Multi-month Pāramitā (Attainments/Perfections) Challenge For August, September And October 2021

When presented with “The Pāramitā Challenge” I accepted and here we are. In addition to the Pāramitās or Perfections, so far, the challenge also includes precepts and the 52 Stages of the Bodhisattva Path and Bodhisattva vows.

So far, instructions are to journal contemplations resulting from observed intentions, opportunities, and actions to be generous, moral and ethical while arousing faith in the Triple Gem then seeing where/when confident and where/when in doubt.

I’ve not taken Bodhisattva vows, and so with little instruction in Mahāyāna Buddhism, apart from maybe a smidgen of the zen stuff, there’s the benefit of beginner’s mind is a nice way to put it. I shoot from the hip with a lot in this recording and will often use a Theravada lens and a lot of inquiry as I ponder out loud. It may come off at times as criticism and sometimes it may actually be, but these are mostly solo efforts at summonings what is really meant by the material.

Wisdom Snippets: Inquiry / Investigation

Why even bother with investigation or inquiry? Perhaps inquire, assess and question with intent to lead toward true knowledge, liberation and the (long-term) well-being of all. Know the truth of the way things actually are and then align with truth to bring great happiness. But how and why does aligning with truth bring happiness? Maybe it’s time to investigate for oneself?

This blog post collects various odds and ends to aid with inquiry and investigation.

Dharmic Strategies For Empaths

This niche topic for empaths, or energetically sensitive beings, encapsulates years of note taking from experience, study and practice, provides nine categories of approach:

1) Gratitude for opportunities
2) Mindfulness (– especially of contact and vēdanā)
3) Hedonic Tone and the Three Characteristics of Existence
4) Self and identification
5) Equanimity and compassion
6) The Four Right Efforts and Five Hinderances
7) Energy
8) Non-attachment
9) Miscellaneous strategies

Irregular Inquires — Investigating The Term “Early Buddhist Texts”

Ten questions to investigate the term “Early Buddhist Texts.” The first three:

How helpful and/or how detrimental is the term “Early Buddhist Texts”?

Where/how did it originate?

On one hand maybe it sets up a certain distinguishing category in a distilled type of way, but when does “early” begin and end?

Qi And Astrology | (8/31/2021 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Denny K Miu)

For this month’s regular open-audience, open-discussion “Ask Us Anything” — continuing discussions about meditation and related topics — Denny presents the long standing Five Element system mostly in terms of astrology, Qi and the body — an expansion on his article Qi and the “Real” Organs — with me commenting along the way until theContinue reading “Qi And Astrology | (8/31/2021 — “Ask Us Anything – LIVE” With Denny K Miu)”

Irregular Inquires — Questions For Investigating Energy

Currently, over 15 (groups of) questions for investigating energy, including:

What is energy? How do you know?

Where and how do you experience energy?

What kinds, or types of energy are there?

Why is energy important?

Where does energy come from? Where does it go?