The Five Spiritual Powers

In Buddhism, the five spiritual powers are also known as the five spiritual faculties. These five powers can simply be considered as virtues to be cultivated. First, one has to cultivate strong faith FAITH in the Triple Gem (the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha). Second, one needs to develop the drive, effort or ENERGY to keep the mind free from unwholesome mental states. Third, one needs to develop and practice MINDFULNESS, so as to have the mental awareness to restrain being caught up or distracted by the various sensory impressions. Fourth, one needs to train a mind that is CONCENTRATED, that is to be still and stay focused so that it can be sharp, clear and light to experience calmness and tranquility. And fifth,one needs to develop intuitive WISDOM so as to be able to see, understand & realise dharma. To gain all these powers, one has to do three things: 1) study the dharma; 2) adhere to the precepts; 3) do regular meditation.  

the drive, the effort to keep mind pure

Generating Bliss

You can only experience bliss when you have inner peace and harmony, which in turn brings about a good sense of well being and happiness. At the lower mundane level, it is about feeling good about oneself through some accomplishment or helping others in need.  This probably arises from a healthy self-esteem or self-image. At the higher spiritual level, bliss is achieved from having a good meditation session. This is a result of feeling very light hearted and energetic. If you are more sensitive, you can feel your aura and chakras expanding. This type of intense happiness is very much more lasting than the ordinary type of happiness because it transcends beyond the mind. The ordinary type of happiness can only be gratified through our six sense bases of sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and mind - which is very impermanent, unsatisfactory, and non-self (conditional).    



The Four Sublime States

Between good and pure are the four sublime states as expounded by the Lord Buddha. Abide in the four sublimes states equally. They are your mental wealth to overcome any defilements. Cultivate in these qualities as they serve towards your mental, emotional and physical well being. They help put you in good mental states so that you can instill inner peace & harmony, joy & happiness, calmness & sweetness to experience divine bliss.   

The Four Paths to Wisdom

According to Venerable Kai Zhou, there are four paths to acquiring wisdom. Some people acquire it the easy way and some acquire it through the hard way. I believe that karma and present diligence plays a large part in this.  If one has good karma and is diligent in one's practice, one can achieve a faster realization. The most important thing to have is right view, followed by right effort and right mindfulness to follow-through.

The Mind is the Boss

The mind gets conditioned by the thoughts we have everyday, so much so that it becomes ingrained as a habit. Hence it is important to cultivate wholesome thoughts and not unwholesome thoughts as they will mould our character. Very few people are aware of the ability of the mind to generate thought forms. These thought forms are energy beings with consciousness. This subject is taught in Theosophy and Pranic Psychotherapy. Thought forms, whether positive or negative, can affect oneself and other people. Therefore, it is important to generate good thoughts to benefit oneself and others. Do not sabotage yourself by thinking negative of oneself, or unintentionally hurt your loved ones with negative thoughts about them. Remember that the mind is the forerunner of all things, for thoughts will lead to feelings & emotions which will have subsequent impact on speech and action. That is generating karma as intention is involved.  

Six Sense Bases and the Universal Characteristics

This is a good meditation practice that teaches us to be mindful of the workings of our six sense bases. Our six sense bases (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) allow us to function our physical bodies to respond to external stimuli. Many of us are very fortunate to have a healthy body with proper functioning of our sense bases. However, many of us if not mindful, will be carried away by the sequence of events whenever any of our sense bases are activated by whatever external stimuli in the environment. For example, we see many things (external forms - sight) with our eyes, we can be alert (eye consciousness) but might not register any attention until someone or something catches our eyes, (eye contact) which results in a feeling as a result of the eye contact (which can either be pleasant, unpleasant or neutral). But if we continue to like or dislike what we see, it will lead to craving (desire) or aversion. Now this is suffering because this will eventually lead to dissatisfaction. Therefore to combat this situation, we will need to understand that all things are subject to the three universal characteristics - impermanence, unsatisfactory nature, and non-self (as this body is not you). And because this body is not you, this body is not me, not mine, and not myself.  Then we are able to develop this wisdom not to hold on to anything. and learn to let go,        

The 37 Constituents of Enlightenment

There are seven categories comprising a total of 37 constituents of enlightenment. The 37 constituents are also known as "states pertaining to enlightenment", "factors of enlightenment" or "requisites of enlightenment". They all form the basis of meditative training as expounded by the Buddha. They serve as a kind of road map and should be practiced with vigor and determination by disciples to succeed on the path. According to Venerable Seelananda, the 37 factors are all interconnected. When it is raining, water is everywhere, which is like the river that leads to the ocean. Ultimately, the 37 factors of enlightenment can be grouped into the three aspects of  wisdom, morality and mental development, which is also found in the Noble Eightfold Path.