Tannishblog

There are ways of looking at the world that perhaps should be investigated. As all things continually change, immutable view points eventually create problems. One obvious example is how mankind treats industrial pollution, still clinging to the view that the world is vast and capable of absorbing the smoke, runoff, and debris of human industry. This used to be true, before the industrial revolution, but is no longer. nonetheless, it is a common belief.

Another example - if one is needed- is the concepts surrounding the formation and maintenance of statehood. It is founded on, among other premises, the idea that people of differing geographical origins are somehow different from each other. Intertwined with this false view is the common value of us-over-them. "We" are always somehow better than "Them." Over the past few centuries we’ve seen how such adamant thinking, unrelated to reality, eventually ends. Our species competitive nature, jealousies and fears, and subsequent distrust fuel and perpetuate such false notions.

Yet the march of time proceeds. All things change. Science and technology is opening up our views, albeit reluctantly, and soon we will not be able to deny the basic facts found in today’s quote from one of my favorite people:

Today’s world requires us to accept the oneness of humanity… The world is becoming increasingly interdependent. Within the context of this new interdependence, self-interest clearly lies in considering the interest of others. Without the cultivation of a sense of universal responsibility our very future is in danger.

     ~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Please read this as a spiritual message, then re-read it as a political one. The two aren’t apposed, as we once believed. As we reach toward a global conclusion of our species naked aggression, as we simultaneously reach outcomes of outmoded patterns of thought in seemingly diverse areas like religion, science, industry, diplomacy and it’s failures, economics, we must either acknowledge our inter-connectivity or die of the consequences. Look about you, it is writ large everywhere.

The time is now. There is no other time, past is lost to us and future is yet speculation. Only now can we act to reassess our static views, and let our reality shape them. Too long have we been trying the opposite…

I’ve missed two Friday nights in a row. I’ve got excuses lined up, but I’ll tell the truth: Half Life 2 ROCKS!!

You can thank my nephew for nudging me this week without even trying. Yesterday he sent me two links to a blog from Iceland: Everyday Wonderland. Specifically, this article entitled 5 Ideas for Stressful Living. In a word: wonderful. I’m not entirely sure if the author intended it as gentile sarcasm, parody, or he is serious. I guess the latter, but the message is spot on and quite Buddhist although he doesn’t use the "B" word.

So, you want your life to be stressful? Didn’t think so, but it’s amazing how many people consistently apply habits and actions in their daily lives that guarantee stressful results. They repeat the same things over and over again, expecting different results, which is, if I recall correctly, the textbook definition of insanity…

To cap that off, my nephew links another article entitled Becoming Free of Your Parents and Social Conditioning. All the while reading this, I thought, "How does this guy know me so well?" Soon this weblog was linked to my favorites and my blogroll. I will indeed read all Helgi Páll Einarsson has to say. You should, too

As a neophyte Buddhist, I felt dumbfounded when I first heard the ideal that all people are inherently good. According to the Dharma, the innate, core attribute of humans is goodness. Furthermore, the teachings tell us that we lack nothing, that we have all we need already to find our path, to remain upon it and to reach it’s terminus. We are, on other works, perfect.

This thinking came as quite a shock. I contrast this to a view of Original Sin, wherein we’re deemed broken somehow, and we need to aspire to something despite our needing fixing. This leads to an absolution of personal responsibility: "I can’t help myself. God made me this way." It’s an easy out.

Perhaps because of an underlying belief in Godhead and all it’s accoutrements, I remember thinking on the perfection of others. At first take, it seemed far-fetched. Surely most people I knew weren’t behaving that way. They weren’t bad people exactly, but they didn’t view their lives as framed by the need to aid others as much as the compulsion to help themselves.

The Buddhist perfection is a refreshing alternate idea, but it comes with a catch. Because we’re inherently good and complete, we have a responsibility to utilize this understanding to help others. Because we’re whole, we have no excuse to act otherwise. To accept this responsibility is just a start, a baby step. The difficulty is in implementation.

Sometimes, though, we do the right thing automatically. I recall an early posting on citizen’s actions during the 9/11 horrors, wherein strangers aided others in a time of unthinkable distress.

 Impetus for correct actions need not be so vast. Wednesday, a few blocks from my home, the innate goodness in humanity surfaced. According to a Chicago Tribune story, a homeowner came to the rescue of his elder neighbor and saved him from a house fire.

(A) 52-year-old woman who lives in the home ran to a neighbor’s yelling that her house was on fire and that her 54-year-old husband was inside.

The neighbor ran to the one-story brick house, where thick smoke was pouring from all sides and flames were visible in the back, (Skokie Fire Chief Ralph) Czerwinski said.

The neighbor entered through the front door, crawled through heavy smoke into the living room, grabbed the unconscious man by the foot and pulled him outside, Czerwinski said.

Clearly, the hero had to work fast. Clearly, he was just a regular person who, when confronted with distress, did the right thing. As with the New Yorkers during the twin tower collapse, no thought was needed for the best of humanity to shine through. In both scenarios there was no time to think.

I note this as circumstantial evidence in support of Buddhist teachings of goodness. When we respond unthinkingly, automatically, we do the right thing. In a world as screwed up as ours, this is comforting. If we forget our conditioned "Me First" attitudes, underneath we are all decent people. No broken-ness, no flaws. If we awaken to this, we have no choice but to live expressing goodness, sharing in the perfection of humanity, and helping others in need. That’s reassuring.

Friday Night Zen is on holiday tonight. I’m meditating on latkes. OM, (belch!)

Happy Hannukah. (Is that how its spelled?)

December is the slow season at work. I sit and browse on the computer to fill my time some days. I get lots of time to ponder, or gaze at my navel, or whatever it is that we Buddhist-types do. As I write, I find myself alone in the office awaiting the mail carrier. The loudest sound is me chewing gum (disgusting habit, I know.) While searching my brain for a quote or an insight of Zen clarity, I see the small picture frame on the wall in front of my desk. Beside the wallet sized photos of my wife and daughter wedged in the corners, the frame holds a computer print out in green and yellow to remind me to recall a Buddhist concept called Metta, (as the Tibetans say) or Loving-kindness.

The Metta Sutra

This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech,
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways,
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and safety,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be,
Whether they are weak of strong, omitting none,
The great of the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near of far away,
Those born and to-be born,
May all beings be at ease.

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state,
Let none, through anger or ill will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings;
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards into the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill will.
Whether standing or walking, seated of lying down,
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.

Perhaps it's a bit early to convey; but in the waning weeks of a year of contention and animosity, as we look forward to traditional years-end festivities and the fresh start of a new calendar, should we find ourselves as I do now - with too much time to think - perhaps we could attend to our legacies as an individual and as a member of the dominant species on this singular planet, and ponder the meanings and consequences of our actions, inactions and indifferences. Ask ourselves, too, if we have shown living-kindness, not just our small circle of family, friends, and associates, but to society, to mankind, and to the planet.

Please re-read the Metta Sutra. Disregard the closing notion of rebirth if you don't accept it. Instead, open your mind to all the properties espoused, the dignity and the grace of the language. Note the universality of the message, be you Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or Jew, there's much here to emulate for us all. Not just during the holidays, but during everyday. That's what Buddhism brings to the world: the art of Being Human, and a method of peace.

Namaste.

It's snowing hard today. My usual early morning routine was altered by my shoveling my neighbors walkway at 6AM. She's over 80 and has a doctors appointment later. Then I dutifully drove the thirteen miles to work.

There's something calming about driving in relatively light traffic in the snow. One must concentrate, sure, but when there's no sense to hurrying, the mind can relax and focus on the task at hand, namely getting myself and my vehicle across town in one piece. All distraction fades. It's almost like meditation.

It's the focusing that the mind likes. Scientists have measured endorphin levels in the brain during certain activities and found that moments of concentration will produce pleasure-related compounds. That would explain my preferences for activities like writing, playing music - even playing computer games - that force the mind to a singular activity or to a series of decisions. Then the brain relaxes into a state similar to meditative absorption.

I have time to blog while at work today because no one else made it in. Our office only has four people, anyway. Being a roofing company, we're virtually at a stand-still this time of year regardless of weather. I'm sure my roofer friends are snuggled nicely this morning as the storm front that crippled Washington State last weekend is blowing through the Windy City today.

Query to self: Why am I still here?

Thanksgiving dinner wound down last night, and conversation resumed. A comment was made about cigarette smokers and soon we began discussing the ways various municipalities were using laws to curb smoking in public places. The overall tone was of acceptance. We are all non-smokers.

I piped up in my usual devil’s advocate, buck the trend style, that as a former puffer, I felt the trend was discriminatory. Americans are free to kill themselves if that’s what they want. The rebuttal (weak, I thought) was of the dangers second-hand smoke. Being the host, I felt unusual restraint and let the conversation turn. What I wanted to point out is how free non-smokers are to not frequent establishments that smokers prefer, to not associate with others who smoke if the habit is bothersome.

I wanted to point out that Americans need to get back to a culture of acceptance, inclusiveness and compassion of others. We’ve lost whatever meager gains we’ve made over the past fifty years toward a society modeled after a core belief in religious freedoms and the attendant mentality of acceptance of diversity. (Placeholder for deleted political dig.) As a Buddhist, I feel we need to remember the teachings of our founders during this weekend of National Pride.

Remember the "Great Melting Pot ™?" I’ve often quipped it’s more like a chunky stew, but lately it seems more like and oil-and-water mix. We need to get back to basics, get back to a compassionate, people-centric world of open minds, open hearts, and the understanding that others will do what we wish they wouldn’t - and that’s alright, too.

What to write in this post-election Brave New World (just like the old world), when the weekend beckons to a pummeled mind like a red-headed Siren? The events of the last week have repeatedly brought to mind a sort-of parable from Steve Hagen's book, Buddhism: Plain and Simple. He illustrated the human condition in his opening chapter:

Imagine that you see people seated at a sumptuous banquet. Long tables piled high with delicacies are spread out before them. A dazzling and mouth-watering array of foods, perfectly prepared, is steaming and glistening and sizzling right in from of their eyes, easily within reach.

But the people seated at this feast are not eating. In fact, their plates are empty. They haven't helped themselves to so much as a crumb. They've been seated at this banquet for a long time now. And they're slowly and steadily starving to death.

They're starving not because they cannot partake of the wonderful feast, or because eating is forbidden, or difficult, or harmful. They're starving because they don't realize that food is what they need. They don't recognize the sharp, urgent pains in their stomachs as hunger.. They don't see that what they need to do, all they need to do, is enjoy the feast that's right in front of them.

Haven't you felt, at one time or another, to be missing something? Hasn't life sometimes left you unfulfilled? We all have. It's not that life is incomplete, but that we cannot discern it's perfection. Perhaps the problem is not with our lives or with how we live them, but with our unacknowledged expectations. We may have formed the common habit of expecting life to be more than it really is and, by extension, expecting more of ourselves than we can fulfil.

We are what we are. Buddhism is to accept that what we have, and what we are capable of, is all we need. We are inherently perfect. I've always thought this a novel concept, coming as I have from a Christian culture of Original Sin. We have all we need to become happy, to better our world, to create joy in the lives of those around us if only we see through our cultural baggage as the psychological bondage it truly is.

The feast is before us. If we listen to our stomachs and not to outside sources, we can be free to reach forward and eat. It takes a brave person to be the first to make the move at our banquet. Soon the others will follow suit. Bon appetit!

As I ponder our upcoming election: the theoretical possibility of crooked election machines; the reality of eleventh-hour smear campaigns; words mis-spoken and twisted beyond recognition, I try to recall a Buddhist adage that says "Will it matter in 100 years?" In theory, if the answer is "no," then one is supposed to surmise that it doesn’t matter now, either. The problem is, I feel that the current course America is treading will indeed matter in 100 years - for the worse. And that makes me quite edgy.

With that said, I offer another Dharma perspective to aid in keeping mental stability so necessary in dealing with a world society rapidly deteriorating. This, from The Path to Tranquility by the Dalai Lama.

Nothing is more important than guarding the mind. Let us constantly keep watch over the wild elephant of the mind, curbing it with mindfulness and vigilance. This is how one can avoid being influenced by external conditions. But even in retreat in a very secluded place, if the mind is not kept under control, it will wander all over the place. Even when completely alone, we can have an enormous amount of negative emotions.

Nothing is more important that the minds motions, because all experience emanates from the mind. Viewing this in light of our nation’s political discontent, I recall that all external phenomenon is illusory, will rise and fall like all things and so will soon pass. I’m also reminded not to fret over things of which I have no control, and to mind all those things that I can. What else can one do?

Please exercise you privilege to vote this Tuesday. Don’t take it for granted. It can be taken from us, because nothing really lasts.

I struggle with creating these Zen postings. Among the reasons for this is the fact that I am not myself proficient enough in the teachings, or practiced enough in method. To find a tidbit to share and to think upon is part of my practice. Somewhere I heard that a solid method to understanding a subject of to debate or discuss it with others less familiar. So, I attempt to do so.

Temptation exists to just cut-and-paste something then go have fun. I resist as I can; that is not the point of this exercise. However there are many others more qualified and more eloquent than I. I found someone like that on the ‘net and who coincidentally is not too far from me in meatspace.

Roshi Seven Ross at the Chicago Zen Center has generously recorded a few of his Teisho discourses for our edification. Each is about 45 minutes in length. I suggest a quiet place, perhaps after sitting a while and settling the mind. Bear in mind his discussions are meant for people with a base understanding of Zen, of the center, and of what it’s all about. Picture yourself as a fly on the wall as you listen to remind yourself that not everything you’ll hear may find purchase at first. Some things he infers require a level of knowledge we might not possess yet. Get accustomed to Roshi’s calming delivery, give it some space. I guarantee he will get you thinking.

Perhaps more that I have… way more…