The Three Ages of Buddhism And The Return of Self-Liberation

Everything is impermanent and nothing may arise without the destruction or decay of something previous. This fundamental concept even holds true to Buddhism and the Buddhas teachings. During the fall of the Han Dynasty in the 3rd Century Buddhist history, or periods, were deduced and categorized into three ages. 

The Three Ages of Buddhism, sometimes called The Three Ages of the Dharma are:

• Age of the True Dharma
• Age of the Counterfeit Dharma
• Age of the Final Dharma

Age of the True Dharma

This Age began immediately after the Buddhas death and lasted between 500 or 1,000 years depending on the source material used. It was during this age when the teaching were still strong, individuals were capable of comprehending the meaning of the Dharma and thereby skillfully putting it into practice. As a result, many were able to attain enlightenment under their own power.

Age of the Counterfeit Dharma

During this Age the true teachings become obscured and only a semblance of the meaning exists. This Age lasts for 500 or 1,000 years depending on the sources used. However, what is notable during this Age is that only a few people of great intelligence are able to grasp the Dharma skillfully thus achieving enlightenment. Buddhism was well integrated into societies throughout Asia. The decline in individual enlightenment may be in part due to the formalization of the practices, resulting in fewer people achieving enlightenment.

Age of the Final Dharma

This is the current Age in which we are experiencing and by all historical sources will last for 10,000 years. During this Age people are easily tainted by the Three Poisons: greed, anger, and foolishness. As a result, people lose their own aspirations for achieving Buddhahood. We may witness the deteriorating condition of people's feeble capacities, the loss of the meaning of the Buddhas teachings, and the bombardment greed, anger, and trivialities of modern society.

This resulting loss of faith in traditional practices and teachings as means of gaining liberation has led to the popularization of new modes of practice that rely more on an already-enlightened Buddha or a series of texts for liberation.

How do we, as individuals, return to the path the Buddha revealed to us so we may obtain our own Buddhahood? 

We may start by remembering the purpose of Buddhism and the Buddhas teachings which simply are the Four Noble Truths and the cessation of suffering. We suffer because we have attachments. From there the Buddha gave us the Noble Eightfold Path which contain precise qualities and instructions on how to achieve liberation.

So how do we view or incorporate the many Buddhist scriptures, texts, and venerable leaders transmitting the Dharma today?

If you pick up a dictionary and look up a word you'll get a single definition. If you pick up another dictionary and look up the same word you'll find a slightly different definition. If you pick up a third dictionary and look up the word, again you'll find a slightly different definition. Each dictionary offers the same intention or meaning of the term but is simply presented in a different way. 

The same holds true to the tens of thousands of Buddhist sutras, texts, and the many Dharma teachers and leaders. There is not a 'right' or 'wrong' way to transmit the Dharma as long as the Buddhas intent is not lost, the cessation of suffering.

When our words are kind and supporting instead of harsh or vulgar, when our actions are non-violent and unifying, instead of warring and divisive, when our thoughts are nurturing and beneficial instead of destructive and self-glamourizing, we are on our way to our own liberation.

Wishing you continued peace and wellbeing,

 

Vladimir

 

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram at @bluelotuscenter for more ways to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Life, Liberation, And The Pursuit of Satisfaction

We've all been gifted life. It's not important 'how' we received this gift nor is it important from 'whom' we've received this gift. We have it now so what to do with it. Living, in the most basic sense, is easy, one only needs to wake up from sleep, find sustenance, and shelter, and you live. Cats do this. Birds do this. Worms do it too.

But these actions simply keep us alive, perhaps as humans we need, or at least, are capable of more.

In fact we are capable of more which is why we have the ability to experience the conditions of 'liberation', 'dissatisfaction' and 'satisfaction'. As people, most of us transition from dissatisfaction to satisfaction back to dissatisfaction continuously there are even fewer that experience liberation.

Let's start with a basic understanding of the terms life, satisfaction, dissatisfaction, and liberation.

Life isn't consciousness. It's not Rene Descartes "I think therefor I am". Life is the body's ability to maintain homeostasis day in and day out. All living beings do this, from humans all the way to the simplest single-celled organism.

Satisfaction and dissatisfactions is the condition of having a need or expectation met or not. 

Liberation is ending the cycle of samsara, the continued cycle of rebirth until Nirvana is achieved. And to get there emptiness, signlessness, and aimlessness are the doors that one may walk through. Or put another way emptiness is 'This is because of that'. Signlessness is that the form of an object changes but the 'object' is still there, like water evaporating to vapor, it's still 'water'. While aimlessness means you don’t put anything in front of you as the object of your pursuit.

Ok, liberation sounds like a lot to remember but in essence it's that nothing exists without being formed from the destruction of something else and what we see isn't all that it is.

Aimlessness is what we'll mostly focus on here since our society strives for the accumulation of 'things' and 'status'.

To put it plainly, you will not be satisfied once you achieve what you've set out to acquire or accumulate, at least for very long. Why is that? Because that's not what you're truly looking for. 

Others have placed the seed inside you that if you're a doctor, lawyer, professor, married, have a fast car, have a big home, travel around the world, and more...that you'll be happy. Society has watered that seed of dissatisfaction with certain ideas, concepts, and notions are necessary to achieve happiness. The Buddha teaches us that to understand we must see through these ideas, concepts, and notions. We let them go.

Some of you reading this probably have achieved some or most of these items. Are you happy? Or are you working on 'the next item'? That next item is not what you're looking for. 

Let's see if that's a true statement. 

Reflect on whare you are now, at this very moment.

This moment is exactly where you wanted to be yesterday and here you are. You should be happy and content but yet you're striving for more. And when you're striving for more you're living in a future that does not exist all the while forsaking today, the here and now. Because what you're seeking is not what you're looking for.

So, how do you pursue satisfaction?

You don't. 

Satisfaction is already within you. You only need to let the condition of dissatisfaction melt away so that satisfaction may be watered and bloom, just like emptiness and signlessness.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Wishing you continued peace and wellbeing,

 

Vladimir

 

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram at @bluelotuscenter for more ways to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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What I Think About You: A Mindfulness View Of Self And Others

You may have heard a saying something to the effect that when we judge someone that is a quality within ourselves we do not like or covet. Something akin to looking at ourselves in a mirror and finding flaws. For instance, if you see someone you feel is overweight maybe you assume something about their lifestyle. 

You may describe them with words like, lazy, sloppy, unmotivated, or gluttonous. But you yourself haven't been to a gym or exercised in years. Maybe you have a health condition that precludes you from doing so...maybe they do as well. You judged someone knowing nothing about them. 

Do you find yourself condemning a particular persons (celebrity or other) action whom you personally do not even know? Maybe they wore an outfit that made a headline and you made a judgment about that style or a recent role they played in a movie. Maybe your coworker ate a little too much at the company's annual potluck lunch and you made a comment under your breath about portion size.

Consider this, if you are joyful that you are alive, that you are capable of walking this Earth, doing good for other, then how do you have the mindset to judge others? When we see that celebrity wearing an expensive dress or suit be joyful for them. They worked hard, just like you do. And even though their circumstance is not like yours they are deserving of the same joyful emotions that you seek.

When an individual or group of people are the beneficiaries of a windfall that at one time you might have been a part of be joyful that someone has had their burdened eased. Jealousy, envy, the 'what about me' statements are poisons that destroy wellbeing. 

These examples, and many more, are judgments of not someone else, but of ourselves and reflect the suffering we are experiencing.

So how may you start to minimize and then ultimately stop judging? We simply start small.

You don't like her lipstick? They're not your lips so it's not an issue for you.

His belt is on the last hole? Maybe the belt has was a gift from a loved one who passed.

This person has a face tattoo or piercings. They are working hard to provide for their, or family members, daily care just like you.

As you catch yourself in these small situations the practice naturally migrates towards larger examples, like a co-worker get the promotion you felt should have been yours.

As mindfulness practitioners we engage in non-judgmental awareness, ‘this is this and that is that’. It is neither good nor bad, neither desirable nor undesirable. It simply is. By adopting this mindset, we allow ourselves to truly experience freedom and liberation from hurting ourselves and others. We reduce the suffering in the world.

When you allow openness into your mind and heart you no longer have room for judgment. Instead, that space has now been filled with the joyfulness and compassion for others...and us.

Wishing you continued peace and wellbeing,

Vladimir

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram at @bluelotuscenter for more ways to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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Walking A Path Towards Liberation: A Mindfulness Journey

You wake up on a beautiful Sunday morning. The sun is shinning. The sky is a crisp blue. And the temperature outside is already inviting you to be outdoors. You decide it's going to be a splendid day, one that is not to be wasted indoors. After several moments reflecting on how to spend this wonderful day you finally decide on a picnic at a nearby park.

While you shower you go over menu items in which to bring as well as that novel you've been trying to finish. Today will be a perfect day.

You dress.

You collect the food items you decided on and head out to your car.

As you pass by some friendly neighbors who wish you a good morning your heart stops and your stomach tightens as you gaze to where you're sure you parked yesterday. 

Between the lines of your designated parking spot where your car should be is nothing but empty space.

Your car has been stolen.  

How will you get to work? How will you go to the grocery store? How will you do anything?

The upwelling of emotions, anger, despair, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty, begin to overwhelm your sense of placidity.

This is an example of your servitude to an inanimate object. A possession this is uncaring and unfeeling. 

You are not liberated.

So how may we find the liberation we seek? 

Where do we begin to look?

Liberation is not found in a book or written in a document somewhere. Although the path towards liberation may be described in these items, but they too are inanimate objects.

Liberation is achieved from one singular action, or the more appropriate term being 'non-action'. And that is 'letting go'.

Letting go is about learning how to respond instead of react and adjusting our current perspectives into one that is less self-centered.

Consider your stolen car example from above, you initially had the expectation that the car would be there when returned. Although that is a 'reasonable' expectation we know that as mindfulness practitioners that all things are impermanent, including cars in a parking spot. 

Next, after a few brief moments had elapsed we reacted to several strong catastrophizing emotions thus moving into the future with untimely concerns about getting to work and food shopping. Again, these are relevant concerns but we reacted instead of responded. 

And you reacted, and not responded, in such a manor because you are own by a possession. You are not liberated. A car doesn't care who owns it.

Another example of servitude and not liberation could be a work or political decision, regardless of how it personally applies to you. Most often though most decisions have little to no bearing on you but you chose to react instead of respond.  

Holding on to an idea as eternal is servitude and not liberation. Holding on to a concept as eternal is servitude and not liberation. Holding on to a notion as eternal is servitude and not liberation.

When we look at our mindset or daily activities we see them as 'set in stone' or we justify them as us being 'set in our ways'. This too is servitude and not liberation. We hold on to 'our ways' out of comfort mostly and not out of what truly benefits us...learning to let go. 

When we find ourself being resistant to something new (including the prospect of a stolen car) it's because we expect things to be static or stationary. That will never be the long-term dynamic. So learning to let go with mindful awareness and accepting that all things must pass. And then letting them pass when the situation presents itself, regardless of our personal views, with gratitude. 

And it is with gratitude for being in the present moment with what we do have, not what we don't have, is how we walk a path towards liberation. 

And with that my friends I wish you all peace and ease,

Vladimir

You are warmly invited to follow on us on Facebook and Instagram @bluelotuscenter for more ways to improve your mindfulness practice and wellbeing.

Blue Lotus Meditation and Mindfulness Center is a registered 501(c)(3) religious organization.

Website and monthly newsletter: www.bluelotusmeditation.us

For guided meditations and Dharma talks, please visit and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

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