Spiritual power builds up, but it also destroys. And that’s a good thing. Now that we’ve walked through each of the panchabala, the five spiritual powers in Buddhist tradition, we can learn why each is considered a step on the path. In The Practice of Perfection,…
The ninja warrior is the epitome of spiritual freedom and power. -Stephen K. Hayes The strangest things I’ve learned about the ninja involve what we might call spiritual power. They belong in the same box as much of what I’ve read about the bala paramita. And…
The fifth of the spiritual powers in Buddhist tradition is wisdom. Wisdom is also the sixth paramita, and is described as the perfection of all the paramitas. I’ve written already about wisdom in many other posts, so I’ve been pondering what it means for wisdom to…
Concentration is a spiritual power. It’s also a neglected practice in our harried, fractured culture. Concentration is the fourth of five powers known as the panchabala in Buddhism. When we cultivate these five powers, we invite spiritual growth. We’ve discussed faith, effort, and mindfulness. Now comes…
Attachment is harassment. It feels easier to let go of things when you put it that way, doesn’t it? This phrase comes from a little book of martial arts tales in the tradition of the tengu, a mythical, winged bird-man. The tengu has a long and…
Active awareness is a spiritual power. We call it mindfulness. Thich Nhat Hanh describes mindfulness as “being alive to the present reality.” I appreciate this definition, because it stretches beyond basic awareness. We are alive to the present, not just blankly aware of it. And we…
Buddhist teaching describes spiritual power in five particular ways, called panchabala. The second of these five powers is a familiar word: virya. Virya, or heroic perseverance, is also one of the paramitas. (You can read all my posts on practicing virya for a month here.) But…
Sensitivity grows out of stillness. This sentence from The Spiritual Legacy of Shaolin Temple surprised me. Isn’t sensitivity…bad? Aren’t sensitive people overly reactionary and not centered? Who ever uses the word “sensitive” to describe Bruce Lee? But this little sentence speaks profound truth. Here it is in…
This month, I’m practicing the ninth paramita bala, or spiritual power. Buddhist tradition names five powers, the panchabala, that provide us strength over whatever hindrances we may face. The first of these is faith, or more specifically, trust. Often, when we hear the word faith, we…
New month, new paramita! And this May, I’ll be practicing the ninth paramita, bala. Bala is spiritual power. More specifically, in Buddhist tradition it is the cultivation of five powers, called the panchabala. These five powers are faith, zeal, recollection, absorption, and wisdom. I’ll be talking…
