Absoluut Dharma...

The essence of ethics is to love one another. However, since there is no absolute standard for good and bad, all ethical acts are relative. Usually, though, when one makes an effort to achieve some goal, one tends to consider one's efforts as being absolute, rather than relative. when this psychological tendency manifests itself in a self-centered way, our ethical consciousness becomes a source of strife between people that can lead to the death and destruction of others, which is quite contrary to our original intent as ethical beings. 

- Rev. Kemmyo Taira Sato

most, if not all of the time we tend to discriminate between things as either being A or B, good or bad, true or false etc. and then we proceed to form opinions and make judgements based upon these absolutes we ascribe to them. Buddhadharma aims to cuts through this dualistic mode of thinking which leads us to seperate ourselves from others and place our own needs above all else. In Shantideva's Bodhicaryavatara we read - Since I and other beings both / In wanting happiness, are equal and alike / What difference is there to distinguish us / That I should strive to have my bliss alone? As there is no independently existing self, to cherish an I above Other is to seek to preserve that which has no substance in the first place.

all well and good and yes it certainly sounds worth realising. the problem as i've experienced it personally though, is that so often we seem to fall under the absurd sway of thinking that we don't carry this dualistic tendency with us on to the Dharma path. let's be honest - how often have each of us argued an understanding or aspect of Dharma from this absolute standpoint? do a quick google search and you'll find all manner of sectarian in-fighting within Buddhism, despite your cosy notion of it being all shangri-la windchimes and levitating yogis living in peace and harmony. ego is strongly rooted and habituated through years and years of practice, so much so that Buddhism will be used as just so much more grist for the mill with which to booster it. i'm Buddhist, you're not. i'm Zen, you're Nichiren. i follow Guru X, you follow Guru Y.

it's not that i believe all we need is a nice big group-hug of syncretism - of course there are differences in teaching, in interpretation, in practice and between tradition. and it is important to acknowledge them. just as it is important to acknowledge that they all share a unified purpose. but ultimately, Buddhadharma is the extinguishing of dualities. and lets not kid ourselves we're on the other shore yet before we've even set foot on the raft. a little bit of honesty, no matter how painful and ugly, can go a long way.

namu amida butsu

            

A Prayer to Be Reborn in Sukhavati

Jon asked me recently if I'd guest-write for this blog, an offer I gladly accepted. We have spoken often about Dharma and explored commonalities in one another's traditions. I think this dialogue is immensely important.

Anyway, for my first post as a (somewhat daunted!) guest I thought I'd begin with a matter central to both Jodo Shinsu and Vajrayana: the primal vow of Amitabha and his Pureland of Great Bliss, Sukhavati (Tib: Dewachen).

Amitabha is especially significant within Tibetan Buddhism as the strength of his promise extends the hope of rebirth in his Pureland to all who have the sincere aspiration to be reborn in Dewachen, even those who lack the capacity or motivation for consistent meditative discipline.

What other significance does Amitabha have for Tibetans and Vajrayana practitioners?

Amitabha is a Dharmakaya Buddha. His Sambogakaya aspect is the Great Bodhisattva, Avalokiteshwara (Tib: Chenrezig) who is the Patron of Tibet, and whose emanations are believed to include His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Amitabha's Nirmanakaya aspect is Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), renowned as the second Buddha of our age, the Mahasiddha and pandita who first brought the Holy Dharma from India to the Land of Snows. He is revered by all Vajrayana lineages, but emphasised more in some than in others.

The lineage in which I practice has an especially close historical connection to Guru Rinpoche as the patriarchs of the Khon family lineage, which is also known as the Sakya school, include his direct disciple, Nagendrarakshita. Some practices transmitted by the Sakya school to this day were received directly from Guru Rinpoche and passed down through the Sakya family in an unbroken continuum, so for us there is a very strong personal link to Amitabha through his Nirmanakaya manifestation.

Readers of this blog will clearly know more about Amitabha than me, being an ignorant monk from the Tibetan tradition, so I won't elaborate further. What I will do instead is share something that's at the heart of many Vajrayana practitioners' practice: the prayer to be reborn in Dewachen. This prayer, with a beautiful, joyful melody, usually concludes Chenrezig pujas, though is found elsewhere.

Emough from me! Namo Amitabha Buddha.

Eh Ma Ho! (What wonder!)
In the center is the marvelous Buddha Amitabha of Boundless Light,
On the right side is the Lord of Great Compassion (Chenrezig)
And on the left is Vajrapani, the Lord of Powerful Means.
All are surrounded by limitless Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Immeasurable peace and happiness is the blissful pureland of Dewachen.
As all beings pass from samsara,
May we be born there without taking samsaric rebirth.
May we have the blessing of meeting Amitabha face to face.
By the power and blessings of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
of the ten directions,
May we attain this aspiration without hindrance.

Tadyatha Pantsa Driya Awa Bodhanaya Svaha

on a wing and a prayer...

prayer's a rather problematic topic for me, one that nonetheless seems insistent on raising its awkward little head and butting into my thoughts. it's a word that can be multifaceted in interpretation and meaning but i hazard a guess that the most immediate or apparant image which springs to mind is asking for something from some bearded guy way up in the sky.

this example is aka petitionary. it doesn't have to be a bearded guy of course, it can just as well be a blue-faced dude or a green lady springing from a lotus but the point is we're requesting something for ourselves, be it material or otherwise. and i have a huge problem with it.

another example, related to the first is when we ask on someone else's behalf (aka intercessory). this is slightly less problematic for me but only slightly (and something i grappled with last year)

then it seems that we come to prayer as introspective and contemplative. here i feel on more solid ground because the thing which causes all the problems for me - the act of petition - appears largely absent in this space.

in fact, if petitionary can be viewed as an attempt at establishing control over a given situation, then contemplative is perhaps happier to rest in and make peace with the helplessness of the self....maybe i'm (inevitably) bringing my own bias to the table but at the very least i feel it is more a manner of listening than, as with the former, of attempting to make oneself heard.

one thing is certain, that prayer seems to feature in one way or another in all religions, be they folk or organised. and both petitionary and contemplative/devotional strands appear common. Buddhism isn't the exception either. and as regards the petitionary angle it oftens seems to have the added dimension of voicing aspiration, eg. the Patrul Rinpoche quote i began my last post with (although, this aspect certainly needn't be exclusive to Buddhism, eg. - "Lord, help me to love my enemies"). Actually, that quote is interesting for me to consider as here we have an admission of our wretchedness coupled with an extremely selfless request.

nonetheless though, however selfless such a petition may be, i can't shake the feeling that petition by its nature is founded on the assumption that we know what is best for ourselves (and for others). and in the instant of our voicing we establish an expectation not only of answer, but means by which such request is answered.

in light of all these concerns i have, i'd be most interested in hearing how friends in other traditions, particularly ones in which prayer forms a central part of practice (and not necessarily limited to the scope of Buddhist either - the more the merrier) view the matter - do you ever share the same doubts and concerns? do you view prayer in a different light to those i've mentioned? what form does prayer take for you (as i'm well aware there are many more than the few examples i provide)? need prayer even require a recipient?

in expectation of responses, i'll round up with a quote from that Great American Soul Thoreau, whose words on the matter paticularly resonate with me and appear to open up new vistas - your daily life should be your prayer.

namu amida butsu

tbh

I know all the details of karma, but I do not really believe in it.
I have heard a lot of Dharma, but never put it into practice.
Bless me and evil-doers like me
That our minds may mingle with the Dharma
 - Patrul Rinpoche

this is going to be one of those "Jon thinks he has something halfway worth hearing to say " type posts, so don't say you weren't warned. over the past few days the issue of honesty has been on my mind, in particular as regards Dharma.

i think a lot of us spend most of our lives trying to get as far away from honesty as possible, because it can be pretty brutal and ugly. that "the norm" within society is intensely self-serving, materialistic, alienating and damaging isn't necessarily what we'd like to square up to and address. so we use distractions - buy more, spend more, drink more, take more. anything to take our minds off all the reminders of that annoying first noble truth. we know these distractions ultimately don't work, but if we ALL TELL EACH OTHER REALLY LOUDLY THAT THEY DO AND THEY'RE FANTASTIC well then, it must be true right?

more than likely, we don't like the honesty of who we really are either. at least, when it comes to our faults. in fact, we're so scared of facing up to them that most of the time we'll wear various masks to keep them well hid when in company. and of course, we all have our Buddhadharma masks. i know i do - mine's the painfully sincere, oh-so-humbler-than-thou one. i also wear the "this guy knows what he's talking about when it comes to Dharma" one rather unsuccessfully it has to be said, but at least i manage to convince myself even if no-one else buys it.

it's tragic really that we persist in chasing our own imagined chimerical ideals of what we feel a Buddhist should be in order to feel comfortable enough to call ourselves one. we learn of bodhicitta and the wish to liberate all sentient beings, then rather than begin by confronting our own utter lack of compassion, instead try to convince ourselves how even people like Hitler we would want to liberate because hey, we're just so naturally bodhisattvic like that (and after all, trying to convince ourselves is so much easier than all the effort actually arousing some genuine compassion would require). or perhaps we hear somewhere that we are already Buddhas and so immediately feel a smug glow of self-satisfaction and pat ourselves on the back ("i always knew, deep down") rather than turn to address the obscurations that hinder such a realisation in the first place.

here's the thing - actually, it's perfectly natural to be fucked up you know. in fact, it's pretty unavoidable - it's called being a sentient being.  sure, we don't want to stay selfish, or uncompassionate, or ignorant, or greedy. but in order to begin work on that then we need to drop all the fake, holier-than-thou posturing bullshit, be honest with ourselves and actually face up to the often unpleasant truths.

namu amida butsu.

new year's resolution....

Whenever I catch sight of others,
By thinking, "It is through them,
That I will reach awakening,"
I'll look with sincerity and love.

- Shantideva

namu amida butsu

a parting gift...

there's some big changes coming my way in 2011 so it may be a slow start of the blog front. in the meantime, i'd like to thank you all for reading and chipping in. paticular thanks to Kyoshin, whose contributions to the Tibetan-Shinshu dialogue have added a vital, new voice which BN was missing. be sure to head over to the excellent Echoes of the Name for more.

also, i should point you towards my Dharma friend Jishin's Pure Land Breezes, a beautiful space for verse and reflection. finally, worth reading too is the squawking of Kunga D over at the Vajra Parrot.

i've nothing particularly to add other than to share something i've been enjoying over the past few weeks (call it a gift if you like). it was born out of an intense period of self-imposed silence, more of which i might write about in the new year. for now though, it's best just to let it do the talking -

namu amida butsu.

"where Buddha speaks to Buddha..."

just to add to the the prior discussion of muryoju, i came across this quote from Kanamatsu's Naturalness which seemed pertinent -

 Amida's revelation is not to be sought after by our own efforts; it comes upon us by itself, of it's own accord. Amida is always in us and with us, but by means of our human understanding we posit him outside us, against us, as opposing us, and exercise our intellectual power to the utmost to take hold of him. The revelation, however, would take place only when this human power has been really exhausted, has given up all its selfishness, when we have come back to our simplicity.

namu amida butsu