Coogee Buddhist Group

Thirst

On Tue, 1 April, 2014 - 04:18
Dhammalata's picture
Dhammalata
Thirst

Each morning after my meditation I’m reading two pages from a collection of sutras which are credited to be the actual recounted words of The Buddha. He doesn’t pull his punches; they are both beautiful and confronting at different times and sometimes at the same time.

Today he was talking about the fundamental human condition of both suffering and contentment. It’s graphic but he was saying that our thirst, our desire for all sorts of gratification is our problem; our disease (dis-ease). He says that our craving for things (food, sex, possessions, views, status etcetera) is akin to a disease like leprosy. And to seek after them is like scratching the scabs and sores; it feels good as there is some gratification but in fact it makes things worse and only heightens the problem the more we do it.

So there is pleasure and gratification in the things we crave (otherwise why would we go after them?) but there is a real danger in this pursuit and it’s our loss of contentment, our perpetual thirst …….. . It was an epiphany for me; I suddenly saw how much of the time I am getting around thirsty. Now that’s something I understand!

Meditation speaks directly to the problem of thirst and gives us a gradual but powerful way to start to satisfy it, to truly satiate it. It’s not by wilfully denying ourselves but rather by gradually recognising that deeper contentment and happiness is not found in things and acquisitions but rather in stillness, simplicity and contentment.

It is about forming an easy, natural relationship with ourselves and everything around us so that we can dance with life gently and flexibly; enjoying all sorts of experiences and things but holding them lightly and easily – allowing them to come and go with no loss of equilibrium.

I hope you will come to meditate with us on Thursday night

7 pm Coogee Croquet Club

We’ll be doing the Mindfulness of Breathing practice – a calming down, samatha practice that is perfect for thirst quenching!

Much metta

Padmadakini and Dharmalata

PS:The following Sunday is our Croquet Morning with the Coogee Croquet Club – all very welcome to at 10.30 am (please RSVP to me so that I know approximately how many of us will be doing it

PPS: Also anyone else interested in joining our introductory meditation retreat this coming weekend should let me know as soon as they can so that I can give you details on how to get there etcetera



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