To sit or not to sit.

Every Sunday I discover the same dilemma when I get up in the morning and get ready to head to the zendo for our morning practice - I look at my wife and child and get a pang of guilt. Guilty that I am heading out to do something enriching for myself instead of stay back and doing something enriching with or for them. Now I wish I had wonderful sutra quotes to insert here or wisdom from ancient or contemporary masters, but I don't. So I went with the only thing I do have - my gut.

And my gut decided to hang back and go with my daughter to the local park for some time on the swings and let my wife work on her thesis in peace. No sitting and staring at a wall for me. No chanting of the Heart Sutra or prostrations. Instead I was heading to a park. But it all came together for me in shocking brilliance when I got to hear her (my little Samsara Baby of 16 months) say "Weee!" for the first time on the swings. We then spent 20 minutes throwing pieces of recycled shredded-tire padding up a slide and watching them come down. It was meaningful and mindful - Maybe it wasn't zazen and all austere and Buddhisty and stuff but it was me and my daughter sharing a moment that will never repeat itself. One that will never come again. One that faded away as quickly as it arose. One that probably, for her, is already forgotten.

So my home-practice oscilates between sitting zazen with a sangha and living the daily life of a homemaker. The life of a Buddhist and a father. Trying to remove oneself from the attachments of daily life but taking such joy in them at the same time.

Sometimes the words of the Evening Gatha mean so much more outside of the zendo:

Let me respectfully remind you,
life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by,
and opportunity is lost. Let us awaken,
awaken. Take heed,
do not squander your life.

To me this is simply a fact of knowing when to bow - To humbly accept the teaching and opportunities presented in front of me at that specific time and place. To squander those opportunities would be poor form and weak practice. We awaken to the moment as that moment itself awakens in front of us. No plans and no schedules. I planned to sit that day but an opportunity blossomed in front of me. If I rigidly stuck to my Sunday schedule I would have missed the chance to see my daughter happy at that moment and at that time.

I suppose the Evening Gatha was written with enlightenment in mind -telling us not to squander what little time we have in frivolous activities. Instead we should strive ever-forward to realize ourselves. Well, I'm no monk nor am I a "serious" student but I think I can see the Path when she looks up at me, smiles and takes my hand.

Pretty soon my Samsara Baby will be Samsara Grown-Up and hopefully will still be willing to take my hand, smile and lead me to a bar.

Cheers y'all. Don't squander.

Virtual Dharma

A new conversation started on the authenticity and utility of "virtual" sanghas vs. "flesh and bone" sanghas has started up.

• Illusory Flowers in an Empty Sky - Virtual isn't real
• Angry Asian Buddhist - Online sanghas
• The Reformed Buddhist - The snobs show their colors: take two
• The Reformed Buddhist - iSangha
  

Personally, I think both are viable and real outlets of the Dharma and perfectly good training and practicing tools. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. A "virtual" sangha gives an opportunity for many of us in the more rural areas of the US connect with teachers, practitioners and schools that we would not ordinarily be privy to due to geographic and logistical constraints. At the same time a "virtual" sangha does not provide the same type of support as a "flesh and bone" sangha nor does it give the same depth of practice.

I do believe that while I do connect with my "flesh and bone" sangha (I am fortunate that my locale does sport two, formerly three, small sanghas). However, being able to branch out online did much to prepare me for eventual daily practice as well as gave me the support to approach my local sangha with my interest in practice. As with most things, I think a combination of both produces the best results. I sit weekly with a "flesh and bone" sangha but attend virtual retreats (due to time and monetary restraints) online. I am not in the position to attend "real" Dharma Talks but ones podcasted by zendos and by AudioDharma, ZenCast and DharmaRealm serve the purpose more than addequately.

To call this support "not nourishing" seems drastic (I wash plenty of dishes). A sangha is partly about communication. By discouraging virtual sanghas you also discourage teachers to actual reach out to practitioners that don't have a local sangha to practice as well as discouraging individuals to broaden their horizons past what is outside their front door.

I will concede that eventually, a serious Buddhist practitioner needs to confront an actual, authentic teacher for instruction. But whether it is online or face-to-face - It doesn't matter, there is some benefit to be gotten. The bottom line is that any practitioner that is serious needs to access what is available to them by virtue of their situation and location. Whether that be online blogging and chats with other practitioners or sitting with a group or combination of both. At the same time any teacher that is serious about reaching people (especially those that do not have the luxury of local temple or monastery to guide their growth) needs to utilize emerging tools to reach them.

So thank you to all of my "Virtual" Sangha-siblings and Dharma-guides. You all inspire me to practice daily and critically examine myself constantly. You keep me striving.

Its all just tools.

Cheers,

Shunryu Suzuki - Enabler or Zen Master?

Two fantastic posts by My Buddha is Pink on the nature of Buddhist morality brought up whether or not it is more conditional rather than relative. I don't have too much to add to the comments already made other than I agree that the morality taught by the Buddha isn't absolute. That being said I found some excerpts from an excellent transcript of one of Shunryu Suzuki's Dharma talks that touch on this topic as well as the topic of the precepts. So why not kill two birds...

...When you do something, you know, it is a kind of morality is in it because you do something by your choice. But when you make decision to do something, your inmost nature will tell you, “That will not be so good. Why don’t you do it this way.” That is precepts.

This is an understanding of the precepts that is beyond the written words or absolutes. Our own inner morality (relative) speaking to us directly dependant upon our own understanding and our experience (conditional). Our practice helps opens up these doors. Its almost like the mind that lies to us for most of our existence finally falls back and allows the Mind to emerge and converse honestly with us. The "enlightenment" that we seek is really just a moment of honesty with our delusions - a moment of clarity. We truly discover ourselves to be the bags of dung that we indeed are (been reading too much Shosan).

...And at that time you would listen to what your inmost nature will say. That is morality or precepts. Our inmost nature will tell you what to do. So if you understand this way, this is morality, or this is precepts. So the precepts actually is not only two or two hundred or five hundred...Whatever we do is precepts, because we have some choice. We have to make some decision.

We make our own decisions and live by them. Simple and elegant. No ridiculous "what-ifs" or absolute prohibitions. No need to over-intellectualize.

...Here you have, in your everyday life, precepts, and you have freedom too. Whatever you do that is up to you. As long as you have freedom you will make some decision, so you should be responsible for that...So, in our everyday life, we should have precepts, we should observe the precepts, instead of leaving responsibility for Buddha. We should be responsible for that, but at the same time you have freedom. There is no need for you to be bound by precepts. Precepts is formulated by you own choice. As long as you take conscious activity, there is freedom, and at the same time, you should be responsible for that. This is freedom ….true freedom..to leave all the responsibility to Buddha is not freedom. I don’t mind.

The precepts are not binding nor is Buddhist morality. They allow for choice and personal freedom but tempered by responsibility and understanding.

Cheers,

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,

Weekly Dharma: Day 6 - Sweeping

My capping phrase for the week of 9/13

In Zen there are only two things: you sit, and you sweep the garden" - Oda
Sesso

This statement, short though it is, has always spoke volumes to me. In fact the last three words "sweep the garden" could stand alone in its sublime subtleness. To me it says that any of our actions through out the day are a form of Zen meditation regardless of what they seem to others around us or whether or not we realize that they are ourselves. From a distance, it may seem that I am cleaning out my car or washing dishes or sweeping but in my mind I am staring at a wall, following my breath - even if I don't realize it.

I may only have 15 minutes in the morning to actually sit and meditate but my entire day is one long sesshin with countless opportunities to follow the Way - countless opportunities to be engaged - countless opportunities to live the Bodhisattva ideal (this is not to say that I am successful, only that the opportunities are there for me to attempt it). One doesn't need to attend extensive retreats or teisho or talks or even be well-read in the Dharma. We really don't need much more than we already have in front of us to practice correctly and seriously. So when sitting no longer helps you to realize your Buddha-Nature; sweep the floor. When the floor is clean then wash the dishes. Some of us sit for our entire lives. For some the floor never gets clean.

...and just like with my floor; neglect leads to more dirt, more dust. Wonderful! More Sweeping!

Cheers,

[ I am currently doing a 100 day "virtual" retreat with Wild Fox Zen. Practice will consist of daily sitting, chanting of the Heart Sutra, explorations into the Genjokoan as well as occasional webinars and weekly posts. I previously did something similar with Chalip's 108 Days. I would recommend this sort of retreat to any rural or isolated home-practitioner that would like some more intensive practice. Posts will be short and blunt. Feel free to comment. Any insight will only help further my practice and will be much appreciated.]