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Exploring Inner Energy and Practicing Contentment
We are the continuation of our parents, ancestors, and especially of the Buddha, but “transmission” is not an energy from outside; it is the manifestation of what is already present within us. Buddha-nature is always present in every breath, every step, every mindful meal. The task of the Buddha and the teacher is to help us touch that seed so it may bloom, not to transmit anything new. Faith in Buddha-nature is not just an idea but has living evidence in the Discourse on the Full Awareness of Breathing and the work “The Lotus in a Sea of Fire.”
Our life has been a series of struggles—first with nature, then with other people, and finally with our own mind. The Buddha taught that to conquer thousands and thousands of enemies in the world is not as glorious as conquering oneself. Human beings have three basic needs in life:
- Health: to protect the body, to live long and peacefully
- Relationships: to nurture love and avoid mental suffering
- Success: fame, position, social benefit, but bottomless desire makes us never feel satisfied
Artificial needs such as advertisements and toys like marbles bind us, robbing us of freedom and the time to search for our deepest aspiration—ultimate concern—the supreme quest that transcends the three ordinary needs. The Buddha advised knowing contentment and reducing desire to attain peace: knowing enough is having enough; not knowing enough, we will never feel enough.
The method of practice begins with the gate of faith through reciting the Buddha’s name or visualizing the majestic image of the Buddha with 32 marks of excellence and 80 beautiful features, using a mala to maintain continuity in body, speech, and mind. There are three ways of recitation:
- Vaikhari Japa: reciting aloud
- Upamsu Japa: whispering with moving lips
- Manasika Japa: reciting silently in the mind
From here, we move to the gate of contemplation, letting go of form and sound to realize that the World-Honored One is not outside but right within us. Writing the Buddha’s name continuously or chewing rice to a melody are also forms of awakening mindfulness and joy.