Just Do It

Good Morning All, This quote from one of my favorite books and Teachers, is very important to keep in mind as we go through our day. I thank Tricycle Magazine for providing this quote for us today. I have been attempting to teach this point throughout my career as a priest and therapist. It all begins with a simple choice: be a buddha. Whoah! Too much? OK, well, then, be good. How's that? Still too much? Well then, be good for ten minutes. Still too much? OK then, try a different tack, don't do bad. Too much? Don't do as much bad. Do as little bad as you possibly can. Here's the thing, when we bring 'doing good' or 'not doing bad' to our consciousness, we are waking up our buddha-nature and giving it permission to exist in our lives. When we think we must "be buddhas" then it is overwhelming and we soon lose hope and go back to our old ways. Recrimination is a poison that erodes our practice. So, strive. Lean toward being a buddha. Turn your boat in that direction and float if you want, paddle, or row hard. Its in the turning of direction and commitment to steer that makes us a bodhisattva. Now, just do it. Be well. Tricycle's Daily Dharma: January 26, 2006 An Ordinary Person A bodhisattva is an ordinary person who takes up a course in his or her life that moves in the direction of Buddha. You're a bodhisattva. I'm a bodhisattva; actually, anyone who directs their attention, their life, to practicing the way of life of a Buddha is a bodhisattva. --Kosho Uchiyama, Opening the Hand of Thought

Scents of Life

With palms together,

Good Morning All,

This morning the sky is cloudy. The grass was wet as I walked the dogs. There was moisture in the air. All of these are fresh and common to my senses. Gray, the seeming dampening of color, is soundless, mute stillness hiding the sun's rise across the sky.

I enjoy such mornings. This morning I went outside with small plastic bags and the dog's brushes. I brushed each of them in their turn. Then picked up all the dog waste in the area. I noticed the scent of the water in the dirt and on the grasses and shrubs. Earth. I noticed the feel of the dog's hair as it came off in their brushes. Doing these little jobs keeps us in touch with life. It is one of the things I miss somewhat about life in the forest. Life surrounded us there. Racoons, bobcats, skunks, deer, elk, coyotes, cattle: each with their habits and scents. There, when the dogs went out, they were on a mission to secure the property boundaries. They had work to do.

I would split the day's wood for the cookstove, check the water levels in the tanks, feed the horses and alpacas, and enjoy the wind as it moved through the pines. If nature called, there was no need to do anything but follow the call right there.

Here, there are apartments stacked nicely into geometric patterns. Each trimmed and painted. Toilets wash away the residue of our human processes in a sanitary flash. No scents of life, rather the scent of cleansers and soap permeate the air. The work we do is more the work of withered flowers than of human beings. We sit around, pale reminders of what we were. Still we keep at it.

Now, neither are good or bad. Life's processes are just what they are regardless of where and when. There is a purpose in youth. A purpose in age. A purpose in the mountains. A purpose in the city. It is our life's work to discover them.

Be well.

Not my America

Good Morning Again,

I Just read this article and could not help myself. I felt it was important to post this as widely as possible. This is not my America. It is not what I defended in Vietnam. It is not what I grew up to know about us. This story and the story about the outsourcing of torture by the US as reported by the EU is deeply troubling. We have voices. We should use them.
Be well,

The Other Big Brother

The Pentagon has its own domestic spying program. Even its leaders say the outfit may have gone too far.

By Michael Isikoff

Newsweek

Jan. 30, 2006 issue - The demonstration seemed harmless enough. Late on a June afternoon in 2004, a motley group of about 10 peace activists showed up outside the Houston headquarters of Halliburton, the giant military contractor once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney. They were there to protest the corporation's supposed "war profiteering." The demonstrators wore papier-mache masks and handed out free peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches to Halliburton employees as they left work. The idea, according to organizer Scott Parkin, was to call attention to allegations that the company was overcharging on a food contract for troops in Iraq. "It was tongue-in-street political theater," Parkin says.

But that's not how the Pentagon saw it. To U.S. Army analysts at the top-secret Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), the peanut-butter protest was regarded as a potential threat to national security. Created three years ago by the Defense Department, CIFA's role is "force protection"—tracking threats and terrorist plots against military installations and personnel inside the United States. In May 2003, Paul Wolfowitz, then deputy Defense secretary, authorized a fact-gathering operation code-named TALON—short for Threat and Local Observation Notice—that would collect "raw information" about "suspicious incidents." The data would be fed to CIFA to help the Pentagon's "terrorism threat warning process," according to an internal Pentagon memo.

A Defense document shows that Army analysts wrote a report on the Halliburton protest and stored it in CIFA's database. It's not clear why the Pentagon considered the protest worthy of attention—although organizer Parkin had previously been arrested while demonstrating at ExxonMobil headquarters (the charges were dropped). But there are now questions about whether CIFA exceeded its authority and conducted unauthorized spying on innocent people and organizations. A Pentagon memo obtained by NEWSWEEK shows that the deputy Defense secretary now acknowledges that some TALON reports may have contained information on U.S. citizens and groups that never should have been retained. The number of reports with names of U.S. persons could be in the thousands, says a senior Pentagon official who asked not be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.

CIFA's activities are the latest in a series of disclosures about secret government programs that spy on Americans in the name of national security. In December, the ACLU obtained documents showing the FBI had investigated several activist groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and Greenpeace, supposedly in an effort to discover possible ecoterror connections. At the same time, the White House has spent weeks in damage-control mode, defending the controversial program that allowed the National Security Agency to monitor the telephone conversations of U.S. persons suspected of terror links, without obtaining warrants.

Last Thursday, Cheney called the program "vital" to the country's defense against Al Qaeda. "Either we are serious about fighting this war on terror or not," he said in a speech to the Manhattan Institute, a conservative think tank. But as the new information about CIFA shows, the scope of the U.S. government's spying on Americans may be far more extensive than the public realizes.

It isn't clear how many groups and individuals were snagged by CIFA's dragnet. Details about the program, including its size and budget, are classified. In December, NBC News obtained a 400-page compilation of reports that detailed a portion of TALON's surveillance efforts. It showed the unit had collected information on nearly four dozen antiwar meetings or protests, including one at a Quaker meetinghouse in Lake Worth, Fla., and a Students Against War demonstration at a military recruiting fair at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A Pentagon spokesman declined to say why a private company like Halliburton would be deserving of CIFA's protection. But in the past, Defense Department officials have said that the "force protection" mission includes military contractors since soldiers and Defense employees work closely with them and therefore could be in danger.

CIFA researchers apparently cast a wide net and had a number of surveillance methods—both secretive and mundane—at their disposal. An internal CIFA PowerPoint slide presentation recently obtained by William Arkin, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst who writes widely about military affairs, gives some idea how the group operated. The presentation, which Arkin provided to NEWSWEEK, shows that CIFA analysts had access to law-enforcement reports and sensitive military and U.S. intelligence documents. (The group's motto appears at the bottom of each PowerPoint slide: "Counterintelligence 'to the Edge'.") But the organization also gleaned data from "open source Internet monitoring." In other words, they surfed the Web.

That may have been how the Pentagon came to be so interested in a small gathering outside Halliburton. On June 23, 2004, a few days before the Halliburton protest, an ad for the event appeared on houston.indymedia.org, a Web site for lefty Texas activists. "Stop the war profiteers," read the posting. "Bring out the kids, relatives, Dick Cheney, and your favorite corporate pigs at the trough as we will provide food for free."

Four months later, on Oct. 25, the TALON team reported another possible threat to national security. The source: a Miami antiwar Web page. "Website advertises protest planned at local military recruitment facility," the internal report warns. The database entry refers to plans by a south Florida group called the Broward Anti-War Coalition to protest outside a strip-mall recruiting office in Lauderhill, Fla. The TALON entry lists the upcoming protest as a "credible" threat. As it turned out, the entire event consisted of 15 to 20 activists waving a giant BUSH LIED sign. No one was arrested. "It's very interesting that the U.S. military sees a domestic peace group as a threat," says Paul Lefrak, a librarian who organized the protest.

Arkin says a close reading of internal CIFA documents suggests the agency may be expanding its Internet monitoring, and wants to be as surreptitious as possible. CIFA has contracted to buy "identity masking" software that would allow the agency to create phony Web identities and let them appear to be located in foreign countries, according to a copy of the contract with Computer Sciences Corp. (The firm declined to comment.)

Pentagon officials have broadly defended CIFA as a legitimate response to the domestic terror threat. But at the same time, they acknowledge that an internal Pentagon review has found that CIFA's database contained some information that may have violated regulations. The department is not allowed to retain information about U.S. citizens for more than 90 days—unless they are "reasonably believed" to have some link to terrorism, criminal wrongdoing or foreign intelligence. There was information that was "improperly stored," says a Pentagon spokesman who was authorized to talk about the program (but not to give his name). "It was an oversight." In a memo last week, obtained by NEWSWEEK, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England ordered CIFA to purge such information from its files—and directed that all Defense Department intelligence personnel receive "refresher training" on department policies.

That's not likely to stop the questions. Last week Democrats on the Senate intelligence committee pushed for an inquiry into CIFA's activities and who it's watching. "This is a significant Pandora's box [Pentagon officials] don't want opened," says Arkin. "What we're looking at is hints of what they're doing." As far as the Pentagon is concerned, that means we've already seen too much.

© 2006 Newsweek, Inc.

The Flavor of Your Kindness

With palms together,

Good Morning Sangha,

Each of brings energy into the world. Some bring angry energy, some happy energy, some sad energy, and each of these eneries are expressed through our affect and behavior. It is reflected in the choices we make. People see us and see reflected in us the energy we are communicating. In this way, the energy travels.

It is important for us to understand that which energy is being expressed is a result of the thoughts we have and that these thoughts are based on perception, though in most cases a perception distorted by our memory. Our memory forms a virtual encyclopedia of senses, experiences, concepts; it is our universe and is kept active by a little monkey that seems to delight in stirring the couldron.

The thing is, we have the ability to see directly without the couldron of history. In so doing we see without distortion. We see without our history. In such cases we see exactly and precisely what is there with nothing added; no discrimination, no like, no dislike, no name. When we see this way only Buddha-nature is communicated in our affect and our behavior.

I often rant about the fall of civilization, both western and eastern. I rant about materialism and hedonism. I rant about Wal-Mart and McDonalds, about obesity and (to borrow from another religious tradition) the other deadly sins. These rants contain an expression of affect and are a behavior. They betray, to a certain extent, a standard and a judgement regarding a deviation from that standard.

Where does this standard come from? Is a moment of the cushion or on a walk or in an activity which reveals a clear perception of the buddha within that standard? And if so, what do we do with it?

As we allow this buddha to arise and manifest itself in us, we are manifesting the excellences of our Original Nature. We are the paramitas: generosity, patience, precepts, vigor, meditation, and wisdom. We know that on the one hand, all things are the dharma and are expressions of the universe in process. We know on the other hand that some of these expressions are conducive to the discovery of harmony and compassion, whgereas others are distractions, poisons, if you will, that take us away from a compassionate heart.

It comes to intent. Intent is key to the proiduction of karma. If our rant is for the sake of bringing beings closer to the attainment of perfection, then it is one thing, a noble purpose. If on the other hand the rant is for our personal gratification, to simply "vent" or to prove another is wrong, corrupt, a failure, whatever, then this is a sin, a mis-step along our path.

All of our affect, all of our behavior should thus be evaluated by us as we get up from bed and go through our day. Our practice is to bring our buddha-nature into the world through our compassionate action.To do this we need to recognize our intent and act for the correct purposes. To do this, we need to develop a strong zazen practice. Time with ourselves on the cushion in quiet stillness and serene reflection is a direct patrh to clarity.

With deep love and affection for all.

Kyosaku: Ford, Greed, Hatred, and Ignorance in America

With palms together,

Good Morning Sangha,

GM is laying off a ton of workers. Ford is laying off a ton of workers. China will be importing a ton of their new luxury cars priced in the high teens. Wal-Mart is opening new stores in China. Our religious leaders get richer and richer and more narrow in their view. Our politicians cannot conduct a dialogue without an agenda or blowing a gasket for the benefit of national television. We have a president that uses 'stay the course' as a mantra for conservative laissez-faire, unthinking, misdirected, we are floating in a cesspool of our own making.

Here's the thing. Not every citizen "deserves" two or three cars, a four bedroom house, five televisions, three computers, riding lawn mowers, a few Blackberries, several telephones, and a pear tree. Not every citizen "deserves" a college education. Not every citizen "deserves" several credit cards, several loans, and a few home equity lines of credit. Don't believe Madison Avenue. Marketers don't want you to think.

Unions have abused their power. Companies have ignored their workers, pandered to their stockholders, and lost sight of their civic obligations. Moral and ethical behavior is only thought of as a bat to beat someone who is caught in the act, not as a guide for living. We should be ashamed of ourselves.

Personal discipline? Few possess it, even fewer cultivate it. The phrase is used only to point to the faults of others we don't like rather than a gauge with which to assess our own conduct and improve ourselves. We don't have time for personal discipline. We don't have time to think. We don't have time to reflect on our options, to trace each option's line, as chessplayers analyze moves on a board. So we are prone to take the first silly, misbegotten step that comes to mind. And too often that step is to grasp mind candy, body candy or emotion candy. An educated electorate is too much to ask with 10 second soundbites and a relentless unwillingness to go past the candy to get to the meat of the meal. Who wants to study to learn when we can have it instantly...or a reasonable facsimile in the form of cliche and otherwise well worn phrases.

We have so many wonderful resources! Such wonderful opportunities and tools to use! I am ashamed of us. We could be so much more.

Where can we go from here? There are other parts of the world hungry for a piece of the golden apple we are letting rot on the ground in our own back yard. There are billions of others willing to work, to sacrifice, and to do whatever it takes to get that apple. Understand this: our greatness is not inherent. Our greatness came as a result of our willingness and need to engage a new world and make it blossom. Without that willingness or that need, we will be sipping vinegar.

Be well.

Meeting your self

With palms together,

Good Morning All,

Yesterday I had the honor of visiting a Zen Center in El Paso Texas and there met a young Zen Teacher from Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas. She teaches from a different Zen tradition than I am from and so it was interesting to learn from her. Her tradition integrates Rinzai and Soto schools. It is called Sanbo Kyodan, and was transmitted by Yamada Koun-roshi, the same teacher as taught one of my personal heros Robert Aitken-roshi.

We sat in stillness for several periods beginning at 8:00 AM. Then broke for a short work meditation (samu) period. As we sat again, Rev. Valerie began a wonderful Tiesho regarding one of the koans springing off the poems contained in the Platform Sutra. This is Case 23, "Neither Good Nor Evil" from the Gateless Barrier. This koan invites us to begin to see the power of Right Effort as we discover what Ven. Ananda discovered over 2600 years ago: just stop struggling.

There are so many "gates" to the opening of our eyes. But they appear only to those who come to them through effort and sincerity. It is rather like learning to paint or take excellent photographs or ride a bicycle. We must practice with right effort, learning, integrating, tilling the soil until that single moment when, a crack of sound, a glimmer of light, a faint smell, that "something" happens which opens our eyes.

I invite each of you to develop your practice in this way: study. Study yourself and your world. Learn. Work hard in the middle of it and in the process, be open and willing to see.

Be well.

[Zen] Unity in spite of differences.

Good afternoon All,

This message was posted to the Zen Forum at Yahoogroups by my friend Al. I wanted to share it with you because I believe he hits the nail right on the head. When did it become cool to be so mean, rigid, and unwilling to listen to a diffeent point of view?

My wife and I chanced upon a few minutes of Jerry Springer the other day. My goodness. And the "discussion" by the t.v. news talking heads isn't any better.

I hope we can dig our way our of this craziness.

Be well.

Al <actionheroes@earthlink.net> wrote:

To: <Zen_Forum@yahoogroups.com>
From: "Al" <actionheroes@earthlink.net>
Date: Sat, 21 Jan 2006 08:32:16 -0500
Subject: [Zen] Unity in spite of differences.

This PETA & Cat Zen discussion has really illustrated something to me. It
all started with news about a guy who tried to kill a rat and it burned down
his house.

It has continued with some interesting information, but also a lot of folks
demonstrating deep feelings or hardened attitudes and opinions about cats,
dogs, PETA, and various other issues.

Some person joined to state that she was going to be banned because of her
love for animals, and then she quit (banned herself?). Are so many people
nuts?

Then this morning I was listening to the radio, and Michael Medved came on
to push some book he wrote about how he used to be a volunteer for Bobby
Kennedy & George McGovern and then became a "Reagan Republican." Medved then
went on to ridicule and lambaste liberals, Democrats, etc.

What I realized is that people no longer respect each other. There is no
respect for ideas or other people. We should all be able to have a
light-hearted discussion about cats, dogs, or politics without hurting each
others' sensibilities. But nowadays, there seems to be an nasty attitude
that permeates all discussions. That smug anti-intellectual attitude is that
there is only one right answer for any question, and that anyone who
proposes a different opinion is either stupid, deluded, or anti-American,
anti-British, subversive, mentally unbalanced, "has issues" or is somehow
incapable of intelligent thought.

This smug, snide, and superficial attitude is propagated by Rush Limbaugh,
O'Reilly, and every so-called Conservative radio host I have heard.
Unfortunately, what passes for Liberal radio is just as bad. I have heard
Randi Rhodes and that guy who used to be a comedian on Saturday Night Live,
and they exude the kind of obnoxious smugness that makes people want to
throw up.

Anyhow, I guess I can't change anything about the way civilization is
de-evolving. Back in the era of Enlightenment (the 1700s); people published
some incredible books and had some incredible debates filled with hope and
ideas that were radically different, and debate flourished.

People can have totally different opinions and still be friends, meet for
lunch, go to the park and have a picnic, or go to the movies together. We
should not seek to associate only with clones of each other.