Buddhism: Nine Bows

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Nine Bows Dec 31st 2011, 11:38 Following up the recent vigorous discussion in the last post -- whenever you're quoting an Asian teacher to argue some point about what practice is, or is not -- consider the audience that teacher was addressing. Skillful teachers don't give the same lecture to everybody. Their teachings are like medicine for whatever sickness they see in front of them. So, a lecture that is helpful to one audience might be entirely wrong for another one. For example -- a Zen teacher in 14th-century Japan was no doubt dealing with a lot of young monks infused with samurai warrior culture and the code of Bushido. He may have felt they needed to stop being so dutiful and conformist and break out of their cultural molds, and lectured them accordingly. But if we could re-constitute the same teacher for an audience of 21st-century westerners, he likely would tell us to get over our cult of individualism and self-indulgence, and to be more dutiful and disciplined. Zen has a tradition of "rebel" and "madmen" teachers going back to 8th-century China. These were guys who challenged authority and broke rules. As Zen became popular with the 1950s "beats" and the 1960s flower children, a lot of westerners romanticized Zen as an expression of their own cultural rebellion. But if you have more personal acquaintance with Zen, you realize this was a gross misappropriation of its teachings. Cultural rebellion isn't really its purpose. Zen does encourage us to break out of the fetters of our cultural conditioning, whatever those are. But practice often is also about finding a balance between extremes. So, if the dish is too tart, add sugar. If it's too sweet, add vinegar. The correct thing to do depends on what you're cooking at the time. And the cultural conditions in 8th century China or 14th century Japan were very different from what they are in, say, 21st-century California. So, Ikkyu's� rule-breaking "crazy cloud" Zen may have been a corrective in Muromachi Period Japan, but Ikkyu's practice in our crazy cloud culture would be like adding sugar to syrup, or salt to brine. I have seen people latch on to particular quotes and blow them up into something they aren't. For example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama once said, "My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness." And I've seen people toss that one out in arguments to "prove" that Buddhism isn't even a religion. But His Holiness also spends three hours a day minimum in meditation, and he goes about offering teachings on things like Nagarjuna's Ratnavali (Precious Garland) and Geshe Langri Thangpa's Eight Verses of Training the Mind, which suggests that a state of "kindness" on the Dalai Lama's level really is something to be cultivated religiously. By the same token, it's common for westerners to co-opt whatever they think Zen is as just another ego-enhancer. They pull some quotes out of context to build a case that Zen can be whatever "I" want it to be. And then they think of themselves as bold non-conformists, which in the context of our ego-worshiping culture is laughable. The traditional Japanese Soto Zen service begins with three full bows to the Buddha. When the late Shunryu Suzuki was teaching in San Francisco in the 1960s and 1970s, students resisted the bows. So, Suzuki Roshi had the service begin with nine bows instead of three. "In Japan three is enough, but here in America we are so stubborn, it is better to do nine bows," he said. Now, there's nothing magical about bowing. As far as I know, the historical Buddha realized enlightenment without ever bowing to anything. Probably you can find a famous teacher somewhere saying that bowing isn't necessary. However, if it really annoys you to bow, if your ego is resisting, then that same teacher no doubt would tell you to bow. A lot. Nine times? Make that eighty-one.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Buddhism and Vegetarianism

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Buddhism and Vegetarianism Dec 31st 2011, 11:03 All Buddhists are vegetarians, right? Well, no. Some Buddhists are vegetarians, but some are not. Attitudes about vegetarianism vary from sect to sect as well as from individual to individual. If you are wondering whether you must commit to being a vegetarian to become a Buddhist, the answer is, maybe, but possibly not. It is unlikely the historical Buddha was a vegetarian. In the earliest recording of his teachings, the Tripitaka, the Buddha did not categorically forbid his disciples to eat meat. In fact, if meat were put into a monk's alms bowl, the monk was supposed to eat it. Monks were to gratefully receive and consume all food they were given, including meat. Exceptions There was an exception to the meat for alms rule, however. If monks knew or suspected that an animal had been slaughtered specifically to feed monks, they were to refuse to take the meat. On the other hand, leftover meat from an animal slaughtered to feed a lay family was acceptable. The Buddha also listed certain types of meat that were not to be eaten. These included horse, elephant, dog, snake, tiger, leopard and bear. Because only some meat was specifically forbidden, we can infer that eating other meat was permissible. Vegetarianism and the First Precept The First Precept of Buddhism is do not kill. The Buddha told his followers not to kill, participate in killing or cause to have any living thing killed. To eat meat, some argue, is taking part in killing by proxy. In response, it is argued that if an animal were already dead and not slaughtered specifically to feed oneself, then it is not quite the same thing as killing the animal oneself. This seems to be how the historical Buddha understood eating meat. However, the historical Buddha and the monks and nuns who followed him were homeless wanderers who lived on the alms they received. Buddhists did not begin to build monasteries and other permanent communities until some time after the Buddha died. Monastic Buddhists do not live on alms alone but also on food grown by, donated to or purchased by monks. It is hard to argue that meat provided to an entire monastic community did not come from an animal specifically slaughtered on behalf of that community. Thus, many sects of Mahayana Buddhism in particular began to emphasize vegetarianism. Some of the Mahayana Sutras, such as the Lankavatara, provide decidedly vegetarian teachings. Buddhism and Vegetarianism Today Today, attitudes toward vegetarianism vary from sect to sect and even within sects. On the whole, Theravada Buddhists do not kill animals themselves but consider vegetarianism to be a personal choice. The Vajrayana schools, which include Tibetan and Japanese Shingon Buddhism, encourage vegetarianism but do not consider it to be absolutely necessary to Buddhist practice. Mahayana schools are more often vegetarian, but even within many Mahayana sects there is diversity of practice. In keeping with the original rules, some Buddhists might not purchase meat for themselves, or choose a live lobster out of the tank and have it boiled, but might eat a meat dish offered them at a friend's dinner party. The Middle Way Buddhism discourages fanatical perfectionism. The Buddha taught his followers to find a middle way between extreme practices and opinions. For this reason, Buddhists who do practice vegetarianism are discouraged from becoming fanatically attached to it. A Buddhist practices metta, which is loving kindness to all beings without selfish attachment. Buddhist refrain from eating meat out of loving kindness for living animals, not because there is something unwholesome or corrupt about an animal's body. In other words, the meat itself is not the point, and under some circumstances compassion might cause a Buddhist to break the rules. For example, let's say you visit your elderly grandmother, whom you have not seen for a long time. You arrive at her home and find that she has cooked what had been your favorite dish when you were a child -- stuffed pork chops. She doesn't do much cooking any more, because her elderly body doesn't move around the kitchen so well. But it is the dearest wish of her heart to give you something special and watch you dig into those stuffed pork chops the way you used to. She has been looking forward to this for weeks. I say that if you hesitate to eat those pork chops for even a second, you are no Buddhist. The Business of Suffering When I was a girl growing up in rural Missouri, livestock grazed in open meadows and chickens wandered and scratched outside hen houses. That was a long time ago. You still see free-ranging livestock on small farms, but big "factory farms" can be cruel places for animals. Breeding sows live most of their lives in cages so small they cannot turn around. Egg-laying hens kept in "battery cages" cannot spread their wings. These practices make the vegetarian question more critical. As Buddhists, we should consider if products we purchase were made with suffering. This includes human suffering as well as animal suffering. If your "vegan" faux-leather shoes were made by exploited laborers working under inhumane conditions, you might as well have bought leather. Live Mindfully The fact is, to live is to kill. It cannot be avoided. Fruits and vegetables come from living organisms, and farming them requires killing insects, rodents and other animal life. The electricity and heat for our homes may come from facilities that harm the environment. Don't even think about the cars we drive. We are all entangled in a web of killing and destruction, and as long as we live we cannot be completely free of it. As Buddhists, our role is not to mindlessly follow rules written in books, but to be mindful of the harm we do and do as little of it as possible. Want to Discuss? Drop by the Buddhism forums to discuss your views on vegetarianism.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Five Dhyani Buddhas: Vairocana Buddha

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The Five Dhyani Buddhas: Vairocana Buddha Dec 31st 2011, 11:03 Vairocana Buddha is sometimes called the primordial Buddha or supreme Buddha. He represents the wisdom of shunyata, "emptiness." He is considered a personification of the dharmakaya -- everything, unmanifested, free of characteristics and distinctions. When the Dhyani Buddhas are pictured together in a mandala, Vairocana is at the center. Vairocana is white, representing all colors, and his his symbol is the Dharma wheel. His hand mudra represents the turning of the wheel. He is associated with the first skandha, form. Meditation on Vairocana vanquishes ignorance.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Wheel of Life: The Hell Realm

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The Wheel of Life: The Hell Realm Dec 31st 2011, 11:03 The Hell Realm is depicted as a place partly of fire and partly of ice. In the fiery part of the realm, Hell Beings (Narakas) are subjected to pain and torment. In the icy part, they are frozen. Interpreted psychologically, Hell Beings are recognized by their acute aggression. Fiery Hell Beings are angry and abusive, and they drive away anyone who would befriend or love them. Icy Hell Beings shove others away with their unfeeling coldness. Then, in the torment of their isolation, their aggression increasingly turns inward, and they become self-destructive.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Philosophy or Religion?

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Philosophy or Religion? Dec 30th 2011, 11:02 Through the week-long sesshin Zen students had been sitting, robed and still, in the zendo. We had kept silence, except when we were chanting. We engaged in rituals. We listened to talks given by ordained priests and monks. We bowed a lot. Then sesshin was done, and we students left the zendo and spilled out into the sunshine, chattering and hugging. The husband of a sister student arrived to take his wife home. He approached a group of us and said, Of course, Buddhism is a philosophy. It's not a religion. No one argued. I think we were all too tired to argue. But no one agreed, either. What we'd been doing all week certainly looked and felt like religion. Why would Buddhism not be religion? This or That? In my experience, people who say Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion usually mean it as a compliment. They are trying to say, I think, that Buddhism is something other than the superstitious rubbish they believe religion to be. In this view, religion is a jumble of primitive folklore that humankind drags through the ages like a cosmic security blanket. Religion is passionate and irrational and messy. But philosophy is the flower of human intellect. It is reasonable and civilized. Religion inspires war and atrocity; at worst, philosophy incites mild arguments over coffee and dessert. Buddhism -- some Buddhism, anyway -- is a practice of contemplation and inquiry that doesn't depend on belief in God or a soul or anything supernatural. Therefore, the theory goes, it can't be a religion. Killing the Buddha Sam Harris expressed this view of Buddhism in his essay "Killing the Buddha" (Shambhala Sun, March 2006). Harris admires Buddhism, calling it "the richest source of contemplative wisdom that any civilization has produced." But he thinks it would be even better if it could be pried away from Buddhists. "The wisdom of the Buddha is currently trapped within the religion of Buddhism," Harris laments. "Worse still, the continued identification of Buddhists with Buddhism lends tacit support to the religious differences in our world. ... Given the degree to which religion still inspires human conflict, and impedes genuine inquiry, I believe that merely being a self-described 'Buddhist' is to be complicit in the world's violence and ignorance to an unacceptable degree." "Killing the Buddha" is from a Zen saying -- If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him. Harris interprets this as a warning against turning the Buddha into a "religious fetish" and thereby missing the essence of what he taught. But this is Harris's interpretation of the phrase. In Zen, "killing the Buddha" means to extinguish ideas and concepts about the Buddha in order to realize the True Buddha. Harris is not killing the Buddha; he is merely replacing a religious idea of the Buddha with a non-religious one more to his liking. Head Boxes In many ways, the "religion versus philosophy" argument is an artificial one. The neat separation between religion and philosophy we insist on today didn't exist in western civilization until the 18th century or so, and there never was such a separation in eastern civilization. To insist that Buddhism must be one thing and not the other amounts to forcing an ancient product into modern packaging. In Buddhism, this sort of conceptual packaging is considered to be a barrier to enlightenment. Without realizing it we use prefabricated concepts about ourselves and the world around us to organize and interpret what we learn and experience. One of the functions of Buddhist practice is to sweep away all the artificial filing cabinets in our heads so that we see the world as-it-is. In the same way, arguing about whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion isn't an argument about Buddhism. It's an argument about our biases regarding philosophy and religion. Buddhism is what it is. Dogma Versus Mysticism The Buddhism-as-philosophy argument leans heavily on the fact that Buddhism is less dogmatic than most other religions. This argument, however, ignores mysticism. Mysticism is hard to define, but very basically it is the direct and intimate experience of ultimate reality, or the Absolute, or God. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a more detailed explanation of mysticism. Buddhism is deeply mystical, and mysticism belongs to religion more than philosophy. Through meditation, Siddhartha Gautama intimately experienced Thusness beyond subject and object, self and other, life and death. The enlightenment experience is the sine qua non of Buddhism. Transcendence What is religion? Those who argue that Buddhism is not a religion tend to define religion as a belief system, which is a western notion. Religious historian Karen Armstrong defines religion as a search for transcendence, going beyond the self. It's said that the only way to understand Buddhism is to practice it. Through practice, one perceives its transformative power. A Buddhism that remains in the realm of concepts and ideas is not Buddhism. The robes, ritual and other trappings of religion are not a corruption of Buddhism, as some imagine, but expressions of it. There's a Zen story in which a professor visited a Japanese master to inquire about Zen. The master served tea. When the visitor's cup was full, the master kept pouring. Tea spilled out of the cup and over the table. "The cup is full!" said the professor. "No more will go in!" "Like this cup," said the master, "You are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?" If you want to understand Buddhism, empty your cup.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Misunderstanding Buddhism

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Misunderstanding Buddhism Dec 30th 2011, 11:02 Buddhists want to get enlightened so they can be blissed out all the time. And they believe in reincarnation, and if something bad happens to you it's because of something you did in a past life. And Buddhists have to be vegetarians. Everybody knows that. Unfortunately, much of what "everybody knows" about Buddhism isn't true. What follows is a kind of Un-FAQ that lists common but mistaken ideas many people in the West have about Buddhism. If you can think of any more, please add them through the "Readers Respond" link at the end of this article, or discuss them in the Buddhism forum. 1. Buddhism Teaches That Nothing Exists I've read many diatribes against the Buddhist teaching that nothing exists. If nothing exists, the writers ask, who is it that imagines something does exist? However, Buddhism does not teach that nothing exists. It challenges our understanding of how things exist. It teaches that beings and phenomena have no intrinsic existence. But Buddhism does not teach there is no existence at all. The "nothing exists" folklore mostly comes from a misunderstanding of the teaching of anatta and its Mahayana extension, shunyata. But these are not doctrines of non-existence. Rather, they teach that we understand existence in a limited, one-sided way. Read More: "Dependent Origination" Read More: "Madhyamika" Everyone's heard the joke about what the Buddhist monk said to a hot dog vendor -- "Make me one with everything." Doesn't Buddhism teach we are one with everything? In the Maha-nidana Sutta, the Buddha taught that it was incorrect to say that the self is finite, but it is also incorrect to say that the self is infinite. In this sutra, the Buddha taught us not to hold on to views about whether the self is this or that. We fall into the idea that we individuals are component parts of a One Thing, or that our individual self is false an only an infinite self-that-is-everything is true. Understanding the self requires going beyond concepts and ideas. Read More: "What Is the Self?" If you define reincarnation as the transmigration of a soul into a new body after the old body dies, then no, the Buddha did not teach a doctrine of reincarnation. For one thing, he taught there was no soul to transmigrate. However, there is a Buddhist doctrine of rebirth. According to this doctrine, it is the energy or conditioning created by one life that is reborn into another, not a soul. "The person who dies here and is reborn elsewhere is neither the same person, nor another," Theravada scholar Walpola Rahula wrote. However, you don't have to "believe in" rebirth to be a Buddhist. Many Buddhists are agnostic on the matter of rebirth. Read More: "Reincarnation in Buddhism" Some schools of Buddhism do insist on vegetarianism, and I believe all schools encourage it. But in most schools of Buddhism vegetarianism is a personal choice, not a commandment. The earliest Buddhists scriptures suggest the historical Buddha himself was not a vegetarian. The first order of monks begged for their food, and the rule was that if a monk was given meat, he was required to eat it unless he knew that the animal was slaughtered specifically to feed monks. Read More: "Buddhism and Vegetarianism" The word "karma" means "action," not "fate." In Buddhism, karma is an energy created by willful action, through thoughts, words and deeds. We are all creating karma every minute, and the karma we create affects us every minute. It's common to think of "my karma" as something you did in your last life that seals your fate in this life, but this is not Buddhist understanding. Karma is an action, not a result. The future is not set in stone. You can change the course of your life right now by changing your volitional acts and self-destructive patterns. Read More: "Karma for Buddhists 101" Karma is not a cosmic system of justice and retribution. There is no unseen judge pulling the strings of karma to punish wrongdoers. Karma is as impersonal as gravity. What goes up does come down; what you do is what happens to you. Karma is not the only force that causes things to happen in the world. If a terrible flood wipes out a community, don't assume karma somehow brought about a flood or that the people in the community deserved to be punished for something. Unfortunate events can happen to anybody, even the most righteous. That said, karma is a strong force that can result in a generally happy life or a generally miserable one. Read More: "Buddhism and Morality" People imagine that "getting enlightened" is like flipping a happy switch, and that one goes from being ignorant and miserable to being blissful and serene in one big technicolor Ah HAH! moment. The Sanskrit word often translated as "enlightenment" actually means "awakening." Most people awaken gradually, often imperceptibly, over a long period of time. Or they awaken through a series of "opening" experiences, each one revealing just a little more, but not the whole picture. Even the most awakened teachers are not floating around in a cloud of bliss. They still live in the world, ride on buses, catch cold, and run out of coffee sometimes. Read More: "The Eight Awarenesses of Enlightenment." This idea comes from a misreading of the First Noble Truth, often translated "Life is suffering." People read that and think, Buddhism teaches that life is always miserable. I don't agree. The problem is that the Buddha, who didn't speak English, didn't use the English word "suffering." In the earliest scriptures, we read that he said life is dukkha. Dukkha is a Pali word that contains many meanings. It can mean ordinary suffering, but it can also refer to anything that is temporary, incomplete, or conditioned by other things. So even joy and bliss are dukkha, because they come and go. Some translators use "stressful" or "unsatisfactory" in place of "suffering" for dukkha. Read More: "Life Is Suffering? What Does That Mean?" I hear this one all the time -- "Buddhism is not a religion. It's a philosophy." Or, sometimes, "It's a science of mind." Well, yes. It's a philosophy. It's a science of mind, if you use the word "science" in a very broad sense. It's also religion. Of course, a lot depends on how you define "religion." People whose primary experience with religion tend to define "religion" in a way that requires belief in gods and supernatural beings. That is a limited view, I think. Even though Buddhism does not require belief in God, most schools of Buddhism are highly mystical, which puts it outside the bounds of simple philosophy. Read More: "Buddhism: Philosophy or Religion?" The historical Buddha is considered to have been a human being who realized enlightenment through his own efforts. Buddhism also is non-theistic -- the Buddha did not specifically teach there were no gods, just that believing in gods was not useful to realizing enlightenment "Buddha" also represents enlightenment itself and also Buddha-nature -- the essential nature of all beings. The iconic image of the Buddha and other enlightened beings are objects of devotion and reverence, but not as gods. Read More: "Atheism and Devotion in Buddhism" Read More: "Introduction to Buddhist Tantra" Read More: "Gods, Goddesses and Buddhist Tantra" When people hear that Buddhist practice "non-attachment" they sometimes assume it means Buddhists can't form relationships with people. But that's not what it means. At the basis of attachment is a self-other dichotomy -- a self to attach, and an other to attach to. We "attach" to things out of a sense of incompleteness and neediness. But Buddhism teaches the self-other dichotomy is an illusion, and that ultimately nothing is separate. When one intimately realizes this, there is no need for attachment. But that doesn't mean Buddhists cannot be in close and loving relationships. Read More: "Why Do Buddhists Avoid Attachment?"

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Buddhism: Most Popular Articles: Metta

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Metta Dec 29th 2011, 11:15 Definition: Metta (Pali) is a benevolence toward all beings, without discrimination, that is free of selfish attachment. It is a strong, sincere wish for the happiness of all beings. The Metta Sutta compares metta to the love of a mother, who would give her life for her children. Metta is often translated as "compassion," which is not inaccurate. However, Pali makes a distinction between metta and karuna, which also means "compassion." Karuna refers to active sympathy and gentle affection, a willingness to bear the pain of others, and possibly pity. Alternate Spellings: Maitri (Sanskrit)

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Meal Chants

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Meal Chants Dec 29th 2011, 11:02 All schools of Buddhism have rituals involving food -- offering food, receiving food, eating food. For example, the practice of giving food to monks begging for alms began during the life of the historical Buddha and continues to this day. But what about the food we eat ourselves? What is the Buddhist equivalent for "saying grace"? Zen Meal Chant: Gokan-no-ge There are several chants that are done before and after meals to express gratitude. Gokan-no-ge, the "Five Reflections" or "Five Remembrances," is from the Zen tradition. First, let us reflect on our own work and the effort of those who brought us this food. Second, let us be aware of the quality of our deeds as we receive this meal. Third, what is most essential is the practice of mindfulness, which helps us to transcend greed, anger and delusion. Fourth, we appreciate this food which sustains the good health of our body and mind. Fifth, in order to continue our practice for all beings we accept this offering. The translation above is the way it is chanted in my sangha, but there are several variations. Let's look at this verse one line at a time. First, let us reflect on our own work and the effort of those who brought us this food. I've also seen this line translated "Let us reflect on the effort that brought us this food and consider how it comes to us." This is an expression of gratitude. The Pali word translated as "gratitude," katannuta, literally means "knowing what has been done." In particular, it is recognizing what has been done for one's benefit. The food, of course, didn't grow and cook itself. There are cooks; there are farmers; there are groceries; there is transportation. If you think about every hand and transaction between a spinach seed and the pasta primavera on your plate, you realize that this food is the culmination of countless labors. If you add to that everyone who has touched the lives of the cooks and farmers and grocers and truck drivers who made this pasta primavera possible, suddenly your meal becomes an act of communion with vast numbers of people in the past, present and future. Give them your gratitude. Second, let us be aware of the quality of our deeds as we receive this meal. We have reflected on what others have done for us. What are we doing for others? Are we pulling our weight? Is this food being put to good use by sustaining us? This line is also sometimes translated "As we receive this food, let us consider whether our virtue and practice deserve it." Third, what is most essential is the practice of mindfulness, which helps us to transcend greed, anger and delusion. Greed, anger and delusion are the three poisons that cultivate evil. With our food, we must take particular care to not be greedy. Fourth, we appreciate this food which sustains the good health of our body and mind. We remind ourselves that we eat to sustain our life and health, not to indulge in sensory pleasure. (Although, of course, if your food does taste good, it's fine to mindfully enjoy it.) Fifth, in order to continue our practice for all beings we accept this offering. We remind ourselves of our bodhisattva vows to bring all beings to enlightenment. When the Five Reflections are chanted before a meal, these four lines are added after the Fifth Reflection: The first morsel is to cut all delusions. The second morsel is to maintain our clear mind. The third morsel is to save all sentient beings. May we awaken together with all beings. A Theravada Meal Chant Theravada is the oldest school of Buddhism. This Theravada chant also is a reflection: Wisely reflecting, I use this food not for fun, not for pleasure, not for fattening, not for beautification, but only for the maintenance and nourishment of this body, for keeping it healthy, for helping with the Spiritual Life; Thinking thus, I will allay hunger without overeating, so that I may continue to live blamelessly and at ease. The Second Noble Truth teaches that the cause of suffering (dukkha) is craving or thirst. We continually search for something outside ourselves to make us happy. But no matter how successful we are, we never remain satisfied. It's important not to be greedy about food. A Meal Chant From the Nichiren School This Nichiren Buddhist chant reflects a more devotional approach to Buddhism. The rays of the sun, moon and stars which nourish our bodies, and the five grains of the earth which nurture our spirits are all the gifts of the Eternal Buddha. Even a drop of water or a grain of rice is nothing but the result of meritorious work and hard labor. May this meal help us to maintain the health in body and mind, and to uphold the teachings of the Buddha to repay the Four Favors, and to perform the pure conduct of serving others. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Itadakimasu. To "repay the Four Favors" in the Nichiren school is to repay the debt we owe our parents, all sentient beings, our national rulers, and the Three Treasures (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha). "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo" means "devotion to the Mystic Law of the the Lotus Sutra," which is the foundation of Nichiren practice. "Itadakimasu" means "I receive," and is an expression of gratitude to everyone who had a hand in preparing the meal. In Japan, it is also used to mean something like "Let's eat!" Gratitude and Reverence Before his enlightenment, the historical Buddha weakened himself with fasting and other ascetic practices. Then a young woman offered him a bowl of milk, which he drank. Strengthened, he sat beneath a bodhi tree and began to meditate, and in this way he realized enlightenment. From a Buddhist perspective, eating is more than just taking in nourishment. It is an interaction with the entire phenomenal universe. It is a gift given us through the work of all beings. We vow to be worthy of the gift and work to benefit others. Food is received and eaten with gratitude and reverence.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Buddhism Body Art Project: Dharma Wheel

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Buddhism Body Art Project: Dharma Wheel Dec 29th 2011, 11:02 The Buddhism Body Art Project is a gallery of Buddhist-themed tattoos sent in by readers and others. The Dharma Wheel, also called the dharma-chakra or dhamma chakka, is one of the most well-known symbols of Buddhism. Owner: Jacqui Panek. Studio: Armory Studio, MA The Dharma Wheel, one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols, also is one of the most recognized symbols of Buddhism. The Wheel has eight spokes, representing the Eightfold Path. According to tradition, the Dharma Wheel was first turned when the Buddha delivered his first sermon after his enlightenment.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Heart Sutra

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The Heart Sutra Dec 29th 2011, 11:02 The Heart Sutra (in Sanskrit, Prajnaparamita Hrdaya), possibly the best known text of Mahayana Buddhism, is said to be the pure distillation of wisdom (prajna). The Heart Sutra is also among the shortest of sutras. An English translation can easily be printed on one side of a piece of paper. The teachings of the Heart Sutra are deep and subtle, and I do not pretend to completely understand them myself. This article is a mere introduction to the sutra for the completely baffled. Origins of the Heart Sutra The Heart Sutra is part of the much larger Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) Sutra, which is a collection of about 40 sutras composed between 100 BCE and 500 CE. The precise origin of the Heart Sutra is unknown. According to the translator Red Pine, the earliest record of the sutra is a Chinese translation from Sanskrit by the monk Chih-ch'ien made between 200 and 250 CE. In the 8th century another translation emerged that added an introduction and conclusion. This longer version was adopted by Tibetan Buddhism. In Zen and other Mahayana schools that originated in China, the shorter version is more common. The Perfection of Wisdom As with most Buddhist scriptures, simply "believing in" what the Heart Sutra says is not its point. It is important also to appreciate that the sutra cannot be grasped by intellect alone. Although analysis is helpful, people also keep the words in their hearts so that understanding unfolds through practice. In this sutra, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva is speaking to Shariputra, who was an important disciple of the historical Buddha. The early lines of the sutra discuss the five skandhas -- form, sensation, conception, discrimination, and consciousness. The bodhisattva has seen that the skandhas are empty, and thus has been freed from suffering. The bodhisattva speaks: Shariputra, form is no other than emptiness; emptiness no other than form. Form is exactly emptiness; emptiness exactly form. Sensation, conception, discrimination, and consciousness are also like this. What Is Emptiness? Emptiness (in Sanskrit, shunyata) is a foundational doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism. It is also possibly the most misunderstood doctrine in all of Buddhism. Too often, people assume it means that nothing exists. But this is not the case. His Holiness the 14th Dailai Lama said, "The existence of things and events is not in dispute; it is the manner in which they exist that must be clarified." Put another way, things and events have no intrinsic existence and no individual identity except in our thoughts. The Dalai Lama also teaches that "existence can only be understood in terms of dependent origination." Dependent origination is a teaching that no being or thing exists independently of other beings or things. In the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha taught that our distresses ultimately spring from thinking ourselves to be independently existing beings with an intrinsic "self." Thoroughly perceiving that this intrinsic self is a delusion liberates us from suffering. All Phenomena Are Empty The Heart Sutra continues, with Avalokiteshvara explaining that all phenomena are expressions of emptiness, or empty of inherent characteristics. Because phenomena are empty of inherent characteristics, they are neither born nor destroyed; neither pure nor defiled; neither coming nor going. Avalokiteshvara then begins a recitation of negations -- "no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, thing," etc. These are the six sense organs and their corresponding objects from the doctrine of the skandhas. What is the bodhisattva saying here? Red Pine writes that because all phenomena exist interdependently with other phenomena, all distinctions we make are arbitrary. "There is no point at which the eyes begin or end, either in time or in space or conceptually. The eye bone is connected to the face bone, and the face bone is connected to the head bone, and the head bone is connected to the neck bone, and so it goes down to the toe bone, the floor bone, the earth bone, the worm bone, the dreaming butterfly bone. Thus, what we call our eyes are so many bubbles in a sea of foam." The Two Truths Another doctrine associated with the Heart Sutra is that of the Two Truths. Existence can be understood as both ultimate and conventional (or, absolute and relative). Conventional truth is how we usually see the world, a place full of diverse and distinctive things and beings. The ultimate truth is that there are no distinctive things or beings. The important point to remember with the two truths is that they are two truths, not one truth and one lie. Thus, there are eyes. Thus, there are no eyes. People sometimes fall into the habit of thinking that the conventional truth is "false," but that's not correct. No Attainment Avalokiteshvara goes on to say there is no path, no wisdom, and no attainment. Referring to the Three Marks of Existence, Red Pine writes, "The liberation of all beings revolves around the liberation of the bodhisattva from the concept of being." Because no individual being comes into existence, neither does a being cease to exist. Because there is no cessation, there is no impermanence, and because there is no impermanence, there is no suffering. Because there is no suffering, there is no path to liberation from suffering, no wisdom, and no attainment of wisdom. Thoroughly perceiving this is "supreme perfect enlightenment," the bodhisattva tells us. Conclusion The last words in the shorter version of the sutra are "Gaté Gaté Paragaté Parasamgaté Bodhi Svaha!" The basic translation, as I understand it, is "gone (or ferried) with everyone to the other shore right now!" Thorough understanding of the sutra requires working face-to-face with a real dharma teacher. However, if you want to read more about the sutra, I recommend two books in particular: Red Pine, The Heart Sutra (Counterpoint Press, 2004). An insightful line-by-line discussion. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Essence of the Heart Sutra (Wisdom Publications, 2005). Compiled from heart wisdom talks given by His Holiness.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: The Five Dhyani Buddhas: Ratnasambhava Buddha

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The Five Dhyani Buddhas: Ratnasambhava Buddha Dec 29th 2011, 11:02 Ratnasambhava Buddha represents richness. His yellow color symbolizes earth and fertility, and he holds a wish-fulfilling jewel. He reigns in the South and is associated with the second skandha, sensation. Meditation on Ratnasambhava Buddha vanquishes pride. He holds his hands in the wish-fulfilling mudra.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Dharmapalas

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Dharmapalas Dec 28th 2011, 11:02 Dharmapalas grimace from Vajrayana Buddhist art, and their sculpted, threatening forms surround many Buddhist temples. From their looks you might think they are evil. But dharmapalas are wrathful bodhisattvas who protect Buddhists and the Dharma. Their terrifying appearance is meant to frighten forces of evil. The eight dharmapalas listed blow are considered the "principal" dharmapalas, sometimes called “Eight Terrible Ones." Most were adapted from Hindu art and literature. Some also originated in Bon, the indigenous pre-Buddhist religion of Tibet, and also from folk tales. Mahakala Image courtesy of Estonia Record Productions (ERP) Mahakala is the wrathful form of the gentle and compassionate Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. In Tibetan iconography he is usually black, although he appears in other colors as well. He has two to six arms, three bulging eyes with flames for eyebrows, and a beard of hooks. He wears a crown of six skulls. Mahakala is the protector of the tents of nomadic Tibetans, and of monasteries, and of all Tibetan Buddhism. He is charged with the tasks of pacifying hindrances; enriching life, virtue and wisdom; attracting people to Buddhism; and destroying confusion and ignorance. Yama MarenYumi/Flickr Creative Commons License Yama is lord of the Hell Realm. He represents death. In legend, he was a holy man meditating in a cave when robbers entered the cave with a stolen bull and cut off the bull's head. When they realized the holy man had seen them, the robbers cut off his head also. The holy man put on the bull's head and assumed the terrible form of Yama. He killed the robbers, drank their blood, and threatened all of Tibet. Then Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom, manifested as Yamantaka and defeated Yama. Yama became a protector of Buddhism. In art, Yama is most familiar as the being holding the Bhava Chakra in his claws. Yamantaka prorc/flickr, Creative Commons License Yamantaka is the wrathful form of Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom. It was as Yamantaka that Manjushri conquered the rampaging Yama and made him a protector of the Dharma. In some versions of the legend, when Manhushri became Yamantaka he mirrored Yama's appearance but with multiple heads, legs and arms. When Yama looked at Yamantaka he saw himself multiplied to infinity. Since Yama repesents death, Yamantaka represents that which is stronger than death. In art, Yamantaka usually is shown standing or riding a bull that is trampling Yama. Hayagriva Hayagriva is another wrathful form of Avalokiteshvara (as is Mahakala, above). He has the power to cure diseases (skin diseases in particular), and is a protector of horses. He wears a horse's head in his headdress and frightens demons by neighing like a horse. Vaisravana Vaisravana is an adaptation of Kubera, the Hindu God of Wealth. In Vajrayana Buddhism, Vaisravana is thought to bestow prosperity, which gives people freedom to pursue spiritual goals. In art, he is usually corpulent and covered in jewels. His symbols are a lemon and a mongoose, and he also is a guardian of the north. Palden Lhamo Palden Lhamo, the only female dharmapala, is the protector of Buddhist governments, including the Tibetan government in exile in Lhasa, India. She is also a consort of Mahakala. Her Sanskrit name is Shri Devi. Palden Lhamo was married to an evil king of Lanka. She tried to reform her husband, but failed. Further, their son was being raised to be the destroyer of Buddhism. One day while the king was away, she killed her son, drank his blood and ate his flesh. She rode away on a horse saddled with her son's flayed skin. The king shot a poisoned arrow after Palden Lhamo. The arrow struck her horse. Palden Lhamo healed the horse, and the wound became an eye. Tshangspa Dkarpo Tshangspa is the Tibetan name for the Hindu creator god Brahma. The Tibetan Tshangspa is not a creator god, however, but more of a warrior god. He usually is pictured mounted on a white horse and waving a sword. In one version of his legend, Tshangspa traveled the earth on a murderous rampage. One day he attempted to assault a sleeping goddess, who awoke and struck him in the thigh, crippling him. The goddess's blow transformed him into a protector of the dharma. Begtse Begtse is a war god who emerged in the 16th century, making him the most recent dharmapala. His legend is woven together with Tibetan history: Sonam Gyatso, the Third Dalai Lama, was called from Tibet to Mongolia to convert the warlord Altan Khan to Buddhism. Begtse confronted the Dalai Lama to stop him. But the Dalai Lama transformed himself into the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Witnessing this miracle, Begtse became a Buddhist and a protector of the Dharma. In Tibetan art, Begtse wears armor and Mongolian boots. Often he has a sword in one hand and an enemy's heart in the other.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Vajra

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Vajra Dec 28th 2011, 11:02 Definition: When used in Buddhist literature, the Sanskrit word vajra usually is defined "diamond" or "adamantine." It can also mean "thunderbolt," although this definition of vajra is more often associated with Hinduism. A diamond is spotlessly pure and indestructible. As such, the word vajra sometimes signifies enlightenment, or the absolute reality of shunyata, "emptiness." The vajra also is ritual object associated with Tibetan Buddhism, also called by its Tibetan name, dorje. These objects usually are made of bronze, vary in size and have three, five or nine spokes that usually close at each end in lotus shape. The number of spokes and the way they come together, or not, at the ends have numerous symbolic meanings. In Tibetan ritual, the vajra often is used together with a bell. The vajra is held in the left hand and represents the male principle, upaya, action or means. The bell is held in the right hand and represents the female principle, prajna, wisdom. A double dorje, or vishvavajra, are two dorjes connected to form a cross. A double dorje represents the foundation of the physical world and is also associated with certain tantric deities. Also Known As: Dorje (Tibetan)

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Buddhism: Practice Without Doctrine

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Practice Without Doctrine Dec 27th 2011, 16:36 I said in the last post that learning doctine without practice is unhelpful. What about practice without doctrine? In the West, often Buddhist meditation is separated from Buddhism and promoted for its therapeutic more than spiritual value. Today, all kinds of people are doing zazen or vipassana without bothering with the rest of Buddhism. I'm okay with that, by the way, as long as undiluted Buddhism remains available for those who want to seek it out. But here is something written by the late Robert Aitken Roshi that I'd like to toss out for discussion -- "My own teacher, Nakagawa Soen Roshi, once said, 'If I had to take an examination in Buddhism, I would flunk.'� This is the great weakness of Zen Buddhism, and he knew it. I was well along in my practice before I read my first book on general Buddhism and I was already teaching before I began to seriously look at the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. Some Zen teachers tell their students not to read, out of concern that they not speculate. I would much rather have speculation around me than ignorance. I feel passionate about this point. If you are a Buddhist, what does that mean? How do you understand karma? How do you understand rebirth? What is Dukkha? What is the Madhyamika? Who were the main teachers of Classical Buddhism after Shakyamuni? What was their teaching? Who were the first teachers of the Mahayana, or the Vajrayana? What was their teaching? The pursuit of such questions can enhance your formal practice and open many doors in your life. Don't neglect study." [The Practice of Perfection, pp. 71-72] I've said elsewhere that Zen traditionally doesn't teach the student much until they've been sitting zazen for a while and are beginning to get a clue about sunyata. Zen also isn't big on explaining things. Instead of teaching students a particular doctrine of rebirth, for example, the teacher will more likely suggest that rebirth is something you'll understand when you realize enlightenment. In the meantime, just keep an open mind. In my case, formal Zen studies most often focused on Dogen, the koan literature, and the Heart and Diamond sutras. The Pali Canon was a mystery to me until relatively recently. Of course, to study Dogen and koans and the Heart and Diamond sutras is also studying Shakyamuni as well as Nagarjuna, Shantideva, and other great teachers. But it's also the case that one can be a formal student of Zen for a long time and do a better job remembering the names of the Seven Dwarves than naming the eight parts of the Eightfold Path. My impression is that other traditions do a better job of providing a basic education to the newbies. But at least we were taught about sunyata. But now I'm finding people who aren't being taught the significance of anatta/sunyata, either. And, more unfortunately, every day I see people with half-assed understanding stepping forward to propose what Buddhism ought to be in the West. The teachers at my Zen center do conduct classes in basic Buddhism as well as Dogen, and I am not faulting them. But I do think Buddhist teachers in the West -- and maybe Zen teachers in particular -- need to consider the questions Aitken Roshi asked. I also think Buddhist teachers ought to be more assertive about defining Buddhism before it is irretrievably defined for us as some feel-good New Age pablum.

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Buddhism: What's Hot Now: Buddhist Holidays

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Buddhist Holidays Dec 27th 2011, 11:02 Hungry ghost festivals traditionally are held in China on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. Hungry ghosts are insatiably hungry creatures born into a miserable existence because of their greed. According to Chinese folklore, the unhappy dead walk among the living throughout the month and must be placated with food, incense, fake paper money, and even cars and homes, also paper and burned as offerings. This is also a traditional time to honor the memories of departed loved ones, unhappy or not. The man in the photograph is placing a floating candle on Shichahai Lake in Beijing, China, to pay respects to deceased ancestors.

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