Greetings,

This month we will be exploring how the Paramis relate to your general perspective on life. We want to look at how you are seeing the world. It may seem like the world right now in the US is moving into the dark ages, but that doesn't deny the existence of the Paramis within us. These ten heartmind (citta) perfections (generosity, ethical conduct, renunciation, wisdom, energy, patience, truthfulness, resolve, lovingkindness and equanimity) don't show up only when times are good. They are ever present within us and they affect our view of the world. This month we want to begin to see, having spent a year with these qualities, is generosity possible when our future seems bleak? Is there any point to renunciation when we are besieged by fear? How much patience or resolve do you have left after giving so much over this past year? Does the tenderness of lovingkindness or the balance of equanimity even seem realistic in these times? These are rhetorical questions. We are not seeking an answer. These questions are designed to challenge our perspective, not on whether we think these qualities are necessary and good. There's no question that we all think these are good qualities to have. And they are easily accessible in good times. But the Paramis are not "good qualities, good attitudes, good beliefs." They are the lenses you use to see the world. They are the retina of your existence. When perfected, we can perceive impermanence in what appears permanent. We can perceive the insubstantiation of all conditioned things and we know none of this is personal.

It begins with right view. Right view is not about whether you believe in good and all things holy or anything like that. It's not about whether you believe in democratic principals or republican principals. It's not even about whether you believe in the teachings of the Buddha or some other sacred being. Right view is about one thing - suffering (dukkha) and the end of suffering (dukkha). That's it. I could just stop here. There's nothing else. There's no magic, there's no hidden secret. There's no best way. There is one thing - dukkha and the end of dukkha. That's it.

Ok, I'll say a little more. This phrase, "dukkha and the end of dukkha" is simple, but it has depth. Its understanding is vast and subtle. It requires the perfection of the Paramis to realize it. Why is that, you might ask? Because dukkha and the end of dukkha has nothing to do with anything that's happening outside of you. It is solely about releasing clinging. Your clinging, not my clinging, not their clinging, not our clinging. It's about you releasing clinging in the present moment. To do this, you need to learn to see dukkha, which isn't easy to see. It's easy to see how bad the world is. It's easy to imagine how difficult situations are going to get for others. It's easy to see how scared we are, angry we are, and disappointed we are about moving into the future. But none of that has anything to do with dukkha and the end of dukkha. If we had the power to right every wrong that we saw, we would still be trapped in dukkha and we would still suffer at the level we are currently suffering. Because the dukkha Buddha was pointing to is mental. It is internal and it is based on our unconscious clinging to getting what we want and not having to deal with what we don't want.

So we practice cultivating the Paramis to help us see this clinging. You need a generous perspective to see the stinginess and limitations of clinging. You need ethical conduct to see the unintended harmfulness of clinging, most notably the harm you do to yourself. You need renunciation to put a pause on that underlying wanting and not wanting. You need wisdom to be able to discern what is appropriate conduct and skillful means in relation to the arising of clinging and its passing away. You need the energy, the patience, the truthfulness and the resolve to stay with your practice in any circumstance until all clinging has been let go of. And you need to know the felt sense of lovingkindness and equanimity so that you will have access to their essence throughout the whole process.

This is a long process. In my lifetime, I stepped onto this path when Bush Sr. was elected. I have lived through the elimination of social safety nets, the rise of criminalization of addiction, wars, imageries of famine, global civil strife, and massive global protests. I have equally witnessed profound moments of kindness, beauty, goodness, and the gift of the human spirit in ways I never would have believed I'd be a part of. I have practiced Dhamma through Bush, Clinton, Bush Jr., Obama, Trump, Biden and now Trump again. I will be practicing long after Trump has died. I made a vow in 1993 to practice until I had released every ounce of clinging within this heartmind (citta). Nothing that arises in this conditioned world will deter me from that vow. So, I may still be practicing long after every person alive today has passed on.

You may not hold the Dhamma in this way. It's not necessary to hold such a vow. What is necessary is the cultivation of the Paramis so that you can see dukkha in your own life and realize that it can be let go of without the need to change any condition in the outside world. This is our exploration for this month. Can you begin this next year with the beneficial winds of the Paramis at your backs. Can you feel the uplift of your practice over the course of the last year? Can you remember some of the profound moments and realizations you had? Let's get together on Thursday nights and talk about it.

With a deep bow,
Tuere

P.S. Here's a heads up. Next year we will be exploring the Four Noble Truths of dukkha and the end of dukkha. Shhhh. It's a secret and won't be released until the annual Refuges and Precepts ceremony on January 6th at Seattle Insight. I hope you can join in person or on zoom.