Morning Practice: How do YOU start?

[Paliut]

As the subject of this post says, i am wondering what 'routine' do you follow for those who practice. Either in the morning of at night. Chants, prostrations, meditation, recitations... I would like to know. I am curious as to how other fellow Buddhist practice in their daily life at home. All answers are greatly noted and appreciated.

I ask because i feel that knowing how others practice i can find something that can help my practice more. Anywho thanks again.

[Josef]

Wake up: Guru Yoga
Drink coffee: Guru Yoga
Go to work:Guru Yoga
Come home:Guru Yoga
Go to bed:Guru Yoga
Sleep:Guru Yoga

Rinse and repeat.

[Wesley1982]

Just recently _ I consciously begin to "think" about the different functions of the universal dharma.

[Paliut]

Just recently _ I consciously begin to "think" about the different functions of the univeral dharma.

Can you be slightly clearer

[Wesley1982]

I took a break from Christian forum and came to Dharma Wheel - since then I have been thinking about the universal functions of the dharma.
Also influenced by my "interpretation" of a couple of buddhist books I've read.
In one book, chapter 6 Establishing the Dharma was what the Buddha did and inspired many people to practice.

1) wake up - think of books
2) coffee
3) meditate on the meaning of the universal dharma

[Paliut]

I took a break from Christian forum and came to Dharma Wheel - since then I have been thinking about the universal functions of the dharma.
Also influenced by my "interpretation" of a couple of buddhist books I've read.
In one book, chapter 6 Establishing the Dharma was what the Buddha did and inspired many people to practice.

1) wake up - think of books
2) coffee
3) meditate on the meaning of the universal dharma

Oh i understand you now. Good to hear.

[明安 Myoan]

I used to hate waking up. Now, it's one of my favorite times of day because it's a fresh, private time of day. It can be an entire practice in itself without having to feel self-conscious when everyone else is awake.

When I wake up, I think of a gatha I read by Thich Nhat Hanh: "Waking up, I smile. 24 brand-new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and look at all beings with eyes of compassion." It helps me really feel the preciousness of this human existence and remember compassion from the very start. Then I take three deep breaths, expelling drowsiness and last night's dreams on the stale breath. After, I do five to ten minutes of Green Tara visualization in bed.

I try to stay 100% mindful of my morning routine of showering and getting dressed. There are lots of interesting sensations you experience at no other time of the day, so it's a great opportunity for mindfulness. You can also do some poignant reflection on the human body. After all, when else are you naked on a regular basis where you can see/touch your weird human body?

I wear some prayer beads around my wrist as a reminder of the dharma and compassion. Before I put them on after a shower, I recite "om ah hum" seven times, blow on them three times, and recite an "om mani padme hum" for each bead before putting them on. There are only 20 of them so I don't hog the bathroom forever!

I don't know if this is the "right" way but I find it meaningful. But all this does help me start the day with thoughts of mindfulness, compassion, and the dharma. Sure beats being grumpy and barely awake.

[Paliut]

That was truly lovely to read duckfiasco.

I think that is what i plan on doing, lately i have become lazy, so i have decided to create a small routine so i can get rolling everyday and practice my meditation. So i really enjoyed the aspects of your practice.

[Ogyen]

Wake up: refuge practice
Work: Bodhisattva vow on my desk: May I see what I do, May I change what I do when I see it, May this be a way of life.
Day - practice practice practice bodhicitta towards certain people that drive me up the wall.
Daughter: Breathe with her, sit with her, be mindful together (she's 4).
Evening: Mantras per teacher's instruction.

Mostly stay focused on being present all day long, no matter what arises. And if necessary, write poetry to document the process.

[Thomas Amundsen]

In bed, I sit up and visualize the lama arising from a ball of light, red and warm, coming out of my heart through the crown chakra; sitting on a lotus above me with a retinue of deities playing damarus, etc. I get out of bed and make offerings to my shrine. Then I sit down and do the nine purification breaths, blessing of the speech, blessing of the wind. Calling the lama from afar, the four thoughts that turn the mind to the dharma, ending the morning session with refuge/bodhichitta/prostration accumulation.

At night, I do more refuge/bodhichitta/prostration accumulation. Vajrasattva, mandala offering, kusali accumulation (Chö), and finally, the all-time favorite guru yoga.

Close out each session with dedication of merit.

(This is Longchen Nyingthig Ngondro practice.)

[dharmagoat]

Morning practice: how do YOU start?

Sleepily.

When I am practicing properly, I wake up at 4:30 and do 25 minutes of śamatha mediation right away (my cushion is 1 metre from my bed). I will then return to my meditation at regular intervals throughout the day. I find that my meditation in the early afternoon is the most difficult as this is the time when dullness tends to set in. If I am properly motivated, I will ensure that I meditate just before I go to bed. This is also a great way to get to sleep quickly as my mind is then freed of distracting thoughts. At this stage I am only really able to sit for three hours a day as my muscles and tendons are not accustomed to sitting any longer than this.

[Grigoris]

Check out Dharma Wheel messages/posts. Lama prayer, Refuge, Bodhicitta, Invitation prayer, Water bowl offerings (plus other offerings), Three rounds of 21 praises to Tara, three malas of mantra, Jambhala invocation, three malas of mantra. Breakfast!

A few days ago I found four abandoned kittens, so right now I start with warm milk in baby bottle offerings first, peeing ritual, bathing ritual, then the abovementioned.

[Paliut]

Wake up: refuge practice
Work: Bodhisattva vow on my desk: May I see what I do, May I change what I do when I see it, May this be a way of life.
Day - practice practice practice bodhicitta towards certain people that drive me up the wall.
Daughter: Breathe with her, sit with her, be mindful together (she's 4).
Evening: Mantras per teacher's instruction.

Mostly stay focused on being present all day long, no matter what arises. And if necessary, write poetry to document the process.

That truly sounds like a handful, but the conditions i believe can be great for learning and practicing

Morning practice: how do YOU start?

Sleepily.

When I am practicing properly, I wake up at 4:30 and do 25 minutes of śamatha mediation right away (my cushion is 1 metre from my bed). I will then return to my meditation at regular intervals throughout the day. I find that my meditation in the early afternoon is the most difficult as this is the time when dullness tends to set in. If I am properly motivated, I will ensure that I meditate just before I go to bed. This is also a great way to get to sleep quickly as my mind is then freed of distracting thoughts. At this stage I am only really able to sit for three hours a day as my muscles and tendons are not accustomed to sitting any longer than this.

I really laughed at 'sleepily' you do a lot of meditation kinda need to mirror that.

Check out Dharma Wheel messages/posts. Lama prayer, Refuge, Bodhicitta, Invitation prayer, Water bowl offerings (plus other offerings), Three rounds of 21 praises to Tara, three malas of mantra, Jambhala invocation, three malas of mantra. Breakfast!

A few days ago I found four abandoned kittens, so right now I start with warm milk in baby bottle offerings first, peeing ritual, bathing ritual, then the abovementioned.

Kitteeeeennns! Very well for practicing compassion to other sentient beings.

May I ask all of you all, ( If you do read this again) , for those who do meditate or prostrate etc. Do you shower up before beginning or do you shower after? I tend to shower first, but i'm curious to see how you do it!

[Wesley1982]

Recently, it seems like I'm waking up around 10:30 to 11:00 am and starting the day by preparing for sunset and evening meditation practice.

[AdmiralJim]

I do formal sitting for 20 minutes in the morning. I always shower before ngondro prostrations, I don't know, for me it just feels more respectful taking refuge when clean ( maybe this is my old christian background coming out ! lol ),like abandoning the old shell and trying to cultivate a better one. I tend to practice more at night, i am an old night owl!

[conebeckham]

Depends on if I'm in "retreat mode" or not...but on normal days, after waking I wash my face, maybe make a cup of tea or coffee, then open the shrine, make water bowl and incense offerings. Once on the cushion, I recite a couple of Dharanis and prayers, then do Riwo Sangcho (Mountain Smoke Offering), then Yidam sadhana practice(s) with mantra accumulation depending on how much time I have, followed by a short guru yoga recitation, and dedication prayers.

Evening session includes more Yidam practice and recitation, torma offerings to yidams and "Sol Khas" and tormas to protectors, Sur Cho (Burnt offerings), and a few short mantra recitations to maintain connections with previous NyenTsam (extensive accumulation) practices, followed by Shabtens (long life prayers) and dedications and aspirations (Monlams).

[Rakz]

I don't have a morning practice but I do have a nightly one.

[KathyLauren]

I recite the Heart Sutra and open my shrine for the day, filling the water bowls. I then do a few some sitting meditation.

Om mani padme hum
Keith

[Osho]

Once round the mala chanting....
Namu Amida Butsu 108 times.
Takes ten minutes or so then QiGong for five minutes or maybe ten if I am being extra virtuous.
Very simple start to each day and can be done anywhere.

[catmoon]

I start the day by establishing what day it is, and determining whether the dim light outside is sunrise or sunset. According to the time of day, I then stagger off to find either some fish and chips, pizza, or coffee and a muffin. Having arrived somewhere, I usually sit down and try to figure out if I got the day of the week and the time of day right. Newspapers can be a big help with this. About this time I usually realize there was something terribly important I had to do, and it was a week ago. Thus begins the first meditation of the morning, on the impermanence of seemingly important things.

Depending on who is there, I will either do some reading (currently "Destructive Emotions" by HHDL and Daniel Goleman), some puzzles in the paper, or discuss philosophy, or watch the mountains. If I watch the mountains or try to read, I am invariably interrupted by some loud and incoherent street person raving about lightning being the result of Russian nuclear fusion experiments, or the guy who thinks he is Batman (last week he thought he was Superman, but he's schizo so I suppose he might be both) or the old alcoholic with no teeth whose speech is so soft and indistinct I don't think I have ever understood a single thing he has said. If it gets too bad I retreat to the washroom and stay there a long time. (Oh my I forgot the the raging lady whose son is Jesus reincarnated and who the government is holding in a facility in Israel so he won't convert anyone. For some reason I seem to be responsible for that.)

Thus the second meditation of the day: views, everybody has 'em.

Sometimes, after the second meditation, I wake up. Then my day begins. Other times I don't, and spend the rest of the wandering in a samsaric fog of confusion, fear, frustration and an unending search for peach yogurt. On those days my kitteh keeps me sane.