With palms together,
Good Afternoon All,
The first of the Six Paramitas is Dana, or Genersoity. I enjoy this paramita very much as it reminds me that to be generous means to be so without self. Any reminder to drop away self is a good thing. We spend so much of our day wrapped up in ourselves, that to get out of the wrapper is actually quite liberating.
In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha taught that a man should "bestow alms, uninfluenced by any pre-conceived thoughts as to self and other selves..." and if in "practicing charity, conceives within his mind...conceptions discriminating himself from other selves, he will be like a man walking in darkness and seeing nothing." (Goddard translation, p.90-91).
This has some very specific meaning and teaching. Similar to the Christian notion that if a man asks for a coat, you should also give him your cloak. Thought to self, and judgement as to the worthiness of others has no place in these teachings.
The moment self enters, judgement and discernment enters, we are in the darkness and delusion of dualism. The heart of the Buddha's teaching is compassion for others as a starting point and an end in itself. In this sense, then, we enter charity and become charity, within this charity there is no me, no you, no beggar or almsgiver. Being generosity is being Buddha.
Another definition of Mutual Aid.
Be well.
Organ Mountain Zen
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Saturday, May 13, 2006
The News and the Spirit
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
The morning news is bothersome, as always. People killed. Expolsions. Domestic spying. Lawsuits. Sometimes it is good practice to avoid the newspaper and internet news services. The type and level of information, speed of delivery, and tone is poisonous to the spirit.
Yet, we don't really want to live as ostriches.
It is important to know your world and the happenings within it. It is important to know what your government is doing, how it is doing it, and the goals it claims in the process. Our government does not seem to be as forthcoming as it might be. We are fighting a war, it claims.
Remember the works of fiction that warned us in school? 1984, Brave New World, Player Piano (the first Kurt Vonnegut jr. book which was quite interesting in light of today's world)?
Here we are. Of course its not the same. The threats are real. And so are the psychological processes of leading through fear. Like lemmings, we are willingly giving up our rights to privacy. We are giving up our money and many of our freedoms to wage wars of peace and end fear and intimidation by Third World sets of people wanting to bring back the Middle Ages.
I am one who believes terror wins when we decide to become fearful, hiding, and secret. A brave society is a society that remains free and above board even when threatened. A compassionate society cares about our enemies, nurtures the poor and the weak regardless of race, creed, or national origin. A smart society lives beyond superstition and the fear of fundamentalists and their devil.
When your heart is closed, you die regardless of whether you are safe. When your heart is open, you live even if you are in danger.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
The morning news is bothersome, as always. People killed. Expolsions. Domestic spying. Lawsuits. Sometimes it is good practice to avoid the newspaper and internet news services. The type and level of information, speed of delivery, and tone is poisonous to the spirit.
Yet, we don't really want to live as ostriches.
It is important to know your world and the happenings within it. It is important to know what your government is doing, how it is doing it, and the goals it claims in the process. Our government does not seem to be as forthcoming as it might be. We are fighting a war, it claims.
Remember the works of fiction that warned us in school? 1984, Brave New World, Player Piano (the first Kurt Vonnegut jr. book which was quite interesting in light of today's world)?
Here we are. Of course its not the same. The threats are real. And so are the psychological processes of leading through fear. Like lemmings, we are willingly giving up our rights to privacy. We are giving up our money and many of our freedoms to wage wars of peace and end fear and intimidation by Third World sets of people wanting to bring back the Middle Ages.
I am one who believes terror wins when we decide to become fearful, hiding, and secret. A brave society is a society that remains free and above board even when threatened. A compassionate society cares about our enemies, nurtures the poor and the weak regardless of race, creed, or national origin. A smart society lives beyond superstition and the fear of fundamentalists and their devil.
When your heart is closed, you die regardless of whether you are safe. When your heart is open, you live even if you are in danger.
Be well.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Alive
With palms together,
Good Morning all,
We have recently moved a small cafe table and two chairs into my home Zendo, along with my handweights, a small library of books, and the orchid My Little Honey gave to me for our anniversary.
The orchid sits just beyond this laptop computer and as I type it draws my attention. It is a sort of mindfullness bell. We all have such small, but important objects in our lives. A flower, a photograph, a key: something that captures us for just a moment and in thsat moment enables us to settle down, draw in our breath and center ourselves.
It is so easy to overlook these small treasures. Our world is full of large distractions, noisy, glitsy, sexy, important. Yet, as anyone who has lived awhile understands, these are all passing. Yesterdays headlines are yesterday, with all that implies.
The small treasures, on the otherhand, are constant. Though the flower may lose its bloom, and the lock for the key be no more, the treasure is in the moment we take ro draw our breath. The moment we become aware we are alive.
Be well.
Good Morning all,
We have recently moved a small cafe table and two chairs into my home Zendo, along with my handweights, a small library of books, and the orchid My Little Honey gave to me for our anniversary.
The orchid sits just beyond this laptop computer and as I type it draws my attention. It is a sort of mindfullness bell. We all have such small, but important objects in our lives. A flower, a photograph, a key: something that captures us for just a moment and in thsat moment enables us to settle down, draw in our breath and center ourselves.
It is so easy to overlook these small treasures. Our world is full of large distractions, noisy, glitsy, sexy, important. Yet, as anyone who has lived awhile understands, these are all passing. Yesterdays headlines are yesterday, with all that implies.
The small treasures, on the otherhand, are constant. Though the flower may lose its bloom, and the lock for the key be no more, the treasure is in the moment we take ro draw our breath. The moment we become aware we are alive.
Be well.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Unbearable!
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
The sun has once again risen and warmed the desert air. The coolness of the night evaporates quickly and we are left with hot, dry air. Where can we go to escape the heat?
What is the nature of unbearability? When we suffer and say "this is unbearable!" what do we mean? Our mind is intruding, demanding an alternative to the feelings experienced by our bodies or hearts. In some ways this is a good thing. Pain is an flag that causes us to look and act to be safe or well.
Yet all of these are mental formations, constructs that have no independent existence. They come and go like the breeze or the sun. We suffer in direct proportion to our desire not to suffer. The more we imagine non-suffering and compare that imagined state to that which we abide, we suffer.
When it is hot we wish to be cool. When we are cold, we wish to be warm. All of this wishing separates us from our present moment experience. It creates a gulf between us and reality.
Our practice is to not rant against the heat, but simply be. We can move to the shade, without thinking about escaping the heat. We can enjoy the heat. We can recognize that heat and cold are relative states to us, the subject. We can join the heat and in so doing allow it to lose its power.
And so it is with life.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
The sun has once again risen and warmed the desert air. The coolness of the night evaporates quickly and we are left with hot, dry air. Where can we go to escape the heat?
What is the nature of unbearability? When we suffer and say "this is unbearable!" what do we mean? Our mind is intruding, demanding an alternative to the feelings experienced by our bodies or hearts. In some ways this is a good thing. Pain is an flag that causes us to look and act to be safe or well.
Yet all of these are mental formations, constructs that have no independent existence. They come and go like the breeze or the sun. We suffer in direct proportion to our desire not to suffer. The more we imagine non-suffering and compare that imagined state to that which we abide, we suffer.
When it is hot we wish to be cool. When we are cold, we wish to be warm. All of this wishing separates us from our present moment experience. It creates a gulf between us and reality.
Our practice is to not rant against the heat, but simply be. We can move to the shade, without thinking about escaping the heat. We can enjoy the heat. We can recognize that heat and cold are relative states to us, the subject. We can join the heat and in so doing allow it to lose its power.
And so it is with life.
Be well.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Stillness
With palms together,
Good Afternoon All,
Some of you have asked me to elaborate on the teaching of stillness. Let's try this: Create stillness right now. You are obviously at your computer just now.
Notice your breath. Where does it come from? Where does it go? Feel it as it enters and leaves your body.
Notice your eyes. Watch them as they move across the monitor.
Notice your mind. What it is up to? Questioning? Yawning?
Notice sound. Can you hear your computer? The sound of the refrigerator or air conditioner? Do you hear yourself swallow?
Notice what your mouth feels like inside. Is it moist? Dry? Where is your tongue? How do your teeth feel?
Notice your eyes blinking. Just witness them open and close.
Do nothing with anything you notice. Just let whatever is there be there and feel the stillness in your body. You do not have to immediately hit the delete key or the reply key or any other key.
When you are in the presence of others, you can do this as well. There is no law that says you must reply immediately. Take a few moments and witness yourself.
The most important aspect of this practice is attentive non-engagement.
When we practice this way, we should notice the need we seem to have to "do" something. Be careful of this need, it will usually lead to no good.
Be well.
Good Afternoon All,
Some of you have asked me to elaborate on the teaching of stillness. Let's try this: Create stillness right now. You are obviously at your computer just now.
Notice your breath. Where does it come from? Where does it go? Feel it as it enters and leaves your body.
Notice your eyes. Watch them as they move across the monitor.
Notice your mind. What it is up to? Questioning? Yawning?
Notice sound. Can you hear your computer? The sound of the refrigerator or air conditioner? Do you hear yourself swallow?
Notice what your mouth feels like inside. Is it moist? Dry? Where is your tongue? How do your teeth feel?
Notice your eyes blinking. Just witness them open and close.
Do nothing with anything you notice. Just let whatever is there be there and feel the stillness in your body. You do not have to immediately hit the delete key or the reply key or any other key.
When you are in the presence of others, you can do this as well. There is no law that says you must reply immediately. Take a few moments and witness yourself.
The most important aspect of this practice is attentive non-engagement.
When we practice this way, we should notice the need we seem to have to "do" something. Be careful of this need, it will usually lead to no good.
Be well.
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
What's to fear?
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
How many of us can make a mistake without fear? Do we feel comfortable out of our comfort zone? Can we hear criticism and allow it to just lay there?
Most of us, perhaps all of us, cannot. We each have a strong need to be valued, appreciated, esteemed. Interaction with others (and sometimes even ourselves) makes this a challenge. Our culture is habituated toward critique.
Valuation is our livelihood. Discrimination our currency.
A statement suggesting what we say is off base or inaccurate invite rebuttal. If the rebuttal comes from fear, big problem. Fer creates defensive posturing. Fear closes us off from even looking at the merits of the suggestion: so strong is our need not to be wrong.
Why?
I am wrong often. I speak before I have the facts. I believe I know what someone is thinking or saying as they are speaking and formulate replies before they have finished their thought. I guess I think I'm a mind-reader or something. My father always charged me with being stupid and incompetent. I filter through his judgment. And just as surely as he is dead, so am I if I continue in this way.
Our practice is to be in this moment. Being in this moment requires courage as it demands we are open. Being open is a challenge when we are afraid. Yet our practice teaches us there is nothing to fear. There is no self to be abused, no feeling that will last forever (unless we keep it tightly stored and ready to use, and even then, it will die with us sometime).
It is a good practice to just be present without acting. In this practice allow yourself the luxury of not responding. Make a concerted effort to free your thoughts and let them float away. Those around you might be mystified, this behavior will be a small challenge for them, but I believe at some point this practice will bear fruit.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
How many of us can make a mistake without fear? Do we feel comfortable out of our comfort zone? Can we hear criticism and allow it to just lay there?
Most of us, perhaps all of us, cannot. We each have a strong need to be valued, appreciated, esteemed. Interaction with others (and sometimes even ourselves) makes this a challenge. Our culture is habituated toward critique.
Valuation is our livelihood. Discrimination our currency.
A statement suggesting what we say is off base or inaccurate invite rebuttal. If the rebuttal comes from fear, big problem. Fer creates defensive posturing. Fear closes us off from even looking at the merits of the suggestion: so strong is our need not to be wrong.
Why?
I am wrong often. I speak before I have the facts. I believe I know what someone is thinking or saying as they are speaking and formulate replies before they have finished their thought. I guess I think I'm a mind-reader or something. My father always charged me with being stupid and incompetent. I filter through his judgment. And just as surely as he is dead, so am I if I continue in this way.
Our practice is to be in this moment. Being in this moment requires courage as it demands we are open. Being open is a challenge when we are afraid. Yet our practice teaches us there is nothing to fear. There is no self to be abused, no feeling that will last forever (unless we keep it tightly stored and ready to use, and even then, it will die with us sometime).
It is a good practice to just be present without acting. In this practice allow yourself the luxury of not responding. Make a concerted effort to free your thoughts and let them float away. Those around you might be mystified, this behavior will be a small challenge for them, but I believe at some point this practice will bear fruit.
Be well.
Monday, May 8, 2006
Morning Light
With palms together,
Good Morning All,
So it is morning once again. I count on morning light. It is a blessing we should each savor. Some years ago, when I was 19 and just shot in the head in the middle of the night in the middle of the jungle, I lay in muddy water waiting for the morning light. In the morning the light streamed in through the canopy of trees revealing a smokey mess of human beings in great pain or dead in grotesque positions.
I pray none of you ever suffer mornings like that, nor that your sons or daughters do.
Each morning I recite a short prayer, "As I open my eyes I vow to see the universe clearly and not forsake a single being." In Jewish thought, we are happy to see that our soul has been returned to us by God. In each case we see that we are able to take a fresh step, essentially born new in the world. What was is no more. What is is here just now. It is our choice exactly how we meet this moment.
What is your choice today? I hope you choose peace.
Be well.
Good Morning All,
So it is morning once again. I count on morning light. It is a blessing we should each savor. Some years ago, when I was 19 and just shot in the head in the middle of the night in the middle of the jungle, I lay in muddy water waiting for the morning light. In the morning the light streamed in through the canopy of trees revealing a smokey mess of human beings in great pain or dead in grotesque positions.
I pray none of you ever suffer mornings like that, nor that your sons or daughters do.
Each morning I recite a short prayer, "As I open my eyes I vow to see the universe clearly and not forsake a single being." In Jewish thought, we are happy to see that our soul has been returned to us by God. In each case we see that we are able to take a fresh step, essentially born new in the world. What was is no more. What is is here just now. It is our choice exactly how we meet this moment.
What is your choice today? I hope you choose peace.
Be well.
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