Modern Buddhism or Buddhism without Bullshit

What is "Modern (skeptical) Buddhism"? The introduction of the Modern Buddhist Bible describes it as:

...more than a matter of simple chronology or a standard periodization into the primitive, classical, medieval, premodern and modern. Certainly modern Buddhism shares many of the characteristics of other projects of modernity, including the identification of the present as a standpoint from which to reflect upon previous periods in history and to identify their deficiencies in relation to the present.

I can deal with this. It places modern Buddhism into a framework outside of historical timelines and temporal restrictions. Not every Buddhist is a modern Buddhist (and there are those that argue that Modern Buddhist aren't really Buddhists). Those that still adhere to outdated stigma and religious dogma are far removed from modern Buddhism. I don't disagree with those sects but oftentimes I think they serve a more cultural role in Buddhism rather than a spiritual one (but can and do serve as both). Vajrayana Buddhism and many of the esoteric sects are prime examples of this. Most of their cosmology is a cacophony of indigenous religions and local traditions held within a Buddhist framework. This works fine when you are raised and born into that culture but there are many out there and I would rather just stick to the basics.

This is fine but most of the original Buddhist practice incorporated two things: First is the yogic tradition of India which basically stated that mental control over psychical properties leads to better spiritual well-being (ie. monitored breathing, meditation, "yoga") and second is the anti-Brahman movement that Buddhism typified (no meaningful creator, heaven, hell). Early writing and information is scarce of these early sects but for the most part they fell into either an atheist (No god) or agnostic (maybe god but doesn't matter anyway) camp. Skeptical Buddhism falls into this ideal. For me at least.

...Modern Buddhism also rejects many of the ritual and magical elements of previous forms of Buddhism.

Yes and no. It isn't a prerequisite that all modern or skeptical Buddhists reject these forms. Instead I think it is important that these forms are put into the proper place. Rituals such as mandras, mantras or mundras are often considered "magical" in many Buddhists sects. Does that not mean that when I adopt a cosmic mudra for the purpose of my zazen practice that I accept a magical origin of the hand gesture or position? No. It simply works best for me or helps me focus. No magic there. I could hold a lollypop in my hand while meditating and it would do the same thing.

Mundras and mantras, instead, prepare me for what I am doing. If I need to concentrate on zazen I use a cosmic mundra. It is tradition and I have already adapted my practice for its use. It is not central to successful meditation but I think it helps. It puts me in the right mood and state of mind. Just like zazen itself or some koans, you are expected to move past these conventions when you are able. Think of monks burning sutras or never sitting zazen again after hitting a certain level of enlightenment or of practicioners moving over to nembutsu practice rather than zazen.

...It stresses equality over hierarchy, the universal over the local and exalts the individual over the community.

Yes, yes and yes. We are not tied to a sangha or to a monestary. We are instead individuals following a path that we believe to help us lead a better and more productive life. I accept the teachings of many individuals, not by their placement in a organization but by their depth of character and ability. This is not "new age" or a "clinic". This is not easy. This is not a chance to reformulate Buddhist teachings in order to sell books. This is Buddhism.

...A return to the beginning to the Buddhism of the historic Buddha himself.

Eh...sure. I think that Zen Buddhism itself considers itself to be a return to the original beginning form but then again, many Zen Buddhists can and will be just as set in their own hierarchies and dogmas as other groups. As stated above - a zen practitioner is pretty much an agnostic yogi with a few more bell and whistles. Many modern Buddhists, myself as one of them, are not very well versed in the actual teachings of the Buddha. This needs to be remedied. I try to read more.

...It is the ancient Buddhism that is seen as most compatible to Modern day Buddhism. Ideals are embodied in the concepts of reason, empiricism, science, universalism, individualism, tolerance, freedom and rejection of religious orthodoxy.

THIS is the defining aspect of Modern and Skeptical Buddhism. Buddhism has always changed with times and regions, as do most religions (although some VERY slowly). I think that Buddhism does a quicker job of it and only addresses what Buddhism can address.

The best example of this is from a modern zen master, in a dialog on the positive aspects of zazen meditation had to reply to comments made about whether or not the practice of zazen can cure disease or some such nonsense. His reply was simple: "In matters of health, speak to your doctor; in matters of zen, speak to me; in matters of enlightenment, look to yourself."

Zen only goes so far. It is a tool for greater understanding and happiness. Buddhism is the first to embrace milestones in science and reason but sees no need to insist that it relates directly to Buddhist reason or not. But it is realized that it is only part of the greater whole of understanding and that the greater whole is different for everyone. Buddhism has been placed in a scientific framework (Zen Training: Methods and Philosophy by Katsuki Sekida) but it never attempts to put science into a Buddhist framework. The understanding is that zen or Buddhism does not explain scientific phenomena but zen can be measure and observed with an objective, scientific,

and skeptical eye.

I can't even go deep enough into tolerance and freedom. The Eightfold Path places some moderate restrictions on living (Right vocation, right speech, etc.) but none of it is taken too seriously or literally.

I think that is enough writing for now. I should probably be working on my thesis or something more productive.

Cheers,

Non-Fiction Reading Challenge Part 2

The true challenge is to keep myself only restricted to the books I have already chosen. However, the fall-back of working at a library is that new and interesting books are constantly floating by my office. The following two have been including in my reading challege as well:

• Neptune's Ark: From Ichthyosaurs to Orcas by David Rains Wallace: I have read a book by Wallace previously called Beasts of Eden: walking whales, dawn horses and other egnigmas of mammal evolution and The Bonehuners' Revenge: Dinosaurs and fate in the Gilded Age. Beasts was a great books and Wallace does a great job of melding science onto a timeline and at the same time keep the science relevant and current. He also has a knack of really capturing the passion and drive of many of these researchers. This is an easy task for the grand old men of paleontology (Cope, Marsh, Brown and Simpson) and also easy for blatant self-promoters (Baker, Sereno) but not so easy for current and less flamboyant researchers.
  
  


• Every Living Thing: Man's Obsessive Quest to Catelogue Life, from Nanobacteria to New Monkeys: Well, I love taxonomy and I hope this books does for taxonomy what Wallaces' book did for mammalian paleontology.
  

So far, very little time has been devoted to reading. Work, baby and thesis dominate most of my time (in that order). I have been getting maybe a 1/2 hour a night before I retire, at best. Still working though Gandhi's Passion but I should be finished before the end of the week. Next one is going to be either God is Dead or Neptune's Ark.

cheers,

Non Fiction Reading Challenge

So, I have been working in a library for over four months now. Oh, it seems like so much longer. I mean that as a positive. I feel that I have picked up enough information recently to last me a good year, I think.

My point being is that I am constantly walking through the stacks. Going to talk to this person or get that thing or whatever. I inevitably grab some book as I walk through or see something that I need to read and have been stacking books on my desk with the intent to read them but never seeming to get to them.

If this continued, I would have a small library on my desk and no time whatsoever to read them. So, I have decided to enact a challenge on my self to read 7 nonfiction books from my "randomly grabbed off the shelf" pile and, I don't know, learn something?

I listed my choices below and gave a brief description of what they are about and why I grabbed it in the first place.

1. The Colony by John Tayman: I grabbed this one a while back from the nonfiction section right by our back-office doors. Grabbed it because it was in the section with all these crazy books about early epidemics in North America (plague, scarlet fever etc.) and the name seemed to stand out. Anyway it is about the leper colony started in Hawaii during the late 1800s that lasted to the mid 1900s. Seemed interesting and who doesn't want to read about disfiguring diseases?


2. Gandhi's Passion: The life and legacy of Mahatma Gandhi by Stanley Wolpart: Gandhi is just fucking awesome. I had to read more about him after I rewatched the 1982 movie with Ben Kingley. The whole non-violence thing seems so lame until you realize that it took decades for it to change anything....most of which he spent in jail....willingly. Just awesome. Also he was one of the first pantheists (he cut and pasted what he wanted from each religion to mold his home religion of Hinduism). I call this pragmatism but whatever, still cool.


3. The Way of Kendo and Kenjitsu: Soul of the Samurai by Darrell Max Craig: OK, I ordered this one. I really want to learn and I think my new zen will be pummeling Darrin (or getting pummeled by him).


4. Gonzo: The life of Hunter S. Tompson, an oral biography by Jann S. Werner and Corey Seyman: Basically...an oral biography of HST will be pure golden awesome dipped in caramel.


5. A Modern Buddhist Bible: Essnetial Readings from West to East edited by Donald S. Lopez: First off, I am a buddhist so this is usual reading for me. Secondly, its Jack Karouac, Philip Kapleau both Suzukis and a host of other scholars that I have been wanting to read for a while.


6. God is Dead: Secularization in the West by Steve Bruce: Written by an atheist South Dakotan so I got curious and it seems to be more of a book on statistics rather than atheists ranting and raving about how bad religion is.


7. I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The dirty life and times of Warren Zevon by Crystal Zevon: AAAAAAAWWWOOOOOOOO!!!! Zevon is pure liquid cool and is probably the most magnificant bastard to ever grace this hallowed ground. Seriously the guy was a genius and an alcoholic, sexaholic and OCD to boot. His life has got to be interesting. And its an oral history like the HST book.

As I get through these I will cross them out as I read them and probably write abit on them. I think this is a good challenge for anyone to do if you feel that you need to learn or read something new. Try it out, just walk through a library and grab what gets your attention. How else would I have found "How to Dress Like a Pope for all Occassions"?

Cheers,

The Tragic Story of Sesshin

From May 8th to May 10th, the Laughing Teabowl Zendo in conjunction with the Great Mountain Zen Center (Lafayette, Colorado) will be holding a spring sesshin. Roshi Gerry Wick and Sensei Shinko Perez of the Great Mountain Zen Center will be coordinating this event.

Unfortunately I won't be able to go. The fee of $100 is reasonable but completely outside of my range these days and I would feel guilty about leaving Bevin alone all weekend with Eliza while I was out enlightening myself.

So, I figured that I could at very least explain what a sesshin is and why it is important in Zen practice. A sesshin (接心, 摂心, 攝心), literally means "gathering the mind", and is a period of intensive meditation (zazen) usually within a Zen monastery. However, they can take place anywhere. Daily routine in a Zen monastery or Zen center usually requires monks to spend most of the day in zazen with periodic breaks for kinhin (walking meditation), dharma talks/combats and samu (working meditation) all devoted to in the same manner one would devote themselves to seated meditation. In the traditional sense, a sesshin is meant to mimic the period of time the historical Buddha spent in meditation before his awakening on December 8th (I have no idea where that date comes from, so don't ask).

While monks are used to this routine, most lay-persons do not have the ability or time to practice in such a manner so they are afforded the opportunity during a sesshin (basically, "pretend to be a monk" day) with the added benefit of deepening their own practice.

Basically, you are looking at rising at dawn. Eating a traditional meal for breakfast and then about 6-7 hours of meditation in some form while not talking at all with some punctuated breaks and dokusan (or personal meetings with a Zen Master).

It seems rough and it is for the most part. But that roughness has a point. The sesshin, in typical Rinzai style, is meant to be stressful and strenuous. I know a few monasteries that do not utilize controlled environments at all during their practice. So if it is cold then it is cold, if hot then it is hot, and just hope that it doesn't rain. All in all, it is psychological torture but just a little bit.

Our most defining moments in life are those that require some amount of change. They tend to be painful and stressful because we are afforded little ability to prepare for them. Marriage, births, changing jobs or death are all examples. And from these experiences we grow in some way. These events happen infrequently (in the case of death and job change, we are happy that they do not happen too often) but as our static lives continue we grow complacent. A sesshin provides that small amount of stress to affect some amount of change within ourselves. It hurts to meditate all day and it is hard to not speak (especially when you are in a group of people) and dokusan are NOT easy and should challenge your thought.

In the end, you are affected by a small amount of change and discomfort to deepen your practice and understanding. It is like trail by fire but only with a small flame.

Sesshin can be traumatic and so are usually not recommended for novices and some can last 3, 6 or 9 days. Personally, I only attending one sesshin is college and it lasted a weekend and that was hard enough. Some also attend summer or month long sesshins but I believe these are called something else.

Anyway, this is explaining a typical "Westernized" sesshin. Click here for a description of a typical Rinzai "Traditional" sesshin and be properly warned. You need to read this. It is awesome. The words "Cracker Jack Nuts" was used and that in and of itself makes it awesome to me. However, the fact that the Zen Mountain Retreat (which I am familiar with) didn't TELL the kid what he was in for is absolutely reprehensible. He shouldn't have been allowed to do the sesshin in the first place without some amount of training first (and more than one day sitting). You need to build your stanima up first before attempting anything like that described in the link.

Also, there are fanatics and loonies in every group (religious group or not) and sometimes the people that are willing to do 100 day sesshins may just be that...crazy.

The sesshin offered in the Black Hills is nothing like that and from what I am told is quite enjoyable. It should be stressed that the horror stories in the link above is from a traditional Rinzai zen monastery. The words traditional and Rinzai together will ALWAYS equal stress and pain. That is what they do and it is why it was so popular with the samurai back in the day.

Cheers,

PostScript: I reread this and I was thinking some more on the pain aspect of some sesshins and I thought that it relates to martial arts practice in many ways. Especially in the context of a belt examination or some such test. My yellow belt test was an all day affair from 8-4. Sparring, locks, sweeps, kata, recitation and throws. Intermixed with periods of meditation (my sensei was a practicing Buddhist and any time spent not in the physical aspects of the test was spent in meditation).

I looked at the link to the sesshin experience at Mountain Zen center and much of what he was feeling through out the week; I experienced during my day long belt test. I don't actually think that there is much difference. The idea being that the goal of the ordeal is to bring your practice, whether or meditation or a martial art, to another level of understanding and appreciation. It just takes longer to achieve that in Zen.

I definately had that feeling of "what the hell am I doing here" and "why am I doing this" at my belt test and I still get it when I sit at home or in the zendo. I think that the sesshin does bring the "why" out for you. It just is somewhat painful. Although, you should NEVER feel as if you need to be pushing yourself beyond your limits. I can't do a full lotus anymore so I don't even try and if I knew I was going to be meditating for a week long sesshin, you KNOW I would be doing the easiest posture I could do. I would skip on the chair though. Still too full of pride for that just yet.

Hardcore Zen and Sex

That is perhaps one of the best titles in existence. I wish I could take credit for it but it was mentioned in this article here by Violet Blue interviewing Brad Warner (Zen Master and writer). Personally, I enjoy the fact that he writes an occasional article for Suicide Girls which is basically a soft-core porn site (and a good one at that, I hear) I suppose some others have taken issue with in the past.

I listed a few of the excerpts from the interview anything in red is my comment.

• Violet Blue: What's the basic philosophy about sex from a Zen perspective?

• Brad Warner: There's no specific philosophy as such. When you enter the Buddhist order either as a layperson or clergy you take ten vows, one of which is not to abuse sexuality. But there is no specific definition of what that means. In the earliest Buddhist sanghas they decided that meant you had to be celibate. And some orders still interpret it that way. Lucky for me, Japanese-style Zen Buddhism does not interpret it in that way! In Zen it's up to each individual to decide what "abusing sexuality" means. For me it's even more vague because my teacher changed the wording of that precept and rather than asking them to avoid abusing sexuality he asks his students to vow to "not to desire too much."

• Damn! I love this aspect of Buddhism and always have. Very little is stated about sex or sexuality and nothing is stated about guilt from the Pali canon (earliest Buddhist writing usually the central scriptures of the Theravada tradition). It is likewise absent from most Zen liturature although there is a large amount of Zen literature that I have not read or is even translated.
  
• A central idea in Zen and Buddhism is that anything that could lead to unhealthy desire be put in its proper context (the Middle Way). This includes everything from food, attention, fame, credit, sex to enlightenment and meditation. Personally I place the precept of "abusing sexuality" in the context of individuals who use sex to gain emotional power over another, to mask prevelant insecurities or to in some way harm another. Other than that, I think it is pretty much open season. Just keep your mind on what you are doing. If you clean then clean; if you sit then sit; if you fuck then fuck. The whole thing is simple, really.

• There is also a precept against abusing alcohol or drinking. Translations of this vary from no drinking or encouraging drinking allowed to drink moderately all the way to DRINK...NOW HIT YOURSELF WITH THIS SHOE AND PUNCH YOUR TEACHER IN THE FACE.

• VB: Do Buddhists "do it differently?" Do they "do it" at all?

• BW: I don't think there are any special Buddhist sex practices or techniques. (I use the "Buddha's Palm" quite often does that count?) Even in the celibate Buddhist orders only the clergy is celibate. But there are no specific restrictions for anybody else. It's not like the Catholic Church proclaiming contraception is sinful or anything like that. Buddhists "do it." Otherwise there wouldn't be so many of us!

• This reminds me of a Dogen story about a monk that swears to another monk that he would never touch a woman ever as a testimony to his enlightenment. The other monk's reply being something along the lines of "Well, that's stupid". Even with some Zen monestaries being celibate, most aren't especially in the West. The heads of these monestaries or Zen centers are married and most monks are of both sexes.

This always brings me back to why would you want to practice a religion that doesn't accept who you are? This being said I don't consider Zen to be a religion since it is, in essence, a meditation school. Every week I sit with Buddhists, Catholics, Christians and a smathering of atheists and agnostics. Zen is, for better or for worse, just an aspect of their faith, spirituality, practice or skeptisism.

But if I were a woman why would I want to go to a Catholic or Orthodox church? They basically say that woman are not good enough, for whatever reason, to be priests or deacons. And their viewpoint on homosexuality hasn't changed in ohhhhh 2000 years? This was the main reason I stopped being a Christian. I could not believe that I was aligning myself with people who overtly or covertly believed in this. It was misogonystic and homophobic on one hand and then just plain weak on the other.

Time and Practice or the Zen of a Crying Child

I have been wanting to talk about time and practice. I have been finding it more and more difficult to find any time in the day to sit in zazen or to even get to the zendo every week (I usually get there on Sundays for an hour and a half).

So what to do instead? With an infant child at home, it becomes more and more difficult to find an opportunity to actually sit. I feel somewhat guilty when I leave for some sitting time in the mornings since I then have to rely on my wife to watch the baby. But again, I find this an important part of my day spiritually so where do you go what do you do.

The answer...just accept it. Just sit back and accept it. I am not defined by my sitting at a zendo or by my sitting everyday anymore then I am defined by my dinette set or by my throw rug (thank you "Fight Club"). I am defined by the effort I put into everything in my life as well as the effort put into my practice when get the chance to actually sit. I find the moments with Eliza (usually trying to do kinhin while carrying her) just as important as sitting in a quite zendo or doing the dishes or raking the yard or folding clothes. Unfortunately this has not spread to my activities at work but give it time.

Plenty of oppurtunities for mindfulness exist at home. Any daily task. Any chance encounter. So I guess my practice is doing fine. Still angry and still alive but calm and at rights with myself. I had the time to sit this morning for 20 minutes while a storm whipped itself up into a frenzy outside. It worked out well and I felt good. Tomorrow maybe better or worse. Who cares?

Cheers

Women, Buddhism and non-religion

Great article by Brad Warner on women and religion. To start off with, I was never a fan of Brad Warner. That is until recently. I tend to dislike when people add "Zen" to everything that they could possibly imagine (ie. Zen and Marketing, the Zen of Selling) and I sort of lumped Brad into that group.

I was mistaken but the thought of a Zen-punk sub-culture still irked me. However, Brad's writing is succinct and understandable and I tend to enjoy most of it. This one in particular was on the mark since Buddhism (especially in the west) has had a long and complicated history in relation to female monks, which were usually segregated from the men in monastaries but accorded the same level of respect (unlike Christian nuns which are usually considered lower in "rank" than a priest who is usually male).

This is besides the point though. His article is linked below. It is a great read.

http://suicidegirls.com/news/culture/23598/

...with another good blog on female monks (Bhikkhuni) mostly from the Theravada tradition.

http://www.buddhapadipa.org/pages/buddhism_femalemonksinbuddhism.html

and to end with a Dogen quote from the 13th century from the Shobogenzo

Dogen goes on to say, “Even in China, there was a stupid monk who made the
following vow: ‘Through every life, in every age, I shall never look at a woman.’ Upon what morality is this vow based? What wrong is there in a woman? What virtue is there in a man? Among bad people there are men who are bad people. Among good people there are women who are good people.”