Comments on Buddhism, Atheists and Amitabha.

From "The Message of the Buddha" by K.N Jayatilleke (via The Zennist)

What is the Buddhist answer to this question? What the Buddha a Theist, an Atheist, an Agnostic or a Positivist? The answer is fairly clear. Given the above definition of God [in The Book of Common Prayer] in its usual interpretation, the Buddha is an atheist and Buddhism in both its Theravada and Mahayana forms is atheism.

Atheism here is defined as the denial of the existence of God with a big "G". Usually when defined by the captital "G", the God we are talking about is a creator god. One that made everything we see around us including us and anything else we may stumble across. Most consider this to be the Judeo-Christian "God" when referenced as such but it can also include Islam, Hinduism, or any religion with a set and organized creation myth that involves supernatural creation of the world.

I agree with The Zennist when he asserts that Buddhism, in general (there may be sects or practices that I am not familiar with) does not fall in line with a standard Deist outlook. Being an atheist can also vary from no belief in a creator God to no belief in anything of a supernatural/transcendental origin or belief. Even with the most extreme of Atheist views, Buddhism still barely falls outside of its realm.

Some assert that the Amitabha Buddha takes the place of a creator God and is thus the Pure Land Sects are a Deistic religion. Again, I think this in part due to a fallacy of viewing an Eastern Religion through Western, Christian eyes. "We (Western Christians) have a creator God so they (Asian Buddhists) must have one as well". Then you see people praying and making offerings to the Amitabha Buddha and you assume that Buddha is a deified.

From my very basic understanding of Pure Land Buddhism, the Amitabha was once a human monk that transcended into a Buddha Realm and promised to grant liberation to any that recited his name. While supernatural and transcendental in nature, the Amitabha Buddha is far from a creator God and more or less provides another path to enlightenment. A method that requires an "other" power to help achieve it rather than focusing on just personal practice.

So, personally, I consider myself an agnostic. And, personally, I think Buddhism does not specifically deny a creator "God" but rather considers it unimportant in the grand scheme of things. The primary focus of Buddhism is not on higher powers but rather personal practice. That personal practice, however, can be a mixture of reliance upon the compassion of past Buddhas as well as personal striving to achieve enlightenment or liberation.

What is of prime importance to me is that the practice of Buddhism does not require the acceptance of higher powers or supernatural entities. You can practice perfectly well from a completely secular stance. The Buddha was a human and figured out a way to cease suffering and be happy. I wish to cease my own suffering and be happy.

Simple as that. From there you make your choice to follow the path and begin your practice. Your practice may always be strictly secular and atheistic or it may move in to more transcendental areas. Either way, it is fine. It is your practice and you need to use what works for you. Just don't mistake choice with ease. Just because you have choice does not mean that your practice must be easy. There should always be a sense of striving in your practice.

Cheers,

"True Buddhism in Virtual Reality"

Yuttadhammo over at "Truth is Within" had an interesting idea for furthering our iSangha practice - eChanting!

We've managed to set up a karaoke style international chanting session over the Internet; participants hear the leader's (me's) voice and follow along based on the text that pops up verse by verse. An interesting experiment; not sure if it will catch on, but it does seem like a nice idea allowing people to come together to hear and reflect upon the Buddha's teaching from around the world. Afterwords I will sometimes give a verse by verse explanation of the Pali and concepts discussed therein. Here's a picture:

Indeed, a great idea! Chanting by oneself loses so much of the experience of what can be an integral part of your home practice. It may not catch on but it seems worth a shot and I appreciate the effort.

Follow this link to The Buddha Center. I love their slogan "True Buddhism in Virtual Reality". It seems to be a virtual reality monastery or temple with avatars walking around different rooms for different events (I wonder if I can bring a staff and cast Cure Light Wounds?). That may be a bit much for me but I love the effort in capturing new technologies to reach out to home-practitioners.

Personally, I like to have resources like this in reserve for when I can't make it to the zendo (read: yoga studio backroom) to sit and chant with the sangha. I already have substituted podcasts of Dharma Talks for the "real" thing since there is a real lack of Dharma teachers out here in snowy South Dakota.


Cheers,

The Story of Suddhipanthaka

@Margaret_Scott via twitter was nice enough to send me this link to one of my favorite Buddhist stories and also the one that I named this blog for. My earlier rendition of this tale was somewhat lacking and I was unable to find the source of the tale to improve it. Originally from the Amitabha Sutra.

The Story of Suddhipanthaka

Suddhipanthaka was in the group of people that represents foolishness and dull capacity. His foolishness and dull capacity were the workings of the law of cause and effect. He was also in the group that was diligent in eliminating karmic obstacles.

He was the slowest of the Buddha’s students and had the poorest memory. When he was taught a four-line verse, he could not memorize the lines even after several days of trying to learn them. When he chanted the first line, he forgot the next lines. When he was taught the second line, he forgot the first line.

His elder brother, also a monastic, told him that he was too slow to learn from the Buddha and that he should go home. Suddhipanthaka burst into tears. The Buddha saw this and asked Suddhipanthaka why he was crying. He told the Buddha that his brother wanted him to go home.

The Buddha told him to stay and gave him a broom. He then taught Suddhipanthaka to concentrate on the broom and sweep the floor every day. As he swept, Suddhipanthaka was to repeat just two words, “sweep” and “clean.”

Before long, Suddhipanthaka attained enlightenment and arhatship. The other monastics wondered how he had accomplished this. The Buddha said that Suddhipanthaka had been a highly accomplished Dharma master in the previous lifetime. But he always held back when he gave lectures because he was afraid that others would surpass him in their achievement if he taught everything he knew. His slowness in this lifetime was a karmic result of teaching grudgingly.

I love this tale. Thanks @Margaret_Scott, I am in your dept!

Cheers,

Cookie-Cutter Buddhist Practice

All roads lead to the same mountaintop.

Be a lamp unto yourself. Work out your liberation with diligence.

We all have a responsibility; to ourselves and to others, to those we never met and those that we spend our daily lives with, to strangers and to lovers, to aspire to our own liberation. Damn, those words sound far too lofty to be coming from me. I am a bag of wind.

However, it seems to me that we are often stuck in the middle of a pissing match between opposing (really?) schools and sects. Teachers and roshis engage in a Dharma Combat that seems more appropriate for the Jerry Springer Show than for a meditation hall.

Organizational Buddhism is fine but don't get too wrapped up into the hype that it sometimes represents. When someone, Roshi or not, tells you that their path is the correct one and all others are wrong - they are stifling your growth and building their own ego. For me, the truth seems simple. The mountain has many paths to the top but not every one is right for every practitioner. We choose our own route. Take the time to learn about the other paths and incorporate what seems right into your own practice. Ignore the boundaries that the patriarchs and the past have placed upon us. Ignore whether or not it is "authentic" or not. Ignore whether or not your practice is the same practice that your sangha-mates participate in. If your practice includes other religious and spiritual outlets, then go with it.

In the long run, all of us (Roshis, monks and lay persons) are walking bags of dung but even dung-sacks deserve a practice that is individual to them. Be a Buddhist pirate and pillage these schools for what is useful to you and leave the rest. Settle down with one if you pillaging days are over but remember that it may only be temporary. It may be time to take to the seas again.

Pirates are awesome.

Cheers,

Updated Bat Nha links and info

From Barbara's Buddhism Blog:

A violent mob drove Buddhist monks and nuns from Bat Nha monastery in Vietnam over the weekend, according to several news stories. Agence France-Presse reports that more than 100 monks fled Bat Nha on Sunday when a mob armed with hammers and batons showed up and threatened then. About 200 nuns left Bat Nha earlier today.

The monks and nuns of Bat Nha are followers of the internationally revered Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh. Thich Nhat Hanh fell into the bad graces of the Vietnamese government last year when he told an Italian interviewer that His Holiness the Dalai Lama should be allowed to return to Tibet. The government of China then pressured Hanoi into punishing Thich Nhat Nanh's disciples living in Vietnam.

This is less about mixing religion and politics and more about well-respected religious leaders speaking out against brutality and ignorance. Many say that Buddhism is a docile and "removed" religion but its leaders will speak out when necessary and they do so honestly. But it should always be remembered that any "state-sanctioned" religion will lead to ignorance and intolerance even under the best of circumstances. Best of luck to those monks.


For more info:

• Plum Village - Bat Nha Needs Your Help
• Mob, police force nuns to leave Vietnam monastery - Associated Press -Vietnam Buddhist Standoff
• Vietnam Buddhists flee amid threats
• The Reformed Buddhist - Vietnam Govt Raid Buddhist Monastery
• The Buddhist Blog - Urgent Help Bat Nha Monastery Emergency Angry Asian Buddhist - [check for videos] tinh hinh cac thay co het suc kho khan
• The Buddha is my DJ - Bat Nha Monastery
• The Buddhist Blog - Vietnamese Bat Nha Monastery Raid Update
• The Budding Buddhist - Urgent Update: Bat Nha Monastery

Virtual dharma resources for REAL practice

In an effort to help some of those home-practitioners that don't have access to a physical sangha or zendo and rely almost completely on home practice to study the Dharma and further their own growth, I though I would list some of the online resources out there. There are plenty of others out there but these came to mind....

• White Wind Zen Community Long Distance Training Program - The practice of Zen is experiential and instruction is based on your actual experience of doing the practice. As soon as possible after reading the transcript and sitting for a full half hour according to the instructions it contains, please write to the monastery to let us know that you read the "Beginner's Mind Workshop" transcript, sat and would like to receive further instruction. Please include in your email some detail concerning what you experienced while sitting and write out any questions that came up. Your email will be answered by a practice advisor or a Dharma Teacher in residence at Dainen-ji and this will be the beginning of an exchange for the purpose of clarifying your understanding of Zen practice so that you can eventually apply as a public student of Ven. Anzan Hoshin roshi.

• Treeleef Zendo - This zendo is dedicated to students of Zen Buddhism who cannot travel to a zen center or who otherwise wish personal contact with a zen teacher... [a full review of this site is here]
  

• Wild Fox Zen Blog - The Moon Reflected in the Water: 100 Day Practice Period begins on Saturday for those practicing from afar. The expectations might seem a bit more than you can handle - zazen, Heart Sutra, study, webinar, capping phrases - and if you think so, it might be just right....Anyway, there is still a seat open for you in the virtual practice zendo. If you want to jump in, shoot me an email (wildfoxzen@gmail.com) or register via Facebook by Wednesday. No previous practice period experience necessary. [I think this session is closed but they seem to be willing to do this again, I hope].

• 108 Days - Follow along with the posts for 108 days of meditation. No longer an active blog so engagement is limited but a good way to slide into a daily routine.

• AudioDharma - The Insight Meditation Center (IMC) is a community-based urban meditation center for the practice of Vipassana or Insight meditation. We are a non-residential center in Redwood City, California, dedicated to the study and practice of Buddhist teachings. IMC offers a broad range of practice and community activities. This includes a weekly schedule of meditation sessions, dharma talks (talks on Buddhist teaching and practice), classes, group discussions, yoga practice and a variety of meditation and study retreats. IMC began in 1986 as a gathering of individuals who meet in order to learn, support and deepen their mindfulness practice. It is an informal group, and those interested in mindfulness meditation are heartily welcome to participate whenever they wish. IMC does not require payment for any of our teachings or meetings. The support of our teachers and all our center expenses is done through the voluntary donations of our community. The group is guided by Gil Fronsdal. [Gil may be the closest thing to a bodhisattva that I will ever meet...the man kicks ass]

• BuddhaNet - Its got everything you would ever need, I think, for a full home practice. Sans an actual teacher. [Enough info to make your brain go *pop*!]

• Podcasts - DharmaRealm, Ancient Dragon Zen Gate Dharma Talks, Buddhist Geeks, Rochester Zen Center Teisho, San Fransisco Zen Center Public Lectures, ZenCast [Just a few of my favorites. Plenty more out there from reliable zendos and practice centers. Most have online newsletters too]

• Blogs - Plenty but start at digitalZENDO and The Zennist for an example of two polar opposites in a broad array of fantastic blogs out there. [I can't even start too explain how many are out there but I like these two since they give two very different views of Buddhist and Zen practice]

• Alan Ashley recommends WildMind Buddhist Meditation Resources and Free Buddhist Audio. Thanks!

• Thank you Adam for the recommendation of Urdan Dharma
  

This list is by no means meant to be extensive and it is skewed towards Zen practice by Buddhists on Purpose (lol, hilarious term. Makes me think of "Pigs in Space") but if you know of any other resources please list them in the comments and I'll toss them in...

Cheers and welcome to Buddhist Purgatory (I should rename my blog that, Thanks Kyle!),

Burnt Out on Race - Where are all the females?

It doesn't take too long for me. Conversations about race, especially on-line, wipe me out and leave me feeling all husk-like and zombie-esque. Much better to engage in person with beer and tea. Either way, it got me thinking this morning while walking and trying to avoid roaming bands of stray dogs, that my blog roll is really white and really converted.

Overall, this doesn't bother me too much but it does mean that my intake of information is one-sided rather than many-faceted as I would like it to be. And, after being told to do my homework before I post next, I thought I would putz around looking for some more diverse Buddhism blogs to follow.

And would you know what, I came up with almost nothing. So, if anyone has some recommendations for Buddhist blogs from an Asian or non-convert perspective please help me out and post them in the comments so that I can get me learning on. Something happy and inviting would be nice but I will settle for angry and persnickety.

Another thing that popped up was that very few of the female Buddhist bloggers that I used to follow are posting anymore.

Cheers,

Profiles of Buddhist Bloggers

I have been wanting to do a list of some of my favorite Buddhist bloggers out there in the Buddhoblogosphere (I hate that word) and decided that if I was going to do it, I was going to make it somewhat entertaining and make some jokes at my expense as well as the expense of others. So here are a few of the bloggers that I respect and read religiously with some added humor in the form of everyone's favorite thing - categories!

A wise man once told me that the line between humor and disrespect was a fine one - and then he never talked to me again - I assume that I crossed that line.


[Have a good laugh on this. Everything was meant in love and we really need to have a sense of humor about ourselves - especially after so much disagreement. So enjoy and If you have some additional profiles I missed, let me know so I can add them!]




The Home-Practicing Hick - Stuck in the Midwest or Deep South, this Buddhist blogger will go on and on about "practical" Buddhism and will act as if he/she eats lotus blossom and shits out petals. In reality this blogger sits maybe once a week and studies under a guy named "Steve" and conducts his Dharma talks at the local Hooters. Most religious paraphernalia was probably purchased from Hot Topic or Old Navy with rituals being carried out in his old Judo gi.

• Favorite Food: Can you put hot dogs in Curry? Yes. Then that.
• Example: Ummmmmm.....ehhhh....me?

The Angry Asian Buddhist - If you are white or any non-Asian you are on notice, my friend. There is no flying under the radar with this blogger manning the helm! If you happen to slip up in your terminology or nomenclature you are immediately regulated to the lowest pits of esoteric Buddhist Hell. Best bone up on your Japanese social strata and grab a sociology primer because you are going to need it.

• Favorite Food: It doesn't matter. Your weak Caucasian palate could never appreciate the flavors.
• Example: Well...the Angry Asian Buddhist for one.

The Prick - No pun is too low or picture too naughty. If you want to talk about Dharma or serious Buddhism, steer clear of this blogger, Dear Reader. Expect any retort to involve squirrel testicles, crack whores or dirty, filthy, potty humor. Just reading this blog will lead to numerous viruses on your hard drive and possibly syphilis. Be WARNED!! If this blogger ever actually teamed up with the Angry Asian Buddhist profile, they would be well-nigh unstoppable. Our only hope is to keep them at constant odds with each other. Its mean, I know, but this is national security we are talking about here.

• Favorite Food: The souls of nice Buddhists and societal norms
• Example: The Reformed Buddhist
  
  

The Scholarly Complainer/Avenger/Compromiser - This blogger of many talents graduated from any Community College Divinity program or mail-order degree factory. Most of their posts will consist of whining about how "commercial" Buddhism has gotten and then quickly run to the closest Borders to pick up the newest Brad Warner rag and read Tricycle from cover to cover. The professional mediator - this blogger will attempt to relieve any tension in the community by flinging Dharma quotes around as if they were magical, thought-provoking Frisbees.

• Favorite Food: Anything made of tofu...as long as it tastes like hot dogs.
• Example: The Buddha is my DJ, Wandering Dhamma, The Reverend Horton Heat
  

The Know-it-all - No text is too obscure or phrase too boggling. This Buddhist blogger will go on and on about people and places you have never heard of. The fantastical stories weaved would leave H.P. Lovecraft frightened, weeping in a corner and flipping through a thesaurus. Unlike their pupea stage, The Scholarly Blogger, this butterfly flings Dharma quotes as if they were hand-grenades of Unsurpassable Light plopped from Buddha's own arse and will, by definition, have a sweet, sweet mustache. As sensical, sometimes, as an ancient Chinese koan translated into ancient Greek by a toddler.

• Favorite Food: His own self-worth
• Example: The Zennist *pause* whew! No grenades.

The Professional Writer - Ugh! Posts that last at least two kalpas and have been proofread by the Virgin Mary, herself. Immaculate! These year long treatises will weave in and out of consciousness (or at least you will be weaving in and out of consciousness while reading them). Be sure to read the review that they have written on EVERY book on Buddhism they ever read and comments on everything their teacher ever said.

• Secret Aspiration: To publish their blog in book form or to sell it to rich Swedes (Swedes love Buddhism)
• Example: Dangerous Harvests, Home Brew Dharma, American Buddhist Perspective, DigitalZendo

The Saint - You would think that following 5 precepts is enough or maybe 10 but this blogger will follow all 108 and then add 50 more that the Buddha "probably just forgot". Be prepared to be regaled by stories of beautiful temples in far-off places that you will never visit because you are probably just not serious enough a Buddhist. Oddly enough, this blogger's shit does actually smell like jasmine and ginger due to their insane daily amount of tea intake. You may think that there is a halo surrounding their heads but it is actually just the aftereffects of acquiring so much awesome merit.

• Favorite Food: Nothing. Bodhisattvas don't need to eat.
• Examples: Marcus's Journal
  

Thanks for posting folks. My growth would be limited without your insight and audacity.

Cheers,

Re-Branding Buddhism and Buddhism for Beginners

I was going to continue the previous discussion on Asian vs. Non-Asian sanghas by pointing out the Chuck Norris could easily take down Bruce Lee in a fight but I realized that...

1. This perpetuates the horrible stereotype that white folk love Chuck and Asian love Bruce. When we all know that EVERYONE loves Chuck.
   
2. This has already been decided in "Game of Death" and Chuck lost.
   

So I am going to go with a discussion of the "Branding of Buddhism" that was brought up on Barbara's Buddhism Blog as well as on Angry Asian Buddhist. So why not weigh in on it, right? I'll list some of the talking points and my (humble) take on them.

But, following up on my post two weeks ago about how to bring the incredible benefits of regular meditation practice to a larger contemporary audience (i.e. beyond the velvet roped circle of artists and smart people that seem to mostly practice in the West) it's time to talk about Brand Buddhism.

Ok, first off the "velvet rope" of Buddhism? Do we also reside in an ivory tower? Is there a moat? (I am fucking approachable and don't forget it). Buddhism has been branded already by publishers and "quick fix" marketers and is accessible in many forms to anyone who wants to wander into a bookstore or library and get the flavor they like.

So as a culture and as a society we have already picked up this banner and ran with it. I don't think there is any reason to skim anything off of it as a matter of principle. Personally the idea presented by Jerry of an "inner circle" of artist/smart people practicing Buddhism tells me that he has little experience in the actual practice of Buddhism. Sanghas are popping up in rural and urban areas as well as in jails, youth centers, adult learning centers and college campuses. They can consist of primarily Asian, primarily white or a diverse mix of cultures. Practitioners in my own sangha range in vocation from gardeners and roofers to judges, and politicians as well as retirees and lowly civil servants like myself. Indeed, we do have a bouncer at the door though to keep out the intellectuals (we don't like their kind here).

When most folks see Buddha, they see a foreign and unfamiliar face that speaks of mysterious eastern religions - oooooo, Buddhists. Buddhism in America is at the long end of the initial boom sparked in the 60's among intellectuals and artists who craved that elite connection with the east.

When "most folks" see the Buddha they see many things. I see a sublime figure who own striving led to a realization that was both simple and obtuse in understanding, both easy and hard in practice. Rather than rebrand to remove the "foreignness" of the Buddha, how about just some good old education on his life and practice (a great and accessible book is Buddha for Beginners by Asma)? Once you see the human side of someone it no longer seems so foreign. I would much prefer the education and presentation of Buddha to be realistic rather than completely throw away or turned into another White Christ (you know what I am talking about. Christ looks like he walked out of a J Crew advertisement in many modern representations).

Buddhism in America began way before the 60's. If we ignore the earlier (and current) Asian practitioners we ignore a large and important part of Western Buddhism. Even the popularity of Buddhism among a non-Asian audience was spearheaded by Asian practitioners that came over to the States to primarily serve as the religious guides of Asian congregations (personally, though, I believe that anyone that took on such a task probably also had a desire to "spread the Dharma", as it were, to the culture of the West). The Hippies and the Beatniks and the acedemes of the time that originally ran with those Buddhist concepts and practices by no means did the lion's share of the work. They helped build some of the bridges but by no means build the foundation of Western Buddhism.

Buddhism can be presented as the ultimate lifestyle accessory.

It has been already (sometimes well and sometimes horribly). Look at any "Religion/Spiritual" section of the bookstore or the "Self-Help" section and you will see a plethora of books on Buddhism (or more specifically on Buddhist practice) that are obviously slated towards Western audiences that have no prior experience with Buddhism. Hell, I pick up t-shirts with Buddhist iconology from Old Navy.

To secularize Buddhism is fine. It has been done in the past and sometimes done very well. But to almost insist that the flourishing of Buddhism in the West can only be achieved by cutting off all of the Asian roots to the religion (or non-religion) is foolish. Buddhism is primarily an Asian religion with plenty o'history both ancient and contemporary. To ignore those teachings is to take a massive backstep in the history of Western Buddhism.

But this is just my opinion.

The introduction of Buddha for Beginners sums it up well:

...the fact that Buddhism seemed deeply misunderstood in the West. Unlike most other religious scriptures, which are comprised of parables, legends and allegories, Buddhist teachings also contain actual philosophical arguments that were advanced by the Buddha himself...so skewed is the Western view of Buddhism that it will come as a surprise to many people that the Buddha gave rational arguements and empirical evidence in his teachings...

...[many] had gathered [their] wisdom [of "Buddhist" teachings] from American television shows, commercials and movies, which offer a cadre of mystical monk characters - usually helping some confused Westerner pick the right soda or cell phone service or some such consumer quandary. Stereotypes die hard... and the tendium of consumer culture may always lead us to romanticize exotic monastic traditions. But it is my hope that this book will give searchers a little more grasp on the ethics, metaphysics, epistemology and logic of Buddhism.

Maybe Jerry should start with this book and stop watching commercials before assuming that Buddhism needs a rebranding. If we need to rebrand anything it is the way that Buddhism is portrayed in popular media.

Cheers,

Smile, Sit, Eat Curry!

There is no way of avoiding cultural difference within the Buddhist practice. At whatever shores Buddhism arrives, differences are bound to arise. New perceptions of Buddhist practice will bloom and older ones will fade away. Some are resilient while others do not fit into a new, emerging framework.

Like a curry whose ingredients remains unaffected by the added spices to the recipe (that's right, I'm hungry), Buddhism will adapt a new flavor but nourish all the same. Just like curry, Buddhism gets adapted into new cultures. Indian, Japanese, Thai and even American (the place by me in South Dakota pretty much goes the meat and potatoes route) cultures enjoy the taste without arguing which is more or less authentic than the curry they had in Philly or New York (or Bangkok or Kyoto). We may like certain styles better but brother, in the end, curry is curry and Buddhism is Buddhism.

Each culture will have specific ways of approaching practice - from the rites and rituals, scents and clothing to the language and cultural make-up of the sanghas. Its a whole lotta differences with the same ideal and pay-off in the end. Some people will fret over the changes that occur (or will occur) and others will take it on without a thought. Some people complain and fret over labels and constructs. They deconstruct rather than create.

Labels and constructs are, for the most part, a waste of time. Some of us attempt to use them to structure our thoughts (far from being perfect) other use them to categorize and pigeon-hole others.

If you want to hit the keyhole with the arrow, here is what you do:

• Practice - That's it just practice.


• Welcome - Invite others - If someone wants to practice with you, welcome them.


• Repeat - There. You are a sangha. Now repeat.

Cultures are different, yes. Religion is intertwined with culture, yes. Some sanghas will be primarily one ethnicity rather than another. Some will be a mix. As an example, Greeks will congregate at a Greek Orthodox Church, that Church will be full of Greeks. That church is serving two functions; one religious and one cultural. Greeks learn about their heritage and their language and history as well as about their religion. These are both important. I can't express how important they are. Someone - a non-Greek - walks in and sees a bunch of crap (and there is a bunch of crap in a GO Church) and figures that it detracts from the core teachings. There is nothing inherently racist in this situation. The congregation will accept a newcomer and a newcomer will get used to (or learn the significance of) the "crap".

OK, back to Buddhism. Huge difference is that any Convert Buddhist has no cultural attachment to the religion. They switched over purely (usually from my point of view) for doctrinal reasons. As such the outlook between a White/Black/Hispanic/Asian (many Asian do fall right smack into the "convert" camp, lest we forget) Convert and an Asian Buddhist w/cultural affinities will differ. This is not inferring one is better than the other or that one is a more "pure" form of Buddhism. It is simply stating that those cultural ties lead to a much deeper involvement into the religion. For example, I am still Greek and am tied culturally to that Greek Orthodox Church no matter what I call myself or what path I take spiritually.

So to anyone that cares enough to read this, let me make one more suggestion - Ignore those last two paragraphs - they are full of crap. Go back to the beginning and practice, welcome others and repeat. That should be enough ( if it isn't now then it will be evenutally). Then smile, sit, chant nembutsu, read sutras, drink tea, have a beer and laugh.

Nothing else is needed. Everything else is worthless. If someone calls you "homespun" or stupid or racist or ignorant then just sit, welcome them to sit with you and repeat. Don't offer the beer until after you know where they stand on the 5th Precept, however - that can get ugly too - but tea is just as good.

Cheers,

Big Buddha in NJ

Ah! The Garden State! I miss you so much. Why couldn't you build a 30 ft. Buddha while I was there? A brief from the article:

New Jersey Governor John Cozine will open the largest Samadhi Buddha Statue in USA which is 30 feet tall at New Jersey Buddhist Vihara on September 26.

Ambassadors from Sri Lanka, India, South Korea, Nepal, Laos, China, Japan, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Bangladesh will light lamps around the Samadhi statue. An overnight Pirith chanting by Bhikkus followed by a dane by devotees of the Vihara to 50 monks will also be held.

Chief Incumbent of the Viharaya Ven. Hunhampola Siriratana Nayake Thera initiated the project. The statue is similar to the one in the Mahamevuna Uyana in Anuradhapura. This received the generous support of Americans and Sri Lankans in the United States.

Thanks to Barbara for posting on the two things closest to my heart; The Garden State and ridiculously large statues! I plan to stop by the next time I am in Princeton to pay my respects.

Cheers,

[not to be crass but with the two million dollars that it cost to put up the statue, you would think they would have a nicer mock-up of the thing.]

Buddhism, Race and Class in the West

Well, Nathan addressed that 500 pound gorilla in the room in his recent post on encouraging youth engagement in Buddhist sanghas. Well, if he's gonna throw it out there, I might as well comment on some of it. It was a very large post so I am just going to touch on...

Large Issue 1. Collectively, Buddhist communities in the "West", especially "convert" ones, need to address issues of race and class more head on.

Ok, yes, I suppose we do but I do have to admit that when this is addressed "head on" it gathers so much momentum that we begin and end with discussing race rather than Buddhism. So while this needs to be an ongoing discussion "in-the-flesh" and on-line, it really needs to be contained somewhat into a discussion that actually produces results. So, other than arguing back and forth, what do we do?

A. We need to change the way our sanghas appear in the physical world.

I just think it is funny that all of the points that Nathan brings up here...

that people of color don't attend these sanghas in great numbers is that they have had "no say" in the space itself, and do not feel at home in it. For many of you, this might be pretty abstract sounding, but lets bring it into the concrete right now. Have you ever been in places where you felt something was off, but couldn't put a finger on it? Or maybe a place where you almost instantly felt "out of place" right away, despite how the people there acted towards you? In our busy, distracted lives we forget how much physical space effects us. We forget, for example, that one of the main reasons we love our homes (when we do) is that we were able to create it in a way that expressed ourselves, who we are and what brings out the best in us.

..are the exact reason that I don't utilize a mostly Asian congregation as my primary place of practice. I love and respect the Asian culture but sometimes (actually, most of the times) I feel "out of place, right away" even though the practitioners are friendly and proactive towards the fact that I am (sometimes) the only white person there. So how much say should I have in the way a primarily Asian congregation chooses to organize their practice space? Holy Shit, I can just imagine if I went in and suggested that there should be less golden Buddhas or a more "comfortable" space for me. Would I have an equal say? We always assume that "western" Buddhism does not include Asian congregations and it does. So would a Jodo Shinshu sangha in a Japanese community alter their appearance or layout easily because a few White folk (or any person of color) don't feel comfortable? [I do understand that some Shin temples have changed at great amount of tradition to accomodate Western palates (mostly for meditation) but I sit back and wonder...why? B/c of a few whiny non-Asian practitioners a long tradition is altered? It seems to me to be sad. Or was it to drum up more enrollment? Either way, and my personal opinions aside, it was a difficult choice to change the standard and one I am sure was not taken lightly.]

I agree with the statement that the layout of a sangha will turn away some people and not others but I am somewhat at a lost concerning what should be changed. My sangha meets and practices in the backroom of a yoga studio. Four walls, a ceiling and some shelves for mats. Is this too "white-washed"? Most of the sanghas I have sat with (with the exception of my current one) have a distinctively Asian motif. Usually the standard reductionist, austere Zen set-up. How is this "white-space" other than the fact that white people are present? For the most part it seems to be an "Asian-space".

Perhaps my experience is limited or perhaps I am just lucky but any experience I have had in any sangha has been welcoming regardless of my race or the racial/social make-up of the sangha.

B. We need to address the costs of practice better.

Ah! No argument there. I love my small sangha just for this reason. I work two jobs and weekend shifts so the chances of me getting to a retreat is almost none but the sangha will provide financial help to anyone that needs it. Unfortunately my issue is half with money and half with time so I'm screwed either way.

But just looking at the "dues" that are required at some places exclude me from ever practicing there. So I can imagine that they do limit the practitioners at those specific temples or Zen Centers to a certain racial and economic bracket. This also excludes many "casual" practitioners. People that are only able to practice once or twice a week or month due to family or work obligations. Obligations that do take precedence (despite what others may infer) over any time staring at a wall or chanting.

On-line retreats like the ones offered by Wild Fox Zen is a great way to supplement your practice without having to shell out huge amounts of cash or time. While not the same as an intensive weekend or wekk-long retreet, this medium of practice is much more palatable to those pesky youngsters thateare trying to finish college, start a career or a family.

C. We need to diversify how the dharma is structured and taught.

Dharma does not need to be particularly dense or structured in order for it to be understood. The reason why many of us are attracted to Zen, whether college educated or not, is because we are not primarily interested in the scholarly pursuit of Buddhist teachings and thought. Rather, we are interested in the practice and experience of it.

I think the emphasis on retreat and extensive meditation practice is a huge barrier for many people, and could be one the things that keeps Buddhism in the "West" a small, marginal movement.

I agree completely. We are committed to the aspects of Buddhist practice that we can fit into our daily lives not into the aspects that alienate us from our family, friends and livelihood. A few days ago I had the option of practicing one morning with the local sangha or sitting at home with a beer and my little samsara baby. The choice was easy and obvious. The beer was delicious and samsara baby and I had a great time at the park.

Cheers,

Booze and Buddhism

Since everyone had so much fun discussing the topic of the 5th Precept - I thought that I would line up some of the articles for easy reference (in somewhat lazy chronological order):

• Compassionate teaching of Zen with Beer - Sweep the Dust, Push the Dirt
• Suramerayamajja-pamadatthana-veramani - Marcus's Journal
• Dharma Drinks - Sweep the Dust. Push the Dirt
• Booze and suramerayamajja pamadatthana - The Reformed Buddhist
• Discipline of Sobriety - Marcus's Journal
• Comments of the 5th Precept - Dangerous Harvests
• To Brew or not to Brew - Home Brew Dharma
• One more thought on the 5th Precept - Home Brew Dharma
• To Drink or not to Drink - Barbara's Buddhism Blog
• Proud Fundamentalist Buddhist Scholar - American Buddhist Perspective
• Comment on the 5th Precept - Angry Asian Buddhist
• Dharma Police - The Buddhist Blog
• You're No Buddhist - Love of all Wisdom
  

I don't really have anything more constructive to add on the subject. I thought that the opinions provided in the above posts varied from a literal and concrete interpretation of the precepts to a more adapted view to complete and utter drunkenness.

If I missed any interesting contributions; feel free to include in comments along with your favorite drink (with or without the alcohols).

Cheers,

Secular Meditation and Youth

With some recent talk about how to attract the younger generation to Buddhism, this article popped up with a great, new, innovative approach. Actually advertise what Buddhist practice does and what results one can expect to find from intense meditative practice. Then present it to that age group in an easy-to-access manner (example - Read The Zennist and then do the exact opposite). No dramatic alteration of the Buddhist canon needed, no comments on how "Hardcore" it is - just simple, direct meditation and results. A few examples from the article:

• the Insight Meditation Society, a Buddhist nonprofit, introduced the retreat specifically for 18- to 32-year-olds in 2004, the number of young adults attending to practice vipassana has steadily risen, said Bob Agoglia, the organization’s executive director.


• The Cambridge Insight Meditation Center, a nonresidential nonprofit, has also seen a stream of curious young adults at its weekly vipassana, or “mindfulness,’’ meditation sessions for beginners, said Peggy Barnes Lenart, the center’s operations coordinator.


• Harvard’s Humanist Chaplaincy, a community for agnostics, atheists, and the nonreligious, started a free, open-to-all group this year that practices different forms of meditation, including Buddhist and Quaker.
  

In all of these examples, Buddhist practice is presented as a process-based, inclusive and/or secular in nature. And it should be presented as such to those who are unfamiliar with the basic practice of Buddhism. If anything, most of the presentation of Buddhism is far too complex and steeped in ritual, philosophy and dogma for most of those completely new to it.

Nothing turns off a person from something new more than the feeling that they don't belong [disclaimer: this is not targeted at Asian congregations or temples. Rather, I am talking about any congregations that have a regular and sometimes intricate liturgy that can make a neophyte feel uncomfortable. That is all]. So rather than bemoan the state of youth or insist that the young are not spiritually ready for the Path that Buddhism sets in front of us, we should be adjusting the presentation so that it is actually useful to that demographic.

In the words of one retreat goer:

“No one’s asking me to profess anything or asking me to call myself Buddhist,’’ said Beckmann, a public health researcher at Boston University who was raised Catholic. “I really appreciate the opportunity to explore.’’

An opportunity to explore the benefits is what needs to be provided. A chance to delve briefly into a practice that while strange or unfamiliar may be able to provide a positive outcome . How do we do this? By providing a secular and inclusive environment for which people of any age can "open up this new way of being". The secular aspect is not meant to take away from Buddhism but rather to provide a more comfortable atmosphere to those of different faiths or no faith what-so-ever. From there one can walk away with a better understanding of Buddhism and a healthier outlook.

Secular meditation - The gateway drug of Buddhism. I started out this way as I am sure many of you out there did as well. The biggest mistake I ever made in my practice was to actually take a class in Buddhism in college. All the heady philosophy and rules thrown at a beginner turned me off from organized practice for almost 5 years.

Cheers,

Homebrewing Sake Mindfully

The following is a beginner's recipe for making sake. There are other, more difficult recipes but this one will produce a nice, smooth, cloudy sake.

What You Need

• A Sieve


• A big, deep brewing pot w/a lid


• A primary fermenter (old glass wine jug. You know the ones...cheap stuff. I like to make my own. The instructions are simple. Purchase cheap jug o' wine. Drink jug o' wine. Save empty jug.)


• Some sort of airlock (you can buy one from whatever store near you that sells brewing supplies)
  

Ingredients

• A little more than 3 lbs of rice (I like Jasmine but any medium or short grain rice will do)


• A little less than 1 lb of Kome-Koji (Some call it Malt-Rice but in reality it is rice with mold growing on it). Some can make it themselves but I usually get the pre-made variety (kindly provided by a friend when she visited Denver) and available at most Asian markets.


• One teaspoon of citric acid (lemon juice) or 4 grams of hops (I have never tried with the hops)


• Almost one gallon of purified (chlorine-free) water


• 5 grams of yeast (wine/champagne yeast or brewers yeast)
  

Process

• Wash all equipment with sanitizer


• Wash rice (NOT with sanitizer) in water until water runs clear. Soak rice for 1-2 hours. Steam rice. When done, let rice cool to 80-90 degrees F.


• Dissolve citric acid in one gallon of water in your brewing pot.


• Add your Komi-Koji. Mix.


• Add steamed rice. Mix.
  
• Transfer to primary fermenter (wine jug). But in rubber stopper and valve (valve will let gasses escape).
  

I should mention that fermentation will be vigorous. I was unprepared for this on my first attempt. I placed even mixtures into mason jars and then sealed them. The resulting build up of gas caused several of the tops to bubble up and eventual pop in a glorious explosion of semi-fermented rice, fungi, yeast and abandoned practice. The resulting smell, while not really bad, was however...strong and pervasive.

Just like ultimate realization, fermentation needs to be allowed to release some pressure.

Imagine each grain of rice as containing a small Buddha. A whole brew pot full of small, identical, unrealized, oblong Buddhas. Each deserved to be treated with the same amount of reverence and respect. Without the fermentation process changing each of those starches to sugars and then those sugars to a fermentables and those fermentables to alcohol the realization of the rice would be unfulfilled and would spend their existence as a starchy side-dish. Thus, I like to think of the fermentation process as the process of each grain of rice realizing their innate Buddha-Nature. Only when the bubbles begin to rise and the rice begins to release that nature do we see the extent of the transformation. If too many fermentables the process stops; if too much yeast the result is murky; if contaminated then the result is ruined. But of main importance is time and balance.

Back to the recipe.

Once secured at room temperature and in a dark cabinet, you need to agitate the mixture daily. You could open your fermenter and stir it with a sanitized spoon but I would rather not take the chance at contamination. I usually just shake the fermenter enough to get the mixture inside to move around a bit. After two days, the rice-Buddhas forget about their individual natures and meld into a chunky white slurry. Small bubbles of Buddha-nature will peculate through the slurry and in approximately two weeks the fermentation will cease.

Strain the resulting slurry into a decanter or if you would like to preserve it for long-term storage you can pasteurize it by slowly heating the liquid in a saucepan for 5 minutes at about 130 degrees F. It will stay for up to 3-5 years bottled at this point if remained unopened. I usually put my whole bunch into one large bottle and then store it in a dark place for a month to age. (unpasteurized is by no means a bad sake. It will be cloudier, smoother and yeastier when unpasteurized and will need to be refridgerated.)

Just remember how many grains of rice realized their true nature through this process and respect their months of striving and diligence. I use my homebrew sake for toasting ancestors, offerings to the Three Treasure as well as offerings to the six directions. Feel free to do the same or something different.

Cheers,

Dharma Drinks

Marcus was nice enough to let me know that he mentioned me in a post about drinking and the Precepts in Buddhist practice where he quoted a past post of mine. Which is fine. It is a well written post and, as with all posts of merit, it made me think. I would recommend everyone check it out. Here is the quote about me...

Just two weeks ago, in an otherwise excellent blog, a zen practitioner wrote, beneath a photo of two people at a bar, that "sometimes 'skillful means' requires oyster shooters and grotesque amounts of wheat beer". Maybe. But this sounds less like 'skillful means' than 'a skillful excuse' to me. I prefer the advice of Master Thich Naht Hahn: "To persuade one person to refrain from drinking is to make the world safer for us all."

First off, thank you for the complement. "Excellent" is a descriptor I rarely get to hear. But my post was mostly on compassion and positive teaching and very little on beer or drinking so I take some exception on the "otherwise" part of your comment.

Actually, the comment about drinking was simply meant to express the need to expand our understanding of teaching beyond temples, zendos, monasteries and meditation halls. We need to approach all aspects of our lives through a lens of compassion. That even includes drinking and celebrating (which are occurrences in any householder's life) and which are, frankly, aspects of the lives of many Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike so why not apply the same lessons of the Dharma to those situations (Hell, seems like they would be right at home there). I still go to a happy hour every once in a while and sometimes even meet up with some Buddhists and talk Dharma. It is non-traditional but hardly bad. But this does punctuate some points recently made by some other bloggers - That much of our practice is up to our own interpretation and insight rather on what others insist as the proper or "real" way of practicing. The 5th Precept is a great example.

While some approach the precepts from the view of prohibitions I prefer the following view:

The Precepts
The precepts are a condensed form of Buddhist ethical practice. They are often compared with the ten commandments of Christianity, however, the precepts are different in two respects: First, they are to be taken as recommendations, not commandments. This means the individual is encouraged to use his/her own intelligence to apply these rules in the best possible way. Second, it is the spirit of the precepts -not the text- that counts, hence, the guidelines for ethical conduct must be seen in the larger context of the Eightfold Path.

The first five precepts are mandatory for every Buddhist, although the fifth precept is often not observed, because it bans the consumption of alcohol. Precepts no. six to ten are laid out for those in preparation for monastic life and for devoted lay people unattached to families....

The above phrasing of the precepts is very concise and leaves much open to interpretation. One might ask, for example, what exactly constitutes false speech, what are untimely meals, what constitutes sexual misconduct, or whether a glass of wine causes heedlessness (from the 5th precept to not take intoxicating drinks and drugs causing heedlessness.).

I prefer Buddha's conversations with householders as opposed to the ones to monks. These conversations revolved around the need to be moderate and careful in the indulgences of worldly life. If you need to drink, at least drink to the benefit of all sentient beings (OK, I made that one up but it makes a great toast) and keep your wits about you. If you decide to make the choice to not drink as a part of your practice then great, but remember that your choices are not meant for everyone. There is a fine line that we walk between the reading and interpreting the Dharma and fundamentalism. The moment you say that someone is not a "real" Buddhist for some reason - you start straddling that line

Much of what the Buddha taught to the Householder revolved around happiness in this present life:

There are four things that lead to the welfare and happiness of a family man in this very life. What four? The accomplishment of persistent effort, the accomplishment of protection, good friendship and balanced living...and what is balanced living? A family man knows his income and expenditures and leads a balanced life, neither extravagant nor miserly, so that his income exceeds his expenditures rather than the reverse...by so much the scale has dipped down by so much it has tilted up, so the family man knows a balanced life.

The wealth thus amassed has four sources of dissipation: womanizing, drunkenness, gambling and evil friendship. Just as in the case of a tank with four inlets and outlets, if one should close the inlets and open the outlets, and there would not be adequate rainfall, a decrease rather than an increase of the water could be expected in the tank so that these four things bring about an increase...

For me this reads less of prohibition and more along the lines of balancing out one's life. The sources of dissipation are negatives when brought to a specific extreme. The analogy of rainfall and the tank infers (to me at least) that there is a definite balance to be struck with the vices listed. "Womanizing" doesn't preclude sex and neither does "drunkenness" preclude anyone from drinking. Instead it serves as a lesson in the balancing of extremes. A warning to keep things moderate. While these dissapations are hardly positive (they are framed as something that dissapates happiness, after all) in nature they are only viewed as a negative when they are abused or harm others.

So the point from my original post...

So what happens after we spend all that time gaining knowledge and staring at a wall? Someone comes to learn from us and what do we do? We grab all that knowledge and force it upon the person. We toss quotes and terms and postures and chants. That is not teaching. That is throwing information and hoping that some will get lucky and stick. A good teacher needs to approach a student and determine his/her ability, intent and drive. Then from that assessment we teach to the individual and not at him. That is compassionate teaching and that is Zen.

With those thoughts in mind try to focus how you can practice from day to day without implicitly stating that another teaching is incorrect or unbalanced...and that sometimes "skillful means" requires oyster shooters and grotesque amounts of wheat beer.

If you drink, ensure that you do no harm to others or to yourself when you drink. It is as simple as that. If you wish to take the precepts of a monk and renunciate all worldly pleasures and attachements, then by all means take those on yourself. For me, I am a householder and I try to keep the balance.

Cheers,

The evolution of Buddhism - It's not what you think.

Inspired by a cross-post at Progressive Buddhism and The Reformed Buddhist as well as a post by DjBuddha on the terminology of Buddhism movements in the West.

When we see people cling to sutra's or rituals or any one aspect of the religion, and are unwilling or unable to accept different ways of learning and teaching, I think we run the danger of making Buddhism a static practice, one that can't or won't progress to new and more innovative forms. While the ancient teachers have a great deal to teach us that should be carried forward, we mustn't forget those who are new to Buddhism, whose knowledge and understanding of the road signs we are pointing to aren't as robust as what a long time practitioner would have. It is important that Buddhism makes room for new ways of expressing the dharma and for inventive ways of exploring the true nature of self and suffering.

Well we all "cling" to our rituals and sutras as well as to aspects of our practice such as meditation or nembutsu. All is at the same level without one exceeding another. A good analogy is the misunderstanding of when people talk about evolution and expect it to infer a progression to a "better" or "perfect" state from a "bad" or primitive one. Instead, view it as random change determined by the culture-base that the Dharma enters into. When the Dharma is introduced to a secular nation it will express itself in a manner different, but not necessarily better than, when exposed to a culture (such as Japan) with a long-history of ancestor worship. Different, yes! But with no determination of one being better than the other.

Static is another loaded term. While static is inferred to be negative. In reality, no changes were made or at least only subtle changes were made, because of its innate adaptability. Static and traditional are not negative only descriptive. The same is true of the terms "modern" or "progressive". These infer movement only and not whether or not one is Good and the other Bad. Only that one has moved and the other hasn't.

It isn't a straight path with polar opposites on each side in an obvious progression from a "bad" ancestrial stock to a "good" modern stock as the picture above demonstrates. And this is how many Buddhists in the West view each other or at least think that we view each other. A steady march from the static, archaic, ritualistic Buddhism of the past to a new stream-lined Buddhism of the future. This is not what is actually happening.

Instead it is a big bushy mess of movement with different schools and sects moving into new environments with new people (different races, socio-economic groups, backgrounds) forming new traditions and retaining older ones.

I can't emphasize enough that when I say traditional and modern, I do not infer that one is better than the other or that one is superceding the other in any fashion. With the radiation of Buddhism into the West we can expect to find many new and emerging "species" of Buddhism. Some new and flashy ones may shine briefly and then die out (Ohhh. I could name a few but I won't). Other more archaic forms (not a negative term only a descriptive one) will thrive, maybe more than they thrived in the past.

I still feel that I practice "Horsecrab" Buddhism. Old in form and definately Archiac in nature but if you live on the East Coast those son-a-bitches thrive. Compare that to some species that last only a few million years. But not everyone like horseshoe crabs some people like those fancy new fangled blue crabs. Whatever. To each their own.

Hope this wasn't too clunky an analogy. Feel free to comment.

Cheers,

[Before anyone else writes something that I have to remove. Here is my point: Buddhism is NOT linear rather it moves in many directions; Traditional or static is NOT bad, just a description; progressive is NOT good, just a description of change; I DO NOT prefer horseshoe crabs to blue crabs because one is tastier than the other but rather I can respect that fact that sometimes you don't need to change in order to adapt.]

The Origin of Conflict

From Anguttara Nikaya 2

The brahmin Aramadanda approached the Venerable Mahakaccana, exchanged friendly greetings with him, and asked him: "Why is it, Master Kaccana, that khattiyas fight with khattiyas, brahmins with brahmins, and householders with householders?"

It is, brahmin, because of attachment to worldly pleasures, adherence to worldly pleasures, fixation to worldly pleasures, obsession with worldly pleasures, holding firmly to worldly pleasures that khattiyas fight with kattiyas, brahmins with brahmins and householders with householders.

"Why is it that, Master Kaccana, that ascetics fight with ascetics?"

"It is, brahmins, because of attachment to views, adherence to views , fixation on views, addiction to views, obsession with views, holding firmly to views that ascetics fight with ascetics."

I thought this was an interesting passage from the Anguttara Nikaya to keep in mind. Especially in relation to past, recent and future contentions that are bound to arise as Buddhism continues to grow in the West. I think that some individuals (in general) and Buddhists (specifically) spend much of their time focusing on is the renunciation of attachment to worldly objects and pleasures while simultaneously fostering attachments to their own specific views. It matters very little if these views are political, personal, religious or philosophical. When we no longer attempt to view the world through the eyes of others and strictly rely on the tunnel-vision of our own experience, we quietly and subtly walk off of the path...

...but I am not attached to that view. Just something to keep in mind. It seems that even the Buddha admits that you can be in the stream and still be somewhat of an ass. There is hope for me yet.

Cheers,

What Buddhists Do

From What Buddhists Believe by the Venerable Dhammananda:

On one occasion a Christian delegation visited Ven Dhammananda to have a dialogue. A member of the delegation saw the book on his desk and asked, “Venerable, What do Buddhists believe?” He replied, “Buddhists do not believe anything!” Puzzled, the man asked, “ Then why did you write this book?” Ven Dhammananda smiled and said, “Well, read the book and see for yourself whether there is anything in Buddhism simply to believe.” The man then asked “Alright then, what do Buddhists do?” Ven Dhammananda replied, “Well, first they study, then they practice and finally they experience” (pariyatti, patipatti, pativedha).

I like the fact that Ven. Dhammananda melds together the "Believe" with the "Do". That belief is inherit with the action - with the physical and mental striving towards the goal of enlightenment rather than apart from it.

This book was written from a Theravadan perspective so I am not surprised that the study of the sutras comes first [first they study, then they practice and finally they experience” (pariyatti, patipatti, pativedha)]. Personally, I think you need to practice first to garner and nurture your own wisdom and insight. Then I believe you can really appreciate the Sutras, otherwise they are just words. Even the Buddha did not appreciate the Dharma until he gathered some wisdom around himself through the guidance of the religious teachers of the time. If he did not study with Alara Kalama, Udaka the son of Rama and wandered five other ascetics he never would have gained the insight to make his own realization of the Dharma. Those early steps are necessary ones.

But that is just my opinion. Another thing that I think isn't inherit in the statement by Dhammapada is that the journey for some Buddhists is just as palatable and important as the goal itself. Most Buddhists that I know rarely think about the end result of the practice and the striving and the effort rather they focus on applying that effort to the present moment. I rarely focus on the end-result of all this because I don't really know what it is or what it should be. And without that expectation my practice is much stronger.

It reminds me of sitting for the first time for an extended period. You work past the pain and fatigue and amazingly it isn't the body that grunts and creaks the most, but actually the mind. Damn, it fidgits and fights but you strive on. It feel that focusing on the end result would not have gotten me through it but focusing on the present does.

Now the mind doesn't fight so much...but you know I sorta miss that battle.

Cheers,

The Reformation of ... Buddhism?

You have to admire the balls that some people have - the sheer size of their karmic cajones. Kyle has started a new blog, The Buddhist Reformation, that will address some of the changes that Buddhist movements are making in the West as well as some of the waves. However, it seems that the tone of the blog is that Buddhism is already an established part of Western society, which it isn't. You can't really reform something that isn't even established yet. Now this was a reformation.

I have always enjoyed the image of a turning Dharma Wheel and of someone turning that Wheel. Even the Buddha has a great respect for the Dharma because he didn't create it - he found it. He discovered it. IT already existed. Sometimes that Wheel turns fast and sometimes slow. But one thing is certain - many hands turn it and only a few are "Western".

The Dharma hasn't been established in the West yet. Just a few daring individuals from other cultures that wished to create something new in someplace unexplored. Explorers in a new realm. But even before there is an opportunity to establish something in the West - before it has even begun - we are already creating camps, erecting walls and insisting that we are being repressed.

Western Convert Buddhists insist that they are not taken seriously by other culture-based traditions and those Culture-Based Buddhists (I have no better term) insist that they are not well-represented in the mainstream media. In my opinion, both standpoints are silly.

Most of all, there are more than some that believe the West can't create its own tradition. They feel that the West is somehow evil and wrong, that the culture is ugly and shameful. And this is the kind of radical politics that are driving away countless people that are in desperate want and need from relief from suffering.

I don't recall in recent history even seeing the Dharma move into a new culture. We look at Indian, Chinese and Japanese history and see schools at odds with each other. Schools that already have a long history and establishment. New schools arise (Jodo Shin Shu and Nichiren for example in Japan) and the government and religious establishment is immediately worried that their control over the spiritual growth of their parisisioners will be in jepordy. Thus laws and restrictions are passed and people/groups/sanghas are prosecuted. Those reformist groups then continue their practice and voice. That is a reformation.

In the West it is no more than toddling youngsters crying because a favorite toy is being grabbed by another toddler.

This Westernization is only the next manifestation of the dharma; it is not meant to tear down other cultures, but build up a new one. Just as countless other cultures have created their own tradition of Buddhism, so can the West.

We should discard this term "Westernize". In the long run, the West isn't going to change the Dharma; the Dharma is going to change the West...but don't hold your breath, it may take a while. And when it does happen the term most apt will be the "conglameratization" of Buddhism in the West. Many little multi-colored pieces of stubborn rock in a sweet matrix of Dharma...but then what would Angry Asian and Progressive Buddhists talk about.

Don't think that I am trying to be critical of either Arun or Kyle. I love the shit they throw, and their insights as well as the dust they kick up. But every once in a while we really got to chill out a bit...maybe have a beer, eat some peanuts, then drink some more beer

That being said, I am looking forward to the posts

Cheers,