Science and the Mysteries of TIBET (video)

Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; David Wilcock/Edgar Cayce (DivineCosmos.com, WisdomTeachings.com, Gaiam TV.com); Disclosure Truth TV; VAJRAYANA BUDDHISM

Guru Rimpoche Padmasambhava, six fingered mystery figure in Tibetan Buddhism (wiki)

 

• Watch Preview (Season 2, Episode 34, 36:07 mins)
  

Wisdom Teachings with David Wilcock (#69)
The transfiguration into a rainbow body of light has long been shunted to the realms of mystical experience and Eastern philosophy.

However, there are Western scientific concepts, which we have already learned about in previous episodes, to validate the reality of this ascension [transmogrification] process.

David Wilcock, who formerly existed as Edgar Cayce, begins to weave together the science and philosophy of the rainbow body transformation before presenting physical examples of Padmasambhava’s ascension in this presentation originally webcast July 7, 2014.  

• See Full Series
• VIDEO: David Wilcock exposes Mass Arrests
• VIDEO: The plan to take down the Illuminati

Beyond Cosmic Consciousness - Part 1 (Season 1, Episode 3) Wilcock explains how to connect with the galactic center in order to boost our psychic abilities, the positive impact of the "meditation effect" upon the world, and how light affects DNA. Discover how we can begin to...

Who is David Wilcock?
(Disclosure Truth TV, June 7, 2014) In "The Hidden Science of Lost Civilizations" David Wilcock exposes some of the greatest scientific secrets of our time -- from DNA transformation to multidimensional time -- to unlock the mysteries humankind have always struggled to answer: Who are we? How did we get here? And where are we going? 

In his book The Synchronicity Key, he goes beyond this new understanding to investigate how our universe works. Using history and astrology, as well as new research into fractals, spiritual geometry, and quantum physics, Wilcock demonstrates that there is a hidden architecture within time which guides individuals and nations through a system of "enlightenment" (which Joseph Campbell called the "Hero's Journey" or Heroine's Journey, as we all go through it).

What is it? Historical events occur in shockingly precise and repeating cycles of time. And once the hidden laws governing our "fate" our destinies, which we influence all along the way, through seemingly random events Jung termed "synchronicities," are identified, we are left with a remarkable blueprint of how to lead our lives in an uncertain world.

Synchronicity is more than a happy accident. It is an effect of the connectivity of the universe. It is proof that everything is a part of a unified, connected whole.

It is an affirmation of life. Wilcock's understanding of the living fabric that binds the universe together is behind his knowledge of synchronicity, the Law of One, and how we are guided by it.

 
Synchronicity is a means to awaken us to our true identity, the thoughts we think, and the actions we take (karma) are being guided by hidden cycles that repeat, as our guide to this new world of knowledge explains.

David Wilcock and Wynn Free co-authored the book The Reincarnation of Edgar Cayce? in 2004. He is also the author of the 2011 book The Source Field Investigations, which debuted at No. 18 on the New York Times Best Sellers list on Sept. 11, 2011. His second book, The Synchronicity Key, debuted at No. 8 on the same list on Sept. 4, 2013.

Wilcock has appeared on several radio programs, including semi-regular appearances, and he had a role in the Syfy documentary "2012." He was a proponent of the theory that a large segment of humanity would undergo ascension in the year 2012. He also appeared in several episodes of the History Channel series "Ancient Aliens." Beginning in early 2013, he began hosting a weekly program entitled "Wisdom Teachings with David Wilcock" on Gaiam TV.

Free your mind, the rest will follow

Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; David G Allen, Wise Up (BBC.com, 6-2-14)

“You can’t shut it up by trying to shut it off.” [Observe it without judgment.] (Thinkstock)

 

Is it Zen, or just the art of getting things done?

The new hot trend in Silicon Valley office culture is a Buddh-ish encouragement of workplace mindfulness. Guided meditation is the new free cafeteria meals.

 

But David G Allen, author of the international bestselling productivity bible, Getting Things Done, has been teaching people how to reach higher levels of cognitive thinking for almost two decades. Like Eastern [Buddhist] mindfulness, his solution is simple but challenging to fully implement.

If that doesn’t raise any follow-up questions you can stop reading and get to it. But the truth is most people don’t know how to clear their mind.

 

Combat expat homesickness

Buddhism encourages you to focus on the breath or a single thought to calm the mad monkey screeching in your skull. Such practice has been empirically shown to strengthen emotional resilience and increase happiness.

 

But then the nagging thoughts start to creep in. You know the ones. Not big thoughts, but the mundane, seemingly benign nagging mental memos: “Did I send that email?” “I need to tell my boss something before the meeting.” “What was that idea I had this morning in the shower?” “I know I’m forgetting something.”

 

“We have to shut the mundane up,” Allen said to me in a phone interview a few months after we met on a stage in Austin, Texas, in the US at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Festival to discuss his well-known productivity method. Allen’s route to freeing the mind of its detritus is a more practical one than prescribed by most religions.

 

Would you work here?

“The strange paradox is you actually have to use your mind to shut your mind up,” he said. But not by meditation or mantras. “You can’t shut it up by trying to shut it off. What you have to do is [ask yourself,] ‘Why is this on my mind?’” More

Four ways to improve wisdom

Ven. Chandananda (Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara), CC Liu, Bhante (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha sitting in ancient Sukhothai, Thailand (Ted Richardson, Phuket Lawyer/flickr)

 

Buddhism emphasizes the value of wisdom and teaches how to improve it to maximum benefit.

 

Happiness in life depends on how much wisdom (liberating knowledge, discernment) we have and how much effort we put forth to develop it and bring it to fruition.

The ultimate consummation of wisdom is nirvana. Therefore, Buddhism calls wisdom "wealth" and a "diamond." 

 

Stupas are reminders of the enlightened (R2)

Wisdom, which may also be called "right understanding" or "right view," can be divided in two -- understanding karma and understanding Dependent Origination.

To cultivate wisdom we have to fulfill four requisites:

1. associating with a noble friend(s) who explains the Buddha's message,
2. listening to and studying the historical Buddha's teachings (the Dharma),
3. wisely-reflecting (YM) on the Dharma we hear and study, and
4. practicing calm, concentration, and insight (as meditations).

DHARMA license plate (drba.org)

As a result of these practices, five Spiritual Faculties (bala, part of the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment) increase.
 
As soon as a supremely enlightened being, a teaching-buddha, meets a person, that best kind of teacher/physician becomes aware of the person's spiritual power and ability, as cultivated in the past (mostly in previous lives): confidence (conviction), energy (effort), mindfulness (bare attention), concentration (collectedness), and wisdom (insight).

Karma, it's everywhere we're going to be.

The Buddha then discerns how best to explain worldly reality to the person. In this way one is able to make very rapid progress.

In the absence of personally interacting with such a teacher -- which comes about, as does so much in life, due to our mental, verbal, and bodily karma (doing) -- we systematically study the Dharma. In this way we make gradual progress toward the ultimate goal of enlightenment and nirvana without sliding back.

Final-nirvana (reclining) pose, accompanied by a golden sheen with symbolic feet, Burma

New society from the ashes of the old (sutra)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; Narada Thera (trans.), Buddhist Publ. Society, Dighajanu Sutta: "Conditions for Social and Spiritual Wealth" (AN 8.54)

Towering Buddha monument in Theravada Thailand (happySUN flickr.com)

 

"See the candle burning low. [It's] the new world rising from the shambles of the old."
- "The Rover," Led Zeppelin

Translator's note: In this discourse, the Buddha instructs rich householders on how to preserve and increase their wealth and how to avoid harm to their prosperity. Wealth alone, however, does not complete a person nor make for a harmonious society. Great wealth all too often multiplies our desires and sends us spinning in pursuit of senselessly amassing more and more wealth and power. Our unrestrained craving leaves us deeply dissatisfied, stifling inner growth, and more often than not dealing with regrets. Craving creates conflict and societal disharmony -- inspiring the resentment of the underprivileged who become aware that they are exploited by the effects of others growing rich at their expense. The Buddha, therefore, follows up his advice on great material wealth with four essential conditions for spiritual wealth: confidence (in the teacher's enlightenment), virtue, liberality, and wisdom. These four instill in a person a sense of values. We then not only pursue our material concerns but also become aware of our duty (obligation, dharma) toward society. One implication of a liberality informed by wisdom and generosity is that it reduces tensions and conflicts in society. So observing the Buddha's enlightened advice on the necessary and sufficient conditions for material and spiritual welfare makes for an ideal citizen in an ideal society.

Sutra

Phan Tao Temple, Thailand (arztsamui/flickr)

Thus have I heard. Once the Exalted One was dwelling among the Koliyans in a market town named Kakkarapatta.

• [The Koliyans were the rivals of the Buddha's family, the Sakyans. But Queen Maha Maya, the Buddha's mother, belonged to the Koliyan clan, whereas his father, King Suddhodana, belonged to the Sakyan clan.]

Then Dighajanu [a banker, “long-kneed”], a Koliyan, approached the Exalted One, saluted him, sat respectfully to one side, and asked:

"Venerable sir, we are laypeople enjoying worldly pleasures. We lead a life focused on spouse and children. We use sandalwood of Kasi [a fragrant cosmetic from Varanasi]. We deck ourselves with garlands, perfumes, and creams. We use gold and silver [money and trade]. To us and those like us, O venerable sir, let the Exalted One teach the Dharma, teach those things that lead to wealth and happiness in this life and to wealth and happiness in the next life."

Conditions of Worldly Progress

Ancient alabaster Buddha in Sukhothai, Thailand (Ted Richardson/flickr.com)

 

"Vyagghapajja [Dighajanu's family name, literally, "Tiger's Path" so called because his ancestors were born on a forest path infested with tigers], four conditions conduce to a householder's wealth and happiness in this very life. What are the four?

"The accomplishment (attainment) of: (1) persistent effort (diligence), (2) watchfulness (vigilance), (3) noble friendship, and (4) right/balanced livelihood (defined below).

"What is the accomplishment of persistent effort?

"Herein [within this Dharma and Discipline], Vyagghapajja, by whatever activity a householder earns a living -- whether by farming, trading, rearing cattle [for milk], archery, royal service, or by any other kind of craft -- at that one becomes skillful and is not lazy. One is endowed with the power of discernment (wisdom) as to the proper ways and means. One is able to carry out and delegate (duties). This is called the accomplishment of persistent effort.

"What is the accomplishment of watchfulness?

"Herein, Vyagghapajja, whatever wealth a householder is in possession of, obtained by dint of effort, collected by strength of arm, by sweat of brow, justly acquired by right means -- such one cultivates well by guarding and watching so that rulers do not seize it, thieves not steal it, fire not burn it, water not carry it away, nor ill-disposed heirs preemptively remove it. This is the accomplishment of watchfulness.

Golden Buddha under the enlightenment tree in a magnificent hall (t3cnica/flickr.com)

 

"What is noble friendship?

"Herein, Vyagghapajja, in whatever village or market town a householder dwells, one associates, converses, engages in discussions with householders or householders' children, whether young and highly cultured or old and highly cultured, full of confidence [verifiable-faith based on knowledge rather than any kind of blind-faith], full of virtue, full of generosity, full of wisdom.

"One acts in accordance with the confidence of the confident, with the virtue of the virtuous, with the generosity of the generous, with the wisdom of the wise. This is called noble friendship.

"What is right/balanced livelihood?

"Herein, Vyagghapajja, a householder knowing the measure of both income and expenses leads a balanced life, neither extravagant nor miserly, knowing that thus one's income will stand in excess of expenses and not expenses in excess of income.

"If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall."

- American saying on personal finances

 

"Just as a goldsmith [tuladharo, literally, a “carrier of the scales”] or a goldsmith's apprentice knows, on holding up a balance, that by so much it has tilted down or by so much it has tilted up, even so a householder, knowing one's income and expenses, leads a balanced life. One is neither extravagant nor miserly, knowing that in this way income will stand in excess of expenses and not expenses in excess of income.

"If, Vyagghapajja, a householder with little income were to lead an extravagant life, there would be those who say -- 'This person enjoys property like one who eats wood-apple.' [The Commentary explains that one who wants to eat wood-apple shakes the tree, with the result that many fruits fall but only a few are eaten, with a much greater number going to waste]. If, Vyagghapajja, a householder with a large income were to lead a miserly life, there would be those who say, 'This person will die like a starveling.'

Losing Money

"The wealth thus amassed, Vyagghapajja, has four sources of destruction:

"(1) Debauchery, (2) drunkenness, (3) gambling, (4) or friendship, companionship, and intimacy with wrongdoers.

• [The Buddha defines "false friendship" in the Sigalovada Sutra (DN 31: A Brief Code of Buddhist Ethics) -- four foes in the guise of friends, who take things, make fake promises, flatter, and encourage ruin, all of which the Buddha details.]

"Just as in the case of a great tank with four inlets and outlets, if a person should close the inlets and open the outlets, and there should be inadequate rainfall, decrease of water is to be expected in that tank rather than an increase. Even so, there are four sources for the destruction of amassed wealth -- debauchery, drunkenness, gambling, and friendship, companionship, and intimacy with wrongdoers.

Making Money

"There are four sources for the increase of amassed wealth: (1) avoiding debauchery, (2) avoiding drunkenness, (3) non-indulgence in gambling, (4) friendship, companionship, and intimacy with the good-doers.

"Just as in the case of a great tank with four inlets and four outlets, if a person were to open the inlets and close the outlets, and there should also be adequate rainfall, an increase in water is certainly to be expected rather than a decrease. Even so, these four conditions are the sources of increase of amassed wealth.

"These four conditions, Vyagghapajja, are conducive to a householder's wealth and happiness in this very life.

Conditions of Spiritual Progress

Monumental statue with the Moon as the Buddha's aura (happySUN/flickr.com)

 

"Four conditions, Vyagghapajja, conduce to a householder's wealth and happiness in the next life. What are the four?

"The accomplishment: of confidence, virtue, charity, and wisdom.

"What is the accomplishment of confidence?

"Herein a householder is possessed of confidence, believing in the enlightenment of the Wayfarer (Tathagata): Thus, indeed, is that Blessed One: pure, fully enlightened, endowed with liberating knowledge and conduct, well-gone, knower of worlds, incomparable teacher of persons to be tamed, teacher of devas and humans, all-knowing [able to apply his mind to know anything], and blessed. This is called the accomplishment of confidence.

 

"What is the accomplishment of virtue?

"Herein a householder abstains from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and from intoxicants that cause infatuation and heedlessness [lead one to heedlessly ignore the preceding four precepts]. This is called the accomplishment of virtue.

 

"What is the accomplishment of generosity?

"Herein a householder dwells at home with a heart free from the stain of greed (avarice), devoted to generosity, open-handed, delighting in charity, attending to the needy, delighting in the distribution of alms. This is called the accomplishment of generosity.

"What is the accomplishment of wisdom?

"Herein a householder is wise: One is endowed with wisdom that understands the arising and cessation (of the Five Aggregates of existence); one is possessed of the noble penetrating insight that leads to the destruction of suffering. [This suggests that one is a noble disciple, that is, a progressively enlightened householder such as a stream enterer or once returner.] This is called the accomplishment of wisdom.

"These four conditions, Vyagghapajja, conduce to a householder's wealth and happiness in the next life."

Energetic and heedful in every task,

Wisely administering wealth,

One lives a balanced life,

Protecting the wealth one has amassed.

Endowed with confidence and virtue too,

Generous and free of avarice;

One ever works to clear the path

That leads to wealth in future lives.

Thus to the layperson full of trust,

In one rightly called enlightened,

These eight conditions have been told

Which now and after lead to bliss.

ASK MAYA: Meditation vs. Absorption? (Part 2)

Maya, Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Kelly Y., Wisdom Quarterly  ASK MAYA (See PART 1)

Enlightenment is not an ancient dream but a modern reality (michellemortagemusings.com)

 

Part 2: Enlightenment

Note that the "point" of meditation is not meditation itself. Nor is it absorption.
 
The Buddha was interested in virtue, but not virtue for virtue's sake. He was interested in virtue because he realized that it led to concentration (a calm, collected heart/mind).

He was not interested in concentration for concentration's sake. Nor was it all the marvels a calm, collected, concentrated mind/heart is capable of. The point of virtue is that it is the basis for concentration. The point of concentration is that it is the basis for WISDOM.

Enlightenment (bodhi) sees nirvana. (SC)

What is the heart/mind's greatest potential? Enlightenment. And here is how to arrive at it:

1. What is the problem? Suffering is the problem. 2. What is the cause? Ignorance (which causes and conditions craving). 3. What is the solution? Nirvana. 4. What is the path to nirvana? It is the path to enlightenment. The first glimpse of nirvana is the first stage of enlightenment: stream entry.

 

Modern tree sitter Amanda Senseman (PD)

If one meditates, one might become absorbed. If one gains the first absorption, one will notice that it is too close to the ordinary distracted state we live in. Seeing this defect, one can move to the second absorption, which is better but still flawed.

Noticing the flaw in the second absorption, one can move to the third...fourth [...eighth]. From the fourth, full of equanimity and one-pointedness of attention, it is very easy to come out and turn the mind/heart to the unique teachings of the Buddha: special mindfulness practices (such as Dependent Origination) to see things as they truly are. How?

Everything that is of a nature to arise is of a nature to fall.

 

Under the original Bodhi tree (BG)

If one emerges from the fourth absorption -- the heart temporarily pure, the mind crystal clear -- and turns to insight meditation practices, wisdom can arise.

 

This arising does not happen by accident, without causes and conditions. It all begins with an intention to meditate, followed by effort, then effortlessness, then the absorptions (at least the first), then emerging and turning to the unique practices the Buddha taught. This, indeed, is the way outlined in general by the Buddha as the Noble Eightfold Path.

ASK MAYA: Meditation vs. Absorption?

Maya, Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Kelly Y., Wisdom Quarterly  ASK MAYA

Not excited, not distracted, not asleep, not doing, wakeful-attention to a single object eventually leads to what we were always missing. (Sue90ca/flickr)

  

This question comes from Wisdom Quarterly reader Ron: "What is the difference between meditation and absorption?" Here we answer in a more practical than theoretical way with instructions.
 

Meditation is dull and unclear until...

"MEDITATION" (bhavana) is a very general term. It literally means, "bringing into being." So it is often translated as "mental cultivation" or "self development." The mental and self can be misleading if taken too literally; it is not a brain or head thing, nor is the ego being built up. Intellectualizing the process or cultivating ego are the opposite of what's happening.

 

One might cultivate or develop many beneficial things such as virtue (the foundation of concentration) or calm or restraint.

 

One might develop one's knowledge of the Dharma (Buddhist Doctrine) through fantastically woven Mahayana stories penned long after the Buddha but written as if the Buddha had said them. Or one might get closer to the source by studying Theravada "lists," sutras, and commentaries.

Or one might learn the precepts, further precepts, or Disciplinary Code for long-term intensive practice. Or one might study the life of the Buddha and various figures from ancient India, such as these four fascinating enlightened Buddhist nuns: Khema, Uppalavanna, Bhaddhakaccana, and Sundari Nanda. Little is heard of them today as nearly all of the focus is put on monks, kings, and warriors. (The first two were the Buddha's beautiful chief disciples, the third his former wife, and the fourth his princess sister).

Stay awake (PeterFroehlich/flickr.com)

Or one might learn a meditation technique from a teacher and regularly cultivate it.

Sitting-meditation to bring "right concentration" into being first means settling the mind/heart (more correctly, letting it settle). This is done so that it can strengthen and achieve its potential. What potential?

The heart/mind has the miraculous ability to so focus its attention that it becomes one-pointed. This temporarily purifies it. 

Absorption! (Jess Allison)

"ABSORPTION" (jhana) is this effortless focus as the mind/heart is "absorbed" or pulled into the appropriate single object of its attention.
 
Getting to this point can be a long slog or a spontaneous occurrence. (No one for whom it happens spontaneously was expecting it, so it is better to prepare for a long slog. Expectations kill concentration).

So does it take effort, or is it effortless?

 

Until one lets go of the striving, efforting, grunting, and "trying," the heart/mind will not cohere and blossom. This is why we refer to it as "effortless." 

 

But one had made the effort to cultivate virtue and to meditate with regularity, which develops the Five Factors of Absorption (jhananga). Meditation will all seem to have been preliminary and preparatory when one tastes the first absorption. All of that effort was unnecessary and in the way? Yes and no. Would we have stayed with it and gotten here if we had not put forward a tremendous amount of effort to abstain from many distracting things, to develop regularity in practice, to inquire, to study, and so on? Virtue is the foundation. It's benefit is "concentration" (samadhi).

Samsara is turbulent, swirling flood (FP)

Concentration is a misleading English translation. The word in modern American English suggests scrunching our foreheads and trying. That is NOT samadhi. 

 

Imagine when one wants clear water, but it's cloudy; one wants it clean, but it's full of obscuring particles in suspension. What is the best way to get it clear?

Let it settle. How much effort does that take? None or next to none. But we're going to need tons of effort to be patient, sit still, and wait. "Patience is the highest virtue," the Buddha said. As an American, that's the last thing we have. Clear water? Drain it, filter it while pouring it back in, irradiate it, and throw in some chlorine because we're busy! Who has time to wait and do nothing?

 

The heart/mind is naturally clear, but there are all of these defilements floating around so that we never see things clearly. And we will do anything -- except the easiest and most natural thing -- to clear things up.

ANSWER: The difference between "meditation," usually thought of as sitting crosslegged even though it means so much more, and "absorption" is like the difference between muddy turbulent water and a crystal clear still forest pool.

One can suddenly see clearly in a still forest pool (nyanamolibhikkhu/plus.google.com)

 
The Buddha gives an analogy to explain the first two Factors of Absorption, "applied-attention" (vitakka) and "sustained-attention" (vicāra).
 
These factors form the bridge between meditation and absorption. They are like the effort a bird makes to get into flight and the effort(lessness) to stay in flight. One is messy jumping and flapping, the other easy holding and gliding.

• Translating vitakka as "thought-conception" and vicāra as "discursive thinking," as was done by the earliest Western translators is incorrect and completely misleading. Scholarship by nonpractitioners has this liability. Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, who is both a scholar and a meditation master with many accomplished Western students, was able to clarify this matter for us.

"The first absorption is free from five [hindrances], and five [Factors of Absorption] are present. Whenever the meditator enters the first absorption, there have vanished: sensual craving, ill-will, sloth/torpor, restlessness/worry, and doubt. And there appears: applied-attention,sustained-attention, rapture, joy, and concentration (samādhi)" - Path of Purification (Vis.M. IV).

(jhanasadvice.com)

Another analogy used is that of poured water, which is choppy and broken. It is contrasted with poured oil, which is steady and unbroken. If one practices consistently and correctly then it no longer becomes anything about thinking. Instead, it becomes all about "getting in the zone." As soon as we start thinking, we are no longer in the zone. The same is true of absorption, which is free of discursive thinking. It is full of one-pointed attention. It's all zen (jhana). It is different from "the zone" in sports because it is full absorption; there is only one object of attention. 

 

Translating absorption as "trance," as the earliest Western translators did, can be misleading because it suggests that there is no object of attention at all. There is only one object.

 

Note, not all objects of meditation can lead to absorption. For example, we loosely say we were "totally absorbed" in a movie or videogame such that we lost track of time. That form of high external stimulation in no way leads to meditative-absorption. In fact, it leads away from it because the mind/heart becomes weaker and weaker, growing more and more dependent on intense stimulation.

 

The Buddha suggested the breath as suiting most temperaments (among 40 different objects of meditation), but it is very easy to misunderstand what he meant. Fortunately, he explained it to Ananda. He meant the subtle breath at the tip of the nose just under the nostrils when it becomes so still as to be almost imperceptible. And it will be imperceptible until the mind intensifies enough to notice it no matter how subtle it has grown. This is one of the great benefits of choosing the breath, he explained to Ananda: The more one pays attention, the subtler the breath grows. The subtler it grows, the more one needs to pay attention. This feedback loop leads right to absorption BECAUSE it leads to more subtlety with more attention.

 

 
If one strains or pushes or is otherwise disturbed, the breath will instantly be disturbed (becoming grosser and easier to notice). This does not strengthen attention, and one must again wait for it to settle into the subtle breath, which is the object of meditation. Therefore, a balance must be kept or one will go from strain and overeager striving for something to happen to sleepiness and lapsed attention (distractability).

Any strain reflects craving. And it is the very problem pointed out in the famous Indian expression ridiculing the origin of meditation: "One meditates, mismeditates, premeditates, overmeditates... One is like a cat or an owl waiting by a mouse hole..." This is what meditation was in the beginning according to the Buddha. It comes from the Buddhist "Origins of Life on Earth" story (the Aggañña Sutra, DN 27). It is called "meditation" (from the stem related to jhana), but it is not right-meditation. It will not lead to absorption. But why? They look exactly the same!

Looks have little to do with these matters. What is the state of mind of an unsuccessful meditator? Expectant, eager, craving, impatient. Like a cat or an owl, one looks patient just sitting there staring hour after hour. That is not patience; that is greed. When one meditates in another way, fully attentive but not expectant, eager, impatient, or full of craving, suddenly things happen. One did not do them; they happened. But one did set up the causes and conditions without which they would not have happened.

In absorption there is no thinking about the meditation object. One is aware of it without evaluation and without lapse. Meditation, on the other hand, means bringing attention back to the object again and again every time it wanders, which can be millions of times. Absorption refers to being immersed in one object without distraction or wavering or struggling. It is very blissful. People would never guess how blissful it is. (Next we will explain how to take this to enlightenment).

• Meditative Absorption: The First Jhana

The Fifth Precept: to abstain from drugs (sutra)

Amber Larson, Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly translation based on "The Five Precepts" (pañca-sila), AccessToInsight.org (AN 8.39)

The Buddhist Wheel of the Liberating Dharma (kadampa.org)

  

Buddha mudra, Thailand (Ponz666/flickr)

There are five basic training rules observed by all practicing lay Buddhists.

 

The precepts are often recollected after going for guidance to the Three Jewels: Buddha (the Enlightened), Dharma (Teachings that lead to enlightenment), and (noble community called the) Sangha (those who have successfully followed the Buddha and Dharma to the ultimate goal of enlightenment).  

Five Precepts

1. I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.

2. I undertake the precept to refrain from taking what is not given.

3. I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.

4. I undertake the precept to refrain from false speech.

5. I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicants which lead to carelessness.

 

Five Faultless Gifts

I will enjoy peace of mind and freedom.

"There are five great gifts -- original, ancient, traditional, long standing, unadulterated from the beginning -- that are not to be faulted now, that are never to be faulted, that are upheld by wise spiritual recluses and Brahmin priests. What are they?
 
"A disciple of the noble ones, abandoning the taking of life, abstains from taking life. In doing so, one gives to limitless numbers of beings freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression. In giving freedom to limitless numbers of beings, one gains a share of limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the first gift...
 
"Furthermore, abandoning taking what is not given (stealing), a disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking what is not given....
 
"Furthermore, abandoning sexual misconduct, a disciple of the noble ones abstains from sexual misconduct....
 
"Furthermore, abandoning false speech, a disciple of the noble ones abstains from false speech....
 

Careless in Colarado (Brennan Linsley/AP)

"Furthermore, abandoning the use of intoxicants, a disciple of the noble ones abstains from taking intoxicants. In doing so, one gives to limitless numbers of beings freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, freedom from oppression. In giving freedom one gains a share in limitless freedom from danger, freedom from animosity, and freedom from oppression. This is the fifth great gift -- original, ancient, traditional, long standing, unadulterated from the beginning -- that is not to be faulted now, that is never to be faulted, that is upheld by wise spiritual recluses and Brahmin priests."

Radical Therapy:

Buddhist Precepts in the Modern World

Prof. Lily de Silva (Buddhist Publication Society)

The Buddha rises above all obstalces (Buddhisam)

The Five Precepts are the basic Buddhist code of virtue, undertaken daily by lay Buddhists along with Going for Guidance to the Three Gems. Virtue is regarded as the indispensable foundation of a life in line with the Dharma.
 
The Five Precepts consist of five training rules of abstinence: (1) from killing, (2) from stealing, (3) from sexual misconduct, (4) from false speech, and (5) from intoxicants.
 
The Five Precepts are designed to [give freedom from remorse as they] discipline and purify the three avenues of human action -- body, speech, and mind.

The Buddha rediscovered the Path then taught it.

Abstaining from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct disciplines bodily action. Abstaining from false speech disciplines verbal action. ("False" speech is not a nice way of saying not lying; it refers to abstaining from perjury, slander, harsh/abusive speech, and frivolous talk).
 
The dual discipline of body and speech has a healthy effect on the purity of mind, although complete mental purity can only be brought about by "bringing it into being" (bhavana, mental culture, cultivation, self-development, or meditation).
 
The fifth precept -- abstaining from using intoxicants -- attempts to safeguard the mental faculty from degenerating through toxicity or a bad habit. A person under the influence has little control over oneself. So one is easily tempted to carelessly transgress the four other precepts as well. More

The ancient Five Precepts, Lumbini, Nepal (tripadvisor.com)