Buddhist Belief Blog

Have you ever had one of those days where you wonder why the $*@$#@ I don’t seem to be making any progress with my practice? Why can’t I learn to live more in tune with my Buddhist Beliefs? When I have those days I feel like chucking the whole thing. I hear myself saying, “It just isn’t working for me!” I’m frustrated — annoyed — even angry. Buddhist practice seems to work wonderfully for so many people — why won’t it work for me? I’ve been sitting for over twenty years and I still have days like this!

I know these days are an integral part of not only my life as someone who practices a Buddhist lifestyle, but I think everyone who meditates, whether they are Buddhist or non-Buddhist, has experiences similar to this. Those we look to as our teachers tell us to stick with it — not to give up. We hear the success stories — or we read constantly about people who find how training their minds has changed their lives. However, we also hear and read about people who wonder why more people don’t have such great results.

When days such as this enter our lives, there’s a great temptation to allow doubt to enter. These past few days with the escalation of the USA role with the war in Afghanistan — seeing how so many good people allow the insanity of commercialism to take over their lives this time of year — observing how our Congress has reached a place where their greed has caused them to become dysfunctional — with these happenings it’s difficult not to let thoughts of “Why Do We Bother With Our Practice?” to enter our minds.

In our Buddhist studies we’ve learned what doubt means — we’ve learned it will block our progress as Buddhists and will increase our levels of frustration. What should we say to ourselves when we become frustrated with our practice?

I don’t know if any of what I write now will help any of you who may be having similar feelings, but here’s what I’m saying to myself. — “Come back to the basics!”

Whatever thoughts you may be having about the world’s happenings today, allow those thoughts to be there and then come back to the breath. Don’t resist — don’t even resist the doubt. Allow it — and then come back to the breath. Relax and breathe. If you feel angry and frustrated — fine — allow it — then come back to the breath. Feeling happy and positive? Great — allow those feelings to be there — then come back to the breath.

Meditate WITH these feelings — don’t meditate ON them. Live our lives as best we can. Sometimes, we tend to become too involved with living our lives as spiritual practice and we forget to allow ourselves the chance to experiment with how much control our practice is teaching our minds. Our reality exists only in the present — the now.

Don’t forget how this all started for us — we were taught to go back to the breath as each discursive thought entered our minds. When we have those thoughts of “Why Do I Bother With This?” — or — “How Long Do I Have to Sit?” — remember —

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Metta ….May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.

Namaste — Be in Peace.

Ron Rink
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Just click the links that are sort of Grey in color to take you to where you can learn more about each book and how you can purchase a copy for your own library.

Anam Thubten — No Self – No Problem

No Self – No Problem
shows how to realize the ultimate meaning of life in each moment by dissolving all notions of ego-identity. It asks that spiritual seekers wake up to their true nature, which is already enlightened. Based on Buddhist wisdom traditions, this easy-to-read book discusses in simple, but profound and inspiring language, how we can live a life full of love, satisfaction, and happiness. No Self – No Problem

Sharon Salzberg — The Kindness Handbook

“It takes boldness, even audacity, to step out of our habitual patterns and experiment with a quality like kindness–to work with it and see just how it might shift and open up our lives. This book is an invitation to do just that. — From The Kindness Handbook