My practice

So the last post told my aim, and a little about why I'm doing it... now let's look at how. At the bare minimum I will aim to uphold the 5 precepts, foster mindfulness, and meditate at least 15 min daily. More specifically, upholding the 5 precepts means abstinence from; killing (or physical harm), wrong speech (lying, hurtful, idle or divisive speech), theft (or taking what is not expressly given), sexual misconduct, and the use of intoxicants... these are the basic moral guidelines the Buddha set forth for a happy household life. By imposing these precepts on myself, at the very least I'll be upholding a blameless life... and if one hopes to be happy, the first step must be to stop creating unhappiness for yourself and others... I believe these guidelines lay a solid foundation for just that. I've read that stream entry, or the first stage of enlightenment, is characterized by an inability to break these precepts... needless to say, I've got a long way to go. Now, I'm no murderer or adulterer... rarely do I find myself with any malicious intent... but I was intoxicated just last night... I frequently let my attention slip to the internet or other thoughts while at work (read: essentially stealing a portion of my salary), and inappropriate speech... that in and of itself seems as lofty a goal as Nibanna at this point... abstaining from idle chatter, what I like to think of as "artful dodging" (read: a true, but misleading or inappropriate answer/statement)... getting these under control is going to be a challenge to say the least... but none the less, my aim is to accomplish just that. Fostering mindfulness will be of great help here... and by fostering mindfulness, I mean paying attention... to thoughts, acts, and deeds... before, during and after they manifest. I'm sure to catch myself slipping on sila, but by paying attention, it's my hope that they will gradually become less frequent... by noticing these faults, and forgiving my shortcomings... and making it a point not to repeat them... I will strive to perfect sila. Last but not least, daily meditation, vipassana, or ananpasati bhavana (mindfulness of breathing meditation). Hands down the cornerstone of my practice... meditating is like intensive training for the mindfulness muscle. By watching the breath, I see the nature of the mind, I strengthen my ability to watch it... I find calm, peace, and joy... that bubbles out of my meditation session into everyday life. As someone who has spent a great deal of time meditating, I know the benefits... the strength of mind, the clarity that manifests from regular practice... and that's exactly what I will rely upon to succeed in the otherwise imposing tasks of maintaining sila and mindfulness in everyday life.