Season 3, Ep. 2 School for Yogi's Class 2, The Life of the Buddha

The lowly yogi shares his telling of the of the tale of the life of the Buddha and the empowerment to practice his first and last practice, Shamatha-Vapashana or mindfulness-awareness meditation.

Transcript

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Earth, mother and friends, you cross our heart. Hello, hello, hello, and welcome back to the Lowly Yogi Tales and Other Stuff podcast. Wherever you find yourself vibrating that multiverse, attune this way and let's have some fun together. We are moving into the School for Yogis, and the School for Yogis just blossomed into a new experience of the Samatha Vipassana meditation journey. I'll be sharing that with you today, along with the life story of the Buddha. Uh, so, exciting, fun, here we go, uh, into the School for Yogis. I'm so excited that you're all joining me today. So, Class 2 for the School for Yogis, The Life of the Buddha. Yeah. I've been given this class four times now, for those who are joining. And, this particular class is, Introduction to Buddhism. Now, the group that is forming, is what we're calling the School for Yogis. The idea here is that in traditional, Indian and Tibetan Buddhism, which is the lineage that I come from, was raised within. There's basically two different systems within the Tibetan world of Buddhism. There's the monastic system, and there's the system of yogis. The monastic system is very important in that what it does is for generation after generation it has held and kept the teachings of the Dharma from the Buddha to present. And great gifts within that. Extraordinary. The lineage of the yogis are those that actually come in and test the monastic system. They call out corruption. Yogis, tend not to have hierarchical systems. One of the tenets that this group, really relies upon is that there is no hierarchy, no system of power. I sit in this chair only because I'm here today. Okay. Tomorrow someone else might be sitting here. The other tenet that really is essential to understand is that this is a set of teachings that is based on one particular dharma, one particular law. And that is the law of loving kindness, bodhichitta. If you go further back into the Hindu texts, it's the law of bhakti, the law of love, the yoga of love. This is what the Buddha realized underneath the Bodhi tree. And tonight, the way I like to begin my introduction class, is to actually tell the life story of the Buddha. Because that is how this particular tradition began. It's important to note that the Buddha wasn't Buddhist. In fact, Buddhism did not exist at that time. The Buddo was Hindu. He was a practitioner of the Vedic system of yoga, and he was a Brahman. His father was a king. He was the king of Saia. This king had a baby. He was a very powerful king. And, in those times, this was 2, 500 years ago, thereabouts. He, took his baby to the wise men, to the local yogi, or sadhu. And had, the wise man tell him what to expect about this baby. Now it's important to note that we actually have to go further back because the Buddha's mother died giving birth to him. The reason that's important is that that is the ground of the Buddha's journey. The ground of his, life questioned was how to address The reality of suffering. That all beings suffer. And he wanted to find freedom of that, from that. The reason this is pertinent is that when that Saru looked at the baby Buddha, he turned to his father and said, this baby will either be one of the greatest kings to rule the world, or, he will be one of the great spiritual warriors, spiritual teachers, spiritual leaders well, the king being a king wanted nothing to do with the spiritual side of things. In fact, he made very sure that the Buddha was not going down that road at all. But it's funny how Our actions have a way of actually setting up the very thing that we don't want. Because what happened is that the king decided that the Buddha was not going to experience suffering. And so he sent him into a palace where every whim was taken care of. Servants were there for his every desire. The best of foods. He was washed. He was perfumed. I mean, anything you could imagine, any desire you might enjoy, he had. While being raised in this way, the Buddha had three experiences that led him out of his palace. The first was looking out the window. Watching somebody plow a field. This wouldn't seem like a big deal. But as he was looking out and seeing somebody plow the field, he was noticing all of the worms being killed. All of the animals being removed from their homes. He said to his attendant, What is that? What is going on? And his attendant turned and answered him, That's suffering. Those beings are suffering. The second was, once again, him looking out his window and seeing an old man on the street. And the Buddha became very confused. Why is that man unable to stand straight? Why does he walk so slow? His attendant turned to him and said, That's old age. We will all get old. We will all suffer in that way. Having had those two incidents, those two events taking place in his life, he decided that he wanted to leave the palace. So his father, the king, made a point of saying, we will do that, but he had set the stage within the town that at every turn there would only be beautiful people. There would only be happiness. There would only be celebration. Well, the Buddha, in traveling down this road, looked down a pathway and he saw a leper. Some say that he actually got up off of his caravan and jumped off and went down that road. But again, he asked his question, What is that? His attendant once again said, That is disease. That is illness. And the Buddha said, Disease? What do you mean? He said, Well, he's sick. He's suffering. He's suffering from boils on his body. He's suffering because his limbs are falling off. That's leprosy. Well, the Buddha was deeply moved. That, along with the other incidents and the loss of his mother. Brought about a question in his being. How to free oneself from suffering. That question grew within him. One night, he made a plan. That he would switch place with his attendant. He ordered his attendant to give him his clothes. And in turn, gave him his princely garb. and snuck out of the palace, leaving his newborn child. Good to know that this question was that profound. That he left his wife and newborn child. Better. So, he leaves. And it's said that he went out into India. Now, traditionally, the way Dharma was studied at that time, there were many gurus. many teachers. Actually, to this day, it's the same way. Each guru, each teacher, holds a set of wisdom, of means, and the Buddha began studying with many gurus. His first practice, which is a practice I would like to share with you, was called Samatha Vipassana, which simply means mindfulness, awareness, meditation. What it does, which is fantastic, is that it literally strengthens our mind. By doing this practice, first of all, we get to become friends with our mind, which is a lot of fun. Because the thoughts that come up over and over again. Good lord. Good lord. You know, after you've experienced them for the 500th time, there's a sense of humor that arises. Oh, it's you again. I know that one. Welcome. Come on in. Let's have tea. What happens in doing this particular meditation practice of Samatha Vipassana is that our minds become very strong. Because what we learn to do is to hold that quality of mindfulness on an object. The object in this particular practice is the breath. The great thing about using the breath as an object of mindfulness is no one can take it from you. Or if they do, you don't need to practice anymore. You will always have it no matter where you are. So it's not like you have to have a tool or you have to have a special thing to do this practice. All you need is your body and your breath and you can do it. This was the very first practice that the Buddha learned. And what this made possible for him is that he was able to go to each of these gurus and learn their means very quickly. He would learn what they had to offer within a year's time. The teachers became stunned by his ability. And actually would offer to make him their lineage holder. Please, I would love to give you my lineage. I would love to give you my students when I die. Each time, it didn't answer his question. He would gain a set of powers, a set of means, but he never answered that question of, How do I bring suffering to an end? And over time, it didn't just become for him, it became for all beings. There's actually a story after the Buddha attained enlightenment, later in his life, which is kind of a profound example of that. And that is A mother came to the Buddha, and she had lost her baby. Her baby had died. And asked the Buddha, because she had heard that he could do miracles, to bring her baby back to life. And the Buddha said, If you can bring me a mustard seed from a home that has not experienced suffering, I will bring your baby back to life. The woman set out to find the mustard seed, home after home, family after family, until finally she came back to the Buddha and said, I understand. She did not have a mustard seed. So the Buddha's question became larger because he realized that it wasn't just him who suffered, it was all beings who were suffering. So he kept searching. Over time he ended up in the woods with five students doing aesthetic practices. In the traditional Vedic system, aesthetic practices are said to bring boons. So traditionally what one does is one does very austere, almost torturous things to one's body. You'll see if you look up sadhus on the internet, it's an amazing thing now. So, people There are sadhus who've held their arm up for 20 years. Some who've let their fingernails grow through their hands, never cutting them. These are the kind of austerities that are practiced within that system. Some might say that's a little extreme. Some might not, actually. I mean, maybe that really is what it takes to attain enlightenment. But what they're really doing is they are working from that point of view to attain enlightenment. And remember, this is a system that's not talking about half measures. This is a system about talking about, literally, we are going to attain full, complete enlightenment. And that's why the Buddha didn't stop. Now, after six years of these austere practices, where it's said that he only had one drop of water a day, and one thimble of rice, you can believe it or not. But there are the traditional statues of the Buddha completely, um, just bone and veins. And you'll see those. And those, when you see that particular image, that is from that time in his life. Now, the Buddha was sitting by the edge of a river at that time in his life. And there was a musician on the river, on a boat, teaching his student. The musician was saying to the student, he was teaching the student, how to tune their instrument. The musician said to the student, not too tight, not too loose. That's how you'll get the sound. The Buddha had a moment of epiphany, realization, right then. That in the same way the musical instrument gets its sound, that is how the mind attains enlightenment. Upon realizing this, he had realized a specific dharma. Now, in the Vedic system, there are what are called dharmas, or yogas. A yoga is a vibration, and it's a way of holding the mind. The Buddha had realized a particular way of holding his mind in that moment. This would later be named Bodhichitta. Buddha Mind. Buddha Heart. Bodhichitta could be compared to Bhakti, the Yoga of Love. Could be compared to Mother Goddess, Tara. It is The literal vibration of loving kindness, whose property it is to meet all other experiences and complete them. That's something we'll talk about in further classes. Upon realizing this, he made a proclamation. He went to the Bodhi Tree, which is still in Bodh Gaya. My understanding, it's pretty big. I hope to go there one day. As he sat underneath the tree, his proclamation was, I will not move until I die or I attain enlightenment. It took three days, fortunately. What he did was he held that yoga of Bodhichitta. Now what happened is very interesting. As he was holding that yoga of Bodhichitta loving kindness, the world rose up to destroy him. All of the demon hordes, all of the seductions of the world rose up to try to shake him from that seat. In Indian system of thought there is what is called Mara. Mara could be a liken to the king of demons. He is basically all of suffering and we are caught in his entrails, if you will. That's the way they speak about him. That's not me, that's them. Although I tend to see it all around me. So, you know. So, there he is. The king of demons is working utterly to destroy the Buddha. First he sends all of his seductresses to try to seduce him from his seat with pleasures. Then he comes in with power and he shows him. the kingdom that he could have. I will give you all of this to rule, if you only follow me. When the Buddha didn't do that, then the army of demons rose up to destroy him, and rained weapons down upon him. Now it's said that he held his seat through all of this, and as he met all of Mara's attacks with Bodhichitta's loving kindness, he came to the end. In Tibetan Buddhism, there's what's called Maha Ati. Maha Ati is the highest level of realization. And the way that it's traditionally spoken about is crossing over. This is what the Buddha did. He literally crossed out of samsara. And what is surrounding that? is oceans of loving kindness. That's what's around us all right now. Oceans of loving kindness. I know it doesn't feel like it. I know it feels, because we're literally manifesting, that bodhichitta is manifesting all of our karma. And it sucks, but we have to meet it. He had met all of his karma. In doing that, in meeting all of his karma to the end, he attained enlightenment. Now, interestingly enough, he didn't know what to do. He actually got up after having this experience and didn't know how to communicate it to anybody. It's said that he actually wandered for two months, not saying a word. Because he knew that he literally couldn't share what he had experienced with another person. Finally, Vishnu and Brahma, two of the gods came down. And made a formal request of him, one offering the Dharma wheel, the other a conch shell. And you see those images traditionally all the time in Buddhism. And asked him to teach. Before he did so, before he did that though, it's actually said before he ever taught anyone on this plane the Dharma, he went to Tashita Heaven, where his mother resided, and gave her the teachings on enlightenment first. So he remembered her that whole time. And taught her first. Then, upon coming down, and you'll see there's a traditional image of the Buddha walking down 13 steps. You may or may not have seen it, but it's a traditional image. That is the image of him actually walking down from Tushita Heaven. Into this plane again. So he comes down and he goes back to his five students who had rejected him. I forgot to mention that. I failed to mention that as soon as he realized this truth of not too tight, not too loose. He took food from a girl who was herding goats. And his students rejected him, saying he'd given up on his path. Then the Bodhi Tree. Then he comes back to them. And it was these five students at Deer Park, Sarnath. He gave his first set of teachings, and those will be the teachings that we will be sharing in this set of classes. They're known as the four Noble Truths. These were the first words. The Buddha uttered All life is suffering. The first noble truth, the second noble truth. We as humans create that suffering. The third Noble truth is the good news. There is a way out of that suffering. The fourth noble truth is that Dharma is the way out of that suffering. I would like to take a moment just to teach so that you have the means, this meditation called Samatha Vipassana Meditation. What we do is take what's called the seven points of Viruchana. The first is that our legs are crossed. Sometimes there are issues with circulation and stuff like that. So you do want to be aware this is not about causing pain in your body. Okay? our hands are gently resting on our thighs. And the other option is to hold the meditation mudra. Left hand on bottom, right hand on top. The fingers come together in a bowl. And the thumbs come together so they're as close as they could possibly be without touching. So the idea is that you're holding a bowl of medicine. And it's right on your tantien. This is where the chi is stored. Your life force energy. Okay. So. Either way is appropriate, whichever you choose. Your posture is straight. It's like someone is pulling a string from the top of your head. Using your back muscles to hold your front is relaxed and open. The breath traditionally is in through the nose and out through the mouth. The gaze is about six feet in front of you. It's flexible and I will explain why here in just a moment. So, the practice itself is literally just to be aware of one's breath. The breath will go in, the breath will go out. And literally we are just holding our mindfulness on the breath. Remember again, gentleness. When I first started doing this practice I was very harsh with myself. I had to do it right. You have many years to do it right. So, just that you're doing it at all is extraordinary. The other thing that I want you to know right up front, and this is very important, is that you all, right now, in this moment, have everything you need to attain enlightenment. There is nothing you are lacking. All of the darkness, the horror, all the things that we want to ignore within ourselves are the very fuel that will bring about enlightenment. They are the very material we will burn the fire of bodhichitta on. Okay? So, if someone comes and tells you you're missing something, or you have to buy this product to be better, or you only need this and it'll all be okay, Bullshit. You already have it. If someone comes to you and says, If you just do what I want, I'll give you the secret. Bullshit. The practice itself. Literally, the breath goes in and goes out. What will happen, and expect it, is you will start to think. A lot. Okay? The mind will become like a rushing river of thought. This is good news. You're not doing it wrong. Okay. As that rushing river forms, there will be gaps. When you see a gap between thoughts, and you become aware again, label it, thinking. Just gently. I used to use a sledgehammer, with myself. I, it took me a few years to figure out that I didn't have to do that. One of my favorite stories is, I grew up in a Tibetan Buddhist community and My friends were actually teaching their children how to meditate. And so they were meditating, and they had taught their children about labeling their thoughts and saying, thinking. They didn't mention to say it silently. So there they are meditating, and their little voice behind them starts saying, thinking. Thinking. Very sweet. So, that's literally what we do, is label it thinking. And then let the thought or the emotion go out with the out breath. You'll start thinking again. Don't worry, that's the good news. The piece is we don't have to worry about the in breath, that will just happen. The out breath and letting it dissolve on the out breath is the key. Okay? Let's try it just for a minute or so, just so you have a feel for it. The other thing to know is what we are working to do is find that not too tight, not too loose place in our own mind. So, there's what's called laxity and elation. Laxity is where you start feeling really tired, lazy, heavy when you're meditating, and it will happen. If that's the case, move your eyes closer into you, or close them. Tighten up. If you find yourself speeding with thought, it's rushing, it just won't stop. And, and, and, that's called elation. If that's the case, raise your gaze. Give yourself more space, give that field of your mind, give your mind that field of space. Okay? Your mind is like the cow within the field. Right? You don't want that field to be too tight, it'll get angry. You don't want it to be too loose, it'll get lazy. Just right. A happy cow. You will find that If you meditate each day, even for five minutes, it can be very helpful. What will start to happen is that you'll be able to learn how to hold your mind on whatever is in front of you. If you're at a job or something like that and you're getting taught a new skill, you'll find that the more you meditate, you just, you'll be able to hold your mindfulness on it and it will blossom. You'll just know it. Well, surprisingly the class cuts off a little quickly there, but what a great message to end with, learning how to hold our mind and allowing the natural blossoming of awareness to take place. Thank you for joining me for the School for Yogi's Class 2. I do hope you're enjoying this wonderful podcast, Lowly Yogi Tales and other stuff. If you are, do please feel free to share with those you care about, and those who might enjoy these many variant experiences that one might find here. And please, if you do love the show, even just a little bit, Share, support the show. Send some Yogi Cash this way, and I'll put it to use supporting the sacred works that come my way. You all take care. You have a week filled with joy, a week filled with plenty, and a week filled with glorious. Take us out, Monkey Max. Play us out. The Earth Mother and Friends Theme Song Earth mother and friends, You cross our hearth at last. Long have we greared, While the king of demons had his way. But no longer, no longer, It's time to dance and sing. This is the time when the golden age begins As we welcome love and peace and ease may it never cease Welcome joy and bliss in all the eyes of serpents kiss Welcome Mother, Welcome Child, Welcome Bodhi, Tinder, and Mile. Welcome Protection, and Welcome Friends. It's been a long wait, but now the Golden Age begins. Welcome Spring, Summer, and Fall. Winter is Persephone's and sweetest of all. Welcome Immortality. Welcome all, it's time to dance and sing, as the golden age begins. Welcome all you yogis, and we call you in. Welcome all you protectors, and we call you in. Welcome all you yogis, as the golden age begins.