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Transcript
INSIDE DHARMA The Buddhist Newsletter Serving the Inmate and Ex-offender Sangha "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is tied up with mine, then let us work together." -- Lilla Watson, Aboriginal activist Volume XI , Issue VI Zen in Daily Life By Zen Master Prof. Masunaga Reiho From zenki.com Faith without practice lacks strength. As evidenced by such catch phrases as no dependence on words and letters and a special transmission outside the classified teachings, Zen stresses practice. The two basic forms of Zen practice are zazen and daily activity. Soto Zen especially puts strong emphasis on thorough practice in daily life, Zen practice centers on: Living every moment to the fullest. Engo said: In living we express full function in dying we express full function. The absolute present comes alive. When we function fully, we are vitally free. John Dewey also saw this and attributed immeasurable value to the complete experience in art and living. Dewey' views on the use of posture reflexes as a mechanism for change may be appropriate here. In his Introduction to Dr. F.M. Alexander's The Use of The Self, Dewey stated that a man's posture, especially the way he holds his head, enables him to take possession of his own potentialities and move from conditioned enslavement into a means of vital freedom. It is interesting that Aldous Huxley, one of the best-known Western admirers of Zen, once studied with Dr. Alexander. Transcending dualism and using it freely. Vimalakirti talked about the non-dualistic and this is where Zen resides. So long as we cling to dualism, we face conflict and anxiety. The perfect way, Sosan said, is not difficult. Just drop discrimination. Clear and bright is the world when we neither hate nor love. Dualistic tension between hate and love, right and wrong, good and evil makes the human being prey to rigid dogma. He cannot move freely. Respecting the physical Buddhism essentially denies any dualism between body and mind. Yet most Buddhist teachings tend to stress mind and consciousness. Dogen, however, held that such emphasis abstracted the human being. To gain the Way, he said, make use of NOV-DEC 2013 your body. A faith rejecting the body becomes sterile and meaningless. Enlarging awareness. The nuclear and space age that we live in encourages the vigorous progress of science. But man has increasingly become obsessed with science and machines and lost touch with his essential humanity. Zen works to check this estrangement and restore intensity of awareness. If we know ourselves at all times, truth is where we stand, Rinzai said. Each morning Zuigan called: The Self! The Self! Yes, yes, he answered. He also said: Don't ever let others condition you. Releasing natural altruistic action. Dogen called such action benevolence and considered it a universal law benefiting oneself and others. Prof. Pitirim A. Sorokin uses the term creative altruism and sees it as a key to reconstructing man. This is reflected in the title of an important work edited by him: If we know ourselves at all times, truth is where we stand Forms and Techniques of Altruistic and Spiritual Growth. Non egoism and creativity go together. Creative altruism and the Bodhisattva vow are one. And this current flows through Zen as it does through the rest of Mahayana Buddhism. Increasing serenity and effectiveness in daily life. Zazen in a quiet room carries over into daily life. Rinzai said: If hungry, eat; if tired, sleep. Daily life offers no perplexities. It is relieving yourself when needed, putting on clothes, and eating food. And when tired, it is stretching out to sleep. In an increasingly mechanized world the brain often works overtime in unproductive grooves. Day-to-day pressures bring neurosis, anxiety, and various complexes, the joy of living the moment fades, and despair closes in. To many sensitive individuals today, life has gone stale. They may find in Zen a clue to a fresher approach to life. To follow up the clue will require the courage to overthrow the tyranny of learned responses. Zen serenity and real living stem from recognizing things for what they are. The standpoint of a fully functioning Zen man was expressed by Fuke: Let him come from the bright side, And I will dispose of him on that side; Let him come from the dark side, And I will dispose of him on that side; Let him come from every possible direction, And I will dispose of him like a whirlwind; Let him come from the sky, And I will dispose of him like a flail. The Zen master thus lives serenely and sensitively in vital freedom no matter what comes. In the Hekiganroku, there is a passage that shows vitaworking: We meet strength with weakness, softness, with severity. Dogen clearly saw the need for harnessing this vitality to social action. In Genjo Koan he said: To study Buddhism is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be enlightened by all things. To be enlightened by all things is to be free from attachment to the body and mind of one's self and others. It means wiping out even attachment to Satori. Wiping out attachment to Satori, we must enter into actual society. Here is the essence not only of Zen but also of all religions that aim at clarifying the self. It is the process of living by dying-of shedding egoistic delusion and finding our "natural face." This is Satorithe awakening-but we should not stop there. Others must be helped toward Satori: toward an enlightenment that stems not from self-power but from openness to all things. Unbound even by enlightenment, we must participate actively in the ongoing world and work in vital freedom. Spiritual Reading By Z.L. King HCC, Galesburg IL. Recently my spiritual reading came from two newsletters, A Little Good News and Friends of Peace Pilgrim. For years and years I have been reading these newsletters. I am always able to find Gems and treats that nourish and sustain my spirit. For more than 15 years now Love has been the guiding force of my life. When I became a Buddhist, I asked Buddhist monks and nuns if I could use Love as my practice and they all said yes. The Buddha taught 84,000 ways to enlightenment, Love is one of the 84,000 doors. It is often hard for me to Love hateful and mean people that delight in violence and murder. After hours of reflection and meditation, people that inspire, encourage and motivate me all share the same trait, Love. Looking With Compassion By Michael Oliver PCC Mineral Point, Mo. This is simple advice from a complete stranger, well of a friend (venerable friend), gave me this one simple teaching to look on, or at other with compassion. That’s it, simple. Well when you do you see the whole world change. Just look with compassion, it will change your mind. And by the way thanks stranger. So… try it, it’s easy and not too hard to remember. Just look with compassion. Good advice from a stranger to you all. The Price By Dr. Chezeray M. Moore SCC Joliet IL. Life ain’t a baby you can take candy from And death’s got the last word when it’s all said and done If you want the precious honey you gotta fight the bees And the sweetest fruit only grows at the top of the trees The weight you can lift reflects the strength of your muscles And your bank account reflects the strength of your hustle But to attain life’s best reflects the time you have spent To get that which comes to none by way of accident Life’s best has a guardian that’s more cunning than the rest Who makes sure this treasure is only grasped by the hands of the best The reward goes to the one who really knows the worth Of the treasure life offers to all upon the earth Offered, not given, you gotta pay the price Not measured by dollars, but by degrees of sacrifice And when you’ve paid the price the guardian steps aside You’ve gotten out of your own way, and no longer denied 2 The truth of the matter, which is realized with a sting One who masters Self, can masters anything Haiku’s Dhamma-Hara By Kristopher Salyer FCC Farmington Mo. There must be a way to be Free from this not-me Small mind, big mind, I, you, we Ignorance is suffering (Dukkha) Follow the precepts Ichigyo Zammai (one act) Buddha nature is right here To realize truth Sit as Buddha here and now endless cycle that is without beginning and without end. It was Bertrand Russell who said, "There is no reason to suppose that the world had a beginning at all. The idea that things must have a beginning is really due to the poverty of our thoughts." Because of the Buddhist doctrine of reincarnation we believe that this endless cycle of birth, existence and death of everything from universes to ourselves isn't just happening on a macro level, but it is happening on a micro level too. Even our thoughts, feelings and emotions arise and then pass away. Everything in this phenomenal world is impermanent - nothing lasts. Therefore, rather than being preoccupied with "end times" what is more relevant and useful for us is to become mindful of the impermanent nature of our world and of our lives. By doing so, we can realize the preciousness of every moment instead of wasting it on worrying about something that we can't do anything about. The day comes and the bird calls Moon face Buddha hears As the sun face Buddha sees COMMUNITY If seeds of hate are planted Hate will then rise up Instead of hate plant love’s seed Rev. Kalen McAllister, Founder and Spiritual Director of Shinzo Sangha & Cofounder of Inside Dharma Suffering is suffering True love is true love Buddha is Buddha Poems by one who wishes to live the way Monthly Buddhist Column Lama Chuck Stanford (Lama Changchup Konchok Dorje) Rime Buddhist Center Dear Dharma Friends: Below is a copy of my monthly Buddhist column. This column will appear in the Kansas City Star newspaper on Saturday, Question: "Are there "end times" prophecies, such as the Bible's revelation, in your faiths? Answer: We live on this planet Earth that is part of the Milky Way galaxy - only one of hundreds of billions of other galaxies that make up the universe. From the Buddhist perspective, this view is vastly too small. Buddhists believe that there are countless numbers of galactic universes that are continually going through cycles of birth, existence (for a period of time), and eventual death. And then the cycle begins again in an One of the things I love when I go up to the monastery is the sense of community. We sit in meditation together, we work together, cook or do dishes together, eat together, etc. I really miss this when I come home. However, recently I went to the monastery for the celebration of its completion. There were over 200 people attending from all over the country so, to house them all, we were put up in a college dorm in a nearby town. It was very nice and most of us were on one of two floors. However, this community was very different. They were very noisy and doors slammed late into the night. We stayed an extra day but the main group left on Sunday. When I went into the women's bathroom, I was shocked. There were towels just thrown all over the floor. How embarrassing for our group. I tried to pick them up and fold them but I was on a time limit and there were just too many. I felt sad about being part of this community. Then I got thinking about what other communities I am part of. I work in a prison and so I'm very much part of that community, not only the community of inmates and inmate workers in the chapel but also the staff community. I'm part of the chaplain community. Then I thought, I am part of the driving community heading south on Highway 67. I'm part of the St. Louis community in general and part of our 3 community at Inside Dharma/Shinzo Sangha. I'm part of the American community and also part of the world and universe community. So with each community, how do I represent myself? Am I considerate, quiet, and respectful? As a driver, do I pay attention to how I treat the members of this community? In prison, am I respectful to my fellow members - the inmates and the staff? Do I listen carefully to others in my immediate community? In the grocery store, do I respect my fellow shopping community? Where am I each moment of life? Am I aware of those around me? Do I try to make life better for them by being helpful, respectful, etc.? Do I play my music too loud when I drive and disrupt the stop light community? Do I drop trash on the ground? Am I respectful of the animal communities also? This is what is referred to as “mindfulness” in Buddhism. It's hard to be mindful and aware all day but like any habit, the more you practice it, the more you can do it. I am interested in your stories of community and how you related to that community. For example, when I was a child I was not too respectful of the school community and played many jokes and got in trouble a lot. How about you? Practice: Way Of Life Or Part Of Life By Kristopher Salyer FCC Farmington Mo. Hot off the press Look at these wonderful canvas reusable, washable, embroidered bags with a Buddhist Monk on them. They are canvas colored, with black stitching and black handles. The size is 13.5 x 14.5 inches. And they are only $20 each. All money raised goes directly to our work with exoffenders and homeless at Inside Dharma. They're available at Shinzo Meditation Center or by e-mailing at [email protected] I have been receiving the Inside Dharma newsletter for a little over a year now and have always wanted to contribute, so in its small part, I hope this contribution is helpful. I have been studying Buddhism for just over a year and have found that when practicing this path, it must be whole hearted. To practice is to practice. To study is to study. This may sound simplistic and obvious, however, in truth there must be vigilance. The Dhammapada states: 168 – Wake Up! Don’t be lazy. Follow the right path, avoid the wrong. You will be happy hear as well as hereafter. This speaks of Right Effort to me, along with Right Action. To study Buddhism is to study the self. In the lifelong process of studying ourselves we must use Right Understanding and Right Concentration in order to maintain Right Speech and right thought. In order to accomplish this we must use Right Mindfulness as a way of checking up on our actions (Kamma/Karma). All of this together will lead to Right Livelihood. The path that I have chosen is one which takes patience, vigilance and a genuine desire to escape Samsara (contaminated existence). In order for me to accomplish this I must live the way or make it so that the way and my life are inseparable and indiscernible from one another. Have I gained intellectual knowledge? I would say so. Have I gained direct insight (wisdom) into the Dharma? Only my actions over time will tell. So to say it correctly, in true reference to my direct experience: I am striving vigilantly to make practice a Way of Life and until this goal is reached, then I shall view practice as a Way to Life. To find out more about Inside Dharma and the programs we offer go to www.insidedharma.net To download a copy of the Start Here St. Louis area resource directory go to www.startherestl.org To learn more about the location and sitting times for the Shinzo Meditation Center go to www.shinzozmc.org 4 Yes, you get something out of it…but that’s not the point By Will Holcomb Shinzo Zen Meditation Center St. Louis, Mo. Carol and I were asked to lead a meditation class at a rehab center. The purpose of the class was for “stress reduction.” Most of us accept some stress as just part of life. Things happen and some of them are threatening – a violent encounter, a serious illness, loss of someone important to you. But when every day is stressful without relief, when every moment is stressful, it’s overwhelming. It sucks the joy out of life. It’s intolerable. Some of the people in the rehab center seemed to be living in that world. The Buddha was familiar with stress. He called it dukkha and his mission for 40 years was to teach others about the cause of dukkha and the relief of dukkha. An essential part of his prescription was meditation practice. So meditation practice is for “stress reduction.” But while meditation is an essential part of the prescription, there were other parts: moral precepts and the cultivation of wisdom and compassion. So meditation for stress reduction would seem like a one-legged stool. Don’t you need the other two legs for any sort of stability? Another troubling aspect of the meditation for stress reduction idea has been termed “gaining mind” – practicing in order to get something out of it. Most people probably come to meditation practice with gaining mind – some to satisfy curiosity, but many more, in my experience, come to meditation practice because of pain, physical or mental or both. We look to meditation to help us with some pain, or at least unease, in our lives. And it works, if you give it enough time and effort. Maybe the pain is still there sometimes, but it’s not so threatening, not so overwhelming. Somehow the perspective changes. There’s more room to breathe. But meditation practice doesn’t work in isolation. It is connected to, and slowly changes, other parts of your life. Letting the sitting practice soak into the other parts of life, eating, sleeping, working, interacting with others, is part of the practice. You can’t make that happen, but you can let it happen. Dōgen, the thirteenth century Zen teacher, said you should practice zazen (sitting meditation) for the sake of zazen. That doesn’t make much sense when you start out. You want a goal. You want to gain something for your effort. You want a reason to talk yourself into doing what looks like a waste of time. You have gaining mind. One goal of practice is to let gaining mind drop away. So you can sit zazen for the sake of zazen…and eat for the sake of eating, sleep for the sake of sleeping, work for the sake of working, interact with others for sake of interacting with others. Just living out your life. So with sitting meditation practice, yes, you get something out of it…but that’s not the point. My Integrity And Yours By James Halbirt CMC-East San Luis Obispo, Ca. To have true integrity, poise and courage is to be attuned to the silent and invisible true nature within you. Real maturity is the integrity of inhabiting that "immortal longing" that always calls you to new horizons. Integrity to me requires that I and you discern what integrity is to our innocent true nature, what fits and what does not fit, and that I choose life-giving ways of relating with communication to the forces that converge within me. By choosing honest and integrity, we become more whole, but wholeness does not mean perfection. It means becoming more real by acknowledging the whole of who we are. There does exist inquiring minds, which long for the truth of the heart? Why become overtly aggressive individuals, rather than seek to solve problems set by life. Why become revengeful when we can penetrate the essence of things and phenomena and to penetrate into ourselves the goodness that is always within? It has been said: give me the madman's sudden insight and the child's spiritual dignity." Perfection is to become enlightened and it is not magical transcendence of the human condition but a full flowering of humanity with the affirmations of ethics, morality, compassion based upon mindfulness and loving kindness. Life swings on an ethical hinge, if you loosen that hinge all history, and even nature, will feel the shock. Jesus and Buddha have this in common, that their form of ethics is not an ethic of action, or lack of over responsibility, but an ethic of inner perfection. In the end, it will come down to a 5 decision of ethics, how we value the natural world in which we have evolved and increasingly how we regard our status as individuals connected to each other. We confront, we seek connection, and we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we are to each other. It seems we justify what happens when the party with the most "power" acts or pretends that this is not the case, creating overt chaos and overt acts to further their own agendas. Justice and compassion must play a greater role, to guide us, with integrity, steer and bridle our imagination so that they serve a great cause. We all need to find the justification to act well in the face of fear and greed. Fear is only the darkroom for developing negatives, overt motivation to harm and control. What we think depends on what we perceive. What we perceive determines what we believe. What we believe determines what we take to be true. What we take to be true is our reality. So we carry relative reality, and absolute reality, two truths. One points to with belief, this is not true reality of what really is. This must be experienced. Absolute reality is what enlightenment of the real truth is. In meditation when we find "emptiness," then you will find "fullness" of what reality truly is! Words of speech must be patient. First we sit down at a little distance for me, like that, in the grass or wherever. You will look at me, and I to you, you are in my world and I in yours. That is intimacy. When we often speak words, it is the source of misunderstanding, but haven't you noticed, you will sit a little closer to me and you a little more every day. We have used words we do not understand; we mimic the form of the floor, the walls of our mind, and the ceiling of our existence. Why not make life a little more kind and loving. What is your justification for being? What is your purpose in this life? What is your greatest motivation and how do you endure it? Editor’s Notes Dom Lupo - Inside Dharma Editor Well we’ve made it through another year and we have another year of practice under our belt. We had several requests lately for books and Pen Pals so I thought it was time to remind everyone of what our new policies are regarding these two issues. First, we no longer fill pen pal requests. We are such a small group that we just don’t have the man/woman power to do so. So we have made arrangements with two groups that can handle these requests. The thing is that when you write to these folks you need to remember that this service is for correspondence about your practice. It is not a social group or a dating service. You cannot ask for a specific gender (male or female) to write to you or ask for pictures. This would be very disrespectful to these groups who have agreed to help us. But if you looking to correspond to someone about your practice, you can write to the following programs: Prison Outreach Program San Francisco Zen Center 300 Page Street San Francisco, CA 94102 Prison Outreach Program Austin Zen Center 3014 Washington Square Austin, TX 78705 Now, onto the book requests; for a long time we would send books directly to inmates. Unfortunately many of these books were returned to us because it was against prison policy at those institutions for inmates to receive books directly or some other restriction or procedure that caused them to be returned. Each time this would happen we had to pay the return postage as well as the postage it took to send it. This doesn’t take into account the time and energy that someone took to box them and take them to the post office. Again we are a very small organization but we believe that we provide a great service yet we were losing a great deal of time and money in this process. So, we still want to send books to help in the growth of your practice, but from now on books can only be sent to chapel libraries and only if the person requesting provides the following information. 1. Chaplin’s Name 2. Chaplin’s Address 3. Either a letter from your Chaplin or a copy of the policies and procedures outlining how to donate to the chapel library. Once we receive this information we will send the material requested to your chapel library. This will save quite a bit of the few dollars we have so that money can be better use helping others rather than just giving it to the post office. Thank you for your understanding. Lately all that’s been in the news has been the government shut down. Now I am not foolish enough to get into a political discussion, but what I see happening on all sides is greed. Everyone seems to want more of what they want which in turn results in someone having less of what they want. Greed is one of the Three Poisons that lead to evil (akusala) and that bind us to suffering (dukkha). It also is one of the Five Hindrances to enlightenment. Barbara O'Brien at About.com comments on greed in her article Greed and Desire: “The English translations of the old Pali and Sanskrit texts use the words "greed" and "desire" interchangeably… The English word "greed" usually is defined as attempting to possess more than one 6 needs or deserves, especially at the expense of others. We're taught from childhood that we shouldn't be greedy. To "desire," however, is simply to want something very much. Our culture doesn't attach a moral judgment to desire. On the contrary, desire in the romantic sense is celebrated in music, art and literature. A desire for material possessions also is encouraged, and not just through advertising. People who have earned wealth and the possessions that go with it are held up as role models. Desiring things isn't "greedy" if we feel we deserve those things. From a Buddhist perspective, however, the distinction between greed and desire is artificial. To want passionately is a hindrance and a poison, whether one "deserves" the thing wanted or not. In Buddhism, more than one Pali or Sanskrit word is translated as "greed" or "desire." When we speak of the greed of the Three Poisons, the word for "greed" is lobha. This is an attraction to something that we think will gratify us. The word translated "greed" or "desire" in the Five Hindrances is kamacchanda (Pali) or abhidya (Sanskrit), which refers to sensual desire. This kind of desire is a hindrance to the mental concentration one needs to realize enlightenment. Related to greed is upadana, or clinging. More specifically, upadana are attachments that cause us to remain wandering in samsara, bound to birth and rebirth. There are four main types of upadana -attachment to senses, attachment to views, attachment to rites and rituals, and attachment to a belief in a permanent self. Because our culture implicitly values desire, we are unprepared for its dangers. But because our culture looks to moneymakers as heroes -- and money makers believe themselves to be wise and virtuous -- we don't see the destructive force of desire until it is too late.” Buddhism teaches us to avoid extreme views and find a middle way. It also sees people as being human with human nature. No matter who we are or how wise we may think we are, we exist in delusion and at times our greed gets the better of us, I know it gets the better of me at times. But Buddhism also teaches us not to view these episodes of greed in a judgmental way but just as things are, for no one is perfect and being aware of this is a good thing. Through practice though, greed and desire start to lose its power over us. Our meditation is that practice and a path to overcome greed and desire, So, GREED! is our next topic for the first issue of 2014. How has it reared its ugly head in your life? How do you see the connection between greed and desire? And most importantly, how do you deal with greed in your lives and in those around you? Or any other slant on greed and desire you would like to write about. Your submission need to be in by Dec. 16th 2013 to make it into the Jan – Feb issue. As always, thank you for participating in your sangha and good luck with your practice. PEN American Center Prison Writing Founded in 1971, It provides a place for inmates to express themselves freely and encourages the use of the written word as a legitimate form of power. Handbook for Writers in Prison PEN’s Handbook for Writers in Prison features detailed guides on the art of writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and screenplays—an invaluable resource for any incarcerated writer. Each year, thousands of free copies of the Handbook for Writers in Prison are sent to incarcerated men and women who request a copy. Annual Prison Writing Contest Every year hundreds of inmates from around the country submit poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic works to PEN’s Prison Writing Contest, one of the few outlets of free expression for the country’s incarcerated population. Manuscripts come to us in a variety of forms: some are handwritten, some are typed, and some are written in the margins of legal documents. For a free copy of the Handbook for Writers in Prison write to the address below: PEN American Center PEN’s Handbook for Writers 588 Broadway, Suite 303 New York, NY 10012 As always we encourage your question, comments and contributions! SEND your letters to: Letters to the Editor Inside Dharma P.O. Box 220721 Kirkwood, Mo. 63122 Submission Guidelines 1. Submissions need to be printed 2. Submissions need to be printed large enough, no very small print. 3. Submissions should have paragraph breaks if you want them in your submission 4. Submissions need to be 1000 word or less (preferably less) 5. Submissions cannot be returned 7 Inside Dharma P.O. Box 220721 St. Louis, Missouri 63122 NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ST. LOUIS MO PERMIT NO. 1129 Return Service Requested This issue is dedicated to "All those who have sewn their rakusu or in process of doing Jukai. A physical commitment to the practice." Inside Dharma is a bi-monthly Buddhist newsletter published by Inside Dharma, a not-for-profit organization based in St. Louis, Missouri. We publish Buddhist articles, stories, humor, and other writing submitted by current and former residents of correctional facilities, as well as friends, supporters, and spiritual teachers. Inside Dharma is dedicated to the free giving of the Dharma (Buddhist teachings). There is no charge to offenders or ex-offenders for subscriptions. However, donations are always appreciated. If you are interested in distributing this newsletter, please write to the editor or just send us the addresses to be added to the mailing list. This newsletter may be reproduced, whole or in part, for free distribution. Prior permission from the editor is required for any use for which a charge is applied. All submissions are subject to editing and Inside Dharma has the right to publish submissions, in whatever format and by whatever means it deems appropriate in its own or other Buddhist publications. 8