The Whole of the Holy Life

Ajahn Karuṇadhammo

The Whole of the Holy Life

[From a Morning Reflection in 2013]
With many people away, it’s so quiet I can hear the water dripping over the sound of our breathing. We can have our own little retreat here today, which is always the way it is here regardless of the day. We can use every opportunity to practice mindfulness—to be aware of where our body is and what our mind is doing and ask ourselves, “Is this a skillful state of mind or is it an unskillful state of mind? Am I distracted? Am I in touch? Am I so absorbed in what I’m doing that I am not really seeing what’s going on with the people around me?”

The title of Luang Por Pasanno’s daylong retreat at Spirit Rock today is “The Whole of the Path: the Fruits of Spiritual Friendship.” Many people know the sutta where Ānanda says to the Buddha, “The Saṅgha is half of the holy life,” and the Buddha replies, “Don’t say that Ānanda; it’s the whole of the holy life.” The opportunity to practice with people is one of the unique features of our community.

Where would we be if we didn’t have support from people when we are having difficulties or the feedback from people when we are missing the mark? The qualities of mindfulness, self-awareness, and sensitivity to other people are strengthened with the reflective guidance of spiritual friendship.

Many of us are in need of individualized guidance for our training, and we support each other in this. We embody the sense of community and the sense of care and concern for each other. This is where the fruits of living in a community can truly be seen, especially in juxtaposition to people who lack support and have difficulties going it alone.

It can sometimes be challenging to rejoice in and take advantage of the opportunity to practice within a community. Because of this, it is useful to remind ourselves that it may not be here forever. Circumstances change, communities change, and we never know where we are going to find ourselves next.

If we keep this in mind, we can use the opportunity we have here to be sensitive to each other, to be mindful around one another, to orient ourselves to our present experience, and to feel a sense of appreciation for the community we live in.

This reflection by Ajahn Karuṇadhammo is from the book, Beginning Our Day, Volume 2, (pdf) pp. 88-89.

A Blade of Grass

Ajahn Sumedho

A Blade of Grass

Each one of us is a blade of grass. We want all the blades of grass on the planet to be healthy, but it can seem overwhelming. There have never been this many people on this planet in the known history of human civilization. The mind boggles; it can’t cope with so many blades. But this one blade of grass is something I have some control over. This one conscious being is something I can work with.…

Start from Those Endings

Ajahn Sucitto

Start from Those Endings

We have to learn to open up to the world around us. It’s one of the last things we do, actually. We normally have an unawakened relationship with the world around us. We pay attention to it just to manipulate it, to find things for ourselves in it. We even talk about living our life as if life is something separate from us. We try to get ‘on top of life’ or get ‘ahead in life’. The world of nature…

At Least Refrain from Negativity and Ill-will

Ajahn Candasiri

At Least Refrain from Negativity and Ill-will

I remember when I first told people that I was going to be a nun, one immediate response was, ‘Well, how selfish! Isn’t that awfully self-centred?’ My reply was, ‘Yes. It’s completely self-centred… but until I can understand my own suffering, my own difficulty, I’m not going to be able to help anybody else very much.’ Although I wanted to help, I saw that my capacity for serving others was very li…

In Harmlessness Is Strength

Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu

In Harmlessness Is Strength

The harmless selves in your toolbox are the ones you want to encourage, to put to use. Now, it may seem ironic that part of having a strong sense of self is that you try to make the self as harmless as possible. We tend to think of people with a strong sense of self as often being careless in their treatment of others, but that’s not genuine strength. The more you harm others, the more you’re crea…

The Importance of Worldly Discretion

Ajahn Jotipālo

The Importance of Worldly Discretion

One word mentioned in the Mettā Sutta is nipako. It is often translated as wise, chief, or highest. Bhikkhu Bodhi translates it as discretion and talks about it in terms of worldly skills or practical wisdom. One way to reflect on this translation of nipako is in the realm of human relationships. By looking back on a conversation, for instance, we can ask ourselves whether we had been gentle and…

Self-Respect: A Healthy and Balanced Self

Ajahn Sucitto

Self-Respect: A Healthy and Balanced Self

For me, the issue of respect is a major one – it touches into what can be a chronic lack, a lack that we experience as having no worth. This sense whirls one’s [sic] along a track, in a semi-conscious way, of seeking accomplishment, security or the approval of others. And as with all confused needs, no matter how much one gets, it isn’t enough. This is because we’re looking for an inner foundation…

Fools & Wise People

Pāli Canon

Fools & Wise People

“Monks, these two are fools. “Which two? The one who doesn’t see his transgression as a transgression, and the one who doesn’t rightfully pardon another who has confessed his transgression. These two are fools. “These two are wise people. “Which two? The one who sees his transgression as a transgression, and the one who rightfully pardons another who has confessed his transgression. These two are…

Tough Blessings

Ayyā Medhānandī

Tough Blessings

Curious to try hermetic life, in 1999, I stepped outside the monastic cloister. The following years without the support of the sorority were a test of my refuge, compelling me to rely on the qualities of compassion and forgiveness as never before. Still bound by monastic precepts, living on my own stirred feelings of anxiety and insecurity. From day to day, I did not know how my needs would be pro…

Change What We Do: Change Who We Are

Bhikkhunī Ānandabodhī

Change What We Do: Change Who We Are

In changing what we do, we change who we are. The Buddha strongly emphasized the importance of recollecting our generosity and our virtue. It may not be something we are accustomed to, but if we don’t notice the good that we’re doing and appreciate it, our old, limiting patterns will take over. We might be afraid that we’ll get conceited if we allow ourselves to really feel the joy of the good tha…