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.

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

Point of Contact

Practice is the search for a point of contact.  A point of contact between wisdom and compassion; between action and still; between the heart and the mind; between this moment and the next.  This is the point that gets us through the pressure-cooker of this life.  I constantly repeat to myself “All I need is a moment of silence or some small time to think and collect my thoughts.”  But what I really need is that point of contact.  Why am I even bothering with ‘collecting’ my thoughts?

I first met and fostered my point of contact during walking meditation.  I continued to practice getting and finding that point so that it can be accessed it later, when needed, in all the noise and turmoil.  Bitch of it is that the point can become internalized and available but only after some time and perseverence – it doesn’t appear through magic but through sweat.

I don’t think this comes about solely through meditation or any technique; it arises for me when we balance our skeptical, thinking mind with our compassionate mind.  It provides the template to understand the precepts without clinging to them.  To understand and monitor mental and physical actions without being a slave to them.  It allows us to access the self rather than let it run free and wild.

When I hear other practitioners describe their practice, it seems that this is what they are describing – It matters little if they wish to chant the nembutsu, praise the Bodhisattva of Compassion, sit zazen, pray or practice the tantras.  It is all of the same substance. It is just defined and categorized differently.  What matters the most is what I we bring to the practice and not how the practice defines us.  When we focus on the intent and intensity rather than on the categories we focus on the point of contact between ourselves and those around us.

That way, when we look  for that point while swimming in the pressure-cooker, you simply realize that we are not the only ones cooking.

Cheers,

John

Buddhist Fire Ceremony

While not a ‘devotional’ sorta guy, I can connect with the object of devotion for Buddhist fire rituals: Fudō Myōō. Also known from the sanscrit name, Acala Vidyaraja,  Fudō is considered one of the more “wrathful” deities.   Usually portrayed as wielding a sword in his right and a coil of rope in his left, Fudō is considered somewhat of a Dharma protector. With the sword, Fudō cuts through delusion and ignorance while with the rope he binds uncontrolled and wild emotions.  Fudō is surrounded by flames which, when combined with his indominable (and slightly frightening) visage, makes him a shoe-in for Goma (Fire) ceremonies.  He is also seated on an immovable rock which represents the state of eguinimity that arises with devotees (much more manly than the typical lotus although I prefer to be seated upon an Elephant). Definitely an appropriate deity for a fire ceremony, especially if Fudō brings the beer and brauts…

The Goma begins with preparatory practices to purify and protect the area and the practitioner. After special prayers are said, the altar is prepared for the fire ritual. The hearth is purified and the wood is placed over it. After the fire is ignited, the deities are requested to enter the fire, the fire is purified, offerings and thanksgiving are made, and the deities are invited to return to their realm. Finally, the protections are removed and the merit generated is dedicated to the benefit of all sentient beings.

The symbolic naika, or inner fire, burns away obstacles to enlightenment and negative karma, allowing us to purify our karma, transform negative emotions and energies, and sow the seeds of light, compassion, and wisdom.

The wood that is offered in the sacred fire, known as Goma-ki or literally “wood/energy for the Goma,” is inscribed with the wishes and desires of others. Through the mystical weaving of offerings and mantras and mudras,  through the physical energy of the fire, and through the assistance of the deities, the wishes are manifested. [link]

This is hardly a Buddhist invention.  I think almost every major religion tried to make some excuse to start a fire, bun some shit and drink some beer.  It could be the common thread that ties us all together…

In ancient times the fire sacrifice was an elaborate ceremony that could involve the sacrifice of horses, cows and goats, as well as gold, gems and other precious items into the fire. Today, a havan is a simplified ritual that rarely involves animal sacrifice or the placing of precious items into the fire. Instead, rice or a kind of popery is commonly substituted for these items, but still the basic meaning of the ritual remains. This may sound odd or glib, but an easy way to think of the havan is as a symbolic “postal system.” The fire container is the postbox, fire is the postman, the items placed into the fire are the message and mantra is the means of address. Generally, wood and clarified butter (ghee) are used as the fuel. The fire container, which may be brick or metal, is called a kunda, and when made of brick it is built to specific dimensions and shapes according to the purposes of the ceremony. For home use, generally a small metal havan kunda is used instead of a brick one because of its ease of setup and portability. In a formal situation, a brick kunda will be used. Kundas have different shapes: square, rectangular, round and triangular, but in most cases the square kunda is used. [link]

Well, again I’m not much for sending smoke signals to the gods but it’s no secret that I like fire.  I also like drinking in front of fire…alot.  So it seems like an natural and simple progression to incorporating fire into my practice in some way [full disclosure: I would incorporate bonfires and beer into any practice or any religion as long as delightful beer was included]  My personal thought is that much of the layered stuff can be stripped away and we can build a good ol’ dharma-fire in our back yard.  Not that the layered stuff is bad but, well, I’m hardly a high priest and I sure as f*ck don’t wish to play make-believe so I stick to the adage: Keep it simple, stupid. 

So the process basically involves the constuction of a sacred space.  What deems that space sacred and unique isn’t age, design or locale; it is deemed sacred by the practitioners themselves and the community that uses it.   It has little to do with the religion or the organization or wether something has historical or geological significance.  Whether Hindu, Wiccan, Pagan, Buddhist or Christian; we create our space of practice and build our own sacred fire. I like to think of my deck as a sacred space and my fire used to burn meaningless offerings while symbolically it destroys defilements and any obstacles to my practice.

So chop wood, tend fire, make offering, invite the pagans over, be humble and aware, build your practice and have a beer (or some mead).

[Editor’s Note:  If you invite Pagans to your Buddhist Bonfire, make certain to state that no curses are allowed…also nothing that uses menstrual blood or herrings.  Take my word on that.]

[Editor’s Note 2: Don’t invite Cthulhu cultists to a Buddhist Bonfire.  They still use animal sacrifices but they do bring the best beer…it’s a coin-toss]

Cheers,

John

Sex, religion and more sex

When all else fails, check the chart.

The Practice of Attachment ~ A Guest Post by Rev. Ishu Windwalker

Rev. Talon Ishu Windwalker, NHD, is an engaged, eclectic, Zen minister of the Order of the Boundless Way.  He serves as a hospice chaplain, bioethicist, and cultural consultant in Colorado where he is also an avid ultramarathoner, endurance cyclist, duathlete, snowshoer, and single dad of two boys.  He is currently organizing the Blue Lotus Sangha in the metro Denver area for those wanting to practice in a less rigid environment.  He may be contacted at bluelotuszen@gmail.com.

My spiritual journey has been a very diverse endeavor.  I remember when I decided to return to practicing Zen beyond just zazen, I searched for a sangha in my local community and found a Zen center.  I was thrilled and contacted them right away.  I was informed I would need to attend a mandatory class before I would be able to attend and sit with the group.  Thinking that was for people unfamiliar with zazen, I let them know I had been practicing meditation for a minimum of 20 years.  “It doesn’t matter.  You have to come to the class, and we aren’t doing another class for a couple of months.”  I wondered what could be so incredibly critical about sitting as to require such deep instruction.  Had I crossed into the Twilight Zone of Buddhism? I wondered.   Through the years I have heard similar stories from many frustrated zenners.  “I was so panicked about making sure I was doing everything just right that I couldn’t meditate!” 

I also remember the time when I was doing my chaplain training in a hospital in central Texas and was called for a “Buddhist consult.”  It turned out to be a pregnant woman who was about to have a C-section.  She was concerned because of the precept that “forbids clouding one’s mind,” and she was concerned that she would be “violating the precept” if she allowed herself to receive spinal anesthesia.

An attachment is more than an addiction, more than an unhealthy connection.  It is anything that inhibits our growth and progression.  When one is more concerned about bowing correctly, if they’ve faced the correct direction, if they’re in the correct order of entry than they are about being fully immersed in the moment, in zazen or kinhin, than I would call that an attachment.  Something the Bible summed up nicely as choking on gnats.

There can be too much of an attachment to the cultural trappings of the practice of Buddhism.  The Buddha, before his enlightenment, shaved his head as a symbol of releasing himself from worldliness and attachments.  Today some question why a monk doesn’t shave their head.  Some quibble that we are “watering Zen down” when someone dares wear a robe of a color other than black.  Others are so firmly attached to the concepts of lineage and dharma heirdom that they lose sight of the key components of Buddhist practice:  Compassion and wisdom. 

When Siddhartha Gautama sat beneath the bodhi tree, I highly doubt he worried about if he bowed to the earth appropriately.  He extricated himself from all that he possibly could and opened himself to this breath, this second, until he discovered how to unshackle all sentient beings from suffering.  If we look at the Eightfold Noble Path, we do not find instructions on the incense ceremony, on prostrations, on the correct pattern for walking into the dojo.  Practices, ceremonies, etc., are tools.  They can help us focus, help us settle into a special space, but when we place them above or equal to all other things, we tighten that which binds us to samsara.  This moment, this breath.  This is truly all that matters.

Delaware Buddhists unite to bless Horseshoe Crabs

As a native-born Delawarean (I relocated to NJ from Joy Beach), this article from Delaware Online was moving… 

Ceremonial robes billowed in the breeze as about 40 Buddhists from New York to Washington, D.C., gathered in this tiny waterfront village on Saturday to pray for the humble horseshoe crab.

Their prayers were coupled with compassionate action as they flipped over crabs that had come ashore to spawn but had wound up on their backs, helpless in the baking sun.

“I will now perform the refugee ceremony for all those living beings — horseshoe crabs — who will perish on these shores, and for those who are suffering on the Gulf Coast and elsewhere as a result of the greed and ignorance of mankind,” the Venerable Zhaxi Zhuoma Rinpoche said, gazing out over the Delaware Bay.

But the ecosystem in the Delaware Bays have been diminishing for years.  Even as a child, I recall that the clamming and fishing began to decline drastically in the 80’s although I still do recall with pleasure being pulled along in a raft as my dad raked the bay for clams and set pots for crabs.  It isn’t just the BP spill that is doing it.  Over-development and a drive for the all-mighty tourist dollar has been doing the same damage for years. 

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So additional compassion is needed beyond just our Crustacean pals…

The trash accumulated on estuarine beaches threatens the ecosystem and its wildlife inhabitants. The amount found in just one day can be staggering — on September 17, 1994 volunteers cleared 46,000 pounds of marine debris from 115 miles of Delaware’s beaches. Of the total amount of marine debris collected, 60.4 percent was plastic, 10.7 percent was metal, 14.2 percent was paper, and 14.7 percent was from other materials. [link]

Good Luck Horseshoe Crabs!  You lasted this long!  My next auspicious Schlitz is for you, all the way from landlocked South Dakota.

And if anyone else wants to learn about Horseshow Crab conservation, check here.

Cheers,

John

Why don’t I see ya’ll doing nothin? ~ A Guest Post by Andrea

[Andrea is a Vegetarian Buddhist, who has made a mess of her life and is slowly picking up the pieces.  She thinks it sucks that she is responsible for her own happiness.  She loves yoga, running (turtle speed), writing, cursing and crochet. She lives in Central Florida with her 5 crazy dogs.   Because she is not nearly as interesting in person, you can find her on twitter @grumpyzen. ]

I would be the first person to tell you that if you want to read  an article about the  benefits of Zen for the Black community, you should read “Being Black” by  @changeangel aka Angel Kyodo Williams.  It’s an amazing book that is well worth the read.

I see no point in trying to re-invent the wheel.  Rather I offer a what could easily be classified as a criticism.  And maybe even some whiny finger-pointing.  I am also going to take my personal observations and experiences, and apply them to Black people in general.  Yeah I know.  Just take what is useful and leave the rest. 

I lived most of my life in misery and fear.  All the people I knew were barely scrapping by.  Constantly on the brink of losing everything.  There was never a question of if something bad would happen, it was only a question of when.  I honestly believed that my problems only plagued me and people who looked like me.  No one else could ever understand.  As I continued to gain more education, I was surrounded by people who didn’t look like me and could never understand my pain.  I was numb and depressed.  I didn’t know it.  There was no talking about my pain.  I swallowed it and kept pressing forward.  My depression was masked as anger and a bad attitude. 

I didn’t realize I was stumbling around in a small dark room until someone turned the light on.  And for me that light was Zen.  I realized people are more alike then we are different.  Most people live lives of quiet desperation.  Fear, anger, betrayal, inadequacy, failure, depression, loneliness, longing, and suffering are part of the human condition.  I learned a simple truth that made life very complicated.  It was the worst and the best thing that ever happened to me.  Ready?  Here it is: I and I alone was responsible for my happiness and my suffering. Not my circumstances, not the stuff I have or don’t have.  Not the people in my life or out of it.  Not my God or lack thereof.   I save myself.  I have the answers to all my questions, the solutions to all my problems.   Happiness and suffering don’t just happen to me, I choose them.  That was some transformative shit.  That simple, yet complicated truth saved my life.  Literally.

People who live desperate lives, can’t conceive of such a thing.  At least, I couldn’t.  What good is all that meditation stuff when you are constantly on the verge of catastrophe? Or when you have lost everything and you and your family of five must move into one room in your grandmother’s already crowded apartment?  The answer is that suffering is the mother of Buddhism.  Ending suffering is why that skinny dude went and sat under that tree in the first place.  Yet sitting is contrary to everything Black folks know and believe.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going.  You dig in and press on.  Carrying all your baggage with you.   

Typically, when  Black folks have problems, we don’t sit and we don’t go to therapy.   Some drink, some use drugs, some sit around hating the world.  But we almost always end up in church.  We’ve learned generation after generation to look up, not in. The church is like going home after a long vacation.  My momma, her mamma, their grand mamma and all them, go to church.  Everybody knows and it doesn’t have to be explained.  And if your next question is ‘knows what?”, that is exactly my point.  People who look like you, care about you, and sometimes gossip about you,  welcome you with open arms.  This home away from home is usually in the middle of  a neighborhood that people move out of as soon as they can.  They are not just in the neighborhood, they are a part of it.  From feeding the hungry to neighborhood legal clinics. 

I’ve yet to come across a “help the local community,”  “grassroots” type of activity organized by Buddhist.   I am unaware of any Zen centers in a neighborhood where I can guarantee there is a church. So how exactly are my fellow sufferers with no money, nothing but problems and no inkling  of the world outside of their own neighborhood going to discover this trans formative shit called Zen?

Honestly, I don’t know.  I’m about as good of a Buddhist as I was a Christian.   But I think the answer lies somewhere in where we sit.

Buddhist temples are not very inviting.  And they are certainly not filled with folks that look like me.   Often they are set far off.  You don’t just ride past or walk to them.  And, granted I have never been in one, like I said – not too inviting.  But I’m willing to bet there’s a lot more involved than just walking in and sitting.  My perception may be wrong, but it is not unwarranted. 

What I love about Zen is there is no special equipment needed.  Zafus can be expensive on a tight budget.  But you can use a towel or couch pillow or even a chair.   Just sit, count your breathes.  When you stop trying to figure it out, you’ll figure it out. (<——– I love when we talk like that).  We can and do practice anywhere.  We don’t have to restrict ourselves to far off temples.  But because of this we can easily practice in isolation (<— guilty)  or restrict ourselves to more affluent places. 

We can cultivate compassion on a cushion, but we need to go further.  I think if Buddhism was all about sitting in caves and keeping your own counsel, then there would be no Buddhist.  Siddhartha  would have just been some half-dressed weirdo  who abandoned his family and sat under a tree.  Stop being selfish with your Dharma.

Rocking Prajna Paramita Dharma Jams

The teachings of the Buddha mention music on many occasions. In the Amitabha Sutra it is written that heavenly singing mandara and chanting is heard all day and night as flowers softly rain down from the heavens. All kinds of birds produce beautiful and harmonious music throughout the day and night. Upon the blowing of a gentle breeze, the movements of jewel trees bring about a kind of wondrous music, as if thousands of gentle tunes are being played together in harmony. Upon hearing these melodious sounds, those present naturally become mindful of the Buddha, mindful of the Dharma, and mindful of the Sangha. In accordance, all Buddhas and bodhisattvas are very skilled in utilizing music to spread the Dharma and guide sentient beings to enlightenment. [from here]

Ok, whatever.  Even without the fancy pilphered intro I think this was just to awesome not to share…

as long as we are doin’ this I should include my favorite rapping monk…

and from my favorite Roshi in Black (Hat tip to Art of Dharma)

and lastly for my favorite Monk-stelid @bitterrootbadge (Bitterroot Badger’s Bozeman Buddhist Blog)

But one thing’s for certain
When it comes my time
I’ll leave this old world
With a satisfied mind

Cheers,

John

An Illustrated 4 Noble Truths

Why make it difficult?

This nice little cartoon that encaspulates the 4 Noble Truths came my way via Buddhabadges.  Go visit them if you have a chance and recommend some new punk pins for them to create and check out some of the charities that they are supporting. 

On the same note, DharmaDots is a cute little buddhist blog aggregator from the same people that brought you BuddhaBadges.  It was created to highlight the latest from many of us fancy Buddhist bloggers by showcasing our “ever-growing wealth of wisdom, knowledge, and experience that is the Dharma.”  Ha!   I hardly consider myself a wealth of anything (I’m on the list too) but I appreciate that they are looking our for us by creating a place for “the busy Buddhist a humble place to sit, sip tea, and read up on the last minute evolutions and revelations of the global Buddhist community at large.”  Maybe they will eventually include Kyle at the Reformed Buddhist in a special R-rated feed!

Another equally nice aggregator is the Community Zen Sangha with a great list of Zen bloggers and is offered by Al of Openbuddha.com fame, as a “service to the Zen community to help bring the online sangha more closely together.” 

Let me know if there are any others.

Cheers,

John