anger and the nembutsu

Taitetsu Unno in River of Fire, River of Water tells a wonderful story about his grandmother, a devout nembutsu-sha. answering a call one afternoon, the young Taitetsu hears her arguing angrily with a gentleman on the doorstep. after a while the door slams shut and his grandmother returns "huffing and puffing". the man in question, it transpires, goes around conning the elderly out of their money. she is furious and calls him a beast (perhaps the worst insult in Japanese, with its lack of profanity). what happens next though is that namu amida butsu immediately spills from her lips. the story can be found on p.176 for those interested, i only provide a shoddy re-telling as it raises something that's been on my mind for a week or two now.

it's easy to be grateful when happy or even when sad, then quiet naturally the nembutsu finds itself on my lips. but in the heat of the moment, when coming up against a person who annoys or infuriates me (and really just serves as a mirror for my own blind passions) then the mind of thankfulness for the Vow is seemingly nowhere to be found. Amida appears as far away from me as can be.

but really, i guess that's why they're called blind passions because of course - My eyes being hindered by blind passions, I cannot perceive the light that grasps me; Yet the great compassion, without tiring, Illumines me always.

always. and it's that same great compassion that allows me to acknowledge my anger, even if sometimes long after it has subsided, say "sorry" and move forward, entrusting all - happiness, sadness and yes, anger - to Amida.

namu amida butsu

Heavy Cross To Bear

night-shifts are, as per, slooow at the moment. but a site i'm really enjoying, killing the buddha, is helping the time pass more quickly. reading several articles is also causing me to look back and reflect on my own religious upbringing as the son of a Rector and subsequent shift to Buddhadharma.

it's stating the obvious to say that Buddhadharma is still relatively new to the West and i think many like myself come to it with a certain amount of religious baggage and quite probably several misconceptions too.

even mentioning Buddhism and religion in the same breath will sometimes bring up waves of protest and subsequent debate that the former can't be classed as the latter. along similar lines some will say that the concept of God is entirely absent within Buddhism, and while this may be true in the sense of an almighty Alpha and Omega, the suttas and sutras frequently mention devas, indras, asuras and other heavenly beings. this being so, it's not uncommon to hear the claim such examples amount to cultural baggage which Buddhadharma has aquired since early times in its history and at the extreme end of the debate the implication that one of the great tasks facing Buddhadharma in the West is to purge it altogether of these "superstitions".

the Kalama Sutta has become an oft quoted favourite to support the arguement that Buddhism favours an approach where if what is read or heard does not sit with one's own experience (or in some cases, one's preference) then one must dismiss it altogether and carry on regardless. but we need only read Ven. Thanissaro Bhikkhu's introduction to the sutta to see that this is a mistaken interpretation -

Although this discourse is often cited as the Buddha's carte blanche for following one's own sense of right and wrong, it actually says something much more rigorous than that. Traditions are not to be followed simply because they are traditions. Reports (such as historical accounts or news) are not to be followed simply because the source seems reliable. One's own preferences are not to be followed simply because they seem logical or resonate with one's feelings. Instead, any view or belief must be tested by the results it yields when put into practice; and — to guard against the possibility of any bias or limitations in one's understanding of those results — they must further be checked against the experience of people who are wise. The ability to question and test one's beliefs in an appropriate way is called appropriate attention. The ability to recognize and choose wise people as mentors is called having admirable friends 

judging by the above comments i have often observed an acceptance of and agreement with  - Instead, any view or belief must be tested by the results it yields when put into practice - but an inconsideration of - and — to guard against the possibility of any bias or limitations in one's understanding of those results — they must further be checked against the experience of people who are wise.ofcourse i am making generalisations here and certainly don't claim to speak for all Western Buddhists, none the less i do believe there is some validity in the observation. 

many new to Buddhism have left behind their Christian faith (such as i myself) and in certain cases this "conversion" has created some tension between themselves and their family members. part of the appeal perhaps of Buddhism, are the radical differences - rebirth, not-self, emptiness, enlightenment and so on and so forth. and thus anything within Buddhadharma that appears even remotely similar to the religion they have come from, or even religion in itself, appears to threaten the sense of conversion to a radically different way of seeing the world which they have just begun to undertake.


so we will sometimes hear either blatently or subtly, an attack on their old outlooks and faith. a derision and perhaps a certain sense of anger directed to that which they have turned away from. and its at this point that i realise i have not always been so exempt from such a tendency. but i believe that in order to let go then we need to stop being so angry and upset at our religious pasts, stop being so derisive, halt in some cases our desire to outright attack them and instead turn back and face them.

we need not fear that in doing this we somehow betray our refuge. facing is not to be taken as agreeing with or re-converting. i prefer to see this "turning around", a process that i am beginning with baby-steps to undertake, as a way of making peace with our past. a way of dropping the anger, dropping the resentment and learning to appreciate rather than shun our religious histories, whatever they may be.

when i think of the encouragement and curiousity my own mother, an evangelical christian, has displayed towards the Dharma path i have undertaken then i realise the depths of the selfless love she has for me. a love that makes her say yes to coming with me to Three Wheels, a love makes her encourage me to attend Chomon, a love that makes her sit and listen with interest and i read to her from Kiyozawa's diary. but i can not say that i have been so encouraging or curious to engage with and share in her own path. and i think this speaks back to the anger i spoke of earlier, an anger that in my own case is unfounded, has no basis, an anger that is selfish. 

and so i am learning to turn around. i no longer want to harbour this purposeless anger. i want to make peace with and understand my religious history and i want to share in my mothers own path with the same interest, curiosity, encouragement and above all love that she has displayed for me on mine. and so i look forward to, in the not too distant future, picking up some Meister Eckhart, some Thomas A Kempis and other works of the christian mystics and reading and discussing them with her. it's a small start - baby-steps. 

in the words of the Dhammapada - let a man conquer anger by love. may these words, my mother's love for me and mine for her and Amida Buddha's Infinite Light guide me through this undertaking, step by step.


namu amida butsu

     

Buddha and the Bonfire

so it's probably come to your attention that tonight is bonfire night. the night we burn an effigy of the last man to enter parliament with honest intentions / a domestic terrorist (delete as applicable). i've always felt a twinge of sympathy for poor Guy, seeing him burnt year after year. and i'm lead to wonder, despite the instruction taught to us from an early age to "remember, remember...", for how many this night has become purely an excuse for celebration, shorn of the weight its historical meaning in much the same way as thanksgiving is for many folk across the pond. don't mistake me - i enjoy the spectacle of fireworks exploding across the night sky as much as anyone and see nothing wrong in doing so. but i can't help think that the lesson we're implicitly passing on to each generation is that those who speak up against injustices felt and suffered will be punished and in the most severe cases...well, throw another few logs onto that fire will you?

let's be clear about this, Guy had the intention to destroy parliament taking a sizeable portion of lives with its destruction. and much as he has become an icon for the anarchistic spirit (in no small part due to Alan Moore's excellent V for Vendetta) it was not for the intention of a free and stateless society but for the establishment of a catholic government in place of a protestant one. similarly, while i can sympathise with the urge to question, resist and rebel governmental authority, i do not and can not believe that anything lasting and of worth can be born from bloodshed; in the words of Bart de Ligt - "the greater the violence, the weaker the revolution".

all of which ponderings lead to the matter of where or how a spirit of questioning and resisting authority may fit with Buddhadharma. much has been written already covering this ground. admittedly, it's not an easy issue and certainly one i wouldn't hope to adequately cover or do justice to in one blog posting. none the less, i'd like to share from two figures whose words serve as particular guiding lights whenever i consider these matters.

Takagi Kenmyo was born into a time of social upheaval within Japan, as the Meiji Restoration drew to a close and an emperor-centered government system was adopted. perhaps most appropriate to focus on for the discussion at hand was his persecution under this government due to his strong vocal opposition against both the Sino and Russo- Japanese wars. in 1911, he was imprisoned and sentenced to death for acts of High Treason (opposing the war) but this sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment. three years later he lay dead in his cell, having taken the matter of his life into his own hands.

Kenmyo constantly spoke out against not only the inequalities apparent within society but also within the Buddhist communities of the time. he saw the words of masters such as Shinran twisted and manipulated into rallying cries for war and the compassion fundamental to the teachings of Buddhadharma ignored and shrouded over with the hawks of patriotism and nationalism (though, is there really a difference between these two?). those interested in his writings (most, if not all of which were only published decades after his death and subsequent re-evalution within the history of Shin Buddhism) can follow the link at the end of this posting for more detailed excerpts of the essay "My Socialism" from which the quote i have selected is taken* -

"We live in a country where the common people in general are sacrificed for the fame, peerage and medals of one small group of people. It is a society in which the common people in general must suffer for the sake of a small number of speculators. Are not the poor treated like animals at the hands of the wealthy? There are people who cry out in hunger; there are women who sell their honour out of poverty; there are children who are soaked by the rain. Rich people and governmental officials find pleasure in treating them like toys, oppressing them and engaging them in hard labour, don't they? 

      

The external stimuli being like this, our subjective faculties are replete with ambition. This is truly the world of defilement, a world of suffering, a dark night. Human nature is being slaughtered by the devil.

                                                                                                             

However, the Buddha continually calls to us: "I shall protect you, I shall save you, I shall help you." People who have discovered this light have in truth gained peace and happiness. I believe that they have been released from the anguish that makes them turn away from the world and have gained hope.

                                                                                                             

Our thoughts can not but change completely: "I will do what the Buddha wishes me to do, practice what he wishes me to practice and make the Buddha's will my own will. I will become what the Tathagata tells me to become." This is the time of great determination!

perhaps this quote would seem upon reading to echo or reinforce the suppressive submission that is precisely what the anti-authoritarian spirit would hope to overcome? but so long as we follow the Buddhadharma then we must recognise that just as those who threw Kenmyo in jail and sentenced him to death perverted the teachings to their own ends of nationalism and war-mongering, so too we must be careful that we do not allow the Dharma to become manipulated to our own ideals of what questioning and rebelling against authority means. we must have the Dharma as the fundamental bedrock in our lives and let the compassion that flows freely from such, a compassion that speaks out againgst injustice, repression, inequality, a compassion that belongs as much to the oppressors as the oppressed, guide our actions.

the second figure i would like to touch upon briefly, Venerable Daigyoin Takehara, i feel speaks of a matter of utmost importance when viewing those whose ideals and practices we may wish to challenge. Venerable Daigyoin was an active opponent of the Religious Organisations Bill of 1929, which sought to pass control of all religious groups inside Japan to the state. together with the help of his close Dharma brother Venerable Jokan Chikazumi, grounded in the strength of tariki, the opposition movement was a success, the effort to pass such a bill abandoned.

throughout his life Venerable Daigyoin, supported by Amida's Vow, established the message of peace that is fundamental to Buddhadharma as a guiding light in his life. this deciation to peace is further demonstrated  in his efforts to save Shogyoji Temple's bell from seizure by the armed forces during war-time in order for it to be melted down and used for scrap (for a detailed account, i refer the reader to the essay 'How Faith Inspired the Save the Bell Movement' in Buddhist Roles in Peacemaking, ed. Venerable Chanju Mun). but it is in Venerable Daigyoin's words addressing the horrors suffered by his fellow countrymen at the hands of the atomic bomb that we find a most remarkable confession -

"Alas, that holocaust is what has been caused by my own state of ignorance"

i can not do justice to such a deep spiritual awareness as expressed by his realisation and again would urge those interested to follow the link to a very moving talk about his life given by a good Dharma friend at the end of my posting.** all i will say is that it serves as a constant humbling reminder whenever i lose sight of the compassion that must dictate how we face the world's problems and the thorns of anger threaten to ensnare me. how aware am i of my own deeply rooted blind passions and the burden of grave karma amounted through countless kalpas? i find myself asking, could i make such an admission? do i have the strength to see my own thoughts and actions in this light?

enjoy the fireworks :-)

namu amida butsu

* My Socialism - Takagi Kenmyo

**To build an Everlasting Temple - Andrew Webb