Buddhism, Meditation, Lotus Sutra, Art of Attention, Life Satisfaction

1. Buddhist Association of Canada
Cham Shan Temple
Updated Mar 2010

2. Buddhist Association of Canada
Cham Shan Temple
ná mó fó tuó
南 無 佛 陀
Namo Buddha
ná mó dá mó
南 無 達 摩
Namo Dharma
ná mó sēng qié
南 無 僧 伽
Namo Sangha
Updated Mar 2010

3. Buddhist Association of Canada
Four Spheres of Attention
1. Attention to the Body – All forms, four
elements, six doors, postures, movements.
2. Attention to Feelings or Sensations –
Pleasant, unpleasant or neutral, be aware
of primary feeling vs. emotional
experience.
3. Attention to the Consciousness and Mind-
States – Knowing of anything, moment-to-
moment awareness, alertness, layers of
cause and conditions, arising and passing
away of each mind-states.
4. Attention to the Mental Content – Register
the “things” in the mind i.e.
thoughts, ideas, concepts without
commentary.
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

4. Buddhist Association of Canada
Two Modes of Meditation
“Samatha and Vipassana”
 Samatha – Serenity meditation uses
techniques of fixing on a single object to
produce one-pointedness; practice
mantras, respiration or contemplation.
 Vipassana – Awareness meditation, paying
close attention to predominant object with
moment-to-moment awareness; lead to
insight knowledge.
 Make appropriate adjustments of these
two modes during meditation.
 Too tense during insight meditation,
switch to serenity meditation.
 Too drowsy during serenity meditation,
switch to insight meditation to invigorate
the mind.
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

5. Buddhist Association of Canada
The Nature of
“Arts of Attention”
1. Not to control the practice – Have a
flowing receptivity to the experience
without controlling it.
2. Discipline in meditation is not to imposing
your will to control the practice.
3. Just follow the directions and persistently
apply the instructions with sensitivity and
alertness.
4. Develop skills without controlling or
interfering with the experience.
5. Not to be reactive or judgmental by
cultivating qualities of
acceptance, empathy and let go.
6. To be successful in self-managing your
meditation practice, you need to study the
“Three-Fold Strategy of Practice.
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

6. Buddhist Association of Canada
Three-Fold Strategy of Practice
1. Restraint of behaviors in order to harmonize
relationships
a. Five Precepts
b. Ten Virtuous Actions
c. Four Persuasion
2. Recollectedness/full awareness for developing the
meditative art of focusing
a. Right Effort
b. Right Mindfulness
c. Right Concentration
3. Discernment (ability to see the truth) and Insight
a. All conditional things are impermanent,
b. The physical world can’t bring lasting satisfaction.
(Nirvana is peace.)
c. All phenomena are without self (non-self)
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

7. Buddhist Association of Canada
Anger in Three Stratified Layers of the Mind
• Expressed
Restrain your behaviors in a situation where
“anger” arises, thus not giving it a chance to be
expressed.
• Manifest
As soon as “anger” surfaces in the mind as negative
thoughts, use serenity meditation technique to calm
the anger in the mind.
• Dormant
It is only through insight meditation where the ego-
illusion is seen at its true source, as the notion of
“me”, that the “anger” at the dormant level can be
seen with the possibility of eradicating it at its
source.
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

8. Buddhist Association of Canada
Awareness of Daily Activities
Those who see worldly life as an
obstacle to Dharma see no
Dharma in everyday actions.
They have not discovered that
there are no everyday actions
outside of Dharma.
- Eihei Dogen
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

9. Buddhist Association of Canada
Awareness of Daily Activities
• Train yourself to develop deepen and
continuous awareness on all activities.
• Continuity arises through full attention to
movements, actions, feelings or mind-states.
• Daily activities: domestic chores, eating,
cleaning, brushing teeth.
• Establish the habit – requires perseverance.
• Using a trigger as a reminder.
• Observe and record without making
judgments.
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

10. Buddhist Association of Canada
Life Satisfaction
Gratitude, optimism, zest, curi
osity, full attention to daily
activities, and the ability to
love and be loved are the
characteristics that most
closely relate to life
satisfaction. Take one
characteristic at a time and
work on it.
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

11. Buddhist Association of Canada
Questions and
Comments 討論
www.ChamShanTemple.org
www.shengguangshi.blogspot.com
ShengguangShi@hotmail.com
Shengguang Shi 釋聖光
Tom Cheung 張相棠
Kam Cheung 張仁勤
Dennis A. Yap 葉普智
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada

12. Buddhist Association of Canada
回向 yuàn xiāo zhàng zhū fán năo
s ā n
Parinamana (Transfer of Merit)
願消三障諸煩惱
We wish to rid ourselves of the three hindrances and all klesas.
yuàn dé zhì huì zhēn míng
l ĭ a o
願得智慧 真 明了
We wish to gain wisdom and real understanding.
pŭ yuàn zuì zhàng xī chú
x i ā o
普願罪障悉消除
We wish all sinful hindrances to be totally eradicated.
shì shì cháng xíng pú sà dào
世世常行菩薩道
In one life after another we always follow Bodhisattvas’ paths.
加拿大佛教會 © 2006 Buddhist Association of Canada