I hope I am not hijacking Starry's thread here and I hope I don't sound preachy or as a know it all cus I am not like that IRL at all.
Here goes [MENTION=18694]The Wailing Specter[/MENTION] :-
You should never try to attain enlightenment. It's okay to have it in the back of your mind but should NOT try to attain it. This would stress you quite a lot from my experience. This is what I do to motivate myself without stressing myself to attain nirvana which I used to:-
If I can use this 'practice' to not get overwhelmed by anger, jealousy, guilt or prevent self from becoming too greedy for sensory and mental pleasures that should be enough (nirvana can fly a kite) and if I do it long enough I 'might' attain Nirvana.
Think of it as typing on a keyboard. There is a particular way to hold the keys on the keyboard. Before you get used to it I used to think it would be easier if I just use my index fingure to type while staring at the keys rather than the board. But despite this I persisted and used the technique advocated by experts. Now because I persisted I can type without looking at the keys and even while having my eyes closed.
Think of your Vipassana practice as something like typing on the keyboard. At first if becomes annoying and hard but if you persist you'd SURELY be able to: note (saying in your head) your emotions, sensations (whether negative or positive) as it happens and finally watch them without being attached or averse to them at all. This will become second nature sooner or later (like typing on the keyboard without looking at the keys). And if you do it long enough you will attain Nirvana.
Until then practice vipassana/zen until this becomes second nature - this should be your goal.
Read this article again and what I am trying to say might be a little bit more clearer -
Writing Down Feelings Really Does Make Us Feel Better, Study Says
This is wrong. But please don't be discouraged because I myself used to think this was the goal and most people think it is.
The goal is NOT to not have any thoughts. Even people who've attained Nirvana/Enlightenment has a million thoughts per day. But they are NOT affected by them because of what I said above. They have been noting (in their heads) their feelings for so long then can watch them without being affected at all and they don't even intentionally practice vipassana anymore.
On a side note - initially even though you'd be able to note your feelings which will considerably reduce the affect it has on your hormones/body/mind (read the article above) you'd still be somewhat affected by them to a certain degree. But that is OKAY cus if you do it for long enough one day you wouldn't be affected at all which is Nirvana.
I am still in this stage. I can note my feelings and watch them but many a times even if I watch them though my mind starts to calm down a lot I am still quite affected by them and have a million feelings that goes even unnoted. It's okay because I know I am doing something that would benefit me RIGHT NOW to a certain degree and would be an expert at it in atleast another couple of years.
There are NO rules in Buddhism. Your actions have consequences and your intention behind these actions will amplify these consequences. (This is the definition of Karma in Buddhism.) There are 5 percepts (self conduct) in Buddhism which are: refraining from harming others, taking what is not given/stealing, sexual misconduct/adulatory/cheating, lying and gossiping, taking intoxicating substances. This are not rules and Buddha hasn't banned them. He hasn't banned anything for laypersons probably because he felt it was impractical to do so.
For example how can you not kill someone if you are in armed forces and someone is trying to kill another person or you? However if I am not mistaken Buddhist MONKs are not supposed to kill at all. They can always leave the monastry (which is NOT considered a sin in buddhism) if they want to engage in activities which might lead them to take others' lives.
Also those famous five percepts were Jain practices. They came to Buddha and said whether he can recommend his followers to follow them. Buddha said okay and asked his followers to follow these 5 disciplines.
Ps - I don't like lizards either and they frighten me. If a snake visits me at my home I would more likely kill it too. However, I wouldn't encourage you to go out of your way to hunt down lizards in the wild or something
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They can't. Most monks haven't attained nirvana. Like I said above even the ones who have attained nirvana have feelings. They just by second nature note them and watch them rise and fall. Also you said physiology instead of psychology. I doubt people who attained nirvana become Ninjas
D.
I wish I had those. But your cat would probably occupy these cushions more and frown at you for using them.
Yessss.
People most often confuse the word Dukkha (in the first noble truth) with suffering. Dukkha means dissatisfaction or stress. Siddartha's primary goal was to find a cure for dissatisfaction. He wanted to find a method by which to eradicate dissatisfaction.
One cannot say life is suffering when you have everything you want it life. But that person might feel dissatisfied after a while.
Lets take a few positive things for example: Even when you accomplish something you wanted, get something you wanted, receive a complement, win someone's heart etc sooner or later after a while you feel dissatisfied cus you want more. And once you get that thing you wanted which you thought would fill your dissatisfaction again something happens that will lead you to be dissatisfied.
When you are sick, when someone you like die, when you grow old, when you don't get what you want, when someone breaks your heart etc you do not like the current presence of the situation thus feel dissatisfied or sad about it. At this instance people might conveniently use the word suffering instead of dissatisfaction. But if you read the above you might think dissatisfaction is a better word.
I think I know why the word dukkha was equated to suffering, There is a historical aspect to it. That's another story though.
You can also do it while you are engaged in your day to day activities like walking, talking, eating, watching tv etc. This is kayanupassana (observing body). The best part about this is when you do this you can note your feelings (emotions/thoughts and sensations) as they rise while you go about your day to day life.
HOWEVER this is sattipattana NOT Zen. I don't know anything about zen. Since you are following zen from a proper teacher you should do as he says not as I say. Sorry if I confused you.
Do zen masters talk in riddles???
