First, Boo No Harm

The paramita practice calendar created by the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche says September is for Patience, and wonder of wonders, the universe jumped right in and sent along enough obstacles and negativity to require transcendental quantities of it-- in all three forms. And not just for me, myself and I.

This was the month all Americans forced to exist in what’s most accurately called the Pharmakaya were asked to do exactly what the paramita politely describes: not care about beings who are harming us, not care about the harm they are doing and not get bothered by such harmful actions. So instead of screaming at ersatz Town Hall meetings or taking impolitic placards of misspelled words to impolite tea parties, September has been patients’ time, Shantideva says, to just remain as still and unmoved as a log when someone is harming you.

In other words, meditation words, stay calm in this whealth care crisis. Perhaps visualize Obama’s cool calm…and for Buddha’s sake, don’t think: yeh, he can afford to keep calm because he’s going to get world class medical attention forever without having to worry how and at what cost. Patience is avoiding discursive thoughts like that.

September has been the month bubbly ranneth over Wall Street while we on six-pack (mine’s water bottles for the car) Main Street stood stuck in unemployment, credit card assistance, mortgage refinancing and even post office lines, waiting for the some day our stints (or is it mints?) would come. So instead of noisily screaming “You lie!” at Congressmen and Senators who in theory represent you but in practice represent their corporate sponsors, September has been the perfect time to practice the patience of undertaking pain.

“When you encounter difficult situations with beings,” Dzogchen Ponlop says, “you should endure the pain, remain still, calm and clear and continue with your Bodhisattva mission, so to speak.” What a transcendental chance to practice pain we got this month when consumer protections were torpedoed, finance reform dismissed, and the Supreme Court edged close to letting corporations buy representatives outright, turning this country into their company store indenturing all us citizens for lifetimes.

And September provided a fabulous opportunity to practice that third form, “the patience of accepting truth”, having the courage to “understand the path that is sometimes inconceivable” and truly believe in the reality of emptiness. All you had to do was read about and watch Barack Obama in nonaction, fulfilling none of the promise gestated nine months ago at his inauguration. If September’s news didn’t instill true realization of the emptiness of expectation, hopes and mental activity--and what the path to inconceivable suffering looks like, I don't know what will.

More on personal patience practice in a moment…


~Sandy Garson
"Wordsmithing to attest how the Dharma saved me from myself!"

http://www.sandygarson.com

http://yoursinthedharma.blogspot.com/

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