March 31, 2005
Did Buddha Baby Go Out With The Bathwater?
When I was introduced to Nichiren Buddhism by an SGI friend, I was a little surprised to hear “this type of Buddhism doesn’t ask you to deny your desires.” But it wasn’t a turn-off. The truth is, I long ago found that intention has genuine, physical power in my life. It seemed that perhaps daimoku could be a way to positively channel that energy. Rather than try to transcend my human attachments, here was a way to honor them and use the energy of the universe to satisfy them.
Now, I was aware that “satisfying” my desires was contrary to every Buddhist teaching I had ever known. And I was a bit doubtful as to just how kosher this Nichiren/SGI “Buddhism” was. But the truth was, it felt more in sync with my genuine belief system. And besides, I was in a life crisis and needed a little positive input.
And so I began. Yes, I missed some of the inner awareness that came with other forms of Buddhism, but I figured I could always supplement that on my own. It was nice having a group to hang with, lots of new books to read, and some concrete focus to my practice. All was well. That is, until those pesky little questions started buzzing in my head.
I’m not talking about questioning the SGI. I’m talking about questioning Nichiren Buddhism as a whole.
You see, nowhere can I find anything mentioned about the Four Nobel Truths, or the Eightfold Path, or meditation. (I was even told "Nichiren Buddhists don't display statues of Shakamuni because he was "the wrong Buddha.") Nowhere can I find anything about non-attachment or meditation or any of the basics, all aspects of Buddhism I continue to work with on my own. Has the baby been thrown out with the bathwater? Or did Nichiren just move on with no looking back? Is this like the Old Testament vs. the New Testament, with Jews and Christians each embracing their own volume?
I have total faith that someone (if not everyone) here will have some insights for me. Perhaps you can recommend some good books that might shed some light on this issue. Because I’m not getting it from the SGI.
On a final note, I want to add that my practice has evolved since I began. To me, the secret to happiness is appreciation, love, acceptance, and lots of humor. Yes, I also like material wealth, a nice house, new clothes, and dining out frequently, and all those things do come more easily when I have a high life condition, positive expectations, and peaceful thoughts, and some level of non-attachment. But this is true whether or not I chant. Chanting one hour doesn’t get me the pay raise. But being focused and clear about what I want and then expecting it might. I now chant as a way to appreciate and honor my life and my practice, rather than as a way to direct my energy and get stuff.
(Okay, I admit I chant for parking places, but only because it works…)
Posted by at 06:01 PM | Comments (6)
March 27, 2005
What about these prayer beads?
Nichiren Buddhists use "juzu" beads while chanting. Other Buddhist traditions use the longer, single-stand of "mala" beads. Can someone explain the WHY to me? I have recently read that the rubbing of beads during chanting is discouraged in some Nichiren sects (SGI members rub like mad). It seems mala beads would be easier to be used as counting beads (to keep track of daimuku or mantras) while juzu are easier to hold in your hands (and rub).
Malas also look very cool as a necklace. There's just no way to put on juzu.
Boiling it all down to what you wear,
Queen Lolo
Posted by at 06:01 PM | Comments (10)
March 23, 2005
What is YOUR burning question?
In my blog of March 21, “Was Nichiren a Nichiren Buddhist?” I talked about Shakamuni and Nichiren each having their own burning question that fueled their search for enlightenment. Shakamuni asked, “How can we be free from suffering?” and Nichiren asked “How can the common man find happiness?” (Maybe one of my readers can word that more accurately.)
I believe we all have a burning question that propels us onto own own spiritual paths. My personal journey began as a teenager with a rabid fear of death. I began searching for a way to calm my panic and accept or transcend my mortality. In a nutshell, my own question was something like “How can I live happily knowing life will end?”
This question ultimately led me to Buddhism, where I learned (or rather, am still learning) how to be present and accept what is. I have also learned (definitely still learning) how to be happy no matter what. Has my burning question been answered? Not completely. But it has lit the way to a gradual unfolding of a very interesting internal adventure. It put me on the path, and brought me to the Wonderful Dharma.
What brought YOU to the path? What is YOUR burning question? Have you found your answer yet? Comments, please!
Queen Lolo
Posted by at 04:50 PM | Comments (12)
March 22, 2005
The Ju-Bu's Way To Enlightenment
Someone emailed to this to me today. I've seen it before but it makes me laugh every time...
ZEN JUDAISM
If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?
Drink tea and nourish life.
With the first sip... joy.
With the second... satisfaction.
With the third, peace.
With the fourth, a danish.
Wherever you go, there you are.
Your luggage is another story.
Accept misfortune as a blessing.
Do not wish for perfect health
or a life without problems.
What would you talk about?
The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single "oy."
Zen is not easy.
It takes effort to attain nothingness.
And then what do you have?
Bupkes.
The Tao does not speak.
The Tao does not blame.
The Tao does not take sides.
The Tao has no expectations.
The Tao demands nothing of others.
The Tao is not Jewish.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Forget this and attaining Enlightenment
will be the least of your problems.
Be aware of your body.
Be aware of your perceptions.
Keep in mind that not every physical
sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.
Though only your skin, sinews, and bones remain,
though your blood and flesh dry up and wither away,
yet shall you meditate and not stir
until you have attained full Enlightenment.
But, first, a little nosh.
Posted by at 05:44 PM | Comments (1)
March 21, 2005
Was Nichiren a Nichiren Buddhist?
In an article in Shambhala Sun, Natalie Goldberg shares a story told to her by Ed Brown about her teacher, Katagiri Roshi. (“When the Candle is Blown Out,” page 65, Sept. 2004.)
Ed was a longtime Buddhist practitioner and also a student of Katagiri Roshi. After 20 years of rigorous practice, one day he suddenly thought, "Ed, maybe you can just hear what your heart is saying. You can be quiet and pay attention to yourself.”
The next day, he had an interview with Katagiri. He asked the teacher, .“Do you think it’s okay to just listen to yourself?” His teacher looked down, then looked up and replied. “Ed, I tried very hard to practice Dogen’s Zen. After 20 years I realized there is no Dogen’s Zen.”
I love this story, because it reminds me not to do someone else’s practice. Dogen wasn’t a “Dogen Buddhist.” Nichiren Daishonin wasn’t a Nichiren Buddhist. And Shakamuni Buddha was not a “Buddhist!”
Each was an individual seeking personal answers to their own burning questions. Each discovered their own way to “enlightenment,” and then shared their methods and ideas with others. And while these methods may indeed help me answer my own burning questions, I need to be careful. Because it’s easy to get caught up in being a “Buddhist” of one “brand” or another, and forget my own original, burning questions. It’s easy to fall into the trap of practicing a certain way, and failing to discover what’s true for me.
I believe that what happened to Shakamuni under the Bodhi Tree was this: He was quiet and focused and experienced enough to finally hear his own heart. He wasn’t going through the motion of someone else’s practice. He tried that before and failed. He wasn’t doing it the way he’d been told. He’d had enough of that. (Nearly lost his life that way.)
In the same spirit, Nichiren Daishonin didn’t follow the Buddhist teachings of his time, either. He had his own burning questions, and found the answers for himself. If there is anything to be emulated here, I think it’s the incredible level of courage, self trust, and faith demonstrated by all these guys.
To me, the heart of Buddhism is knowing that the answers are within you. It’s not about being a Nichiren Buddhist or a Zen Buddhist or a Tibetan Buddhist. It’s about being YOU. Certainly I can learn from and try on the ideas and robes of those who came before me, and those who fill my lives today. But I always need to come back to my OWN burning questions, and find my own path to the answers that are right for me.
“We do not receive wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness, which no one else can make for us, which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world.” Marcel Proust
Posted by at 06:11 PM | Comments (2)
March 18, 2005
Our Well-Flavored Lives
! am reading a book called “Turning The Mind Into An Ally” by Sakyong Mipham (it includes a great forward by Pema Chodron). I randomly opened the book this morning and my eye landed on a page that ties right in with my blog of March 15 (“Happy Birthday”). Here goes:
“”Well flavored” means that we’ve been born in a time and place where we have the luxury of hearing, contemplating, and putting into action teachings that awaken us to our enlightened mind. We’re relatively healthy, we have a roof over our head and food in our mouths. We have family and friends. We’ve encountered someone who can teach us how to train our mind and open our heart. Being threatened by nuclear war, terrorism, and global warming is a reminder that we can’t take such conditions for granted. We’re just these tiny, vulnerable beings riding on a blue dot in space. Yet sometimes we act as if we’re the center of the universe. The enlightened alternative is to appreciate how incredibly rare and precious human life is. The enlightened alternative is to appreciate everything."
Let's all take a moment (or better yet, a lifetime or two) and appreciate our well-flavored lives while we've got 'em. I know mine is pretty darn tasty these days.
With gratitude,
Queen Lolo
Posted by at 01:07 PM | Comments (1)
March 17, 2005
Eternal Life
My homeschooled highschooler has been taking an online “Health” course. Finally a class that’s relevant to real life, with topics including Depression, Hearing Loss, Skin Disorders, and more. Today’s final lesson was on “DEATH and DYING.” Over dinner, I asked my daughter what the “Death” lesson entailed. She shrugged. “Death wasn’t much,” she said. “It was really just a space-filler.”
I’m going to hold that thought…
Posted by at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2005
The Final Word on "Waking Up"
The other morning our phone rang a little too early and woke up my entire family. Rather than be annoyed, my youngest daughter rolled over, opened her eyes and said, “We shouldn't be upset. We should be grateful that we’re alive and CAN be woken up!”
I think that says it all.
Posted by at 09:00 PM | Comments (0)
Happy Birthday
March 15
Today was my birthday, and I spent it feeling amazed. Amazed that I somehow landed in a human body in this century in this country on this planet. Amazed that I was born into a safe, comfortable, and fortunate life. Amazed that I live with three of the greatest people on earth. Amazed that this whole human (and non-human) drama even exists.
I mean, what are the odds of all that?!
In “The Buddhist Handbook,” John Snelling writes, “To illustrate the priceless value of human birth, the Buddha told a story about a one-eyed turtle swimming in a great ocean. Floating on the surface of the ocean is a golden yoke. The turtle comes up for air once every hundred years. The possibility of achieving a human birth… is statistically less probable than that the turtle should rise to the surface of the ocean and put its neck cleanly through the yoke.”
Your birth, my birth, the existence of anything and everything is just stunning, don’t you think?
I called my mother today and wished HER a "happy BIRTH-day," since she was who really put out the effort all those years ago, and it was the day SHE first became a mother – while all I really did was pop my head out! I just wanted to say THANK YOU, MOM, for bringing me into this world. And thank you to the universe for being here and hosting me on this very interesting tour.
With awe and appreciation,
Queen Lolo
Posted by at 04:08 PM | Comments (3)
March 13, 2005
Questioning the Gohonzon
I have a Buddhist altar in my bedroom.
It has three shelves. The top one holds my Gohonzon. The second has my bell, incense, candles, and an origami of two cranes that was handed to me by a carnival mime who pointed at me and my husband as she made the little birds “kiss” each other. The third shelf has misc. items of spiritual relevance, including a framed “Don’t Give Up” penned by my then 4-year old daughter.
I enjoy my altar. I look at it often during the day. It serves to focus and inspire me.
But I have a confession to make.
I rarely sit in front of it and chant.
In his blog on this site, Rev. Ryuei writes, “Ultimate reality is something that is always present to us whether we are aware of it or not. So the question should not be - how can I acquire a paper scroll or an appropriate statue arrangement so that I can be awake… Rather, we should ask how we can simply be awake in each moment?”
Personally, I feel more “awake” walking in nature than I do sitting in front of my altar. I’ve had my Gohonzon for several years, and the truth is, I don’t quite get it. I feel more present and connected while playing with my kids, petting my dog, or peeling an orange. The flowers I encounter while on my walks wake me up to the wonder of existence far more than a paper scroll ever could.
Don’t get me wrong. I love to chant the Odaimoku and meditate and study Buddhist writings. I just haven’t been able to connect with the Gohonzon. Maybe I’m missing something... Then again, maybe not.
Please know that I did give it a good try. And I haven’t given up yet. When I first encountered Nichiren Buddhism, I did it as my friends at the SGI instructed. I sat in front of Gohonzon twice a day. I tried to grasp it’s meaning. I tried to not grasp it’s meaning. In either case, I did experienced “benefits.” I even liked going to the monthly discussion meetings. After decades of solitary study and practice, I was thrilled to finally have a sangha. But after the initial zing wore off, I realized something didn’t seem authentic to me. It didn’t quite feel “Buddhist” to me. My seeking spirit didn't feel there was enough genuine Buddhist seeking going on. And I grew uncomfortable with being told, however gently, that there was a “right” way to do things and I needed to make a few corrections in my approach.
Yet I still have my Gohonzon enshrined and my altar is dusted and cherished. But for now, it serves more as a reminder of my Buddhist faith than as a focal point of my actual practice. Perhaps some readers can shed some light on this subject, or share their experiences....
Now off to take a walk so I can wake up and smell the roses! (Or smell the roses and wake up, as the case may be.)
Blessings,
Queen Lolo
Posted by at 09:04 PM | Comments (15)
March 12, 2005
"Don't Know" Mind Meets The Ninja
March 8, 2005
“Don’t Know” Mind Meets The Ninja
Oh happy day. I get a reply from Rev. Greg. I’d emailed him offering to send a sample blog as my “application” to become a regular contributor. I’m a writer, a Buddhist, a fan of “Fraught with Peril.” I figure it would be nice to have a cyber home for the scribblings of my seeking mind.
“Okay,” replies Rev. Greg, “But it had better be about Ninjas, and not about how evil they are either!”
Oy. What does a Buddhist mother on the Westside of Los Angeles know from Ninjas? If they have anything to do with martial arts, forget it. I might break a nail, or God forbid a sweat. With two girly daughters and a metro-sexual Jewish husband in the fashion business, the only warriors we’re likely to discuss over dinner are rivals Brittany Spears and Christina Aguilera. Or Sketchers vs. Steve Madden.
Come to think of it, I did once discuss Ninjas with another homeschooling mom. She was panicking over her toddler’s possible corruption by TV exposure to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But alas, all-knowing Buddha Nature whispers loud and clear. Rev. Greg isn’t talking about Ninja reptile cartoons.
No fear. “Beginner’s Mind” is always a good starting point. And with the power of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, something will surely come along to fill the gaps and endear me to the Powers That Be.
Sure enough, less than 24 hours later, I get an unsolicited email from the novelty store, Archee McPhee. Subject line, “Ninjas Make You Cool!” The email reads, “The Ninja Attack Ninja Flinger is here! What is it? A catapult that launches ninjas at stuff you want to launch ninjas at, which is everything, right? It comes with the four coolest ninjas ever. If you only buy one thing ever again, THIS IS IT.”
“THIS IS IT” indeed!
I copy, paste, and forward the synchronistic ad to Rev. Greg. He shoots back an email, “OH!!!! OH!!!! OH!!!! You are SOOOOOOOOOOOO in FWP!”
You gotta love the Internet. It’s the perfect vehicle for Instant Karma. Mission accomplished and I’m in the world that is Fraught With Peril.
Somehow this all sends me back a decade or so. I’d been hired to write a direct mail promotion for a well-known entertainment magazine. My first meeting was with the publisher, a regal woman with an air of old-world sophistication and a heavy Eastern European accent. I’m sitting in her Beverly Hills office, ready to be briefed for the assignment. She leans across her massive antique desk, looks me in the eye and says, “I have only one requirement for this sales piece. Make sure it includes the word “FUCK.”
Now this was before I discovered chanting. So even though I was far more familiar with “fuck” than with I am with “Ninjas,” it took me several months to complete that writing assignment (once I’d regained my composure). Yet this little Ninja little ditty took a mere matter of days! And I still know nothing about Ninjas.
If this ain’t actual proof, I don’t know what is.
Thank you, Rev. Greg, for inviting me along.
Long live the dharma!
Queen Lolo
Posted by at 05:50 PM | Comments (2)
Posted by CopyKatz at March 24, 2008 08:28 AM