Master Miao Tsan Returning to Houston

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The Ven. Miao Tsan, Abbott of Vairocana Zen Monastery, in Garden Grove CA, and Author of Just Use This Mind, published by Houston-based Bright Sky Press will be returing to the Byaou City for Dharma talks and guided meditations.

I was at his dharmatalk last year at Rice and he was very good. Straight up Zen perspective. Regional variations aside Dogen really did bring C'han to Japan and thus we have what became Soto Zen.

Gassho.

Reflections on Impermanence

Self-identifying as a Zen Buddhists means I'm often asked about Japan.

I long have had a love-hate relationship with the island nation as I really don't care for Japanese pop culture, but I admire and respect it's deep cultural roots and it's vertical integration with Buddhism.

I find most commonality with Zen but it is, by far, not  the most populous sect in Japan. That would fall to Shin or possibly the combined Nicheren schools.

I digress.

Some have said this tragedy is sad. 

I completely agree.

Any loss of life is sad. Any suffering is sad. 

There are millions of senseless deaths every year.

What the earthquake and tsunami do is underscore the impermanence that people like to forget or ignore.

It's strange in a country so tied to Buddhist thought and Practice that there are temples that have stood for 1000 years.

I'm not saying the Japanese aren't seeing this perspective. I'm pretty sure if all the temples around the country were leveled they would rebuild them and they will do the same with the roads and villages and lives that have been leveled by the multiple devastating events.

Send your prayers, Metta meditations, renewal rituals or simply good vibrations to the Japanese.

If you can, donate to the international Red Cross.

Japan will be okay, in time, all things are impermanent, even tragedy and heartache.

Cross-posted @ Houston Belief.

In Gassho.

Is Zen Fraught with Tautologies?

In my book class the other night one of the instructions mentioned that Uchiyama Roshi uses a lot of tautologies.

I thought I knew what that was.  It turns out I was wrong. It think it's possible that I'm splitting hairs here but it seems like phrases like "It is what it is," are not tautologies.

Here's the definition: a statement in which you repeat a word, idea, etc., in a way that is not necessary [count] ▪ “A beginner who has just started” is a tautology.

So free gifts or learning learners or idiotic idiots are all tautologies.

However, phrases are generally not considered tautologies (despite the example from the lovely MEriam Webster's) and, moreover, in further research (read wikipedia), I discovered that a tautology is specifically a rhetorical device where-in the repetition is needless.

Another point for Zen masters don't use tautologies. 

So what are these useful summaries. I know I shouldn't be hung up on naming them. 

I'm not really I just find language and it's uses interesting. 

So maybe these are tautophrases, then??

Willam Safire, in his New York Times column, On Language: Tautophrases, specifically mentions the co-opted  and oft-mentioned Zen phrase It is what it is. At first I dismiss his categorization because he incorrectly assumes that the phrases is dismissive or evasive, which it isn't, when used by Zen practitioners.

Safire goes on to allow that tautophrase, as opposed to a tautology can be used for emphasis. I think in Zen we use it for emphasis but also to point out that seeking intellectual meaning is often pointless when dealing with concepts which are beyond rational thought. 

If you're a language geek, like I obviously am, read the rest of Safire's article here.

Uchiyama Roshi uses tons of these phrases, some of them cribbed from Dogen Zenji or his teacher Sawaki Roshi, known more commonly as Homeless Kodo. 

Here's a few I like:

Zazen is doing Zazen.

Self doing itself by itself

Self making the self out of the self

Self that is is only self

I recommend reading Uchiyama Roshi's book Opening the Hand of Thought, if you haven't. I'll post a full review when I have finished it. 

I'm also going to finally finish reading Poplop's Rebel Buddha soon, I swear. 😛

Gassho.

Grasping Sucks

So…umm yeah.

I'm driven insane on daily basis.

It seems like everything sucks.

My job is overwhelming:

I can do the work and I like the people I work with, both our customers and my co-workers. There's just a larger volume of work than I can handle.

My wife is disinterested in me:

I'm never able to have her undivided attention. The phone makes sure there's always someone "in the room" with us, as she almost never puts it down.

I'm having difficulties securing funding for my medically necessary weight-loss program:

My insurance won't pay and there's no easy route to charitable support.

My car is dying:

It has an oil leak I can't find the source of and I just spent over $500 that wasn't in the budget to fix the brakes/rotors/struts.

But why does all this crap bother me??

It all has the same root cause: grasping. It's not like it should be. We create "ideal" fantasies about the way we want out life to be and ignore the awesome that surrounds us.

In just these situations, let's look at the awesome:

My job is overwhelming:

I have a job. That kind of, mostly pays our bills and I don't hate it. It's close to where I live and the benefits are good. The company isn't terrible and the people are great.

My wife is disinterested in me:

My wife has had a pinched nerve for the last week and before that we both had colds. We conquered the spectre of divorce and I know she loves me without a doubt. Sex (and physical affection in general) may not happen as often as I would like, but that doesn't mean it never happens.

I'm having difficulties securing funding for my medically necessary weight-loss program:

The intake Dr. who did all my blood-work and my physical evaluation wasn't worried about me finding a payment solution. She had lots of advice and general well wishes to offer.

My car is dying:

The brakes are fixed and that's done. My friend will probably help me track down the oil leak and fix it for cheap. 

In the final analysis. I just need to chill out and okay with what is. 

I suppose I just need a little Dude and a little less Walter.

Abide, Achievers.

Buddhism: It’s All About the Lists, Baby.

My Sangha-mate, David compiled this List of Lists. Most of this is from Wikipedia. He told me that he claims no ownership of the text so, I'm guessing little, if any, of it is his text.

Buddhists really are crazy about lists. I think this might have come about during the early days before the first Sangha Council, when the Triptaka began to be standardized and written down. It's easier to remember lists then long passages without any delineation, I suppose.

Feel free to add to this or point out any omissions. I'll forward those back to David.

So without further adieu:

The Four Noble Truths

1. The Nature of Suffering (or Dukkha): "This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering." Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), trans. Bodhi (2000), pp. 1843-47.
2. Suffering's Origin (Dukkha Samudaya): "This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination.” Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), trans. Bodhi (2000), pp. 1843-47.]
3. Suffering's Cessation (Dukkha Nirodha): "This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, nonreliance on it." Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), trans. Bodhi (2000), pp. 1843-47.
4. The Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering: (Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada Magga): "This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is the Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration."

Noble Eightfold Path

Division	Eightfold Path factors
Wisdom (Sanskrit: prajñā, Pāli: paññā)	1. Right view
	2. Right intention
Ethical conduct (Sanskrit: śīla, Pāli: sīla)	3. Right speech
	4. Right action
	5. Right livelihood
Concentration (Sanskrit and Pāli: samādhi)	6. Right effort
	7. Right mindfulness
	8. Right concentration

The Six Paramitas (Perfections)
1) The Perfection of Generosity (Dana Paramita)
2) The Perfection of Ethics (Sila Paramita)
3) The Perfection of Patience (Kshanti Paramita)
4) The Perfection of Joyous Effort / Enthusiastic Perseverance (Virya Paramita)
5) The Perfection of Concentration (Dhyana Paramita
6) The Perfection of Wisdom (Prajna Paramita)

The Twelve Nidānas (chain of causation)
ignorance Avidyā (Sanskrit) or Avijjā (Pāli)
(mental) formations Saṃskāra (Sanskrit) or Saṅkhāra (Pāli)
consciousness Vijñāna (Sanskrit) or Viññāna (Pāli)
name and form Nāmarūpa (Sanskrit and Pāli)
six sense gates Ṣaḍāyatana (Sanskrit) or Saḷāyatana (Pāli)
contact Sparśa (Sanskrit) or Phassa (Pāli)
sensation Vedanā (Sanskrit and Pāli)
"craving" or "desire" or "thirst" Tṛṣṇā (Sanskrit) or Taṇhā (Pāli)
attachment Upādāna (Sanskrit and Pāli)
becoming Bhava (Sanskrit and Pāli)
birth Jāti (Sanskrit and Pāli)
aging (old age), decay and death Jarā-maraṇa (Sanskrit and Pāli)

Three Marks of Existence
impermanence (anicca)
suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha)
not-self (anattā)

The 5 Skandhas (aggregates)

1. form or matter (Skt., Pāli rūpa)
2. sensation or feeling (Skt., Pāli vedanā)
3. perception, conception, apperception, cognition, or discrimination (Skt. samjñā, Pāli saññā)
4. mental formations, impulses, volition, or compositional factors (Skt. samskāra, Pāli saṅkhāra)
5. consciousness or discernment (Skt. vijñāna, Pāli viññāṇa)

Three Poisons- the mūla kleśa (English: root poisons) of the Twelve Nidānas are:
ignorance (Sanskrit: Avidyā)
attachment (Sanskrit: Upādāna)
craving (Sanskrit: Tṛṣṇā)

The Five Hindrances

1. Sensual desire (kāmacchanda): Craving for pleasure to the senses.
2. Anger or ill-will (byāpāda, vyāpāda): Feelings of malice directed toward others.
3. Sloth-torpor or boredom (thīna-middha): Half-hearted action with little or no concentration.
4. Restlessness-worry (uddhacca-kukkucca): The inability to calm the mind.

Alive, Awake…

So it’s Monday.

It’s also a Federal Holiday. My son is out of school. My wife is out
of school and work.

Yet here I sit at my desk. I’m still coughing my head off.

I could have called in sick. I know it’s a light day with many of our
customers closed for the MLK Holiday.

However, my coworker only works half-days now since she started
nursing school. They haven’t hired anyone to replace her. So it’s just
me and my boss on my beat, as it were. It’s too much work, even on a
light day, for one person. So I’m effectively stuck coming in no
matter my condition or lack of enthusiasm.

So…What’s my point?

These are the cards I am dealt. I can cry about it and bemoan the
injustice of being at work or I can embrace the moment; this moment,
in which I happen to be sitting at my desk at work.

Accepting what comes as what comes is my Practice, every day, in every moment.

I may not always sit, but I do Practice

On Balance… Wait. What’s that?

Balance.

It's something we all seek, right? Equilibrium. The stillness of being and the calmness of mind to make clear decisions.

There are enemies of this mind state.

Anger. 

Hatred. 

Polarizing Politics. 

Viewpoints and beliefs. 

These are the enemies of Balanced mind. 

Viewpoints and beliefs, you ask?

Indeed. When I believe in something I invest part of my ego in that idea. It's part of my illusory self now. Don't attack it or I will get angry and lose the logical ability to think clearly and I will eventually devolve into calling you a stupid-head.

This is why I believe in nothing. Nothing, Lebowski.

Oh I have an ethos, despite what Walter said. I have a guiding moral principle defined by the precepts and the eightfold path. I don't believe in these things. Rather they make logical clear sense and they obviously contribute to a balanced mindstate in which I can make good decisions. 

For example, Last night I drank a beer and it clouded my mind. 1 stinking beer, but it was there nevertheless I felt the difference and I did not like it. I didn't even really enjoy the beer  all that much.

What am I rambling about??

The shooting in Arizona, partially. I wasn't going to write about this, either. 

Nate's post and Kyle's Post prompted me to add my voice to the chorus urging moderation instead of blame. It's all well and good to assign blame to this diseased man. He obviously did the nasty deed. 

However, we must also all take our share of the blame. 

What?? ! How are you and I to blame?

Well if you're sitting in the Outback of Australia or the cold North of Canada, you aren't. But if you live where I live in these United States…you are part of the problem. You, like I, have accepted the divisive rhetoric of outspoken nimrods like Beck and Maher. Some have spoken out against. But our voices are quiet.

The silent majority who watch in horror as the national discussion is dominated by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck and I know there are militant Left wingers but they're just under the radar, more. I can only think of James Carville and Bill Maher and I had to Goggle to get those.

I'm not either. Both "sides" are crazy and dualistic. Policy should be made because it's good policy not because it fits some agenda or platform. It's just stupid to run a country based on ideals instead of reality and that's what's been happening in the USA for the past 30 years and it needs to stop. 

So. It's time to stand up and say I'm an American and you're an American and I don't care what you do in your house or with your family so long as it doesn't hurt anyone or infringe upon the rights of others you are welcome to keep on keeping on.

In the end we just need to take the advice of The Dude: 

Take 'er Easy.

If Everything Stinks, Wash Your Face

I was watching Cook your life, earlier. 

It's a great film, but like most documentaries not made by this guy I feel asleep at the halfway point. I can't stay awake even when it's freakin awesome, and this was.

The best quote (so far) is the title of this post and it really resonantes with me. 

The last part of 2010 sucked.

My wife almost divorced me and I have about 50 staples in my abdomen.

That's no reason to be angry with right now.

Right Now is just that and those things happened in the past.

So is 2011 going to be the best year of my life?? I don't know.

I do know that right now isn't too bad and I plan to keep on keepin on with the Okay Right Now.

Gassho.

Being Alive

It's been a long time. Is anyone still out there?

I've gone through nearly losing my wife and nearly dying since my last post. Sounds like fun, right?

There is value in the the ordinary, unexciting life and, man, do I want to settle into a long run of that just now!

However, I can't overlook the worth of the experiences that I've just had. 

For one thing, I made it through. The wheel didn't turn. I'm still walking and talking in this particular sack of flesh. That's something to consider and be thankful for, in and of itself.

The Buddha taught that human birth was auspicious because it was the only state in which you could escape the suffering of the cycle of samsara. So there's that. I have more chance to practice. If I had moved on, that might not be the case. 

That Practice will take many forms:

1. Spending ample time with and attention on with my son. He teaches me about all kinds of things just as I teach him about the rules of this reality and our society.

2. Spending time doing things that need doing. We (I) avoid work because it's boring or tedious, but work can quiet the mind and provide an outlet for extra energy and release stress and tension.

3. Not avoiding things. For the last several years, I have avoided activities that I long enjoyed because they weren't the types of things that "adults" do. I'm mostly talking about gaming and reading fiction. There were destructive behaviors in there too, such as binge eating, that I intend to keep on avoiding.  

4. Formal Practice. I've long found excuses to avoid formal practice and I intend to stop making excuses and just do it.

So… I never intended this post to become a New Year's Resolution type thing but it kind of did.

If you're interested in what actually happened to me and the story of how I almost lost my marriage I'll be happy to tell you, just not here. 

Gassho.

My Life and Grasping: A manifesto

It's been a while.

Life has been rough.

I'm now living in my own apartment about 2 miles from my old house where my son and ex-wife live. It's not home, but what is home?

Home is where your rump rests..or its it no where at all?

Hakuna Matata, and all that.

Except….

I'm grasping. HARD.

I've started smoking again. I quit for five years and now I'm back at it with a fervor.

I've bought stuff. I hate stuff and some of it I needed, but I bought it and kind of enjoyed that.

I've been to Dharma punks but I haven't sat other than those brief periods and I haven't done Dokusan or attended the Zen sangha, at all.

So why is this a Manifesto?

I'm about to make a vow.

I vow to undertake the training to stop grasping at the people in my life. 

The people in my life deserve to be what and who they are without trying to make me happy.

Only I can save myself. There is no outside agent that is going to support me.

I must trust in my intuition. This one is hard because some of the things it tells me to do are painful and require me to stop grasping (see the circle of pain here?).

What training do I need to undertake?

I need to go to Dokusan and talk to my teacher about my practice and my very limited understanding.

I need to sit, or walk, or something to allow my mind to calm and reflect without constantly bombarding it with thoughts and grasping at itself.

And I need to stop hiding.

If you are my friend and you live nearby you are invited to see me. You can come over to my crappy apartment or I will come to you. I don't need time alone to "figure this out." I need others to hang out with and not talk about this or sometimes to talk about it.

I've achieved all the intellectual understanding I can or will. 

So there it is.

It will be what it will be.

 

J. Andy Lambert

Buddhist.
Blogger: Bayou Buddhists on Houston Belief & Bayou City Buddhist
Dad.
Vegan.
Occasional Homebrewer.

Follow me on Twitter: @BayouCityBuddha