Gaia: Dharma

Coming full enso...

Wed, 25 Feb 2009 05:27:17 GMT

I started my trek into the Buddhist world after a short pit stop in Taoism. My first sitting experience was with a Zen center in California. It was the most liberating (and extremely painful) experience of my life.

I somehow found my way to Tibetan Buddhism. I really liked the teachings and the cultural aspects of it. I eventually became turned off by the ritual aspects, though I believe that it was my problem, and not a problem with the traditions.

I now find myself coming back to Zen, the simplicity of it. Now to just get myself to sit on that darn cushion...

Re: Where to start?

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:00:02 GMT

Just keep going. It's ok to be confused. But make sure you're not just chasing after what sounds nice. Follow what feels really true in your heart, even if it's difficult.
Everyone wants something different when they approach spiritual teachings.
I guess some advice would be that I don't recommend making teachings the ultimate source of understanding for you. Just look around you and inside you, see how you feel about everything. Pick up teachings casually and see what captures you as you go along.

Re: greetings and wisdumb from a zen curmudgeon

http://symbol.gaia.com — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 07:47:36 GMT

How to Proceed is a serious question and I held off from responding to this one. I hope you didn't drift away in the mean time. This sounds to me like the point when one consults a teacher.
That being said, I can offer my own foolish observations. You have Anger about what is wrong in the world. Man's inhumanity to Man, and generally all other things living or otherwise. Some how this reminds me of Avalokiteshvara, when he looked out over the suffering of sentient beings and his head exploded. Amitabha put him back together as i remember in my kindergarten version of the story.
Some of us respond to suffering and injustice by weeping and some get angry, (Ido a little of both,) but the best of us get busy. The emotions come and go, they change shape so as to always appear fresh but I think that they come from the body, the ego, conditioned responses and all kinds of causes. When these feelings arise for me, I try to acknowlege them and give them a pat on the head and ask then to wait quietly while I practice. Sometimes it works.
I used to believe that It was righteous Indignation, that I was angry for good reason, but now I wonder if maybe it was the roast beast I had for dinner. Maybe my getting angry was just as much a cause as it was an effect.
And I remember Allen Ginsburg at a Poetry reading in the eighties saying, "If you see something terrible dont hold on to it, If you see something beautiful don't hold onto it." I learned recently that this was something told to him by the wonderful Dudjom Rinpoche, when Ginsburg asked for advice about the awful visions he was having when he took LSD.
So that's the advice I have - don't hold on. Let the anger pass. It is just energy let it go through and don't get burned.
And about that n\mountain top retreat, you really should ask a teacher. There are special reasons why people go and do that. It really isn't to get away from the world. If you have the emotions when you are in the midst of busy life, they will be with you in the reatreat on the mountain as well. People I know who do go on retreat talk about "The Test," which happens after one has gone to a special place and had this special experience, then they have to return to the real world and some one gets in their face with unpleasant complaints, or they have to drive through really bad traffic while the baby is cryng about the poopy diaper. Suddenly it hits them, and there is an opportunity to really see oneself.
When you try to take control and repress the bad emotions, that's one kind onf clinging and when you get into the juice and just go with all the anger that's another. When you transform the situation and recognize ythat you are doing it then something has happened and you can say you passed the test.
Often I find that Zen can be an abstract area of discussion. People can be very evasive and mystical. Also very independent. people go on practicing on there own, sometimes with no apparent benefit. I found a Vajrayana group that suited me for a while. But that has its own areas of abstraction and concept.
I think the best thing is to have a spiritual friend or a teacher with whom you can be very honest about these questions like anger in meditation. That is why I like the Vajrayana group. The practice is with other people and there are other activities like setting up the shrine and collecting dues to pay for the practice space, getting donations for the homeless and raising money to bring lamas in to teach. All this gets done with a certain amount of mindfulness and purpose. I'm sure that there are Zen groups like that.
I guess that it's a way to look at Refuge. There's the enlightenment itself, the teachings, and the community of people who are putting their shoulder to the wheel to make Dharma happen.

Re: greetings and wisdumb from a zen curmudgeon

http://ericonline.gaia.com — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:29:32 GMT

Hey Wyle,

There is a certain "lawfulness" that we humans act by. No matter where you go everyone seems to act the same, just read the headlines. But why beat your head against the wall and take possession of others ills and needlessly suffer yourself? The calm detached mind must meet the market place. I posted this below on another group on a thread about gratitude but it seems to fit here as well.

--

Before each sit, I bow 3 times. Traditionally this is taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. I do that but with the caveat that Buddha, Dharma & Sangha are also I, WE, IT (reference to Ken Wilber's AQAL). That is, I bow in gratitude and take refuge in my life. When I first learned to meditate and saw everyone doing this, I was a bit put off but thought, in for a penny in for a pound and went with it. Turns out the ego does not like to lower its head on bended knees. But I have learned to embrace this aspect of practice. To whole heartedly bow in gratitude to my life. It sets the tone for the sitting. Like I am square with life and can sit in peace and work on my sitting practice. I don't have to worry while sitting about my life. I can put all that down with 3 bows and pick it all up when I am finished sitting. More times than not, I do metta practice next, for myself and everyone I know and don't know...for all living beings. Again, this sets a tone and I can put my relations down and sit in peace grateful for the opportunity this occasion affords, wanting not to waste this opportunity at practice. When I am done sitting, I see if I held up my end of the bargain. The world allowed me this opportunity and did I practice in earnest aligned with my desire to foster wholesome mind states or did I just waste the time in day dreams. I end again with 3 bows only this time I am picking it all back up but with a different intention. With the intention of bringing whatever peacefulness I was able to cultivate on cushion off into the world where a calm focused benevolent mind is sorely needed.

lov e

Re: What is Buddha Nature? Answer to win!

http://ericonline.gaia.com — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:26:51 GMT

Buddha-Nature is the re-cognition that we have never ever been separate from Nature.

greetings and wisdumb from a zen curmudgeon

http://wyle-e-quixote.gaia.com — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 18:23:17 GMT

hello. i am new to the scene and had a question for you all.
zen is supposed to be a transformative practice, filling people with calm acceptance of what is. though i have been practicing "religously" and sincerely, my journey seems to be a different one. this is not to say that zazen hasnt brought to me a clarity and general peace of mind, but my ideation and dissatisfaction towards human affairs has not lessened a bit. i am genuinely angry and hurt about the way mankind conducts itself, short-sighted, greedy and frankly just plain stupid. not a single day goes by that i am not truly saddened or frightened by how seemingly animal and heartless weve become as a species.
this isnt just a post-adolescent rebellion phase, though i did suffer that acutely in my teen years. im pushing thirty now, and though i am not so naievely idealistic, it does not seem to be my dharma to become a lone monk on the mountaintop looking down at it all with an academic detachment.
how does somebody such as myself proceed?

Tara knows she is not real

http://ericonline.gaia.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:12:39 GMT

Western student having issues with yiddam pracitce asks a Lama if Tara is real?

Lams says, 'Tara knows she is not real'.

I just love this teaching statement! It encapsulates so much Dharma into itself. Please indulge me as I tease out some of the implications.

(White)Tara is the Goddess of Compassion in Tibetan Buddhism. Many westerners get hung up on deities when approaching Tibetan Buddhism. They can't shake the allergy acquired from the monotheistic religion of their youth.

In Tibetan Buddhism a deity practice would be to first visualize Tara in front of you, then merge with Tara and become enlightened. What the hell is going on here you ask? The problem is we cannot approach emptiness (selflessness) directly because "our brains are ontology making machines." So the Tibetans came up with an ingenious practice to see this. First you use the brains ontology making to create a being in front of you, in this case Tara. It is very hard work for most. You are crossing the boundary of what is real and what is imagined and seeing that there is no real difference between waking and dreaming. OK so now Tara is in front of you, beautifully transparent in her radiant splendor. Next you merge your self-sense (ontology) with Tara's. Since Tara (and you) is imagined, it is pretty easy to do. You see yourself as this radiant transparent being. Lastly you dissolve that being revealing the Clear Light Emptiness. Again, this is easy to do because you learned how to create the image from "nothing", you allow the image to return to "nothing". But do you see how you can not do this directly, because your brain is a machine, it wants to reify perceptions into selves (I, We and Its). So we have to lull that tendency to hard reification to "sleep", hence the merging with the dreamstate capacity of creating ephemeral images. Only from a less opaque more transparent self can you intuit the non-existence of self.

This is the same way Buddha dealt with the hard wired mythological ontology of his contemporaries. He did not fight with them and say that the deities believed in were not real and did not exist. Most when confronted with the no-self doctrine cannot fathom it. They have to be let down "easy". Instead, he convinced them that the god's existence was impermanent. And because the gods were the basis of the personal mythology of the people themselves, they had a chance at seeing the impermanence of their own selves. That is, if they made the connection between the self of the deities and the self they personally felt existed. Since this was already an established belief at the time, that you could evolve to a god-like realm of existence if you were "good" enough, the Buddha's students had a chance at realizing selflessness, at the very least a lotus seed was planted in their minds.

The Lama is doing the same thing in saying, "Tara knows she is not real." The implication for the student is to see that she or he is already in fact a Tara (an imagined being) i.e. how self is not real but imagined or constructed by a machine that imagines selves. So, what dream of self is your brain imagining right now, only you don't realize it?

lov e

What is Buddha Nature? Answer to win!

http://blacksamba.gaia.com — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 06:28:18 GMT

What is Buddha Nature? Answer to win!

Answer in the comments section at http://the12stepbuddhist.com/?p=377 The most interesting and original answer will win the person a free piece of 12-Step Buddhist Gear from the Zazzle store.

-d

Re: Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

http://ericonline.gaia.com — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 19:21:28 GMT

Golden stars

shower the way

of radiant peacefulness...

lov e

Re: Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

http://symbol.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:13:05 GMT

The old tree fallen, Wedelia vines cover it. Green, with golden stars.

Re: Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

http://ericonline.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:10:11 GMT

Wonderful thread! What a great time to be alive. To draw nourishment from the many wide flowing rivers that are Buddha-Dharma.

love

e

Re: Some guidance on breaking free from "want"

http://ericonline.gaia.com — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 21:03:53 GMT

Hey Wendy,

Your discussion with your husband reminded me of this sutra. You could be the king and queen and let the Buddha speak directly to you.

So there is a difference in using those around you to make yourself feel happy (I am not saying you are doing this) and loving all those around you regardless of what they give to you in exchange etc. From a Buddhist perspective, we learn about love from our families growing up but we are to grow and expand that love to encompass all beings. If we merely hold (cling) to the ones that are near and dear to us, all we will get will be sorrow in return for surely all will be taken from us in the end. But if we can love all unconditionally knowing that all suffer the same fate as we do then that compassioned wisdom tempers the suffering of that truth. We are kind and loving to all (not just our near and dear ones) because we know this is the only way to live life in accord with this truth.

love

e

Re: Zen Mind, Beginners Mind

http://EnlightenmentandMeditation.gaia.com — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:26:13 GMT

Hello Zen Master, with the Beginner's Mind! I LOVE Zen...can I say it again? I love ZEN. I would love to have your teacher. I am very, very well-read! And I have studied Buddhism, Tantra, Yoga, Gitas, Philosophies...and I practice, practice. I understand your question so very well. And I understand your mind. But....I also well-understand your teacher! If you gather questions, you will need answers. Your mind is a question, now you must seek answers. If you have the courage, I would recommend what your teacher says! It is difficult with the American Mind to remain ignorant....so to speak. but in the end, you must come back to the breath, you will come back to Zen. I think in the end, we must all come back to Zen. But the END may not come soon enough, you might get caught by MIND! Your teacher, in my opinion is being compassionate! If you have the courage, stay with the breath! Do not develop more mind! You will just go in a circle. But it takes such trust. And I believe sometimes our karma will not allow us to stay, we must follow a rope that leads again to nowhere, but the journey taught us something! So...there, hmmm? I guess, it is up to you. But...you're teacher is compassionate! I understand you both! I recommend you stay with your teacher. He is telling you right, but can your mind accept. You are free! To travel many roads and experience all that you wish. But if you seek enlightenment, if this is what you say you want now, you're teacher is right! So I think!
sincerely, shirley

Re: Where to start?

http://lonemountain.gaia.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 19:01:02 GMT

Your question is that of a classic Zen mondo, or exchange between a student and teacher. Q. I want to learn Zen; where do I begin? A. Do you hear the sound of the river outside? Q. Yes. A. Begin with that sound.

You hear a sound. How do you hear a sound? Where is that sound? Outside, or in your ears, or in your brain? How do you know it is a river? The Spanish say rio. Is rio and stream the same or different? What you are doing is investigating your self, your biology, all nature, your social conditioning, your experiences, your doubts. Soon you are examining specific actions and effects, karma.

In Zen, we can read guides, and sutras, and classic koans and histories, but fundamentally it is the psychological and philosophical laboratory of the zafu, our sitting, where we focus the mind by whatever psychological device, such as mantra, or following or counting the breath, or just listening, or examining a conumdrum [e.g., what were you before your parent's were born?], and so forth. Meditation is truly how you begin. It is the tool to self-discovery and social and metaphysical philosophy. You watch what bubbles up in your mind, make note of it without emotion, and let that bubble dissolve until the next form that appears. You learn from its content and context. You learn to trust Great Doubt and Don't Know mind. With time and practice, practice, practice, you and the world change yet appear the same. As Hamlet said: There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

In other words, while all philosophy begin with a question....and you begin anywhere, for all knowledge has no walls and all paths lead to all places.....in Buddhism it begins and ends with you, individually, personally. Books, videos, teachers can only point and provide maps. You must live, experience, go withing and without, and discover the actual terriitory for your self.

Therefore, you need to learn learn how to meditate, and there are umpteen books and dharma teachers to help. Afterwards, you will need feedback from a formal or informal teacher. If one style does not fit, then explore another. Like Goldilocks. The Hindu, Tibetan (Vajrayana) and Vipassana approaches did not fit for me, but I personally took to Korean Zen. And that came by serendipity. Follow your hunch, follow your bliss as Joseph Campbell urged.

Best wishes for a worthwhile journey.

Re: Where to start?

http://blacksamba.gaia.com — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:42:36 GMT

I would start with a good overview of the massive scope of Buddhist thought. If there was one book to go to a desert island with, it would be the Crystal and the Way of Light by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. Easy enough reading. Extremely clear meaning. There's also a DVD of Rinpoche explaining the three general categories of Buddhism, called A General Introduction to Dzogchen. In Dzogchen, the teaching starts at the highest level. If you want to experience what it is that the Buddha was talking about, you can get a direct introduction on Sunday, August 10th via webcast. I can help you plug into that if you like. Email me directly darren@the12stepbuddhist.com. If you miss Sunday or that's all too much to think about, Rinpoche gives the Worldwide Transmission three times a year. Then next one is in November some time. The way I look at it, we might as well cut to the chase. You can spend your life mucking around, reading books, dabbling in this or that, sticking your toe in the water here and there. Or you can get down to the real meaning. That's what Dzogchen is about, and is my answer to your question. -d

Where to start?

http://lyanna.gaia.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 21:05:26 GMT

I've been interested in Zen and Buddhism for a long time now, and have plucked some ideas and philosophies from the internet, but there is such a vast quantity of information that I have the feeling I'm drowning in it.

Does anyone have any tips/pointers as to where I can start? Books, tutorials, video's? Help! :D

Episode 002 is UP: Five Minute Meditation on a rock

http://blacksamba.gaia.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:59:51 GMT

Episode 002 - the 12-Step Buddhist Podcast: 5 Min. Meditation of the Rock, Who is An Addict?

Website: http://the12stepbuddhist.com

Also in iTunes!

Format: 160kbps MP3

Time: 32:11

Highlights:

* Five Minute Meditation: of the rock

* Thanks to jazz pianist Clay Giberson for the show intro

* Darren's background 10-0-10

* Definition of addiction, abstinence in different programs

* Website features: How Many Buddhas?

* Ask the 12-Step Buddhist - audience question: How to do 12-Step recovery as an agnostic in a mostly Christian town

* Daily Meditation SMS program - Sign up for 12-Step Buddhist inspirational text messages

* Recitation from the Sutra of Golden Light, per Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Re: Some guidance on breaking free from "want"

http://lyanna.gaia.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:22:53 GMT

*raises hand* Here's another budding Buddhist struggling with the "want" part of the philosophy. My husband and I have had long discussions on this in the car which basically have lead us no where.

I acknowledge that wants never go away, and I understand the notion that it's all about what you do with them. Living in the here and now, grounding yourself in the present, looking around you and really taking in the moment does dissipate the wants I find. But, and this is where much of the discussion with my husband stems from, what do you do with the notion of love?

If I were to let go of all wants and desires in life, reaching the point that the comings and goings of things in life "are fine" - wouldn't you live a very dispassionate life? I could never be "fine" with loved ones disappearing from my life. I want them to be in my life, stay with me, be there forever? Isn't that a desire also? If so, it's one I really do not want to let go of. I don't want to stop wanting my husband, my parents, my friends, family. It's something I cannot reconcile with.

Any advice on this one? Or is it just a misunderstanding of the Buddhist philosophy on my part?

New blog article from the 12-Step Buddhist:

http://blacksamba.gaia.com — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:41:39 GMT

Getting Naked with the Guru. Excerpt below. Get the full article, news on the book release and a chance to win cool stuff here:

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"I’ve met many interesting people with connections to different lamas. It is fascinating to me how varied the backgrounds are of the participants. We have healers, kundalini teachers, masseurs, psychologists, psychedelic explorers, musicians—all with extended spiritual training. One lady described how she fasted for four days at a Sundance in Mexico with Native Americans, for example.”

Re: Iluumniate please: Shambhala vs. Buddhism

http://symbol.gaia.com — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 10:57:01 GMT

I think I read that Trungpa Rinpoche created Shambala Training so that students would not waste time blowing aroung big tibetan words and sanscrit deffinitions for things.
There is a Shambala Center near me, and I don't go there, but I would just to meet with people to sit.
I like the Title of Trungpa's book. "Cutting Through Spititual Materialism."
Never read the book.
A Lama whom I know says "Be Simple." He tells his friends and students to be good to them self and be good to others.
Another Lama reminds me that sitting for a long time can reinforce negative patterns. We sit for short periods in our Dharma group.
We often focus on a simple liturgy, some very short Sadhanas, and Ngondro. Usually the Lamas say, Don't spend much time looking things up on the internet. if you have just twenty minutes every day then Practice first and read later. maybe nine to one practice. to study. I f you do like study then read lives of Holy people like Yeshe Tsogyal, or read Shantideva The Way of the Bodhisattva.
I like to say a refuge prayer everyday. and say the prayer that goes "may all beings be Happy.. . ."This is simple.
So I think you are lucky if you can choose what group you want to practice with, but recognize that even difficult people offer a special opportunity for you to really feel that equanimity and compassion.
I have so much trouble here.People are dificult and i am one of the most difficult. I create a lot of Karma!
But really you don't have to put on a robe or something to practice Buddhism. Most important i think is to find other people who want to learn Dharma. and find a teacher.
Some people say that Shakyamuni taught 84,000 different teachings in his lifetime, So there must be one for you.
For me now there are 3 things that are my path
one is find a stronger livelyhood
Practice loving kindness towards other people
and make a strong connection with someone i can call my Root Lama

I hope that you can find the same.