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Watering Good Seeds for Each Other
Recognizing suffering according to the Four Noble Truths leads us to the second truth—the cause of suffering—and the fourth truth—the path to the cessation of suffering. That path is not somewhere far away, but is found in the three practices already present in each of us:
- eyes of love – looking at life with loving kindness
- loving speech – speaking kindly and harmoniously
- deep listening – listening with compassion
Relying on self-power (our own inner energy) and other-power (the support of the sangha and friends), we can remove the layers that cover us so that the energy of love, patience, and skillfulness can naturally manifest. In Buddhist psychology, wholesome, unwholesome, and indeterminate seeds (that is, the 51 mental formations) are seeds in the store consciousness. When the conditions are right, they manifest as mental formations:
- wholesome, such as faith, shame, remorse, non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion…
- unwholesome, such as greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, doubt, wrong views…
- indeterminate – which can be wholesome or unwholesome depending on conditions
For the family to become a small sangha, we need a policy of watering seeds every day:
- protection – choosing carefully what we consume (books, films, speech) to avoid watering unwholesome seeds
- watering – through walking meditation, Dharma sharing, writing letters/contemplation, recalling beautiful memories, and nurturing wholesome mental formations
- cooperation – parents and children making agreements to support each other, gently reminding one another not to sow negative seeds
When each person practices eyes of love, loving speech, and deep listening with right diligence, the happiness of the family and the peace of each individual will blossom.