Commentary

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



This morning I would like to talk about commentary. I read the news rather than watch televised news and I have discovered at the bottom of several news stories a comments box. Also on the blog sites I post to, these are common. Commenting on things could be a wonderful way to discuss an issue, but this does not seem to be the case.



People who comment do so anonymously in the main and they do a sort of hit and run thing in the process. Everyone is a wit, apparently. Often the quality of the wit reveals much too much of the person posting the witticism.



Someone messaged me: “You are a disappointment.” I replied, “Sometimes we just have to move on. Disappointments, expectations, assumptions, all are grist for the mill of practice. May you be a blessing in the universe.” To which they responded, “Just more bullshit…”



What, exactly, is this poster’s point? Is it to hurt me? Is it to help me? Or rather, is it about themselves and their own situation? Does it really help someone to post an attacking, sarcastic, comment? Way back in college, my writing professors used to say, “Show me, don’t tell me!” Alas, some have either lost that ability or never learned it.



In defense of parrots, however, I feel we are being taught this sort of thing via televised “news” where “journalists” “attack” each other and one-liner talking points are intended to “bury” an “opponent” in an exchange, rather than open an actual dialogue. Blood pressure rises, heartbeats increase, chemicals begin to be released by our brain, and we find ourselves in some sort of pre-historic and barbarous mode. Of course ratings go up and people like Rupert Murdoch can make a lot more money.



So, here’s the thing, such comments are really practice opportunities. We can practice turning off the shrieking talking heads, we can write to television stations and ask management to meet their public service obligations by replacing such personalities with people who actually care about civilized life. We can sit with our feelings when we ourselves are attacked. We can write out responses then delete them.



Peace begins with our own willingness to be peace.



Enjoy your day.

Peace

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Last night was spent at a retreat for our city’s Peace Village Board and Staff. I was invited to join the Board and accepted. Clear Mind Zen Temple has been a part of Peace Village for four years now offering meditation instruction and practice to the children who attend. It has grown from a week to now a proposed three week camp which includes a wide variety of activity offerings. The retreat was an excellent experience and I look forward to completing the process today from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.



I woke this morning with peace on my mind and wondered what exactly peace is, after all. Can we say it is an absence of violence or conflict without doing it a disservice? Defining things through negation does not assert anything at all. What can we assert about peace?



I believe peace is not a noun, but rather, it seems to me to be a verb. Peace is action, it is compassion and acceptance, mutual respect, generosity and patience, all rolled into one process unfolding with each breath we take.



More than anything, though, I think I value peace of mind. Peace of mind, serene reflection, allows for still water. Still water allows for accurate reflection. When we practice Zazen, our mind’s eye relaxes and we are able to see more clearly the ripples on the mind’s surface. Ripples we let go of as we witness their flow.



We generate this still water through our practice and willingness to allow the grip of our thoughts to open and body/mind to fall away. So, in a very real way, the Zazen of life itself is peace in action.



Be well; be peace.

Work in Progress

Crime and Punishment

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Last night we went to see a little theatre production of ”Crime and Punishment.” It was typically Russian. The actor’s “book” must have been seriously overwhelming as the play was a playground of words and the ideas they reflect. Actually, it was more a park than playground, with the slow moving Russian author filling long dark winters with monologue as he sat on benches or walked slowly along a winter’s path. Too cold for dialogue and lively would be unheard-of.



In any event, the play was wonderful and the acting superior to anything I have seen in that theatre since I’ve lived in Las Cruces. The director’s blocking was interesting and allowed some movement in the otherwise still, inner reflection, of the characters.



It was particularly delightful to be there to support fellow Zen monk, Algernon D’Ammassa. Algernon is a Zen priest in the Korean Zen tradition and lives in Deming, NM. He proved to be a serious actor who brought depth and maturity to the stage.



On the downside of the evening, we ran into a couple who were our friends in our former lives. My (apparently) former friend ignored me when I said hello in the lobby. This is so sad. A retired clergyman, I expected he would rise to the occasion and say hello in return allowing a degree of normalization to occur. Instead, he coldly walked past us with wife in tow, eyes cast down.



Holding on to past hurt and anger is not healthy and inhibits our grown as human beings. The past serves little useful purpose in the present and clearly distorts and clouds the array of possible behavioral choices in the moment, disallowing any possible healing.

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Apropos, the thematic line of the play was, “do you believe a man can rise from the dead?” In other words, can we be reborn in the moment and offer ourselves in a new way in the present? Is redemption possible?



My answer? Absolutely, but only with a willingness to shed the skin of the self.



Be well.

On Being Yourself

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



On being yourself.



The most difficult aspect of being ourselves is letting go of our concern about what others might think. What others think is always not very far away as we behave during the day. We expect it of ourselves and others and often think of it as a conscience. On most levels this is a good thing.



To let go of our concern for the opinion and judgment of others seems to suggest living without a conscience at worst or lack of care at best, but I don’t think this is so. In the Ten Ox-Herding pictures, those famous depictions of an ox herd’s path to awakening, we see in the end, a man with a broad smile, at ease, and bringing joy and life to the world around him. He is ’free and easy in the marketplace’ but in the marketplace he is.



When we shed our mind’s eye and see with a clear mind, our service truly begins. There is no self to be protected, nothing to be concerned about regarding ourselves, and so we are completely present with our environment. Conscience becomes an artifact of an earlier stage of evolutionary development. Community, which is to say, everything, unfolds without separation and our touch, which is not ‘our’ touch, but is our touch, is in-service to well-being.



We might call this residing in “shin nyo” or “thusness.”



Be well.

Government

With palms together,


Good Morning Everyone,



Be forewarned: What follows is a political statement from an avowed liberal.



This morning I woke thinking about my country. Sleep is a wonderful nurturance. In the Soto Zen Sutra book there is a chant called the Gokan No Ge and we recite it as part of oryoki, (eating meditation). One of the lines says that we are eating “for our parents, teachers, leaders, and homeland,” these are the four benefactors. (As an aside, I have noticed that many centers drop the actual list of benefactors in favor of simply saying, ‘the four benefactors.’) I suppose patriotism is a bit of a problem when our practice is to open ourselves to the universality of all things. Still, it is important, I think, to keep in mind what frees us and what retains us. The United States, as far as I am aware, was founded for the sake of freedom, in response to tyranny, and has made freedom its abiding and deeply held creed since its inception.



Conservatives seem to struggle with this. On the one hand, they want government off our backs. They seek less governance, less regulation, and fewer social programs, i.e., no more Obamacare. On the other hand, they want a more authoritarian government, government overseeing and regulating personal moral conduct, and a strong military and police to enforce law and order, i.e., laws to “protect” heterosexual marriage, laws against sexual conduct between consenting adults, laws against a right to privacy, etc. When looked at closely, it seems less governance of business is good and less governance of individual citizens is bad.



The religious right has a part to play in this. I have noticed conservatives do not seem to trust human beings. Hence, the need for criminalizing certain private, consenting, human behaviors. I believe this comes from a strong affiliation with the Christian right which puts forth the toxic notion that human beings are inherently sinful, and therefore, need a strong and wrathful God (read government) to bring them into line.



All of this points to the need for a separation of church and state and clear lines regarding the reach of government. Religious leaders running for office have a special duty, it seems to me, to be clear about their motives and whether they are actually capable of being objective in their governance.



A case in point: the newly elected Governor of Alabama, a Deacon in his church, a conservative born again Christian, who just after his inauguration proclaimed his belief that anyone not born again in Jesus Christ was not his brother or sister. For a government official to proclaim a division between those who believe and those who do not is disturbing. What’s more, the self-righteous arrogance behind such thinking, is what makes that faith tradition a tradition to closely watch.



I believe Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans, New Agers, Tree Huggers, and everyone else has the right to practice their faith tradition, but that rights stop at their door and have no business entering my door unless invited, even if it is a tenant of their faith to attempt to convert the entire world.



Politicians with beliefs residing in faith traditions that require efforts to witness for the sake of conversion ought consider a different line of work. They cannot be impartial and will, sooner or later, allow their beliefs to color their judgment regarding lawmaking for the common good. Oppression is oppression even in the name of saving us from ourselves.



Be well.

Healthcare: Whatr's the Issue?

With palms together,




Good Afternoon Everyone,







This afternoon, after yoga, I decided to read the Healthcare Reform Law, since the Republican controlled House decided to vote to repeal it today. Just what is all the fuss about?







My read of the law suggests that it is rather straightforward. It protects people from being dropped, protects children (and later, adults) from being denied due to pre-existing conditions, and creates a framework for everyone in the United States to be covered by health insurance. For the life of me, I cannot see what the argument against it might be.







I suppose, as I read in some blogs, it might appear to be socialized medicine. So? Private care has not stepped up to the plate and, frankly, service at physicians offices and hospitals could use a good overhaul.







My reading suggests the law will reduce the federal deficit and this is a bad thing?







As Zen Buddhists we vow to do good for others. It seems to me, there can be no greater good than our health. A society that does not care for its children, its aged, and its infirm is a society that lacks compassion, is shortsighted, and is doomed to fail.







Here are the major points. I am very interested in this topic and why people seem so opposed to healthcare for everyone.







For those of you against healthcare reform, please indicate which ought be repealed and why? (excerpted from CBS News)



Coverage:



Would expand coverage to 32 million Americans who are currently uninsured.

Health Insurance Exchanges:



The uninsured and self-employed would be able to purchase insurance through state-based exchanges with subsidies available to individuals and families with income between the 133 percent and 400 percent of poverty level.

Separate exchanges would be created for small businesses to purchase coverage -- effective 2014.

Funding available to states to establish exchanges within one year of enactment and until January 1, 2015.

Subsidies:



Individuals and families who make between 100 percent - 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) and want to purchase their own health insurance on an exchange are eligible for subsidies. They cannot be eligible for Medicare, Medicaid and cannot be covered by an employer. Eligible buyers receive premium credits and there is a cap for how much they have to contribute to their premiums on a sliding scale.

Federal Poverty Level for family of four is $22,050







Paying for the Plan:



Medicare Payroll tax on investment income -- Starting in 2012, the Medicare Payroll Tax will be expanded to include unearned income. That will be a 3.8 percent tax on investment income for families making more than $250,000 per year ($200,000 for individuals).

Excise Tax -- Beginning in 2018, insurance companies will pay a 40 percent excise tax on so-called "Cadillac" high-end insurance plans worth over $27,500 for families ($10,200 for individuals). Dental and vision plans are exempt and will not be counted in the total cost of a family's plan.

Tanning Tax -- 10 percent excise tax on indoor tanning services.

Medicare:



Closes the Medicare prescription drug "donut hole" by 2020. Seniors who hit the donut hole by 2010 will receive a $250 rebate.



Beginning in 2011, seniors in the gap will receive a 50 percent discount on brand name drugs. The bill also includes $500 billion in Medicare cuts over the next decade.

Medicaid:



Expands Medicaid to include 133 percent of federal poverty level which is $29,327 for a family of four.



Requires states to expand Medicaid to include childless adults starting in 2014.



Federal Government pays 100 percent of costs for covering newly eligible individuals through 2016.



Illegal immigrants are not eligible for Medicaid.

Insurance Reforms:



Six months after enactment, insurance companies could no longer denying children coverage based on a preexisting condition.



Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions.



Insurance companies must allow children to stay on their parent's insurance plans until age 26th.

Abortion:



The bill segregates private insurance premium funds from taxpayer funds. Individuals would have to pay for abortion coverage by making two separate payments, private funds would have to be kept in a separate account from federal and taxpayer funds.

No health care plan would be required to offer abortion coverage. States could pass legislation choosing to opt out of offering abortion coverage through the exchange.

**Separately, anti-abortion Democrats worked out language with the White House on an executive order that would state that no federal funds can be used to pay for abortions except in the case of rape, incest or health of the mother.









Individual Mandate:



In 2014, everyone must purchase health insurance or face a $695 annual fine. There are some exceptions for low-income people.

Employer Mandate:



Technically, there is no employer mandate. Employers with more than 50 employees must provide health insurance or pay a fine of $2000 per worker each year if any worker receives federal subsidies to purchase health insurance. Fines applied to entire number of employees minus some allowances.

Immigration:



Illegal immigrants will not be allowed to buy health insurance in the exchanges -- even if they pay completely with their own money.

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