With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
This morning there are clouds in the sky over the desert. Yesterday was another windy day. My hope is that this afternoon will be beautiful and sunny with a clear sky, but if it isn't, well it will be beautiful as it is and I will appreciate it.
Each day offers itself to us as a partner in our experience in this process of life. Our practice is to be open to this process and receive its teachings.
What does this really mean?
Partly it is about leaving home. This means leaving what we believe we know at our bed as we rise and enter the day. If we go through our day knowing then what are we learning? What sort of room is there in our heads for something new and different?
Leaving home is scary. It requires courage and faith. Courage to face things without a shield, faith that what we receive will not harm us.
We are life's students. Adult learners who have immense capacity for both enlightenment and delusion. One requires a shedding of self, the other grasps the self. When we shed our self: our assumptions, our beliefs, even our self-proclaimed values, we are truely open to learning by direct experience.
So, today, please practice this sort of openness. Have faith that the process is what it is and in the end you are one with it. Have courage to be there, present in each moment. A buddha.
Be well.
Organ Mountain Zen
Monday, March 13, 2006
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Interconnection
With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
As the sun rises and warms the desert, I am sipping hot green tea at the computer. My heart is still and I am opening my eyes to see you. We are each a part of this wonderful universe. Each necessary. Each vital. The universe cannot exist without us. As each thing has its causes and conditions, each thing is deeply interwoven in the fabric of space and time. Where does one begin and end? Truely? Seeds from parents are planted and arise producing seeds that are planted and arise and so on and so on. Small changes here and there, divergence, complexity, life.
So, as I type here and am aware of the keys touching electrical pads, sending pulses out through fiber optic cables, patterns abound, connect with other patterns, and there we are: a universe. We are one, here and now. As you read. As I move on through my day, and you yours. My message is with you and you are with me. We are together. A good thing.
If we live this way, how difficult to injure each other! How difficult to willingly cause harm! Be peace today. Be yourself.
Be well.
Request for dana:
Last night we watched a plea for assistance from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. I would urge anyone to support this work. A small thing for a very important task. The toll free number is: 1-800-785-9539. Call a make a small donation today.
Good Morning Sangha,
As the sun rises and warms the desert, I am sipping hot green tea at the computer. My heart is still and I am opening my eyes to see you. We are each a part of this wonderful universe. Each necessary. Each vital. The universe cannot exist without us. As each thing has its causes and conditions, each thing is deeply interwoven in the fabric of space and time. Where does one begin and end? Truely? Seeds from parents are planted and arise producing seeds that are planted and arise and so on and so on. Small changes here and there, divergence, complexity, life.
So, as I type here and am aware of the keys touching electrical pads, sending pulses out through fiber optic cables, patterns abound, connect with other patterns, and there we are: a universe. We are one, here and now. As you read. As I move on through my day, and you yours. My message is with you and you are with me. We are together. A good thing.
If we live this way, how difficult to injure each other! How difficult to willingly cause harm! Be peace today. Be yourself.
Be well.
Request for dana:
Last night we watched a plea for assistance from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis. I would urge anyone to support this work. A small thing for a very important task. The toll free number is: 1-800-785-9539. Call a make a small donation today.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Dealing with the News
With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
On my Yahoo 360 blog I have been recounting the Ten Grave Precepts. Today's precept is the fifth which asks us not to cloud our minds. Usually this is taken to mean not to drink to the point of not being sober. It is also a invitation not to ingest drugs or other toxins that will injure us or otherwise cause harm. Thich Nhat Hahn, the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk and Peace Worker has suggested that this precept includes taking things into us such as images or information which will poison us. Poison us with greed, hatred, and delusion.
This morning's news included a piece on the killing of Mr. Tom Fox, a Quaker and a Christian Peace Worker in Iraq who was taken hostage. Reports are that he was beaten, cut, and then shot in the chest and the head. Bound, his body was dumped on the street.
There are several "Friends" on this list. My deepest condolences to you.
My sense is that to avoid news can be harmful, as harmful as hiding one's head in the sand. The problem isn't the news or the images, but in what we do with them. If the images and the news causes hatred and anger, big problem. If, on the other hand, the information invites us to examine ourselves, our feelings, our relationships, our own actions, and thereby causes us to stand upright in the face of these three poisons, then we are being bodhisattvas.
The Buddha invited us to sit in a graveyard and be with a decomposing body. The image, the scent, the processes of decomposition are all "poisons" to those who seek nothing but the flowers of life. Yet all flowers eventually lose their bloom, wilt, keel over, wrinkle-up and die. They then become part of the environment, enriching it with nutrients for the next seed beginning to grow.
When we stand apart from the natural cycles of living and dying, loving and hating, we are not able tro help, we lose touch, live in a fantasy, and become incapable of connecting to others.
So, we should sit with this atrocity. We should invite our feelings to enter us, process them as we would the presence of a decomposing body in our living room. Turn away the eyes and you become salt. Care for the body and you become a bodhisattva.
It is most challenging work.
Be well.
Good Morning Sangha,
On my Yahoo 360 blog I have been recounting the Ten Grave Precepts. Today's precept is the fifth which asks us not to cloud our minds. Usually this is taken to mean not to drink to the point of not being sober. It is also a invitation not to ingest drugs or other toxins that will injure us or otherwise cause harm. Thich Nhat Hahn, the Vietnamese Buddhist Monk and Peace Worker has suggested that this precept includes taking things into us such as images or information which will poison us. Poison us with greed, hatred, and delusion.
This morning's news included a piece on the killing of Mr. Tom Fox, a Quaker and a Christian Peace Worker in Iraq who was taken hostage. Reports are that he was beaten, cut, and then shot in the chest and the head. Bound, his body was dumped on the street.
There are several "Friends" on this list. My deepest condolences to you.
My sense is that to avoid news can be harmful, as harmful as hiding one's head in the sand. The problem isn't the news or the images, but in what we do with them. If the images and the news causes hatred and anger, big problem. If, on the other hand, the information invites us to examine ourselves, our feelings, our relationships, our own actions, and thereby causes us to stand upright in the face of these three poisons, then we are being bodhisattvas.
The Buddha invited us to sit in a graveyard and be with a decomposing body. The image, the scent, the processes of decomposition are all "poisons" to those who seek nothing but the flowers of life. Yet all flowers eventually lose their bloom, wilt, keel over, wrinkle-up and die. They then become part of the environment, enriching it with nutrients for the next seed beginning to grow.
When we stand apart from the natural cycles of living and dying, loving and hating, we are not able tro help, we lose touch, live in a fantasy, and become incapable of connecting to others.
So, we should sit with this atrocity. We should invite our feelings to enter us, process them as we would the presence of a decomposing body in our living room. Turn away the eyes and you become salt. Care for the body and you become a bodhisattva.
It is most challenging work.
Be well.
Friday, March 10, 2006
What it is
With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
When we are being in the present moment, as it is, there is no room for anything else. This moment, as it is, is full and complete. So, what is this moment, as it is?
Sitting Zazen without sitting Zazen. Cleaning without cleaning. Talking without talking. Eating without eating. Listening without listening.
Zen is being complete in this moment without adding words, names, labels, judgements, thoughts, likes or dislikes to it.
When we are correctly oriented to living this way, everything becomes easy. No problem.
Living this way allows our breathing to be what it is: free.
Living this way allows our Buddha-nature to flower.
Living this way allows our love to be itself.
Living this way allows our compassion to enfold the planet.
Living this way allows all things to be One.
Be well.
Good Morning Sangha,
When we are being in the present moment, as it is, there is no room for anything else. This moment, as it is, is full and complete. So, what is this moment, as it is?
Sitting Zazen without sitting Zazen. Cleaning without cleaning. Talking without talking. Eating without eating. Listening without listening.
Zen is being complete in this moment without adding words, names, labels, judgements, thoughts, likes or dislikes to it.
When we are correctly oriented to living this way, everything becomes easy. No problem.
Living this way allows our breathing to be what it is: free.
Living this way allows our Buddha-nature to flower.
Living this way allows our love to be itself.
Living this way allows our compassion to enfold the planet.
Living this way allows all things to be One.
Be well.
Thursday, March 9, 2006
No one was beheaded
With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
Yesterday's Peace Vigil was a great success if one measures success by the vibrancy of a group. We stood against the wind, a cold wind blowing across the desert valley. There were a couple of dozen women and a few men standing there along the avenue lacing the Federal Building. Public television was there. A few print media were there. Cameras were happy.
Passersby honked their horns in support. A few lifted a finger expressing their disapproval. This is America. No one was shot. No one beheaded.
That morning I met with local people interested in Jewish Law. The topic was "Should clergy marry people in a religious wedding without a license?" This is an effort to have a marrage sanctioned by God, but avoiding the problems with Social Security pension laws, although a few dissented, the answer was a clear no. We should not engage in deceitful behavior. During this discussion, a Christian minister made a few comments about homosexual unions, a heated debate ensued. Again, no one came to blows. No one was beheaded.
I noticed the authorities arrested three college students in the arson attacks of several churches in the deep south. No riots. No killings. No beheadings.
Last night at Zen Center, we sat Zazen in perfect stillness.
It is possible to have passionate views far apart from our neighbors and not bring harm to them. That is a very hopeful message. While we in the United States are far from perfect and we do in fact harm others in our behavior, we still have something we can offer the world. This should be our message..
Be well.
Good Morning Sangha,
Yesterday's Peace Vigil was a great success if one measures success by the vibrancy of a group. We stood against the wind, a cold wind blowing across the desert valley. There were a couple of dozen women and a few men standing there along the avenue lacing the Federal Building. Public television was there. A few print media were there. Cameras were happy.
Passersby honked their horns in support. A few lifted a finger expressing their disapproval. This is America. No one was shot. No one beheaded.
That morning I met with local people interested in Jewish Law. The topic was "Should clergy marry people in a religious wedding without a license?" This is an effort to have a marrage sanctioned by God, but avoiding the problems with Social Security pension laws, although a few dissented, the answer was a clear no. We should not engage in deceitful behavior. During this discussion, a Christian minister made a few comments about homosexual unions, a heated debate ensued. Again, no one came to blows. No one was beheaded.
I noticed the authorities arrested three college students in the arson attacks of several churches in the deep south. No riots. No killings. No beheadings.
Last night at Zen Center, we sat Zazen in perfect stillness.
It is possible to have passionate views far apart from our neighbors and not bring harm to them. That is a very hopeful message. While we in the United States are far from perfect and we do in fact harm others in our behavior, we still have something we can offer the world. This should be our message..
Be well.
Wednesday, March 8, 2006
Another Day for Peace
With palms together,
Good Afternoon Sangha,
This afternoon we are scheduled to do a peace vigil at the Federal Courthouse in town. I have my simple sign which reads, "PEACE." I will join others at 4:00 PM, the appointed hour.
It is important to add our voice against war and violence. That it does not cause an end to the war is unimportant. Witnessing is. Eventually this war will end, they all do. Eventually another will begin, it usually does. What we can do is be a steady voice for peace and against violence.
The wind is picking up here in the desert southwest. It will be interesting out there on the streetcorner. Thankfully, it doesn't appear it will rain on us.
So, if you are available at 4:00 PM wherever you are, please stand or sit for a few minutes with us as we witness for peace. If not today, then when you can. Or write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, or to the President, or to your congressional representative: your voice is important.
Be well.
Miles ran or walked today: 3.5
May All Beings Be Free From Suffering
So Daiho
James Madison's warning: "No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare."
Zazen at Zen Center of Las Cruces: Sundays 10:00 AM; Wednesdays 7:00 PM
Zazen at Dharma Mountain Zendo: Sundays 10:00 AM
On the web at http://www.daihoji.org/ and http://daihoji.blogspot.com/
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Tuesday, March 7, 2006
The Courage to Be
With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,
This morning I read with great sadness of the death of Dana Reeve. This woman was a great bodhisattva. Her memory, like that of her husband, will be a blessing for us all.
It is not difficult to find models for us to live by. Dana and Christopher Reeve were such models. Then so is a small one named Jennifer I saw on Discovery Health Channel the other day who was born without a face and endures tremendous pain and suffering as she undergoes a countless series of surguries to build her a face. Then there is her family, and the doctors and nurses, her extendeded family, neighbors and friends. When one tosses a pebble into the pond where do the ripples cease?
Dana Reeve was only 44 years old. She had never smoked a cigarette. Yet one in five women contract lung cancer who have never smoked in their lives. One wonders. These are people who led their lives fully. They developed great courage and compassion. They suffered, but they also succeeded.
When we live our lives in this way, directly, being with each event, each feeling that arises and still maintain our balance and our determination to be of service in the world, we are living buddhas.
I saw video of little Jennifer shortly after a massive surgery, pick up a striker and play with toy bells. The sound of the bell is both a call to mindfullness and a reminder that there is always joy in our lives even in the midst of great pain should we choose to experience it.
Be well.
Good Morning Sangha,
This morning I read with great sadness of the death of Dana Reeve. This woman was a great bodhisattva. Her memory, like that of her husband, will be a blessing for us all.
It is not difficult to find models for us to live by. Dana and Christopher Reeve were such models. Then so is a small one named Jennifer I saw on Discovery Health Channel the other day who was born without a face and endures tremendous pain and suffering as she undergoes a countless series of surguries to build her a face. Then there is her family, and the doctors and nurses, her extendeded family, neighbors and friends. When one tosses a pebble into the pond where do the ripples cease?
Dana Reeve was only 44 years old. She had never smoked a cigarette. Yet one in five women contract lung cancer who have never smoked in their lives. One wonders. These are people who led their lives fully. They developed great courage and compassion. They suffered, but they also succeeded.
When we live our lives in this way, directly, being with each event, each feeling that arises and still maintain our balance and our determination to be of service in the world, we are living buddhas.
I saw video of little Jennifer shortly after a massive surgery, pick up a striker and play with toy bells. The sound of the bell is both a call to mindfullness and a reminder that there is always joy in our lives even in the midst of great pain should we choose to experience it.
Be well.
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