Religion what binds
To creed one believes,
Expression of philosophy.
To Love of wisdom
Bind mind.
Sole Bound
Cultured
Teach never
with thought
To convert,
But ever
learn.
Dedication of Merit
With intent to:
Arouse skillful means of bodhichitta to ensure accumulation of positive merit; avoid conceptualization so merit is not destroyed by circumstance; seal action by dedicating accumulated merit…
“By this accumulation of virtues, May I attain all-seeing omniscience and may all faults be annihilated. The whirling turbulent waves of birth, old age, sickness and death, from this ocean of Samsara, May I liberate beings.”
All beings are Buddhas, but this is concealed by adventitious stains. When their stains are purified their Buddhahood is revealed.
Concentrate, Contemplate, Meditate…
Concentration of Mindfulness of Breathing (Ānāpānasati)
Mindfulness of breathing developed and repeatedly practiced, is of great fruit, of great benefit; mindfulness of breathing developed and repeatedly practiced, perfects the four foundations of mindfulness; the four foundations of mindfulness, developed and repeatedly practiced, perfect the seven enlightenment factors (mindfulness, investigation, energy, joy, tranquility, concentration, and equanimity); the seven enlightenment factors, developed and repeatedly practiced, perfect clear vision and deliverance.
Concentrate, contemplate, meditate…
This is a certain body among bodies, namely, the breath.
- Know, “I breathe in long”; or “I breathe out long.”;
- Or “I breathe in short”; or “I breathe out short.”
- Experience the whole body breathe in, thus breathe out
- Calm the body formations breathe in, thus breathe out
Abide contemplating body in body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world.
This is a certain feeling among feelings, namely, the complete attention to in-breathing and out-breathing.
- Experiencing rapture breathe in, thus breathe out
- Experiencing bliss breathe in, thus breathe out
- Experiencing the mental formations breathe in, thus breathe out
- Calming the mental formations breathe in, thus breathe out
Abide contemplating feelings in feeling, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world.
There is no development of mindfulness of breathing in one who is forgetful and does not clearly comprehend.
- Experiencing the mind breathe in, thus breathe out
- Gladdening the mind breathe in, thus breathe out
- Concentrating the mind breathe in, thus breathe out
- Liberating the mind breathe in, thus breathe out
Abide contemplating mind in mind, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding the world.
Having seen with understanding what is the abandoning of covetousness and grief, become one who looks on with complete equanimity.
- Contemplating impermanence breathe in, thus breathe out
- Contemplating fading away breathe in, thus breathe out
- Contemplating cessation breathe in, thus breathe out
- Contemplating relinquishment breathe in, thus breathe out
Abide contemplating phenomena in phenomena, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having put away covetousness and grief regarding worldly attachments.
Concentrate, contemplate, meditate, liberate .
Composition on Dissolution of Illusion
Pale reflective of a brilliant jewel, the Satipatthana
The Four Arousings of Mindfulness,
the right path, for attainment…
Contemplating internally and externally
origination and dissolution,
ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful…
Without illusion for illusion conditioned composite, dispelled:
Abiding, contemplating…
1) Without covetousness and grief in body
for body conditioned composite…
Awareness of the body as transient, compound form.
2) Without covetousness and grief in feelings
for feelings conditioned composite…
Awareness of feelings as conditioned, reactive responses.
3) Without covetousness and grief in consciousness
for consciousness conditioned composite…
Awareness of mind as habituated, temporary moods.
4) Without covetousness and grief in phenomena
for phenomena conditioned composite…
Awareness of phenomena as constructed mental states.
Contemplating internally and externally
origination and dissolution,
ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful.
This is the only way for the purification of beings,
for overcoming sorrow and lamentation,
for the destruction of suffering and grief.
With Whole Heart Desire
Praise be to the ‘ī-her,
Inner ‘īghts heaven soar,
Lion of Judah roared,
“Praises to the most ‘īgh,
Ras tafarī!”
In Jah house for ī-ver more,
my refuge on path to lī-beration,
without hate, greed, nor ī-llusion.
Of any means to them end,
“Wherein all find refuge on path to lī-beration,
Absent hate, greed, and ī-llusion,
In Jah house for ī-ver more.”
Lion of Judah roared,
“Praise be to the most ‘īgh,
Ras tafarī!”
For Light and Transient Causes…
From: Preliminaries of the Farsees: “Ced’a-meon League Recognition of Rights” of contextual relevance to “Declaration of War against the Ri’cilian Coalition”
I. Ced’a-meon League Recognition of Rights
Establishing
No matter place or culture, human nature is remarkably similar.
Man, on the whole, is more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to abolish the forms to which they are accustomed.
Laws codify revelation of that self-evident, in harmony with natural order. Rules of Law that protect selfish or select interests sow disorder by infringing on natural rights and are means of oppression.
A government of the people is one beholden to its citizens, when citizens are beholden to the government it is an authoritative entity, dictating rights not protecting them. Any government that is not local, by definition, is an authoritative entity, dictating rights not protecting them.
Natural Order
These truths are self-evident, that all are created equal, endowed with rights to life, pursuit of freedom, and liberty.
1. There are no other laws other than natural law.
2. All have right to throw off and oppose any who would shackle and oppress.
3. Take not revolution in vain, make just your cause.
4. If you would govern, reflect on and abide in natural law as it relates to self and others.
5. If you would be governed, reflect on government, its price, versus freedoms given and those taken.
6. Do not kill.
7. Do not take nor covet what is not yours.
8. Recognize the rights of others as thus explained.
9. Protect those rights collectively conforming, to these principles.
10. Bear witness to truth.
Declaration
One needs no other cause to declaration of separation from that which opposes the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.
II. Ced’a-meon League’s Declaration of War against the Ri’cilian Coalition
Whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of the natural order as codified in the Declaration of Rights, it is the right of the threatened and oppressed to oppose said despotism. It is the right of those threatened and oppressed to lay a foundation on such principles and organize means in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety, freedom and liberty.
Wherein the Ri’cilian Coalition and the Ced’a-meon League having deposed the Zi’anian Empire, the League has taken the mantel of protectorate of its member states. The Coalition, under guise of democracy, has repeatedly demonstrated its intent to replace by force and coercion the Zi’anian Empire, as hegemonic despot of the Phateon System.
On numerous occasions the League has broached the “Charters of the Alliance” as retained in “The Dissolution Treaty” and further have shown disregard for the treaties stipulations on Planetary Law. See “Appendix 1: Grievances” to this declaration for a complete listing of explicit Treaty violations.
Most grievous, having directly involved itself in the War of Unification on Lis’inth on behalf of Peleios against League State Elean, the Coalition has demonstrated its greatest disregard for the “Charters of the Alliance” as retained in “The Dissolution Treaty” and threaten the existence of the League itself by having:
- Directly intervened in the Battle of Paleo Bay on behalf of Peleios against Elean, a League State.
- Encroached on Planetary Law with one of its Battle Fleets when intervening in the Battle of Paleo Bay.
- Directly threatened the way of life and existence of the League and her individual states by disregarding the expressed concerns of the League as outlined in the “Lis’inthian Accords”.
The Ced’a-meon League, consisting of Ced’a-meon Proper, States of Arcania, and Lis’inth Elania, hereby declare the dissolution of the “Lis’inthian Accords” and further absolve themselves from the “Charters of the Alliance” as retained in “The Dissolution Treaty.”
The Ced’a-meon League and individual charter states declare war on E’ricle and any state in alliance with E’ricle in this matter.
Fate, Faith, Fire
Select sayings form “The Kebra Nagast The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith, from Ethiopia and Jamaica” edited by Gerald Hausman
“The core teachings of the Kebra Nagast, live by law of compassion [not] judgement.”
…
And the Queen [of Sheba, Makeda,] spoke of the power of wisdom, and her people paid heed to what she said. For, she explained, “Wisdom is far better than the treasure of silver and gold. It is sweeter than honey and finer than wine, brighter than the sun, and to be loved more than precious stones. What is stored within it is greater than oil, and it satisfies one’s craving more than [flesh]. It is joy to the heart, light to the eye, speed to the foot, and shield to the breast. Wisdom is the best of all treasures. Who stores gold has no profit without wisdom, and who stores wisdom-none can steal it away.” Then the Queen made ready to set out on her journey.
…
And Solomon said, “The Father loves the humble, and those who practice humility walk in the way of the Father and rejoice in His Kingdom. Blessed is the man who knows wisdom, which is to say compassion, which is to say love of the Father.”
…:
“Fools suffer for want of wisdom, fools die from lack of knowledge”
Impermanence
”Nothing, from the highest states of existence down to the lowest hells, has even a scrap of permanence or stability. Everything is subject to change, everything waxes and wanes.”
…
Geshe Potowa [states] “If you want to use a single Dharma practice, to meditate on impermanence is the most important.
At first meditation on death and impermanence makes you take up the Dharma; in the middle it conduces to positive practice; in the end it helps you realize the sameness of all phenomena.
At first meditation on impermanence makes you cut your ties with the things of this life; in the middle it conduces to your casting off all clinging to samsara; in the end it helps you take up the path of nirvana.
At first meditation on impermanence makes you develop faith; in the middle it conduces to diligence in your practice; in the end it helps you give birth to wisdom.
At first meditation on impermanence, until you are fully convinced, makes you search for the Dharma; in the middle it conduces to practice; in the end it helps you attain the ultimate goal.
At first meditation on impermanence, until you are fully convinced, makes you practice with a diligence which protects you like armor; in the middle it conduces to your practicing with a diligence in action; in the end it helps you practice with a diligence that is insatiable.”
…
“Bless me and misguided beings like me, that we may truly understand impermanence”
Selections from “Words of My Perfect Teacher” chapter 2, “The impermanence of life” by Patrul Rinpoche
Progress Toward Enlightenment
From “The Heart of Meditation Discovering Innermost Awareness”
By: The Dalia Lama translated by J. Hopkins
Chapter 1 “Knowledge The Purpose of Concentration”
Subsection “Progress To Enlightenment” herein abridged
TADYATHA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA.
This Sanskrit mantra translates as, “It is thus: Proceed, proceed, proceed beyond, thoroughly proceed beyond, be founded in enlightenment.”
Who is proceeding? It is the “I” that is designated in dependence upon the continuum of the mind. From what are you proceeding? You are moving away from cyclic existence, that state of being under the influence of contaminated actions and counterproductive emotions. To what are you proceeding? You are proceeding to buddhahood that is endowed with a truth body, forever free of suffering and the sources of suffering (afflictive emotions), as well as the predispositions established by afflictive emotions. Upon what causes and condition do you depend as you proceed? You are proceeding in dependence on a path that is a union of compassion and wisdom.
When Buddha says, “TADYATHA GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE BODHI SVAHA” he is telling trainees to proceed over the five paths:
GATE – the path of accumulation [of merit]
GATE – the path of preparation
PARAGATE — the path of seeing [insight]
PARASAMGATE – the path of meditation
BODHI SVAHA — the path of no more learning
1. What is the initial path, the path of accumulation? It is that period when you mainly practice other-directed motivation and thereby accumulate great stores of merit. Also, although you are practicing a union of motivation and wisdom, your realization of emptiness has not reached the level where stabilizing meditation and analytical meditation are mutually supportive, called “a state arisen from meditation.” On this path, you achieve powerfully concentrated meditation , and are working toward a state arisen from meditation realizing emptiness. During this and the following path, you ascertain emptiness in the manner of a dualistic appearance of wisdom and the emptiness being realized.
2. At the point at which you achieve a state of wisdom arisen from meditation realizing emptiness, you pass to the path of preparation.
3. Eventually emptiness is realized directly, without even subtle contamination from dualistic appearance, which has vanished. This is the beginning of the path of seeing — the path of initial direct realization of the truth concerning the deep nature of phenomena, passing beyond the mundane level to the supramundane level of the path of seeing in which dualistic appearance has vanished. At this point in the Great Vehicle, the ten bodhisattva levels (called “grounds” because on them special spiritual qualities are engendered, like plants, growing on the earth) begin.
4…. Meditation must take place repeatedly over a long period of time, this phase of the path is called the path of meditation. Indeed, you have meditated on emptiness earlier, but the path of meditation refers to a path of extended familiarization.)
5. Now, through using the diamond-like concentrated meditation achieved at the end of the ten bodhisattva grounds — the culmination of still having obstructions yet to be overcome — you can effectively undermine the very subtle obstacles to omniscience. The next moment of your mind becomes an omniscient consciousness, and simultaneously the deep nature of the mind becomes the nature body of a buddha. This is the fifth and final path, the path of no more learning. From the very subtle wind, or energy — which is one entity with that mind – various pure and impure physical forms spontancously spring forth to assist sentient beings; these are called the form bodies of a buddha. This is buddhahood, a state of being a source of help and happiness for all sentient beings.
That is a brief explanation of emptiness, the object with respect to which a practitioner first develops the wisdom arisen from hearing, then ascertains it with the wisdom arisen from thinking, and finally in dependence, upon meditation on it, proceeds over the stages of the path.
Thus, in order to develop wisdom to higher and higher states, it is necessary to train.
