Being Alive

It's been a long time. Is anyone still out there?

I've gone through nearly losing my wife and nearly dying since my last post. Sounds like fun, right?

There is value in the the ordinary, unexciting life and, man, do I want to settle into a long run of that just now!

However, I can't overlook the worth of the experiences that I've just had. 

For one thing, I made it through. The wheel didn't turn. I'm still walking and talking in this particular sack of flesh. That's something to consider and be thankful for, in and of itself.

The Buddha taught that human birth was auspicious because it was the only state in which you could escape the suffering of the cycle of samsara. So there's that. I have more chance to practice. If I had moved on, that might not be the case. 

That Practice will take many forms:

1. Spending ample time with and attention on with my son. He teaches me about all kinds of things just as I teach him about the rules of this reality and our society.

2. Spending time doing things that need doing. We (I) avoid work because it's boring or tedious, but work can quiet the mind and provide an outlet for extra energy and release stress and tension.

3. Not avoiding things. For the last several years, I have avoided activities that I long enjoyed because they weren't the types of things that "adults" do. I'm mostly talking about gaming and reading fiction. There were destructive behaviors in there too, such as binge eating, that I intend to keep on avoiding.  

4. Formal Practice. I've long found excuses to avoid formal practice and I intend to stop making excuses and just do it.

So... I never intended this post to become a New Year's Resolution type thing but it kind of did.

If you're interested in what actually happened to me and the story of how I almost lost my marriage I'll be happy to tell you, just not here. 

Gassho.

My Life and Grasping: A manifesto

It's been a while.

Life has been rough.

I'm now living in my own apartment about 2 miles from my old house where my son and ex-wife live. It's not home, but what is home?

Home is where your rump rests..or its it no where at all?

Hakuna Matata, and all that.

Except....

I'm grasping. HARD.

I've started smoking again. I quit for five years and now I'm back at it with a fervor.

I've bought stuff. I hate stuff and some of it I needed, but I bought it and kind of enjoyed that.

I've been to Dharma punks, but I haven't sat other than those brief periods and I haven't done Dokusan or attended the Zen sangha, at all.

So why is this a Manifesto?

I'm about to make a vow.

I vow to undertake the training to stop grasping at the people in my life. 

The people in my life deserve to be what and who they are without trying to make me happy.

Only I can save myself. There is no outside agent that is going to support me.

I must trust in my intuition. This one is hard because some of the things it tells me to do are painful and require me to stop grasping (see the circle of pain here?).

What training do I need to undertake?

I need to go to Dokusan and talk to my teacher about my practice and my very limited understanding.

I need to sit, or walk, or something to allow my mind to calm and reflect without constantly bombarding it with thoughts and grasping at itself.

And I need to stop hiding.

If you are my friend and you live nearby you are invited to see me. You can come over to my crappy apartment or I will come to you. I don't need time alone to "figure this out." I need others to hang out with and not talk about this or sometimes to talk about it.

I've achieved all the intellectual understanding I can or will. 

So there it is.

It will be what it will be.

J. Andy Lambert
Buddhist.
Blogger: Bayou Buddhists on Houston Belief & Bayou City Buddhist
Dad.
Vegan.
Occasional Homebrewer.
Follow me on Twitter: @BayouCityBuddha

The other side of the coin

Although impermanence does suck it's not always true.

I was thinking on my drive-in this morning about how nice a day it was.

I wasn't nice yesterday,even though it was.

The traffic was bad, but then it wasn't.

I sat down at my desk and it's Monday and I'm in early so I can leave early today. 

Except that it's not Monday it's just right now.

Impermanence is what it is.

It can seem bad when we grasp at something. We want it to last forever.

There were good times with my wife. There were great times. There bad times.

Either way those times are this time. Not right now.

Right now there is only right now.

And right now I'm hopeful and I'm fine.

And I will be in every moment to come. Even those that seem "bad" at the time.

In Gassho.

Where do I go from here?

I'm at a point I never expected to be.

Divorce.

And yet, because of the circumstance very little in my everyday life will change. My family will be what it will be.

However, ordinariness hurts me. This life no longer seems to be mine. It seems fake, now. Like there's a veneer covering up what's really going on.

I keep being told this will pass. WHAT will pass, exactly? My life? My feelings? What's going away?

What is there to go away? My wife keeps telling me that I need to let "it" out. What is it?

My mother things I need to move on and damn quick. My wife wants me to find a straight girl to love me like "I deserve."

I want neither of these things right now. 

I just want to be left alone, but not alone, never alone, never again.

I love her. I will continue to. Nothing in this world or any other will make that stop.

I have no idea what the future holds now. All plans are gone (even though they aren't). All aspirations are more vaporous than they have ever been.

I only have right now. 

Impermanence sucks. 

New Commitments and Family

So, the funny thing about an indefinite hiatus is that it can be
short. In this case, it was just one day.

Maybe I was just feeling sadness yesterday at the loss of my wife and
decided that I need to not scatter my energies too much.

So here's the story since some of you are concerned about me:

I'm fine. My wife and I will be getting a divorce. We will be sleeping
in separate beds but we're not "splitting up." There's no reason to
split up. I love my wife and she loves me. It's just different than we
thought and even hoped it was.

My family is intact and will remain so.

In many ways, I feel more committed than ever to her and to my son.

We're going to keep taking care of one another. There's no reason we
can't, even though we're not married anymore.

I'm also committed to myself in a new way. I have myself to take care
of. This isn't a job for someone else. I don't have to focus so much
on another person's happiness. I can just be me and be happy being me.
More importantly I can be ok with being me and take personal
responsibility for ME, not something I've ever done before, let me
tell you.

I'm sad about the end of my marriage and that my wife and I will never
be connected in that way again, but were we ever really or were we
just trying really hard to force a square peg into a round hole?

I have learned a lot about impermanence and being present in this
moment from this experience and I will continue to do so.

I'll be writing again as I have time. Thank you all so much for your
concern and support and I hope that you'll continue to support my Life
as I will support each and every one of yours.

In Gassho.

The last sitting..?

It is with great sorrow that I must announce the indefinite hiatus of this blog. In a short amount of time I have gathered readers from all other world. I appreciate the hard work of Anoki Casey and others who have contributed their time and efforts to my work here.

Personal Issues have led to this decision. My marriage of six years is ending and I have to spend a great deal of time and effort taking care of those details and making sure everything is handled with great Upaya and Kshanti.

In Gassho.

The calling

There is something weird I’ve always carried with me. I’ve had it as
long as I can remember. I’ve hated it, poured derision on it and tried
to suppress it.

When I was a teen our minister told me on multiple occasions that he
thought I should become a minister. I considered it. I really did.
However, my faith has never been strong. I didn’t believe in the
tenants of Christianity and how those tenants have been twisted to
meet the agendas of various men throughout history from Popes to Kings
to the charismatic neo-clerics of the 21st century mega churches.

I’m fairly certain my conception of God never included God the Father
and my belief in Christ the son, was not strong. There were too many
inconsistencies and not enough written records or proof. I’ve always
felt the need for that, proof. I see now that proof doesn’t always
come from Science and truth shouldn’t necessarily be something you can
wrap your mind around. That’s not to say that I believe in some Father
in Heaven and the pearly gates and all that anthropomorphic
categorization and mythologized version of the ineffable.

Regardless, I’ve long felt as if something was tugging at me.
Something unnamable and unknowable seems to be pushing me towards
something. I’ve not been receptive, as I said above. As my practice
deepens, I’ve noticed it’s getting stronger. As my intellectual
comfort level has risen, so too has my absolute trust and faith in the
Path. It’s ineffable. It’s not ego.

I certainly don’t WANT to commit to teaching the Dharma. It’s just not
that fun. “My life” will never be my own, although, if I accept the
truth of nonduality, it never was.

So my wife and I took refuge and received the precepts in the Chinese
Mahayana tradition.

The nudging grew more insistent. My response was to ignore it and try
to not practice. Yeah…I was inevitable drawn back to the Path, as I
knew it was right.

Went to Houston Zen Center Saturday and saw the sign-up sheet for the
Jukai (formal reception of the Bodhisatva Precepts) and I had signed
up before I ever made a conscious decision to do so.

I’m not sure what drives the calling. It’s there and I hear it and I
can’t ignore it. Call it God, Buddha Nature, the Unborn or the
Universe, but it seems to need for me to become ever more committed to
the Practice of the Buddhadharma.

I’m not going to resist any more, but neither will I seek out what
lies ahead. It will be what it will be.

In Gassho.

Can Upaya be forceful?

This isn’t about engaged Buddhism, though Upaya (skillful means)
should certainly be the standard on which you judge your own level of
engagement.

My wife and I were talking about the new Starbucks flavored instant
coffees. She said, “One day everyone will realize that it’s cheaper to
just make things Vegan.” I then went off on a tangent about farm
subsidies as I often do when we talk about why things aren’t vegan.

Meat is cheap. Dairy is cheap. Eggs are cheap. However, this isn’t
because the cost, in resources and money, is low. This is because the
government subsidizes meat, dairy eggs, & grains. You notice, how
fruit vegetables, legumes, & leafy greens aren’t mentioned here?
That’s right the US government pays farmers and ranchers high-fat, low
nutrient sources of protein and indirectly obesity, diabetes, and
skyrocketing healthcare costs.

I’m a big proponent of cutting all subsidies. None for anybody. If the
veggie and fruit production industries can make it on their own so can
everyone else. The right loves to talk about market forces. Well lets
the market force free and see what happens to the darlings of the
USDA. The USDA, by the way was created to promote the US Dairy and
Meat industries in this country. Never trust those bastards. I
digress…

Is it skillful means to cut subsidies? Would it be skillful, to FORCE
whole industries to find more skillful employment? This would man
hundreds of thousands of job conversions. That would mean chicken
farmers would have to start growing beans. Cattle ranchers would have
start raising switchgrass for fuel (It’s way better at producing
ethanol pound for pound than corn). Of course these people would be
“out of work” during the conversion and the market forces would take
years to convert the economy.

It might be more skillful to cut subsidies for meat, dairy, eggs, and
corn and enact subsidies for beans, fruit, vegetables, & leafy greens.
Then those farmers would have to change their way of life but there
would be incentives to do so, beyond compassionate ones.

Regardless, the point is that Upaya should be the guiding principle to
how we do things. I recently had a series of interactions on facebook
where someone I did not know was explaining that all things are
conditional, top someone I do know, but doing it in such a way as to
be very rude and bordering on obnoxious. Something to the tune of
“it’s all your fault.” I agree that when you realize that we all are
interconnected that everything is my fault and your fault and their
fault. These pronouns are pretty darn meaningless as they are relative
constructs we use to create relational distinctions. Big words….blah,
blah. We are the tips of the waves in one big damn ocean of the
Unborn/unconditioned universe aka Buddha nature/nirvana. OK went way
off again. My point was that all things are conditional but telling
someone that all of their problems are their fault when they aren’t
ready to accept that is not skillful means, it is jackass.

Just my two cents.

Oh wait, obligatory Vegan progaghandi: stop eating meat , dairy, and
eggs it’s bad for you and contributes to suffering for everyone even
those involved in its production, not just the animals. The only
winners are corporate agriculture machines and their shareholders. End
VP.

In Gassho.

Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers: A Book Review

I request books for review from time-to-time. Then, every once in a while, some publisher will request that I do a review for them.
 
This was a real gem of a request. I really enjoyed this book.
 
The book is Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers (as the picture indicates) by by Perle Besserman and Manfred Steger.
 
This seems to be a reprint of Crazy Clouds: Zen Radicals, Rebels, and Reformers published by Shamabala back in 1991.
 
Crazy Cloud was a name used by Japanese Master Ikkyu, who is featured in the book.
 
This version is being published by Wisdom. I can't tell you how much is new and how much is reprinted as I've never seen the original version. It is available used on Amazon for as little as four bucks if you are interested.
 
The book is laid out chronologically from 14th century Layman P'ang Yun, to Rinzai Zenji, Bassui, Ikkyu, Bankei, Hakuin, & it ends with 20th century masters Nyogen Senzaki and Nakagawa Soen Roshi.
 
I was disappointed that Rinzai was there but Dogen was left out. I guess the authors figured there is enough out there on Dogen Zenji, but it seems odd to include the founder of one of the major Japanese Zen sects, but not the other. Although you could make the argument that Rinzai, who was Chinese, didn't found anything and the sect is merely named for him.
 
I'm someone new to the study of historical Zen and this book is a great primer on some figures of Zen History. I can't say that these guys represent Zen well or not but the stories in the book seems to indicate that they were, in many ways, typical Zen practitioners, or they would be if they lived here, in the West, and now, in the 21st Century. At their times and places they were as the book's title tells us...Radicals, Rebels, and/or Reformers.
 
What I like most about the book is how these guys are all Zen Masters (lay or ordained) and yet they have vastly different views. Sometimes you could even say they are diametrically opposed. Zen, and many other forms of Buddhist Practice, is an intensely personal path in which every Practitioner must find the truth for himself and the differing views of the teachers in the book demonstrate that well.
 
I did find a few things wanting in the book.
 
There wasn't a theme, really. Nearly every Zen Practitioner from the first until today could in one way or another fit into one if not all of these categories. If anything the theme was Rinzai rocks and Soto sucks. I kid, but the fact remains that the authors did choose to write about more Rinzai aspected teachers as opposed to Soto practitioners.
 
A caveat for you: I am not a Zen scholar. These are just my views and shouldn't be taken as truth. If you take anyone's views as truth, you probably don't walk the Zen Path.
 
Who should read this book: New Zen practitioners with an interest in History or anyone with an interest in Buddhist History. If you have practiced for a while, you probably fall into this category, but there are whole works about most of these guys floating around. This book is good to give you an idea of whether or not it's worth reading those (sometimes MUCH) longer works.
 
Who shouldn't read this book: Non-Zenfolk might find it boring since it's all about the Zen.
 

 

In Gasso.

Hazy Moon Zen Center's Zazen Instruction

30/m/HTX & Buddhist, want to be friends?

So I recently tweeted that I need more Buddhist geek friends. I never realized what kind of response that this would get me.

 

More than a few new followers have jumped on board my twitter train, so to speak.

 

However, what I need is not something I can easily find on-line. I have friends who are on twitter and friends who are bloggers and I treasure all of these wonderful folks. It's just not what I have in mind. What I need is the third part of the triple gem: sangha.

 

Jade Buddha Temple is good; they have great monastics that know their stuff and a welcoming environment, but I feel like the outsider as so much of their services and activities center around Chinese Culture and are in Mandarin. Now I know if I just keep showing up that will get better and they will eventually accommodate me. However, Chinese Mahayana is not where my path lies. I want to teach the dharma (one day) so my Path lies in Zen in some form or other. As I have no intention of shaving my head and taking Vinaya vows. Soto Zen resonates well with me. I find Dogen's work to be not only interesting but it just plain makes sense. However, Soto Zen in this country tends to be very upper Middle Class and white. I'm the last but I don't like the Lilly whiteness of the lineage of Suzuki that I have observed thus far. It also tends to seem very inaccessible and not welcoming because of it's high level of ritual that Americans are not familiar with. I'd prefer a T-shirt and jeans kind of Zen Center, instead of everyone in their practice robes and most of them wearing rokasus.

 

Let me be clear this isn't a slam on the Houston Zen Center. It's a great place and just like the JBT if I keep going then my comfort level will increase. At least there the language and culture barrier doesn't exist as much.

 

I'm not interested in attending the Korean Zen Center here either because it is colocated with a Korean Mahayana Temple and then you run into the same issues as at JBT.

 

In the end these are all MY problems. I really just want some local people to talk about the dharma with without them saying this like that makes so much sense, but... I have friends but most of them aren't particularly interested in my Path and don't want to talk about shunyata on the phone or absolute v. relative over coffee. I do have a few Buddhist friends but I feel like I'm way too enthusiastic about crap I read/hear/think/come up with while sitting and don't want to try their patience.

 

This will be what they will be.

 

In Gassho.

Opportunities to practice

Traffic. Some days it's good. Some days it's bad. Some days I see awesomeness like a early 1980s suburban custom painted (not professionally, mind you) with this awesome orange and black hawk design.

 

Monday it was really bad. Like MOPAC in in Austin bad. Like 405 in LA bad. I wasn't angry I wasn't even irritated. I faced it with equanimity. It was traffic but it wasn't good or bad.

 

Everyday is like that day. No day is bad. No day is good. Every day just is.

 

You don't even need to decide that it's bad or that's its good. Some days can be challenging, but are they bad days? Not necessarily. That's a judgement call I'm not prepared to make anymore. When my wife asks me how work is I say work is work. I used to layer that with thick sarcasm but I've notice it starting to dissipate through no real action or decision of my own.

My formal practice is inconstant. But it does happen. I chant when I have time. I sit on the days when it fits into my schedule. I visit the HZC when I can. 

 

I take opportunities to practice when they arise. Some days they never come. Some days I pass up opportunities. Some days my practice is typing at keyboard. Some days it's sitting zazen. Some days it's driving in my car.

 

What is, is. 

 

In Gassho,

Mindful What??

So I watched Astro Boy with my son, yesterday. It was good, amazingly enough.

 

As I watched the credits roll I had a thought: "What did that say?" As this thought rolled across the void of my mind I realized that it was the first one I'd had in about 90 minutes.

 

Then the inevitable question popped up. Is this a result of practice or is it a form of practice? In other words is is possible to make "entertainment" a Practice? I know that I didn't have any thoughts during the film. However there were emotions, but that's true of zazen as well. More emotions than thoughts.

 

It's just a strange connection. This is why we all need teachers. I suppose I'll soon need to resume the search for one. Perhaps one of the Five Mountain Order will take me as a student.

 

Oh and hi! I've missed you guys. My brain has been on overload. My boss has been on vacation since Thursday before last and she won't return until this Wednesday. There's only three of us in our department and we answer phones, e-mails, and research customer issues for three primary cities and a multitude of remote locations across Texas, California, Colorado and the greater Southwest. Let's just say I've been stressed out. I'd like to say I've sat with it and been fine, but, instead, I stopped sitting and rebeled against Practice of any sort.

 

Dumb, huh? Well, only way to go is forward.

Onward and Upward.

 

In Gassho.

Sex Sin & Zen: Yet another Review of Brad Warner's new book! It's new! It's Shiny!

It took me longer this time around, but another Brad Warner book is in the bag, so to speak. It was a good read as always. I enjoyed his juvenile humor and his potty-mouth. This book was not a retread. It was new and different and…ok some ideas are the same, but it’s a zen book from a zen teacher. You have to realize that that Brad or any other teacher worth their salt is going to keep smacking you with the same stick over and over until you get it or at least until you bother to sit and realize it for yourself.

 

This was Brad’s longest book, clocking in at 274 pages & topping Sit Down & Shut Up by about 25 pages.  It was also a new angle for Brad. It’s not nearly as narrative as his past books. Instead he focuses almost exclusively on sexual interaction, as the title suggests. No more Ultraman or stories about Japan or digs at certain members of Maezumi Roshi’s lineage, but that’s OK. That stuff is great but it just wasn’t at home in this new book.

 

The amazing thing about this book is how full of dharma it is. There’s a lot of teaching done here and I really appreciate that.  There’s lots of Dogen stuff. I dig Dogen and Brad makes his stuff relatable to just about any topic. Brad’s depth of study is apparent, he’s read a lot from the Dhammapada to Shobogenzo.

 

Some highlights:

 

Brad points out over and over throughout the book that any concept of sin that we find in Buddhism, we brought to the party.

 

The interview with Nina Hartley was good. I’m not going to quote from it, but suffice it to say she has a different view on sexuality and marriage than most Americans raised with even a nominal Christian background. I thought a lot of what she said was very applicable to Buddhist practice and the precept of not misusing sexuality. Her views (and Brad’s) are very spot on with my own regarding this.

 

He also talks about monogamy a lot. Brad’s always been a big supporter of monogamy and honestly so am I. It’s the best situation for raising children and it can be the least stressful type of relationship if communication is good. Brad doesn’t back down from this stance, but he does clarify that it might not be the best situation for everyone and while pair-bonding does make great evolutionary sense (see previous statement) monogamy creates a lot of artificial restrictions that can cause stress, and thus dukkha, for the partners involved.

 

I like Brad’s chapters on the sexual angles on Buddhist concepts. They make a lot a of sense to me and they’re funny. They also provide practical advice on aspects of the Buddhadharma as they are applied to an area of life that we all have to (if not want to) deal with on a nearly daily basis.

 

Who should read this book: Questioning Questioners, anyone interested in Buddhism, Zen Practitioners, Fans of Brad Warner, people who want to be responsible about their sexual interactions

 

Who should avoid this book: Those attached to the Buddhadarma, Those who can’t take a potty-mouth and juvenile humor, my mother (but not my Zen mother she already read it)

 

If I had to grade this book 1-10: 8.5 – It does give lots of practical Buddhist advice. Brad sometimes goes overboard with iconoclast motif, even if that is who he is it can bit trying at times. I’d recommend reading it even if the sex thing isn’t important to you. There’s loads of Dharmic goodness to be had in this book.

 

Gassho.

 

Compassion begins with...Me?

Ok, I loathe myself.

 

This might be clear from some of my earlier posts. I've dealt with it in various ways throughout my life. The main one is food. Luckily, I've never been much of a drinker. I dabbled in other things when I was young. I smoked cigarettes for the better part of a decade.

 

My main method of dealing with my own extreme self-loathing has been escapism. I read fantasy and sci-fi voraciously. I played LARP and table-top RPG games. I played on-line MMORPG's. You named I wasted time on it. Life sucked so instead of improving what I had I just spent my time in fantasy worlds.

 

Now I want to confront and face my self. The self which does and does not exist. I once had confidence in some things but I've lost whatever I had. All I have left is knowledge, which I cling to.

 

You would think this is good having very little sense of self. However, facing one's self in Zazen requires bravery. You might not think so, but it does. When I'm sitting all my thoughts of self-loathing rise to the top like smelly, fetid cream. I try to let them pass by and sometimes I do but they still leave me feeling agitated, so maybe I'm not as successful as I would hope.

 

Zazen is scary.

 

Mara is me. 

 

How do I feel compassionate towards myself? How can I love myself as I love my wife as I love my son as I Iove, respect, and feel compassion for pretty much everyone, but not me.

 

I'm not whining. I'm not looking for pity. I'm just trying to figure this out. 

 

Gassho.    

A crappy haiku!

I just wrote a haiku. It sucks but I like it:

 

I like wood pencils.

Writing is more visceral.
Writing is zazen.

 

I don't know why I wanted to write but there it is.

Is Zazen Meditation?

At first glance this seems like an obvious answer.

 

Of course zazen is meditation!

 

I'm reading Sex, Sin & Zen,  Brad Warner's new book. Of all the crazy stuff that Brad has talked about so far (I'm about 100 pages in) the strangest to me was when he posited the idea that Zazen is not meditation.

 

Before anyone gets up in arms, I suggest you go read the book.

 

I'm not the type of guy who uses post it notes when I read, though now that I'm trying to write decent reviews of books, maybe I should start.

 

So to paraphrase Brad, he says that meditation whether Vispassana or Metta or what-have-you all ahve a goal in mind some kind of point. Zazen lacks this. To try to gain something by zazen practice you defeat the purpose of zazen practice. Meditation is all about gaining control or calmness or peace or maybe even enlightenment.

 

Zazen is nothing. It's boring. It's jsut sitting there. There are practices that beginners sometimes do to help train thei minds for shikentaza (literally just sitting) but these aren't something that are ment for long-term practice. I still count breaths if my mind is especially turbulent or I haven't been getting to the cusion regualrly, but most of the time it's jsut sitting and watching my thoughts and a weird spot on my wall.

 

So is Zazen meditation? Maybe maybe not. Brad thinks not, but he isn't definitive, as Zen teachers never are, or at least never should be. Opinions too strongly held become attachments. Plus, that would be an extreme view and thus not on the Middle Way

 

Gassho.

woah.

Poor Little Me and my Inconsistant Practice

I don't feel well.

 

I feel like a jerk again.

 

I feel like I have upset someone whom I respect.

I feel like my blog isn't read. I feel like no one cares if I exist or cease to exist.

 

I feel fat.

 

I feel like a poor Buddhist.

 

I feel sorry for myself.

 

Why do I feel this way?

 

Grasping.

 

I want to feel GOOD.

 

I want to be nice and be perceived as nice.

 

I want people to like especially people I like and respect.

 

I want people to read my blog.

 

I want to feel loved.

 

I want to be thin and healthy.

 

I want to to NOT feel sorry for myself.

 

So I crave these things. As I crave, I create desire and when these desires are not met, I experience dukkha.

 

The answer is simple, but I can't face it.

 

The answer is profound, but I can't understand.

 

I read books. I sit sometimes, but not everyday. I have faith in the path.

 

One day the answer will be apparent and it will have been there all along.

 

Life is the ultimate koan.

 

Gassho.

Engaged Buddhism and Dualistic Thought

There's an old saying:

 

In life, we wear a lot of hats.

 

This really isn't true. While we may think we create distinct differnt personalities and reactions for differnt functions in our life this is a delusion.

 

There is no such thing as Socially Engaged Buddhism. You are who you are and you do what you do.

 

Creating a justification isn't necessary. If your behavior follows your own ethcial guidelines, then you'll be at peace.

 

Socially Engaged Buddhism is a label. It's a label that doesn't exist.

 

Furthermore, it's acknowledging a divide that is an illusion. It's practitioners subscribe to a philosphy of a "need for change." That's an us v. them situation and it invokes the grasping, dualistic mind.

 

Basically, it's creating dukkha and further samsara instead of working to end dukkha and escape Samsara.

Lots of other people have written about this recently:

 

John at Point of Contact

 

Kyle at Reformed Buddhist 1 & 2

 

Adam at Fly Like a Crow.

 

Nathan at Dangerous Harvests 1  & 2

 

Maia at Jizo Chronicles
 

I'm sure there are more.

 

I respect what is being done. I respect that motivations that lead to the work of these people. I share the motivation. I understand that the people doing this work take their Bodhisatva Vow very seriously.

 

However, is it necessary to conflate Buddhism with Activism?

 

Nope. In fact, to do so implies that Buddhism has a political agenda and is only for those who share the views of these practitioners.

 

Be compassionate be informed by your Practice, but don't use your Practice as a Brand.

 

Buddhism isn't Greenpeace or PETA or the NRA.

 

Gassho.

Mindful Entertainment

I've noticed lately that so many of my friends & colleagues spend hours and hours entertaining themselves.

 

I question when they have time, myself!

 

However, beyond the question of where the time for such comes from I've been thinking about how I would like to spend my time. I sometimes consider video games. I sued to spend hours and hours on such things. I still enjoy a good story and I have a life-long love-affair with pointy-eared man in green, but I don''t find myself drawn to them as I once did. I'm even questioning the hoops I'll have to jump through to get the new one when it comes out later this year (buy a wii for one), but I digress.

 

I've found that more and more I'm mindful of how I spend time. This began at work because I have a tendency to goof off even when there's work to be done. I'm so use to excelling at anything I do that I procrastinate with the understanding that I'll power through the work in the last hour of the day. I've notice that this doesn't happen so much anymore and I began to pay more attention to how I spend my time throughout the day.

 

This naturally led to higher attention levels at home. How do I spend my evenings? Well 40% of it is spent wrangling my son, making sure he's bathed and has his homework done and gets into bed at a reasonable hour. About 55% of my evening is spent cooking, eating dinner, making lunches, putting away food and cleaning up the kitchen. The other 5% varies night to night. I try to sit zazen with the Online Meditation Crew at 9 PM, but I sometimes miss it with kp duty running over. Other than that I might spend 30 minutes reading blogs or noodling on Facebook and twitter and generally reading Buddhist/random schtuff on-line. I might spend 10-20 minutes reading my book du jour, right now that's Mindful Eating by Dr. Jan Chozen Bays.

 

My wife has long been a critic of TV. She insisted that we not have a TV in our bedroom, and I agreed. I think it's improved our marriage in some ways.

 

There will be movies, TV, and video games in our future. It's ok to have these things. The key is practice mindfulness. What would be the best use of your time? Playing through a game with your son for 30 minutes probably isn't going to hurt him or you, so long as you are aware of the time that passes and present in the moment that it does.

 

Gassho.

The War of 1812

War Of 1812 by Three Dead Trolls In A Baggie  
Download now or listen on posterous

Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie - The War of 1812.mp3 (3282 KB)

ok so it's not about Buddhism at all. I've been looking for a copy of this song for years. Lately I've been reminded of a certain Canadian who married my favorite Buddhist Squirrel. (The Reformed Buddhist)

Anyways... enjoy the 3 Dead Trolls in a Baggie.

The Buddhist Creed

This is mostly a re-post of John’s post over at Point of Contact.

However I’m reposting it for a reason. My last post wa about the Triple Gem as I understand it. One commenter pointed out that it was from a Mahayana stand-point, and I don’t disagree with that.  In my comment back I think I let a little ego creep in and for that I’m sorry, Josh.

I will never be Thervadan practitioner . For one, I am not sure that they consider the laity practitioners at all. I see major issues with the Theravada in its rigidity and its extremely hierarchal system. I truly feel that it is fundamentally incompatible with the democratic mindset most Westerners are born with.

Be that as it may, Theravadan practitioners are Buddhists and despite the fact that I have not yet received the sixteen Bodhisattva precepts, I still believe in them and one of these is not to speak ill of other Buddhists. I think I may have broken this precept yesterday. 

In the spirit of Ecumenical Unity I present the following:

The Basic Points Unifying the Theravāda and the Mahāyāna is a Buddhist ecumenical statement created by the World Buddhist Sangha Council (WBSC), where the Ven. Walpola Rahula presented a concise formula that presented a unification of all Buddhist traditions.

1.       Whatever our sects, denominations or systems, as Buddhists we all accept the Buddha as our guide who gave us the Teaching.

2.       We all take refuge in the Triple Jewel: the Buddha, our Teacher; the Dhamma, his teaching; and the Sangha, the Community of holy ones. In other words, we take refuge in the Teacher, the Teaching and the Taught.

3.       Whether Theravāda or Mahāyāna, we do not believe that this world is created and ruled by a god at his will.

4.       Following the example of the Buddha, our Teacher, who is embodiment of Great Compassion (mahākaruṇa) and Great Wisdom (mahāprajñā), we consider that the purpose of life is to develop compassion for all living beings without discrimination and to work for their good, happiness and peace; and to develop wisdom leading to the realization of Ultimate Truth.

5.       We accept the Four Noble Truths taught by the Buddha, namely, Dukkha, the fact that our existence in this world is in predicament, is impermanent, imperfect, unsatisfactory, full of conflict; Samudaya, the fact that this state of affairs is due to our egoistic selfishness based on the false idea of self; Nirodha, the fact that there is definitely the possibility of deliverance, liberation, freedom from this predicament by the total eradication of the egoistic selfishness; and Magga, the fact that this liberation can be achieved through the Middle Path which is eight-fold, leading to the perfection of ethical conduct (sila), mental discipline (samadhi) and wisdom (panna).

6.       We accept the universal law of cause and effect taught in the Paṭiccasamuppada(Skt. pratītyasamutpada; Conditioned Genesis or Dependent Origination), and accordingly we accept that everything is relative, interdependent and interrelated and nothing is absolute, permanent and everlasting in this universe.

7.       We understand, according to the teaching of the Buddha, that all conditioned things (samkhara) are impermanent (anicca) and imperfect and unsatisfactory (dukkha), and all conditioned and unconditioned things (dhamma) are without self (anatta).

8.       We accept the Thirty-seven Qualities conducive to Enlightenment (bodhipakkhiyadhamma) as different aspects of the Path taught by the Buddha leading to Enlightenment.  [For a better explaination of the 37 Qualities check out "Thing Pertaining to Bodhi: The Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment" by Sheng Yen]

9.       There are three ways of attaining Bodhi or Enlightenment according to the ability and capacity of each individual: namely, as a Sravaka (disciple), as a Pratyekabuddha (Individual Buddha) and as a Samyaksambuddha (Perfectly and Fully Enlightened Buddha). We accept it as the highest, noblest and most heroic to follow the career of a Boddhisattva and to become a Samyksambuddha in order to save others. But these three states are on the same Path, not on different paths. In fact, the Sandhinirmocana-sutra, a well-known important Mahayana sutra, clearly and emphatically says that those who follow the line of Śrāvakayāna (Vehicle of Disciples) or the line of Pratyekabuddha-yana (Vehicle of Individual Buddhas) or the line of Tathagatas (Mahayana) attain the supreme Nirvana by the same Path, and that for all of them there is only one Path of Purification (visuddhi-marga) and only one Purification (visuddhi) and no second one, and that they are not different paths and different purifications, and that Sravakayana and Mahayana constitute One Vehicle One Yana (ekayana) and not distinct and different vehicles or yanas.

10.    We admit that in different countries there are differences with regard to the ways of life of Buddhist monks, popular Buddhist beliefs and practices, rites and rituals, ceremonies, customs and habits. These external forms and expressions should not be confused with the essential teachings of the Buddha.

 

Gassho.

The Triple Gem is a Three-Legged Stool

Most Buddhist converts are turning away from Christianity. As such they tend to avoid anything that looks like Christianity. This means organized worship services as well as rituals in general.

I can't tell how often I see someone write on-line that they are interested in Buddhism without religious trappings. hmmm. That doesn't sound much like Buddhism to me, but if it suits you go for it.

When Buddhists Take Refuge, it's much like Christian Baptism. It's signaling to the world that you are indeed a follower of the Middle Way and the teaching given to us by the Shakyamuni Buddha.

What do we take Refuge in?

The Buddha: The obvious relative truth here is that we take Refuge in the person that was our first teacher. However, he's dead so in that sense, WTF? It goes deeper than just the historical Buddha. We take refuge in our own Buddha Nature in the thread f pure enlightened being that lives within each of that binds us all together with all sentient life and the rocks and the sky and the sea as well. When we take Refuge in the Buddha we take Refuge in the Divinity of all things great and small.

The Dharma: The teachings of the historical Buddha are the obvious answer here. Some strict Theravadan scholars would conted that that is the only possible answer. However, some of the most profound Buddhist Scriptures weren't direct teachings of the Buddha. They might be framed as such but there's no logical proof that they were. Most Buddhists don't care too much what the Source is as the Dharma flows from within us. Our teachers aren't always scholars or priests and the Dharma isn't always expressed in words.

The Sangha: This, I think, is the most troublesome for Western Buddhist converts. Books are avaiable at book stores nationwide and to your doorstep from on-line retailers. However, without someone to discuss your Practice with you're missing out. Sometimes all we need are sitting buddies. Twitter and the Online Meditation Crew works well for that. There are a plethora of social networking options for baby Buddhists out there. However when it comes down to it, that's just not how we do what we do. Anyone can support your practice from the Bodhisattva that cut you off in traffic to the Arahant that dropped that paper cup that you picked up. Are these people your Sangha? In an absolute sense, yes they are. However I think you do need to form personal connections to help support your practice and give you a place to bounce ideas off of. Plus you need someone to tell you are messing up or on the right track. There's all kinds of reasons to Practice with others and all kinds of forms that a Sangha can take even virtual forms. One of mine is spread over the width and height of the whole USA. Those guys are great. We think alike, but I still need a teacher with some years on me. Someone who's been walking the path a while to set me straight. 

If YOU need someone to talk to about your practice, I'll be happy to talk with you, via e-mail, phone, skype or over a cup of coffee. I'm no expert but I'll support you if you support me and together we'll skip down the road of samsara to the place where we already are.

Gassho.

A Buddhist Take on the Politics Involved with the Park 51 Project

Buddhism and Politics? Sigh

 

I’m not going to talk about the Park 51 Project. You know what’s happening. You’re interested or not. Other Houstonbelief Bloggers have weighed in. Check out Dr. Jill Carroll’s latest on it and then read her first post about it. You can also read a Muslim perspective on J.K. Hawaja’s blog here.

 

Rather I’m going to talk about politics. Well sort of. Just read on.

 

I don’t like politics anymore. I don’t think I’m right or that anyone else is wrong. Beliefs are dangerous things that lead to divisive hatred.

 

It almost makes me sympathetic to people who accuse Buddhist Practitioners of being Nihilists. In a way, they’re right. Most of us have ideas about spiritual things but beliefs??

 

Woah.

 

Believe is a strong word and it leads to dogma and dogma leads to ego. How so? Group ego is the most tenacious ego of all because it lives outside the mind of one person it’s reinforced and subscribed to by many people. I’m digressing a bit here but I’m trying to illustrate why I don’t like politics. It has all of these characteristics & in many ways Modern American politics has supplanted religion as the ethical system that people are most familiar with.

 

So keeping all this in mind, you understand that, while there are many Buddhist politicians including two in Congress right now, politics and Buddhism are not an easy relationship. Some have postulated that there is not relationship.

 

What got me thinking about all this is an article written by a Conservative writer on a site I had never visited.

 

Go read it for yourself.

 

It’s not terrible or full of nasty rhetoric (about Buddhism, Islam is a whole other story) but it does assume that Buddhism is a religion. This is a mantle that many Buddhists would rather not wear. It’s not even terribly inaccurate about the way that Buddhism as a group operates.

 

However, this is the problem. Bill Warner, the author, he makes a generalization based upon people’s choice of ethical path. I’ve met many Muslims I like respect and trust. I’ve met many Jews that I feel the same way. Most of my family is Christian and I trust and mostly like and respect them. ;)

 

Making people into a group with a heterogeneous identity is not only artificial; it’s an affront to their rights as individuals. There is no worldwide group called Islam. There’s no worldwide group called Buddhism or Christianity or anything else. Even the groups that we self assign are made up of individual reflections, we call people, of the oneness that we all are.

 

OK that last part was a belief, I suppose, I can’t verify 100% that we are all part of one universal entity that simultaneously exists and does not exist. Ha-HaHAHA!!! 

See? Everyone’s entitled to their own beliefs and I’m OK with that. Believe what you want. Just don’t get irritated with others because theirs don’t jive with yours.

 

You’re not right and they’re not wrong. I’m not right and you’re not wrong.

 

Oh and if you want to read some funny opinions on this same article check out:

 

The Reformed Buddhist, my good friend Kyle’s, take on it.

 

Also read the short and to the point opinion of John Papas, who’s don guest posts here, of Zen Dirt Zen Dust on his Posterous blog:  Point of Contact Subtle ~ Dharma Mouth Punch

 

Oh and if you’re thinking that you got cheated because I never talked about the Park 51 Project. Go read the links and you will see that’s what I’ve been talking about the whole time.

 

J

 

As always, thanks for reading.

 

Gassho,

 

 

 (For those of you reading on my Posterous Network this is one of those posts syndicated from the Houstonbelief.com site)

 

WTF is wrong with me?!

I have a serious mindfulness problem. It’s so weird that I spend so much time talking about and writing about it.

Yet I spend so little time practicing it. I’m aware of my lack of mindfulness. I always tell myself: next time I’ll be more mindful.

What makes me lose my cool? Let’s see: My son, my wife, my mother-in-law customers, co-workers, donuts, other drivers, my body... This list could really go on to include everything in my life.

At some point nearly everything makes me lose it. 

What is it? Not sure, but I never have it, it seems. 

And then, I react: Usually, I’m sad. I don’t want to hurt anyone or anything, really. I like everyone and everything and I never want to be the cause of strife or anyone’s suffering.

What can I do at this point? 

Lots of teachers have written that being aware of my issue is mindful. It doesn’t feel mindful. I feel like a great big jerk.

This where faith comes in, I suppose. Well faith and the visible results of faith. I see people like Gaylyn Godwin Sensei or Maezen Miller Sensei and I know they project calm and collected demeanors, but I also know they are people just like me and they have to deal with the same crap.

Maezen, in particular, is really good about letting us know she’s human in her books and her blog she calls herself out for being herself and yet accepts herself at the same time.

I want to realize that there is nothing to attain. 

I want to believe that all five aggregates are empty. 

I want to not want.

Gassho.

Buddhist Blog Swap: The Interview Answers

Time for another Buddhist Blogger Swap. This is actually my first one on Posterous. This time we created questions that our partners generously answered. My partner was my friend Kyle from The Reformed Buddhist. Check out Precious Metal later today for the list of Participants.

 
1. What is your religious background prior to your conversion? Why'd you turn to Buddhism from Catholicism / agnosticism.

I had long since left the Catholic church, and up to that point in my life I was just existing, never really taking the time to examine the big questions in life. Oddly enough, I was wandering around a Borders bookstore, and the cover a book that was something like  Buddhism, Zen and Tantra caught my eye. I looked in, flipping through the pages, and came across two things that changed the direction of my life. One was the four noble truths, which resonated with me greatly at that point in my life. The second was a conjecture by the author that he said the Buddha said most beings aren't awake to true reality; almost like it was a dare for me to explore more.

2. Do you fell that you have converted or are still a Catholic /agnostic with a different viewpoint?

Nope, I'm converted, albeit in a reformed manner than most of my Buddhist counterparts.

3. What is your practice and how did you come to it?

I just sit these days, not much more. With the lack of any teacher, I now just attempt to sit bringing myself back to the breathe.

4. Do you feel that your practice has helped you though the rough spots in your life? How so?

Yes, it has taught me how to detach and let go, not to hold on so hard to the things that hurt me. Now, just letting go of the things that give me pleasure.....that I am still working on.

5. What is your position on engaged Buddhism? How far is too far?

Engaged, yes in so far as it is a part of ones life. Engaged as in a political movement, no as in that just ends up being another thing we grasp too.

6. Should we as "Second Generation" Buddhists be more active in the promotion of Buddhism? Again where do we draw the line or should a line be drawn at all?

At first, I would have said yes about the promotion bit, but as I have gotten older, I realize how difficult it is for people to come to grips with the teachings without putting their own slant on it, making it out to be something it isn't. Call me jaded I'd guess.

7. How do feel about fusion Buddhists such as Christian Buddhists or Jewish Buddhists? Is this a legitimate practice?

Yes, Buddhism never asks one to relinquish their beliefs. Indeed, we all have beliefs, just as powerful as religious beliefs when we begin practice. What those beliefs are hardly makes a difference when we learn to just sit with things as they are.

8. If there is one issue you feel needs addressing in the Western Buddhist Sangha, if there is such a thing, what do you think it is?

Expansion. We need to find ways to get more teachers and sanghas out there. Right now, there are too many people practicing alone, with no guidance. This is very pressing I think.


9. You've professed a tendency towards Zen Practice? Which flavor, and why?

Yes, Zen. Because it cuts through the bullshit of extra bits and gets one right into being the practice. First Rinzai, but lately just a Soto flavor, since Koans are impossible to practice without a teacher.

10. How do you feel that practice has shaped your marriage?

It has led to excellent discussions and a great understanding of expectations of what a marriage should be. I feel that I am a better husband because of my practice, but I have a long way to go.!

Thanks, Kyle!

Gassho.

No Shoes? No Problem!

I was at the Houston Zen Center the other day sweeping outside during Soji (silent work practice) and as I came back inside I removed my shoes and placed them with everyone else's.

 

I usually do this without a thought to why, but this time I thought about it. Why do we we remove your shoes to enter a meditation hall? You could chock it up to a Japanese cultural practice, but I'm not sure you'd be correct.

 

At the Jade Buddha Temple, which is part of a Chinese Mahayana/Pure Land lineage, we also remove our shoes but only for the meditation hall or the Grand Hall if it isn't a Sangha gathering day like Wesak or Ulambana. The signs at the front of the the Grand Hall seem to indicate that the shoes thing is only because of the hardwood floors that were installed to replace the carpet a few years ago.

 

In doing some research online I've discovered that most traditions require you to remove your shoes for meditation.

 

This may hearken back to the barefoot monastics of the early sangha who meditated on the ground and didn't wear shoes.

 

However, I think the practice continued for better reasons. First, it's hard to sit cross legged with shoes on. Also you feel more connected and vulnerable without shoes. You only take your shoes off in places that you are comfortable. It can also be an outward sign of letting down mental and emotional barriers and connecting with the sangha around you or with the Greater Sangha that is the Universe and all beings within it.

 

Gassho.

Why there's no fat Buddhists

I learned a secret last weekend. It should have been obvious to me.

 

Everytime I visit a Buddhist center, no matter what the tradition is, there are no really fat people, other than me.

 

There might be one or two but when you talk to them they tell you that they're for the first time or they only come occasionally...

 

After a while, no matter what type of Buddhism you follow you will find yourself in a situation where prostratiopns are the order of the day.

 

What are prostrations?

 

Think back to junior high gym class. Your coach proabably called them up-downs or some such. Basically, you fall flat on the floor and touch your face to the ground and turn your palms up in supplication.

 

That's the whole thing. We do them to maintain humility and to pay homage to the Triple gem The Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha.

 

One of them wouldn't be bad but they alwasy come in groups. In Zen, it's usually in threes. I've heard of extreme pratices concerning prostrations including doing 1000 a day or prostrating for miles and miles on a pilgrimage.

 

I did six last weekend and I'm still sore. I'm not sure I can go next weekend at this rate. John over @ Sweep the Dust, Push the Dirt says he does 20 a day. He must be in hella good shapoe to do 20 a day. I've seen a 96 year old monk do one of these like it ain't no thang. I'm way more impressed, now, with this feat.

 

Anyways, other than the prostrations I loved my time at the Houston Zen Center. Everyone was welcoming and I met lots of new people. Gaylyn gave a great talk about the chapter she helped Kaz Tanahasi translate for hsi epic new translation of Dogen's Shobogenzo. It was about seeing the Buddha or seeing beyond forms.

Yup, the HZC is almost certainly my sangha home. Now if only I could convince my wife to go there with me.

 

Gassho.

Houston..We have Buddhism

So as I've mentioned before, I'm trying to create an exhaustive list of all the Buddhist Sanghas/sitting groups/study groups in the greater Houston/Galveston Bay Area. There are a few I need more information on such as the new Empty Field Zendo in League City and I know I'm missing about 5-10 (at least) Asian ethnic Buddhist groups. Help me to fill in the gaps. Soon I'll have a google map with all these addresses once I figure how to embed one into the page.

 

Here's What I have so far:

 

Houston Zen Center

Tradition/School: Japanese Soto Zen

Lineage - Suzuki Roshi

Teacher: Setsuan Gaylyn Godwin Sensei

1605 Heights Boulevard

Houston, TX 77008

713-869-1952

 

West Houston Zen Center
Tradition/School: Korean Seon (Zen)

Lineage: Zen Master Dae Gak, dharma-heir to Seung Sahn

Teacher: Dae Mun

1357 Bunker Hill Road

Houston, TX 77055

713.464.3835

 

Chung Tai Zen Center of Houston

Tradition/School:  Chinese/Tawainese Chan (Zen)

Lineage: Grand Master Wei Chueh

Teacher: Venerable Master Jian Zong

12129 Bellaire Boulevard
Houston, TX 77072
(281) 568-1568

 

Jade Buddha Temple

Tradition/School: Chinese Mahayana/Pure Land

Lineage: multiple

Teachers: Abbot Rev. Hung-I, Rev. Jiang Hai

6969 Westbranch Drive
Houston, TX 77072-2163

281-498-1616

 

Dawn Mountain Temple

Tradition/School: Tibetan-Nyingma

Lineage: Khetsun Sangpo Rinpoche

Teacher: Anne Carolyn Klein (Rigzin Drolma)

1925 Richmond Avenue
Houston, TX 77098-3401
(713) 630-0354

 

Houston Shambala Center

Tradition/School: Tibetan

Lineage: Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Teacher: Lay directors Celeste Budwit-Hunter and Jeanne Higgs

7915 Westglen Dr.

Houston, TX 77063

(281) 686-5176

 

Clear Lake Diamond Way 

Tradition/School: Tibetan-Karma Kagyu

Lineage: 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje

Teacher: none local/peer led

1609 Dakota Street

League City, TX 77573

(281) 686-6821

 

Houston Diamond Way

Tradition/School: Tibetan-Karma Kagyu

Lineage: 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje

Teacher: none local/peer led

5102 Center Street

Houston, Texas 77007

281-436-6081

 

SGI-USA – Texas Gulf Coast Region Community Center
Tradition/School: Nichiren-based

Lineage: N/A

Teacher: various

3465 West Alabama
Houston, Texas 77027
(713) 622-6181

 

Myoken-ji temple
Tradition/School: Japanese Mahaya/Nichiren Shu
Lineage: Nichiren Order of North America
Teacher: Myokei Caine Barrett Shonin

4360 Graduate Circle 

Houston, TX 77004

(713)-429-1274

 

St. Nichiren Temple

Tradition/School: Nichiren Soshu

Lineage: Nichiren Shonin

1640 W. Alabama St.
Houston Tx 77006

713.529.5004  (Temple)

808.781.3601  (Cell)

 

Houston Buddhist Vihara
Tradition/School: Theravada

Lineage: unknown

Teacher: Ven. Bhante Pannila Ananda Thero

8727 Radio Road,
Houston,
Texas 77075

 

Wat Buddhavas

Tradition/School: Theravada/ Thai Forest

Lineage: Ajahn

Teacher: Phra Ajahn Ken Kamalo

6007 Spindle Dr.

Houston, TX, 77086

 

Buddhist Diagrams

The first is from:

 

a raft
The author isn't entirely certain of it's source but it's well done by an obviously Buddhist scholar. 

 

The second is from the Atheist/Agnostic blog:

 

Triangulations

 

Sabio Lantz, blogger at Triangulations, created that one and he adds the following notes of explanation:

NOTES

• Sectarianism:  Just as in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism …, Buddhism has a plethora of sects.  Each sect has its own spin on doctrines with similar names.  This model contains much which is common between Buddhist sects but each sub-aspect is handled differently between the sects.
• Terms:  The early texts of Buddhism are in Sanskrit and Pali.   Transliteration systems for Sanskrit abound — I am sure I will be inconsistent.  I try to stick to Sanskrit only because it was part of my studies at one point.   For a similar reason, I added a few Chinese/Japanese terms.
• Siddhartha Gautama: (wiki) The founder of Buddhism.
• The Three Jewels (triratna): (wiki) The basic creed of Buddhism.
• 3 Bodies (trikaya): (wiki) The metaphysical understanding of the Buddha (interpreted very differently between sects).
• The Four Noble Truths: (wiki) A medical model – Diagnosis: there is dissatisfaction (“dukkha”); Pathology: it has a cause; Prognosis: it is curable; Treatment: the 8-fold path is the treatment.
• “Duhkha“: (wiki) from Sanskrit (Pali: dukkha), variously translated:  dissatisfaction (my favorite), suffering (physical pain and emotional turmoil), misery, bitterness. On the chart, I kept it in Sanskrit because it is short!
• The Eight-Fold Path (marga): (wiki) Buddhism is essentially the elaboration of all these aspects.  It would take a huge chart to illustrate the “Meditative Training aspects” as it would the others — this is an Intro chart.  For example, I have only set-off three subjects from within just one of these because I find them important to Buddhism and I have written about them (or alluded to them elsewhere on my blog).
  • Three Marks of Existence: (wiki)  My related posts: Many Selves, No Self.
  • Interdependence: (wiki) This is a crucial idea in Buddhism.  It can be viewed through both positive (True Mind) and negative (Deluded Mind) cycles of causation (see Thich Nhat Hanh (below)). My mildly related posts: En
  • Two Truths: (wiki) My related posts: Levels of Truth
  • Four Immeasurable Minds:  (wiki) mental trainings to aid in freeing the deluded mind from suffering.

Source Texts:

• Buddhism: a modern perspective.  Prebish, Charles, 1978 (amazon)
• The Vision of Buddhism. Roger J. Corless, 1989 (amazon)
• An Introduction to Buddhism: teachings, history and practices. Peter Harvey, 1990. (excellent academic intro) (amazon)
• Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism. John Powers, 1995. (amazon)
• The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation.  Thich Nhat Hanh, 1999 (highly recommended). (amazon)
• An Introduction to Buddhist Ethics. Peter Harvey, 2000. (amazon)

I can't quibble with either of these. Together they give a very brief overview of most of the mainstream teachings of the various Buddhist sects.

Gassho.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

I'm sorry I like you so much??

So as Buddhists, we often talk about attachments.

 

Attachments, are bad, m'kay?

 

However, there are tons of married Buddhists including most of the non-monastic Priests. (Isn't it funny we never call Female Buddhist Priests Priestesses?)

 

Isn't this a contradiction? Yes, in some ways it is. We work hard to get rid of our attachment to things; to walk the middle way between materialism and asceticism. When it comes to people we often gloss over the bit about "not too much." We uses dissembling arguments: Well, on an absolute level we are all one. Sure, sure, but on a relative level my wife and and I share a bed, but we don't share a right arm or a pancreas, for example.

 

When it comes down to it, we often forget the principle of  "Just enough" when it comes to our spouses and our children. We go to extremes.

 

I find myself doing this all the time: I like my wife so much I get upset and sad when she could very easily be spending time with me and chooses not to, for one reason or another. Often, she chooses not to so as to make another family member happy.

 

My reaction is rarely mindful. She accuses me of trying to make her feel guilty. I, of course, pull the old Zen Buddhist shtick that it is is what it is and we control how we react, so if she feels guilty this is all her. In case you missed it, that's me blaming her for feeling bad when, on subconscious level, I probably want her to feel bad because she chose someone else's happiness over mine by gracing them with her presence instead of me.

 

So then we have to ask: Is our behavior mindful? Are we being extreme and deviating from the Middle Way? If so, perhaps we should take a step back and reconsider our actions.

 

My solution is to immediately apologize. However, this solution doesn't fix anything. It's just admits that I'm wrong. The harm still exists.

 

I suppose in this case impermanence works in our favor.

 

Gassho.

The danger of Us v. Them

In my last post I demonized Christians a bit. I want to thank my friend and developing Zen philosopher, Jody, for pointing it out.

 

I succumbed to a dangerous and oh so human deviation from the Middle Way: dualistic thought.

 

There are no Christians, Buddhists, Muslims or Jews. There are only us. There are no them, even if there are.

 

Dualistic thought is the cause of all strife and disagreements. It's hard to stay angry with yourself for very long.

Zen is less and more

We hear a lot about the so-called protestant work ethic here in these United States. It might have powered the 18th and 19th centuries but it seemed to run out of steam by the end of the 20th. Today I'd say that Christianity supports the materialistic, gotta have-it-now culture of Cosnumerist America with drivel like the Gospel of Wealth.

I have to say that Zen has no such tendencies. In Zen minimalism is stressed. Not to an an extreme, but just enough. That concept pervades the life of most practitioners of the Buddhadharma, Zen or otherwise. 

It has become such an aspect of my family's own life that the extended members of our family all think we're a little queer. We get questions like, "why don't you want a new television?" 

Most of the time they just write us off as weird. My coworkers are worse always talking about the new stuff that they spent their money. I am a little jealous of the fact that they HAVE money to waste. Ours goes to bills and food.

Although my practice is still mostly informal and rather "bookish" I can say that the more I get rid of the more I have.

Gassho.

The Houston Buddhist Sangha Locator Project & Life Changes...

So I'm working on a new pofect for the BayouCityBuddhist Blog. I'm going to try and list every Buddhist group in Houston in one place. Right now I'm looking for WEbsite, Tradition/School, Lineage, Teacehr and a contact address and phone numbers.

 

My wife suggested that I should go and visit them and take a picture of the place to help people find it. Even better if I can take picture of the teacher or a monastic at the Temple/Center.

 

I'm going to have a seperate tab on The BayouCityBuddhist Posterous site and I'm going to have an intial post with all of the basic information I've culled from the interent. From there. I'll just post updates to both the Chron.com site and the Posterous & networked sites.

As to why there's been very few updates:

 

Last weekend we finally got moved into the city. We actually live in the City of Houston instead of rural Fort Bend County. I cna say that the drive home ahs been fabulous 20 minutes WITH traffic. It is as little as 14 minutes with no traffic and catching the lights right.

 

It's also wonderful being surrounded by grocery stores and shopping options. What hasn't been great is that our AC is still not cooling below the 80s. So it's not unbearable just hot enough to make us miserable.

 

A quick Word...Breathe.

It's a hectic time in my life. My wife, son and I are moving for the first time in three years.

 

We meant to make this move about 2.5 years ago but the funds just weren't there and we were stuck in a tough situation. So we have remained.

I'm often asked by various friends and co-workers who are stressed out what advice I have since, you know, I'm all serene and stuff. (yeah, right!)

 

The best thing that helps me to get through stressful situations and tough times is something everyone has: breath.

 

Just take a deep breath. Everything might not have gone away (and it won't) but at least you're more able to face it now.

 

We're making our move this Saturday.

 

I'll see you all on the the flip side!

 

Gassho,

Buddhism and why I’m not a Vegan

Yesterday I ate a slice of leftover pizza. I took the meat off and just ate it.. It didn’t make me sick. I can still process dairy, unlike my unfortunate wife who has lost the ability. It wasn’t delicious, but we had no other food and I didn’t want to leave the house to get any.

 

I’m not really even bothered by this event and wouldn’t bring it up if it weren’t for the fact that I have the self-applied title of “vegan.” This appellation is a convenience. I can tell the burrito guy I’m a vegan and he won’t bother to ask me about meat or dairy options or, more importantly, accidentally squirt gobs of fatty, white sour cream all over my veggie burrito.

 

I didn’t become a vegan because of any ethos. I became a vegan because I was trying to find a diet that works for me. I’ve stayed a vegan because I really don’t want to eat something that is a direct result of industrialized death and suffering.

 

I remain a vegan because it makes sense as a Buddhist. However, as a Buddhist, it’s also important to me to not become too attached to an arbitrary label. Furthermore, the label of vegan brings with it some extreme views that are something I want to avoid.

 

The idea of being a vegan is something I’m comfortable with and something I’m committed to, but I’m not going to freak out if I occasionally have some birthday cake made by a friend who isn’t vegan or a slice of veggie pizza bought by a well-meaning co-worker.

 

Gassho.

Is Hope a delusion?

I saw a billboard for a Christian music station on the way home yesterday that got me thinking.

Their current ad slogan is "More Hope".

Hope is often thought of as a good thing. Some say it is the only thing that drives Humanity through the dark times in our collective lives. Hope of a better tomorrow. It's funny that people believe in "hope for tomorrow" yet they insist on the idea of a separate self. What's the point of a better tomorrow if you're only improving things for other, independent beings who aren't a part of you in any way?

From the Wiktionary:
hope (countable and uncountable; plural hopes)
1. (uncountable) The belief or expectation that something wished for can or will happen.
I still have some hope that I can get to work on time.
2. (countable) The actual thing wished for
3. (countable) A person or thing that is a source of hope
We still have one hope left: my roommate might see the note I left on the table.
4. (in Christianity) The virtuous desire for future good
But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love. (1Cor. 13:13)
In Japanese, it's kibō.

So is hope a delusion? Is it delusional to wish for something to happen? I think it comes down to action. You can hope something is going to happen and if you take steps to allow it to happen then it is reasonable to expect (hope) that it will happen.

If you hope that you'll win the lottery and yet you never buy a lottery ticket, or even if you do, is it reasonable to expect the winnings to come rolling in? I think this where hope becomes a delusion, when the expectations of the outcome far exceed the bounds of reason. I don't think this kind of hope is detrimental in most cases but I do think it falls into the realm of illusion at best.

Hope can be detrimental. Staying with an abusive spouse year after year always hoping that the spouse will change when years of evidence says otherwise is probably detrimental, especially if said spouse never makes any attempts to improve his behavior or get help for his (probable) illness.

So I suppose this street can go either way. Like most things you just need to apply the test of reason to it.

Gassho.