So you want to be a great meditator.
You want your life to improve and you want realizations, correct?
Below are 5 basic characteristics you need to cultivate.
Honesty
Wisdom
Enthusiasm
Respect
Listen
1: Honesty
Being honest means not just telling truths. It mean having
the ability to discern personality faults with pragmatism.
This may seem obvious but, the ability to see subtle psychological
traits is like seeing something from the corner of your eye.
If there is not even a willingness to look, there will not
be a willingness to see these traits as faults. How will you
remove something that you don"t see as a fault?
2: Wisdom
So you have looked into the corner of your psyche now what!
Wisdom is the capacity not only to see faults as faults but,
also to see qualities as qualities. To know what to cultivate
and encourage in our thoughts and emotions and what to remove
to a type of wisdom. Simply put, it is knowing right from
wrong.
3: Enthusiasm
Without enthusiasm your practice will be like Melbourne weather.
Sunny one minute, raining the next.
Without enthusiasm laziness and a lack of joy for practice
will easily creep in. Next you will be saying...meditation...what's
that? To combat laziness and engender enthusiasm, one need
to see clearly the benefits of the goal at hand. If you are
studying difficult philosophical texts or in meditation retreat,
the greater appreciation you have for the benefits of your
efforts, the less likely that problems will arise when you
meet with difficulties ... and you will meet them ... trust
me. Doubt, frustration and negative thoughts will arise, you
need to seeing them as just difficulties and move on.
4: Respect
Respect for your teachers, parents, friends, strangers, enemies
and yourself is the foundation of compassion. If you do not
respect your own life, how can you expect to generate this
for others. If you cannot generate genuine respect, how can
you expect to generate compassion. Enough said!
5: Listen
Listen to your teacher, this is an easy one right? Anyone
that has spent time with high Lamas will know that to really
listen is not so easy. Many times when we seek the benefits
of a teacher, we do so with baggage from past relationships.
We can simply and without even knowing so, try to make the
teacher become the father we never had. This approach will
not work. To listen means to listen with an open mind and
a willingness to do what your told. If you ask a question
about how to practice or whether to accept a job. Ask the
question with an openness that is willing to do whatever they
say regardless of the answer. If you are not willing to do
this, don't ask questions.
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