#13 ILLINOIS

 SWEET HOME CHICAGO;   ok so that's not all that creative.   But it fits; there is no refuge in material things; no true home but that of the spirit.  And so zooming in to the Chicago Buddhist Vihara , which is Sri Lankan and Theravadan in origin, I felt at home.   

And how could you not love Bhante Sarada!  He's even nicer than he looks, really.   Bhante led the whole hour service with ten of us (SF Zen and the Colorado Tibetan group were the only groups larger than 20 persons in attendance; It seems to me that in the USA, spiritual practice is readily available and rarely attended to).   

Looking at us; Bhante began with "I can see that you are all elders..."  He was right about that.  "... and I want to ask if you have been happy for a period of time that you can recall and that happiness vanished?"  He was right about that too; that's generally the pattern.    He then gave a talk on the sixth part of the Buddha's eightfold path, Right Effort.  Americans quibble over terms that sound judgmental like 'right', but I don't mind them.  I think in foolish and wrong ways; ways which give me no good result so there must be a different way. 

Bhante described it by asking when we travel, do we ever find ourselves on the wrong road and we need to make a U-turn; and that is an analogy to our getting entangled in material things.  He asked that we investigate ourselves and ask "What kind of mind do I have?"   Which begs the question, 'can I have some positive influence or interaction in regard to my mind or is my mind my master?'

Bhante concluded with an explanation directly from the Pali: 

"And what, monks, is right effort?

[i] "There is the case where a monk generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the non-arising of evil, unskillful qualities that have not yet arisen.

[ii] "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the abandonment of evil, unskillful qualities that have arisen.

[iii] "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the sake of the arising of skillful qualities that have not yet arisen.

[iv] "He generates desire, endeavors, activates persistence, upholds & exerts his intent for the maintenance, non-confusion, increase, plenitude, development, & culmination of skillful qualities that have arisen: This, monks, is called right effort."

Following the teaching was a half hour of guided meditation with a few particular instructions I really felt were helpful including  "Withdraw the mind from the outside world"

He wished us all luck and success in our spiritual practice, and to make an effort toward mindfulness.  

It is only with the spirit that we are offered a gentle touch and an unforgettable admonition.   Bhante said that it is possible to have real, lasting happiness that is not of the material world.  Everything feels right about that.