Sunday, June 29, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
From a friend of Do No Harm
I was recently asked: What is the point of the "do no harm" campaign?
The point is to remind ourselves to live harmlessly. We each experience, understand and view the world uniquely; but regardless of what we believe is the true nature of the universe, of others, and of ourselves – the holy life, the noble life, the well-lived life is to live harmlessly.
-Clyde
Do No Harm
The point is to remind ourselves to live harmlessly. We each experience, understand and view the world uniquely; but regardless of what we believe is the true nature of the universe, of others, and of ourselves – the holy life, the noble life, the well-lived life is to live harmlessly.
-Clyde
Do No Harm
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
COMFORT
You are not the first man to have the shakes,
the wheels, the horrors, to wear the scarlet
snowshoe, nor yet the invincible harlot
dogged by eyes like fishnets. Leaning, aches
the iron face with agate eyes, and wakes
the guardian angel, sees the past
a parthenon of possibilities...
You are not the first man to be caught lying,
nor to be told that you are dying.
Malcolm Lowry
the wheels, the horrors, to wear the scarlet
snowshoe, nor yet the invincible harlot
dogged by eyes like fishnets. Leaning, aches
the iron face with agate eyes, and wakes
the guardian angel, sees the past
a parthenon of possibilities...
You are not the first man to be caught lying,
nor to be told that you are dying.
Malcolm Lowry
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Anger
If those who are like wanton children
Are by nature prone to injure others,
What point is there in being angry--
Like resenting fire for its heat?
-Bodhicaryavatara
Are by nature prone to injure others,
What point is there in being angry--
Like resenting fire for its heat?
-Bodhicaryavatara
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
sums up a big part of my last 6 months
In the same way that someone in the midst of a rough crowd guards a wound with great care, so in the midst of bad company should one always guard the wound that is the mind.
-Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"
-Santideva, "Bodhicaryavatara"
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Queer Liberation and an end to repression
In a speech to the European Feminist Summit in London last month, activist and human rights advocate Peter Tatchell argued that by challenging traditional heterosexual masculinity, the queer emancipation movement can contribute to the liberation of all of humanity.
Queer liberation is not a mere minority issue, nor purely a question
of personal lifestyle, civil rights or sexual freedom.
It is, or can be, socially transformative, with the potential to aid all emancipation struggles everywhere.
Queers deviate from traditional masculinity. We reject the orthodox
model of what it is to be a man.
By so doing, we are sexual subversives who unravel the straight machismo that underpins all relations of oppression and exploitation.
Traditional hetero masculinity oppresses women and gay people, with
sexist jibes, domestic violence, rape, homophobic taunts and
queer-bashing assaults.
It is also a source of the toughness and aggression that makes possible the social violence of racist attacks, police brutality, war and torture.
Not all straight men embrace this macho mindset. Some rebel and
dissent.
Conversely, a few women and gay men also adopt their oppressor's machismo. But on a global scale it is predominantly heterosexual males who express violent masculinity and perpetrate such crimes.
Macho ways of thinking and acting are not, of course, biologically
ordained and immutable.
They are primarily the socially-determined product of a specific set of culturally-constructed institutions and ideologies.
In societies the world over, these institutions and ideologies
continue to result in male children being reared and socialised quite differently from female ones.
They tend to be conditioned to see rivalry, toughness, domination and even violence as acceptable and normal attributes for young boys and real men.
During boyhood these harsh masculine values often become internalised and machismo ends up being seen as a routine, legitimate and even desirable mode of male behaviour.
In contrast, emotion, sensitivity, gentleness, persuasion and
conciliation tend to be looked upon with relative disfavour amongst
men.
They are frequently depicted within our culture as signs of
weakness, typically associated with women and with gay men. We queers risk disparagement for failing to conform to a rugged masculine ideal.
In this cultural context, from a very early age many (not all) male
children learn to be competitive, strong, aggressive and unyielding.
The idea that problems can be ultimately resolved - and often validly resolved - by threats and violence becomes deeply etched into their inner psyche.
Echoing the women's liberation movement, the lesbian and gay
liberation movement that emerged four decades ago, following the
Stonewall Riots in New York in June 1969, identified straight machismo as a source of queer oppression and set out to challenge it.
In contrast to earlier, more liberal-oriented movements for homosexual law reform and equality, the 1970s Gay Liberation Fronts in New York and London did not seek to ape heterosexual values or secure the acceptance of queers within the existing sexual conventions.
Indeed, they repudiated the prevailing sexual morality and
institutions - rejecting not only heterosexism but also orthodox
heterosexual masculinity.
Straight maleness was seen as the oppressor of queers, as well as women; with its predisposition to male rivalry, toughness and aggression symbolised most potently by the rapist and the queer-basher.
The "radical drag" and "gender-bender" politics of Gay Liberation
Front politics glorified male gentleness.
It was a conscious, if sometimes exaggerated, attempt to renounce the oppressiveness of masculinity and subvert the way traditional masculinity functions to buttress the subordination of women and gay men.
Four decades on, we also need to question male/female gender roles and straight patriarchy, and the consequent macho cult of competitiveness, domination and violence � including its gay and female imitators.
Let's reaffirm the worthwhileness of male sensitivity and affection
between men and, in the case of lesbians, the intrinsic value of an
eroticism and love independent of heterosexual men.
The social implications of this new queer thinking are enormous. The
bottom line is this:
The construction of a cult of machismo and a mass of aggressive male
egos is a precondition for sexual, gender, class, species, ethnic and imperial oppression.
All forms of oppression depend on two factors for their continued maintenance.
First, on specific economic, political and ideological structures.
Second, on a significant proportion of the population being socialised into the acceptance of harsh masculine values which involve the legitimisation of aggression and the suppression of gentleness and emotion.
The embracing of these culturally-conditioned macho values is what
makes millions of people - mostly straight men, but some women and gay men too - able to participate in repressive regimes.
This interaction between social structures, ideology and individual
psychology was a thesis which the communist psychologist, Wilhelm
Reich, was attempting to articulate six decades ago in his book, The Mass Psychology of Fascism.
In the case of German fascism, what Nazism did was merely awake and
excite the latent brutality that is intrinsic to the forms of
heterosexual masculinity that are usually characteristic of
patriarchal class societies.
It then systematically manipulated and organised this machismo into a fascist regime of terror and torture which culminated in the holocaust.
Since it is the internalisation of the masculine cult of toughness and domination which makes people psychologically suited and willing to be part of oppressive relations of exploitation and subjection,
repressive states invariably glorify masculine "warrior" ideals, and
persecute those men - mainly queers - who fail to conform to them.
The embrace of masculine aggression by sizable chunks of the male
population is a prerequisite for injustice and tyranny.
Love and tenderness between men therefore ceases to be a purely private matter or simply a question of personal lifestyle. Instead, it objectively becomes an act of sexual and cultural subversion that undermines the psychological foundations of oppression.
Hence the Nazi vilification of gay men as "sexual subversives" and
"sexual saboteurs" who, in the words of Heinrich Himmler, had to be
"exterminated root and branch."
The ending of tyranny, injustice and exploitation therefore requires
us to change both the social structures and the individual personality.
To create people who, liberated from orthodox masculinity, no longer psychologically crave the power to dominate and exploit others and who are therefore unwilling to be the agents of oppressive regimes.
Whether as soldiers, police, gaolers and censors or as routine civil servants and state administrators who act as the passive agents of repression by keeping the day-to-day machinery of unjust government ticking over.
By challenging the cult of heterosexual masculinity, queer liberation is about much more than the limited agenda of equal rights.
It offers a unique, revolutionary contribution to the emancipation of the whole of humanity from all forms of subjugation.
Peter Tatchell is the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East.
www.greenoxford.com/peter and www.petertatchell.net
Thanks to Pink News UK
Queer liberation is not a mere minority issue, nor purely a question
of personal lifestyle, civil rights or sexual freedom.
It is, or can be, socially transformative, with the potential to aid all emancipation struggles everywhere.
Queers deviate from traditional masculinity. We reject the orthodox
model of what it is to be a man.
By so doing, we are sexual subversives who unravel the straight machismo that underpins all relations of oppression and exploitation.
Traditional hetero masculinity oppresses women and gay people, with
sexist jibes, domestic violence, rape, homophobic taunts and
queer-bashing assaults.
It is also a source of the toughness and aggression that makes possible the social violence of racist attacks, police brutality, war and torture.
Not all straight men embrace this macho mindset. Some rebel and
dissent.
Conversely, a few women and gay men also adopt their oppressor's machismo. But on a global scale it is predominantly heterosexual males who express violent masculinity and perpetrate such crimes.
Macho ways of thinking and acting are not, of course, biologically
ordained and immutable.
They are primarily the socially-determined product of a specific set of culturally-constructed institutions and ideologies.
In societies the world over, these institutions and ideologies
continue to result in male children being reared and socialised quite differently from female ones.
They tend to be conditioned to see rivalry, toughness, domination and even violence as acceptable and normal attributes for young boys and real men.
During boyhood these harsh masculine values often become internalised and machismo ends up being seen as a routine, legitimate and even desirable mode of male behaviour.
In contrast, emotion, sensitivity, gentleness, persuasion and
conciliation tend to be looked upon with relative disfavour amongst
men.
They are frequently depicted within our culture as signs of
weakness, typically associated with women and with gay men. We queers risk disparagement for failing to conform to a rugged masculine ideal.
In this cultural context, from a very early age many (not all) male
children learn to be competitive, strong, aggressive and unyielding.
The idea that problems can be ultimately resolved - and often validly resolved - by threats and violence becomes deeply etched into their inner psyche.
Echoing the women's liberation movement, the lesbian and gay
liberation movement that emerged four decades ago, following the
Stonewall Riots in New York in June 1969, identified straight machismo as a source of queer oppression and set out to challenge it.
In contrast to earlier, more liberal-oriented movements for homosexual law reform and equality, the 1970s Gay Liberation Fronts in New York and London did not seek to ape heterosexual values or secure the acceptance of queers within the existing sexual conventions.
Indeed, they repudiated the prevailing sexual morality and
institutions - rejecting not only heterosexism but also orthodox
heterosexual masculinity.
Straight maleness was seen as the oppressor of queers, as well as women; with its predisposition to male rivalry, toughness and aggression symbolised most potently by the rapist and the queer-basher.
The "radical drag" and "gender-bender" politics of Gay Liberation
Front politics glorified male gentleness.
It was a conscious, if sometimes exaggerated, attempt to renounce the oppressiveness of masculinity and subvert the way traditional masculinity functions to buttress the subordination of women and gay men.
Four decades on, we also need to question male/female gender roles and straight patriarchy, and the consequent macho cult of competitiveness, domination and violence � including its gay and female imitators.
Let's reaffirm the worthwhileness of male sensitivity and affection
between men and, in the case of lesbians, the intrinsic value of an
eroticism and love independent of heterosexual men.
The social implications of this new queer thinking are enormous. The
bottom line is this:
The construction of a cult of machismo and a mass of aggressive male
egos is a precondition for sexual, gender, class, species, ethnic and imperial oppression.
All forms of oppression depend on two factors for their continued maintenance.
First, on specific economic, political and ideological structures.
Second, on a significant proportion of the population being socialised into the acceptance of harsh masculine values which involve the legitimisation of aggression and the suppression of gentleness and emotion.
The embracing of these culturally-conditioned macho values is what
makes millions of people - mostly straight men, but some women and gay men too - able to participate in repressive regimes.
This interaction between social structures, ideology and individual
psychology was a thesis which the communist psychologist, Wilhelm
Reich, was attempting to articulate six decades ago in his book, The Mass Psychology of Fascism.
In the case of German fascism, what Nazism did was merely awake and
excite the latent brutality that is intrinsic to the forms of
heterosexual masculinity that are usually characteristic of
patriarchal class societies.
It then systematically manipulated and organised this machismo into a fascist regime of terror and torture which culminated in the holocaust.
Since it is the internalisation of the masculine cult of toughness and domination which makes people psychologically suited and willing to be part of oppressive relations of exploitation and subjection,
repressive states invariably glorify masculine "warrior" ideals, and
persecute those men - mainly queers - who fail to conform to them.
The embrace of masculine aggression by sizable chunks of the male
population is a prerequisite for injustice and tyranny.
Love and tenderness between men therefore ceases to be a purely private matter or simply a question of personal lifestyle. Instead, it objectively becomes an act of sexual and cultural subversion that undermines the psychological foundations of oppression.
Hence the Nazi vilification of gay men as "sexual subversives" and
"sexual saboteurs" who, in the words of Heinrich Himmler, had to be
"exterminated root and branch."
The ending of tyranny, injustice and exploitation therefore requires
us to change both the social structures and the individual personality.
To create people who, liberated from orthodox masculinity, no longer psychologically crave the power to dominate and exploit others and who are therefore unwilling to be the agents of oppressive regimes.
Whether as soldiers, police, gaolers and censors or as routine civil servants and state administrators who act as the passive agents of repression by keeping the day-to-day machinery of unjust government ticking over.
By challenging the cult of heterosexual masculinity, queer liberation is about much more than the limited agenda of equal rights.
It offers a unique, revolutionary contribution to the emancipation of the whole of humanity from all forms of subjugation.
Peter Tatchell is the Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford East.
www.greenoxford.com/peter and www.petertatchell.net
Thanks to Pink News UK
Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Theme of Dharma Practice
The foundation and initial goal of [our] transformation is avoiding doing harm to others. Whether alone or with others, we must strive to avoid doing harm either directly with our words or deeds or indirectly with our thoughts and intentions. We may injure others with abuse, slander, sarcasm, and deceit, or by acts of omission due to insensitivity and thoughtlessness. The most subtle way of harming others is indirectly by means of our thoughts, judgments, and attitudes. When the mind is dominated by hostility, we may be viciously attacking others with our thoughts. Although no apparent injury may be inflicted, these thoughts affect us internally and influence our way of interacting with others, and the long-term effect is invariably harmful. So the initial theme of Dharma practice is a nonviolent approach to our own lives, to other living beings, and to our environment. This is a foundation for spiritual practice, and can provide well-being for both ourselves and others. On this basis of nonviolence we can look for ways to serve others keeping in mind that any work will be altruistic if our motivation is one of kindness and friendliness. --B. Alan Wallace,
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
This is I
As wax melts near a lit wick and burns, it emits light near the tip of the candle. For the most part, this place from which light is emitted remains the same and appears as a fixed shape; it is this seemingly unchanging shape that we refer to as flame. That which is called I is similar to the flame. Although both body and mind are an unceasing flow, since they preserve what seems to be a constant form, we refer to them as I. Therefore, actually there is no I existing as some substantial thing; there is only the ceaseless flow.... That there is this seemingly fixed form based on various conditions is interdependence.
--Kosho Uchiyama, Opening the Hand of Thought
From Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
As wax melts near a lit wick and burns, it emits light near the tip of the candle. For the most part, this place from which light is emitted remains the same and appears as a fixed shape; it is this seemingly unchanging shape that we refer to as flame. That which is called I is similar to the flame. Although both body and mind are an unceasing flow, since they preserve what seems to be a constant form, we refer to them as I. Therefore, actually there is no I existing as some substantial thing; there is only the ceaseless flow.... That there is this seemingly fixed form based on various conditions is interdependence.
--Kosho Uchiyama, Opening the Hand of Thought
From Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Gay Buddhist Fellowship
By the power and truth of this practice,
may all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness,
may all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow
all never be separated from the sacred
happiness which is without sorrow,
and may all live in equanimity,
without too much attachment or too much aversion,
and live believing in the equality of all that lives.
—GBF Dedication of Merit
may all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness,
may all be free from sorrow and the causes of sorrow
all never be separated from the sacred
happiness which is without sorrow,
and may all live in equanimity,
without too much attachment or too much aversion,
and live believing in the equality of all that lives.
—GBF Dedication of Merit
Friday, February 29, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
THE FOURTEEN PRECEPTS
By Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh (From the book Interbeing)
1
Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth.2
Do not think the knowledge you presently possess is changeless, absolute truth. Avoid being narrow minded and bound to present views. Learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Truth is found in life and not merely in conceptual knowledge. Be ready to learn throughout your entire life and to observe reality in yourself and in the world at all times.3
Do not force others, including children, by any means whatsoever, to adopt your views, whether by authority, threat, money, propaganda, or even education. However, through compassionate dialogue, help others renounce fanaticism and narrow-mindedness.4
Do not avoid suffering or close your eyes before suffering. Do not lose awareness of the existence of suffering in the life of the world. Find ways to be with those who are suffering, including personal contact, visits, images and sounds. By such means, awaken yourself and others to the reality of suffering in the world.5
Do not accumulate wealth while millions are hungry. Do not take as the aim of your life fame, profit, wealth, or sensual pleasure. Live simply and share time, energy, and material resources with those who are in need.6
Do not maintain anger or hatred. Learn to penetrate and transform them when they are still seeds in your consciousness. As soon as they arise, turn your attention to your breath in order to see and understand the nature of your hatred.7
Do not lose yourself in dispersion and in your surroundings. Practice mindful breathing to come back to what is happening in the present moment. Be in touch with what is wondrous, refreshing, and healing both inside and around you. Plant seeds of joy, peace, and understanding in yourself in order to facilitate the work of transformation in the depths of your consciousness.8
Do not utter words that can create discord and cause the community to break. Make every effort to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.9
Do not say untruthful things for the sake of personal interest or to impress people. Do not utter words that cause division and hatred. Do not spread news that you do not know to be certain. Do not criticize or condemn things of which you are not sure. Always speak truthfully and constructively. Have the courage to speak out about situations of injustice, even when doing so may threaten your own safety.10
Do not use the Buddhist community for personal gain or profit, or transform your community into a political party. A religious community, however, should take a clear stand against oppression and injustice and should strive to change the situation without engaging in partisan conflicts.11
Do not live with a vocation that is harmful to humans and nature. Do not invest in companies that deprive others of their chance to live. Select a vocation that helps realise your ideal of compassion.12
Do not kill. Do not let others kill. Find whatever means possible to protect life and prevent war.13
Possess nothing that should belong to others. Respect the property of others, but prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on Earth.14
Do not mistreat your body. Learn to handle it with respect. Do not look on your body as only an instrument. Preserve vital energies (sexual, breath, spirit) for the realisation of the Way. (For brothers and sisters who are not monks and nuns:) Sexual expression should not take place without love and commitment. In sexual relations, be aware of future suffering that may be caused. To preserve the happiness of others, respect the rights and commitments of others. Be fully aware of the responsibility of bringing new lives into the world. Meditate on the world into which you are bringing new beings.From the book 'Interbeing': Fourteen Guidelines for Engaged Buddhism, revised edition: Oct. l993 by Thich Nhat Hanh, published by Parallax Press, Berkeley, California
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
"He abides, having suffused with a mind of loving-kindness
one direction of the world,
likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth,
and so above, below, around and
everywhere, and to all as to himself;
he abides suffusing the entire universe with loving-kindness,
with a mind grown great, lofty, boundless and
free from enmity and ill will."[10]
one direction of the world,
likewise the second, likewise the third, likewise the fourth,
and so above, below, around and
everywhere, and to all as to himself;
he abides suffusing the entire universe with loving-kindness,
with a mind grown great, lofty, boundless and
free from enmity and ill will."[10]
Metta Sutta
This is what should be done | Karaṇīyam- |
| Whatever living beings there may be; | Ye keci pāṇa bhūtatthi |
| The seen and the unseen, | Diṭṭhā vā yeva addiṭṭhā |
| Let none deceive another, | Na paro paraṃ nikubbetha |
| Even as a mother protects with her life | Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ āyusā |
| Radiating kindness over the entire world | Mettaṃ ca sabbalokasmiṃ |
| Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down | Tiṭṭhaṃ caraṃ nisinno vā sayāno |
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Buddha Vacana
Verse 52:
Come, live with the doors of the senses guarded, watchfully mindful, carefully mindful with the ways of the mind well watched, possessed of a mind that is awake and observing.
Come, live with the doors of the senses guarded, watchfully mindful, carefully mindful with the ways of the mind well watched, possessed of a mind that is awake and observing.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Engaged Buddhism
1. Aware of the violence in the world and of the power of non-violent resistance, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate the compassion that seeks to protect each living being.
2. Aware of the poverty and greed in the world and of the intrinsic abundance of the earth, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate the simplicity, gratitude, and generosity that have no limits.
3. Aware of the abuse and lovelessness in the world and of the healing that is made possible when we open to love, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate respect for the beauty and erotic power of our bodies.
4. Aware of the falsehood and deception in the world and of the power of living and speaking the truth, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate the ability to listen; and clarity and integrity in all I communicate—by my words and actions.
5. Aware of the contamination and desecration of the world and of my responsibility for life as it manifests through me, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate; discernment and care in what I take into my body and mind.
The Three Refuges
1. I take refuge in the Buddha.
I stand with clear intention to work for the Awakening and Liberation of all Beings
2. I take refuge in the Dharma.
I stand with gratitude for all the ways that lead to the Awakening and Liberation of all Beings
3. I take refuge in the Sangha.
I stand in solidarity with all the Communities that support and work for the Awakening and Liberation of all Beings
2. Aware of the poverty and greed in the world and of the intrinsic abundance of the earth, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate the simplicity, gratitude, and generosity that have no limits.
3. Aware of the abuse and lovelessness in the world and of the healing that is made possible when we open to love, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate respect for the beauty and erotic power of our bodies.
4. Aware of the falsehood and deception in the world and of the power of living and speaking the truth, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate the ability to listen; and clarity and integrity in all I communicate—by my words and actions.
5. Aware of the contamination and desecration of the world and of my responsibility for life as it manifests through me, I stand in the presence of the ancestors, the earth, and future generations and vow to cultivate; discernment and care in what I take into my body and mind.
The Three Refuges
1. I take refuge in the Buddha.
I stand with clear intention to work for the Awakening and Liberation of all Beings
2. I take refuge in the Dharma.
I stand with gratitude for all the ways that lead to the Awakening and Liberation of all Beings
3. I take refuge in the Sangha.
I stand in solidarity with all the Communities that support and work for the Awakening and Liberation of all Beings
Monday, February 18, 2008
The absolute desire of 'having more' encourages the selfishness that destroys communal bonds among the children of God. It does so because the idolatry of riches prevents the majority from sharing the goods that the Creator has made for all, and in the all-possessing minority it produces an exaggerated pleasure in these goods.
Archbishop Oscar Romero
Archbishop Oscar Romero
Where the mind is without fear and the head held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thought and action;
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
Rabindranath Tagore
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Perspective
- ‘He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me’
- — in those who harbor such thoughts hatred will never cease.
- ‘He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me’
- — In those who do not harbor such thoughts hatred will cease.
- (Dhammapada 1.3-4; trans. Radhakrishnan)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Dhammapada
Verse 37:
45. A striver-on-the path shall overcome this earth, this realm of Yama and this sphere of men and gods. The striver-on-the-path shall bring to perfection the well-taught path of wisdom, as an expert garland-maker would his floral design.
What is The Dhammapada?
The Dhammapada is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya in the Pali Canon.
Source: From The Dhammapa: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom, translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita, with an Introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the print edition in 1996 by a volunteer under the auspices of the DharmaNet Transcription Project, with the kind permission of the BPS.
Copyright c 1985 Buddhist Publication Society.
Access to Insight edition c 1996
45. A striver-on-the path shall overcome this earth, this realm of Yama and this sphere of men and gods. The striver-on-the-path shall bring to perfection the well-taught path of wisdom, as an expert garland-maker would his floral design.
What is The Dhammapada?
The Dhammapada is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya in the Pali Canon.
Source: From The Dhammapa: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom, translated from the Pali by Acharya Buddharakkhita, with an Introduction by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society, 1985). Transcribed from the print edition in 1996 by a volunteer under the auspices of the DharmaNet Transcription Project, with the kind permission of the BPS.
Copyright c 1985 Buddhist Publication Society.
Access to Insight edition c 1996
Rumi
This quest is blessed; your seeking destroys the obstacles on the way of God. Your seeking is the key to what you seek, this quest is your army and the victory of your banners.
M III 1442/1443
Sunday, February 3, 2008
On Buddhism and Homosexuality
From Buddhanet
Buddhism teaches to, and expects from, its followers a certain level of ethical behaviour. The minimum that is required of the lay Buddhist is embodied in what is called the Five Precepts (panca sila), the third of which relates to sexual behaviour. Whether or not homosexuality, sexual behaviour between people of the same sex, would be breaking the third Precept is what I would like to examine here.
Read More...
Buddhism teaches to, and expects from, its followers a certain level of ethical behaviour. The minimum that is required of the lay Buddhist is embodied in what is called the Five Precepts (panca sila), the third of which relates to sexual behaviour. Whether or not homosexuality, sexual behaviour between people of the same sex, would be breaking the third Precept is what I would like to examine here.
Read More...
Friday, February 1, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
2 Good Lessons on Karma
Tricycle's Daily Dharma
What Does Karma Mean?
In simple terms, what does karma mean? It means that whatever we do, with our body, speech, or mind, will have a corresponding result. Each action, even the smallest, is pregnant with its consequences. It is said by the masters that even a little poison can cause death, and even a little seed can become a huge tree. And as Buddha said: "Do not overlook negative actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain." Similarly he said: "Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel." Karma does not decay like external things, or ever become inoperative. It cannot be destroyed "by time, fire, or water." Its power will never disappear, until it is ripened. - Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying from Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smit
The Light of the World
The Buddha identified karma as a volitional activity. That is, each volition in the mind is like a seed with tremendous potential. In the same way that the smallest acorn contains the potential of a great oak tree, so too each of our willed actions contains the seed of karmic results. The particular result depends on the qualities of mind associated with each volition. Greed, hatred, and delusion are unwholesome qualities that produce fruits of suffering; generosity, love, and wisdom are wholesome factors that bear fruits of happiness. The Buddha called the understanding of this law of karma, the law of action and result, the "light of the world," because it illuminates how life unfolds and why things are the way they are. The wisdom of this understanding allows us the freedom to make wise choices in our life. - Joseph Goldstein, Insight Meditation from Everyday Mind, ATricycle book edited by Jean Smith
What Does Karma Mean?
In simple terms, what does karma mean? It means that whatever we do, with our body, speech, or mind, will have a corresponding result. Each action, even the smallest, is pregnant with its consequences. It is said by the masters that even a little poison can cause death, and even a little seed can become a huge tree. And as Buddha said: "Do not overlook negative actions merely because they are small; however small a spark may be, it can burn down a haystack as big as a mountain." Similarly he said: "Do not overlook tiny good actions, thinking they are of no benefit; even tiny drops of water in the end will fill a huge vessel." Karma does not decay like external things, or ever become inoperative. It cannot be destroyed "by time, fire, or water." Its power will never disappear, until it is ripened. - Sogyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying from Everyday Mind, a Tricycle book edited by Jean Smit
The Light of the World
The Buddha identified karma as a volitional activity. That is, each volition in the mind is like a seed with tremendous potential. In the same way that the smallest acorn contains the potential of a great oak tree, so too each of our willed actions contains the seed of karmic results. The particular result depends on the qualities of mind associated with each volition. Greed, hatred, and delusion are unwholesome qualities that produce fruits of suffering; generosity, love, and wisdom are wholesome factors that bear fruits of happiness. The Buddha called the understanding of this law of karma, the law of action and result, the "light of the world," because it illuminates how life unfolds and why things are the way they are. The wisdom of this understanding allows us the freedom to make wise choices in our life. - Joseph Goldstein, Insight Meditation from Everyday Mind, ATricycle book edited by Jean Smith
Once the temple flag was blowing in the wind.
Two monks were arguing about it.
One said: "The flag is moving."
The other said: "The wind is moving."
Thus they argued back and forth, reaching no agreement.
Then the Patriarch [Master Huineng] said:
"It is not the wind that's moving; it's not the flag that's moving -
it's your mind that's moving."
Two monks were arguing about it.
One said: "The flag is moving."
The other said: "The wind is moving."
Thus they argued back and forth, reaching no agreement.
Then the Patriarch [Master Huineng] said:
"It is not the wind that's moving; it's not the flag that's moving -
it's your mind that's moving."
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Daily Enlightenment
From BuddhaNet
There are many things we have to learn. But there are not "too many" things-the number is just right despite it being astronomical. This is because what we ought to learn, we ought to learn. It is crucial then, that we live sharply and mindfully, moving quickly through the school of life, learning lessons properly and promptly, paying attention to the details going through the mind, being honest and undefensive to oneself and the world. Life is short. This makes learning quickly and moving on quickly important. This is where the practice of effort and energy comes in. For example, if you know you have a bad temper, read about it, meditate on it... ask others about it. Do the following:
1. Truly recognise the state of anger.
2. Truly recognise its causes.
3. Truly recognise what angerlessness is-peace and calm.
4. Truly recognise the path that leads to angerlessness and walk it.
Sometimes, the anger returns-but if you are able to recognize it each time, resolving it becomes easier and faster. That, if you had noticed, is the formula according to the structure of the Four Noble Truths-it is the universal problem-solving approach. It is possible for us to train ourselves such that we can quickly run through this formula within our minds within seconds when anger arises. As soon as anger arises, it can diminish into non-existence. Don't believe it? Here's a scenario:
1. Someone blames you for something.
2. You hear it and anger arises. (takes 1/2 second to be recognised if mindful enough)
3. You recognise its cause. (takes 1/2 second)
4. You remember how you should be-angerless and calm (takes 1/2 second)
5. You search for the yourself there and then and realise that there is no one "person" angry-there is just an attachment to an unreal self. (takes 2 seconds)
You see? Took only 3.5 seconds. It can be done. Pretty soon if you mastered this, you can hardly get angry generally. The only difficult part is being mindful-extinguishing the volcano of anger before it erupts.
There are many things we have to learn. But there are not "too many" things-the number is just right despite it being astronomical. This is because what we ought to learn, we ought to learn. It is crucial then, that we live sharply and mindfully, moving quickly through the school of life, learning lessons properly and promptly, paying attention to the details going through the mind, being honest and undefensive to oneself and the world. Life is short. This makes learning quickly and moving on quickly important. This is where the practice of effort and energy comes in. For example, if you know you have a bad temper, read about it, meditate on it... ask others about it. Do the following:
1. Truly recognise the state of anger.
2. Truly recognise its causes.
3. Truly recognise what angerlessness is-peace and calm.
4. Truly recognise the path that leads to angerlessness and walk it.
Sometimes, the anger returns-but if you are able to recognize it each time, resolving it becomes easier and faster. That, if you had noticed, is the formula according to the structure of the Four Noble Truths-it is the universal problem-solving approach. It is possible for us to train ourselves such that we can quickly run through this formula within our minds within seconds when anger arises. As soon as anger arises, it can diminish into non-existence. Don't believe it? Here's a scenario:
1. Someone blames you for something.
2. You hear it and anger arises. (takes 1/2 second to be recognised if mindful enough)
3. You recognise its cause. (takes 1/2 second)
4. You remember how you should be-angerless and calm (takes 1/2 second)
5. You search for the yourself there and then and realise that there is no one "person" angry-there is just an attachment to an unreal self. (takes 2 seconds)
You see? Took only 3.5 seconds. It can be done. Pretty soon if you mastered this, you can hardly get angry generally. The only difficult part is being mindful-extinguishing the volcano of anger before it erupts.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
From Tricycle
The Buddha described what we call self as a collection of aggregates elements of mind and body that function interdependently, creating the appearance of woman or man. We then identify with that image or appearance, taking it to be I or mine, imagining it to have some inherent self-existence. For example, we get up in the morning, look in the mirror, recognize the reflection, and think, Yes, thats me again. We then add all kinds of concepts to this sense of self: Im a woman or man, Im a certain age, Im a happy or unhappy person the list goes on and on.
When we examine our experience, though, we see that there is not some core being to whom experience refers; rather it is simply empty phenomena rolling on. It is empty in the sense that there is no one behind the arising and changing phenomena to whom they happen. A rainbow is a good example of this. We go outside after a rainstorm and feel that moment of delight if a rainbow appears in the sky. Mostly, we simply enjoy the sight without investigating the real nature of what is happening. But when we look more deeply, it becomes clear that there is no thing called rainbow apart from the particular conditions of air and moisture and light.
Each one of us is like that rainbow an appearance, a magical display, arising out our various elements of mind and body. --Joseph Goldstein, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review,/i>, Vol. VI, #3
from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
The Buddha described what we call self as a collection of aggregates elements of mind and body that function interdependently, creating the appearance of woman or man. We then identify with that image or appearance, taking it to be I or mine, imagining it to have some inherent self-existence. For example, we get up in the morning, look in the mirror, recognize the reflection, and think, Yes, thats me again. We then add all kinds of concepts to this sense of self: Im a woman or man, Im a certain age, Im a happy or unhappy person the list goes on and on.
When we examine our experience, though, we see that there is not some core being to whom experience refers; rather it is simply empty phenomena rolling on. It is empty in the sense that there is no one behind the arising and changing phenomena to whom they happen. A rainbow is a good example of this. We go outside after a rainstorm and feel that moment of delight if a rainbow appears in the sky. Mostly, we simply enjoy the sight without investigating the real nature of what is happening. But when we look more deeply, it becomes clear that there is no thing called rainbow apart from the particular conditions of air and moisture and light.
Each one of us is like that rainbow an appearance, a magical display, arising out our various elements of mind and body. --Joseph Goldstein, Tricycle: The Buddhist Review,/i>, Vol. VI, #3
from Everyday Mind, edited by Jean Smith, a Tricycle book
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Socrates
I do nothing but go about persuading you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your persons or your properties, but and chiefly to care about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man, public as well as private. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corrupts the youth, I am a mischievous person.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Martin Luther King Jr.
Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
Friday, January 18, 2008
A person with the tendency to respond will succeed in all walks of life; a person who is not responsive will become disappointed in all affairs of life. Responsiveness comes by interest, also by concentration, also by power of one's mind. ... Responsiveness may be explained as faith, trust, concentration, singlemindedness, a living interest, contemplation, and love. To respond means to give full attention and not divided attention but single attention. Responsiveness is focusing one's whole being to something of interest. When a person, even in his interest in worldly affairs, has so developed his faculty of responsiveness, then it becomes easy for him to respond to the call of the Spirit.
The mystery of responsiveness is that the responsive one must forget himself in order to respond; and the same mystery may be called the path to perfection. A person who is not capable of forgetting himself, however good, pious, or spiritual, will always prove imperfect in his life. All misery comes from the consciousness of the self. The one who does not forget is constantly called by his own limited life, which enslaves him constantly. The one who forgets himself receives the call of God.
~~~ "Sangatha II, Tasawwuf ", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)
The mystery of responsiveness is that the responsive one must forget himself in order to respond; and the same mystery may be called the path to perfection. A person who is not capable of forgetting himself, however good, pious, or spiritual, will always prove imperfect in his life. All misery comes from the consciousness of the self. The one who does not forget is constantly called by his own limited life, which enslaves him constantly. The one who forgets himself receives the call of God.
~~~ "Sangatha II, Tasawwuf ", by Hazrat Inayat Khan (unpublished)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Inter-are
You are me and I am you.
It is obvious that we are inter-are.
you cultivate the flower in yourself
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself
so that you do not have to suffer.
I support you
you support me.
I am here to bring you peace
you are here to bring me joy.
Thich Nhat Hanh
It is obvious that we are inter-are.
you cultivate the flower in yourself
so that I will be beautiful.
I transform the garbage in myself
so that you do not have to suffer.
I support you
you support me.
I am here to bring you peace
you are here to bring me joy.
Thich Nhat Hanh
Sunday, January 13, 2008
My Aftercare Program
"Expectations are premeditated resentments"
Buddhism teaches us that all anticipated results of our actions are merely fantasies.
Buddhism teaches us that all anticipated results of our actions are merely fantasies.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
John Legend
"Show Me"
I realized as I lay down to sleep
We haven't spoke in weeks
So many things that I'd like to know
Come have a talk with me
I need a sign, something I can see
Why all the mystery?
I try not to fall for make believe
But what is reality?
Where do we go?
What do we know?
Life has to have a meaning
Show me the light
Show me the way
Show that you're listening
Show me that you love me
Show me that you walk with me
Hopefully, just above me
Heaven's watching over me
Guess it's funny how I say thanks to you
For all you've given me
Sometimes the price of what you gave to me
I can't stop questioning
O God of love, peace, and mercy
Why so much suffering?
I pray for the world, it gets worse to me
Wonder if you're listening
When people go
Why do they go?
Why don't you choose me?
But someday I know
I'm gonna go
I hope you're waiting for me
Show me that you love me
Show me that you walk with me
Hopefully, just above me
Heaven's watching over me
Maybe we'll talk
Some other night
Right now I'll take it easy
Won't spent my time
Waiting to die
Enjoy the life I'm living
Show me that you love me
Show me that you walk with me
Hopefully, just above me
Heaven's watching over me
I realized as I lay down to sleep
We haven't spoke in weeks
So many things that I'd like to know
Come have a talk with me
I need a sign, something I can see
Why all the mystery?
I try not to fall for make believe
But what is reality?
Where do we go?
What do we know?
Life has to have a meaning
Show me the light
Show me the way
Show that you're listening
Show me that you love me
Show me that you walk with me
Hopefully, just above me
Heaven's watching over me
Guess it's funny how I say thanks to you
For all you've given me
Sometimes the price of what you gave to me
I can't stop questioning
O God of love, peace, and mercy
Why so much suffering?
I pray for the world, it gets worse to me
Wonder if you're listening
When people go
Why do they go?
Why don't you choose me?
But someday I know
I'm gonna go
I hope you're waiting for me
Show me that you love me
Show me that you walk with me
Hopefully, just above me
Heaven's watching over me
Maybe we'll talk
Some other night
Right now I'll take it easy
Won't spent my time
Waiting to die
Enjoy the life I'm living
Show me that you love me
Show me that you walk with me
Hopefully, just above me
Heaven's watching over me
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