needed to build one even higher, and as you can guess this went on for years before Marpa was willing to give Milarepa any teachings. This is a demonstration of devotion, which is taken to be the greatest thing you can offer. There aren’t really any Tibetan siddhs that I remember reading about who became realized through doing good deeds.

In the Mahayana tradition – and I think this goes for the Elders as well? – the most important thing is intention. In other words, it is far more important that your heart was absorbed in the teachings more than that you made all of the best choices from an external set of rules. And of course in both traditions, you have the possibility of redemption at any point. But in general to be in the place where you can benefit from that can take a lot of effort and faith.

So isn’t it the case that even if many decisions were throughout your life were “wrong”, if you end up in a state of grace, that is what will determine what will happen next? So you really have nothing to fear if you simply strive to act out of love and selflessness?

You are correct if we stay in a state of grace. But we have to remember what St. Paul says. He says he knows of nothing held against him, but its truly the call of God.

We are not fit to judge ourself. But we can rely on the mercy of God, I always said I hope someone really rotten goes right before me. Just kidding. God knows our heart and if we are one of his he will be there.

One day a Priest told the story of a Father and his child, or Mother and her child. Look how we forgive our Children and love them. If we can forgive and love our Children how much greater is the love of Our Father and Lord going to be. God loves us unconditionally. All we have to do is believe and obey his commands and do the best we can. He knows our faults and still loves us anyway.

 

[Bakmoon]

Then where do you guys find truth?

Something is said to be true if it is in accordance with reality, so we find truth by comparing things to reality. The highest form of this is through meditation, which at its best is the careful observation of reality itself.

 

[Lodro]

He knows our faults and still loves us anyway.

That sort of gave me chills, because when we do Vajrasattva practice we are instructed in to think in exactly the same way; that Guru Vajrasattva knows all of our faults and afflictions and yet still has infinite compassion for us. I remember being surprised at what a relief it was to hear that! And to allow myself to actually believe that has been a truly transformative process.

So I guess I “lied” earlier about that whole forgiveness and redemption thing. I guess again the distinction is that Guru Vajrasattva doesn’t “really” exist. But since we don’t really exist either, our experience of that forgiveness must be similar. I’m starting to feel like some kind of cosmic trick is being played on me.

Bless you for sharing the intimate reality of your faith with us.

O glorious guru Vajrasattva, consider me.
Please bless myself and others, all sentient beings limitless as space,
That all misdeeds, obscurations, wrongdoings and downfalls without exception
We have accumulated in our lives from beginningless time until now,
Be swiftly cleansed and purified.
…
In that way, meditate one-pointedly and supplicate. Then, invoking his mind stream, recite the hundred-syllable (mantra, or its six-syllable form, OM VAJRASATTVA HUM) as many times as you can.
…
Lord of all families, guru Vajrasattva,
Embodiment of all sources of refuge, I supplicate you.
Even if it costs my life, I will not commit misdeeds,
And will guard the samayas of body, speech and mind.
Please bless me that my previously accumulated negative karma be purified.
Through the intensity of devotion, his mind stream is invoked.
He forgives me with delight and dissolves into me.

–THE MEDITATION AND RECITATION OF GLORIOUS VAJRASATTVA

 

[Bakmoon]

I guess again the distinction is that Guru Vajrasattva doesn’t “really” exist.

I always thought that Tibetean Vajrayana taught that the tantric deities do exist, but inside one’s self. Or is it more complicated than that?

 

[Lodro]

I always thought that Tibetean Vajrayana taught that the tantric deities do exist, but inside one’s self. Or is it more complicated than that?

That’s an interesting way of putting it actually. On the surface it’s pretty simple. The deities are mental projections, so they exist only in one’s mind. Of course, if by “self” you mean “mind”…

But really, it’s a very important point that the deities are imagined. They’re a tool and like all other phenomenon have no inherent existence. Otherwise as you can imagine it would very quickly become theistic. But on the other hand, when you practice, it’s not like you’re saying “oh, I’m just pretending to see this…”

But I’m really the wrong person to ask, as I’m not well practiced this is mostly speculation on my part. I have no idea how any of this stuff works. This is a great book that goes into a lot of depth about the non-theistic view of tantra: books.google.ca/books/about/Journey_Without_Goal.html?id=EkrULUXuudkC&redir_esc=y.

 

[chataranga]

Greetings folks,
Loved the first thread and finally finished reading that last night. Just finished reading the first two pages of this thread and it seems to offer more of the same(meaning great topics).
My practices are quite eclectic and I try to keep them simple as well. One of the practices I picked up from the catholic tradition is and examination of conscience at the end of each day. I do this by going through the 8 limbs of yoga(I believe catholics that do and examination use the 10 commandments-not sure) since I set an intention each morning to offer the benefits of that practice(8 limbs) for the benefit of all beings everywhere.
I’m curious if there is something similar in the Buddhist faith to the examination of conscience if one ends up at the end of the day feeling like they’ve not done as well as they could with the eightfold path. Thank you for taking the time to read-blessings to all.

 

[Vouthon]

My dear brother Bakmoon

Its been a little while since we discussed contemplative/meditative practices so I thought that I would raise a new one (please sister Notself chip in if you know any parrallels from the Tipitaka) so I thought that I would focus on two:

1. Navel-gazing
2. Prayer phrases (similar to the sacred word in the *Cloud *but with a therepeutic element I will explain)

In this post I will tackle navel-gazing.

Saint Symeon the New Theologian, one of the last mystics of the united East/West Catholic Church of the late first millenium (before the Great Schism which formed the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches) and thus an important authority, explained how one “navel-gazes” and what it is used for in his writings and I will quote it here for you.

It is from his work on contemplation known as, “The Three Methods of Prayer”. He notes:

There are three methods of prayer and attentiveness, by which the soul is either lifted up or cast down. Whoever applies these methods at the right time is uplifted, but whoever employs them foolishly or at the wrong time is cast down…Watchfulness and prayer should be as closely linked together as the body to the soul, for the one cannot stand without the other. Watchfulness first goes on ahead like a scout and engages sin in combat. Prayer then follows afterwards, and instantly destroys and exterminates all the evil thoughts which which watchfulness has already been battling, for attentiveness alone cannot exterminate them.

The first two “methods of prayer”, one of which is called the “way of imagination” (ie discursive, through images, concepts and “divine” thoughts), are condemned. The central theme in “The Three Methods” is the need to guard the heart. The first two methods of prayer described by the author are in his view defective, and indeed potentially dangerous, precisely because they neglect the need for such guarding.

The third method is the prayer of the Heart for which Saint Symeon suggests the technique of “navel-gazing”:

"…Above all else you should strive to acquire three things, and so begin to attain what you seek.

The first is freedom from anxiety with respect to everything, whether reasonable or senseless – in other words, you should be dead to everything.

Secondly, you should strive to preserve a pure conscience, so that it has nothing to reproach you with.

Thirdly, you should be completely detached, so that your thoughts incline towards nothing worldly, not even your own body.

Then sit down in a quiet cell, in a corner by yourself, and do what I tell you. Close the door, and and withdraw your intellect from everything worthless and transient. Rest your beard on your chest, and focus your gaze, together with the whole of your intellect*, upon the centre of your belly or your navel. Restrain the drawing in of breath through your nostrils, so as not to breathe easily, and search inside yourself with your intellect so as to find the place of the heart, where all the powers of the soul reside. To start with, you will find there darkness and as impenetrable density. Later, when you persist and practice this task day and night, you will find, as though miraculously, an unceasing joy. For as soon as the intellect attains the place of the heart it beholds itself entirely luminous and full of discrimination. From then on, from whatever side a distractive thought may appear, before it has come to completion and assumed a form, the intellect immediately drives it away and destroys it with the invocation of Jesus Christ. From this point onwards the intellect begins to be full of rancor against the demons and, arousing its natural anger against its noetic enemies, it pursues them and strikes them down. The rest you will learn for yourself, with God’s help, by keeping guarding over your intellect and by retaining Jesus in your heart. As the saying goes, “Sit in your cell and it will teach you everything.”…"

***- Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022 AD), Philokalia IV, pp72-73, Catholic mystic & poet ***

• “intellect” in Catholic mystical parlance was described by Saint Gregory Palamas by this definition: “The intellectual activity consisting of thought and intuition is called intellect, and the power that activates thought and intuition is likewise the intellect; and this power Scripture also calls the heart”.

My question:

Are there any parralels to this “navel-gazing” method in Buddhism?

BTW one little note on “techniques” from Father Martin Laird, a Roman Catholic Augustinian priest & contemplative:

“…Cultivating a contemplative practice, such as using a prayer word, the breath, sitting in stillness, is not to reduce prayer to a technique. Techniques imply a certain control and focus on a determined outcome. Contemplative practice is a skill, a discipline that facilitates a process that is out of one’s direct control, but it does not have the capacity to determine an outcome…”

• Fr. Martin Laird

The ultimate purpose of techniques is ultimately to arrive at the stage where they are no longer necessary and one has self-activating prayer of the heart.

Nevertheless at the technique/method stage(s) the mystics stress that one must have “consistency” as the Orthodox priest & scholar Father Allyne Smith explains:

“…There is freedom in the method each person chooses for saying the Jesus Prayer. Gregory of Sinai simply advises that we should not change method often; consistency in practice is important to spiritual growth…”

• Fr. Allyne Smith

 

[Lodro]

 I'm curious if there is something similar in the Buddhist faith to the examination of conscience if one ends up at the end of the day feeling like they've not done as well as they could with the eightfold path. Thank you for taking the time to read-blessings to all.

As I may have mentioned above, one might do a kind of inventory of what happened at the end of the day, with a sense of regret and a sense of appreciation.

I haven’t come across any specific practices that go through an enumeration of the faults, – in the Mahayana tradition we refer to these as Kleshas – but I’m sure that there are some out there. For myself, I fin that it is sometimes helpful to see things through the categories of the three poisons (ignorance/bias/delusion, aggression/rejection/hatred, and passion/attachment/greed) the five (adding pride and jealousy to the mix), and so on. There are a lot of enumerations.

(edit) I’d add though that I’m not sure that it’s super helpful to try to put everything into a pigeon hole category. Like “oh, I just yelled at this person; that’s the poison of aggression”. That strikes me as a little pat. Because all of our negative actions and the Kleshas that lead to them are reallly a cocktail of all of these afflictions. I may say something unkind to my wife (aggression?) but that could actually be because I’m hurt that she’s not paying enough attention to me (attachment?) and that might be because I’ve misunderstood the entire situation (ignorance?) So just to say that I think you could take this too far. Its better I think to just look at what happened and how you experienced it, and if it caused harm try to have some resolution that you won’t do it again. Without beating yourself up about it.

Personally, I’d like to spend more time contemplating the eight worldly concerns. These are four potential outcomes that keep us trapped in hope and fear. Seeing the actions in our lives through this lens might really be a good way of examining the motivation for your actions throughout the day:

Hope for happiness and fear of suffering
Hope for fame and fear of insignificance
Hope for praise and fear of blame
Hope for gain and fear of loss

 

[notself]

Greetings folks,
Loved the first thread and finally finished reading that last night. Just finished reading the first two pages of this thread and it seems to offer more of the same(meaning great topics).
My practices are quite eclectic and I try to keep them simple as well. One of the practices I picked up from the catholic tradition is and examination of conscience at the end of each day. I do this by going through the 8 limbs of yoga(I believe catholics that do and examination use the 10 commandments-not sure) since I set an intention each morning to offer the benefits of that practice(8 limbs) for the benefit of all beings everywhere.
I’m curious if there is something similar in the Buddhist faith to the examination of conscience if one ends up at the end of the day feeling like they’ve not done as well as they could with the eightfold path. Thank you for taking the time to read-blessings to all.

Monks have different practices but I think you are wanting to know how laypeople address these things.

For me, I think it’s more a real time examination of actions rather than all at once at a specific time of day. I’ve posted snips of this sutta before. It’s a conversation between the Buddha and his young son Rahula where the Buddha teaches Rahula how to know skillful from unskillful actions; how to increase skillful actions and reduce unskillful ones. I try to follow this teaching. Here is the link. accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.061.than.html#rahula

When I prepare to meditate I think about the failures but also the successes of my behavior in the day. It is important to pay attention to correct behavior as the Buddha explains to Rahula. In sports players focus on the feeling, perception and body position of correct technique. They don’t focus much on what they did wrong as much as what they did right or need to modify to improve. So it is with Buddhism.

chataranga,

Thank you for taking the time to read the entire first thread. I hope you found it useful.

 

[Vouthon]

Greetings folks,
Loved the first thread and finally finished reading that last night. Just finished reading the first two pages of this thread and it seems to offer more of the same(meaning great topics).
My practices are quite eclectic and I try to keep them simple as well. One of the practices I picked up from the catholic tradition is and examination of conscience at the end of each day. I do this by going through the 8 limbs of yoga(I believe catholics that do and examination use the 10 commandments-not sure) since I set an intention each morning to offer the benefits of that practice(8 limbs) for the benefit of all beings everywhere.
I’m curious if there is something similar in the Buddhist faith to the examination of conscience if one ends up at the end of the day feeling like they’ve not done as well as they could with the eightfold path. Thank you for taking the time to read-blessings to all.

My dear brother/sister Chataranga

Welcome to the thread and thank you for that wonderful post explaining your practice!

Yes, examination of conscience is most certainly a very important part of a Catholic’s spiritual life and daily regimen. “The excellence of this practice and its fruitfulness for Christian virtue,” preached Pope St. Pius X, “are clearly established by the teaching of the great masters of the spiritual life.” St. Ignatius of Loyola considered the examination of conscience as the single most important spiritual exercise.

It was elucidated on by most of the mystics, in some way or another. The form that I most prefer is the technique suggested by Saint Ignatius of Loyola, the co-founder of the Jesuits, in his "Spiritual Exercises".

It goes roughly like this:

Ignatian spirituality finds God in all things. To become more aware of God’s presence, Ignatius suggests a daily examination of conscience, or “examen.” The prayer has five steps:

Be aware that God is with you.

Recall the happenings of the day, large and small, for which you are grateful. They are signs of God’s presence.

Ask for the help of the Spirit, and review your thoughts, words and actions through the day, hour by hour. Why did you act or think as you did? Notice when God was present and when you turned away from him.

Ask God to forgive you for the times you turned away. Give thanks the times you turned toward him.

Resolve to live tomorrow with greater focus and ask God for his help. Close the examen with an Our Father

There are more complex versions, interpretations and variants of this exercise but this is the “Examen” in its most simple form.

I am so very glad that you do this activity & and I hope that it has been beneficial to your spiritual life!

 

[Vouthon]

Here is an article that dwells on this exercise in more depth:

norprov.org/spirituality/ignatianprayer.htm

The prayers and methods of praying suggested here are based on nearly five-hundred years of Jesuit spiritual tradition. They could help you grow in intimacy with God and experience Jesuit spirituality first-hand. St. Ignatius believed that he received a gift from God that not only enriched his own Christian life but was meant to be shared with others. The gift was a “method,” a way to seek and find God in all things and to gain the freedom to let God’s will be done on earth. This way of praying allowed Ignatius to discover the voice of God within his own heart and to experience a growth in familiarity with God’s will. Jesuits call this prayer their daily examen of consciousness.

The Examen of Consciousness

This is a prayer where we try to find the movement of the Spirit in our daily lives as we reflect on our day. This prayer can be made anywhere: on the beach, in a car, at home, in the library. Many people make the Examen twice daily: once around lunchtime and again before going to bed. There are five simple steps to the Examen, which should take 10-15 minutes to complete, and what follows is just one interpretation of these five steps in discerning the movement of God’s Spirit in your day. Through this method of praying you can grow…

Before you start: Try to be in a place where you are least likely to be disturbed, and where there is the least amount of external noise. Perhaps you might light a candle or change the lighting when you pray to symbolise the start of this activity. Sit comfortably and still yourself; relax, be aware of your breathing, your body and how you are feeling.

1. Recall that you are in the presence of God. No matter where you are, hilltop or valley, country or city, in a crowd or alone, you are a creature in the midst of creation. As you quiet yourself, become aware that God is present within you, in the creation that surrounds you, in your body, in those around you. The Creator who brought you forth into being is concerned for you. The Spirit of God, sent by Christ, will remind you that you are gifted to help bring creation to its fullness. Ask the Holy Spirit to let you look on all you see with love. “Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; … it does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right … Love hopes all things.” (1 Cor.)

1. Spend a moment looking over your day with gratitude for this day’s gifts. Be concrete and let special moments or pleasures spring to mind! Recall the smell of your morning coffee, the taste of something good that you ate, the laugh of a child, the fragrance of a flower, the smile brought forth by a kind word, a lesson that you learned. Take stock of what you received and what you gave. Give thanks to God for favors received. Also look at your permanent gifts that allow your participation in this day. Recall your particular strengths in times of difficulty, your ability to hope in times of weakness, your sense of humor and your life of faith, your intelligence and health, your family and friends. God the Father gives you these to draw you into the fullness of life. As you move through the details of your day, give thanks to God for His presence in the big and the small things of your life.

1. Ask God to send you His Holy Spirit to help you look at your actions and attitudes and motives with honesty and patience. “When the Spirit of truth comes he will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit inspires you to see with growing freedom the development of your life story. The Spirit gives a freedom to look upon yourself without condemnation and without complacency and thus be open to growth. Ask that you will learn and grow as you reflect, thus deepening your knowledge of self and your relationship with God.

1. Now review your day. This is the longest of the steps. Recall the events of your day; explore the context of your actions. Search for the internal movements of your heart and your interaction with what was before you. Ask what you were involved in and who you were with, and review your hopes and hesitations. Many situations will show that your heart was divided—wavering between helping and disregarding, scoffing and encouraging, listening and ignoring, rebuking and forgiving, speaking and silence, neglecting and thanking. Remember, this is not a time to dwell on your shortcomings; rather, it is a gentle look with the Lord at how you have responded to God’s gifts. It is an opportunity for growth of self and deepening your relationship with God. Notice where you acted freely—picking a particular course of action from the possibilities you saw. See where you were swept along without freedom. What reactions helped or hindered you? See where Christ entered your decisions and where you might have paused to receive His influence. “Test yourselves,” St. Paul urges, “to see whether you are living in faith; examine yourselves. Perhaps you yourselves do not realize that Christ Jesus is in you.” (2 Cor.) His influence comes through His people, the Body of Christ. His influence comes through Scripture, the Word of God. Now, as you pray, Christ’s spirit will help you know His presence and concern. As you daily and prayerfully explore the mystery of yourself in the midst of your actions you will grow more familiar with your own spirit and become more aware of the promptings of God’s Spirit within you. Allow God to speak, challenge, encourage and teach you. Thus you will come to know that Christ is with you. Christ will continually invite you to love your neighbor as yourself and strengthen you to do this.

1. The final step is our heart-to-heart talk with Jesus. Here you speak with Jesus about your day. You share your thoughts on your actions, attitudes, feelings and interactions. Perhaps during this time you may feel led to seek forgiveness, ask for direction, share a concern, express gratitude, etc. Having reviewed this day of your life, look upon yourself with compassion and see your need for God and try to realize God’s manifestations of concern for you. Express sorrow for sin, the obscuring darkness that surrounds us all, and especially ask forgiveness for the times you resisted God’s light today. Give thanks for grace, the enlightening presence of God, and especially praise God for the times you responded in ways that allowed you to better see God’s life. Resolve with Jesus to move forward in action where appropriate. You might like to finish your time with the Lords Prayer.

Once you’ve done the Examen a few times, you will find your own rhythm and method. Cover all five points daily with freedom to dwell more on one than another, as the Spirit moves you. You might also like to add some music, candles or images to help you pray. If you would like, you may download a copy of the Examen in the form of a bookmark from our website. It is in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format and is entitled "Praying the Jesuit Examination of Conscience.

 

[Lodro]

Are there any parralels to this “navel-gazing” method in Buddhism?

Are there parallels?! You’ve just described the core practice experience of the highest forms of Tibetan Buddhist meditation.

(edit) In particular, I’m referring to the line: “For as soon as the intellect attains the place of the heart it beholds itself entirely luminous and full of discrimination.”

The actual physical posture (edit and the other practice specifics) are different, and the description of means is very different (“natural anger” and “destroys”) as in our practice the conceptual thoughts are treated with kindness and are liberated spontaneously.

I should point out that all of the deity practices and so on in the Tibetan Buddhist practices are actually considered to be lower (edit albiet very profound) forms of practice that open the gate to these highest practices, which are completely non-conceptual.

The ultimate purpose of techniques is ultimately to arrive at the stage where they are no longer necessary and one has self-activating prayer of the heart.

Yes! I mean I’m not speaking from experience here , but the idea is that meditation (using Buddhist lingo) and post-meditation become indistinguishable.

 

[Vouthon]

Are there parallels?! You’ve just described the core practice experience of the highest forms of Tibetan Buddhist meditation. The actual physical posture is different, and the description of means is very different (“natural anger” and “destroys”) as in pour practice the conceptual thoughts are treated with kindness and are liberated spontaneously.

I should point out that all of the deity practices and so on in the Tibetan Buddhist practices are actually considered to be lower forms of practice that open the gate to these highest practices, which are completely non-conceptual.

Yes! I mean I’m not speaking from experience here , but the idea is that meditation (using Buddhist lingo) and post-meditation become indistinguishable.

My dear brother Lodro

Thank you for your splendid reply!

Wow! I wasn’t aware at all that navel-gazing was so central a practice to Tibetan Buddhism. That is incredible! I cannot believe how similar our religions can be in terms of practices, experiences, states of mind etc,

Ah yes I meant to attach a little “explanation” to Saint Symeon’s rather colourful use of “warfare” imagery. He often uses this and it is metaphorical and not to be taken literally. In Christian ascetism the quieting of the mind from disturbing passion (apatheia) is often personified as “Spiritual Combat”. It does not actually mean “real” anger, since anger and rage are two of the greatest emotional barriers to attaining inner tranquility and peace so as to prepare oneself for the birth of the Son within.

On “anger” the Desert Fathers tell us:

A brother asked Abba Isidore the priest, “Why are the demons so frightened of you?” The old man said to him, "Because, ever since the day I began practicing ascesis, I have striven to prevent anger from reaching my lips. The Desert Fathers​

A characteristic of those who are still progressing in blessed mourning is temperance and silence of the lips; and **of those who have made progress – freedom from anger **

What posture do Tibetan Buddhists take during this meditation?