tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15951405506664139002024-03-14T08:54:59.332-04:00Buddhism SucksSO I'M GONNA WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-73713159242355643882012-08-21T12:58:00.000-04:002012-08-21T12:58:00.322-04:00Another PostI feel like no one has followed my blog to it's new home. Please check it out... it's so much nicer over there. Plus, I just posted a good story about getting punched in the face!<br />
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<a href="http://www.buddhismsucks.com/">www.buddhismsucks.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-62057980919787847022012-07-17T18:54:00.003-04:002012-07-17T18:54:37.914-04:00Another OneI'm on a roll, guys.<br />
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<a href="http://buddhismsucks.com/?p=43">http://buddhismsucks.com/?p=43</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-7114653116962602032012-07-16T20:24:00.001-04:002012-07-16T20:24:22.067-04:00New Post on WordPressHere's the link:<br />
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<a href="http://buddhismsucks.com/?p=39">http://buddhismsucks.com/?p=39</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-24292931270316685252012-07-16T13:31:00.002-04:002012-07-16T13:32:17.911-04:00This BLOG has been MOVED!So... almost one year later, I've got another blog site up through Wordpress.<br />
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From now on, please visit <a href="http://www.buddhismsucks.com/">www.buddhismsucks.com</a> to read.<br />
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For a while, I'll post links here to re-direct...<br />
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Thanks for reading!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-70664103664387346352011-08-23T12:56:00.000-04:002011-08-23T12:56:03.663-04:00Blog ExpansionSo... I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I'd like to turn this blog into a more active commentary on society at large - but viewed through my own unique perspective on Buddhism. What that would mean for readers is that I'd continue to comment on topics related to Buddhism, but I'd also write about other topics that I find of interest. <br />
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I'm leaning in this direction because I've received a number of comments about how all I do is rage against Buddhism and I don't offer any constructive suggestions for improvement. By expanding my focus, I think I'd be able to write on a more inclusive basis. What do you think?<br />
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Also - I bought some domain names. I was thinking of migrating away from Blogger. Does anyone have any experience/advice about that? <br />
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Yeah.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ndcc5uhJTUT2AD86zVXMrMNIkBGFDmdrSpA2wv2yx48_V4FHk54NGq5w4kXSbvsP3tKkyeA9dPcA58bwS6S2XNXqC-tl6AQm2skHUE9tStowH2ODa9rrEqKM3BCc3RMS0GJo5js5aSQ/s1600/cd-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ndcc5uhJTUT2AD86zVXMrMNIkBGFDmdrSpA2wv2yx48_V4FHk54NGq5w4kXSbvsP3tKkyeA9dPcA58bwS6S2XNXqC-tl6AQm2skHUE9tStowH2ODa9rrEqKM3BCc3RMS0GJo5js5aSQ/s1600/cd-cover.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A totally random picture of Rick James for your enjoyment!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-71124652477505135112011-08-20T23:23:00.003-04:002011-08-20T23:27:18.873-04:00I Voted For Obama!No big surprise, eh? I'm a (Buddhist) white guy from New York City with a beard... who the hell else was I gonna vote for? Simple.. no one. He was the only choice. <br />
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I've only voted one time in my life. I was 27 years old at the time and I didn't believe in the system. Politics was just some game that rich people played to make themselves feel important. My gut told me that "voting" was just a bone that our government threw us common folk to make us feel like we had a say over who ran our country. Then came Obama - a kinda black guy who seemed different then the rest. A guy who had something to prove to the world. I got sucked in.<br />
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I watched the debates, read the articles, and found myself getting lost listening to that calm voice telling me that America was finally going to be a place that I could be proud of. I remember walking into the booth like it was yesterday. I was nervous as I pulled the curtain closed. This was a momentous occasion! I saw his name on a little white card and I knew that once I pulled the lever, I was taking part in history.<br />
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It's hard being the president. I understand that. But I have trouble reconciling the fact that there are certain fundamental responsibilities that our leaders are neglecting. When you examine the situation closely, there really are only a few major issues that Obama needed to work on. If I remember correctly, he even "promised" us the kind of change that would directly address these issues when he said "YES WE CAN!" <br />
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So what the fuck? <br />
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I can imagine the amount of stress he must be feeling right now. His approval rating is at an all time low and I don't think there's a chance in hell that he's going to be re-elected. I would even go as far as to say that when Mr. Obama lays his head down on the pillow at night he must wish that someone would tell him how to fix the mess he's gotten himself into. So, ladies and gentleman, I'm going to do just that right here! (Mr. Obama, if you're reading this... just follow my advice and everything will be okay.)<br />
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It's a short list... but I think if he can accomplish these five things, he'll be able to rest easy and we can all feel happy to be Americans. <br />
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1. Fix education! Wake up and realize that No Child Left Behind really means: No White Upper-Middle Class Child Left Behind. Realize that all children can't be held to the same standards unless they all are given the same opportunities and resources. Realize that college was never meant to be a one-size-fits-all requirement that has the potential to run people into bankruptcy.<br />
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2. End the war(s)! We have no fucking business meddling in the business of others and sacrificing young men and women based on decisions made by rich people sitting in comfortable offices. If I remember correctly, human sacrifice ended with the Aztecs, right?<br />
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3. Get your head out of Wall Street's ass! The world of finance is so royally screwed up at this point, that I say we just end it all and start from scratch. I don't know a single person that even really understands our economy well enough to diagnose the problems we are having... that includes the people in charge. HELLO! NO ONE IS AT THE WHEEL ANYMORE! If we keep on going, then we're all going to be screwed... rich and poor alike. <br />
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4. Give all people adequate health care! Is that really too much to ask? Can't you just make it so that if we're sick, we can go to the doctor without signing over our entire paycheck? I know it's a complex system... but really when you think about it, isn't it just that simple? We just want to know that we can get medicine if we need it. If you can spend 32 million dollars on a helicopter that ends up in flames in Afghanistan, can't you spring for chemotherapy drugs if I get cancer? <br />
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5. Dissolve the two-party system of politics! Where does it say in the Constitution that the government should spend 90% of its time arguing over whether it's better to be a Republican or a Democrat? I'm pretty sure that the government is supposed to care for the needs of the PEOPLE. Does it really matter if you're a member of the Tea Party or the Asshole Party? No... it matters if people have enough food and a roof over their heads!<br />
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Please forgive the simplicity of my list. I know that complex forces are at work here... but I think we can all agree that it's time for our president to make good on some of his promises, right?<br />
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I fear that worse than the fact that he won't be re-elected, he'll just go down in history as a kinda black guy who made it to the White House, which is all well and good... but when I pulled that lever, I was hoping for something more. <br />
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(I know this post had nothing to do with Buddhism... but hey, if you think about it... it kinda did.)<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-8205769426096584132011-07-08T16:22:00.000-04:002011-07-08T16:22:12.980-04:00The 35 Buddhas of Confession<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryM9Nj4rvGz87nNpAywT3RYRcX2qQkyLjRbGghRAwmsBsUw8G4wHhhN0o8lH1aU__jSgFTUh9TE08HlrbTmQUhghEv4qJGP3VlpEWk4_8LjbwN1P9ZShX6j2DH7qK8rEE4j9pfH02sA8/s1600/art-35cb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryM9Nj4rvGz87nNpAywT3RYRcX2qQkyLjRbGghRAwmsBsUw8G4wHhhN0o8lH1aU__jSgFTUh9TE08HlrbTmQUhghEv4qJGP3VlpEWk4_8LjbwN1P9ZShX6j2DH7qK8rEE4j9pfH02sA8/s320/art-35cb.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>Sounds awfully Catholic, doesn't it? Problem is, I don't think you could fit all 35 of these brightly-colored, omniscient beings into one of those little closet-sized confessionals - plus, there'd be no room for prostrations! Nonetheless, I thought I'd ride the inspiration from my last post to explore some things I'd like to confess about myself which might shed light on why I profess such a non-traditional view of Buddhism. <br />
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One of the greatest conundrums for western Buddhists is the fact that our day-to-day lives are nothing like those of our traditional Asian counterparts. This is problematic because the mind learns best by example. Trying to follow an example that is completely alien to our own experience is quite difficult, if not impossible.<br />
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Most of the literature available to us and most of the teachers we have access to come from one of these perspectives: <br />
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<b>The "traditional" Asian, monastic perspective</b> - A typical biography might look something like this: A boy is born somewhere in Asia. Usually, this boy belongs to a family living in a remote, rural area, without much in the way of worldly possessions. Either the kid is recognized as someone's reincarnation, or is given away to a monastery at an early age because there isn't enough money to feed him. He spends his entire adolescence growing up in a secluded monastery, surrounded by other monks, under the strict observance of novice vows. If the kid shows some kind of intellectual promise, he's given a monastic religious education and takes up a teaching position somewhere in the world. Maybe he spends some time meditating on retreat somewhere... but maybe not. How can a person like this be expected to understand what it's like to be an American? He's led a completely sheltered life, devoid of the kind of day-to-day experiences that we're all familiar with. There's no way he can relate to us, so how can he be considered to guide us along some spiritual path? It doesn't make sense. Not to mention the fact that this world is completely male-dominated and rigidly conforms to traditions that have been extant for centuries. <br />
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<b>The "wannabe" Asian, monastic perspective - </b>In this scenario, a middle-upper class, overly educated white guy (or sometimes girl) gets sick and tired of being a Christian or a Jew and decides to adopt Buddhism as their new religion. What usually happens here is the person gets involved with some kind of traditional Buddhist center somewhere, adopts their teachings word-for-word, gets ordained, lives in some kind of monastic-like environment for a few years, maybe spends some time meditating, quits after having sex with one of the other monks/nuns, starts a new Buddhist center and begins teaching. Maybe this perspective is a LITTLE more appropriate for us... but really, who the hell wants to hang out with one of these guys? They end up being so goddamn full of themselves that their center ends up looking more like a cult than anything related to Buddhism. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a list of 6 reasons why I can't (and won't) practice traditional Buddhism. </span><br />
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I feel the need to share this information with you because I'm hoping to give a voice to other people out there like me who have no interest in completely changing their entire lives to fit into some predetermined image of what it means to be a Buddhist... but still persist in trying to cling to a spiritual path. (Also, because it's somewhat cathartic to air my dirty laundry on the internet.)<br />
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1. <b>I just got off the phone with my little brother. He's in prison. </b> I can't fully explain just <i>why</i> he's in prison because I don't really understand all the ins and outs of our legal system, especially as it's interpreted by the rednecks who threw him in there. All I know is that its got something to do with heroin and the fact that he escaped from a state-run rehabilitation facility. He spent several months living on the run, but recently he was captured. When we spoke, he struggled to communicate how much he loves me and despite the fact he's in prison, feels so much better mentally now that he's off drugs. He struggled with his words because it was hard for him to talk without bursting into tears and reverting back to that innocent platinum-haired child that I remember as my little brother. Had he started crying, it was basically guaranteed that one of the toothless meth-addicts standing nearby would try to either bash his face in or make love to him. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCss0c-Ba_Mnr8I_t0zgG9aRKYO-_a-sbYnbUyp_3dnkaFykplk9g_2Gc65hIJvcdZWiJ6rbx5mDfUNPkBDTc8QjR60xRFeQLtu5RLkzE8m6OjOZF30W50p8LUwUtxgA3lozojHyQypp8/s1600/meth4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCss0c-Ba_Mnr8I_t0zgG9aRKYO-_a-sbYnbUyp_3dnkaFykplk9g_2Gc65hIJvcdZWiJ6rbx5mDfUNPkBDTc8QjR60xRFeQLtu5RLkzE8m6OjOZF30W50p8LUwUtxgA3lozojHyQypp8/s1600/meth4.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wanna kiss this mouth?</td></tr>
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So, we settled for talking about less emotional things. He asked me to send him some books. Being the Buddhist that I am, I tried to think of a book that would help him cultivate a peace of mind that could somehow make the endless hours of confinement seem less daunting. Here's a perfect illustration of just how BUDDHISM SUCKS: <b>What the hell book am I going to send my brother who's sitting on his ass in a concrete jail cell, trying his best not to lose his shit or get fucked by his homicidal cellmate?</b> Should I send him something by Pema Chodron? How about a scholastic text on the prajnaparamita? Or what about one of the million books on how to overcome anger? Shit... the only thing he's got in there to protect himself from the onslaught of gang violence IS anger! Fuck that. I think I'll settle for something by Brad Warner. At least he won't look like a pussy reading it, right? <br />
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2. <b>My mother and I haven't spoken to one another in over a year.</b> That's not entirely true. She has been sending me emails every now and again. In the last one, she basically told me that I'm an ungrateful sociopath, pretending to be a contributing member of society, but that eventually everyone would figure me out and I'd be in for some kind biblical-scale punishment. Oh, and she also issued a curse on the lives of my two unborn children much like that given by the gypsy character in Stephen King's <i>Thinner</i>. So I ask you, in the 21 Meditations on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (Lam Rim) where it explains that we as Buddhists are supposed to visualize all sentient beings as our mothers, should I imagine this guy?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I_MhpHMux35bfOtavHDqr9TnruJhqoO1DwiOPggIBgxhg8XlrZKTJRp2DKpZ_tzY9MDT6OXwD7WXeFKf0mpYdo7kBDCc5dfy46jj0xmkUxNiZlvQPlRLm44jE2Lf2DmpCu1wCp7SuBI/s1600/thinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_I_MhpHMux35bfOtavHDqr9TnruJhqoO1DwiOPggIBgxhg8XlrZKTJRp2DKpZ_tzY9MDT6OXwD7WXeFKf0mpYdo7kBDCc5dfy46jj0xmkUxNiZlvQPlRLm44jE2Lf2DmpCu1wCp7SuBI/s320/thinner.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOE4ui36c3MFc1r1aYWdLEEjRl6WSaa0e1CdwTLBfhv-Ke3M1OWHBK3VzY2SKka5U6PDpG46MOMXypLj9urhkYOClrbzMF1gbbpbxuO7WBbcOtMWpsuKBIWNmAtCHPNbnCtMUvYBoklM/s1600/gary-busey-dui.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOE4ui36c3MFc1r1aYWdLEEjRl6WSaa0e1CdwTLBfhv-Ke3M1OWHBK3VzY2SKka5U6PDpG46MOMXypLj9urhkYOClrbzMF1gbbpbxuO7WBbcOtMWpsuKBIWNmAtCHPNbnCtMUvYBoklM/s320/gary-busey-dui.jpg" width="280" /></a><b>3. My father, who is a toothless alcoholic and similar in behavior to Gary Busey at his finest, </b><b>recently fell down a flight of stairs and broke his goddamn neck. </b>Don't worry, he's not paralyzed or anything. He did however spend several weeks on the intensive care ward and was eventually discharged... not home... but to a mental institution. I had the good fortune of visiting him there, along with the few remaining family members that haven't completely given up yet. I'm not sure what was worse, talking to the man he shared a room with who was completely insane and thought everything in his life was a government conspiracy or watching my uncle unabashedly steal food from the trays of other patients. Hmm... sounds like fun, huh? So, when my suicidal father asks me (while I'm shaving his beard for him because he can't move his neck) what's gonna happen to him or where he's gonna live when he gets out of the looney-bin, what should I, as a BUDDHIST, say to him? Here are a couple of choices: (1) Just be mindful of your breathing, dad, and focus all your attention on the impermanence of life. (2) Just dedicate the merit of your actions to the benefit of all sentient beings and you'll become a Bodhisattva. (3) This is karma, you old bastard. Just hope that in the next life, you have the good fortune to be born as a Tibetan monk!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR0h-VskSFxVuvWhrpy0CzfHfMEryywqcQlDb6fVN_Pu3zIXGrMkqsoKx6NM9uqjIdhMm0g14ay21XRyK3He9Iq3T_bzIUMOdZddaKFNLIkPCNA-Zf3f0bsX1pPMhaSjVtoYRFlspmio/s1600/Scan10025_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmR0h-VskSFxVuvWhrpy0CzfHfMEryywqcQlDb6fVN_Pu3zIXGrMkqsoKx6NM9uqjIdhMm0g14ay21XRyK3He9Iq3T_bzIUMOdZddaKFNLIkPCNA-Zf3f0bsX1pPMhaSjVtoYRFlspmio/s320/Scan10025_2.jpg" width="192" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandma - Rockaway Beach - early 1930's</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>4. My 93-year-old, pink-haired, Leprechaun grandmother died recently. </b>Shortly after this picture was taken, she got married and basically spent her entire adult life either pregnant with or working hard to raise her eight children. Although she was fortunate to see all eight grow well into adulthood, she spent the last five years of her life sinking steadily into the murky waters of elderly dementia. At the very end, she was spending approximately 6-8 hours a day looking for a McDonald's hamburger that she lost sometime in the 1980's. She looked everywhere for that son-of-a-bitch, but she never did find it. (Of course, no one had the good sense to go out and buy her a new one.) A few weeks before she died, I was able to sit with her for a few hours at a family wedding. In between diaper changes (I'm serious), she sat in her wheelchair gripping my hand like a lost little girl. I looked into her deeply lined face, searching her haunted looking, icy-blue eyes for a sign that she knew who I was. At one point, she actually connected with me and her expression cleared for an instant. "I'm scared," she said. "What, grandma?" I asked. "What are you scared of?" "Just scared," she whispered, looking off into the distance. She stretched the word S-C-A-R-E-D out like a parent does when they're trying to get an infant to pronounce something correctly. I knew what she was scared of; she made that clear enough. It was death. It was painted on her old face like a mask. What was I supposed to say to her? Should I have explained the bardo? Should I have told her to look for the Clear Light of Awareness? No.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Death looks different in a book. It sounds different when a Lama talks about rejecting fear and embracing it. Death is fucking scary. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2B_HWktz7MvhTeM0qqzLtrGaTrPWgepV1IMvTTfciGIdxqFX1hFl_2dCCvsCT2HR-6jS57pG4OJYBe5OPXcuXv1PSKg2dQwXThUY5mE2HNCosOw0XfqbW77mRi7pDuTRaVqIALrOM9o/s1600/Rinpoche_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ2B_HWktz7MvhTeM0qqzLtrGaTrPWgepV1IMvTTfciGIdxqFX1hFl_2dCCvsCT2HR-6jS57pG4OJYBe5OPXcuXv1PSKg2dQwXThUY5mE2HNCosOw0XfqbW77mRi7pDuTRaVqIALrOM9o/s320/Rinpoche_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My daughter's 2nd Birthday Party - Guest of honor: Segyu Choepel Rinpoche</td></tr>
</tbody></table><b>5. I had a kid when I was seventeen. </b>It was your typical, Lifetime after-school special: unprotected sex, running away from home, dropping out of high school, collecting food stamps, etc. The only difference in my situation was that instead of developing a major drug habit or running for the hills like many teenage fathers do, I chose to deal with what was happening to me a little differently: I became a devoted Buddhist. Just in case you are curious about what it took to be considered a "devoted" Buddhist in my book back then, take a look at this checklist:<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1. Shave your head</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Become 100% straight-edge (no drugs, alcohol, caffeine, fun)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">3. Carry prayer beads 24/7</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Wear only monastic-style clothing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">5. Take every vow possible (refuge, bodhisattva, tantric, etc)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">6. Stop eating meat</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7. Hang out with as many dudes in maroon robes as humanly possible</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">8. Only read books published by Snow Lion or Wisdom </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I remember when, after a lengthy search, I was finally able to secure a <i>bona fide</i> Tibetan Geshe as my "root" teacher. The excitement of being able to sit in the presence of this man, an 80-year-old monk who literally WALKED OVER THE HIMALAYAN MOUNTAINS, kept me literally on the edge of my meditation cushion. I remember this one night in particular. A bunch of people were at the center for a teaching on Vajrasattva. We spent some time in between Geshe-La's bits of instruction on the sadana, meditating on the image of the deity. At one point, I thought I felt the Geshe entering my mind while I was meditating. I opened my eyes to find him staring directly at me with a strange grin on his lips. This was all the encouragement I needed to think that I was someone "special" in the world of Buddhism. Instinctually, I knew that I was on the "right" path and that hhe would teach me great things. (Little did I know that Geshe-La always meditated with his eyes slightly opened. The grin was nothing more than the natural shape of his lips.) After our session, I approached his little throne feeling like I was the most special person in the entire world. I had so many questions for him about my practice... specifically about how a seventeen-year-old father could practice while raising a little girl and sweating my ass off working in the kitchen of a shitty restaurant. I don't remember my exact words, but it went something like this: </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I approached his little throne submissively, my palms pressed together, and said, "Geshe-La, thank you for your teaching tonight. I think I'm really beginning to understand Vajrasattva now." </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Good... good..." he responded, lips still curved into that pleasant grin. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"I was wondering if I could ask you some questions... you know, about my practice? Do you have the time?" </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Yes, yes. Questions good." </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Okay, great! Here's my situation. I have a daughter. She was born a couple of months ago and I'm trying to decide if I should marry her mother... and you know, have sex with her and stuff. I'm a Buddhist now and I want to do the right thing. You know, so that I can become a Bodhisattva and all... What do you think I should do?" </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Hear how naive I sound?)</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Ah... yes!" he exclaimed. "Good questions." Again, the smile. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> He rocked back a little on the platform of his throne and took a long, knowing breath. Looking deeply into my eyes he asked, "Do you have car?" </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"A car, Geshe-La?" I was confused. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Yes, car. Do you drive car?" </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Yes, Geshe-La, but I don't see how..." </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Ah, Good! Then you take me to grocery to buy meat for my stew, yes?" </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Take you to the store?" I asked. </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Yes, to buy meat for stew. Wait while I get my coat." </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With that, he bounded up off his throne and went off looking for his maroon, pull-over fleece jacket. There's no need to go into detail about our little trip to the store. We did exactly as he said. We drove there in silence, I helped him find the perfect cut of top round for his stew, and dropped him off back at the house. He did happen to give a blessing to the checkout girl, which was kinda cool, but other than that, the night was pretty uneventful, spiritually speaking. He never did get around to answering any of my questions. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiJqvqdvHkVSQR8Y03kJovRJ6OftZdhSP-I8URX5yplBY02i4ummj1gga8NOJawgGEn7QSPwnINnhD3K76-_YlUydTtsowIWX8xIbt0iNHrLueTOO-w6CqrSaws3lHmh_eJjSSwnembI/s1600/geshe-la+color.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiJqvqdvHkVSQR8Y03kJovRJ6OftZdhSP-I8URX5yplBY02i4ummj1gga8NOJawgGEn7QSPwnINnhD3K76-_YlUydTtsowIWX8xIbt0iNHrLueTOO-w6CqrSaws3lHmh_eJjSSwnembI/s320/geshe-la+color.JPG" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geshe Jampel Thardo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> My point in taking this time to recreate one of my experiences with the Geshe is to illustrate the fact of how difficult it is for a young American to relate to an elderly Tibetan Lama. Geshe-La was a brilliant scholar, an accomplished meditator, and a well-known teacher. If I had a question about the <span class="st"><em>Guhyasamāja Tantra </em></span>or about how to outwit a Cittamatra in debate, he'd be right there with me... but when it came to the everyday struggles that an American practitioner faces, he was clueless. And how could I blame him... when he was seventeen, he'd already taken full ordination vows and was living in total seclusion at a monastery in Tibet. How could he hope to understand the pains of a teenage father? <span class="st"><em></em></span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>6. My great-great-grandfather was arrested and fined for punching a horse in the mouth. Twice.</b><b> </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Talk about some crazy-ass, non-Buddhist behavior, huh? Someone should've told him that violence isn't the best way to become a Bodhisattva! Be careful when doing genealogy. You might just discover that the fruit dangling from the branches of your family tree is rotten as shit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In Buddhism, there's this whole tradition of the "precious human rebirth." Supposedly, if you are born human with access to the Buddha's teachings, it means that your karma is so fucking good that you basically owe it to yourself to be the best Buddhist you can be. The first thing you should do is meditate your ass off on just how great it is to have this precious human rebirth. Enlightenment is on the horizon; you just gotta get out there and grab it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What do you do then if your DNA is riddled with predispositions to depression, alcoholism, drug abuse, narcissism, and ANIMAL CRUELTY? Just how precious is this human rebirth exactly? Instead of teaching people how to sit around and think about how lucky they are to be born human, I think it might be a better idea to MODERNIZE that shit and teach people how to cope with some of the problems that our society seems to be plagued with. Then maybe we can have some Buddhists out there who are actually DOING something constructive instead of just gazing at their navels or visualizing the trillion arms of <span class="st"><em>Avalokitshevara</em></span>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkAY41lR3-khPM87wEjfvI_BwmrybhoY8C0cAQ_-_5UIyhH7_SMwYnWpTYaaOvNOQlXe6Bkt5RvIgbHCLepis704_9CWE47sq26kD_bvrZEf-VZStNASk1wCmh5LdRLAwUMWU-QR5krE/s1600/getimage.dll.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkAY41lR3-khPM87wEjfvI_BwmrybhoY8C0cAQ_-_5UIyhH7_SMwYnWpTYaaOvNOQlXe6Bkt5RvIgbHCLepis704_9CWE47sq26kD_bvrZEf-VZStNASk1wCmh5LdRLAwUMWU-QR5krE/s320/getimage.dll.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an excerpt from an actual article written about my ancestor that I found in the<br />
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, dated October 9, 1901</td></tr>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-36446195014607667892011-06-27T19:03:00.000-04:002011-06-27T19:03:50.855-04:00New Buddhist - With a Question<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Ok, I haven't posted in a while... obviously. Don't think I haven't felt guilt over it. I feel guilty about everything! </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There are many reasons why I've been silent, other than my general malaise toward Buddhism... </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It's been a tough year of teaching, I was finishing up my Master's degree, AND I just found out that my wife and I are having twins! </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6S_4VWKAnTiKDmTgx7zsJgjtEye4DjSC5bcz_iIqEyW4gFu35vc93ZYd3hx-1EXFLV9m15I2Nq4eZi6gewGg1Z0e1TSiuueXQlOSF2npQ7SJfjg_7lOuPf4c1W0O1KhuKfWeLyqw8Fk/s1600/tumblr_l7gren8FO91qazi65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6S_4VWKAnTiKDmTgx7zsJgjtEye4DjSC5bcz_iIqEyW4gFu35vc93ZYd3hx-1EXFLV9m15I2Nq4eZi6gewGg1Z0e1TSiuueXQlOSF2npQ7SJfjg_7lOuPf4c1W0O1KhuKfWeLyqw8Fk/s320/tumblr_l7gren8FO91qazi65.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">**Not an actual picture of my twins**</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HUNGRY GHOST REALM, HERE I COME!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">A whole bunch of people have written me over the past few months, many of whom had some nice things to say. Thanks to the few of you who wrote all about how my views on Buddhism are distorted and are going to get me sent straight to the coldest dimension of hell!!!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> The other day, this guy Joe Ryan sent me an email that struck me as worthy for a response in a new blog post. (Don't worry, I already asked him if it was alright if I used his name on here.) </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">So here ya go, Joe: </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">(Joe's words are in blue and mine are black.)</div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Hi, I'm Joe Ryan, and I have no idea if you ever check your email, but here we go regardless.</div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Hi, Joe. Nice to meet you. I do check my email and for all of those people who've written me over the past few months, I thank you sincerely for your input. I've been so busy at school and with other writing, that I kinda put this blog on the back-burner for a while. But I'm here and I've read all the messages and I thank you for all of them. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">There are a number of blogs like yours and I love reading them, the sort of deconstruction of what many people seem to believe Buddhism is. But I guess I am wondering if there is a 'short version' (so to speak) of what people who are a part of this movement believe? </div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I can't really say that I belong to a "movement" per say. I can in no way speak for anyone else but myself. Like many American Buddhists, I spent years studying and practicing by following a very traditional path. For me, it was in the Gelug sect of Tibetan Buddhism. As I've mentioned elsewhere, the Asian tradition of Buddhism is quite culturally specific and can be difficult to follow. Extracting the "ideals," "philosophies," or "practices" from this tradition can be extraordinarily difficult. Plus, I think it's in the American spirit to change whatever we encounter to suit our own needs anyway. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">The reason why I was drawn to "deconstruct" Buddhism is because I recognized the fact that (1) Buddhism could offer me a worthwhile focus in my life, but (2) that I first needed to adapt it to my own worldview rather than vice-versa. I tried to force myself into the traditional mold, but I just didn't fit. I was faced with the decision to either give up altogether or make changes that would allow myself some leeway in utilizing what Buddhism could offer me. Remember, the "path" is a personal thing. There is no "right way" even though the actual phrase "right" occurs frequently in the literature. Use common sense and self-direct your path. It's the only way. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">If I were to suggest some reading material for you that could somehow synthesize this idea of an individual path into something comprehensible, the list would look somewhat strange to a traditional Buddhist. Here's a taste: </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Leaves of Grass - </i>Walt Whitman </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Anything by Allen Ginsberg</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><i>The Autobiography of Malcolm X </i></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Einstein's theory of special and general realtivity</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><i> Gray's Anatomy - </i>the BOOK not the SHOW</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">All of this literature has nothing to do with Buddhism per say, but everything to do with "finding an individual path." After reading this stuff, you can then investigate some of the more traditional Buddhist texts. If you read the Buddhist stuff first, you'll just end up lost in a blizzard of intellectual bullshit and you won't have time to meditate. Find people who think differently... people who lust at life and come away with some kind of unique perspective. Examine the paintings of Van Gogh for example, or read a biography of a famous serial killer... nothing is irrelevant. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">(DISCLAIMER: I don't know how old you are Joe, or any of my readers for that matter, but if any of the things I suggest below are illegal for minors... DON'T DO THEM! It's important above all else to be responsible and mindful about the feelings of others. A good piece of advice: Do anything you want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.) </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Rather than get bogged down on the couch under a load of books, I suggest a more "experiential" approach to Buddhism. Here's a list of stuff you can do to give you a more accurate perspective on the spiritual path: </span><span style="color: black;"></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">1. Go on a prolonged camping trip into the wilderness. Sit in the dark and experience nature. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">2. Get really drunk (responsibly). See how it feels. It's the only way to understand WHY it could be bad for you. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">3. Have lots of sex (responsibly). </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">4. Meditate - don't worry about how. Just sit there. You'll figure it out. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">5. Cook a gourmet meal for someone and eat it together. (Or at least try.)</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">6. Fall deeply in love with someone - hetero or homo! Have fun! </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">7. Write poetry. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">8. View extreme poverty first hand. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">9. Get in a fight with someone. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">10. Get scared about something... all alone. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">11. Hold hands with someone who is about to die. (This is my personal fav...) </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Some people may say that I'm being crass or irresponsible by suggesting that you do this kinda stuff. (Trust me, I would've written a longer, more explicit list if I wasn't afraid of getting in trouble. We should go out for a beer sometime and I can elaborate.) </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">I'm just trying to make a point. Buddhism is full of these lists of stuff that you "shouldn't" do. The only way to achieve anything... not just in Buddhism, but in general... is to EXPERIENCE life - make mistakes, regret stuff, see things that disturb you. You need to make judgements about your world and form opinions about your place in it. If you spend your life in a cave, isolated from the real world, you won't have anything to meditate about. Those colorful drawings of Buddhist deities get kinda boring after a while, trust me. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">For example, you mention that you tossed out all your Buddhist shit and gave up on <i>" </i><span style="line-height: 19px;"><i>wasting my time looking for this vague concept called "enlightenment" "</i> but many of the books that you read (The Three Pillars of Zen comes to mind) say that the enlightenment experience is basically the most important thing in Buddhism. Certainly, zazen is viewed as 'what you do' if you want to be considered a Buddhist. I'm trying to decide where you (and many others) fall on many of these things that seem like Buddhism 101. Admittedly, I haven't read through the entire blog, and I probably should because it might answer all my questions. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">It's like this: If you spend your life focused on the prize, then you lose sight of the path and you'll never get there. Enlightenment is an indescribable, non-conceptual phenomenon. Any time spent trying to figure out what it is exactly, or what is the "best" way to get there... is time that could've been better spent living or practicing. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">YES enlightenment is important. It's the supposed goal of Buddhist practice and meditation is the supposed way to get there. What do you think is better? To focus on the goal or on the method? If you spend all your time worrying about enlightenment, then you won't meditate. If you spend all your time meditating, you won't have time to live. If you don't live... you die. It's that simple. You need to achieve a balance that's right for you. No Buddhist sage can tell you how to do that. Sure, they can give you a perspective from their own path, but let's face it... how much do you really have in common with the Dalai Lama, Joe? </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Read the Buddhism books. They're good. I've read many of them myself... but take all of what you read with a grain of salt. If you read something, or hear something from some supposed Buddhist master, ask yourself if it makes sense to JOE. If it does, great. If not, forget you ever heard it. </span> </span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">It seems like there are people who worship the Asian Zen masters as rockstars (you know the people...they shave their head and talk in riddles to make friends and family think they are mysterious or something), and then there are the other group of people who believe that Buddhism has to be westernized or die. Buddhism gets packaged into 'easily digestible for western audiences' boxes, or becomes hippy/beat zen, where you just get to do whatever you want and call it living in the moment. </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Like I said earlier... Don't worry about the Asian rock stars. Don't worry about the losers that imitate them. Don't get bogged down with westernizing Buddhism. Ignore all "boxed" forms of ANYTHING. The only person in this world (or in any of the Buddhist heavens) that can tell you what to believe or how to believe it is..... JOE. You. That's it. Period. End of story. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7ewzUE1M0oJFyhUjK1BuUPGxc2rkhRfSKH3oAydps7gJV_XhvAAE4hv0uTWYE8SVbmPDEAQV3Mu2i9ZzVdWQoGg33PeGFKW-az9ooPAFHSd_oo7gyOjQf6ruF72TkW2MlLONgkLxQRE/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU7ewzUE1M0oJFyhUjK1BuUPGxc2rkhRfSKH3oAydps7gJV_XhvAAE4hv0uTWYE8SVbmPDEAQV3Mu2i9ZzVdWQoGg33PeGFKW-az9ooPAFHSd_oo7gyOjQf6ruF72TkW2MlLONgkLxQRE/s320/2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> It's like being at the grocery store. Let's say you want to make a really delicious, healthy dinner. There are aisles and aisles full of pre-packaged, pre-processed, pre-served, pre-heated crap that you can buy. That stuff gets the job done. You cram it down your throat and you feel full. The problem is that it tastes terrible and destroys your body from the inside out. Don't buy that crap. Instead, grab some fresh vegetables, a nice piece of fish, and maybe a handful of herbs and make yourself a nice dinner. It'll be better for you, it'll taste better, and best of all... YOU made it. </span> </span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">When I imagined writing this email, it was very insightful and not nearly as rambling as it has turned out to be. Let me just break it down, and if you have the time/interest to answer these somewhat personal question, I'd appreciate it.</span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Do you believe that enlightenment through meditation (or at all) is crucial, unimportant, or impossible? </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">None of the above. Enlightenment is not an event. You don't just turn a corner one day and run smack into the brick wall of enlightenment. "Enlightenment" in the conservative Buddhist sense is just a vague concept that aims to articulate a goal that supposedly lies at the end of the spiritual path. There have been centuries of scholarly and meditative inquiry directed at the task of quantifying this goal and an equal amount of speculation about how best to reach it. The volume of commentary on the subject is staggering. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">In my opinion, the idea that enlightenment should be set in the cross-hairs of our practice as a goal that is to be aimed for creates a dichotomy between the PERSON WHO WE ARE TODAY, IN THE PRESENT MOMENT - and - THE PERSON WE HOPE TO BECOME SOMEDAY THROUGH INTENSIVE PRACTICE. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">This is an unfair interpretation. It simplifies the whole process of spiritual growth and realization that a person goes through in life and distills it into a neat little package: <span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">If you be good and work hard </span></span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">you will get a really cool reward!</span> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">How can we possibly stay focused on living in the present moment, mindful of the million miracles that occur in our daily lives, when there is the constant distraction of what could happen tomorrow or the next day, when we finally become a buddha? </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">That's a huge burden to carry. I refuse to do it. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Besides setting yourself up for certain disappointment, this kind of thinking defies logic. To assume that the mind and the physics of our very universe operate in such a manner is just as foolish as the supposition or belief that a divine creator-god watches over us like we're his children - punishing us for being bad and rewarding us for being good. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">If that's what we're doing as Buddhists, then I don't want any part in it. I don't care what terminology you use. I have no interest whatsoever in sitting at the right hand of the Lord OR becoming a golden, omniscient buddha with droopy earlobes who has the power to save humankind. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Thanks, but no thanks. I don't need that to be happy. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Enlightenment in this sense is not possible. At least, that's my belief. Please understand, I don't suggest that I have any great understanding of a universal spiritual principle. I do know what feels right to ME. I have been able to figure out (to an extent) what I need to believe in order to wake up in the morning, put my feet on the floor, and live another day. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">This is life - it's a constant challenge. The game is figuring out how to make it through without irreparably hurting yourself or others and managing to maintain an acceptable level of happiness. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Not a single one of us has a leg up or a special understanding of what it takes to deconstruct existence and solve the eternal questions in life. Not Buddha, not Mohammed, not Jesus, and certainly not Harold Camping. I believe that each and every one of us has everything we could possibly need, already inside of us. It's just a matter of opening the mind to it all. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">(For those of you who require a Buddhist reference for this belief, check out the writings of Longchenpa or the concept of <i>tathagatagarbha</i>. I suggest reading the original texts without commentary first. Go with your gut. Don't forget that all this shit was written by people just like you and me!) </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">We live, we learn along the way, and we get by. There are certain undeniable truths to this existence which puzzle us and which we try to understand. The irony is, for all of our similarities as human beings, there is no universal path for us to follow. Nor is there a universal goal. You can investigate any religion or philosophical dogma and you'll find the same thing: suggestions. The challenge is to go beyond the suggested reading list and figure it out for yourself! </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">For me, enlightenment is something unique to my perspective. For you, it's something entirely different. There are some commonalities, to be sure, but you can chalk them up to the beauty of life. Don't forget that something like 98% of our DNA is identical to that of a chimpanzee... would you ask a chimp how to realize emptiness?</span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Joe, you have your enlightenment already. It's just a matter of embracing it. If you figure out the secret on just how to do that... let us know. We're waiting. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">If I had to choose one word to describe enlightenment, it would be: dream. </span> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Where would you say your beliefs lie, on a scale of Tibetan Buddhism to Alan Watts-style Beat Zen? (Might not be the best scale, but I hope you get what I mean.)</span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Do you think a Buddhist is REQUIRED to believe in things like rebirth, Karma, etc?</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Ask yourself this: Who makes this requirement? The Buddha? Impossible. He's dead. He can't tell you to do ANYTHING! Is it the institution or dogma of the Buddhist religion? Can't be... neither of those are sentient beings with the ability to ask anyone anything. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Think about it like this: </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Take any one of those supposedly "Buddhist" concepts like reincarnation or karma. Do your research. Read all about them and talk to people who claim to believe in them. Ask questions. Then, go for a long walk by yourself on the beach or something and think about them for yourself. Does the idea of karma make sense to you? Is it something that you think will help you understand yourself or the nature of existence? Investigate it... test it out... dare I say, MEDITATE on it. If in the end, you feel like it makes sense and it's something you'd like to lay claim to... then go ahead. If not, walk away. Just be careful, as this whole process might just take your entire life. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_IqBp1lfQOB-3s1E0OYyAQbds3XxxsDa2Li1lN_P3nOgMnmBVgdl-pnlpBG6b_n8uiIQ2i-Fds_Uid6tkeg5Z9RaDUlrLq2KoeEiYFv5kPlAMyU7GllhdTpv2_y10-d39wUVu9iOVok/s1600/exp_insect093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq_IqBp1lfQOB-3s1E0OYyAQbds3XxxsDa2Li1lN_P3nOgMnmBVgdl-pnlpBG6b_n8uiIQ2i-Fds_Uid6tkeg5Z9RaDUlrLq2KoeEiYFv5kPlAMyU7GllhdTpv2_y10-d39wUVu9iOVok/s200/exp_insect093.jpg" width="168" /></a></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Don't forget that many of the dogmatic concepts which serve as cornerstones to the institution of Buddhism came from social constructs that evolved over the course of thousands of years. In the end, human beings are really only concerned with one thing: finding happiness. For one person, like Adolf Hitler for example, that quest might involve the genocide of millions... for another person, it could be as simple as a ham sandwich. When you stop to think about it all, this whole thing called "life" is completely fucking insane. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">If I had to "scale" my own belief system, I'd say it's probably most similar to the life of an ant. They're more Buddhist than anyone I've ever met. </span></span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">And finally, if what many people think of modern western Buddhism is just a group of people who may or may not meditate, may or may not believe in Buddhist things like reincarnation and Karma, and think you should live for the moment and try to do right by other people, where's the difference between modern Buddhism and Secular Humanism?</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Again... it doesn't matter what other people think. What's most important is what YOU think. If you want to call yourself a Secular Humanist, a Buddhist, or an asshole, then that's your reality. No one else can change that. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgId2ROgfpJ4mtXPipoxSmOt8odLUlPbNKCwkuHszAQWkx9IlRTC_bra4LVGdkh8PcUbklFUZBx0bOYvY1qZjYGlDbeSy2Toz0NVNDmDNxailN3XKPNkm1cC6T3lmzQSj5Git2QTZB1eX0/s1600/REMEMBER-JONESTOWN-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgId2ROgfpJ4mtXPipoxSmOt8odLUlPbNKCwkuHszAQWkx9IlRTC_bra4LVGdkh8PcUbklFUZBx0bOYvY1qZjYGlDbeSy2Toz0NVNDmDNxailN3XKPNkm1cC6T3lmzQSj5Git2QTZB1eX0/s320/REMEMBER-JONESTOWN-small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Yes, Buddhism has a lot in common with humanism, transcendentalism, Hinduism, and Taoism... just to name a few other "isms." But think about this. It also has a lot in common with Nazi-ism. Where else can you find a group of people who all look exactly alike, have the same haircuts, wear the same clothes, chant the same words, and think the same thoughts? </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Trip to Jonestown anyone?</span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">There is an innate danger in labeling our belief systems and trying to quantify the non-conceptual forces that govern our minds. Before you know it, you've built yourself a tiny, windowless prison cell. Sure, you can go inside, close the door, and lock yourself away forever... but who would want that? </span> </span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Thanks in advance for reading, whether or not you have time or interest enough to respond.</span></div><span style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span><div style="color: blue; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><br />
</span></div><span style="color: #888888; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><div style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">-Joe Ryan</span></div><div style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"> </span></div><div style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;">Thank you for writing, Joe. Thank you for challenging me to get inside myself and try to articulate the things that drive me mad on a daily basis. Good luck, godspeed, and don't forget to say your prayers before bed... or you'll probably go to hell. </span></span></div><div style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: blue;"><span style="line-height: 19px;"><span style="color: black;"> </span> </span></div></span><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-88396811569480544882010-12-17T18:16:00.000-05:002010-12-17T18:16:11.529-05:00The REBEL Buddha<div style="font-family: inherit;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Review of <i>Rebel Buddha</i> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>I used to be the type of “Buddhist” guy that bought EVERY new book released by Snow Lion and Wisdom.<span> </span>At one point, I think I probably had like two-hundred books on my shelf.<span> </span>That was bullshit.<span> </span>A few years ago, I came to my senses, went through all my books, and probably got rid of 90% of them by putting them in boxes and setting them out in the lobby of my apartment building.<span> </span>The last thing I need in my life is a bookcase full of books that I’m never going to read again; even if they just so happen to be about Buddhism.<span> </span>I mean, who the hell am I trying to impress here? </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplSpwW2rGUc5uOs860urHA5DH5RJ3KVttF4wjDgQbJTZFoYDdttWwJ2Few7jt8MWo19MWlvA0a8CE7V-85cLN4zsfL-HoXFLi_KdCboElqYtv2Pmow_whSb-2dwlvVzlmtxpymuDB8Vk/s1600/Subway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgplSpwW2rGUc5uOs860urHA5DH5RJ3KVttF4wjDgQbJTZFoYDdttWwJ2Few7jt8MWo19MWlvA0a8CE7V-85cLN4zsfL-HoXFLi_KdCboElqYtv2Pmow_whSb-2dwlvVzlmtxpymuDB8Vk/s320/Subway.jpg" width="320" /></a><span> </span>Ever since then, I’m very careful about what books I keep and which ones I leave on the seat when I’m riding the subway.<span> </span>(Most get left on the seat, honestly.)<span> </span>I don’t usually use the library because I like to mark my books up and generally abuse them.<span> </span>So, I end up spending a ton of money on books.<span> </span>On the plus side, there are a lot of people in NYC that probably pick up the books I leave on the subway… so good for them. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span>Before I start my review, I’d like to say that I’m KEEPING <i>Rebel Buddha.</i><span> </span>Yep, that’s right.<span> </span>It’s not totally horrible.<span> </span>Dzogchen Ponlop has definitely taken a step in the right direction with this book.<span> </span>He comes from a very traditional Tibetan background… and we all know how crotchety those old Tibetans can be, right?<span> </span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; font-family: inherit; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_Vg_od1FyYTPpgxluJZy49QNqELXy6ke_4fNVxdpBnSb-Qs4zqjsuRzCCFkQawl1Y5P1KX3Aq-YEQrLDZz1Co2NKG_-VTQ-qauA2c_lJFUhxFWHZ6SAbOSFnXLMekTKZSCRhpGDWhTk/s1600/Tbetan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq_Vg_od1FyYTPpgxluJZy49QNqELXy6ke_4fNVxdpBnSb-Qs4zqjsuRzCCFkQawl1Y5P1KX3Aq-YEQrLDZz1Co2NKG_-VTQ-qauA2c_lJFUhxFWHZ6SAbOSFnXLMekTKZSCRhpGDWhTk/s320/Tbetan.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She's yelling at a guy who hasn't realized emptiness yet!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Notwithstanding, DP makes a sincere effort to step away from the traditional formula of Tibetan-inspired literature.<span> </span>There’s no text translation, no thangka painting on the cover, and not one single mention of the word TANTRA!<span> </span>As a matter of fact, DP strays away from using any so-called “Dharma-Speak” in this book whatsoever, which is a big RELIEF!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">HOWEVER… </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span> </span> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"> There are a few problems.<span> </span>Why is it that in the world of American Buddhist literature it seems like the majority of “books” out there are not really books, but talks that have been typed out by a faithful follower?<span> </span>I really hate that.<span> </span>Not that there’s no merit in transcribed lectures, but there’s really something to be said for authors who actually WRITE their books rather than just stick their name on the cover of some transcribed compilation of talks that they gave sometime last decade.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;">What ends up happening to the literature is terrible.<span> </span>All these “talk-books” end up sounding just a little bit off somehow, right?<span> </span>The tone is weird.<span> </span>I always feel like I’m being lulled into a stupor by someone who likes to hear themselves speak at length.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;">As stated in the <i>Editors Note</i> in the back of the book, “<i>Rebel Buddha</i> is the result of the coming together of two lecture series on dharma and culture presented almost ten years apart.”<span> </span>I think this book would have been FAR better had Dzogchen Ponlop actually sat down and written it.<span> </span>I know that some of the accolades given to American Buddhist literature speak to how “conversational” and “straight forward” the reading is, but I’d like to suggest some phrases that are more appropriate: </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i>“John Doe Rinpoche shatters old myths and sweeps away cultural baggage, but also repeats himself often, chooses poor adjectives when describing things, and pads his chapters with unnecessary paragraphs.”<span> </span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span> </span>--</i>John Harrison, author of Buddhism Sucks</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i>“Generic Buddha Book is a seminal work for the growth of Buddhism in contemporary society; especially for those who don’t value well written literature.<span> </span>Be prepared to skim.”<span> </span><span> </span> </i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.5in;"><i>-</i>John Harrison, asshole on the street who happens to spend all his time at Barnes and Noble reading Buddhist books</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;">You see, one of the advantages of writing something over SPEAKING it, is that you can have the chance to revise and refine your ideas before you send it to press.<span> </span>Although DP most certainly spent time editing and revising the text that his devotee, Cindy Shelton transcribed, it would’ve been nice to have him actually take the time to WRITE the book.<span> </span>As Buddhists, whenever a new dharma book hits the shelves, we ingest the message and ignore the writing.<span> </span>Is it too much to ask that our authors write well?<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;">Yes, DP’s message is fairly strong and somewhat refreshing, but if I had to analyze his writing, I’d probably say that it was “average”, “repetitive”, and “toneless” rather than “accessible”, “profound” or “thoroughly modern.”</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;">TOO HARSH?<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg_iB3PxnUHYHdEw2imw_eHU5mYJxri0P2RuMQrS2bm-VEQqSXhEcoNTcbOdeOD6zKJseRX8F8xgN_5XdhOrYb5HVSSoFfHRCjw_BK9XqWrYjZmsRG5gNyflWXSOdPRAeV1O4U6LsM_k/s1600/confession.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgg_iB3PxnUHYHdEw2imw_eHU5mYJxri0P2RuMQrS2bm-VEQqSXhEcoNTcbOdeOD6zKJseRX8F8xgN_5XdhOrYb5HVSSoFfHRCjw_BK9XqWrYjZmsRG5gNyflWXSOdPRAeV1O4U6LsM_k/s320/confession.jpg" width="210" /></a><i>Rebel Buddha</i> is refreshing in the sense that the book is almost wholly absent of typical Buddhist anecdotes and tiresome Buddhist terminology.<span> </span>That’s nice.<span> </span>Even though I consider myself fairly well-versed in the whole Buddho-speak thing, it’s nice to read a book in my own language.<span> </span>DP has a thorough knowledge of Tibetan Buddhism and a sincerity to impart this knowledge to the reader; so from that perspective, it’s a good book.<span> </span>Not REALLY, REALLY good, but good.<span> </span>I think he was going for something similar to what Stephen Batchelor did in <i>Confession of a Buddhist Atheist.</i> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">There seems to be a growing demand for books like this, written BY and FOR Western Buddhists.<span> </span>Several have tried, but few have won a prize.<span> </span>I really enjoyed Batchelor’s work.<span> </span>The difference with “Confession” though is that Batchelor is a very strong writer.<span> </span>Plus, he’s a westerner.<span> </span>DP was totally trying to jump on that bandwagon with <i>Rebel Buddha.</i><span> </span>He succeeded… in part.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">(Just wait till I write my book.<span> </span>Then you’re brains will really bleed.)</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">here’s the breakdown:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><b>The GOOD The BAD and The BULLSHIT:</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqdZDQWSHBmuPbx_ksB-uGJKQiEUWspJ7C9vmGH3BU_XMpwihyphenhyphenKObk1I8bRk4nFflCECyitXClYmv09k-ZhjmU_bKCXdA7Yakrc7lcLGGD1gFcz4ETqQFAIuzL0_UCi7E9S1pgwOvjUE/s1600/clint.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqdZDQWSHBmuPbx_ksB-uGJKQiEUWspJ7C9vmGH3BU_XMpwihyphenhyphenKObk1I8bRk4nFflCECyitXClYmv09k-ZhjmU_bKCXdA7Yakrc7lcLGGD1gFcz4ETqQFAIuzL0_UCi7E9S1pgwOvjUE/s320/clint.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Not that I’m trying to rip the guy a new asshole or anything, but a lot of the book (as a lot of many Buddhist books are) is just a fluffy, Buddhist, spiritual pep-talk.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">There is some real meat is found though.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFezbV_dhXYQFJkK51AmkYvRRcIHs-T9iOcBbt8RQJ58w6-Wxlte9lwKChxk594-tirAiUl2El4LAYAXUjARzN_CiQwdzcYLALjQpysQRfAQ2vHIwSZfIf3ZPMoOUjD4q6BNU89lxBI0/s1600/raw-meat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMFezbV_dhXYQFJkK51AmkYvRRcIHs-T9iOcBbt8RQJ58w6-Wxlte9lwKChxk594-tirAiUl2El4LAYAXUjARzN_CiQwdzcYLALjQpysQRfAQ2vHIwSZfIf3ZPMoOUjD4q6BNU89lxBI0/s200/raw-meat.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dharma-Meat</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">DP does a good job explaining the Buddhist conception of mind.<span> </span>He uses the typical Tibetan construct of the “Two Truths”; Conventional Truth and Ultimate Truth, although he doesn’t use that exact terminology.<span> </span>As he states, “<span style="color: #0070c0;">Another way to describe the mind is to talk about its relative and ultimate aspects.<span> </span>The relative aspect refers to confused mind; the ultimate aspect is its enlightened nature.</span>”<span> </span>This is not a new construct, but DP explains it in with such nonchalance that he demystifies the concept of enlightened mind and makes it seem more approachable and attainable by us lowly Americans.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Probably the best thing about DP is that he brings Buddhism down from the pedestal that we’ve put it on.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">For example:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">I sometimes wonder why some of you are still at it </span>[US, the American Buddhists]<span style="color: #0070c0;">, because I see so little confidence in the possibility of waking up now… It’s not the message of the Buddha or the intention of Buddhism to provide a partial recovery from confusion.<span> </span>The message of the Buddha is that you’re awake now and that you can, if you apply yourself, realize it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Tell that to all the “scholars” working in the Buddhist academic field.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">When you compare your cultural upbringing to that of Asian teachers or historical figures of the past, you usually don’t see any chance of achieving a realization like theirs.<span> </span>You probably think of yourself as an ordinary, confused person who’s a product of a materialistic, dualistic culture, while they have the advantage of being raised from birth under special, even mystical circumstances.<span> </span>Such ideas don’t help you; they actually undermine the path.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve always thought it to be pretty ridiculous how we idolize Asian Buddhist teachers.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">The whole idea behind this book is that it’s supposed to appeal to people like ME!<span> </span>People who are either (1) not Buddhist, but want to learn a little bit without first becoming familiar with a whole list of new Buddhist vocabulary or (2) are already “Buddhist” but are sick of all the dogma surrounding it.<span> </span>As “new” Buddhists, DP suggests that we need to reinvent the way we choose to practice and study – rather than just follow in the footsteps of our Asian forbearers:</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Just as it makes no sense to hang on to the countercultural forms of the sixties, it is senseless to hang on the forms of a traditional, Asian Buddhist culture and pretend we can fully inhabit that experience in a meaningful way… these forms and activities are simply the means to enter the open dimension of our own mind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">The only problem though is that DP doesn’t really explain HOW to make the transition away from traditional, Asian Buddhism into a newly reinvented Buddhism for today.<span> </span>He does give some advice though, with regard to how our “practice” should be individualized and tailored to our own personal experiences:<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">There is an aspect of traditional study, working with teachers and so on, but the most crucial aspect of the path is the “hands-on” part, where you work directly with your own mind and experience.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">Before doing anything else, you must first connect with all your heart to your desire to be free.<span> </span>Then you can begin to learn the most effective methods for fulfilling your desire.<span> </span>This means that your individual path must be connected to your own unique experience of life. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">The point is that, spiritually, we’re responsible for ourselves.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps the greatest strength of <i>Rebel </i>Buddha is DP’s explanation of meditation.<span> </span>As I’ve highlighted in my earlier posts, meditation can be a breeding ground for confusion.<span> </span>What the Buddhist community so desperately needs are teachers who are willing to demystify meditation and instruct students using practical advice rather than haughty explanations that make little practical sense.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">DP includes a great description of meditation in Appendix 1 and goes into great detail on the nuts and bolts of what you’re actually <i>DOING </i>when you’re meditating:<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">It’s not about meditating “on” something or getting into a zone where you’re blissfully removed from your mind’s contents.<span> </span>Instead, the actual meaning of meditation is more like getting used to being with your own mind.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">First, we gain intellectual knowledge, then we personalize it through reflecting on it, and then we go beyond that to a whole new state of knowing.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">When it comes to the pièce de résistance of Buddhist meditation – MEDITATION ON EMPTINESS – DP does an excellent job of making it sound less formidable than other authors do.<span> </span></span></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jiQ3ALOzSnPp7jq5_NrrsCL6Zdg8BuqmhuirPXcVBiu934fbC47SnHs0gpKNZP-u0-I6Ig2-bGzkjrBW6Pj3nnjBLnMLB-kxZxXt_kPJqJLJb49kltpzUw2lUMuvG2Xd5ezPrgKaO8A/s1600/Meditation-on-Emptiness-0861711106-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2jiQ3ALOzSnPp7jq5_NrrsCL6Zdg8BuqmhuirPXcVBiu934fbC47SnHs0gpKNZP-u0-I6Ig2-bGzkjrBW6Pj3nnjBLnMLB-kxZxXt_kPJqJLJb49kltpzUw2lUMuvG2Xd5ezPrgKaO8A/s320/Meditation-on-Emptiness-0861711106-L.jpg" width="198" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary meditation book</td></tr>
</tbody></table><h1 style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal;">Meditation on emptiness is probably the most confusing, most often misunderstood aspect of Buddhist practice.<span> </span>Whenever I attend a teaching or read a book on the subject, I usually find myself feeling frustrated.<span> </span>Of course, to discuss or write about a concept such as emptiness is a difficult task.<span> </span>DP’s presentation is both heartfelt and simplistic.<span> </span>The result is that after reading, the concept of emptiness begins to feel a bit easier to understand.<span> </span>He begins his discussion with a general presentation of Vipassana:<span> </span></span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">The tradition of analytical meditation </span>[vipassana] <span style="color: #0070c0;">includes a number of logical reasonings that can lead us through a profound analysis of the self and the concepts that sustain our belief in it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;">Although he doesn’t venture into the “deep waters” of these logical reasonings, he does leave the reader feeling that meditation on emptiness is a practice that can be done without frustration; that it’s not as hard as it is made out to be.<span> </span>I believe that he accomplishes this by encouraging the reader to PERSONALIZE their practice:<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 2.25pt;"><span style="color: #0070c0;">If you don’t analyze emptiness, however, if you just take as fact what the “experts” say, then it’s not personal, and it’s difficult to understand or bring into your experience.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 2.25pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Rebel Buddha </i>is a good book.<span> </span>There are some weak points, but overall I think it met its intended goal: to reach out to curious practitioners who are sick and tired of the same old Buddhist bullshit.<span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: 2.25pt;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-91544024607820651042010-12-12T16:39:00.000-05:002010-12-12T16:39:28.865-05:00Research on MeditationI know I'm behind on my next meditation post... and I promised a review of REBEL BUDDHA! <br />
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I should be done with the review by the middle of the week... and then onto the next meditation installment. In the meantime, here's a PDF of a research paper I just wrote on meditation for a graduate class that I am currently taking at St. John's University. I'm finishing up my masters in the spring and I'll be doing an experiment on how meditation affects the students in my class... this paper is a precursor to that experiment. You certainly don't have to read it, but I thought some of you might find it interesting. The tone is pretty academic and thus, totally DIFFERENT from how I write on here. <br />
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Enjoy: <br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/45167441/Meditation-Research" style="display: block; font: 14px Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; margin: 12px auto 6px; text-decoration: underline;" title="View Meditation Research on Scribd">Meditation Research</a> <object data="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf" height="600" id="doc_939241713867839" name="doc_939241713867839" style="outline: medium none;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="100%"> <param name="movie" value="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="FlashVars" value="document_id=45167441&access_key=key-1vb5ve10gnew1kiyz0lo&page=1&viewMode=list"> <embed id="doc_939241713867839" name="doc_939241713867839" src="http://d1.scribdassets.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=45167441&access_key=key-1vb5ve10gnew1kiyz0lo&page=1&viewMode=list" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="600" width="100%" wmode="opaque" bgcolor="#ffffff"></embed> </object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-31167603124238378082010-12-05T14:08:00.004-05:002010-12-05T14:10:49.989-05:00New Post on Progressive BuddhismI just posted something as a collaborator on Progressive Buddhism. It's about teaching kids how to meditate. <br />
<a href="http://progressivebuddhism.blogspot.com/2010/12/stop-screaming-start-meditating.html">Check it out! </a><br />
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Also, I just finished Rebel Buddha. I'm gonna post a review this week, along with Meditation Part 4. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM_dyHVzpu97xP4o-56CF6N69g2coYqcXq3xuBzwk3eRmu2rcuudjAvnIyLhBuDGaMXoUr4Oev9Hu-Br-t_8rYzGxL34S2mokcd6dc1zSLweOJBYMBkTPGdXzw14w-54PJlxSAr15wII/s1600/World%2527s+Largest+Augmented+Breasts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheM_dyHVzpu97xP4o-56CF6N69g2coYqcXq3xuBzwk3eRmu2rcuudjAvnIyLhBuDGaMXoUr4Oev9Hu-Br-t_8rYzGxL34S2mokcd6dc1zSLweOJBYMBkTPGdXzw14w-54PJlxSAr15wII/s400/World%2527s+Largest+Augmented+Breasts.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't know what the lady with the "World's Largest Augmented Breasts" has to do with meditation? Read my post on <a href="http://progressivebuddhism.blogspot.com/2010/12/stop-screaming-start-meditating.html">Progressive Buddhism</a> to find out!!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;">Are you excited?</td></tr>
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</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-58783000505160955142010-12-03T07:59:00.000-05:002010-12-03T07:59:26.038-05:00Hilarious Shit on The Reformed BuddhistI read about the "real" Jesus at my desk in school this morning and nearly fell off my chair laughing. <br />
Check it out: <a href="http://www.thereformedbuddhist.com/2010/12/baby-buddha-and-unicorn-jesus.html">Crazy Jesus</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAEnkwFM0F363otcz3JTdSl0Ed1PfuXQi6JKbOq08oIgoDJ2tTLVRSbcPkjXMS1wfpeqsOXhMhFtJZcMd1CUk523iQvd5A3RrloekcvVC9AM7XFL_w7-F8sATWvXu1kL5RAUcJ_cvhao/s1600/wtf_jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAEnkwFM0F363otcz3JTdSl0Ed1PfuXQi6JKbOq08oIgoDJ2tTLVRSbcPkjXMS1wfpeqsOXhMhFtJZcMd1CUk523iQvd5A3RrloekcvVC9AM7XFL_w7-F8sATWvXu1kL5RAUcJ_cvhao/s320/wtf_jesus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-82053116342660740782010-11-29T22:44:00.001-05:002010-11-29T22:47:21.535-05:00Meditation - Part 3 - "What do I meditate ABOUT?"<div class="MsoNormal">First let’s recap (without as <i>much</i> humor and sarcasm):</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>For those new to meditation (and Buddhism), the process of discovery can be long, lonely, confusing, and frustrating. (See Meditation Part 1) Since the practice of meditation isn’t common to Western traditions, we have to do a bit of detective work first. Since we (fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) live in a time where meditation (and Buddhism) is considered to be a “cool” activity, there are a ton of people out there claiming to be able to teach you how to do it… usually for a price. Be careful, stay true to yourself, and keep it simple. Don’t sign up for anything or subscribe to a particular belief structure before you do some solid experimentation on your own!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Once you get informed and motivated enough to actually DO meditation, there’s a period of time where it really sucks, so prepare yourself. Since meditation really is an individual, solitary pursuit, when you actually start taking the time to sit down and do it, there’s a lot of shit that comes floating to the surface of the mind/consciousness that can be discouraging and unexpected for a newbie. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> It's kind of like starting a new job at the bottom of the corporate ladder. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLI8BQBzlU-E_0IUwRJl32pFPS9r5pCY46eJhJJ6fsoeMU8r8mtoXiXzs19WEY-rJmSiln4yyITGC8KMWL91Sqtd16PDfL604PFXAj-s-DjOpA66oSTcHdm9pBbFhiXtyGWtxvfcqCnY/s1600/corporate-ladder-300x300.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLI8BQBzlU-E_0IUwRJl32pFPS9r5pCY46eJhJJ6fsoeMU8r8mtoXiXzs19WEY-rJmSiln4yyITGC8KMWL91Sqtd16PDfL604PFXAj-s-DjOpA66oSTcHdm9pBbFhiXtyGWtxvfcqCnY/s1600/corporate-ladder-300x300.png" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> You have to go through all the shit jobs before you can work your way up to something better. My last post about discovering your true “ugliness” was an exaggeration on this idea. The first thing that usually happens to a new meditator is that they encounter a whole slew of negative emotions, physical discomforts, boredom, and psychological insight. It is not uncommon to get “sick of yourself” before you even really get started.</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> This feeling of self-loathing is due to the fact that the process of meditation subjects you to a whole new method of introspection. Think about it - when else do you just sit around doing absolutely nothing? Sleep maybe? Since you’re (supposed to be) conscious during meditation, it’s common sense to assume that you’re gonna do some thinking about who the hell you are and what the hell you’re doing. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> Thoughts about your life and the fact that you’re just sitting here breathing make you question the validity of the practice. You begin to see just how stupid meditation is and these thoughts could force you to walk away from the practice before you even really get started. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"> Although you will eventually transition away from this self-introspective perspective and move onto more “important” Buddhist practices, in the beginning, meditation is all about getting a handle on yourself. Think about it, how can you hope to transcend the “self” if you don’t even fully know what it is yet? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> That brings me to my next topic: <b>What do I meditate “about?”</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Although Buddhism is a religion that seems to be particularly well suited to “converts,” once you’re knee deep in it, its hidden philosophical complexities can be confusing. Sure, Buddhism does have a degree of “science” to it and it can certainly hold up pretty well to our “modern” Western logic. But we cannot forget the cultural baggage that Buddhism carries with it and the vast multitude of philosophical perspectives within the many schools of Buddhism that influence it. The diversity of these philosophical perspectives is particularly evident when you look at how many “kinds” of meditation there are. This is particularly true with regard to some of the more “dogmatic” schools of Buddhism – i.e., Tibetan Gelug-pa. (What's the deal with those hats anyway?)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLyoCT6Bi1s4AQzOy5pqcWo4dXlodmkD8l6CLlhh4Qx1pYnmeqOC4l8vG3cNDT9moUJol_-jOx1IY2K7e5vXxyxsMe6Z6DDfCRVB5qb1QXmxKmtWllNiHIdyCGzEXw0SJPkqSEIfSdQs/s1600/tlm-logo-and-portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLyoCT6Bi1s4AQzOy5pqcWo4dXlodmkD8l6CLlhh4Qx1pYnmeqOC4l8vG3cNDT9moUJol_-jOx1IY2K7e5vXxyxsMe6Z6DDfCRVB5qb1QXmxKmtWllNiHIdyCGzEXw0SJPkqSEIfSdQs/s1600/tlm-logo-and-portrait.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> This situation leaves many new practitioners wondering, “What do I meditate <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">about</i>?” Usually, when a teacher is present, he/she can provide guidance with this… but what if you don’t have a teacher? Or what if (like me) you don’t want to enter into a strictly traditional teacher/student approach to meditation? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Here is a taste (by no means comprehensive) of what you (as a card-carrying Buddhist) can choose to meditate <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">about:</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br />
</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span> </span>Suffering or the Four Noble Truths</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Impermanence </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">3.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>This Precious Human Rebirth</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">4.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Compassion</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">5.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Anger</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">6.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Emptiness</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">7.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Dependent Origination</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">8.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>Karma</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">9.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTpdWStw7wK-1qCP7ldnTFxTbr_v6-nRwy6WmeHHw8tWlCx1HUt3EM8r5r_MH7Rmu9IlFMsiE_ATPujMPz2saC_hdWfsf5gtG5_ehzkKjgnRAbdWiiJl4ZhgB-MjB5gxOPYZvm4zoc-k/s1600/tantricsex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfTpdWStw7wK-1qCP7ldnTFxTbr_v6-nRwy6WmeHHw8tWlCx1HUt3EM8r5r_MH7Rmu9IlFMsiE_ATPujMPz2saC_hdWfsf5gtG5_ehzkKjgnRAbdWiiJl4ZhgB-MjB5gxOPYZvm4zoc-k/s200/tantricsex.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Then there are various “purification” practices you can do where you recite mantras to particular deities, do prostrations, and confess your "sins" to multi-colored Buddhas. There is the whole realm of Guru Yoga practices, Tantric Practices, and other devotional, cult-like meditational rituals. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">All kinds of questions begin to pop up in your mind... Where do the prayers fit in? Should I say them in English, Tibetan, Sanskrit, Japanese, or Pali? Should I learn to chant? What about the deities? Which one should I worship? Isn’t there some kind of sex involved? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-R4vzxjmuwCLdjGJza6jAWiCWZYMrBhGSjg4kp_1MlgjFKixeRKY-5xTvUdtFn8zFztUOuFRSZFBZl8pNx-7qqhYZzmRgd2etDMX0eIVC7sjGOSJUipafiqtkxOMHUeNQ0h2G_fwkkI/s1600/sting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-R4vzxjmuwCLdjGJza6jAWiCWZYMrBhGSjg4kp_1MlgjFKixeRKY-5xTvUdtFn8zFztUOuFRSZFBZl8pNx-7qqhYZzmRgd2etDMX0eIVC7sjGOSJUipafiqtkxOMHUeNQ0h2G_fwkkI/s200/sting.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> You could meditate on a different topic, using a different text, focusing on a different deity, every single day for the rest of your life and never get anywhere with any of them. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> So, what do you do? Where do you start? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Relax, I’m gonna explain: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> It's good to understand how meditation works conceptually before jumping into it. I find it helpful to understand that all forms of Buddhist meditation can basically be broken down into two categories. Now, before all you “purists” out there start telling me that I’m wrong to break meditation down into these categories, let me offer this: Take this categorization with a grain of salt. Not all forms of meditation fit neatly into this distinction and some forms can be considered to belong to both categories. This is merely to simplify meditation into something easy to understand. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> There. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> Meditation can be broadly broken into two “kinds” or "types":</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Samantha</span></b> - (Pronounced Sha-ma-tha) although there is a long, technical definition for this word, all you need to know right now is that it basically means "Concentration" meditation. For this kind of meditation, you choose an "object" to focus your attention on and you simply hold it there with all your energy and focus. A lot of stuff ends up happening to you when you get good at this kind of meditation. For example, usually you feel a sense of calm and relaxation. Also, your attention span increases and you are able to bring your mind to a place of intense focus that you've never experienced before. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Vipassana</span></b> - (Pronounced Vip-ah-sha-na) in this kind of meditation, you use the mind to analyze various topics to understand what makes them tick. Usually, Vipassana is done after a sufficient amount of Samantha has been accomplished because in order to focus on complex topics like "impermanence" or "dependent origination," you need to be able to focus your mind and concentrate on one object without getting distracted. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">A A good way to understand the difference between Samantha and Vipassana is to look at it like this: </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWLyaQdqqNWgMgctOkIQlxL7ETav8Uv3nvR1niIe-Uus9CKP_qahCDiBNbbg4x9u8bDhEP3DrSypS16Jq6qjNBXaxzD3vefTLaZ0FuKEJv9MYsosPowoUTLfX6NVEqr_cWAJ0SFtNXHI/s1600/ChristmasPresent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWLyaQdqqNWgMgctOkIQlxL7ETav8Uv3nvR1niIe-Uus9CKP_qahCDiBNbbg4x9u8bDhEP3DrSypS16Jq6qjNBXaxzD3vefTLaZ0FuKEJv9MYsosPowoUTLfX6NVEqr_cWAJ0SFtNXHI/s200/ChristmasPresent.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> Let's say you've just been given a really nice looking Christmas present from your Uncle Bob. He hands it to you all wrapped up in a pretty box with a big, red bow. You rip it open. It's a really cool hunting knife!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> "Holy shit, Uncle Bob," you say. "Thanks!" </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> "Take 'er easy there, little fella," says Uncle Bob with a grin. </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">" "This knife is very old and very dull. You gotta sharpen it before you can run out and start huntin' with it." </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> "Geez Louise, Uncle Bob," you say. "I'm just a little piss-ant. What do I use to sharpen it?"</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> "That's easy. You just use a little Samantha, little buddy," he says. "Samantha will get the knife good and sharp for you and then you can take it out there into the woods and slaughter any beast that gets in your way." </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> "Samantha? That's great!" you reply, enthusiastically. "I can do that. I'll get started right away!" </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b>This knife is your mind:</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqy-B0b_NPYbpy0xXcMxH_-4mMww4-CnTcSKEd1DguWxe0wg3kdNzTyxNfHEBsx_msQ52r5wu-eHt1rMkNCc645oV_z7vy09eiHGz9pcYMfeHlOPaiy0PzwiLDxeKd4G1sru6a-4S6Gj4/s1600/Knife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqy-B0b_NPYbpy0xXcMxH_-4mMww4-CnTcSKEd1DguWxe0wg3kdNzTyxNfHEBsx_msQ52r5wu-eHt1rMkNCc645oV_z7vy09eiHGz9pcYMfeHlOPaiy0PzwiLDxeKd4G1sru6a-4S6Gj4/s400/Knife.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The holes in the handle are for your brain fingers!!!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> Use Samantha meditation to sharpen that shit and then you can go out and do some Vipassana!</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> <b>Wait, Wait, Wait!!! </b></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> How do you do Samantha meditation, you ask? Well... you'll be pleased to know that this is the very subject of my next post! </div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"> Tune in next time for Meditation Part 4... "How to do Samantha meditation"</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;"><br />
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-42243790997774203592010-11-24T12:34:00.000-05:002010-11-24T12:34:33.264-05:00Rebel Buddha?I just ordered the book from Amazon...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXWe4M7ivA7tCHOL7Re6EwiarxyKd9pg_46XrU-RBPgQlRObAa9bwUGXg_olNuE_73vlCyMDo4LmwppDMM2BIQbOmriE5Z31sJStgEjf4syfxZBaZ0Lg_mTq8hnAw0r018GMWI6vYhIM/s1600/RebelBuddha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXWe4M7ivA7tCHOL7Re6EwiarxyKd9pg_46XrU-RBPgQlRObAa9bwUGXg_olNuE_73vlCyMDo4LmwppDMM2BIQbOmriE5Z31sJStgEjf4syfxZBaZ0Lg_mTq8hnAw0r018GMWI6vYhIM/s320/RebelBuddha.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><br />
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Any comments so far?<br />
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<br />
I'm planning to post a review sometime next week. I wonder if I'll like it...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-35396326451555552482010-11-23T21:26:00.017-05:002010-11-24T05:32:38.168-05:00Meditation Part 2 - You're Ugly!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Before I start, let me assure you that I’m going to try my very best NOT to use any of the following tired-ass metaphors to describe meditation (or any spiritual/metaphysical practice for that matter):</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>The subtle knife of wisdom that cuts through the golden turd of ignorance.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Any type of seed that is planted in the ground… including semen. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>A wish-fulfilling jewel. (What even IS that?)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>The Four Noble Truths. (Not that it they aren’t valid, but aren’t you kinda sick of hearing about them?)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I don’t know who wrote the book on Buddhist metaphors, but that shit needs to be retired. No one wants to read another useless, vague book on how meditation will help you attain a tranquil mind. It’ll put you to sleep!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Chances are, until you are able to establish a regular, disciplined meditation practice for yourself, tranquility will probably be the farthest thing from where your mind is at. Here are some other words/phrases that might be more accurate:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Exhausted</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Bored to death</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Horny like you’ve never been before</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Depressed to the point of suicide</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Anxious about ___________ (fill in the blank)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">6.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Worried because you didn’t do ______________ (fill in the blank)</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">7.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Useless</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">8.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Pissed</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">9.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Guilty </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;">10.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span>Self-Loathing</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">There are more, but I don’t want to scare you away just yet… </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What I <i>will</i> do (and what I think every book/teacher/retreat should do) is give you one big, fat disclaimer: </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>DISCLAIMER: </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Meditation is NOT a “one-size-fits-all” kind of activity. Although there are some techniques available to guide you, they are merely suggestions that worked for OTHER meditators. Meditation is a practice that must be tailored to the individual. YOU have to find your own way. No one can really tell you what to do. You have to figure it out for yourself.</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>No matter how many “authentic” teachings you attend, </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b> No matter how many empowerments you receive, </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>No matter how many books you read, </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>No matter if you are Asian or not, </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>No matter if you’re a Monk, Nun, or Layperson, </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>No matter if you have a Geshe for a teacher, a lazy, unemployed bum, or no teacher at all,</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>You will NEVER understand what meditation is until you practice and develop the skill yourself. Period. </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
<b>And last but not least, </b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Meditation is really, really, really, fucking hard!</b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, still interested?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Take a deep breath. It’s a long journey.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Some Zen teacher (probably all of them, actually) liken the practice of meditation to using a mirror to examine the mind. It’s like you get this supreme chance to truly see your mind for what it’s really worth. Not only that, but once you truly see the mind, you are bowled over by all its magnificent glory. It makes you feel so good that a sense of peace sets in and you start walking around like you own the fucking place. It’s a decent comparison.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have a better one.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine for a second that you are the ugliest person in the world.<br />
<br />
I mean UGLY - The UGLIEST. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Take a second and let that sink in… </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm talkin' Uglier than Joan Rivers:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZ8pqVOKjcB10r_TyxoGoGIcl1KuQOPPsBdxuCsQ63hsCU9K1iXr2D0PDjJS7yhhUMGCHnRIpWcsMu90XPUPA-ecwlT7QwD-hUEAIwXD4zgXcCoW52syGWQF1BI_ApDQsnA9IaoL484I/s1600/joan-rivers-052007-060833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZ8pqVOKjcB10r_TyxoGoGIcl1KuQOPPsBdxuCsQ63hsCU9K1iXr2D0PDjJS7yhhUMGCHnRIpWcsMu90XPUPA-ecwlT7QwD-hUEAIwXD4zgXcCoW52syGWQF1BI_ApDQsnA9IaoL484I/s320/joan-rivers-052007-060833.jpg" width="277" /></a></div> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Uglier than Dick Cheney:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOgcdplhFaY3yLJTCS_Z1uxDNZQmb4zX_wJaKpYDrYbms8qV22VcArCEaElkwr3Xq-YMiZayDPL8UiIQg_dC_qQv-VwQM8jjwwhyn4gJ7N7UIbApFMmWVfA5LgFMxteyd1mGg-_IYvgk/s1600/matthews-leno-cheney.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOgcdplhFaY3yLJTCS_Z1uxDNZQmb4zX_wJaKpYDrYbms8qV22VcArCEaElkwr3Xq-YMiZayDPL8UiIQg_dC_qQv-VwQM8jjwwhyn4gJ7N7UIbApFMmWVfA5LgFMxteyd1mGg-_IYvgk/s320/matthews-leno-cheney.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Uglier even than that lady from “Throw Mama from the Train”:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKudOnDm4rryXWIMdrzpBeSzz40drsDChr5vfsN9c6j3MoVcZLAQHvJ9TiM_gbUmr5ilj7ZNXhwKWqEQ1simONTgd0f6Sp0OddOkb83Q4n4b560fxPsS_w6hc6YEbm1XLLKBXYxSJp0T8/s1600/anne_ramsey_4JPG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKudOnDm4rryXWIMdrzpBeSzz40drsDChr5vfsN9c6j3MoVcZLAQHvJ9TiM_gbUmr5ilj7ZNXhwKWqEQ1simONTgd0f6Sp0OddOkb83Q4n4b560fxPsS_w6hc6YEbm1XLLKBXYxSJp0T8/s320/anne_ramsey_4JPG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Picturing it yet? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Your face is horrible. Your skin is more pimple than flesh. You’re hair sucks - remember the 80’s? It look like you were in a terrible fire or car accident or something. Maybe a wild monkey tore off your eyes, nose, and lips and ate them. Can you picture it? I mean UGLY.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Ok?</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">As if the situation couldn’t get any worse, the big problem is, you don’t realize how truly ugly you are. You think you’re the sexiest, hottest person in the world. You go around the world thinking that you’re god’s gift to humanity. You never realize how people look at you. You perceive their repulsion as awe or admiration.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then one day, the shit really hits the fan. You’re walking around one day in deluded stupor and you see a flier about some “Zen” meditation group that meets in the local coffee house. You decide to take a risk and stop by. Maybe there are some hot girls, you think.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You stroll in there, feeling like a million bucks. (Everyone else in the room is really trying to act extra Buddhist so that they don’t vomit at the sight of you.) Then, the Roshi or whoever says that it’s time to meditate and carefully, without really looking at your ugly face, instructs you to sit down on this pillow on the floor.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You close your eyes.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A few minutes pass. All of a sudden, you get the feeling like someone’s watching you. You peak and see the Roshi sitting in front of you with this big, dumbass grin on his face.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then, he reaches out to you, hands you a mirror and says,<br />
“Hey, man… hold on a second. Check this out.”</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">You open your eyes and ….<br />
<br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">BAM!</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">For the first time in your life, you see that fucking ugly monster face of yours!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It’s just staring back at you, blinking innocently like some kind of a deranged animal!</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">At first, you can’t believe it. You ask yourself if you’re dreaming. You want to slap yourself, but you’re afraid to touch the hunk of raw meat that IS your face.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then the realization sets in. That’s your own fucking horrible face you’re looking at.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">DAMN!</span></b></div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The shock is too much. You try to stand up and walk away from that stupid pillow. You throw the mirror back at the Roshi… But it’s too late. You’ve seen it. No turning back. The image is burned into your mind forever.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Then you pass out. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That’s kind of like what meditation is. Or what it’s SUPPOSED to be. It should knock you on your ass.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That is, if you’re doing it right. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Next Post: </b>Meditation Part 3 – “I still don’t understand what meditation is. Can you explain it again?”</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-1766621755601963622010-11-21T10:07:00.000-05:002010-11-21T10:07:13.986-05:00What is MEDITATION? (Part 1)I'm very new to this whole "blogging" phenomenon. I woke up this morning and started reading a few other Buddhist-related blogs and saw some references to my own. Definitely exciting, to be sure, but I'm getting the feeling like there are quite a few people out there who think that I'm too "negative" in my posts. I can totally see where they're coming from. This "voice" that I'm using IS definitely hell-bent on negative ranting. There is a method to my madness however... I'm really not an "angry" person. I don't hold any grudges against Buddhism. (That would be impossible. How do you hold a grudge against an inanimate concept? If you have any ideas, please let me know.) <br />
<br />
I just feel that much of the Buddhist dialogue out there on the vast internet world is primarily academically-oriented and quite frankly presented in a way very similar to some conservative Christian philosophies. <br />
<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It's like the anti-Buddhism. </span></b><br />
<br />
Innocent people ask questions or make comments and then the Dharma Police swoop down and start quoting scripture and telling them how "wrong" their view is. I can see why. I mean, most of us weren't born Buddhist, right? We were born Christian, Jewish, or Muslim. We ran screaming from these religions because we thought them to be too overbearing or authoritarian. We couldn't identify with some of the dogma associated with their message. So what do we do? We go out and "join" another religion and cram its message into the same damn package that we ran screaming from in the first place. If I hear another person say, "Read your Dogen" again, I'm gonna scream. (I have read it!)<br />
<br />
Academic Buddhism is all well and good. There are plenty of teachers that you can pay to sit at their feet and listen to them "tell" you what to believe. You can attend classes at a bunch of different universities that claim to offer lectures of Buddhism, or you can attend another talk on "the secret of happiness" led by one of a million Lamas. I definitely think there's some merit there. Everyone should try it. But there comes a point where you need to start thinking for yourself. Yes, read the <i>Bodhisattvacharyavatara, </i>study some commentary... but then, THEN, figure out what it means to YOU.<br />
<i><br />
</i><br />
I think that having a primary emphasis on academic/orthodox Buddhism leaves a large group of people without a voice or a forum to explore for themselves. Who said that you have to be totally up on your Dogen in order to understand Buddhism or accomplish realization? No one, that's who! You don't. For some people, who are academically-minded (myself included, believe it or not), Candrakirti might be appealing reading for the morning commute, but for others, who just want a dose of easily-accessible Buddhism, it's a bit out of reach and it'll put you to sleep.<br />
<br />
Of course, there is a danger of straying too far from orthodoxy, right? <br />
<br />
Once you start thinking for yourself, dangerous things start happening left and right. Think of the whole gay marriage debate! I mean shit, all people want to do is get MARRIED and look at all the trouble that's getting stirred up. Heteros from all corners of the country are up in arms, throwing themselves into fits of rage just because people want something a little different from the "norm." Actually, it's not all that different... we're just searching for happiness, right? I guess we do need to hear a couple more of those talks! <br />
<br />
There are other dangers. If you really let your mind go, you might turn into a "hippie." Oh shit, can you imagine? Remember all the trouble they caused? What would you even do you do with yourself then? Start campaigning for the legalization of marijuana, I guess. <br />
<br />
Here's the <b>worst case scenario</b>: you could start preaching your own take on things and get yourself labeled as a "radical. Then, you're really up the creek without a paddle. Before you know it, you're hanging from a cross on Golgotha, wearing a very uncomfortable crown of thorns. It looks cool in the pictures, but what a pain in the ass! You end up dying a miserable death, whereupon all your friends and neighbors get together and decide to start a world religion based on some shit you said right before you died... (you know, when you were hallucinating because all the blood had already drained out of your body and you were starving to death...)<br />
<br />
Now we've got another Crusades on our hands, folks! With the current economic downturn, that's the last thing we need. I mean come on, the troops are almost out of Iraq, they're leaving Afghanistan soon... do you really want to send them back out there on a freakin' Crusade? <br />
<br />
I don't think so.<br />
<br />
Eh, maybe it's better to just keep your opinions to yourself... unless you want a bunch of blood on your hands. <br />
<br />
For this series on meditation, I plan to be a bit more positive. Just a bit though, so don't get your hopes up. <br />
<br />
The whole reason why I was initially drawn to Buddhism as a "religion" was because I had heard somewhere that Buddhists "meditate." I think this is a common draw for a lot of us. Meditation carries a certain mystique with it. It's kinda magical. The idea of sitting all alone in a cave somewhere seems so romantic.<br />
<br />
I remember sitting in a philosophy class in my Long Island high school, daydreaming about the supernatural powers that I was sure to acquire once I started meditating. Very immature, I know... but also very common, I think. <br />
<br />
A mental picture of a wise, grizzled old monk sitting on a mountaintop developed in my mind.<br />
<br />
"How cool," I thought. "Say goodbye to depression! No more teen-angst! <br />
<br />
"Girls would totally dig me if I did shit like that!"<br />
<br />
Sure, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration... but not by much. I think many of us get caught up in the images that are conjured up in our minds whenever we think about any mystical practice. <br />
<br />
It wasn't until years later, when I was studying Buddhism <i>academically</i>, that I realized the following:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">meditation is hard</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">meditation is confusing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">not many Buddhists actually DO it</span><br />
<br />
During the course of my search to discover what meditation actually was, I ended up getting lost in the library stacks of U.Va. I found books that talked about meditation in a very scientific, dry way. I found some that used debate to conjure up the finer points of what was "supposed" or "not-supposed" to happen during meditation. I even found some that devoted hundreds of pages to what several long-dead people thought about meditation. But I found few, if any, about how to ACTUALLY DO the meditation. <br />
<br />
I mean, how did Tsongkhapa even find the time to meditate when he was writing the Lam-Rim-Chen-Mo? Even the scholars translating the thing into English don't have the time. (I know, cause I asked some of them!)<br />
<br />
My point is, where does a person go who is not formally inducted into monastic practice, when they want to learn how to meditate? <br />
<br />
There are a couple of different options:<br />
<br />
You could consult an academic treatise written by an authentic "master." Sure, it may be basically mind-boggling to navigate through WHICH treatise. First off... where do you start? What kind of Buddhist meditation do you want to do? Here are some options:<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Theravada, Hinayana, Mahayana, Zen, Tibetan, Ch'an, Mind-Only, Lam-Rim, Goenka, Transcendentalist, Japanese, Vipassana, Samantha, Breathing, Mindfulness, Emptiness, Tonglen, Lojong, Madhyamika, Yogic, Karate, Compassion, Tantra, Highest Yoga Tantra, Guyasamaja, Kama Sutra, Padmasambhava, Nyingma, Dzogchen, Kagyu, Chod, death meditation, rebirth meditation, past-life meditation, sadana meditation, focusing on your navel, on a candle, on your third eye... </span><br />
<br />
The list goes on and on. Pick one! <br />
<br />
Sounds daunting, doesn't it. <br />
<br />
Ok, let's say you don't want to go the traditional "Buddhist" route. Let's just take it slow and start with something more "mainstream." E-A-S-E into it. <br />
<br />
Here are some of the search results from Amazon.com when you type in the word "meditation" :<br />
<br />
<a class="title" href="http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Into-Meditation-Meditations-Manifestation/dp/B0014MY3JC/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1290188643&sr=8-5">Journey Into Meditation: Guided Meditations For Healing, Insight And Manifestation</a> <span class="ptBrand">by Lisa Guyman</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> </span><a class="title" href="http://www.amazon.com/Opening-Meditation-Gentle-Guided-Approach/dp/1577314549/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1290188643&sr=8-6">Opening to Meditation: A Gentle, Guided Approach (Book & CD)</a> <span class="ptBrand">by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Diana-Lang/e/B001K8MV8U/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_6?qid=1290188643&sr=8-6">Diana Lang</a></span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> </span><a class="title" href="http://www.amazon.com/How-Meditate-Step---Step-ebook/dp/B001QXDV0Q/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1290188643&sr=8-7">How To Meditate: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Art and Science of Meditation [ILLUSTRATED]</a><span class="ptBrand"> </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"> </span><a class="title" href="http://www.amazon.com/Minute-Meditation-Quiet-Mind-Change/dp/0399529950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1290188643&sr=8-1">8 Minute Meditation: Quiet Your Mind. Change Your Life.</a> <span class="ptBrand">by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Victor-N.-Davich/e/B001H6IAUI/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1290188643&sr=8-1">Victor N. Davich</a></span><br />
<br />
<span class="ptBrand">It's not that I'm trying to knock these guys for putting in the time and effort to write books. There's definitely some merit in being able to take the time to sit down and write a book. But, come on! These books sound more like descriptions on the back of enema packages than titles to meditation books. </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">Which one would you choose? </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">Do you really need an ILLUSTRATED guide to learn how to meditate? What, are there a bunch of pictures of guys sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed? How is that going to help you?</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">Is meditation really an art AND a science? Can I really CHANGE my life by meditating? If so, how long will it take? Two weeks? Two months? Two years? </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">Am I a reincarnated lama? </span><br />
<br />
<span class="ptBrand">Give me a break. Really. </span><span class="ptBrand"></span><span class="ptBrand"> </span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand">Ok, forget books. Let's try the internet. What if you do a google search for "meditation?" Here are the three popular results:</span><br />
<span class="ptBrand"><br />
</span><br />
1. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meditation">Wikipedia</a> - Of course. Actually, the article is very informative. There are tons of examples from every world religion. The problem is, I still don't know which one to choose. Do I want to do Jewish meditation or what? <br />
<br />
2. <a href="http://www.how-to-meditate.org/">how-to-meditate.org </a>- This site looks cool... but wait, wait, wait. That's a picture of Geshe Kelsang Gyatso! Doesn't the Dalai Lama hate him or something? No way! I can't go there. <br />
<br />
3. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0rSmxsVHPE">youtube video</a> - This video scared the shit out of me. There's no way I want to meditate now. The guy's voice is kind of soothing, but I have no idea what the hell he's asking me to do. Plus, the model looks like a naked alien. Forget it, I'm not meditating now. <br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">As you can see... pretty confusing. </span><br />
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Now that I've established how daunting it can be for a beginner to break into this world, I plan to easily and clearly break down what it means to do this activity called Meditation... and WHY you would even want to do it. <br />
<br />
There, that sounds more positive, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
Till next time...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-50670233414469937802010-11-20T10:40:00.001-05:002010-11-20T18:13:38.061-05:00In Response to Yeshe Samten<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I was wondering when the "Dharma Police" would make an appearance. I knew it would be only a matter of time before they would swoop down from their high horses in Tushita Heaven to put their two sense in about how I'm not Buddhist enough. (Not that I go around even really identifying myself as a Buddhist, mind you.) </span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDYgac1K8IbCJSdhJso95zYUp4x5gtEUBPTc9BVGh0gCCw8GpXjENsUrb2TTwCGdmBUCRi0igVZZyrYCMaeAeKJgDiPShyVm00faiOeIhXrJdj-Pl_wtN-lUJo-N48Yos2ZNWnCYvW6I/s1600/Karma+Police.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNDYgac1K8IbCJSdhJso95zYUp4x5gtEUBPTc9BVGh0gCCw8GpXjENsUrb2TTwCGdmBUCRi0igVZZyrYCMaeAeKJgDiPShyVm00faiOeIhXrJdj-Pl_wtN-lUJo-N48Yos2ZNWnCYvW6I/s1600/Karma+Police.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So, <i>Sergeant</i> Yeshe Samten stopped by for a visit the other day to "bust" me on my views and comment on my blog. I've copied the text of his comments below in BLUE, along with my responses in BLACK. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Please, please, please, all you mighty Orthodox Buddhists out there... feel free to stop by and tell me all about how the things I'm saying are going to lead me down the wrong path to becoming a Hungry Ghost. I welcome the challenge! </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Sgt. Samten: </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Please tell me that you're an actual Tibetan person and not just some conceited white guy masquerading behind a name that you thought was cool and made you sound more wise. Also, please tell me that you're NOT the same Yeshe Samten that posted a comment on theworsthorse.com about how some guy's OM MANI PADME HUM tattoo was done in an "unapproved" place on his body. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="http://theworsthorse.com/2008/09/body-vows-stuarts-dharma-tattoo/">http://theworsthorse.com/2008/09/body-vows-stuarts-dharma-tattoo/</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Actually... it would be better if you WERE this guy. More fuel to the fire, I guess. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You give an impression in your comments that you are some authority on Buddhist practice and that you have spent some time in "realization" yourself... but I wonder how you find the time to "go to the cushion" as you put it, when you spend all your time trolling the internet looking for people making Buddhist Faux Pas.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Before I launch into my full-scale rebuttal of your comments, I'd like to say that my intended audience for this blog is people who are <b>sick of</b> or <b>unattracted to</b> traditional Buddhism. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Maybe they've had experiences like me with pretentious Americans who worship an imagined mystical Asian race, or maybe they're just looking for a fresh view/interpretation of Buddhism. Whatever the case, I think that most of the people who comment on my blog understand where I'm coming from. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My use of humor to deconstruct cultural Buddhism is merely a tool to attract this kind of audience. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Now, for your comments. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You said:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I'm sorry, not to cast to dark a shadow on your blog (it seems like a fun way to connect and blow off steam)-- but your comments on Buddhism, emptiness, and "nothingness" sounds more like nihlism than Buddhism. That's all very cute if you are into Nietzsche, but as far as Buddhist practice and philosophy goes, nihlism, just as in eternalism, is an untenable point of view.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My Response:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Thank you very much for assuming that you've cast a dark shadow over my blog. What's "cute" is your assumption that I'm a nihilist. You MUST have either done your reading in Madhyamika OR watched "The Big Lebowski" a hundred thousand times. (Kind of like mantra recitation, huh?)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsQHATitaB7sHkI_Lzom6qNa3Do1DAg1OVC0On5wD1GvGZNmOTwL1p8r-PzQu5Uf-l03R9H4ro5CSFaIqKZb25mGrxu3kPinreUmOTofvcTk0GVfXul1cBZ7NELIu4ZFsM72piUh9HtA/s1600/Nihilists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsQHATitaB7sHkI_Lzom6qNa3Do1DAg1OVC0On5wD1GvGZNmOTwL1p8r-PzQu5Uf-l03R9H4ro5CSFaIqKZb25mGrxu3kPinreUmOTofvcTk0GVfXul1cBZ7NELIu4ZFsM72piUh9HtA/s1600/Nihilists.jpg" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Let me just set your mind at ease. The big, bad Nihilists aren't going to jump out of the dark and piss on your rug, they don't live in your closet, and I, my friend, am NOT a Nihilist. (I tried to get into Nietzche for a while in high school, but his association with Hitler was a bit of a deterrent for me.)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Seriously though, I haven't made any serious mention of "emptiness" or "nothingness" in my blog other than as a play-on-words to make a joke about a cultural stereotype. Since I've only made like five posts in total, I think it's amusing that you already can peg me as a Nihilist. You must be a good cop. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I DO agree with you on one point. Nihilism is an untenable point of view. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You said:</span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I agree that mass-maketed Buddhist stuff can be found in everyday life these days... images of "enlightenment" and "Buddhism" are used to market consumer products, and that's actually kinda icky. Even sincerely practicing Buddhists can get caught up in buying fancy things instead of trying to just open their hearts and minds. But it's also easy to forget that we all live in samsara-- just because we are Buddhist, doesn't mean we are enlightened.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My Response:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The reason I spent some time talking about "mass-market" Buddhism is because I believe it to be a terrible tragedy and a source of great confusion to those of us out there who are attracted to Buddhism, but then have to wade through all the garbage just to get there. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's kind of like standing on the banks of a beautiful lake. There's a cool-looking island floating off in the middle, but to get there, you have to jump in the lake and swim through a thick film of green, stinky algae, bob past floating tires and hypodermic needles, and swim around barrels of raw sewage just to get there. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Plus, to me, all that shit is really, really FUNNY! </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I never made that claim that all Buddhists are enlightened. Far from it, my friend. I posit that since "enlightenment" is such a prominent concept within the framework of Buddhism, there might be even LESS enlightened people that identify themselves as Buddhist then those who don't. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">After all... was Buddha a Buddhist? Was Christ a Christian? </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmC6J8rqrp0UzeaQBwuP1mKC476c-WA1ZQBCfqMyzp8tOlzG_f2jKuxZjTQhYQCk36shhXzBc00n9UujbZXJrZXyxQiPKcgKDuhsIBMPc3LRaocFBKRsPCBiZNblpSPLM6aXlrd0Aank/s1600/Buddha.Meditating.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSmC6J8rqrp0UzeaQBwuP1mKC476c-WA1ZQBCfqMyzp8tOlzG_f2jKuxZjTQhYQCk36shhXzBc00n9UujbZXJrZXyxQiPKcgKDuhsIBMPc3LRaocFBKRsPCBiZNblpSPLM6aXlrd0Aank/s320/Buddha.Meditating.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinN4G8MrEbSNq-pIbyHgtFbgm98oBq2EmUzo1S6nka8TGkePUTj92BCkIscFmjNAR5_IvBVI_NZMZxwzI4qsD2okjnvQPefTrVudzRoISVNdY-UP-t_592RhXA_ftmREQfW_fWLEn4-3I/s1600/Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinN4G8MrEbSNq-pIbyHgtFbgm98oBq2EmUzo1S6nka8TGkePUTj92BCkIscFmjNAR5_IvBVI_NZMZxwzI4qsD2okjnvQPefTrVudzRoISVNdY-UP-t_592RhXA_ftmREQfW_fWLEn4-3I/s320/Jesus.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">And thanks for throwing in the Samsara reference. How very "Orwellian" of you. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You said:</span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You keep mentioning head-shaving and celibacy, as if those are the keys to attaining enlightenment. That's a sweetly naiive view of Buddhism, sort of like saying the fat laughing dude at the Chinese restaurant is the historical Buddha (he isn't). There are plenty of non-celibate non-monastic practicioners who attained full enlightenment (take Vimalakirti, or Padmasambhava...). So while it's perhaps useful to a degree to feel upset that one's non-monastic non-celibate life doesn't "jive" with the lives of some living Masters (such as the Dalai Lama or the Karmapa), that doesn't mean it doesn't "jive" with Buddhist practice or enlightenment.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My Response:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">If you had actually READ my posts, you would have been able to infer that my references to "head-shaving" and "celibacy" were quite the opposite of what you're supposing. I never said that those were "keys" to enlightenment. Actually, I was saying quite the opposite. People who get caught up in the outward symbols of Buddhism like: robes, bald heads, and in-tact hymens are in DANGER of being led down the "wrong" path. Those symbols have NOTHING whatsoever to do with the inner-goals of so-called Buddhism. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Thanks for mentioning the Buffet Buddha. I had no idea that he wasn't the "historical" Buddha. (In case you hadn't caught it, this statement was made using a device called SARCASM.) </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I know that there are/were plenty of non-monastic practitioners of Buddhism. Please excuse me for feeling frustrated that many of them lived centuries ago. I guess I'm just bitching about the fact that as "Buddhists", WE have few common-day non-monastic role models. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Padmasambhava was a great guy, I'm sure. But, his influence rose to prominence in a country that was not unlike Europe in the dark ages. I think it would be useful to have some role models that we can actually identify with! Some people that don't just regurgitate the same old philosophical garbage that they heard their teacher say or read in a book somewhere. (Sound familiar?)</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I never said that my non-monastic lifestyle doesn't "JIVE" with Buddhist practice. On the contrary, it's my belief that people like me, with open minds to a new way of looking at practice, can offer a rejuvenating look into this belief system and maybe HELP some people. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">There are some people out there who are not college-educated, white, middle-class intellectuals that may want to study Buddhism, but can't because it's not very accessible to them. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">That's why I'm using this language. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">You Said:</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Last, and this might sound a little harsh... but if you life is so busy/stressful/hectic that you can't meditate or pratice, when did you expect to practice? When life gets easy/simple/peaceful? You'll never ever practice at that rate. This is precisely when you SHOULD go to the cushion, not run from it. If you claim to write or speak from some level of wisdom or authority on what is or is not authentic practice (which your blog claims to do), you should at least DO the practice... othwerise you are just as superficial and full of shit as the guy who markets your cola or your designer jeans with a picture of the Buddha.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: blue;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My Response:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I NEVER said that I didn't have time to practice. Re-read my words, dude. (I'm an English teacher. Most students make mistakes because they haven't read and comprehended.) I said that I haven't WRITTEN on the blog because I was busy. I guess I could've just said that in a sentence or two, but I decided to make the post a but funny... Ok? </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Did you want to have a "who meditates more" contest? </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I can post my weekly meditation schedule if you'd like. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Part of my "busy" schedule involves teaching meditation to 100 inner-city, mostly impoverished, hispanic students in Manhattan. Not a day goes by where I don't "practice." </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I find that whenever someone points their finger at another person and says something like, "run to the cushion," I get a strange feeling. Like maybe... they don't know what the hell they're talking about. </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Score: </span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b></b>"So-Called" Buddhists: 0</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"So-Called" Nihilists: 1</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Wanna go another round? </span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">For the rest of you... I'll be back to writing my post on meditation now! </span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-84017368723416830942010-11-18T07:58:00.002-05:002010-11-18T08:03:01.433-05:00Where Have I Been???<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">First, lemme say that I am so flattered/excited/intrigued that you guys responded to my blog.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I’ve been kinda out of commission lately, mainly because of the following reasons:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 1. </span>I just got married.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> (My cover is b-l-o-w-n.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I’m not celibate.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Guess I’ll never achieve enlightenment!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Hell, I probably won’t even “enter the stream” or attain “Beginner’s Mind” since I’m too busy having sex with my new wife. )</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 2. </span>I’ve been working on a novel that has little to do with actual Buddhism.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> (Though I guess, depending on how philosophical you are, EVERYTHING has something to do with Buddhism, right?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Oh… wait, wait wait!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> NOTHING has to do with Buddhism because in the end, EVERYTHING IS NOTHING!!!)</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">3 3. </span>I recently started a new teaching job at a charter school in Manhattan, where I generally work about twelve hours a day and I feel so goddamn mentally burnt out at the end of the day that I can barely motivate myself to light a stick of incense… let alone PRACTICE “so-called” Buddhism… let alone write another post about whether said Buddhism “sucks” or not.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Ha.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> 4. </span>I just realized emptiness last Saturday.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> For real.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Now I understand that this blog is actually pointless, as it doesn’t exist as an independent phenomenon.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">The last one is a joke.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I didn’t actually realize emptiness… YET.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I’m planning to do that for my New Year’s Resolution, so I have a couple of weeks.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Wish me luck!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Question</b>:</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Can one realize emptiness <i>without</i> owning a large, 24-carat gold-plated statue of Avalokitshevara?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Answer:</b></span><span style="font-size: small;"> Yes, but if you don’t own the statue, you must at least wear a forty-dollar set of jade prayer beads around your left wrist every day for five years and own every book that the Dalai Lama was ever credited with writing.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> (There’s a lot of ‘em out there.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> If you THINK you’ve got them all, you’re probably wrong.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> They’re everywhere.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Go to Barnes and Noble.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> The DL’s got more shelf space than John Grisham and James Patterson <i>combined!)</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ok, enough with the sarcasm.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> You’re probably vomiting right now.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Seriously guys, I really appreciate all the comments I’ve received lately.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> I feel totally motivated and I’m planning to make another long post now that I’ve actually got some people that want to hear what I have to say.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Topic of next post: </b>Meditation.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> What is it?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> Why the hell would you want to DO it?</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-18958561518056125562010-11-17T19:59:00.000-05:002010-11-17T19:59:15.979-05:00The blog is still alive!!!Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm here! I'm posting a new article tonight... Stick with me. You won't be disappointed. I promise - swear on The Buddha. (Do you think he'd mind?)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-14238535082876879662010-04-24T18:30:00.001-04:002010-04-24T18:33:49.505-04:00"Dangerous Buddhism"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Garamond; font-size: large;">It feels like there’s something definitely lacking in our culture. </span><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Maybe it’s because we don’t really have a culture. Many of the customs of our ancestors have been lost in the shuffle of immigration, so we don’t really have old traditions to rely on. Maybe it’s because our family structure has deteriorated so much that we eat all of our meals in front of the television to give us the illusion of togetherness. Maybe technology is poisoning us and making us disconnect from our fellow human beings. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don’t know. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But sometimes it seems like we’re all just floating around aimlessly, clutching onto whatever we think will make us happy <b>RIGHT THIS SECOND!</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Whether it’s:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gXuLtvuPH9nk7W4-wSeJr_6HwBwHEy7uE9_jQuOixQHsBOv6Op1BCVWnfocyYUCgn7g7kAOQ3AnRLMgA3NqagB1IIJltVeajVRSm5AfbZQqGoEIxBnKHc0vf1JQQU7_fHxL2R91h3aE/s1600/ipod+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gXuLtvuPH9nk7W4-wSeJr_6HwBwHEy7uE9_jQuOixQHsBOv6Op1BCVWnfocyYUCgn7g7kAOQ3AnRLMgA3NqagB1IIJltVeajVRSm5AfbZQqGoEIxBnKHc0vf1JQQU7_fHxL2R91h3aE/s200/ipod+picture.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Turning up the volume on our iPod so fucking high that it’s liable to bust our ear drums,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">salivating over free Asian porn on the internet when we think our wives aren’t watching,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">or obsessively watching TMZ until our brains rot our of our skulls,</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It’s all instant gratification in it’s highest form</span></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The purpose of religion is to provide its followers with a sense of belonging and give them a formalized belief structure to comfort them in life. Since as Americans, we are without a strong sense of religious identity, we are left to search frantically for something to qualify our innate desire to connect to spirituality. That’s where Buddhism comes in. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZirS3j02JKAwOlivu7kVs1bw1wkznxBvBIEUf3eUs08a67RX7dNnrTLCMDfHYDyT6WXf86QsJ6X4PjVa1hCYBAJ1opsbOhbrnB9bVd6xEZbbmL59YNNqoEt29DfGQgw0piFTLjhGv20/s1600/Dalai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAZirS3j02JKAwOlivu7kVs1bw1wkznxBvBIEUf3eUs08a67RX7dNnrTLCMDfHYDyT6WXf86QsJ6X4PjVa1hCYBAJ1opsbOhbrnB9bVd6xEZbbmL59YNNqoEt29DfGQgw0piFTLjhGv20/s320/Dalai.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Many Americans are first exposed to Buddhism through mainstream pop culture and mass media. Buddhism is everywhere! The Dalai Lama has become a household name. The image of the Buddha is now synonymous with a higher, more interesting, sexier state of consciousness that the most elite members of our society possess: </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Celebrities </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sometimes it seems like every famous actor or musician has some kind of connection to Buddhism. We worship celebrities because they represent the “best of the best” of us... especially when it comes to physicality. So, if the most famous people in the world are into Buddhism... shouldn’t we all be? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Although I do personally believe that Buddhism has something to offer each and every one of us, the perception of Buddhism as this mystical "Religion of the Celebrities" can be damaging because it gives the impression that it’s a cure-all or instant method for happiness and FAME.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Buddhism in Popular Culture</span></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">To prove my point, here are a few recent stories from <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/">US Weekly</a>:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/momsbabies/news/whats-in-a-name-oliver-hudsons-son-bodhi-hawn--2010313">Apparently, the name “Bodhi” has become a popular choice for celebrities to name their children</a>: </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvc8v7-SE3tQpZx3h47xNPOqb8OR399I7dYCQlCfm_rTGaEehqiWFgQ_zkQHrnvVcPE4_Vr2b3tsm3CpkTRPRxzjXuJqADtb8iq54p0u4zEtbZtzxRn0upCFF4CP0R0sLsZTVl0DJfJw/s1600/goldie_hawn_07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYvc8v7-SE3tQpZx3h47xNPOqb8OR399I7dYCQlCfm_rTGaEehqiWFgQ_zkQHrnvVcPE4_Vr2b3tsm3CpkTRPRxzjXuJqADtb8iq54p0u4zEtbZtzxRn0upCFF4CP0R0sLsZTVl0DJfJw/s320/goldie_hawn_07.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Garamond; letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">“</span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Goldie Hawn</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">'s third grandson, Bodhi Hawn Hudson, was born on March 23 to </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">son </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oliver Hudson</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> and wife </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Erinn Bartlett</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">.<br />
</span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This choice was diametrically different from the names of the previous two boys </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">in the family: Oliver's son, Wilder, and sister </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Kate Hudson</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">'s, Ryder, a matched </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">pair of energetic, macho names. Bodhi is soft and spiritual.<br />
</span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bodhi is a Sanskrit name translated as "enlightenment" or "awakening" and is </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">associated with Buddhism. In early times, it was synonymous with the state of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">nirvana, being freed from hate, greed and ego. The Bodhi tree is a large fig tree </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">under which the founder of Buddhism received enlightenment.</span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of the first public figures in the U.S. to bear the name was Bodhi Elfman, </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">husband of </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Jenna</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, who starred in another sitcom with a Buddhism-related </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">name, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Dharma & Greg</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. Since then it has been used by </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Amy Brenneman</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> for </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">her son, and by celebrity chef </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Tom Colicchio</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> as the middle name for his boy, </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Luka. And Goldie Hawn isn't the only Bodhi grandparent -- she joins Carly </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Simon and James Taylor, who also have a grandson named Bodhi via daughter </span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Sally Taylor.”</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Jessica Simpson - A "Wish-Fulfilling Gem?"</b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b><br />
</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQR6q8GR5lTq1K0vWeJPHUoPjRATWjEHoAq9KP-kRAslGautl2W1z1ZK4lL20ERpmhf6Lc0EEQqToOHXyvcKH2lMkpo3-Me2S9UIGmKe8Iv4cXkYfINnKRM9pxqo58FAK9-sIuQ_eGhY/s1600/jessica-simpson-dukes-of-hazzard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQR6q8GR5lTq1K0vWeJPHUoPjRATWjEHoAq9KP-kRAslGautl2W1z1ZK4lL20ERpmhf6Lc0EEQqToOHXyvcKH2lMkpo3-Me2S9UIGmKe8Iv4cXkYfINnKRM9pxqo58FAK9-sIuQ_eGhY/s200/jessica-simpson-dukes-of-hazzard.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here’s a video from Jessica Simpson’s new show, “The Price of Beauty.” I guess she was chosen to host this show because she is so fucking “beautiful” herself, right? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In her search to find “beauty,” the producers of this show thought it would be a good idea to send her to a Buddhist temple. Everyone knows that beauty comes from “within,” but apparently Simpson didn’t think it would take quite so long to find it in there. Here’s a quote: “It ended up being a longer process than I expected... for some reason I couldn’t be at peace with myself, so I guess I have a little more work to do.” </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here’s the video: </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/jessica-simpson-loses-it-in-buddhist-temple-2010123?page=2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/jessica-simpson-loses-it-in-buddhist-temple-2010123?page=2</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Garamond; letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"></span></span></a></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I love how the monk is looking at them like, “What the fuck are these white people doing in my temple” as they walk in. I wonder if when he said, “Inner peace equals outward beauty,” he meant “Inner peace equals bigger tits?” What do you think?</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Buddhism: the cure for crappy sex and... AIDS?</span></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Buddhism is by far the most “</span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">famous</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">” religion. In addition to it’s “coolness” factor though, it’s also perceived by many as the ultimate source of “alternative medicine.” Buddhist meditation and the more general term “eastern medicine” has been touted to be able to heal everything from general stress to sexual disfunction. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2R2FdLShTx34-gfyn6ZNsZVeSCuVLqxcUOBA6daY97TRSSooIno6QlxV7ryNvwuAKaIMz2a9cui9ZVPoFbwIck65bsL9LHjKWc4dhNWPDf9iGbBinZp1SkoEow23ivzuz9DR91lkvdY/s1600/the-color-purple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2R2FdLShTx34-gfyn6ZNsZVeSCuVLqxcUOBA6daY97TRSSooIno6QlxV7ryNvwuAKaIMz2a9cui9ZVPoFbwIck65bsL9LHjKWc4dhNWPDf9iGbBinZp1SkoEow23ivzuz9DR91lkvdY/s320/the-color-purple.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Oprah Winfrey, the queen of self-discovery herself, uses her super-Celebrity magic to harness the power of Buddhism on her show. Aided by the “All-Stars” of Buddhism: Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron, the Dalai Lama and Lama Surya Das, Winfrey shares tips for exciting topics such as:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>"How freedom and happiness </i></span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><i>can be found in a single cup of tea"</i></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I wonder if tea sales spiked the week </span></span><br />
<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">that <a href="http://www.oprah.com/">show</a> aired? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> In a column called “Buddhism RX,” Winfrey explains how we can apply the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism to modern life in an effort to cope with things like: fear, anxiety and hardship... oh, and weight loss too:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span id="goog_1774629161"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1774629165">Mindful Eating - Losing Weight with Thich Nhat Han</a><a href="http://www.oprah.com/spirit/A-Conversation-with-Thich-Nhat-Hanh-About-Savor"><span id="goog_1774629162"></span>h </a> </span></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-9LjJc-LUF8VGWkkHWd6GLulRzVoT7nAyJGZFY3GhUwAALuaK8W2QDRJU_D85SSl1zoKe3zN3E41LThSfuCRrmsNkbO9EVMYYjxMamTlgDPhLAyl_oE48pxDqvdaOLskV93nYnK25IE/s1600/meditation1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-9LjJc-LUF8VGWkkHWd6GLulRzVoT7nAyJGZFY3GhUwAALuaK8W2QDRJU_D85SSl1zoKe3zN3E41LThSfuCRrmsNkbO9EVMYYjxMamTlgDPhLAyl_oE48pxDqvdaOLskV93nYnK25IE/s320/meditation1.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Websites like “<a href="http://www.sexforenlightenment.com/">Sex For Enlightenment</a>” offer “manuals for practitioners of enlightenment,” that claim to use ancient Buddhist techniques to generate greater ORGASMS. I mean, come on! It’s almost hilarious. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Some claim that Buddhism holds the secret to curing fatal diseases!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Here’s an article from </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/">BuddhaNet</a></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, - The Worldwide Buddhist Information and Education Network:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In addition to explaining the general healing benefits of meditation, it eludes to the idea that meditation can be a potential cure for cancer and AIDS:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.buddhanet.net/sangha-metta/medhealth.html">http://www.buddhanet.net/sangha-metta/medhealth.html</a></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Of course I believe that meditation can have enormous potential as a tool for “healing.” But to simplify the practices and teachings of Buddhism and take them completely out of context is dangerous. For someone new to Buddhism, the misperception that a few meditation sessions will cure them of cancer is a gross oversimplification. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Anyone even remotely familiar with the processes involved in meditation knows that it can take a lifetime to achieve true quantifiable results. Such claims of “healing” should be made with extreme caution, as they could lead to harm. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Don’t Be a Sucker</span></b></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Look, Buddhism is good stuff... I wouldn’t be writing this blog if I didn’t think so. There are a lot of really smart people out there working really hard to bring Buddhism to America in a positive way... you just have to find them. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In the meantime, if you get bored, check out the “Ultimate Stress Reduction Plan” on the <a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/">Dr. Oz Show website</a>. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Apparently it doesn’t matter what mantra you use... they’re all good if you want to eliminate stress from your life. Remember that the next time you’re slamming down on your horn in the middle of rush hour. (In case you couldn’t tell... I’m being sarcastic.)</span></span></div><img border="0" height="0" src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyNzIxNDUwMzI4ODgmcHQ9MTI3MjE*NTA*Njk*MSZwPTcxNDQ4MSZkPSZnPTEmbz*3NDJhZjVlZTZlNjA*YzFmOTY5/OGM2MTFhYzJiNGU*MyZvZj*w.gif" style="height: 0px; visibility: hidden; width: 0px;" width="0" /><br />
<a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/challenge/ultimate-stress-reduction-plan"><br />
<img alt="" class="imagecache imagecache-175x125" height="125" src="http://www.doctoroz.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/175x125/challenges/yoga_cut.jpg" title="" width="175" /> </a><br />
<br />
<div>Many of us have three thoughts about stress: it stinks, it stinks bad, or it stinks so bad that if you don’t get me a massage this instant, I’m gonna freak on this entire office.<br />
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In fact, most of us believe that you either have to eliminate it or live with it. But the truth is that stress management isn’t about eliminating all types of stress; after all, stress can be good for you. (The only time you aren’t stressed is when you’re 6-ft. under.) It’s actually all about regulation – turning the dials of your emotions so you can best handle what life tosses at you.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><b><br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Next Post: </span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Buddhism is cooler than you. </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-20867831229765904412010-04-19T21:39:00.002-04:002010-04-20T17:52:39.534-04:00Can You Believe it? The Buddha Just Got a Job as a Greeter at Wal-Mart!<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The greatest obstacle to enlightenment is disillusion. Sounds like a quote from a sutra or something, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t. I made it up... just now. Be careful though, disillusionment can knock you on your ass. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I was a naive teenager when I first started off on the “path.” The most important thing to me then was my electric guitar and my hair. As much as I hate to admit it and use the phrase “broken home,” that’s exactly where I was coming from. Angry, misguided teenagers ironically are the prime candidates for exploration into spiritual movements like Buddhism. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I was looking for a way to find meaning in my life. I had honest intentions. I was bored. I heard somewhere that meditation could do all kinds of shit to make you feel happy. That’s what I wanted. It was either that, or start getting high like all my friends... but that was way too scary.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">All this was before the internet got really big. Back then, there were these things called </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">libraries</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. I spent a lot of time in them. I walked down the aisles looking for a small section labeled “Eastern Religion” and I checked out every book on Buddhism that I could get my hands on. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Mostly these books were mass marketed “Key to Happiness - Find Peace” kinda stuff, authored by the All-Stars of Buddhism in the west: the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”... you know, shit like that. I read them. They seemed cool. I got excited. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Everything was all pretty low key until my life took a serious turn and I had a kid at the ripe old age of seventeen. I’m what you read about in the papers... teenage father, high school dropout... the whole deal. Honestly, it’s not as bad as everyone makes it out to seem. It was hard, but I hung in there... my daughter’s almost twelve now. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Buddhism was my anchor. </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It was my drug</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. It made me feel much less alone than I really was. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">But, I wanted to ratchet it up a notch. Really get hardcore. I wanted to get into the REAL DEAL Buddhism, the crazy sensory-depravation-meditate-your-ass-off Buddhism. It was hard to find though. I looked everywhere. It was like diving headfirst into a pool with no water. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I did everything that the books told me to do. I tried to meditate, forcing my legs into that be-all, end-all posture of meditation, known provocatively as </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">lotus position. </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I did prostrations, mandala offerings, pujas, mantras, and chanting. I took whatever money I made as a fry cook and spent it on cool Buddhist stuff, though thankfully, stopped short of buying a Tibetan prayer wheel. (What the hell is really the point of those, anyway?) I found a teacher, shaved my head, and stopped eating meat. I slept outside overnight on the pavement to get tickets to meet the Dalai Lama. I was getting close. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMt2CDh7EhoMidgGPAH1xK78MojFK29EDv6uUo19AvhTq5mLteJQdqT7WAjyqM-ERKDAfy_A-A3dJgdK6Ie7D2xrZXXzJnJI5b4ZynVkK6bm4R5cdVIYD1FEZXLat2BXEQDPXdya8EhAs/s1600/prayer_wheel_pendant_jne40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMt2CDh7EhoMidgGPAH1xK78MojFK29EDv6uUo19AvhTq5mLteJQdqT7WAjyqM-ERKDAfy_A-A3dJgdK6Ie7D2xrZXXzJnJI5b4ZynVkK6bm4R5cdVIYD1FEZXLat2BXEQDPXdya8EhAs/s320/prayer_wheel_pendant_jne40.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Eventually, I enrolled myself in grad school to study Tibetan at the University of Virginia. I was right on track to become the most hardcore mutha-fuckin’ Buddhist on the block. But it all came crashing down - fast. The disillusionment was epic. Suddenly, I saw myself standing there surrounded by all these people that I couldn’t stand. I didn’t want to be like them. None of the shit I was doing had anything whatsoever to do with Buddhism... or what Buddhism is supposed to be. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">So, I just walked away. I dropped out of UVa, threw out all of the Buddhist shit I had accumulated on my “altar,” got rid of over 200 books on Buddhism, and came back down to earth. Now I’m here finally disciplining myself to sit down and write on this blog. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’ve got some stuff to say that I think and hope will be of use to some of you out there. But I have to warn you, a lot of what I have to say is gonna sound like I’m ANTI-Buddhism. In a way... I am. But only because I believe that the thing we in America label as Buddhism is really nothing more than a shrink-wrapped, pre-packaged, mind-fuck that’s been engineered to maximize consumer interest. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Case in Point</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">: Buddhism at Wal-Mart: </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oriental-Furniture-Double-Sided-Buddha-Canvas-Room-Divider/11274184">http://www.walmart.com/ip/Oriental-Furniture-Double-Sided-Buddha-Canvas-Room-Divider/11274184</a></span></span></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; text-decoration: underline;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1QhiGqOwxtumOl-U0fvBv_XKsjC4YlVgkNp-1hCW92onezCtaKgV2in5tyfp3n13vbUNWbQ2icHnKmeqzcN02St5bbv98-5jG964_1ip-9cjLMtdbmwa4pP3JiqmphsdrR2BmbitkJA/s1600/MP10000159899_P255045_215X215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1QhiGqOwxtumOl-U0fvBv_XKsjC4YlVgkNp-1hCW92onezCtaKgV2in5tyfp3n13vbUNWbQ2icHnKmeqzcN02St5bbv98-5jG964_1ip-9cjLMtdbmwa4pP3JiqmphsdrR2BmbitkJA/s320/MP10000159899_P255045_215X215.jpg" /></a></div><div style="color: #000099; font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; text-decoration: underline;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">$125 - Double Sided Buddha Room Divider - For when you want have sex in your college dorm room, but don’t want to bother your room mate! </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The goal of this blog is to debunk Buddhism as a religion and an American cultural phenomenon. In the process, I hope to strip what was once a simple set of teachings from the accoutrements that have come to complicate them. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Buddhism is nothing more than a fancy mirror. The whole point of a mirror is in its power to reflect, right? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Next post:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;"> Buddhism was never meant to be cool. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div><br />
</div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-13422037069086285872010-04-13T22:56:00.008-04:002010-04-20T17:56:05.853-04:00Don’t Forget, “Buddhism” is Just a Tool<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Want an insider’s view on Buddhism? Here are some secrets. Don’t tell anyone I told you. </span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Stop wasting your money. There’s no way in hell that a two-thousand-dollar-gold-plated-Buddha- statue, handmade buy some guy in India, is gonna bring you any closer to “enlightenment.” As a matter of fact, stop even thinking about the word “enlightenment.” It’s distracting. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>You don’t need to learn a foreign language to meditate... not even Tibetan. </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>It doesn’t matter if you’re vegetarian or not. </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Take those damn prayer beads off your wrist. They’re not jewelry. </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>You don’t need to take any “vows.” </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>You can still get angry, have sex, and drink beer. (Maybe just not in that order, per say.)</b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>“Yoga” has nothing to do with it. </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>Forget about Tantra. Really. </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>You don’t need “Buddhism” at all. “Buddha” is not the goal. The Buddha is just a tool. </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><b>YOU are the goal. It’s all about YOU. </b></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Whoa, wait a second! I know you’re asking yourself, “Did he just say YOU?” </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Aren’t we as good little Buddhists, supposed to know, understand and accept the fact that there really is no “YOU.” There’s no “ME” either, right? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Well then who the hell is sitting here writing this? I AM. That’s who. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Philosophically, we “Buddhists” understand that there really is no “YOU,” “ME,” or “I,” but try telling that to yourself when you’re sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and you’re late for work. Try telling yourself there’s no “I” during sex. Hard, right? </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I was gonna start this whole blog thing with a long introduction on how I was first attracted to Buddhism, but the more I sat here thinking about it, the more I realized how that would be pointless. Buddhism has nothing to do with it. We don’t sit around meditating because we want to learn more about some religion called “Buddhism.” We do it because we want to understand the mind. We want to know how it works. We want to explore it and learn how to use it in becoming more aware of life before we die. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Remember, “suffering” is relative. Buddhism is just a coping mechanism. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Existence is easy to philosophize when you’re sitting on a pillow in a quiet monastery somewhere in Nepal. It’s much harder to understand the concepts like “emptiness” or “compassion” when you’re a regular working class bum trying to make a living and be happy. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’m here tonight, writing this blog because I think I have a voice that needs to be heard. I represent the all those underrepresented “kinda-Buddhists” out there who have no interest in drastically changing their personalities and adopting what so far has been a culturally Asian religion. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of my main goals for this blog is to demystify the abstract concept called “Buddhism;” to bring it down from the clouds and make it available to use as a tool to help understand the mind. We need to Americanize Buddhism simply so we can ingest it, digest it and leave it behind us to go on living our lives. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This blog is just as much an exercise for myself to organize my thoughts and come to terms with where I fit in on the “Buddhist” spectrum as it is a forum for me to express my ideas and opinions to an audience. I’m going to go a bit deeper about who I am in my next post, but for now, here is some information about me:</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I’m a 29-year-old American guy. I’ve had many occupations but currently, I’m a middle school English teacher in New York City. I’ve been involved with Buddhism for about fifteen years now. I studied both academically at a major university well known for its program in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and as well as with several monastic teachers. I’ve taught some small courses on Buddhism and meditation in formal and informal settings. I feel disillusioned by the current state of Buddhism in America. I think the time is ripe for change. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">In my next post, I plan to elaborate on my “disillusionment.” </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Garamond; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 13.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1595140550666413900.post-88762954460996830972010-04-12T19:12:00.000-04:002010-04-12T19:12:27.895-04:00First PostI've been putting this off for way too long. I've got something to say. Stay tuned...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0