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Mahayana Vipassana 18 - How to Heal Having Been Abused
Stepping on a fallen leaf, we practice touching both its historical dimension—its yearly cycle of birth, decay, and return—and its ultimate dimension, in which it is always present, free from the notions of birth and death, one and many, time and space. In looking deeply, the leaf reveals its capacity to call back all its manifestations, just as Śākyamuni Buddha is everywhere and always present.
Healing our childhood wounds begins by seeing parents—and ourselves—as vulnerable five-year-olds.
• “Breathing in, I see myself as a five-year-old boy (or girl).”
• “Breathing out, I smile to that child with compassion.”
By cultivating this compassion we transform our seeds of suffering, awaken bodhicitta, and vow to protect others—turning our own healing into the practice of love.
Every gesture can be samādhi: cutting carrots, eating bread, the call of a cuckoo, or the blossom of an almond tree invite us to touch the Dharmadhātu while living in history. Skillful means (prātihārya) manifest in three ways:
- như ý túc thị hiện – miraculous power, calling forth light or life at will
- khiêm nhường thị hiện – modest manifestation, perceiving another’s suffering and needs
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giáo huấn thị hiện – teaching and training that bring liberation and joy
Through tòng tướng nhập tánh—from form into true nature—we learn that every form can reveal the boundless, immeasurable realm of awakening.
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Mahayana Vipassana 19 - Questions & Answers