A Clear and Present Danger to a Buddhist Free Press ~ Bill Schwartz

Thanks to Bill Schwartz for his guest post.  For my commentary on this controversial topic check SLAPP threats to Buddhist Bloggers.

Three months ago I decided I wanted to write a blog for my publisher, Elephant Journal, on the subject of Kunzang Palyul Choling, a Tibetan Buddhist franchise founded by a controversial Palyul lineage tulku.  I’m a 2010 Blogisattva Honorable Mention for Political and Opinion blogging by a Buddhist. As a journalist I thought it would make it an interesting column.

Unfortunately, before I was able to even finish my blog I was notified by Waylon Lewis, publisher of Elephant Journal, that he had received threatening phone calls from Kunzang Palyul Choling. Even a law suit without merit could put his magazine out of business. This was no idle threat. So advised, I was in the process of finishing my blog when Waylon notified me that he had received a cease and desist letter from KPC’s lawyer.

This is not a squabble between Buddhists. It is a threat against our fundamental right to a free press. Fortunately for Kunzang Palyul Choling, Buddhists don’t care about free speech. KPC can threaten to put a publisher out of business to block the publication of a blog about them with impunity. I wouldn’t have believed this to be so, but this has been the response from Buddhists to date.

The Palyul lineage (of which KPC is a nominal affiliate because its founder was recognized by His Holiness Penor Rinpoche as a tulku and enthroned as such) can do nothing even if it were so inclined. As a Buddhist franchise, KPC does not accept the authority of the present head of the Palyul lineage, His Holiness Karma Kuchen. The founder of KPC does not answer to HHKK.

When Travis May published a blog on Buddhadharma about the KPC SLAPP Scandal the editor removed it. Was KPC threatened? No, it wasn’t threatened. Worse, it simply doesn’t care. Why? It doesn’t care because Buddhists don’t care. None of the glossy Buddhist magazines is willing to cover this story. Buddhists don’t believe in a free press.

But surely Buddhist bloggers care? Nope. One Buddhist blogger informed me he wasn’t interested. It would be too much work. It’s much easier to write about wisdom and compassion instead. His audience will just eat that up and ask for more. There is no upside to a Buddhist blogger in harshing the mellow of his audience over something of such little or no interest to Buddhists as a free press seems to be.

The response of individual Buddhists has been even worse—unsolicited dharma advice on Tonglen, sending and receiving. We are to exchange our attachment to our right to free speech for the peace of mind that comes with caring only about ourselves. I kid you not. That’s what Shantideva taught. This is the path of the bodhisattva. The Buddhist response has been that it’s perfectly acceptable what KPC has done.

We are two weeks into this scandal. I thank John Pappas for providing me the opportunity to share with you this breaking story. This is but the beginning. Until the Palyul lineage issues a public statement in support of press freedom, until Buddhist bloggers step up and make their voices heard on this subject, and until Buddhists consider the slippery moral slope we now find ourselves upon, I have only yet begun to fight.

Unbelieving the Buddha ~ A Guest post by Robert McClure

Photo taken by Hirekatsu

Bouncing down the rutted dirt road heading towards Bodhgaya, we are a traveling Sangha thrown together in a bus by  pilgrimage and the desire for adventure. This journey in Bihar state, the poorest, most politicized Indian state and home to the Dalits, is a Buddah Path tour with teachers Shantum Seth, Stephen Batchelor, and Martine  Batchelor. We, a mixture of Westerners, are there to see the sites of the Buddha’s life and learn about the history of the places associated with the life of Gautama Buddha. We may have been seeking devotion and history, but Stephen Batchelor was there to understand the connection of the Buddha to our times.

Stephen is a controversial author and teacher, who has espoused “agnostic Buddhism”, but who now proclaims Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist, the title of his latest book. He describes the spirit in which he tries to understand the Buddha in a quote by theologian Don Cupitt, “Religion today has to become beliefless. There is nothing out there to believe in or hope for. Religion, therefore,  has to become a deeply felt way of relating yourself to life in general and your own life in particular.”

Taking science and secularism as the value culture of the 21st Century, Batchelor questions traditional Buddhism. Challenging the truth and the relevance of doctrines of reincarnation and karma, he seeks a dharmic expression free of Indian cosmology and metaphysics. But he also asserts that to reject organized religion in favor of an eclectic spirituality is not a satisfactory solution. Doubt, therefore, and the spirit of inquiry become essential tools for finding the meaning of the Buddha’s teachings for our secular times. Batchelor states the challenge,  “The point is to not abandon all institutions and dogmas but to find a way to live with them more ironically, to appreciate them for what they are- the play of the human mind in its endless quest for connection and meaning- rather than timeless entities that have to be ruthlessly defended or forcibly imposed.”

In that spirit in 2005,  our band of pilgrims followed the Buddha path, visiting the worn stupas and dusty mounds of dirt considered sacred places by millions for two thousand years. With the lense of modern science and anthropology, Batchelor suggested that much of what is presented as Buddhism today are doctrines and practices that evolved long after the Buddha ‘s death. His conclusion was that no single form of Asian Buddhism is  “likely to be effective as a treatment for the particular maladies of a late-twentieth-century-post Christian secular existentialist” like himself.  Nor will it ultimately resonate with a secular society whose paradigm is science.

What spoke to him most directly in the Buddha’s teaching were not those ideas derived from classical Indian thought, but four core elements of the Dhamma that cannot be derived from the Indian culture of his time: the principle of conditioned arising, the process of the Four Noble Truths, the practice of mindful awareness, and the power of self- reliance. Batchelor says, “These four axioms provide sufficient ground for the kind of ethically committed, practically realized, and intellectually coherent way of life Gotama anticipated.”

For me this pilgrimage in 2005 began as an exploration of history and a search for devotion and ended as a lasting journey inward. Batchelor’s spirit of inquiry and doubt, and his challenge to contemporary orthodox Buddhist religion continues to infuse my practice and life as a Buddhist. Renouncing consolation by giving up the hope of belief allows me to continue to walk with the Buddha.

Connect with @RobMac_ on Twitter by clicking on image

Home-Dweller Meditation

It is an old story ~ A practitioner wishes to meditate regularly but either can’t (or doesn’t want to) find the time to do it consistently. The limiting factor can be geographic, physical or mental reasons that prevent them from attending a larger, “proper” sangha.  For my situation, I am stuck between lack of time, massive leftover guilt from my Catholic upbringing and too few local resources to tap.  While my local grassroots Soto Zen sitting group is accommodating, it is still difficult to find time away from family needs and duties to attend regularly.  It becomes a mental battle between the want to practice with a group, my innate guilt for leaving for a time that may be better used and my want to spend some quality time with family.  The ropes tug back and forth.

So, except for some special occasions, my practice is a home-practice.  Which means that the motivation and diligence is squarely in my novice hands, slave to the ebb and sway of work, visiting family, depression and dogs…But luckily, after some trial and error, I was able to come up with a routine that I can stick to, and thought that it would be a good enough time to share a bit of it with the hope of benefiting those in a similar situation.

First, set up everything the night before.  I am a morning person and rarely sleep past 6 AM and it is easier for me to stick to a morning meditation schedule and not an evening one.  But even a the brisk hour of 5 AM, I am still limited in time and discovered that my largest hurdle was laziness in setting up cushions/mats and altar that early in the morning. So I set out everything (mats, cushion, clothes etc), prepare incense and have an online digital timer ready to go the night before.  It has become a part of my meditation routine to include some ritual the night before.

Take a second to set an alarm for 10-15 minutes earlier than your planned sitting time but not so much that you will get caught up in some other task.  Oh my! Dishes need  washing and there is a hamper full of clothes, a litter box full of shit … posts need crafting and hair needs setting.  Since it is easy to become distracted with other bits of living I sit as soon as I come out of the bathroom.  The morning is fresh and my mind is not racing with the myriad of tasks for the day.  This is the best time.

I hate affirmations but…maybe a little something to get into the mood just as you wake up.  Something quick that will get you motivated. Perhaps a blog?  My personal favorites are John Daido Roshi’s “Invoking Reality“, Richard Baker Roshi’s “Minatures of a Zen Master“, Pema Chodron’s “Start Where You Are“, Master Cheng Yen’s “Jing Si Aphorisms” or I just run to Access to Insight and click on “Random Sutta”

Take it seriously and don’t consider it *just* meditation.  We are rotting from the first moment we are conceived.  Nothing slows down the process but this practice may help us deal with it.  I dedicate my practice to anyone that needs it.  Metta to my daughter.  Thoughts to my friends that are feeling the bite of samsara.  The dedication that by beginning to realize myself I can act in benefit for all other sentient beings.  Yeah, its lofty but it *is* that important. 

Laugh and loosen up.  In all this seriousness there is humor.  Sometimes it just won’t happen, accept it.  The dog will need to go out or you will get bum-rushed by a toddler.  All those sentient beings understand that you have a life too and that it affects your practice.  Strive but not to the point of self-defeat.

Start out small and build up rather than go for broke and beat your head against the zendo wall.  I started with 10 minutes and moved up to 15 and then to 25.  That is the peak of what I can do with my current situation and I am ok with that.  Purists will tell you that anything under 45 minutes is a waste of time.  Meditation is never a waste of time.  Any moment spent in the process of realizing yourself is time well spent.

Find a substitution for meditation.  There are times that sitting is out of the question for whatever reason and I have a back up activity.  In lieu of seated meditation I engage in walking meditation up and down a few blocks, yoga or try to do 108 prostrations.  I even had 108 push-ups as a possible replacement when I needed to get in a work-out and had too much energy to sit.  Often, I walk in the morning when meditation isn’t fitting into the schedule.  I walk either silently or listening to a liturgy (Soto, Seon or Shingon) recording.  Dharma talks didn’t work as well since I tended to focus more on the words than on the breathing and walking. 

Practice is more than just meditation.  Some simply don’t like meditation or can’t make it work.  Find a different practice.  There are plenty of Dharma doors that can be opened…they all lead to the same place.

Meditation is a process and not a goal.  Expecting a revelation on the first sit is like expecting to hit a home-run against a major league pitcher the first time you hold a bat.  Yeah, there is a slight chance but let’s be realistic, you are sitting against a trained and capable foe ~ your self.  And the most devious weapon in its repertoire is the idea that there is a “right” meditation versus a “wrong” meditation.  Rather, any moment of self-reflection is of benefit both to you and to those around you.  Don’t expect a good sit or a bad sit.  It is all the same.  When tired, we will have snatches of daydreams drift in an out of consciousness.  When stressed we will mull over problems and puzzles from work.  When angry we will seeth over the causes of our anger.   None of these things negate our meditation.  Just don’t let them dominate.

Meditation won’t make me happy.  It won’t.  It is simply not the purpose of meditation to make us happy.  What it will do is make you more receptive to being happy, content and compassionate in your daily life.  It isn’t a magical elixir that will solve all your problems or make your life a sea of bliss.  Just as brushing your teeth will prevent rot; meditation will prevent the corrosive nature of samsara from rusting your glimmer.  It ain’t much but it will keep you focused on how attentive you are through the day.  How equitable you are to family, friends and complete strangers.  How steeped our actions are in anger or in compassion.  How calmly we handle stress and strain.  How quickly are we to levy blame onto others or ourselves.

Our practice isn’t simply how we sit – It’s how we live our life.  It is the act of meditation that provides a template of how to express the subtle nature of the Dharma.  But that template is useless if not applied to our everyday life.

The Merit Badge

This is just awesome…

Inspired by a Twitter conversation between the authors of Sweep the Dust, Push the Dirt and DigitalZendo, these two kind souls have been instrumental in one of the best months in BuddhaBadges history. We honor their belief and support with “The Merit Badge”. If you get it, give it as a reward for a good deed. Don’t keep it.

Thanks Buddha Badges!  So buy the merit badge and pass it on to someone that deserves it.  You can’t purchase merit but you can always reward good folks. 

Remember that ninety percent of the proceeds from Buddha Badges go to different monthly charities.  I am not sure where July donations are going but you can check the list of agencies here.  The month of June is being donated to the Tzu Chi Foundation.

Tzu Chi Foundation was established in 1966 by Venerable Dharma Master Cheng Yen on the poor east coast of Taiwan. For over 43 years, the foundation has been contributing to better social and community services, medical care, education and humanism in Taiwan and around the world. From the first 30 members, housewives who saved two cents from their grocery money each day to help the poor, the foundation has volunteers in 47 countries , with 345 offices worldwide.”

Great job, Buddha Badges…But when do I become a badge?

Credit for this image goes to @iDharma on twitter.

A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ The Four Noble Truths & Nirvana

[This week I am reprinting a short article I wrote on the basics of Buddhism.  It was quick, short and blunt; without (at least I tried) a large amount of language that would be unfamiliar to readers with no experience in the Dharma.  Enjoy and feel free to comment]

The Four Noble Truths

The first (and arguably the most important) sermon taught by the Buddha concerns the four noble truths. The core of any Buddhist’s belief structure and any practitioner’s practice finds its heart within these four simple but deep statements. 

The first noble truth is that life is frustrating and painful. Even moments where we may be happy, the world around us is suffering. The quickest path to compassion is to understand the first noble truth. We, all of us, are subjected to old age, sickness and death.

The second noble truth is that suffering has a cause. Suffering exists because we constantly struggle to survive, cling and define ourselves by things that are impermanent. Like trying to grasp and hold onto water; it is ultimately futile. The more we struggle to grasp impermanent things in a world constantly in flux, the more painful is our existence. It isn’t the actual experiences that cause suffering, it’s our attachment and clinging to those experiences. It isn’t the food that causes the stomach pangs, it’s the hunger.

The third noble truth is that the cause of suffering can be ended through non-attachment. By realizing and working to cease the clinging to sensual things our struggle becomes unnecessary.  We can form relationships with our spouse, children and friends without wishing them to things that they were in the past or expecting them to be in the future. This, to a Buddhist, is living in the moment. Simple engagement with the moment leads to simple pleasure.

The fourth noble truth shows one how to achieve that non-attachment. The Buddha outlines the path a practitioner can take to end the cause of suffering called the Eightfold Path. The first two points of the path (Right View and Right Intention) operate through the cultivation of wisdom, the third through fifth points (Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood) are concerned with the cultivation of proper ethical conduct while the sixth through eighth points (Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration) have most to do with mental development. 

Nirvana

“Upon a heap of rubbish in the road-side ditch blooms a lotus, fragrant and pleasing”—The Buddha from The Dhammapadda

Our goal is the nirvana of cessation. The cessation of anger, ignorance and jealousy while cultivating compassion, wisdom and mindfulness.  The greatest surprise perhaps is that nirvana always existed for us. Once we remove the clutter and wipe away the dingy film of the skandhas this begins to become clear. This achievement can be made by any practitioner that follows that path.  What you actually identify yourself is of little concern. The Buddha’s teachings are open to everyone to apply to their daily life and are not the sole provenance of monks and meditation masters, Buddhists or renunciants; it is always open, at some level, to those that are open to and willing to embrace change.  It is the conclusion of a life spent juggling great doubt, great faith and great striving.

Cheers,

John

Part 1  A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Intro

Part 2 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Suffering  

Part 3 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Impermanence

Part 4 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Egolessness

Part 5: A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ The Five Skandhas

A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ The Five Skandhas

[This week I am reprinting a short article I wrote on the basics of Buddhism.  It was quick, short and blunt; without (at least I tried) a large amount of language that would be unfamiliar to readers with no experience in the Dharma.  Enjoy and feel free to comment]

The Five Skandhas

“Form does not differ from emptiness, emptiness does not differ from form, form is itself emptiness, emptiness itself form; sensations, perceptions, formations and consciousness are also like this.”— Heart Sutra

Egolessness can come as quite a shock to those starting on the path. The ego, as defined by the Buddha, is a bundle of temporary combinations of mental events grouped into five categories, called skandhas. This differs greatly from most Hindu or Christian concepts where there is a constant “anchor” of an immortal soul that weathers the storm of impermanence like a rock. Meanwhile, from a Buddhist standpoint we are the storm. We constantly changing and altering. What we constitute as “I” is really just bundles of forms that take shape like clouds in a windy sky.

The five Skandhas are 1) Form—The eyes, ears, tongue body and mind 2) Sensations—The raw data that is derived from sight, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought, 3) Perception—The classification of those sensations, 4) Mental Formations—Actions linked to thought such as greed, anger and ignorance or wisdom, compassion and enlightenment, lastly 5) Consciousness—Our awareness of the previous four skandhas.

Bottom line is that viewing the world through these skandhas leads to suffering and pain. The reality defined by these bundles of perceptions is false and transient. These bundles of forces are like a the spinning ferocity of a hurricane.  There is no static point anywhere.  Even the “eye” of the storm, the moment of quiescence, is in a constant state of change.  The point of contact of all those swirling chaotic forces has no structure of its own.  Others call it a permanate soul; I call it the still of storm and it ain’t forever but it may be just for this moment.

 Cheers,

John

Part 1  A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Intro

Part 2 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Suffering  

Part 3 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Impermanence

Part 4 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Egolessness

A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Egolessness

[This week I am reprinting a short article I wrote on the basics of Buddhism.  It was quick, short and blunt; without (at least I tried) a large amount of language that would be unfamiliar to readers with no experience in the Dharma.  Enjoy and feel free to comment]

Egolessness

“Talking about food will not get rid of hunger.”—Hui-Neng

Easily the most misunderstood of the Buddhist concepts is the idea of egolessness or anatman. In Hindu as well as Judeo-Christian tradition there is a steady belief in the persistent nature of an individual’s soul. Throughout the impermanence of the human body, the fleeting nature of the mind as well as the mutable character of the consciousness; the soul continues to exist in some form in either an afterlife or reborn in a new body. Buddhism pushes the envelope a step further by supposing that the soul itself is a creation of our delusions—a fiction.

The existence of an immortal self is a comforting thought but ultimately unrealistic and does little toward alleviating the suffering of the human condition. It serves to scratch only the most superficial surface of our suffering by displacing a portion of the human concern over old age, sickness and death. Even the hope of an immortal self is a craving as well. This craving causes clinging which, in turn, leads to suffering.

The sense of “self” is really just the causal process that leads from one form to another. Just as when the illusion of movement in a movie is shattered when looking at the reel, image by image; the illusion of a self is destroyed when states are linked together causally. These states can be combinations of feelings, perceptions, dispositions, consciousness and body sensations. These are the five skandhas described next ~ the movie of our life. Again, it may seem nihilistic, but the Buddha taught that once these skandhas were understood to be empty and the illusion of “self” dissipated we experience something that is not subject to life and death, something that is free of samsara—The cycle of birth and death. That is what the Buddha realized through his introspection.

Cheers,

John

Part 1  A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Intro

Part 2 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Suffering  

Part 3 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Impermanence

A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Impermanence

[This week I am reprinting a short article I wrote on the basics of Buddhism.  It was quick, short and blunt; without (at least I tried) a large amount of language that would be unfamiliar to readers with no experience in the Dharma.  Enjoy and feel free to comment]

Impermanence

“This existence of ours is as transient as autumn clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is a flash of lightning in the sky. Rushing by, like a torrent down a steep mountain.”—The Buddha

We mistakenly and painfully attempt to make a lasting relationship with the objects and people around us.  Things that are constantly changing around us we cling to and try to apply some amount of permanence. We interact with our teenage daughter while still attached to the image of the child or infant that she once was. We are angry that our spouse isn’t the same person they were when we met when that person didn’t exist the day after they first met (or may have never existed, being just a perception). We graduate college with the hope that the freedom and independence in that sheltered environment will continue into the working world. We want the freedom of our young adult days to continue even after the advent of our first child.  We want permanence.

But we are creating a world for ourselves that simply doesn’t exist. When that false world doesn’t meet our expectations we experience pain and cause others to experience it as well. That feeling is impermanence and it hurts. By accepting that the world is constantly changing around us we can focus on the root of the problem – clinging to these false realities.

Through introspection, impermanence emerges as an all-pervading essence marking everything around us. We might attribute an eternal principle, or higher self to explain this, but even that action is made up of temporary thoughts and concepts. Just look at how your own conception of “God” has changed from your childhood to now! Our concepts of a metaphysical world are speculative constructs that may or may not exist. Thus clinging to these invented securities lead to even more suffering and pain (although we call it “faith”). These concepts are created to make us feel more secure in our own permanence – to cement our being with the world. Once again, we feel anxious, even at the peak of our religious practice. It is only when we completely abandon clinging to these beliefs (but not necessarily dropping them entirely) that we feel any relief and can alleviate the suffering of others.

Many Zen masters, after achieving this realization, burnt their sutras (written works attributed to the followers of the historical Buddha) and kicked over the statue of Buddha. Even the Buddha is impermanent. This isn’t a call to reject our beliefs but to not cling to them. I believe in the words of the Buddha but I do not cling to that belief.  Attributing permanence to concepts is as useful as providing a blanket to a drowning man.

Cheers,

John

Part 1  A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Intro

Part 2 A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Suffering  

A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Suffering

[This week I am reprinting a short article I wrote on the basics of Buddhism.  It was quick, short and blunt; without (at least I tried) a large amount of language that would be unfamiliar to readers with no experience in the Dharma.  Enjoy and feel free to comment]

The Marks of our Existence

It takes very little imagination to view the world as being defined largely by our own painful and frustrating experiences. Many, when they hear this aspect of Buddhist practice immediately state that it is pessimistic or nihilistic. Nothing could be farther from the truth. By accepting that the world we are in is full of pain, is impermanent (in a constant state of flux and change) and that we are not defined by our perceptions (egolessness) we free ourselves from those illusions and instead focus on the root cause of all this suffering. These three things: suffering, impermanence and egolessness are known as the three marks of existence and form an important foundation for the core Buddhist beliefs.

Suffering

“Accept your life and then face it.”—Dainin Katagiri

Buddhists admit that suffering exists in the world and search for the root of that suffering. This searching can be a personal event where we find the basis of how we, as individuals, suffer or can exist as a wider construct of why the world as a whole suffers. Much of Buddhist practice thus consists of cultivating the tools and methods that will eliminate delusions and increase clarity so as to alleviate the suffering and enjoy the moments, both positive and negative. The methods employed depend upon school, sect and culture. Some see the ultimate goal as reducing delusions while others see the ultimate goal as expressing and realizing one’s own True Nature (the form of Mind that is unfettered by delusions and the cycle of rebirth).

Again, it is this aspect of Buddhist philosophy that gets labeled as “pessimistic” or “nihilistic” but while focusing on the negative aspects of life a Buddhist does not necessarily expect negative outcomes (as does a pessimist) nor does he expect nothing or believe in nothing (as would a nihilist). If a term was fitting for a Buddhist it would simply be realist. We would prefer to always be happy and be surrounded by positive events (who wouldn’t?) but we understand that suffering exists and we need to engage that suffering directly in order to understand it.  Through that understanding, suffering is alleviated for ourselves, those around us and for all sentient beings.

Cheers,

John

For Part 1  A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Intro

A Simple Life: Buddhist Basics ~ Intro

[This week I am reprinting a short article I wrote on the basics of Buddhism.  It was quick, short and blunt; without (at least I tried) a large amount of language that would be unfamiliar to readers with no experience in the Dharma.  Enjoy and feel free to comment]

Shocking!

Buddhism, especially my personal practice of Zen, is really meant to be experienced and not explained. When explained by someone as unskilled as myself (or even by someone more skilled), words are going to fall far short in giving the actual full depth of teachings as expounded by the Buddha.  By practicing, you become a Buddha rather than just learning about Buddhism.  So I ask for your patience and understanding as I fumble through this exposition and hope that the readers will take home the point that to truly experience the Dharma, one must first practice the Dharma.

The very essence of Buddhism is that it is centered in the realm of pragmatism. It avoids the conceptual trapping of metaphysical origin myths and provides a practical philosophy that serves to alleviate the suffering of mankind. There is limited theology, lack of a creator-deity and the Buddha was not a God or a messenger from the Gods, although a supernatural and transcendental approach is central to many schools.

However, in every school, Buddhism helps practitioners take a long, honest and sometimes painful look at their own condition and their constant state of suffering. The Buddha took the lessons he learned from his everyday mediations, a youth of indulgence and an adulthood of asceticism; compiled those lessons and then expressed them in a manner that was catered to his particular audience. Buddhism thus attempts to avoid its own dogmatic trappings by providing methods to realization that are as varied as the people on the Path.

Some of us stroll along the Path while others hurry by at a great pace. Some of us aid others along the way while others have a singular goal in mind.  The Path is trod by Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Pagans, Atheists and Agnostics. Each come in with particular conditions and applies the Buddha’s Dharma in a fashion that provides the most benefit for both themselves and the world around them.

Cheers,

John