With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
Life has its ways of demanding that we pay attention.
After three refrigerators and several repairs of refrigerators, it seems the refrigerators were not the problem, but the receptacle in which they were plugged was faulty. My chess rating was three hundred points higher than it is now and I just got beat twice by someone who was likely ten years old and who behaved like it. When bills are not paid, someone will try to collect on them. In each case, someone was not paying attention and in the end some sort of bell was invited to ring.
What is interesting to me is the sound of that bell.
Is it a soft and gentle bell, a loud bell, a sharp and jarring bell? What are my responses to these bells?
Last night I offered a dharma talk on the kshanti paramita, that is, the perfection of patience. When we practice patience, we must open ourselves and allow the bell, of whatever type, to ring. We must allow the bell to teach us.
When beaten by a brat was I a brat in return? Did bratness trigger bratness? And when I learned I needed to pay much closer attention to who owes what to whom and when, how did I respond?
When we practice mindful patience, there is only the moment in which we are in. We practice to open that moment and reside fully and completely there. Self falls away and our presence is available completely to, and for, the situation. Internal dialogue becomes a teacher. What are we saying to ourselves? Can we see it, experience it, accept it? Can we smile at ourselves, forgive ourselves, and gently take whatever action is necessary?
May many bells continue to ring
Their sweet sound
Is everything.
Organ Mountain Zen
Friday, November 5, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
A Mess
With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
Recently at Clear Mind Zen Temple, we have been discussing elements of the Diamond Sutra. I have been using Dwight Goddard’s selection from his, “A Buddhist’s Bible,” as I like how he re-ordered the text so that the paramitas come together.
This sutra is a powerful teaching tool. But it is very subtle and so much is missed by a superficial reading. Moreover, the sutra teaches how we are to manifest ourselves as the dharma, rather than talk about it (not that talking about the dharma is a bad thing, but rather, talking is just talking, and as Buddha himself points out in the sutra, words are just words: they ought not be confused with the actualization of what the words point to). The sutra is all about us showing what is naturally there in our behavior.
I really needed to refresh myself with this sutra yesterday. It seems a number of things came together all at once. Our altar’s “stage” was installed, the refrigerator and stove were replaced, and T’ai Chi Chih and Zazen collided with these. Zazen was delayed 10 minutes. Everything was a mess!
During everything that goes on in our lives, the practice of patience (khanti paramita) resides between our mind’s eye and our breath. How will we ever get that refrigerator in and the other out? Relax and let it go. In statistics, we used to say, “just work the problem.” Added thoughts and feelings regarding the problem are distractions, like thoughts during zazen. Our practice is to be our practice.
Everything worked out. The bell that starts the day will ring soon. Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Recently at Clear Mind Zen Temple, we have been discussing elements of the Diamond Sutra. I have been using Dwight Goddard’s selection from his, “A Buddhist’s Bible,” as I like how he re-ordered the text so that the paramitas come together.
This sutra is a powerful teaching tool. But it is very subtle and so much is missed by a superficial reading. Moreover, the sutra teaches how we are to manifest ourselves as the dharma, rather than talk about it (not that talking about the dharma is a bad thing, but rather, talking is just talking, and as Buddha himself points out in the sutra, words are just words: they ought not be confused with the actualization of what the words point to). The sutra is all about us showing what is naturally there in our behavior.
I really needed to refresh myself with this sutra yesterday. It seems a number of things came together all at once. Our altar’s “stage” was installed, the refrigerator and stove were replaced, and T’ai Chi Chih and Zazen collided with these. Zazen was delayed 10 minutes. Everything was a mess!
During everything that goes on in our lives, the practice of patience (khanti paramita) resides between our mind’s eye and our breath. How will we ever get that refrigerator in and the other out? Relax and let it go. In statistics, we used to say, “just work the problem.” Added thoughts and feelings regarding the problem are distractions, like thoughts during zazen. Our practice is to be our practice.
Everything worked out. The bell that starts the day will ring soon. Be well.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Today
With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning was a chilly 46 degrees. I woke very early as a result of my good ‘ole left leg jumping up and down in my sleep. So, at 2:00 AM I finished laundry, put dishes away, and stitched a tear in a robe. I dropped back to sleep at about 4:00 and woke again at 5:00. Zazen was quiet. There was no one in the Zendo but myself. Last night, as well. I enjoy this quiet time very much, perhaps too much. Zazen is neither enjoyable nor not enjoyable. It is just zazen. Practice is just practice. It is nothing but being present, adding nothing, talking nothing away.
Later in the morning, after voting and after making and eating breakfast, I spent some time at the orthotics place and had my new brace fitted. I found a pair of Asics gels for $40.00 and as very pleased that the brace and shoes are now fitted together. Perhaps now I will be able to run without too much ado. My prosthetic guy, Robert, is great. We spent a lot of time working on the fit and talking about the general state of affairs in the medical world.
Robert says caring is a chief casualty, apparently, of the new medical world. Money is the driver, documentation a chief second. Docs so often walk in with a recorder in hand, make constant notes, and leave with only the most brief contact with the patient. Time is not of the essence, it is the essence…and, of course, we need evidence of the visit (and what transpired) so that third parties will pay. The truth is, nothing actually transpires. Observation, deduction, and prescription: 5-10 minutes. Care gets lost in the shuffle.
So, I listen to him, nod, and offer my support. It is what I can do. Robert then invites me to an amputee group this afternoon. I will go and listen, offering what care I can. May we each be a blessing in the universe.
Good Morning Everyone,
This morning was a chilly 46 degrees. I woke very early as a result of my good ‘ole left leg jumping up and down in my sleep. So, at 2:00 AM I finished laundry, put dishes away, and stitched a tear in a robe. I dropped back to sleep at about 4:00 and woke again at 5:00. Zazen was quiet. There was no one in the Zendo but myself. Last night, as well. I enjoy this quiet time very much, perhaps too much. Zazen is neither enjoyable nor not enjoyable. It is just zazen. Practice is just practice. It is nothing but being present, adding nothing, talking nothing away.
Later in the morning, after voting and after making and eating breakfast, I spent some time at the orthotics place and had my new brace fitted. I found a pair of Asics gels for $40.00 and as very pleased that the brace and shoes are now fitted together. Perhaps now I will be able to run without too much ado. My prosthetic guy, Robert, is great. We spent a lot of time working on the fit and talking about the general state of affairs in the medical world.
Robert says caring is a chief casualty, apparently, of the new medical world. Money is the driver, documentation a chief second. Docs so often walk in with a recorder in hand, make constant notes, and leave with only the most brief contact with the patient. Time is not of the essence, it is the essence…and, of course, we need evidence of the visit (and what transpired) so that third parties will pay. The truth is, nothing actually transpires. Observation, deduction, and prescription: 5-10 minutes. Care gets lost in the shuffle.
So, I listen to him, nod, and offer my support. It is what I can do. Robert then invites me to an amputee group this afternoon. I will go and listen, offering what care I can. May we each be a blessing in the universe.
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Non-duality Rag
With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
The Non-duality Rag
So, this morning a cold wind
slipped across my skin
from the open window.
I snuggled with Suki.
She, too, seemed to feel it
and sought the warmth
of my body.
We care.
That is a good thing.
Last night
I watched a documentary
by the Dalai Lama
on the Four Noble Truths.
In his introductory comments,
as he so often does,
he said every world religion
has the potential to create nice human beings.
He defined this “nice”
as being caring and compassionate.
Yes, our practice
is to manifest care and compassion.
We are nice.
Such a way of being
requires others.
Without others,
no compassion is possible.
Without others,
no caring is possible.
Others are essential.
This is why we can say
there is no caring
and there is no compassion.
There is just
caring and compassion.
I cannot care for you; I care.
I cannot be compassionate for you; I am compassion.
Then it gets really weird:
where is this “I” that cares?
Seeking this so-called I,
it cannot be found.
Just a whisper
in my mind’s ear,
“here I am!”
Where? Nowhere.
Shall we live by a whisper?
Good Morning Everyone,
The Non-duality Rag
So, this morning a cold wind
slipped across my skin
from the open window.
I snuggled with Suki.
She, too, seemed to feel it
and sought the warmth
of my body.
We care.
That is a good thing.
Last night
I watched a documentary
by the Dalai Lama
on the Four Noble Truths.
In his introductory comments,
as he so often does,
he said every world religion
has the potential to create nice human beings.
He defined this “nice”
as being caring and compassionate.
Yes, our practice
is to manifest care and compassion.
We are nice.
Such a way of being
requires others.
Without others,
no compassion is possible.
Without others,
no caring is possible.
Others are essential.
This is why we can say
there is no caring
and there is no compassion.
There is just
caring and compassion.
I cannot care for you; I care.
I cannot be compassionate for you; I am compassion.
Then it gets really weird:
where is this “I” that cares?
Seeking this so-called I,
it cannot be found.
Just a whisper
in my mind’s ear,
“here I am!”
Where? Nowhere.
Shall we live by a whisper?
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Seeing
With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
Right now I am sitting quietly in the dark in my residence.1. I am looking out over the mesa to the mountains in the east. It is dark and the ambient light is not enough to clarify anything. But there it is, in the dark, right in front of my eyes.
Our universe is itself beauty, each and every aspect is a manifestation of its entirety: whole, alive, an quite conditional. As scientist-philosopher Brian Greene suggested, it is an Elegant Universe. Do we take any time at all to notice it? We look, but do we see?
Sitting zazen in the park, I often look out at the trees, the iron fence, and the iron bench. In front of me, beyond the park boundary, there are newly constructed southwestern style apartments. A playground sits behind me. Blue sky is above me and grass beneath me. Do I really see these? How? What are they?
As I squint my eyes as artists sometimes do, I see less detail, but in its place patterns emerge. There is positive space and negative space. A tension between the two arises. Good art always has tension, as does a good life.
We often come to Zen in order to quiet our minds. Wrong idea. Quietism is a disease. Serene reflection is active and dynamic. Students, come to Zen to witness. Come to Zen to see. Seeing enables tension to be seen for what it is, the energy between points that are bound together by that energy. And more. When that energy is realized, the points fall away. What is left is the entire universe residing right there, right now.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Right now I am sitting quietly in the dark in my residence.1. I am looking out over the mesa to the mountains in the east. It is dark and the ambient light is not enough to clarify anything. But there it is, in the dark, right in front of my eyes.
Our universe is itself beauty, each and every aspect is a manifestation of its entirety: whole, alive, an quite conditional. As scientist-philosopher Brian Greene suggested, it is an Elegant Universe. Do we take any time at all to notice it? We look, but do we see?
Sitting zazen in the park, I often look out at the trees, the iron fence, and the iron bench. In front of me, beyond the park boundary, there are newly constructed southwestern style apartments. A playground sits behind me. Blue sky is above me and grass beneath me. Do I really see these? How? What are they?
As I squint my eyes as artists sometimes do, I see less detail, but in its place patterns emerge. There is positive space and negative space. A tension between the two arises. Good art always has tension, as does a good life.
We often come to Zen in order to quiet our minds. Wrong idea. Quietism is a disease. Serene reflection is active and dynamic. Students, come to Zen to witness. Come to Zen to see. Seeing enables tension to be seen for what it is, the energy between points that are bound together by that energy. And more. When that energy is realized, the points fall away. What is left is the entire universe residing right there, right now.
Be well.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Questions
With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
People in the Buddhist world seem to argue about a few simple things: is Buddhism a religion, who is the “I” speaking (or writing), and, is there a “self?”
I will offer my own point of view here. First, Buddhism is a religion if its adherents practice it religiously. Religion does not require a God, and the fact that so many (including renowned dictionaries) believe it does leads to such ridiculous arguments as who or what is God. Religion needing God is a theist point of view. What if God is the Whole Enchilada? What if God is not? Does it matter? Will these questions get us any closer to our freedom?
The questions about self and an “I” are, it seems to me, based on a total misunderstanding and a case of simple amnesia. First, remember, there are two truths in Buddhism, the Absolute Truth and the Relative Truth. These are Big Mind, or Buddha Mind, and Small Mind, that is, the mind of our everyday interactions with each other and the space around us. Self arises as a result of our brain’s neurological functioning. It is a Small Mind creation and function. It is an interactional creation between bio-psycho-social and environmental factors. It is as real as a raging river which is composed of many streams coming together and many factors such as slope, rainfall, and gravity. While it is raging it is also constantly changing, thus it is empty of an inherent “self.”
We mistakenly believe that if something is “empty” it has no existence. Not so. If I smack you with my kyosaku it will sting and you will have evidence of it’s existence, my existence, and your existence. Do these existences constantly change? Of course, but just because a raging river flows does not mean it will not bowl you over.
When we practice our “religion” we allow ourselves to see our own true nature. We release ourselves from the grip of the Relative Truth and see the truth of the Absolute. This does not destroy or “conquer” the Relative, but rather, puts it in perspective. Minds do not need taming or conquering. They need open fields, fields with translucent borders, functional, but permeable. They need the faith to roam them without fear. The development of prajna requires this.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
People in the Buddhist world seem to argue about a few simple things: is Buddhism a religion, who is the “I” speaking (or writing), and, is there a “self?”
I will offer my own point of view here. First, Buddhism is a religion if its adherents practice it religiously. Religion does not require a God, and the fact that so many (including renowned dictionaries) believe it does leads to such ridiculous arguments as who or what is God. Religion needing God is a theist point of view. What if God is the Whole Enchilada? What if God is not? Does it matter? Will these questions get us any closer to our freedom?
The questions about self and an “I” are, it seems to me, based on a total misunderstanding and a case of simple amnesia. First, remember, there are two truths in Buddhism, the Absolute Truth and the Relative Truth. These are Big Mind, or Buddha Mind, and Small Mind, that is, the mind of our everyday interactions with each other and the space around us. Self arises as a result of our brain’s neurological functioning. It is a Small Mind creation and function. It is an interactional creation between bio-psycho-social and environmental factors. It is as real as a raging river which is composed of many streams coming together and many factors such as slope, rainfall, and gravity. While it is raging it is also constantly changing, thus it is empty of an inherent “self.”
We mistakenly believe that if something is “empty” it has no existence. Not so. If I smack you with my kyosaku it will sting and you will have evidence of it’s existence, my existence, and your existence. Do these existences constantly change? Of course, but just because a raging river flows does not mean it will not bowl you over.
When we practice our “religion” we allow ourselves to see our own true nature. We release ourselves from the grip of the Relative Truth and see the truth of the Absolute. This does not destroy or “conquer” the Relative, but rather, puts it in perspective. Minds do not need taming or conquering. They need open fields, fields with translucent borders, functional, but permeable. They need the faith to roam them without fear. The development of prajna requires this.
Be well.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Announcements
With palms together
Good Morning Everyone,
Announcements:
Clear Mind Zen Temple is establishing new practice times. We will practice Zazen in the Zendo at 7:00 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Zen in the Park at 9:00 AM on Monday and Friday. The evening schedule is 7:00 PM Monday through Thursday. The Temple is closed on Saturday. Sunday Zazen is at 9:00 AM. Zen Discussion Group is Friday at 4:00 PM. Tai Chi Chih is offered in the Zendo on Wednesday at 4:00 PM.
The Temple is open at all other times by appointment and Roshi is available for private instruction.
Lastly, we will be practicing sesshin in honor of the Buddha's Enlightenment the first weekend of December. Our space is limited. Please email me your reservation. Thank you.
Be well.
Good Morning Everyone,
Announcements:
Clear Mind Zen Temple is establishing new practice times. We will practice Zazen in the Zendo at 7:00 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Zen in the Park at 9:00 AM on Monday and Friday. The evening schedule is 7:00 PM Monday through Thursday. The Temple is closed on Saturday. Sunday Zazen is at 9:00 AM. Zen Discussion Group is Friday at 4:00 PM. Tai Chi Chih is offered in the Zendo on Wednesday at 4:00 PM.
The Temple is open at all other times by appointment and Roshi is available for private instruction.
Lastly, we will be practicing sesshin in honor of the Buddha's Enlightenment the first weekend of December. Our space is limited. Please email me your reservation. Thank you.
Be well.
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