Appreciation heart training.
<Courtesy of Simon>
Siddhartha Buddha brought to the earth 84 000 different Buddhist teachings.
These teachings can be divided into 3 categories.
First level is called warm up system. Warm up system is for people who have not developed any Buddhist spiritual ability or discipline yet, but are still curious to improve their lives. In these teachings Siddhartha Buddha described life as being like a mirror. What we experience in life is the reflection from our intention; the way to clean what we see in the mirror is by cleaning ourselves.
In these teachings Siddhartha Buddha taught, causation and that we are, through our choices the main cause of everything that happens in our lives. Karma is the force created by all of our past causes (choices). We can create a better karma by avoiding decisions which cause suffering for ourselves and other lives.
Siddhartha Buddha also taught that taking care of our life is like being a good farmer: removing our bad habits is like cleaning out weeds by curating the soil; we have to go deep to remove the roots by being sincere about changing our lives. This system makes the land (our heart/consciousness) ready for crops (being kind and caring intention) to be planted.
In the warm up system Siddhartha Buddha taught that Buddhism is not a mental study but is a philosophy for helping people to develop two powers, cleaning out the bad (blind habits) and developing the good (being kind and caring.)
This system is called warm up because although following this system will help people to have a better life, it is not a path to develop true spiritual ability. This system is only for preparing someone to learn Buddhism.
The second system is called Rohan (spiritual monk) system. Rohan is a spiritual title for people who are aware that life is an illusion and everything in life is constantly changing; this means what might be good at one time might also become bad at anther. Good and bad are always a pair; that is relative to temporary situations.
Siddhartha Buddha taught in the Rohan system that wisdom is the ability to see through our own desire rather than searching for what’s good (and bad).
Through the discipline of avoiding the desire to search for good and bad, we will stop falling into the trap of good and bad karma, and eventually this desire will stop appearing and our heart will be empty of searching.
Siddhartha Buddha taught through Rohan system that if we are empty of this searching habit we can be open to accept wise teachings from Buddha and Bodhisattva. Being empty of searching habit is the foundation of meditation ability. This is the ability to see that life all including our body is illusion. Through this awareness we can be free from holding onto the body and start to enjoy life beyond many limitations.
Even though Rohan is a spiritual title, Rohan system is still considered a warm up to true Buddhism. Rohan can only reach empty by disconnecting from society and other life which are still lost by good and bad. If Rohan connect to a normal society they would be influenced by other life and fall into the temptation of good and bad. From this limitation Rohan are still stuck in ego (to take their own life as the most important) and not able to develop compassion (the ability to help other life without getting lost by ego).
The third system is called Bodhisattva system, being aware of the eternal truth of life. Bodhisattva is a spiritual title only given to consciousness which have a great spiritual ability. Bodhisattvas live in an eternal spiritual will, because their power to follow their eternal will is so strong their wisdom will always improve until they become Buddha. The title of Bodhisattva is only given to a life which is eternally free from suffering and has many abilities far beyond regular human limitation.
Siddhartha Buddha taught the Heart Sutra as the foundation for learning Bodhisattva system. Heart means consciousness or our true self and Sutra means book so this is the book for learning consciousness (our true self)
The first line of the Heart Sutra “Observing self being Bodhisattva deeply develop 6 Bodhisattva characters.” Explains that the way to become Bodhisattva is by observing ourselves (temporary I and true I) for developing the 6 Bodhisatva characters; generosity, discipline, patience, concentration, meditation and wisdom.
This teaches us that every life has the potential to become Bodhisattva, though their observing ability. Observing ourselves in this context means releasing or seeing through the 4 devils; Worry, Fear of death, Blindness (3 poison consciousness, greed, hate and stupidity) all the other lives lost by the first 3 devils.
The first devil is worry, worry could be like a black hole the more we worry, the more we worry and the stronger the habit becomes. To see through worry we need to understand that it never helps anything. Worry makes us unable to relax and observe a situation to see what can be done the best.
Releasing our worry is great wisdom ability. This wisdom can clean out all of the 4 devils and if we train it deeply enough can become Bodhisattva through this training.
This wisdom is called appreciation heart training. When we create appreciation heart then there is no room for worry.
Appreciation heart is not the same as just being appreciative. Usually when we experience appreciation it is a temporary feeling that is a reaction to a temporary situation.
Appreciation heart is the ability to appreciate the eternal truth of life; because this is eternal we eternally feel appreciation eternally have no room for 4 devils. While this idea sounds abstract and can even help us become Bodhisatva it is actually very concrete and anyone with any level of spiritual ability can benefit from practicing it.
We can use our breathing to develop appreciation heart. Our breathing is a good tool because it’s something we do all the time. Usually we take our breath as not a big deal but if we were stuck in a room without oxygen we would quickly see how much we appreciate this air. In fact there is nothing in the whole universe more valuable to us than fresh air.
Breathing exists through so many seemingly random circumstances; the climate of the earth, the geography of the solar system, the huge forces moving in the galaxy, the gravity which keeps the universe together; in fact everything in the entire universe has a relationship and this power supports you to have the oxygen to breathe right now. Each molecule of oxygen we breathe is on an incredible journey through the universe to enter into your body now.
The simple action of breathing is a connection to unlimited different time and space. We are not aware of this each time we breathe; we take this incredible power for granted.
Although we know how to breathe we do not have wisdom to breathe in the way that reduces the tension in our bodies and psychologies. As a baby we are born with this original wisdom, the wisdom to unite our whole body together with each breath.
As we get older we create tension, and stress. This tension makes our bodies become disjointed and no longer united in harmony. Finally once there is too much tension in the body, it is unable to perform its basic function of supporting the breath and there’s no choice but to leave the body, with a strong memory of all this physical tension and suffering.
This wisdom breathing training has 3 different levels for training
- Relaxation breathing
Firstly have the attitude of appreciating this opportunity to breathe and that the universe is supporting your breath right now. Sit in a relaxed position, lean against something if it’s difficult to sit straight. Feel your stomach and abdomen expand like a balloon, as you breathe let the open feeling drift to the whole body. Feel that the centre of the body from the top of the head to the base of the spine is straight like a laser. Be aware of any part of the body which feels tense or not relaxed and release that tension.
To release all the tension in the body is actually very difficult, but appreciate this opportunity to learn the wisdom of whole body breathing. If you enjoy this training and the body feels light and free while your postures remains straight then practice level 2.
- Dragon Breathing
Be aware of the whole body in a delicate sensitive way. Make sure that each part of the body is disciplined but without tension; be aware of the connection to the floor through the feet, knees and pelvis, the chest is open, shoulders are relaxed, neck is straight, whole faces including eye lids should be relaxed and still without being forced. The hands should be open and light.
As you inhale be aware of the dantien. Feel each joint expanding and the whole body fully charged and light. As you exhale; from the dantien relax and feel the force of gravity on every cell, twisting around the centre line of the body. Follow the breath as it moves around the body until the direction of space is no longer from your regular body perspective. If you’re able to connect to the universe as expanding twisting galaxies in the third eye, then progress to the next technique.
- Appreciation Breathing
Dragon Breathing is the foundation for Appreciation Breathing but we change the attitude and intention. As well as being aware of the body in a delicate and sensitive way put the feeling of appreciating eternal truth of life into each part of the body.
From the foot to the eyelash to the finger tips, feel the breath gently circulate through the whole body and at every point it touches let your appreciation follow into that part of the body. This will help you to be aware that you’re not your human body, continually appreciate this new awareness. Once your consciousness is free to aware of the universe and twisting galaxies continue to put the appreciation heart into each detailed part of your awareness.
Appreciation Breathing has many different levels:
The first level is being able to appreciate connecting to 2 types of emptiness. The first emptiness is being free to connect and disconnect from the body while it remains frozen sitting like a statue, free from tension with perfect harmony. The second emptiness is being free to connect and disconnect to universe as galaxies twisting and expanding freely, appearing in the third eye. If we can appreciate both these awareness, ego will not appear and the second level of appreciation heart will appear instead.
The second level appears as being able to connect to the universe and twisting galaxies, as a new I. Each time you’re aware of a twisting galaxy then that new awareness becomes a new I as point of view, to be aware from. Once you can be aware that each of these new awareness’ are just a test and can appreciate that wisdom is the ability to see through this process of creating egos then third level will appear.
The third level appears as each new galaxy or space opening up into a new galaxy or space; a detailed part of the awareness opens up into an entirely new awareness. This new type of space is called space of space, or mandala (wonder space).
The fourth success is only possible when the appreciation heart is so deep that even connecting to a wonder space is only taken as an illusion. The only awareness is pure appreciation, space and time disappear.
At this stage of appreciation heart if you bow to Buddha or Bodhisattva they will help you to connect to their will and develop your own spiritual will.
Breathing has the power to open up all the unlimited potential hidden in consciousness. We are lucky to have the opportunity to use our lives to develop this power.
