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Duc Vien Temple
Within a person, there are demonic forces and holy forces. The ghost lies within the mind, urging us to do things we do not want to do, causing destruction. That pushing energy is called habit energy, an energy of habit transmitted from many generations of ancestors and parents. Because we do not have a teacher or friends to help us control and transform it, the demonic energies of craving, anger, hatred, and suspicion grow day by day, while the capacity to love, forgive, and sacrifice becomes weaker. We must recognize that habit energy, like the story of the American practitioner who recognized the energy of rushing and hurrying inherited from her mother and smiled at it.
We seek a teacher to learn the Way and ask them to point out our weaknesses, our strengths, and our shortcomings. In the Buddhist tradition, there is the Pavarana ceremony, where monastics must find six people to shine light on their positive qualities and the shortcomings that need to be transformed. In the family, parents and children also need to ask their loved ones to shine light on them with a sincere heart. The most precious gift parents can leave for their children is their own happiness. To practice Buddhism is to find the method to recognize the forces of Mara, which is the call of craving. The four great cravings are:
- Wealth
- Fame
- Sex
- Food
The method of practice is to ask the family to support us in observing noble silence for three days. During those three days, we practice mindful breathing, working in silence, and walking meditation to stop the running of the energy of restlessness. When walking, use the gatha: “I have arrived, I am home. In the here, in the now. I am solid, I am free. I return, I take refuge.” The energy of mindfulness helps us recognize what is happening in the present moment, and recognize the ghost so that it cannot create chaos. Practicing to transform habit energy is to end samsāra for generations of ancestors and descendants.
