Les pages suivantes présentent des astuces pour trouver clarté et calme en quelques minutes. Elles peuvent être mises en pratique dans toutes sortes de situations – en moins de temps qu’il ne faut pour boire une tasse de thé. Si vous avez une vie très chargée, ce guide pourrait vous aider à sortir du rythme frénétique du quotidien et vous donner un peu d’air. Ces suggestions pourraient aussi vous montrer un chemin pour méditer, mais ce sera à vous de voir, avec l’aide d’autres manuels.

Sachez que par souci de concision, je m’en suis tenu à l’essentiel. Ce qui suit est comme un sachet de pois déshydratés ou un repas lyophilisé de randonneur. Ajoutez votre propre eau et laissez mijoter ! J’espère que ce guide vous aidera.

Ajahn Sucitto

(Version Française: Amy Barrett)

A GUIDE TO STANDING MEDITATION

As standing is something that we do, why not do it with full awareness? After all, standing was one of the positions that the Buddha recommended as a proper basis for mindfulness. Wisely cultivated, it takes strain out of the body, encourages balance and inner stability – and is a support for full liberation.

In this guide, Ajahn Sucitto adds practical details to the establishment and development of this practice. It is for beginners and experienced meditators alike.

This little collection was never intended as a ‘collection of teachings.’ It came about in response to a request and a suggestion. The request was from Sarah Wallis who wanted to sponsor a publication in celebration of her sixtieth birthday, and to mark thirty years of the Banbury Buddhist Group. The suggestion, also from Sarah, was to gather together the reflections that had been individually prepared for the twice-yearly editions of our Milntuim Hermitage Newsletter.

It was a surprise to find that there are twenty of these – and even more of a surprise to find that the reflections are all quite different. Every time I wrote a reflection, my intention was to offer encouragement for practice with the prevailing conditions; it seemed to me that it was always the same Dhamma1 practice that I pointed to. However, what I had failed to appreciate was that the actual conditions were different each time!

So, after an initial hesitation, I asked some of my monastic and lay friends to read what was there. Ajahn Sucitto, Ajahn Munindo and Ajahn Sundarā all offered encouraging and helpful feedback, as did several kind lay friends. Members of the Lotus Volunteer Group gathered the material in one place, and Mariah O’Neill gave it a thorough edit. Eleonora Monti has helped to prepare the text for publication. Nicholas Halliday offered his expertise in preparing the practical and artistic elements, patiently to-ing and fro-ing with proof-readers until it was ‘just about right’ enough.

May it serve as an encouragement to attune to the Dhamma, the Timeless, as we navigate the uncharted waters of the times to come.

Ajahn Candasirī (from the Foreword)

"I thought I would begin by offering a few reflections about equanimity or upekkhā. This is one of the most significant psychological, emotional qualities talked about in the Buddhist tradition. However, because we commonly translate the word upekkhā in English as ‘equanimity’, it can easily be overlooked or seen as something a bit insignificant, not so practical or even heartwarming, as the word ‘equanimity’ in English can easily mean ‘indifference’, not really caring – it can be taken to be a switched-off, disconnected and somewhat numb attitude towards things."

Based on a talk given at Amaravati – 26-4-2020

Ce livre décrit un ensemble d’outils et de techniques de méditation pour débutants. Ces enseignements proviennent d’une série de six semaines de cours donnés en 2002 à Mendocino en Californie.

Ces leçons décrivent des techniques de méditation bouddhistes. Les idées et principes de la pratique de la méditation qui y sont expliqués sont bien sûr d’origine bouddhiste, mais ces instructions ne s’adressent pas uniquement aux bouddhistes. Les leçons fournissent des outils et des techniques simples qui peuvent aider tout un chacun à rendre sa vie plus paisible, à améliorer un peu sa compréhension de soi et des autres et à vivre plus harmonieusement dans le monde.

Il y a un certain nombre de thèmes qui sont très familiers à ceux qui pratiquent la méditation bouddhiste : « l’attention à la respiration » où l’on porte l’attention sur le rythme de la respiration ; la « méditation en marchant » qui se base sur la sensation des pas lorsqu’on va et vient sur un sentier de méditation ; la répétition intérieure d’un mantra tel que « Bud-dho » — ce sont tous des moyens qui aident à retenir l’attention dans le moment présent, à l’ancrer dans la réalité de l’instant.

En plus de ces méthodes bien connues, il y en a beaucoup d’autres qui ont une fonction similaire. L’une de cellesci est connue sous le nom de « l’écoute intérieure » ou « méditation sur le son intérieur » ou, en sanskrit, « nada yoga ». Ces termes se réfèrent tous au fait de prêter attention à ce que l’on appelle « le son du silence » ou « le son du nada ». « Nada » est le mot sanscrit qui veut dire « son », et 10 aussi le mot espagnol qui signifie « rien » — une coïncidence intéressante et cependant très significative.

Au cours des dernières années, j'ai dirigé des retraites résidentielles spécifiquement sur le thème de la coproduction conditionnée à au moins cinq reprises – à Amaravati au Royaume- Uni, à Mae Rim, en Thaïlande, et avec Le Refuge, au Monastère de Ségriès, dans le sud de la France. Divers aspects de ce thème riche et essentiel de l'enseignement bouddhique ont été abordés en ces différentes occasions, selon les intérêts et les besoins des différentes communautés.

Le livret intitulé « Just One More… » – Appreciative Joy: Jealousy, Selfish Desire and the Buddha’s Teaching on the Cycles of Addiction était basé sur le contenu de l'un de ces événements, une retraite de dix jours tenue à Amaravati en juillet 2013. La majeure partie de la matière rassemblée dans le présent ouvrage a été présentée lors d'une retraite en Provence, en avril 2018 ; le reste provient des retraites de Mae Rim de 2016-18.

Le sujet de la coproduction conditionnée est intrinsèquement riche et varié, subtil et multidimensionnel [...].

Il y a déjà eu de nombreuses études érudites et pertinentes sur le sujet publiées en anglais, telles que Dependent Origination – The Buddha’s Law of Conditionality par le Ven. P.A. Payutto; la collection de cinq chapitres sur le thème du livre d'Ajahn Sumedho The Way It Is ; le livre d'Ajahn Buddhadāsa Under the Bodhi Tree: Buddha's Original Vision of Dependent Co-arising, ainsi que bien d'autres. L'intention de ce présent volume, tout en reconnaissant le réservoir déjà conséquent de perspectives disponibles, est de se concentrer sur les moyens pratiques de comprendre et d'appliquer les principes de la coproduction conditionnée afin de favoriser la libération du cœur, des cycles d'attitude et de comportement addictifs et destructeurs. L'accent sera mis en particulier, sur les points de sortie de cette « Roue du Devenir » (bhavacakka), ce processus cyclique où l'esprit se sent emprisonné dans le cycle habituel de promesse, de gratification et de déception.

"While I was studying at Budapest in 2005, I remember looking for books which could help me get a useful perspective on my confused experiences. There was no lack of explanation and advice, but they were missing a concrete direction: ‘Interesting ideas, but what do I do and how?’ I believe that good instruction should enable one to do more than before, shed light on the ‘what’ and ‘how’, and even on the ‘why’. The first book which gave me a tangible foothold was Ajahn Sumedho’s short book, The Four Noble Truths. It provided an introduction to a practical method of investigation with examples of Ajahn Sumedho’s own struggles. Later, when I was staying at Amaravati Buddhist Monastery in England, I read his other book Mindfulness: the Path to the Deathless and found it illuminating as well. I mention these books here because certain topics are covered in more detail there, and if you are reading this book, they might also be helpful. Here, I collect advice and teachings that I wish I had read, or someone had told me sooner, during the years since those early books. The right answer remains obscured until we learn how to ask the right question." (excerpt from the introduction)

This book began as an essay to add some guiding notes to the practice of mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānasati). The intention was to be concise, with the understanding that plenty of meditation manuals are available, as are several thorough expositions of the theory and practice of mindfulness of breathing. However, as this meditation is so crucial, it seems useful to contribute any fresh approaches. And I have noticed that the way I understand and approach mindfulness of breathing is both somewhat different from what I was originally taught, and yet can fit the original sutta presentation.

While researching the Pali Canon for my previous book, Working with the Five Hindrances, I occasionally came across an intriguingly cryptic phrase: ‘I-making, mine-making and the underlying disposition to conceit’ (ahaṅkāra-mamaṅkāra-mānānusaya). This phrase was intriguing because it suggests a completely new perspective to the universal inquiry into self and selflessness, and provides a glimpse into the unique realization which the Buddha was awakened. He designated this realization with the Pali term ‘anattā’, which is usually translated as ‘non-self’, ‘not-self’ or ‘no-self’. While the translation is literally correct, it unfortunately fails to convey the correct meaning of what the Buddha is saying. The Buddha did not deny self. What he denied was that self has any permanent, imperishable essence. The Buddha realized that self is essentially a constantly changing process, artificially created through the interaction of craving and ignorance. And, since it is ‘made-up’ by activities which we have some influence over, craving and ignorance can also be ‘unmade’ so that the deleterious effects of grasping self as permanent can come to cessation.

This book is a substantially revised and expanded version of the 2009 original. It explores the link between external action and mind cultivation – both of which are forms of the kamma that leads to liberation. The book teaches formal meditation practices, the role of devotion, aspects of dependent origination, and the need to establish skilful relationships – kalyānamitta – and the cessation of suffering and stress.

The theme for this Dhamma talk is ‘My way or the Middle Way?’ As people might recognize, the title was borrowed from the famous Frank Sinatra song, written by Paul Anka, ‘My Way’, which is the supreme anthem of self-confidence:

Through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall, And did it my way!’

Confidence is definitely a part of the Buddhist path; having faith, having confidence and resolution, these are all aspects of it. But any of us who have spent much time in life trying to follow that voice of self-assurance, of, ‘Even though there is resistance and it is difficult, I’m just going to keep pushing. I will do it my way.’ Or when we are living in a community, or we are in a role of leadership, if we adopt the attitude of, ‘My way or the highway. Either you do it the way I want or you’re on your bike, you are kicked out’ – that leads to stress and difficulty and conflict. Reflecting on this theme, ‘My way or the Middle Way’, there are certainly beneficial aspects to the quality of self-confidence, self-assurance and resolution, but if that is out of balance, if that is wrapped up in self-view and selfcentred thinking, then necessarily the results are going to be painful. You might get what you want but then there might be a lot of wreckage as well, considerable damage created along the way. Probably most of us have had some situations in life where we have come to the conclusion, ‘Well, I got what I wanted, but was it really worth it?’ or ‘I didn’t realize it was going to be like this.’ Or ‘I thought this was going to make me happier. I got what I wanted but ugh!’

In terms of this theme and what would be useful for us to look at, I feel that it is good to consider the way that we work in life – how we relate to doing, to acting, to choosing, how intentions and actions work together. When we use the kind of confidence expressed by Frank Sinatra, ‘I am going to do it my way!’ if we take that approach in life and we act from a place of self-assertion and we just keep pushing – whether this is with our occupation, or working with our family, or working with the rest of the traffic on the road – if we have that kind of contentious attitude, ‘I am going to make this happen,’ since that is wrapped up with self-view, then any kind of work becomes exhausting. Even when we are working with our minds in the meditation hall, thinking, ‘I am going to get jhāna. I am going to make the Breakthrough, it’s Stream Entry or bust!’ This is a guaranteed way to create suffering. Even the work of training our mind to be peaceful can be stressful and exhausting if that work is based on self-view.