With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Last night I finally got some sleep. Going to bed early, slipping on a blindfold, and taking an Ambien helped. I am told by my doctors that sleep patterns change as we age and that sleep interruptions are common. I'll have none of that.
So, I slipped under the covers after a period of meditation and light yoga, practiced awareness of breathing, and then it was morning.
Ready now to step out of the Zendo into a new day, I am contemplation a bit on yesterday.
At a "Future Planning" meeting at Temple Beth El, I experienced a small awakening. Well...maybe just an insight. Everyone was happy to see me "back" at TBE. (I admit, I resigned many of my tasks and jobs there rather abruptly. Kind of like a kyosaku whack.)
Over the course of the meeting, people were talking about the need to live more "Jewishly" and wondering how the Temple might inspire such a thing. Identification with the people, the faith, the land, and all things Jewish seemed the order of the day.
I sat there, just out of Morning Zen Services, in my black robes and brown rakasu. Oh boy.
I don't feel like a cheerleader. I don't believe organizations can or should be Ra Ra Glee Clubs. My practice is personal and direct. Follow the Way; don't follow the Way.
I don't believe we should live as anything but good human beings in service to the universe.. Jew? Buddhist? Christian? Muslim? Oy!
I am sooooo tired of that level of duality.It exhaust me, literally. It is one of the things I now realize I loathe about organized religion and probably a central reason for my embracing Zen. Religious practice, religion itself, should not be a means to an end, but an end in itself and that end is the realization that there is no beginning, no end, no this or that. Our religion should teach us ways to drop religion, not to encase it in gold and silver. Everyone needs cheerleader I suppose, but my aim is to cheer us on to universality, not to direct us toward enhancing demarcation lines an supporting boxes and labels, no matter how beautiful they are.
The Infinite does not have a religion, unless we call being everything is a religion. Maybe there is a deep and profound teaching there.
Be well.
Organ Mountain Zen
Monday, January 11, 2010
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Our True Nature
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
There are ten grave precepts, a sort of Buddhist Ten Commandments save the command part. We often discuss these as practice guides, principles, anything but rules. In fact they are our True Nature and reflect our compassion.
The grave part is twofold: first, to violate a precept is to violate oneself, hence the universe. Second, in some places and times, to violate one of these precepts got a monk out of a sangha.
As we unfold in our practice, our attention regarding precepts shifts from care for the morality of self to the nurturance of the universe. This leads in two directions it seems to me. First it asks us to examine how our conduct nurtures others. Second, and most importantly, is not to harm in the process. Ahimsa: do no harm.
It is not enough to nurture, we must also protect. I wonder if these are the same or different. Awareness is key. Can nurturance, for example, be harmful? Co-dependence suggests it is possible when one is acting for another to the point of harming oneself.
It is time for my bell to ring.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
There are ten grave precepts, a sort of Buddhist Ten Commandments save the command part. We often discuss these as practice guides, principles, anything but rules. In fact they are our True Nature and reflect our compassion.
The grave part is twofold: first, to violate a precept is to violate oneself, hence the universe. Second, in some places and times, to violate one of these precepts got a monk out of a sangha.
As we unfold in our practice, our attention regarding precepts shifts from care for the morality of self to the nurturance of the universe. This leads in two directions it seems to me. First it asks us to examine how our conduct nurtures others. Second, and most importantly, is not to harm in the process. Ahimsa: do no harm.
It is not enough to nurture, we must also protect. I wonder if these are the same or different. Awareness is key. Can nurturance, for example, be harmful? Co-dependence suggests it is possible when one is acting for another to the point of harming oneself.
It is time for my bell to ring.
Be well.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Nothing Special
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Lee Love, a friend in Japan, made a comment on my Face Book wall about a practice used by Tibetan followers of the Buddha Way. This practice, called "Tummo" is about deep concentration, a concentration that allows for the raising of body temperatures, reducing heartrate, blood pressure, metabolism, etc. The Dalai Lama was instrumental, and continues to be, in bringing Buddha's practices under the light of scientific investigation.
Much has been learned as a result. The text I am now reading (Buddha's Brain) is a practical guide that bases its work on such investigations. And while there is clearly much benefit from such practices and their study, I often wonder about what we take away from such efforts.
For one, I think many people see our practices as (maybe) sophisticated techniques and tools. The practice is eviscerated, gutted of its spiritual heart. Secondly, I think people think there is something special about the practices, Tibetans, or the East. Not so.
The entire aim of practice is to simply be awake and aware. As a consequence, heart awakens, body awakens, and our senses explore without grasping. It is nothing special. It is allowing the world to be as it is: in our hearts, minds, and bodies. Such practice leads to a complete awareness of the vast interconnectivity of everything. This is prayer in each moment. This makes every speck of sand, every bag of trash, every piece of toast or every sound, smell, taste, or touch, prayer. This is the heart of religion.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Lee Love, a friend in Japan, made a comment on my Face Book wall about a practice used by Tibetan followers of the Buddha Way. This practice, called "Tummo" is about deep concentration, a concentration that allows for the raising of body temperatures, reducing heartrate, blood pressure, metabolism, etc. The Dalai Lama was instrumental, and continues to be, in bringing Buddha's practices under the light of scientific investigation.
Much has been learned as a result. The text I am now reading (Buddha's Brain) is a practical guide that bases its work on such investigations. And while there is clearly much benefit from such practices and their study, I often wonder about what we take away from such efforts.
For one, I think many people see our practices as (maybe) sophisticated techniques and tools. The practice is eviscerated, gutted of its spiritual heart. Secondly, I think people think there is something special about the practices, Tibetans, or the East. Not so.
The entire aim of practice is to simply be awake and aware. As a consequence, heart awakens, body awakens, and our senses explore without grasping. It is nothing special. It is allowing the world to be as it is: in our hearts, minds, and bodies. Such practice leads to a complete awareness of the vast interconnectivity of everything. This is prayer in each moment. This makes every speck of sand, every bag of trash, every piece of toast or every sound, smell, taste, or touch, prayer. This is the heart of religion.
Be well.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Rest
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Cloudy skies greet the morning light. A threat of snow lingers. The land feels barren. Winter is like that, a natural break from the forces of growth. Rest is important to us all.
Last night I went to bed fairly early, fell asleep munching on some creamy chocolate, and woke this morning at 3:30 as Tripper wiggled and snorted, and snuggled, until I let him and his two brothers out. Too early to rise, back to bed for another hour or so.
Rest is, indeed, important.
Calm abiding in everyday life is rest in motion. Resisting nothing, enfolding everything, living things bend and yield. We practice to create a mind that is aware of the changing environment, as well as its own changing nature. Anger and frustration happen: yield to patience and compassion. Poverty and greed happen; yield to generosity and understanding. Alienated and isolated; yield to the deep wisdom of interdependence.
With each breath, a universe rises and falls. Keep nothing. Release everything. Our lives are ours to be lived.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Cloudy skies greet the morning light. A threat of snow lingers. The land feels barren. Winter is like that, a natural break from the forces of growth. Rest is important to us all.
Last night I went to bed fairly early, fell asleep munching on some creamy chocolate, and woke this morning at 3:30 as Tripper wiggled and snorted, and snuggled, until I let him and his two brothers out. Too early to rise, back to bed for another hour or so.
Rest is, indeed, important.
Calm abiding in everyday life is rest in motion. Resisting nothing, enfolding everything, living things bend and yield. We practice to create a mind that is aware of the changing environment, as well as its own changing nature. Anger and frustration happen: yield to patience and compassion. Poverty and greed happen; yield to generosity and understanding. Alienated and isolated; yield to the deep wisdom of interdependence.
With each breath, a universe rises and falls. Keep nothing. Release everything. Our lives are ours to be lived.
Be well.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Rules
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
Our Study Group has been dancing for awhile now, cutting a pretty mean 'rug', some might say. Cutting through things is important practice. What's at the core? What is being said? Understood? Done?
Yet, I am finding that if we really like something, we will find a way to make it not only "OK", but downright necessary to do. We will then weave a new rug spun from threads grown of either desire or necessity. Yet woven in such a way as to make what was once understood one way, now understood in another way. The new way is on the one hand closer to the Infinite (we convince ourselves) and on the other hand, something we really wanted to do in the first place (more truthful).
An article on the question of Yoga's place in Judaism set off a whole chain of thoughts in this regard, as the author, an Orthodox Jewish woman, clearly struggled with archaic notions foisted upon her by her rigid theology. In the end she seemingly came to no conclusion, yet continued her yoga practice. As my yoga teacher said last night of this, "she liked it!"
We are a species of rationalizers and once we discern a rationalization, we seem to think we have found a blemish in the sterling nature of a position. I am not convinced.
Reframing an old position in order to come to terms with new circumstances is an evolutionary and highly adaptive practice. It suggests principle rather than rule.
We are far more than our rules. We (and our continuation as a interdependent species) are the reason for the rules in the first place.
When looking at a precept, do not see a rule, see a principle. As one of my old friends and a social wok pioneer used to say, we needed "principles for living." Rules are not principles, they are ruts. Getting stuck in one disallows fresh energy to enter us and so we wilt.
To live in the present moment requires a willingness to live within immediate touch of the ultimate meaning of our lives. If I say, 'do not kill' I am also saying "support and nurture life". As fearless bodhisattva warrior, we should practice to use ourselves toward this aim.
In a world of One, there is no Christian, no Jewish, no Muslim, no Hindu, no Naive American: there are just practices, gates if you will, which invite us closer to the Infinite. Like fingers pointing to it, please don't mistake them for the moon.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Our Study Group has been dancing for awhile now, cutting a pretty mean 'rug', some might say. Cutting through things is important practice. What's at the core? What is being said? Understood? Done?
Yet, I am finding that if we really like something, we will find a way to make it not only "OK", but downright necessary to do. We will then weave a new rug spun from threads grown of either desire or necessity. Yet woven in such a way as to make what was once understood one way, now understood in another way. The new way is on the one hand closer to the Infinite (we convince ourselves) and on the other hand, something we really wanted to do in the first place (more truthful).
An article on the question of Yoga's place in Judaism set off a whole chain of thoughts in this regard, as the author, an Orthodox Jewish woman, clearly struggled with archaic notions foisted upon her by her rigid theology. In the end she seemingly came to no conclusion, yet continued her yoga practice. As my yoga teacher said last night of this, "she liked it!"
We are a species of rationalizers and once we discern a rationalization, we seem to think we have found a blemish in the sterling nature of a position. I am not convinced.
Reframing an old position in order to come to terms with new circumstances is an evolutionary and highly adaptive practice. It suggests principle rather than rule.
We are far more than our rules. We (and our continuation as a interdependent species) are the reason for the rules in the first place.
When looking at a precept, do not see a rule, see a principle. As one of my old friends and a social wok pioneer used to say, we needed "principles for living." Rules are not principles, they are ruts. Getting stuck in one disallows fresh energy to enter us and so we wilt.
To live in the present moment requires a willingness to live within immediate touch of the ultimate meaning of our lives. If I say, 'do not kill' I am also saying "support and nurture life". As fearless bodhisattva warrior, we should practice to use ourselves toward this aim.
In a world of One, there is no Christian, no Jewish, no Muslim, no Hindu, no Naive American: there are just practices, gates if you will, which invite us closer to the Infinite. Like fingers pointing to it, please don't mistake them for the moon.
Be well.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Wednesday Notes
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
The day today is full. Breakfast Discussion Group, Torah class, lunch with friends, meeting with my Teacher Hogaku-roshi, meditation, yoga, and finally Journey's Class. Somewhere in there I need to do a walk.
Such days remind me of my working life when every 30 minutes from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM were accounted for in a huge professional office calendar.Need time to just look at the sky? Better block it in!
Sometimes this is a very good thing. If we are not so very well disciplined, a calendar is a wonderful tool. We should not, however, obsess over it! People are often surprised by how much time is actually spent in mindlessness. No time to practice zazen? BS! Got time to pee? Of course. Well?
Discipline has gotten such a bad rep. It is far too often placed in opposition to freedom and creativity. Big mistake. Its like responsibility. No responsibility, no freedom. No morning, no evening. As sleep walkers we can get away with this. But as bodhisattvas, it is impossible.
Discipline offers s a form within which we are free. Freedom within form is delicious. Freedom without form is chaos. Just keep in mind, both form and emptiness are one in the same.
Be well
PS., I found a time to walk.
Good Morning Everyone,
The day today is full. Breakfast Discussion Group, Torah class, lunch with friends, meeting with my Teacher Hogaku-roshi, meditation, yoga, and finally Journey's Class. Somewhere in there I need to do a walk.
Such days remind me of my working life when every 30 minutes from 5:00 AM to 10:00 PM were accounted for in a huge professional office calendar.Need time to just look at the sky? Better block it in!
Sometimes this is a very good thing. If we are not so very well disciplined, a calendar is a wonderful tool. We should not, however, obsess over it! People are often surprised by how much time is actually spent in mindlessness. No time to practice zazen? BS! Got time to pee? Of course. Well?
Discipline has gotten such a bad rep. It is far too often placed in opposition to freedom and creativity. Big mistake. Its like responsibility. No responsibility, no freedom. No morning, no evening. As sleep walkers we can get away with this. But as bodhisattvas, it is impossible.
Discipline offers s a form within which we are free. Freedom within form is delicious. Freedom without form is chaos. Just keep in mind, both form and emptiness are one in the same.
Be well
PS., I found a time to walk.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The Kannon Sutra
With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,
The Kannon Sutra:
"Kanzeon,
Praise to Buddha,
All are one with Buddha,
All awake to Buddha,
Buddha, Dharma, Sangha,
Eternal joyous selfless pure,
Through the day
Kanzeon,
Through the night
Kanzeon,
This moment arises from Mind,
This moment itself is Mind."
This little piece is powerful. Kanzeon or Kannon is the Bodhisattva of Compassion. A Bodhisattva is an "awakened being" (or one devoted to, and on the path to, awakening). Kannon hears the cries of the world. She/he responds with myriad hands. We should not think of Kannon as a God-being. Kannon is us, each one of us. Kannon is our own compassion.
When we chant this sutra, we are inviting our own compassion to emerge. We are acknowledging the beauty of being awake, the complete unity of the universe, and expressing a base fact: nothing is not as it should be. Everything is because everything is, all deeply connected through both time and space.
So, we open ourselves and create a willingness to hear the suffering of beings, of ourselves, as we go through the various proceses of living and dying. Night and day, and we place our attention on a compassionate reply.
Eternity is nothing. It is a concept. This moment arises from a concept of Mind. What is, is Mind, yet, even this, when named, dies.
Here is the thing. Forget about it. This sutra, delightfully simple and straight forward, shows us how. Its all about placing our attention on what is most important, our love for everything.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
The Kannon Sutra:
"Kanzeon,
Praise to Buddha,
All are one with Buddha,
All awake to Buddha,
Buddha, Dharma, Sangha,
Eternal joyous selfless pure,
Through the day
Kanzeon,
Through the night
Kanzeon,
This moment arises from Mind,
This moment itself is Mind."
This little piece is powerful. Kanzeon or Kannon is the Bodhisattva of Compassion. A Bodhisattva is an "awakened being" (or one devoted to, and on the path to, awakening). Kannon hears the cries of the world. She/he responds with myriad hands. We should not think of Kannon as a God-being. Kannon is us, each one of us. Kannon is our own compassion.
When we chant this sutra, we are inviting our own compassion to emerge. We are acknowledging the beauty of being awake, the complete unity of the universe, and expressing a base fact: nothing is not as it should be. Everything is because everything is, all deeply connected through both time and space.
So, we open ourselves and create a willingness to hear the suffering of beings, of ourselves, as we go through the various proceses of living and dying. Night and day, and we place our attention on a compassionate reply.
Eternity is nothing. It is a concept. This moment arises from a concept of Mind. What is, is Mind, yet, even this, when named, dies.
Here is the thing. Forget about it. This sutra, delightfully simple and straight forward, shows us how. Its all about placing our attention on what is most important, our love for everything.
Be well.
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