Our Practice
At Dharma Zephyr the practice has 3 aspects as detailed in the first teachings of the Buddha:
- Meditation and Mindfulness
- Wisdom
- Ethical Behavior
Just like a 3-legged stool is very steady, cultivating these 3 aspects helps us to find balance.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of showing up to each moment of our lives, thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations and perceptions, without getting carried away by a train of thinking or needing it to be otherwise. These both will probably happen; when we notice we celebrate the noticing and come back to our direct experience.
Buddhism
We practice Insight Meditation in the context of the Four Noble Truths that were taught by the Buddha 2,600 years ago. These are:
- The truth of suffering: Our life is inherently unsatisfactory. We lose what we love or we don’t get what we want; then in the end, we and all that we love age, sicken and die.
- The truth of the origin of suffering : We want to keep what we have and stay with what we love. We cling to those things, thinking that if we keep them forever we will be forever happy. We also ignore the true conditions of our lives. This clinging and ignorance make us suffer even more.
- The truth of the end of suffering: it is possible to be completely free from this suffering and clinging.
- The truth of the path leading to the end of suffering: The way leading to the end of suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path, which consists of:
- Wise View
- Wise Intention
- Wise Speech
- Wise Action
- Wise Livelihood
- Wise Effort
- Wise Mindfulness
- Wise Concentration
Loving Kindness (metta)
Metta is a force of the universe which finds expression through the human heart and mind. Through metta we find kindness and acceptance for ourselves, other beings and the world around us.
The word metta is from the Pali language, the language spoken in northern India during the Buddha’s lifetime. While difficult to translate into English, loving kindness, loving friendliness or goodwill are close approximations. The Buddha’s teachings on loving kindness are encapsulated in the Metta Sutta (Discourse). There are many metta practices which help us connect with our heart of gladness, adding joy, calm and kindness to our daily lives.
Generosity (dana)
One of the foundations of Buddhism is generosity, known as dana, a Pali and Sanskrit word for giving and offering. Traditionally, Buddhist teachings are offered freely and with great generosity since they are considered priceless. In return, we offer dana at a sitting group, class, retreat, and/or online to support the teachers and community so that we may continue to offer the Dharma. This is the practice of cultivating generosity, expressing gratitude, and letting go.
Ethical behavior (precepts)
In order to have a quieter mind and heart, we practice ethical behavior, the foundation of which is to do no harm. The Buddha gave five specific precepts for lay people to work with:
- to refrain from killing (protect life)
- to refrain from taking what is not given (practice generosity)
- to refrain from sexual misconduct (create healthy relationships)
- to refrain from lies or harsh speech (speak the truth)
- to refrain from clouding the mind with intoxicants (practice clarity)