Buddha's Book of Daily Meditations A Year of Wisdom, Compassion, and Happiness

January 1 The spiritual life does not have gain, honour and fame for its goal, or the attainment of virtue or the attainment of meditative concentration or knowledge and vision. But unshakeable freedom of mind is the goal of the spiritual life. January 2 Whatever should be done by a compassionate teacher who, out of compassion, seeks the welfare of his students, that I have done for you. These are the roots of trees, these are empty huts. Meditate, do not be negligent, lest you regret it later. This is our instruction to you. January 3 Hatred never ceases by hatred in this world; hatred ceases through non-hatred. This is an endless truth. January 4 One acts in full awareness when eating, drinking, consuming food and tasting. One acts in full awareness when defaecating and urinating. One acts in full awareness when walking, standing, sitting, falling asleep, waking up, talking and keeping silent. January 5 When one is liberated, one knows three unsurpassable qualities: unsurpassable vision, unsurpassable practice and unsurpassable freedom. The Buddha teaches Nirvana and he teaches the Dharma for attaining Nirvana. January 6 These eight worldly conditions keep the world turning around, and the world turns around these eight worldly conditions. What eight? Gain and loss, Success and failure, Praise and blame, Pleasure and pain. They are encountered by an uninstructed worldling, and they are also encountered by an instructed noble student. When an uninstructed worldling comes upon gain, he does not reflect on it thus: 'This gain that has come to me is impermanent, bound up with suffering, subject to change.' He does not know it as it really is. Being thus involved in likes and dislikes, he will not be free from suffering. An instructed noble student reflects thus: 'This gain that has come to me is impermanent, bound up with suffering, subject to change.' He understands all these things as they really are, and they do not engross his mind. January 7 We will guard the doors of our sense faculties. On seeing a form with the eye, we will not grasp at its signs and features. If we left the eye faculty unguarded, unwholesome states of envy and grief might invade us. We will practise the way of its restraint. January 8 One who looks upon the world as a bubble and a mirage, the King of Death does not see. January 9 Suppose a man were to take a loan and his business were to succeed so that he could repay all the money of the old loan and there would remain enough extra to maintain a wife; then on considering this, he would be glad and full of joy. Or suppose a man was sent to prison but later he would be released safe and secure, with no loss to his property; then on considering this, he would be glad and full of joy. So too, when mental hindrances (greed, anger, boredom, worry, doubt) have been abandoned, he experiences that in the same way as freedom from debt or a release from prison. January 10 There are two conditions for the arising of right understanding: the voice of another and wise attention. Right understanding is assisted by five factors when it has liberation by wisdom for its fruit, namely morality, reflection, discussion, calmness and insight.Titmuss, Christopher is the author of 'Buddha's Book of Daily Meditations A Year of Wisdom, Compassion, and Happiness', published 2001 under ISBN 9780609807804 and ISBN 0609807803.