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The Middle Way Treatise Chapter 15 - Verse 09
Every event in life, from a car accident to the sound of a bell on the bus, can become a mindfulness bell reminding us to return to our breath. Mindfulness is the most solid protective energy, helping us to see ourselves and our circumstances clearly, and to avoid creating the conditions for misfortune. Practicing the Mindfulness Practice Vehicle (MPV) every day—whether in the kitchen, on the road, or while conversing with the driver—transforms every action into an opportunity to nourish mindfulness.
The Amitabha Sutra teaches that all things in the Pure Land resound with wondrous Dharma sounds, reminding us of:
- the five faculties
- the five powers
- the factors of enlightenment
-
the Noble Eightfold Path
Through mindfulness leading to right concentration and then to the arising of insight, we are able to transform ignorance and anger. The September 11th event in New York was the result of a lack of mindfulness, of not recognizing the seeds of hatred that had been sown, while compassion and virtue are the true great protective powers.
In the Middle Way Treatise, chapter 15, verse nine, the Teacher invites us to understand that all phenomena do not have a fixed self-nature, transcending the two extremes of “being” and “non-being” to live in the Middle Way. This is illustrated by the example of the candle flame, which is always arising and passing away: the carbon and oxygen become light, then return to the universe in another form, showing that there is no such thing as “from being to absolute non-being.” Living with this awareness helps us contemplate impermanence and dwell in peace in each moment.
