How to practise Buddhism in real-life?

NYPD^blue SG

i have been reading about buddhism from books, both chinese and english and also magazines.

i am still currently a student, i will like to ask how can i translate my limited knowledge of buddhism into real acts?

ie, how to practise buddhhism in real-life for noobies?

bohiruci SG

Practice Buddhism is about facing ourselves

It is to eliminate the ego we have that causes our suffering this lifetime

and you are welcome to ask question in the forum

or u can join us on skype ..where we share on Buddhadharma .from basic to advanced

my id is syncopation_music anyway

Cool Cool Cool

mahawarrior SG

how to join skype?

bohiruci SG

go to http://www.skype.com and download the software

and install it

get a mic attached

search contact > my id : syncopation_music

then add me lor

Cool Cool Cool

An Eternal Now SG

Too tired to reply now, will reply more tomorrow.... but just a short question:

What books and magazines have you been reading? Just curious.

justdoit77 SG

do goods, avoid evil, purify the mind is the essence of buddhism.
The "do goods, avoid evil" will give you good karma or merits. This is very easy to do if you have a strong determination and compassion.

But to become enlightened and liberalize yourself from the samsara, you have to "purify the mind" meaning gaining wisdom. For a start, you can join a buddhist organisation and learn from the teacher there. The activities there are not boring at all, typical ones are dharma talk, meditation, chanting and so on.

Always remember this, no matter how rich or how happy you live your life, it is only temporary. how long can it last? 50 years later, where will you go to? If one don't practise diligently, he can't even ensure he will be a human next life.

Isis SG

MM i could suggest increasing ur limited knowledge first and getting your basic buddhism right. You can try scanning for dharma talk and events. Probably you will notice something that caught your eyes and learn something that can apply to your life right now.

Try KMPKS, buddhist fellowships.

Btw i aso don't know what your level of knowledge on buddhism, so how to ans your question.

An Eternal Now SG

Hi, sorry for the late reply. I was overseas these few days, didn't had the chance to post.. and was too tired last night. BTW, I am also a student now.. currently 17. I think dharma practice is for all ages (there are at least 2 records of enlightened arhats that are only 7 years old, in the sutras), and it's really good and important to start practising young... in this way our life will not be lived in vain, we can get great wisdom out of this lifetime (do know that other than wisdom (not the same as mere knowledge), blessings, karma, causes and conditions, there is nothing else we that we get in this lifetime that can be brought over to the next).

Cultivation can be a very simple manner... though at the same time may not really be easy. It is however really unfortunate if we think of Buddhism as dissociated from daily living (i.e just chanting and sitting all day, which are good practices if one has the time but are not feasible everyday), or worse as merely an academic studies. I suggest you read the whole article here: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/cultivat.htm (btw, check out the articles in 'The Voice of Bliss' and 'The Jen Chen Buddhist Digest' as well)

The Buddha taught the 4 Noble Truths and the 8 Fold Paths as the Path leading to the end of suffering. Therefore one should try to practice the 8 fold path in everyday, daily living. More info please read: All About Buddhism ~ For Non-Buddhists and Buddhists

Justdoit77 mentioned about purification of the mind, which is a very important point. To purify our minds, the practice of mindful awareness is very important. Please read about Mindfulness here, this is a great article: http://www.budsas.org/ebud/mfneng/mind13.htm. The entire book 'Mindfulness in Plain English' is also available for reading online.

Here is a beautiful verse from the Buddha:

An Eternal Now SG

Yup, it's quite good and important to join a Buddhist community with highly enlightened teachers guiding them in their path and practice.

FYI (to all forummers) personally I'm from Jen Chen Buddhist Blissful Culture Center (http://www.humanbliss.com.sg/knowledge_activity.htm), we have dharma activities every week, dharma talks, and so on, and are led by very wise dharma teachers under that organisation.

bohiruci SG

I am also a student now.. currently 17.

Haha , you want to tell the whole world you are 17 Smile AEN Razz

okay NYPD_BLUE ,you are welcome to our skype discussion
maybe can speak to AEN on voice Laughing

An Eternal Now SG

No lah, is because he say he's a student what...

bohiruci SG

first.. noone is noobies in buddhism

I am pretty much like you... read a few books ,started out 15 years ago

now i mainly practice Pureland Buddha name recitation and mantra

So ,It really depends on what kind of practice u can accept Smile

whether you wish to have insight in your life and devote your life to Buddhism like that Mr A ...(heeehee ) or like some forummer ... hoping to present life fulfilment in family

Smile

we cant choose for you .. we can give you some insight to the different Dharma Door

Laughing

An Eternal Now SG

Hmm.. what you mean by hope to have fulfillment in family?

I think everyone whether Buddhists or non Buddhists would wish to have fulfillment in life, start a family etc, and are not contradictory to Buddhist practices as long as one does not focus and become attached on one's life and overlook dharma practise. As the saying goes, Hui Ming (wisdom-life) is even more important than Sheng Ming (material life). At the same time, dharma practise is not apart from daily living.

NYPD^blue SG

Does one need any guide to learn meditation or can one learn by himself?

I have tried closing my eyes, sitting in a comfortable position, just focusing on my breaths, but is that realli considered mindfulness of breathing?

An Eternal Now SG

It is highly recommended to learn meditation directly under a teacher's guidance, though there are meditation books out there. It's also quite important to learn under a highly enlightened teacher and meditator who can guide you on your practice towards enlightenment. And you have to discern what books are the right ones for reading. (There are many non-Buddhist, and unorthodox Meditations that do not lead to enlightenment)

Concentration on breathing can mean different things. It is how you practise the Anapanasati (mindfulness of breathing) that determines what effect it is going to bring.

To develope insight, you must focus on the clarity of the breathing, and not pay attention to thoughts about the breathing. In the recent thread, How to practise Vipassana (Insight Practice) in Daily Lives?

...Thusness: when u breath, u don't have to care what is the right way of breathing, whether u breath hard or soft, smooth or fine...just experience as much clarity as u can...just that experience...regardless of what it is like.
Thusness: same for all other experiences.
Ck: wot abt sound? hows it?
Thusness: when u hear, just the sound...the totality of the sound. There is no how but just to do away with all abitary thoughts. Hear the sound as clear as u can be.
Ck: then wot abt thots?
Ck: thots r v sticky Sad
Thusness: thoughts seldom arise if the practice is correct. If it arises, then not to chase after its meaning. Not to answer urself what it means, not to dwell in 'what'...then u will resort to just the moment of awareness....

Just FEEL the Breath... the air.. the coolness or warmness... the hardness or softness... the liquidity or cohesion... the movement or vibration... But do not discriminate, do not label 'this is warm', 'this is hot'. Just be thoughtlessly (no labeling, mental perception or discrimination) aware of the moment to moment sensations to the minutest detail until you can see the arising and passing of each moment. It has to be as natural as possible, and do not exert effort to control the breathing, which is still using thoughts. This is not yoga or qi gong, you do not do breath control. Let it happen on its own... only the Clarity is important, this is to touch our luminous nature.

Awareness is spontaneous and uncaused, it is timelessly ever-present and effortlessly manifesting, it is merely overlooked by our separative, dualistic thinking. Therefore your meditation should be as natural and effortless (means no one 'doing' awareness, just awareness) as possible.

This open being is not something to be practiced methodically. Toni points out that it takes no effort to hear the sounds in the room; it's all here. There's no "me" (and no problem) until thought comes in and says: "Am I doing it right? Is this 'awareness?' Am I enlightened?";; Suddenly the spaciousness is gonethe mind is occupied with a story and the emotions it generates.

~ Joan Tollifson

----------------

There is no need for awareness to turn anywhere. It's here! Everything is here in awareness! When there is a waking up from fantasy, there is no one who dos it. Awareness and the sound of a plane are here with no one in the middle trying to "do" them or bring them together. They are here together! The only thing that keeps things (and people) apart is the "me"-circuit with its separative thinking. When that is quiet, divisions do not exist.

-----------------

Enlightenment, True Nature, True Self, Wholeness, the Unconditioned Absolute - whatever words have been given to what is without words, unthinkable, unknowable, ungraspable - is not the effect of a cause. It is luminously present and timeless, overlooked by the roving intellect that is trying to grasp it, and obscured by the bodymind's constantly shifting moods, desires, and fears. Moment-to-moment meditation is clearly coming upon this roving and shifting, resisting and fearing mind and the urge to do something about it!... Meditation that is free and effortless, without goal, without expectation, is an expression of Pure Being that has nowhere to go, nothing to get.

~ Toni Packer

There are a few things you need to take note of, including postures, mudras, and other various sitting advices.

paperflower SG

Hi NYPD^Blue,
hhmm.... I don't know what's an exact perfect answer or suggestion to your topic question. Because the term practice seems too diversified to put into some limited context. Well..... be the practice.
Smile

Put them to practice - the 8 Fold Path; observing the precepts. Cultivate wisdom, compassion, kindness for the benefit of yours together for others as well. Observe and learn for yourself about the sufferings in daily life and the way to end sufferings as presented in the 4 Noble Truths.

You shall observe, experience, verify. Apply them, incorporate them into your daily life and see for yourself. Practice cannot be held or contained, practice is to let go. You may also practice meditation but first its advisable to source out a good teacher with relevant experiences and insights to guide you. Fundamentally, breathing is the object to focus in meditation, to train mindfulness, concentration, samadhi and insights which would be applied effortlessly in daily life as well. To transform your knowledge from books you read into action and practice is to simply and fully live it. Practice is non-attachment, non-dual. A practitioner and the practice are not separated, in the practice there's no practitioner and the practitioner has no practice.
Wisdom: Right view (understanding), right intention (thought)
Morality / Conduct: right speech, right action, right livelihood
Mental discipline / development: right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration.

There is really no how to practice because what Buddha taught was reality, truth, true nature of you, me, him, her, it, them, everyone, everything Dharma. Naturally. For beginners, some may have a somewhat initial blockage, clueless, overwhelmed by deep context, unsure of where to begin from or confused by a big handful of various info all at one time. With faith, in mindfulness, as time goes by practice just flows naturally. Theres nothing truly rigid and theres nothing completely fixed right or wrong. How, when or what? To begin the practice is at this very moment.

In real life, there is no practice. Everyday life and spiritual life are not actually separated, so practice is not divided either and also where or what is the real life then? There are both relative and ultimate. Dharma is as natural as it is and practice is as natural. The noble 8 fold path and 5 precepts are a good guide to begin with. Put them into practice and observe for yourself. It is neither easy nor difficult and dont worry even if practice wavers or doubts arise. No one is alone. As I'm also in the lists and am still unenlightened, I still face doubts, difficulties, uncertainties, karmic obstructions, floundering and lack of wisdom. So, I surely do need guidance and advice from time to time. Its highly recommended that you have a reliable teacher who is enlightened, to guide you.

Not sure what books or magazines youve read, well its surely helpful and useful to read dharma books, reading materials or surfing the net for more e-articles/dharma teachings. The forum stickies have great varieties of links to countless websites for useful info which will come in handy for you. Expand your vision and perspective, from the 84000 dharma doors pick one that suits your capacity and progress from there. Dont worry about how to practice. Let go your questions don't hold them back, clear your doubts. Practice is just every moment that's absent of "how". Do some research on whats authentic buddhist teachings to guide you and to prevent you from deviant paths. Buddhism teaches non-discrimination, whether you are newbie or an experienced practitioner, every moment is practice, learning, observing, contemplation, investigating and progress. Dharma is infinite and practice has no stopping point neither has it a beginning point. Feel free to ask, people in the forum are very friendly, helpful and informative. You may also attend dharma talks, find a good dharma teacher to guide you.

Wish you bliss and all the best!
May you be enlightened for the benefit of one & all.
Smile

bohiruci SG

You can approach AEN ,he visit his center often ...got meditation teacher

Laughing