Grassroots

With palms together,

Good Afternoon Sangha,

We have a local newspaper here in Las Cruces called "The Grassroots Press." It is a tiny little thing devoted to social action. I noticed that there is a weekly "Peace Vigil" at the Federal Courthouse every Wednesday from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The ad says people should bring sunscreen, water, and signs. I think this is a great idea. Beginning next Wednesday, I think I'll be out there. This Wednesday coming I'll be in Cleveland for our daughter's doctoral defense.

One of the things each of you might do in your area is find a similar "Peace Vigil" or create one of your own. Place a ad in a local paper to spead the word, or better yet, write a short press release indicating your intention, time, and place. Often local papers are online and you can get the editor's email address to send in a press release. Newspapers will often print these free.

There is only one way we are going to make a difference and that is from the ground up. One bodhisattva at a time.

Be well.

Cartoons and Hammers

With palms together,
Good Morning All,

The display of Mohammed in cartoon form would seem to some a frivolous thing. Yet, embassies are burning and millions of people are outraged. Lives are being threatened, products banned, and people are rioting in the streets. The newspapers who printed these cartoons stand behind their freedoms. The cartoonist is expressing an opinion. A point was being made. A limit was being tested. On balance, what can we say?

Sensitivity to the beliefs and faith of others is an important tenent of civilized life. While it is wrong for Islam to portray rabbis as cannabals and the clergy there to remain mute, it is equally wrong for us to portray Mohammed in pictoral form and for us to remain mute. We must learn to respect each other.

Freedom of the press is very important, we should strongly defend it. Yet, just because we can do something, does not mean that we should do it. People hold the symbols of their faith close. As Zen Buddhists we might say too close, as this sort of thing leads to suffering and can become a hindrance to seeing clearly, still people in fact do hold their symbols closely. Does this give us the right to hit them over the head with a hammer to help them see the error of their ways? I don't think so. Wiser means are necessary. In a culture that values respect, respect is a skillful means.

Be well.

Authentic Zen

With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha,

Last night after Zazen, I read selections out of three books: The Eight Gates of Zen, volume one of the Shobogenzo, and Zen is Eternal Life. I was struck by the sometimes severe differences in attitudes of the authors. Dogen Zenji is direct, clear, but dialectical. He walks in his own authority, but places very high esteem on his ancestors and the authenticity of their practice, encouraging others to emulate this authenticity. Kennett-roshi also places high regard for authentic practice, but in some senses denegrates practices she does not see as of value. For her, anything taking the practitioner away from Zazen (as shikan-taza) is a mistake. Daido Loori-roshi, a hybrid of Soto and Rinzai, also focuses on authentic practice, talks alot about Zazen and Koan practice, but also wants to examine the student's motives and commitment to the Way.

Authenticity of practice and of intention are in all seen as of high value. Each would probably disagree with each other's methods and the varying degrees of emphasis in each others practices, but none would argue that the other is not Zen.

What is important is your reason for coming to Zen, your commitment to the practice of looking inward, examination of yourself and your behavior, as well as your integrity. Coming to Zen for the sake of resolving a psychological or emotional problem is not good: see a therapist. Coming to Zen for the sake of helping others is not good: help your self first, others follow. Coming to Zen for the sake of getting a sense of reward or wanting to see some kind of "progress" in your practice, a "payoff" for all this sitting and mind examination is also not good: Zazen is for its own sake. Progress is from the inside out and measuring it, in a sense, destroys it much like killing a cat to see what makes it live causes life to elude your eyes.

Be well.

Engaged Zen

With palms together,
Good Morning Sangha, Zen Forum, Team Zen, and others,

Several people have written to me saying that they would like to be part of an Engaged Zen group. Some are part of our local Sangha membership, some are from the wider Sangha here on the internet. I do not know how we can use the internet in this work, other than as a communication tool, a support tool, and a protest tool. We can communicate with each other about ideas for engaging the world to become less violent and more compassionate, we can support each other in these ideas as they become actions, and we can use the email tools available to write letters to agancies and individuals responsible for decisions in the areas we identify.

As to the Engaged Zen Group at the Las Cruces Zen Center, I suggest that we talk at the Zazenkai and at each Zazen service toward a regular meeting with an agenda and mission.

A list of topics/issues:

Reducing and Eliminating Violence in all areas of our lives, domestic and international

Reducing and Eliminating Poverty, Hunger, and Malnutrition

Reducing and Eliminating Social Injustice and Human Rights Abuses.

There are a number of organizations dedicated to these missions, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Move-On.org, various anti-war and anti-violence organizations, including the Department of Peace Initiative, etc. I suggest each of you take a look at these, do web searches locally, nationally, and internationally. Send to the Zen Living list or to me personally short reports as to the results of these searches, including links.

On the local level, we will talk about picking a mission and coming up with an action plan. This plan might include silent witness, letter writing, press releases, t-shirts, posters, all sorts of things that might make our voice known and get our message communicated.

War, violence, abuse, poverty, hunger, all of these will continue as long as we continuethem. It is important to say no and to say it clearly and loudly and with the authority of our Buddha Nature. I ask you to help me make this a better world.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Share the Bloom: Engaged Zen

With palms together,

Good Morning Sangha,

Clear Mind Zen begins and ends with behavior. To know facts about Zen is not to understand Zen. To understand Zen is not enough either. As Daido Loori-roshi points out, we climb the mountain, attain the peak, but we are not yet finished. Clear Mind Zen demands a next step.

An expression of Our True Nature is always that next step. It is that next step that is Engaged Zen. So. Sitting Zazen is good and bad. It is good that we sit Zazen. There we settle ourselves, dig deeply into our present moment and learn the practice of being there. But sitting Zazen is bad as well when we refuse to get of the cushion and remain a statue.

Our world is full of pain and suffering. Even the President of the United States pointed out the other night that people are uncertain. In fact, these are uncertain times. In such times, people look for certainty. They demand to have solid ground to walk on. Practitioners of the Way know this is a root cause of suffering itself. There is no solid ground. All is change. Our practice is learning to bloom within process. And our next step is always sharing the bloom.

So what do we do to share the bloom?

I suggest that we create a Share The Bloom group at Zen Center. Thois group's functiuon will be to select projects for us to witness. Peace/War Violence/Non-Violence, Poverty/Mutual Aid: each have a need for our attention. If you are interested in such a group, please let me know.

Be well.

Keystone Cops at the Capital

It would seem no one in authority can get it right. Freedom of speech? A t-shirt gets you arrested or tossed out, depending on the message (opposed to the war = arrested; in favor = tossed out). But wait! We're sorry! We shouldn't have done that, the cops now say, sending letters of apology to the two affected.

Strange. And all in full view of the world.

The State of the Union

With palms together,

Good Morning All,

Last night's televised State of the Uniion by the President of the United States was interesting. Ever since I was a child I have admired the Office of the President, the Senate, the House, and the Judiciary. These are powerful symbols of symetry in government. A free people electing a group to govern its body, each with its own set of functions, each with built in checks and balances. It is a marvel.

My understanding of the State of the Union address is that it is a sort of report card on the Executive branch's understanding of how things are going in the nation. A report card, to be useful, contains everything, the positive efforts and attainments, as well as the not so positives, and indeed, the failures. Mr. Bush did a reasonable job with this last night.

My problem is that the event did not seem to match in any way the realities of my experience of America. The noble efforts of bringing democracy to the world is blackened by the means:war, assaults on freedom, and intimidation. The same is true of our work with AIDS. The goal of reducing and eliminating this deadly disease is righteous, but the US's demand to do so by abstinance only programs is childish.

Mr. Bush telling us we are addicted to oil is a little like the tobacco companies blaming the victims of their marketing campagns. The truth is we are addicted to oil and Mr. Bush assisted us in that addiction.

That said, I do not deny that there are elements of the agenda I agree with completely, most in fact. We must improve our schools, reduce oil consumption, engage the world in democracy. I question only the tools. People must choose democracy, see its value from a model worth emulating. A model that does not torture, a model that values difference, supports minorities, and trusts its people. We must value education, trust our teachers, honor them with highest pay possible, build schools children want to attend, make education a national value, learning a priority, and intellectual activity a sexy thing. We must value alternative energy development and put our research money where our mouth is. We must legislate to support alternative energies. We must make it not only possible, but desirable, to drive vehicles powered by fuels that are both renewable and non-polluting.

Above all, we must value peace and non-violence. In a country that witnesses more violence on a given day than any country in the world, this will be difficult. We are a reactive, rather than proactive people and this must change. Our country values weapons. It supports weapons. It values individual action to defend itself. And understands the first choice when confronted by a threat is force rather than undertstanding and compassion. It suspects people outside of the group, locks its doors, and spies on its neighbors. In such a culture, where can peace and trust and love reside? To be a peaceful model to the world we must address, challenge, and change this.

So, perhaps such action is a role for Engaged Zen. I admire that single lone mother for being arrested last night. I am ashamed that there weren't a million other mothers and fathers arrested with her.

We must raise our voice and engage in the process of change. We have little choice.

Be well.