THE GIFT OF KANZEON: COMPASSION

THE GIFT OF KANZEON: COMPASSION

Ozmo Piedmont, PH.D.

In this holiday season, our thoughts return to the Christmas spirit symbolized by the giving of gifts.  Because gifts are such an integral part of the celebrations, it is worthwhile to reflect upon the meaning of the gift.  What does it mean to give a gift and what do we want it to express?  The Buddha said, “There are two kinds of gifts: the gift of material things and the gift of the Dharma.  The greatest of these is the gift of Dharma.”[i]  The gift of Dharma is based on our capacity to give from the heart.  For Buddhists, the Word Dharma means law, truth, or the teachings of the Buddha.[ii]  Therefore, if our Christmas gift is able to demonstrate and teach the cosmic laws of the universe, then it can serve to reveal peace, joy and love, the essence of Christmas.  Even the most insignificant gifts can reveal this treasure of the Divine within us.   

The treasure of Buddhism is to find the Eternal within ourselves.  Through meditation and spiritual practice, one discovers the Divine, which is always present within us, but covered over by the mental defilements of greed, frustration, and confusion.  Nevertheless, inside each one of us are the seeds of true joy, ready to sprout if we water them with love, compassion, altruism, and care.  This is what the bodhisattva Kánzeon symbolizes, the divine image of a woman standing on a lotus flower, pouring from her hands the universal waters of mercy and compassion.  

Bodhisattvas are very special enlightened beings in Buddhism, those that postpone their own final salvation, their entrance into Nirvana, in order to dedicate themselves to ending the suffering of all other sentient beings.  They do this out of compassion for the world, seeing that they cannot leave behind their families, friends, and loved ones in the world of suffering, called samsara.    Not until the last sentient being in the Universe has entered into Nirvana, that finally the bodhisattva allows him or herself to enter also.   It is a symbol of infinite compassion, the personal sacrifice for the liberation and benefit of all in the universe.  Kanzeon is an image of the celestial mother, pouring the waters of compassion over the earth.  In fact, her name means “She that answers the cries of the world.”

Kánzeon is a beloved and valued image for the people of the Orient, which is not always portrayed in a feminine form.   Her history begins in India as Avalokiteshvara, a celestial man represented with a thousand arms, each with an eye in each palm, symbolizing that he can manifest himself in an infinity of forms for the support and salvation of all those who ask for his help.  When his image arrived to Tibet, his named changed to Chenrezig, and he began to be seen as a combination of more or less masculine and feminine characteristics combined, eventually becoming associated with the feminine image of Tara, also related to compassion and wisdom.  Later, as her cult spread through the rest of China and the Orient, one sees her represented more and more as a beautiful woman, either young or mature, where she is now called Kwan-yin.  Finally, upon arrival to Japan, her image is totally feminized, being known as Kanzeon.  It is interesting to note that in many of these countries, much of her iconography shows traces of both genders at the same time, with long hair, flowing long robes, delicate features, but with a light mustache above her lip, and with or without breasts.  It is a way of expressing symbolically that the Divine in us transcends all duality, and in this transcendence, we are one with the Infinite, where all psychological characteristics can be utilized in the realization of our Buddha nature: physical strength combined with emotional receptivity, the dynamic with the sensitive, compassion with wisdom.  The goal of Buddhism is to find this balance inside ourselves, and to achieve the harmony of opposites, coming to experience directly our unity with the Unborn, Undying, Unchanging, Unformed, in That with is Eternal in each one of us.  

At the same time, the emphasis that the Asian culture puts on the image of the feminine in the form of Kanzeon and Kwan-Yin shows us the most accessible quality for the discovery of the Infinite in our minds and hearts, that which is known as compassion.  Since Kanzeon responds to the cries of the world, she responds to the necessities of each person in exactly the way each needs in order to alleviate their suffering and to find peace.  Perhaps this is the most important thing, to love others in every moment with every person in this same way, simply doing that which there is to do here and now, valuing one another, and opening ourselves to the inner peace.   

And the perfect time to practice this attitude, showing our love and support, is during Christmas. In stead of giving to others from the perspective of obligation, desire, or materialism, one can use the act of giving gifts as a spiritual practice, expressing the divine consciousness in our hearts that looks for the most adequate form to bring joy to others, showing our esteem and appreciation to our loved ones and friends.  And like Kanzeon, one hopes that this act of giving and compassion extends itself beyond our own family circle.  Because when one gives even to strangers, the homeless and unfortunate, this is the most pure expression of compassion, since without looking for recognition nor self benefit, we bring peace and joy to others, without considering whether the person deserves it or not.   Thus we love unconditionally, and this love can ease all the pains of the world.  This type of love is active, shown by acts of charity and caring.  One can give time, food, or money to charitable organizations.  But it is equally important to look throughout the year for that which doesn’t cost anything materially, the gift of compassion: understanding, solidarity, patience, and acceptance.  Instead of criticizing or judging others around us, we can take a moment to consider how to help them in the most natural way.  At times a kind word, a smile, or a supportive gesture can alleviate much tension and stress in the workplace or the home. When the sensations of anger, irritation, impatience, and bother arise, it is the moment to allow compassion to manifest itself.  The Zen Buddhist considers these moments of crisis very valuable for purifying our karma and liberating both ourselves and others from suffering.  One can do this by way of practicing the three AAAs of spiritual practice, which refers to Abstaining, Attending, and Analyzing.  The first step we take, when a situation stimulates in us a strong emotion, is to pause and not react instinctively, since this instinct is usually based on prior conditioning, which can reinforce egocentrism.  It requires an inner strength to not react to the world based on the three poisons of mental defilements, known as the kleshas in Buddhism: greed, frustration, and confusion.  The second step is to attend to the sensation, observing with full attention the emotion and the thoughts accompanying it, without trying to eliminate, repress, or nurture them more. In our act of observing with mindfulness, we end our identification with the object of our observation, the sensation of bother of frustration.  In these moments of observation, one begins to perceive that the emotion begins to diminish little by little, since it is not being fed in any way, until finally it disappears.  Now one can literally ask Kanzeon for help, looking for that which it is good to do in the present moment, that which can alleviate suffering and resolve the problem.  This is the act of charity and compassion, that of not doing what is based on habitual ego instincts. In this moment, one is truly identifying with the Infinite, in the form of our Buddha nature, which has the face of Kanzeon, the bodhisattva of compassion. Upon receiving this inspiration and guidance of how to proceed, one gives oneself completely to the act, with total trust and without fear.  Now is the time to take the third step, that of Analysis.  It is the moment to reflect on what just happened, trying to understand our own patterns of karma.  We consider whether our actions are in accord with the teachings of the Buddha expressed in his ethics of Dharma and the principle of compassion symbolized by Kánzeon.  In this analysis, one considers that which we have done well, and that which can be done better the next time the same pattern arises. 

This process can take a few seconds or a few days.  However, it is an act of compassion and love, because now we are not victims of the tendencies that cause pain and suffering from the past.  We have acted basing ourselves on the wisdom of the universe.  And our actions are free of egocentrism and negative karma.  If one can practice in this way in daily life, one awakens to the most pure aspect of oneself, that of infinite love.  Thus, one lives each day as if it were Christmas, because each day becomes a gift of peace and compassion.  Such a gift goes beyond any religion or dogma.  It is the heart of the Universe and the face of Kanzeon. 

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[i] Bhikkhu Ñanamoli. 1992. The Life of the Buddha. Pariyatti Editions: Onalaska, WA., USA. p. 200.

[ii] Roshi Jiyu-Kennett. 1999. Zen is Eternal LIfe.  Shasta Abbey Press: Mount Shasta CA., USA. p. 308.

OZMO PIEDMONT, PH.D. 

MEDITACIÓN BUDISTA ZEN      

Teléfono: (33) 1523-7115. 

Web: meditacionbudistazen.blogspot.com

Correo: ozmoofoz@gmail.com

SILK AND STEEL

SILK AND STEEL

Ozmo Piedmont, Ph.D.

What is a spiritual ideal and how do we train with it?  The ideal is a spiritual standard that becomes the target to which we aim the arrow of our aspiration.  For a Buddhist, we are aiming to find our identity in the Buddha, our Buddha Nature, and to become more and more like the Buddha in our actions in the world.  The Precepts guide us in this endeavor, reminding us that to become a Buddha, we can start by emulating the behavior of a Buddha based on wisdom and compassion.  In the “Scripture of Great Wisdom,” it says: “O Buddha, going, going, going on beyond and always going on beyond, always becoming Buddha. Hail! Hail! Hail!”[1]  Our aspiration is to become Buddha, while we practice every day toward this ideal.  It is as if we are aiming at a target in the same way as the master archer mentioned in the scripture “The Most Excellent Mirror – Samadhi” where it says: “A master archer hits a target at a hundred yards because he skill possesses.  But to make to meet two arrows in mid-air, head-on, goes far beyond the skill of ordinary man…This is far beyond all common consciousness, beyond all thinking.”[2]  In order to reach our ideal embodied in the Buddha, we must go beyond our ordinary skills and modes of thinking and acting.  We must find our connection to the Infinite, to that which is Unborn and Uncreated in us, that which is Eternal.  When we open our hearts to the Unborn, something begins to function is us, guiding us, opening the way to our spiritual emancipation.  We cannot go it alone; we must find that which is beyond normal thinking and normal consciousness.  In this surrendering to the Divine, we discover a fluidity of action, a harmony that sustains and directs us.  Then the two arrows, our own aspiration and that of the Divine awaiting us, are able to meet in mid-air, revealing our true nature and showing us the Reality of our existence. 

Toward this goal of Realization, we start where we are right now, with all our shortcomings, flaws and complexes.  These become the focus of our spiritual practice, and through them, we purify our negative patterns, our karma, and free ourselves from suffering.  As it is written in the scripture Sandokai:  “Lo! – With the ideal comes the actual, like a box all with its lid; Lo! With the ideal comes the actual, like two arrows in mid-air that meet. Completely understand herein, the basic Truth within these words; Lo! – Hear! – Set up not your own standards.”[3]  There must be a perfect fit between our ideal and where we are with our practice, like a box with its lid.  We apply the teachings as we see fit to our needs as they arise, following the standards the Buddha and other practitioners have established through their direct realization of Truth.  We then incorporate these standards into our practice as a measurement of where we are and where we are going, thus allowing the Infinite the opportunity to meet us in our work and practice, guiding and transforming our lives through the process.  

In fact, our spiritual practice is like washing silk and tempering steel.  The contemporary Japanese Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki[4] used these metaphors to demonstrate the quality of our practice and the results it gives.  He says that in Japan, the word “neru” refers to the act of washing the crude silk so that it may be used for weaving.  The silk must be washed many times, over and over again, which removes the impurities and little by little turns the silk white, pure, and soft.  At that point it can now be used for creating beautiful cloth and clothing.  Our spiritual practice is like doing “neru” to the little self, in which we wash ourselves clean of the three primary impurities of the ego mind: desire, aversion, and delusion.  As we practice, little by little we liberate and purify ourselves, becoming soft, loving and compassionate in our actions of daily life, more like Buddha.  This generates both joy within as well as improved relations with others who now seek our company and consider our advice because they sense this loving acceptance, patience, and gentleness in our treatment of them. 

Our spiritual practice is also like tempering steel.  Before one can make a sword out of raw steel, the metal must be tempered, placing it in the heat of fire and pounding it again and again, so that the steel becomes stronger, harder, and more resistant.  Our spiritual practice is such as this.  As we encounter the various challenges we all must face in life, the financial crisis, the loss of loved ones, sickness, ageing, and constant change, we are as if being put through he fire of life.  When approached with clarity, acceptance, and Truth, these challenges temper us, making us stronger, more resistant to the ups and downs of life, able to face hardships and difficulties without wavering in our spiritual understanding and resolve.  Although we may experience many losses and pains in life, we discover that our inner peace and wellbeing are never dependent upon external factors.  We are as strong as steel in our resolve to face life as it is.  We temper our desires, moderating them so they do not have such a hold on our mental wellbeing.  We temper our emotions and our feelings, putting them in accord with the Precepts, which become an expression of our Buddha Nature.  In this way, we are both soft and hard, like silk and steel, pure and strong in our aspiration and determination, awakening to our True Self in the Eternal. 

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[1] P.T.N.H. Jiyu-Kennett. “The Scripture of Great Wisdom.” The Liturgy of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives for the Laity, second edition.  Shasta Abbey Press: Mt. Shasta, CA., USA. 1990.

[2] Ibid. “The Most Excellent Mirror – Samadhi”.

[3] Ibid. “Sandokai”.

[4] Suzuki, Shunryu. Libre de Soi, Libre de Tout (Original: Not Always So : Practicing the True Spirit of Zen, San Francisco Zen Center, Harper Collins, 2002).  Éditions Du Seuil : Paris, France. 2011.

THE FARMER

THE FARMER

Ozmo Piedmont, PH.D.

In the Tripitaka, the Pali Cannon, we find the Buddha using an effective metaphor to demonstrate our spiritual practice in daily life.  He says he is a farmer, plowing and sowing seeds in the field.  When another farmer questions him as to why he considers himself a farmer if he has neither plough nor seeds, the Buddha answers:

                My seed is faith, my rain control,

                My plough and yoke are understanding,

                My yoke is conscience, mind is my tie,

                And mindfulness my shoe and goad.

                Guarded in body as in speech

                And modest in the use of food,

                Truth is the reaping that I do,

                Forbearance my unharnessing;

                My harnessed ox is energy,

                Which draws on to surcease of bondage,

                Going to where no sorrow is

                And never turning back again.

                Such is the ploughing that I do;

                It has the Deathless for its fruit.

                Who does this ploughing will be freed

                From every kind of suffering.[1]

Our practice begins with the seed of faith, something that calls us from within, inviting us to search for a way of living based on peace and compassion, and we trust that call as being true and important.  When we begin to refrain from reacting in selfish ways, then we water ourselves with our aspirations, purifying our karma, and finding liberation from suffering.  Our tools are the yoke that is our spiritual practice, reconnecting us to the Divine, and the plough of correct understanding, cutting open the hard earth of our ignorance, preparing us to receive the seeds of Dharma.   That which keeps us on the road of practice is our conscience, that tiny voice with us, guiding and attuning us to the work at hand, and our mind, working in tandem with our Buddha Nature to find the best path.  With the mind and the conscience working together, we are able to develop the most indispensible tool of mindfulness, giving us the capacity to stay focused in the present, observing all that is arising without prejudice.  We use it as a goad, gently inspiring us to continue on our path.  If we are careful with our body, are moderate in our eating, then our work is made easier and more efficient, since we have a body that is healthy, with good energy, strong and resilient.  Our harvest is the discovery of the Truth, both within and without, in which we realize our most intimate connection to the Infinite.  By practicing patience in all that we do gives us the opportunity to purify the three poisons of the mind: desire, frustration, and delusion.  It requires the energy of dedication to free us from the negative influences of these poisons in our minds and in our lives.  In this way we attain Enlightenment, changing our karma and living healthier lives.  We commit ourselves to follow this spiritual path, in order to experience in our flesh and bones, a profound peace that leads to salvation, transcendence of death, and the liberation from suffering forever. 

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1 Ñanamoli, Bhikkhu. The Life of the Buddha. (Tripitaka: Pali Canon) BPS Pariyatti Editions: Onalaska, WA. 1992. Ch.9: pp.120-121.

THE DRIVER

THE DRIVER

Ozmo Piedmont, PH.D.

When we are in our cars on the road of life, who is really driving, our karma or our Buddha Nature?  In the Dhammapada one reads that the Buddha once said: “He who holds back rising anger like a rolling chariot, him I call a real driver; other people are but holding the reins.”[1]  Anger is a form of aversion, one of the three mental poisons of the mind.   When life presents us with situations that provoke aversion, whether it is in the form of anger, rage, irritation, frustration, fury, disgust, bother, worry, or fear…all are opportunities for our spiritual practice.  These sensations in themselves are not the problem, but it is rather our attachment to them, that which reinforces old patterns and unconscious habits based on egocentrism. When this happens, we are out of control y our actions cause hurt, pain, and suffering.  In other words, we have lost the reigns of the chariot of our mind.  In stead of training our body and mind in the ways of guiding the chariot in order to resolve problems with insight, wisdom, and compassion, we are actually prisoners of negative tendencies, those which become repeated thousands of times in our lives due to our negative karma.  We are actually causing as much suffering for others as much as for ourselves.  On the other hand, when we are able to practice mindfulness, or attentiveness to the moment, as a good driver, we are in control of our reactions, restraining the tendencies that cause us to in the wrong direction, allowing us to steer the chariot in the most appropriate direction.  We neither go in the direction of inactivity, nor in the direction of uncontrolled emotions.  Upon seeing an obstacle in the road, the situation requires us to act in the moment; our sensations are telling us to pay attention and attend to what is happening.  For example, if there is a pothole in the road, the sensation of worry, irritation, anger, o fear tells us that there is a danger up ahead.  One must avoid the pothole.  But, how do we do that? If we are attached to our emotion of aversion, we could swear at the pothole, which would do us not good anyhow.  But by observing the arising sensation, we allow it to pass, and in stead of allowing the emotion to dictate our behavior, we look for a more efficient way to avoid the pothole.  This is the moment in our spiritual practice that we ask the Infinite, “What is it good to do now?” which gives us the opportunity to consider all the options, while we put our faith in a more profound wisdom, that which has a wider perspective, so that it can counsel us, that which pertains to our Buddha Nature.  Upon receiving this directive, we commit ourselves to action.  In this way, we avoid the pothole in the road, in the same way we avoid the interpersonal collisions with the world of our families, work, and society.  It is comforting to remember we are not alone on this road of life, since the counsel and the help from the Infinite is like having one of those global positioning systems, or GPS, in our cars.  Upon pressing a button, a computerized voice comes on telling us the best route to take in order to arrive most directly to our destination, telling us, “Turn right at the next corner.”  We can choose to ignore the voice if we like, but we trust that it is guiding us for in our best interest.  In the same way, we trust the Infinite as our interior GPS, guiding us in the most direct way to reach our destination.  Through meditation, practice and mindfulness, we are turning on this inner GPS guidance system, opening ourselves to the guidance available in this moment.  When we ask the Infinite, “What is it good to do now?” we are pressing the button that gives us the Eternal the opportunity to guide us in our daily lives, to help us purify our karma, to alleviate suffering, and to arrive to our divine destination in our lives by the most direct route possible, that which is the joy and peace of the Infinite manifesting itself as our Buddha Nature.

[1] Babbit, Irving. (Translator).  The Dhammapada.  New Directions Publishing Corporation: New York, N.Y. 1936.  Chapter XVII: verse 222.

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ENLIGHTENMENT

ENLIGHTENMENT:

RELEASING THE SELF, ONE FINDS THE NO-SELF

Ozmo Piedmont, Ph.D.

Enlightenment is not the goal of Zen, but rather the by-product resulting from the work of solving the koan of our lives.  A koan is a spiritual riddle that is solved by way of meditation, spiritual practice, and contemplation.  The koan must be solved by intuition, not by intellect or reason.  The Buddha left his royal palace not to reach Enlightenment.  He left looking for a solution to the principle koan of his life: How to escape the suffering caused by old age, sickness, and death? Wandering about for several years in his spiritual search, he discovered that one cannot escape this suffering through either asceticism nor through the distractions of sensual indulgence.  First, one must confront life, accept it as it is, and then transcend it.  The Buddha found the answer to his koan upon discovering his intimate connection to the Eternal.  Sitting under a tree, he became very still, moving neither his mind nor his body. In this way, he discovered the true origin and end of suffering.  It became apparent that while he clung to the idea of a self, with its desires, insecurities, fears, and delusions, he suffered.  However, his liberation from suffering could be found in the no-self, that which is not based in desire.  In the same way, we are all entering into the spiritual path looking for a solution to the difficulties of life, which are all variations of this basic koan of the Buddha, in which we are all suffering while looking for unsatisfactory external solutions based on a permanent self and its desires.  When finally we have had enough of ourselves, when we have tried everything and nothing solves the problem, when we just give up the old outworn attempts at solution, that is when we are ready to release the self, with all its fears, its doubts, and it criticisms.  We leave all of it behind in order to find our true identity.  That is when we begin to now solve our koan.    So we sit down in meditation, calming our minds, in order to bring down the interior barriers, and we confront what we used to believe was who we are, a small self, and we begin to find that which we are, the no-self.  Thus we begin the spiritual work of purification or our karma in so to discover the fullness, the unity, of the no-self.  In the scripture The Most Excellent Mirror – Samadhi one reads: “You are not Him, He is all of you.”  This means that our true identity is found in the no-self, beyond the ego.  The self is lost in delusion while it believes itself to be separate, permanent, and the center of the universe.  But low and behold, it finds out that its just not true.  It was this belief all along that created so much suffering.  It is our responsibility, the real goal of all religions, to abandon the ego of our delusions based on separation, to reconnect ourselves with the no-self, the Eternal.  Upon solving the koan of life, the by-product is Enlightenment.  In other words, Enlightenment is our capacity to see the Eternal everywhere, including ourselves.  For this reason, one reads in The Most Excellent Mirror – Samadhi “In this superior activity of no-mind, See, the wooden figure sings – and the stone maiden dances.”  The no-mind is synonymous with the no-self, that which transcends the limits of the ego, which is our Buddha Nature, the Eternal, giving us a wider perspective, and allowing us to see that everything is the Eternal expressing itself in everything at every moment.  Everything is celebrating this connection because everything is literally the Eternal.  When we become quiet in the seated meditation of Zen, the mind ceases to be so agitated, allowing us to see beyond the distractions of thoughts and sensations, experiencing directly that which has no words, that which is not an object of thought, that which has no beginning or end.  It is that which we experience as a Presence, an interior peace, an unending joy, in spite of the seeming appearance, duration, and passing of all things.  Something in us reaffirms that all this change is exactly as it should be, and that nothing really dies, because all is an aspect of the Infinite.  All is Buddha, including the challenges, the thoughts, and the mistakes we make, because all is the universal Buddha teaching us of our connection and our basic unity with Him.  Our practice reveals this to us in every moment, since the Infinite is manifesting itself in our very lives, revealing itself constantly in the particularities of our actions.  Our ego, our little self, begins to release the reigns of control, allowing us to flow with in the eternal river of the no-self, which is perceived as change, being the second law of the universe, called “anicca”: All things flow because nothing is permanent.  Accepting this reality of how things really are, we are able to transcend them.  In this way the Buddha solved his koan, discovering the end of suffering that comes from our experience of old age, disease, and death.  In the Eternal, there is no birth nor death, no beginning nor end.  Everything just IS, here and now.  Everything expresses the reality of that which is always present.  This realization, when experienced directly, inspires us to dance and sing with the rocks, the plants, the animals, and all the being everywhere, because “all is One, and at the same time all is different.”  There is no need to suffer, escape, fear, or hate because we trust in the fact that all is actually the Eternal expressing itself in the temporal, experienced as peace and joy…Enlightenment.

Bibliography:

Jiyu-Kennett, R. M.  Roar of the Tigress, Vol. 1.  Shasta Abbey Press: Mount Shasta, California, 2000.

GRATITUDE

GRATITUDE

Ozmo Piedmont, PhD

It is one of the five laws of the universe that “The will to Enlightenment, the intuitive knowledge of the Buddha Nature, occurs to all people.” This means that everyone will eventually reach a point in their development when they begin to intuit that what they have been searching for throughout this and other lives is to be united with the Infinite.  The appearance of this most sacred of all aspirations is the product of experiencing the dissatisfaction of living one’s life based on craving, aversion, and delusion.  When one finally realizes that true joy springs from actively seeking the Divine, investigating its Truth in our lives, and practicing spiritually to deepen this connection, what begins to arise is a profound sense of gratitude.  In fact, the sense of gratitude is one of the signs of a Bodhisattva, one who puts the salvation of others before one’s own salvation.  In the scripture “Awakening to the Mind of the Bodhisattva” it states:

When one awakens to True Wisdom it means that one is willing to save all living things before one has actually saved oneself…Although our own merit for Buddhahood may be full ripe, it is our bounden duty to use all this merit for the purpose of enlightening every living thing.[1]

To save all beings means to help everyone awaken to his and her true nature within, the Buddha Nature, and to help each one find the path that leads to the freedom from suffering.  We are all Buddhas, yet the direct experience of this has been clouded by our own delusion, craving, and frustration.  Through our spiritual practice we accumulate good karma, or merit, which becomes a powerful force for transformation in the lives of others around us.  For the layperson, our most effective way of teaching others is through example.  As we put the teachings into practice by following the Eightfold Path and apply the Precepts, others begin to perceive there is a new and different way to be in the world, a way based on compassion, charity, tenderness, benevolence and sympathy, which are other characteristics themselves of a Bodhisattva.  It basically boils down to putting three principles in place: ceasing from evil, doing only good, and doing good for others.  The simplicity and perfection of these basic principles leads to a profound joy that completely transforms our lives and which is quite apparent to those around us.  Then they too begin to follow our example, and begin to awaken to this same aspiration to return to the Infinite. In so doing, they discover a depth of joy in living that naturally results in gratitude.  In the scripture “Putting the Teaching into Practice and Showing Gratitude” it states:

The Buddha Nature should be thus simply awakened in all living things within this world…we should think deeply upon this: how fortunate have we been to be born now when it is possible to see the Truth…What alternative have we but to be utterly grateful for the great compassion exhibited in this highest of all teachings which is the very eye and treasury of the Truth?[2]

 We can be grateful that there is a way to free ourselves from suffering, that there are Buddhas in all times and all places to show us this path of Awakening, that we have gained sufficient merit through countless lives that we are provided the opportunity to even hear the Dharma that we can be free and truly happy, that we are already one with the Infinite, and that we only need to open our hearts to this fact in order to begin to experience it directly.  We begin to value this life here and now for what it has brought us, and we see it as an opportunity to further practice in the application of the Precepts in the freeing of all beings from suffering.  This same scripture goes on to state:

…The life of this one day, today, is absolutely vital life: your body is deeply significant.  Both your life and your body deserve love and respect for it is by their agency that Truth is practiced and the Buddha’s power exhibited…This Buddha Nature is itself the Buddha and, should you awaken to a complete understanding thereof, your gratitude to the Buddhas will know no bounds.[3] 

We come to understand the wonder and perfection of this body and mind which serve to reflect our attachments and ignorance, showing us though suffering that there is another path.  Then we begin to appreciate that we have all the tools right here to overcome this suffering, and all that has gone before has served to bring us to this realization in time and space of That which is beyond time and space, our true Self, which is Buddha Nature.  Now we can truly let go of our resentments and pain realizing it has all served to bring us to the Truth of who we truly are.  In fact, true forgiveness of those that have hurt us in the past is an aspect of this very gratitude, since they have all given us the opportunity to grow spiritually, and to find what it means to love, to be compassionate, and to help others. We are no different then they. We have hurt others while seeking happiness.  We are all doing the best we can, based on the knowledge we have at that moment.   Therefore, all serves to further, all is for best, that being our realization of Truth.  And we can bow down to them and That which has brought us to this moment of Eternity, and say “Thank you! You have taught me well.  I am free to choose my life in how it will be lived. I have awakened.  And in appreciation, I will work for your salvation, too, that you too may know this joy.” And that is when the Bodhisattva in us begins to move, and play, in this world of appearances. This very playground is Nirvana.     

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[1] Jiyu-Kennett, Rev. Master.  Roar of the Tigress, Shasta Abbey Press: Mt. Shasta, California. Vol. 1.  Ch. 4., pp. 151-152.

[2] Ibid. pp. 181-182

[3] Ibid. pp. 185-186.

WHAT IS OUR LIFE ABOUT?

What is Our Life About?[1]

By Ezra Bayda

Our aspiration, our calling, our desire for a genuine life,

is to see the truth of who we really are—

that the nature of our Being is connectedness and love,

not the illusion of a separate self to which our suffering clings.

It is from this awareness that Life can flow through us;

the Unconditioned manifesting freely as our conditioned body.

And what is the path?

To learn to reside in whatever life presents.

To learn to attend to all those things

that block the flow of a more open life;

and to see them as the very path to awakening—

all the constructs, the identities,

the holding back, the protections,

all the fears, the self-judgements, the blame—

all that separates us from letting life be.

And what is the path?

To turn away from constantly seeking comfort

and from trying to avoid pain.

To open to the willingness to just be,

in this very moment,

exactly as it is.

No longer so ready to be caught

in the relentlyessly spinning mind.

Practice is about awakening to the true Self:

no one special to be,

nowhere to go,

just Being.

We are so much more than just this body,

just this personal drama.

As we cling to our fear,

and our shame, and our suffering,

we forsake the gratitude of living from our natural being.

So where, in this very moment, do we cling to our views?

Softening around the mind´s incessant judgement,

we can awaken the heart that seeks to be awakened.

And when the veil of separation rises,

Life simply unfolds as it will.

No longer caught in the self-centered dream,

we can give ourselves to others,

like a white bird in the snow.

Time is fleeting.

Don’t hold back.

Appreciate this precious life.

---

[1] Bayda, Ezra. Being Zen. Shambhala: Boston & London, 2003.

DISTRACTION

Distraction

Rev. Aiden Hall

Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey, Northumberland–UK —

R Aiden.indd 47 07/06/2011 09:26:46

The Journal of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives

I am sitting at my desk working at something, giving it all my attention, and suddenly I realize I am looking out of the window. Although I had been intending to work on the task in front of me, somewhere along the way I have become distracted. I am not really quite sure how that happened or why, or even when. I don’t really know very much about it.

That’s one of the interesting things about distraction — it is in the nature of distraction that when we are distracted, we don’t even realize we are distracted. It is not until, for some reason, we come back to awareness again that we realize we were distracted. In reflecting on this, we know that we have not really been present for a while, but we can’t look back and identify the exact moment when we went from diligently doing the thing we were engaged in to vacantly staring out of the window. Because of this, it is hard to explore the states of mind that lead to distraction. So how do we find a way into working with this area? During the time that we are distracted, we aren’t consciously aware of our thoughts and surroundings in the way that we are when we are focused. Rather than being grounded in the reality of who we are, where we are, and what we are doing, we are just caught in a fantasy, or some kind of dream world for a while, without even realizing it. We are just being pulled along by our senses. If I am gazing out of the window, it might be the sense of sight that is distracting me, but a lot of the time I find it is more the mind sense, that sixth sense which is aware of memories, thoughts, feelings and other mental objects, and which we include with sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch when we talk about the senses. Perhaps I am thinking about what is going to happen next week, tomorrow or later on in the day, or something that happened in the past. So even when I’m staring out of the window, often I’m not really watching the rabbits or watching the trees bend in the wind — my eyes just happen to be looking that way, but actually I’m thinking about something completely different.

SO HOW IS IT that suddenly we realize that we have been distracted? Part of it is that the thing we get distracted by, although it might seem very interesting for a while, can only hold our attention for a certain time. Eventually our interest in it wanes and we get bored with it, and that is part of what brings us back to what we are doing. There is clearly more going on than that, but if the thing we got distracted by was really very interesting and that high level of interest carried on, it seems quite likely that the distraction would just keep rolling on. But in the everyday world, looking out of the window isn’t actually that compellingly distracting, and the distractions that are around me that I get caught up in, even the mental ones, are actually finite. I wear them out, sometimes quickly, sometimes after quite some time, and end up coming back to what it is that is in front of me. Sense data can also be a trigger for realizing we are distracted, whether it is a sound we hear that reminds us of our surroundings, like the phone ringing, or just a physical need to change position. This can cut short our distraction and reconnect us with our physical reality. Although it is clearly good that I do come back to awareness, whatever that is triggered by, I am still left in the position that I haven’t really seen or understood the mechanism of distraction. It’s not that when we come back to awareness we need to go back over the past and analyze it, that would just be drawing conclusions from our memories, rather than actually seeing what is going on directly. But nevertheless there is something about not having been aware of it that calls for further investigation.

ONE AREA THAT I FIND helpful in looking at this is the way I use the Internet. In contrast with most areas of our lives, where distractions are finite (there are only so many things in my room, or in the office, or looking out of the window that are really that interesting), it seems that on the Internet distractions are essentially infinite. If I go to look at something on the BBC website, for example, I might be intending to just look at one particular thing, but it seems that on any page that I might visit, there is a link to something else that looks very interesting, and which I can easily be distracted by. I might have just gone to look at the weather forecast, but maybe on that page there is a link to, say, a very interesting looking article on some human fossils they found in China which might be a new species of human we didn’t know about — and that looks quite interesting! And then on that page there is a link to an article on a so-called ‘Goldilocks’ planet orbiting a distant star, which might support life — interesting. And then on that page there is another link to something else, and so it goes on. There are all these interesting subjects available at the click of a mouse that I didn’t realize I was so interested in. But there they are, they are presented in a way that is deliberately very enticing, and I can easily convince myself that this is something that I really ought to know about! And the infinite nature of the Internet is that I click on it and have a look and, yes, it might be entertaining or inspiring or educational, but then there is another link to something else…(looks interesting)…I follow that, and I can easily just go on endlessly in that way. Similarly, I’m sure there are, by a factor of many times, more hours of video on You Tube than any one person can possibly watch in a single lifetime. But they have a very clever way of arranging things so that there is a handy selection of other videos, somewhat related to the thing you have been looking at, which you might just be interested in. You may start off by looking at something as mundane as a product review for a washing machine, say, but then when you have watched that there is some other related video, which looks like it might be helpful. And then after you have seen that one there is another selection of videos somewhat related to that one. At least one of those will probably look interesting, so you have a look at that, and before you know it you have been going from one to another to another— with less and less relevance to washing machines! One of the nice things in the monastery is that when you get into that sort of infinite You Tube loop, there is usually some kind of cue that tells you there is something else you ought to be doing. Perhaps you hear the bell ringing for a meal or a ceremony, or something like that, and you suddenly realize it has been — however long — 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 3 hours! Hopefully not that long. But however long it has been, I find it is quite similar to the experience of just getting lost in thoughts: although I have been in full control of my own mouse buttons

at all times, there is also a sense in which I was just getting carried away by the sense data. Even if I was being educated  or entertained, it wasn’t really what I wanted to be doing, and when I look back on it I can see that it was actually a bit of a waste of time.

I THINK THIS FEELING that it is a bit of a waste of time is part of what gives us a clue that we are drifting into distraction. Because Internet distractions are pretty much infinite, and can just go on and on, I find that I do gradually begin to notice, even in the midst of the distraction, this sense of unease with how things are. If this was just a looking-out-of-the-window type distraction, then at this point I would probably come back to my original task, but the infinitely interesting nature of the web keeps me distracted, allowing the feeling of unease to continue to grow and encroach on my awareness — some part of me knows that I am not really wanting to do this. As this feeling grows, I slowly begin to be more aware of what my motivations are in continually clicking on link after link, and I start to get a sense of when I gradually shift from being focused on what it was that I went to look at, to there being a sense of actually wanting a distraction — perhaps wanting something to take me away from the seeming mundaneness of what I am doing. This feeling of the mind putting its ‘hooks’ out in this way is an important one to notice — I’m just looking for anything to grasp onto that might be more interesting or more entertaining than what I am doing at the moment. At this point it becomes clearer that the sense of unease that I feel is an aspect of what the Buddha was pointing to in the first noble truth: the existence of dukkha. We often translate this word as suffering, but the word dukkha also covers the much subtler areas of unease, unsatisfactoriness and discontent. In the second noble truth, the Buddha explains that dukkha is caused by clinging — or attachment. Another way of describing this is that we are not fully accepting the present reality, but instead wanting things to be different from how they actually are. In the present instance, the fact that I am looking for something more exciting shows that on some level I don’t really think that how things are at the moment is quite good enough. I am searching for fulfillment in something exterior, because I feel that something is missing. This feeling of something missing may be partly related to the task I am meant to be doing, but it probably also has a lot to do with not being able to fully accept myself as I am. On some level I feel that there is something missing in me, and I am looking for things from outside to fill this gap.

THIS IS A VERY productive area to explore, both in the meditation practice and as we go about our daily lives. People often come to a spiritual or religious practice because they have a sense of something missing, and hope that the practice will somehow supply the missing bit, or at least help them to find it. My experience of the practice so far has been that it actually leads me to question why it is that I think there is something missing in the first place. There is an assumption there that I come to question. And as I let go of this assumption, it is no longer about finding what might be missing, but about looking at and valuing what is actually here. This is not the same as assuming that there isn’t anything missing — that would just be replacing one assumption with another — it is to be willing to recognize and let go of any assumptions that I have, and to look and see what the real state of things actually is. I find that just being willing to sit still and feel the unease, and to see the effect that following distraction has on me, is a helpful way of exploring this area, whether it’s on the computer, or in any other aspect of daily life. And as I explore this sense of unease, I find that I am then in much more of a position to see whether I really do want to click on this next link. It might be very interesting, I might gain some knowledge that I don’t have now, but however much knowledge I gain, in the end I can’t know everything. And I can’t do everything: I can spend this time following these links, or I can keep focused on what I was actually intending to do. For all of us there are things we want to do in our lives, and during this next 10 minutes do I really want to be learn about the life cycle of the Inner Mongolian tree-rat (which is actually rather interesting because it turns out that they…), or would I rather switch off the computer and go for a walk?

LINKING THIS BACK to sitting meditation: here it is a slightly different situation in that there isn’t a task that we are trying to get done; we’re willing just to be here and to see what’s going on in the mind and to notice just what happens to be here right at the moment. Sometimes this can be that we suddenly realize we’ve been distracted, and sometimes it is more a feeling of being present and aware. It is very tempting to judge the aware mind as being better than the distracted mind, but actually we are not trying to make it be one thing or another. That would be either “trying to think” or “trying not to think”. It’s much more of a sense of trusting the meditation and realizing that even though sometimes we are distracted and sometimes we are more focused, all these thoughts are like waves on the sea sometimes they are calm and sometimes they are choppy, but the sea is much bigger than that, and meditation is much bigger than that. If we are fascinated with the waves on the surface, then we miss the vast depth of the ocean. In giving ourselves to the meditation and being willing to come and sit, there is a great act of trust there, and part of that is trusting that even when we seem to be distracted, nevertheless we are still sitting. We are still existing as a human being — we are still right here, right now, and that existence doesn’t depend on the extent to which we are aware of it. We don’t have to force ourselves to always be self-conscious and self-aware, we can just allow things to be how they are, and trust that. It is part of the nature of the mind that even were we to try to control it and always be focused, there would still be times when we couldn’t keep that up, and would become distracted. That is just coming face to face with the reality of how we are. In meditation we see that over and over again, and part of the compassionate nature of meditation is accepting that this is part of our human nature, and part of how our minds are. But there is more to meditation than these passing states of mind, because we can also trust the true wish, the intention that brings us to meditation. We know that we want to give ourselves to this, and we have a sense of why it seems good to do, even if we can’t necessarily put that into words. We are willing to sit still whether or not there is distraction, and this prods us to look at what does “sitting still” mean when we are distracted. What is the “activity and stillness together” of meditation which is still being expressed, whether my mind seems to be focused or whether it seems to be scattered? Can meditation only go on when my mind is one particular way and not when it’s another way? Does it depend on circumstances and conditions to that extent? If we think that, then it would mean that for much of our life we would be excluded from meditation, and as human beings whose minds do wander, how could we ever come to know the truth? Again, this is an area that we must each explore for ourselves in meditation — not making any assumptions, but being willing to look and see how things actually are. I find that looking at the nature of distraction in these different ways helps me to have less of a confrontational attitude towards distractions. They are not so much difficulties to be eradicated, but rather a part of the rich experience of being a human being. But I also don’t have to be a slave to them. Distractions may be here one minute and gone the next, but meditation leads us to a growing sense of what it is that is sitting still within these ever-changing movements of the mind.

Notes

1. A reference to the line “…neither trying to think, nor trying not to think; just sitting, with no deliberate thought, is the important aspect of serene reflection meditation.” This is from the translation of Great

Master Dōgen’s Fukanzazengi (Rules for Meditation) in The Liturgy  of the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives for the Laity, 2nd Ed. (Mt. Shasta, CA: Shasta Abbey Press, 1990) p. 98.

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