30 Apr
2014
Posted in: Practice, Talks
By    Comments Off on Get Rich Quick

Get Rich Quick

On the first morning of the retreat I sat led by Ajahn Sucitto, after the chanting and candle-lighting ceremony (puja) we participated in, he gave a wonderful talk about the meaning — the intention — of these morning rituals. (You can listen to both the chant and the talk that follows here.)

I loved what he said about the happiness and pleasure that can come from lifting up our minds when we make offerings in this way:

In meditation we are learning to find pleasure not so much in the contact we have with objects, but in the quality of attention we bring…the ability to rise up, lift up the mind, with intention….We find pleasure not in contact with an object, but in the mind’s action toward the object…..

Lifting the mind up has a pleasant feeling to it…

There are different kinds of lifting up…but the most common and accessible kind comes from service and generosity….

The pleasure of happiness we can get from having things is one kind of pleasure. But the pleasure we can get from giving, serving, offering makes us feel innately rich. We feel wealthy, endowed, empowered, dignified, filled with self-respect.

The Buddha’s teachings are very pragmatic. It’s not just trying to tell us to be good. It’s actually saying: This is really how you get happy….in a particular way that’s calming and steadying, not just exciting.

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(image from Q-Cards by zolo.com)

 

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