From "Touching the Energy of the Bodhisattvas" by Thich Nhat Hanh

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We bring all our body and mind to one point, and we are in touch with that energy. Our hands are like a lotus bud, we touch our forehead: "With all our brain". We bring our hands down to our heart and we are in touch with our heart: "With all our heart". It means we take our brain, we take our heart, and then we put our two hands out to the side and touch the earth. And when our two feet, our two hands and our head are touching the earth we turn our hands upwards very straight, to show that we don't retain anything, we haven't held back anything of ourself. And we open the doors of our soul, of our body, all the cells in our body, in order to receive the energy of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, which is already in our body, so that it can circulate in our body. And as we touch the earth we breathe in and out three times to look deeply. While we are on the earth we need to be really there, we need to follow our breathing, we need to allow the energy of the Buddhas, the bodhisattvas, the ancestral teachers to manifest. And after we prostrate like that we will be a different person. After three breaths in and out there will be a stopping of the bell, and at that point we turn our two hands around to put them on the earth, and we stand up.

When we are prostrating our forehead should be touching the floor, and our two hands and our two feet should be touching the floor. We should be as close to the floor as possible, we should not leave any space between our body and the floor. And we have to let go of everything. We have to surrender ourself and not hold anything back which we consider to be "mine". All my inferiority complexes, my pride, everything I think that I am, all that I think my value is I let go of it and I become emptiness, and then the door opens and the energy of the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and ancestral teachers can be transmitted. If we keep our pride, our inferiority complex , that we have achieved this, we have achieved that, if we hold on to our anger, our hatred when we are touching the earth, then that stiff shell is still there and the prostrating has no fruit. So we have to let go of everything and then our body and our mind can be open. When our forehead is touching the earth and our two hands are touching the earth we open our hands to show that we are not hiding anything, holding anything, we have let go of everything. And our two hands have to be straight, opened up (and some people lift their hands up a little bit) to show I am not holding anything, I have wholly let go of everything, all my ideas about myself. And then you can join the stream, the spiritual stream or the life stream of your ancestors. Because we are cut off from that stream when we are lonely and caught in ideas of ourself….

Buddha Sakyamuni represents our aim, our point of arrival; that is, the absolute, the upward direction. There are two directions, Buddha represents the upper direction, and Mara represents the lower direction. There are moments in our life when our body and mind are going in the direction of Mara, when we are sad, when we are worrying, when we are going in a non-constructive way. For example we see on the table a very tasty dish. We have enough clarity to know that if we eat that dish we will receive unpleasant consequences. We know that very clearly. Our wisdom knows that if we eat that tonight we know what will happen. But there is another force which says: "Go on, eat it, what happens afterward will happen, there's always a medicine you can take." So there is a difference between the two. Wisdom says: "You shouldn't eat that." And then the other one says: "Why don't you eat it, go on, have it, let's live the present moment." And at that moment we can choose whether we go in the upper direction or the lower direction, it's up to us. And it depends whether we have the energy of mindfulness, whether our body and mind are together, because that will give us the opportunity to go in the upper direction. But if our mindfulness is weak, then we don't have the force to go in the upper direction. And sometimes we go backward and forward all day long.

We have a bodhisattva whose name is Manjushri…. Manjushri is Great Wisdom, and … he can be symbolised by an eye, the eye of wisdom. Manjushri is the eye of wisdom of the Buddha. As far as history is concerned it may be different, but as far as the ultimate dimension is concerned we should know that the element of Manjushri is the element of wisdom in Buddha Sakyamuni. So Buddha Sakyamuni and Manjushri are the same. And when we touch the earth before Manjushri we are turning also toward our own capacity to wake up and become Buddha. The object of our prostration is not the statue of Manjushri on the altar. The object of our prostration is to be in touch with the element of Manjushri which is in us, that is, the wisdom of the Buddha. "With one mind I bow down before Manjushri, the bodhisattva of Great Wisdom." And we see clearly that we are going in the energy of Great Wisdom when we do that, and our Right Mindfulness helps us to be in touch with bodhisattva Manjushri.

We have another bodhisattva whose name is Avalokiteshvara. Avalokiteshvara symbolises another hand of the Buddha, and that is the hand of love and compassion. We can say that Avalokiteshvara is Buddha, Avalokiteshvara is the hand of love of the Buddha, because the Buddha is complete love and understanding. Usually Avalokiteshvara is symbolised by an ear, because Avalokiteshvara has the capacity to listen to the suffering of people, to understand, and to find them and help them. When we prostrate to Quan The Am (Vietnamese for Avalokiteshvara) we are in touch with the energy of love in ourself. We see we have the capacity to listen deeply, to love and to understand. First of all to listen to ourself, to hear ourself and love ourself. Because if we cannot understand and love ourself how do we have the energy to love and understand others. So these sources of energy are all energies of the Buddha, and they are all in us. Manjushri is Buddha, Avalokiteshvara is also Buddha….

Another bodhisattva is called Samantabhadra, which means universal kindness. It is the energy of the great vow, great aspiration, and Great Action. Therefore Samantabhadra is symbolised by a hand, the hand of action. And when we prostrate before Samantabhadra we are in touch with the energy of the aspiration and the action of Buddha, and Samantabhadra is the hand of the Buddha. Buddha is Great Understanding, Great Compassion and Great Action.

Alongside them we have another bodhisattva whose name is Ksitigarbha. Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva who has a great aspiration. His aspiration is to be present wherever there is suffering, wherever there is hell; it could be our office. Therefore Ksitigarbha represents a Great Vow, Great Aspiration. A Great Vow is a great energy, and when we have the energy of Great Vow we are strong, we will not fall down before any difficulty. Even if it's cold below freezing we still go out. If there are thousands of obstacles on our path we still overcome them. When the mountains fall we still continue. Because in us we have a great vow. So we have Great Compassion, Great Understanding, Great Vow and Great Action, and those four things are what make Buddha. And in us it's the same, we all have these essences in us, Buddha is in us. And when we touch the earth, prostrate, we are in touch with these things in ourself."

Thay also speaks of the four great Bodhisattvas on Jan. 15, 1998 at Plum Village:

Engaged Buddhism in Our Material World

I believe that unless we, as individuals, begin to meditate and train ourselves in mindfulness, we could very well see the destruction of our planet in the next few decades. Everyday we are confronted, at least in the media, with racism, poverty and injustice (social and economic). I remember in the 90's when it seemed like all of the politicians spoke of "globalization" and how it would change the world. I remember the first George Bush talking about the "New World Order" and how it would be an answer to the problems the world faced. The economically disadvantaged remain so and "those across the tracks" and "on the other side" of the economic and social spectrum are still there, even though we have the power to come together to solve those issues. It seems our leaders, both religious and political, have learned that "to divide is to conquer" so they keep us divided on social issues so that we cannot create a concensus among our citizens to demand the solving of these problems.

However, we have seen the opposite of what was said then. The tragedy in the United States that we call 9/11 simply cemented the pieces together that has brought us to the brink of hundred's of years of conflict. The Bush Administration, because of their hunger for Iraqi oil and for revenge on Sadam Hussein (for whatever reason) lied to the American People about the reasons for going to war. It seems that the United States imperial ambitions have intensified and that many of the United States leaders are willing to lie or do whatever is necessary to justify military action. Much of this is financed and backed by big corporations who have a stake in the conquest of other nations. President Dwight Eisenhower in his farewell address to the United States, warned of the Military Industrial Complex, the very entity that now seems to be a guiding force behind the United States' foreign policy.

For the first time in the history of the United States, that we know of our elected leaders have showing a blatant disrespect for international law and for treaties that we have heretofore supported. The United States is loosing what may be it's most precious possession in the world, and that is its reputation among other democratic nations.

On top of all of those issues, we find ourselves as citizens of the United States having our civil liberties destroyed. We worry about more terrorist acts within our borders, and a failing economy that has seen gas prices skyrocket and prices get higher on many of our needed products and services.

Our time is divided between our families and our work. There is very little time to even spend with our friends and our extended family. Something as important as meditation is brushed aside as something unimportant because we don't have the time.

I think our lives are like a garden. We have to cultivate and grow our attitudes and our worldviews. There again, from a Zen perspective, it is our concepts, ideas and notions that have gotten us into trouble. I want to strive to cultivate four things in my life that I believe are vital if I am to live a spiritually successful life in this present world.

First of all, I want to cultivate compassion. We don't have to look very far to see examples of how compassion is an unusual trait in the world in which we live. Sure, we hear occasionally about some hero(s) who was compassionate, but compassion is not an easy thing to cultivate. That is why, in mindfulness meditation when the discursive mind moves from topic to topic and we find ourselves thinking more than we are focusing on our breath, that we train to keep our minds in check so that we do not end up doing actions that are not compassionate.

Secondly, is cultivating love. One of the practices that has been beneficial for this from my perspective is the Tibetan practice of seeing everyone as "my kind mother." Even though some of us might have had a bad relationship with our "real" mothers, we can all grasp the concept of what it means to love our mothers. Our mothers were the ones through whom we received the blessing of being able to be born into this world as humans and to begin to understand the concepts that lead to enlightenment. Our mothers took care of us when we were babies, and when we were sick. In most cases, mothers are there, no matter what, for their children. We can image each person with whom we come in contact is our mother. This will help us to cultivate love toward others.

Thirdly is courage. It takes a great deal of strength, both spiritual and physical to be courageous. We know of many who have been courageous under terrible circumstances. Many have rescued others from earthquakes, plane crashes, tornaodos and such. But, it also takes courage to decided to live a life of mindfulness and to practice precepts such as the five mindfulness trainings or the refuge vow or even to begin to try to understand the Heart Sutra. These vows and concepts are very far removed from what we usually hear and think.

And fourthly is wisdom. Wisdom might be the most important one of the precepts. When I was in high school I had an anthropology teacher that used to tell us that the most important thing we could do to succeed in her class as to "apply our knowledge." One day, I was thinking about that statement and I realized that one of the definitions of wisdom is the application of knowledge. We can know everything, but if we cannot apply what we know to our everyday life, then what good is the knowing?

It is difficult however to be engaged sometimes because if you are like me, you try to stay as much out of conflict and disagreement as possible. I don't think it is possible to really be engaged if we are not involved in the day to day life of our community and our world. I also think it is through involvement in these areas that we lean (or hopefully we learn) how to work with our own issues such as prejudice and fear. The Shambhala Tradition speaks of heading toward an "enlightened society" That is a concept that I don't think is impossible... more later.

The Fourteen Precepts Of Engaged Buddhism

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

Happiness is only possible in the Now

For many years I struggled in my life to get a grip on why I always seemed to fall into unhappiness. It was one thing after another. I could go into detail, but I don't want to write another "poor ol' me" story. However, there are some things that I think I learned on the journey. They were hard lessons and still are. Sometimes I look at my life and I think, "this Zen stuff is the craziest thing in the world, why did I ever embrace it?" But then, just a quickly, I realize that it is the mindfulness that has helped me. I have decided that the secret to happiness is to be in the present, in the now. Worrying about the future or the past is crazy. My discursive mind loves to move from the past to the future with "what if this happens" or "what if that had happened?" I think, because I am applying this to myself, that I was a bit mentally ill when I let the past or the future dictate my happiness. I think it is mental illness, not having the mind under control. Now that I look back on my life I realize that all of the unhappiness I have experienced is because of worrying about the past or the future. Grasping at what could have been or what might be caused me a lot of pain and suffering. Living in the now is really the only way to experience true happiness. I can't do a thing to influence either the next second or the previous second. So, why let it ruin my life with stress? I have also had to take a look at the non-judgemental way that I tend to sometimes look at things. Simply observing and letting things pass by as they are was difficult for me and still is at times. Part of it, I think is because I had to shed old religious values that kept me in a judgmental mode for most of my daily life. If I had what I considered to be a bad thought, I would spend the entire day feeling sad that I had thought in such a way. Even if I did not act on the thought, I still let it stress me out. In mindfulness meditation, you simply observe the thoughts and let them go back, focusing once again on the breath. It is refreshing in itself when you don't have to worry about judging every thought. Watching the breath is fundamentally, for me, watching life. If I don't breath, I die. Period! So, breath is what keeps us alive. That is one of the reasons it is so important. As anyone who has meditated knows, mindfulness is not easy. There are plenty of influences that can cause our discursive mind to go wild. Anything can come up from what I am going to cook for dinner, to what I should say to that person at the office that keeps mouthing off at me. But, it does work and remaining diligent is a key. I have started the practice throughout my life and then slacked off because of being so busy. I found myself going back to meditation again and again, but the hard part was sticking with it. When I would take part in mediations that were guided by Thich Nhat Hanh I would hear him say that we should enjoy our breathing. A few times after the meditation I would think about what that means. In a dharma talk entitled "The Art of Healing Ourselves" Thay said:

"Please, when you breathe in, do not make an effort of breathing in. You just allow yourself to breathe in. Even if you don't breathe in it will breathe in by itself. So don't say, “My breath, come, so that I tell you how to do.” Don't try to force anything, don't try to intervene, just allow the breathing in to take place. What you have to do is be aware of the fact that the breathing in is taking place. And you have more chance to enjoy your in-breath. Don't struggle with your breath, that is what I recommend. Realize that your in breath is a wonder. When someone is dead, no matter what we do, the person will not breathe in again. So we are breathing in, that is a wonderful thing. Breathing in I know I'm alive, it's a miracle. We have to enjoy our in-breath. There are many ways to enjoy your in-breath. We want you to tell us how you enjoy your in-breath, whether in a sitting position or in a walking position. But if you don't enjoy breathing in, breathing out, you don't do it right."

Zen Vow

Though the many beings are numberless,
I vow to save them.
Though greed, hatred, and ignorance rise endlessly,
I vow to cut them off.
Though the Dharma is vast and fathomless,
I vow to understand it.
Though Buddha's Way is beyond attainment,
I vow to embody it fully.

Buddhist Anarchism by Gary Snider

"Buddhism holds that the universe and all creatures in it are intrinsically in a state of complete wisdom, love and compassion; acting in natural response and mutual interdependence. The personal realization of this from-the-beginning state cannot be had for and by one-“self” — because it is not fully realized unless one has given the self up; and away.

In the Buddhist view, that which obstructs the effortless manifestation of this is Ignorance, which projects into fear and needless craving. Historically, Buddhist philosophers have failed to analyze out the degree to which ignorance and suffering are caused or encouraged by social factors, considering fear-and-desire to be given facts of the human condition. Consequently the major concern of Buddhist philosophy is epistemology and “psychology” with no attention paid to historical or sociological problems. Although Mahayana Buddhism has a grand vision of universal salvation, the actual achievement of Buddhism has been the development of practical systems of meditation toward the end of liberating a few dedicated individuals from psychological hangups and cultural conditionings. Institutional Buddhism has been conspicuously ready to accept or ignore the inequalities and tyrannies of whatever political system it found itself under. This can be death to Buddhism, because it is death to any meaningful function of compassion. Wisdom without compassion feels no pain.

No one today can afford to be innocent, or indulge himself in ignorance of the nature of contemporary governments, politics and social orders. The national polities of the modern world maintain their existence by deliberately fostered craving and fear: monstrous protection rackets. The “free world” has become economically dependent on a fantastic system of stimulation of greed which cannot be fulfilled, sexual desire which cannot be satiated and hatred which has no outlet except against oneself, the persons one is supposed to love, or the revolutionary aspirations of pitiful, poverty-stricken marginal societies like Cuba or Vietnam. The conditions of the Cold War have turned all modern societies — Communist included — into vicious distorters of man’s true potential. They create populations of “preta” — hungry ghosts, with giant appetites and throats no bigger than needles. The soil, the forests and all animal life are being consumed by these cancerous collectivities; the air and water of the planet is being fouled by them.

There is nothing in human nature or the requirements of human social organization which intrinsically requires that a culture be contradictory, repressive and productive of violent and frustrated personalities. Recent findings in anthropology and psychology make this more and more evident. One can prove it for himself by taking a good look at his own nature through meditation. Once a person has this much faith and insight, he must be led to a deep concern with the need for radical social change through a variety of hopefully non-violent means.

The joyous and voluntary poverty of Buddhism becomes a positive force. The traditional harmlessness and refusal to take life in any form has nation-shaking implications. The practice of meditation, for which one needs only “the ground beneath one’s feet,” wipes out mountains of junk being pumped into the mind by the mass media and supermarket universities. The belief in a serene and generous fulfillment of natural loving desires destroys ideologies which blind, maim and repress — and points the way to a kind of community which would amaze “moralists” and transform armies of men who are fighters because they cannot be lovers.

Avatamsaka (Kegon) Buddhist philosophy sees the world as a vast interrelated network in which all objects and creatures are necessary and illuminated. From one standpoint, governments, wars, or all that we consider “evil” are uncompromisingly contained in this totalistic realm. The hawk, the swoop and the hare are one. From the “human” standpoint we cannot live in those terms unless all beings see with the same enlightened eye. The Bodhisattva lives by the sufferer’s standard, and he must be effective in aiding those who suffer.

The mercy of the West has been social revolution; the mercy of the East has been individual insight into the basic self/void. We need both. They are both contained in the traditional three aspects of the Dharma path: wisdom (prajna), meditation (dhyana), and morality (sila). Wisdom is intuitive knowledge of the mind of love and clarity that lies beneath one’s ego-driven anxieties and aggressions. Meditation is going into the mind to see this for yourself — over and over again, until it becomes the mind you live in. Morality is bringing it back out in the way you live, through personal example and responsible action, ultimately toward the true community (sangha) of “all beings.”

This last aspect means, for me, supporting any cultural and economic revolution that moves clearly toward a free, international, classless world. It means using such means as civil disobedience, outspoken criticism, protest, pacifism, voluntary poverty and even gentle violence if it comes to a matter of restraining some impetuous redneck. It means affirming the widest possible spectrum of non-harmful individual behavior — defending the right of individuals to smoke hemp, eat peyote, be polygynous, polyandrous or homosexual. Worlds of behavior and custom long banned by the Judaeo-Capitalist-Christian-Marxist West. It means respecting intelligence and learning, but not as greed or means to personal power. Working on one’s own responsibility, but willing to work with a group. “Forming the new society within the shell of the old” — the IWW slogan of fifty years ago.

The traditional cultures are in any case doomed, and rather than cling to their good aspects hopelessly it should be remembered that whatever is or ever was in any other culture can be reconstructed from the unconscious, through meditation. In fact, it is my own view that the coming revolution will close the circle and link us in many ways with the most creative aspects of our archaic past. If we are lucky we may eventually arrive at a totally integrated world culture with matrilineal descent, free-form marriage, natural-credit communist economy, less industry, far less population and lots more national parks."

GARY SNYDER
1961

Gary Snyders writings on Buddhist Anarchy were probably a prelude to the Engaged Buddhist movement in the United States. After Thich Nhat Hanh began speaking of Engaged Buddhism it kind of fit with Snyder's writings. I thought I would post this here for you to see how the Engaged Buddhist though evolved in the West.

Engaged Buddhism

Namaste Friends,

I consider myself a peace activist and I believe that my interpretation of Zen Buddhism indicates that I should be engaged as a Buddhist. Thay was the first person to coin the phrase "Engaged Buddhism." In many ways the term seems to be a contradiction. Buddhists generally have avoided suffering by leaning how to get control of their desires and training themselves to look past the obvious material world, which is really a world of illusion.

Thay, beginning with his engagement against the war in Vietnam started the "ball to rolling." So today, many Buddhist in all traditions have re-examined the precepts of their path and have found a solid basis for social action. Many are confrontion war, exploitation, racism, sexism, homophobia, commercialism, imperialism, nationalism and destruction of the environment.

In his book entitled "Peace Is Every Step" Thay has a chapter entitled, "Mindfulness Must Be Engaged. He wrote, "When I was born in Vietnam, so many of our villages were being bombed. Along with my monastic brothers and sisters, I had to decide what to do. Should we continue to practice in our monasteries or should we leave the meditation halls in order to help the people who are suffering under the bombs? After careful reflection, we decided to do both - to go out and help people and do so in mindfulness. We called it engaged Buddhism. Mindfulness must be engaged. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise what is the sense of seeing?"

Engaged Buddhists of the United Kingdom writes on their web site that:

"Engaged Buddhism is engagement in caring and service, in social and environmental protest and analysis, in nonviolence as a creative way of overcoming conflicts, and in "right livelihood" and other initiatives which prefigure a society of the future. It also engages with a variety of contemporary and often controversial concerns of relevance to an evolving Buddhism. Engaged Buddhism combines the cultivation of inner peace with active social compassion in a mutually supportive and enriching practice."

I think we also forget that working for peace does not mean that we protest and work against war. Poverty is violence. Sexism and racism are violence. Homophobia and xenophobia are violence. There is a violence that permeates our mindset, and this violence is sometimes worse than physical violence. Most of it as because of the ideologies that we set up as our political beliefs. Unfortunately, religion many times plays a big part in prejudice and violence of mind. Some religions teach that their path is the only one that is right and anyone who does not accept their savior or their particular doctrine are going to suffer some kind of eternal punishment or some other horrible violent action against themselves.

It isn't just what is happening around us, in our community. The situation in Burma, the Chinese occupation of of Tibet, the political repression of dictators throughout the world, the imperialist and nationalistic war machine of the United States and other nations. Even President Eisenhower, in his farewell address said that we should be weary of the Military Industrial Complex. Corporations are financing wars, especially for the west, that are destroying the lives and the environments of innocent people. Engaged Buddhists would stand with the oppressed people who are working everyday to make ends meet but because of the greedy systems of this world, they cannot get ahead. Violence also is cruelty toward animals and toward all sentinent beings.

But, it all goes back to the way we think and our willingness to take a very close look at our thought processes. Are we willing to bring them under control and to not let the five senses dictate our actions? We allow this as individuals and as a nation. Mindfulness is a way to begin the process of changing how we see things and how we respond to what we think. We cannot change what we think or how we think, but we can change how we react to our senses and our thoughts,.

The Heart Sutra

When the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
was coursing in the deep Prajnaparamita,
he perceived that all five skandhas are empty,
thereby transcending all sufferings.
Sariputra, form is not other than emptiness
and emptiness not other than form.
Form is precisely emptiness and emptiness precisely form.
So also are sensation, perception, volition, and consciousness.
Sariputra, this voidness of all dharmas
is not born, not destroyed,
not impure, not pure, does not increase or decrease.
In voidness there is no form,
and no sensation, perception, volition or consciousness;
no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind;
no sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, thought;
there is no realm of the eye
all the way up to no realm of mental cognition.
There is no ignorance and there is no ending of ignorance
through to no aging and death and no ending of aging and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering,
no cessation of suffering, and no path.
There is no wisdom or any attainment.
With nothing to attain, Bodhisattvas relying on Prajnaparamita
have no obstructions in their minds.
Having no obstructions, there is no fear
and departing far from confusion and imaginings,
they reach Ultimate Nirvana.
All past, present and future Buddhas,
relying on Prajnaparamita, attain Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi.
Therefore, know that Prajnaparamita
is the great mantra of power,
the great mantra of wisdom, the supreme mantra,
the unequalled mantra,
which is able to remove all sufferings.
It is real and not false.
Therefore recite the mantra of Prajnaparamita:
Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha.

Today, May 21, 2008

Today is Wednesday, May 21 and I am reading "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism" by Chogyam Trungpa. Rinpoche's insight into many things in astounding to me. When I read his books I feel like he is right there speaking to me. Indeed, he is there in the presence of his books.

I have taken the book to heart and try not to get too involved in all of the spiritual haughtiness that one can end up with in a spiritual journey. I remember once when I was a member of an online community that was a spiritual group. It was very common for us to have those who became members of the group that liked to identify themselves as the "the fourth priestess of the Order of the Regal Sun." I remember one guy that told all of us right away that he directly received revelation knowledge regularly from Jesus who was his physical ancestor and that we needed to let him exclusively "minister" to the group. Those are extremes, but I am glad I had the experience because I realized that I had some of the same thing in me and it is very hard to not want the world to know that we think we are hot stuff. The human ego wants to take the throne of our lives and rule. It isn't easy letting mindfulness become a way of life, and I am certainly not there yet, but I am trying.

I have to give Suzuki Roshi and Thich Nhat Hanh for helping me to understand that I need always to keep a beginners mind, a humble attitude and be mindful of every thing I do. Thay speaks of how everything is part of everything else. When I see a flower, it doesn't exist on it's own. In the flower there is the sun, the wind, the rain, the soil, the work of my hands to tend to the flower, which is me in the flower. The elements in the air around us are part of the flower and so is the food that I eat to have the strength to care for the flower.

So, I want to co-exist and understand more about interbeing. That is why I posted the Sandokai here. I love the way it teaches us about innerbeing: "All objects of the sensess interact and yet do not. Interacting brings involvement..... The spiritual source shines clear in the light; the branding streams flow on in the dark." Dark and light, one and the same actually from the standpoint of existing. There can be no light without dark and no dark without light. Suzuki Roshi has a commentary that he wrote on the Sandokai. I am ordering it.

One sentence in Chogyam Trungpa's book that helped me understand that there is not a magic potion that will lead me directly to where I think I want to go (wherever that is).

"... I am saying that we have the notion that there must be some kind of medicine or magic potion to help us attain the right state of mind. We hope that by manipulating matter, the physical world, we can achieve wisdom and understanding. We may even expect expert scientists to do it for us. They might put us into a hospital, administer the correct drugs and lift us into a high state of consciousness. But I think, unfortunately, that this is impossible, we cannot escape what we are, we carry it with us all the time"

Not escaping what we are means to me that I cannot escape the nature of the Buddha that is within me. No magic formula or any kind of voodoo will assist me. I am responsible for myself and for embarking on a path to calm my mind. It is not difficult to find those who claim to offer the easy way out of samsara. But I always like to say, easy is another four letter word.

Sandokai (Harmony of Difference and Sameness)

The mind of the great sage of India
is intimately transmitted from west to east.
While human faculties are sharp or dull,
the Way has no northern or southern ancestors.
The spiritual source shines clear in the light;
the branching streams flow on in the dark.
Grasping at things is surely delusion;
according with sameness is still not enlightenment.
All the objects of the senses interact and yet do not.
Interacting brings involvement.
Otherwise, each keeps its place.
Sights vary in quality and form,
sounds differ as pleasing or harsh.
Refined and common speech come together
in the dark, clear and murky phrases are
distinguished in the light.
The four elements return to their natures
just as a child turns to its mother;
Fire heats, wind moves, water wets, earth is solid.
Eye and sights, ear and sounds, nose and smells, tongue and tastes;
Thus with each and every thing,
depending on these roots, the leaves spread forth.
Trunk and branches share the essence;
revered and common, each has its speech.
In the light there is darkness,
but don't take it as darkness;
In the dark there is light, but don't see it as light.
Light and dark oppose one another
like the front and back foot in walking.
Each of the myriad things has its merit,
expressed according to function and place.
Phenomena exist; box and lid fit;
principle responds; arrow points meet.
Hearing the words, understand the meaning;
don't set up standards of your own.
If you don't understand the Way right before you,
how will you know the path as you walk?
Progress is not a matter of far or near,
but if you are confused, mountains and rivers block your way.
I respectfully urge you who study the mystery,
do not pass your days and nights in vain.

Practice

I do write like to write anything about myself concerning my practice of Buddhism, because I want to be careful not to sound like I am bragging. I am no more nor less than anyone else, but I thought if I shared my practice with you that it might inspire you to do something similar.

When I enter my meditation room, I present sit in a chair since I recently had surgery that will not allow me sit on my cushions. Of course, I sit in the regular meditation position. I stike the bell once to indicate that the session has started. I do not form an oval with my fingers. I simply rest my hands, palms down on my thighs. I breath very normally and begin by counting my breaths on the outbreath. As I am meditating I remain focused on my breath and if a thought or thoughts penetrate through my concentration, I think simply, "thinking" and I go back to focusing on my breath. Sometimes I barely get through the 10 minutes because I am "thinking" more than I am focusing. But, that is normal and anyone who is honest will tell you that meditation is not the easiest thing you will every do. After 10 minutes of focusing on my breath, I strike the bell again.

I then recite the five mindfulness trainings:

The First Training: Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking and in my way of life.

The Second Training: Aware of the suffering caused by exploitation, social injustice, stealing and oppression, I vow to cultivate loving kindness and learn ways to work for the well-being of people, animals, plants and minerals. I vow to practice generosity by sharing my time, energy, and material resources with those in real need. I am determined not to steal and not to possess anything that should belong to others. I will respect the property of others, but I will prevent others from profiting from human suffering or the suffering of other species on earth.

The Third Training: Aware of the suffering caused by sexual misconduct, I vow to cultivate responsibility and learn ways to protect the safety and integrity of individuals, couples, families and society. I am determined not to engage in sexual relations without love and a long-term commitment. To preserve the happiness of myself and others, I am determined to respect my commitments and the commitments of others. I will do everything in my power to protect children from sexual abuse and to prevent couples and families from being broken by sexual misconduct.

The Fourth Training: Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I vow to cultivate loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I vow to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope. I am determined not to spread news that I do not know to be certain and not to criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord; or words that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.

The Fifth Training: Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption, I vow to cultivate good health, both physical and mental, for myself, my family, and my society by practicing mindful eating, drinking and consuming. I vow to ingest only items that preserve peace, well being, and joy in my body, in my consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family and society. I am determined not to use alcohol or any other intoxicant or to ingest foods or other items that contain toxins, such as certain TV programs, magazines, books, films and conversations. I am aware that to damage my body and my consciousness with these poisons is to betray my ancestors, my parents, my society and future generations. I will work to transform violence, fear, anger and confusion in myself and in society by practicing a diet for myself and for society. I understand that a proper diet is crucial for self transformation and the transformation of society.

At the word "society" I again strike the bell twice, once to signify that I am finished with the trainings recitation and again to enter into reciting the refuge vow:

"I take refuge in the Buddha, the one who shows me the way in this life,

I take refuge in the Dharma, the way of understanding and of love,

I take refuge in the Sangha, the community that lives in harmony and awareness"

I stike the bowl twice, once to signify that I have finished the refuge vows and another to signify that I
am starting the Dedication prayer,

"Practicing the way of awareness, gives rise to benefit without limits,

I vow to share the benefits with all beings."

I strike the bowl three times to signify the presence of the three refuges and my session ends.

Hello

Greetings Fellow Travelers,

My name is James, and I am Peace Brother Zen. It's just a nice name I came up with because I am a peace activist, but it means nothing at all.

I am a follower of the Teachings of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese Zen Master who has written many books and teaches throughout the world. Those of us who follow him call him Brother Thay (pronounced "Tie"). I don't know exactly why I have created this blog, but I hope it will be beneficial to others and help someone in some way. I am placing some links herein that are good for those seeking more information about Zen and Buddhism in general.

I also enjoy reading about and studying the life and teachings of Suzuki Roshi. Shunryu Suzuki was a Soto Zen priest who became the first abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center. His books have been a huge inpiration to me. Even though I practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, Suzuki Roshi is with me, along with Thay during each of my practice sessions. Suzuki Roshi wrote "Zen Mind, Beginners Mind" and "Not Always So."

I would love to read your thoughts on life, especially as they relate to Zen and Buddhism. We don't all have to practice in the same tradition. The Buddha made a lot of room in His teachings for diversity in the Dharma practice.