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Showing posts from 2017

Bodhi Day: The Beauty of Silent Meditation Retreats

In the Marine Corps. I witnessed many strange and interesting rituals.  Some of them made sense.  Some of them didn't. But I like to think that I learned something from all of them.  One of these rituals was the use of long, hard runs to celebrate good news.   For example, if a new commanding officer came to the unit, the company Gunnery Sergeant might "celebrate" that fact by having everyone in the company take part in a 10-mile run. A route would be selected, unit flags would be unfurled, and a long line of sweaty, screaming jar heads would go running down the street, singing cadence every step of the way. This type of ritual doesn't make sense on the surface.  Why were we celebrating by running until we puked?  Why couldn't we play soft ball instead! That's a fair questions. But if I had to do it over again,  I'd make sure we ran little faster, and a little farther during those runs. In the Marines, we didn't see good news as

3 Universal Truths that Buddha Taught

Philosophers have wrestled with the concept of universal truth for centuries. But no one has been able to figure out exactly what it is, or even if it truly exists. In fact, the existentialist philosopher, Nietzsche famously threw up his hands and stated, " God is dead ," while contemplating the question. Of course, he wasn't claiming that a literal super natural deity had died. Rather, he was expressing the fact that human conceptual thought around things like happiness, goodness, truth, etc. is inherently flawed. As a result, universal truth as represented by God cannot exist. In Nietzsche's view, the best we can hope for is to live as individuals, constantly striving against one another to impose our will to power upon the world. The Buddhist view, however, is different. While Buddha would agree that humanity's conceptual view of the world is limited, he observed three experiences that all living beings share. These are often referre

3 Buddhist Lessons From a Zen Cat

The more I walk this spiritual path, the more I realize that literally everyone is a Zen teacher. That is to say, every interaction we have with another living being is a chance to learn something more about Buddhist practice.  Lately, I've been learning a great deal from a Zen master named Enso, who recently came into my life.  Enso is a cat , but that doesn't stop his teachings from coming across loud and clear. In fact, in the month that he's been with me I've learned the following: Act Boldly Enso was a stray when he came into my life. It was 40 degrees outside, and my room mate had just finished walking his dog. As they were coming inside, Enso decided to introduce himself. He and Roxie, the dog, played for a bit, and when Roxie came inside the house... Enso came with her!  He's been making himself at home ever since. I don't know what he was thinking when Enso walked into both my house and my heart .  But I'm guessing it was fairly s

White Clouds: A Buddhist Perspective on the Purpose of Life

What's the purpose of life? This question has followed me like a shadow since I was a teenager.  That is to say, I've always wanted to know why I'm here, and if there's some special meaning to my existence.  In the past, this was the cause of a lot of hand-wringing and sleepless nights because it's one of those questions that doesn't have a definite answer; at least not in a conventional sense. In college, I attempted to find a solution in existential philosophy. I tore through the works of Nietzsche , Camus, Kierkegaard, etc. in an attempt to solve the puzzle of my life's meaning. It was an exciting time during my studies, and I read many fascinating works. But I'd be lying if I said that I found an answer to my question. In the end, I learned to make peace with not knowing my purpose. This wasn't a perfect solution, but it helped me sleep at night. After all, there were some things in life that my frail, human mind wasn't capable

3 Dharma Lessons I Learned From the Ocean

My first experience with the open ocean came in 2005. I was serving with the U.S. Marine Reserves, and my unit was sent to Louisiana to do disaster relief after Hurricane Katrina. The situation on the ground was terrible, but it only got worse when we found out that Hurricane Rita was about to make landfall. We jumped on the U.S.S. Shreveport, a navy ship, in order to ride out the storm at sea. It was while I was cruising around the Gulf of Mexico during a hurricane that I found out that I get sea sick. We were on the ocean for the better part of a week, and I spent most of that time throwing up. Unable to keep anything down, I got dehydrated and light-headed, but I still had a job to do. So, each time it was my turn to go on duty I fell into a not so pleasant routine of getting up, throwing up, and getting back to work. Needless to say, I was one of the first people off ship when we finally came back into port. Thankfully, not all of my experiences with the ocean have b

3 Buddhist Practices for Creating Harmony

Sangha (community) is one of the three jewels of Buddhism.   Buddha cultivated the practice of building community when he created the monastic order, and laid out rules which allowed his monks to live in harmony. These rules have changed slightly as Buddhism has spread between different countries and sects.   However, they are still a key part of practice. In fact, it’s not uncommon for practitioners to recite the rules of their sangha together prior to a meditation retreat as a reminder of what is expected. This ensures that whether one is visiting the center for a couple of hours or a couple of years, they will have a quiet, contemplative space to train. That being said, it’s not just monastics who need to live and work peacefully together. Householder Buddhists who have bills, jobs, families, etc. also have a responsibility to build cohesive communities . Thankfully, there are several Buddhist practices that help lay Buddhists live harmoniously with their neighbors.   I

Zen Koans: Preparation for Life's Tough Questions

We're reading Zen Koans by Rev. Gyomay Kubose as part of my lay minister training. The class discussions have been challenging, insightful, and they've caused me to reflect on how koans have affected my practice through the years.   My deep love of koans actually started before I was Buddhist. I have a B.A. in philosophy, and a large part of the curriculum was studying and writing papers on thought experiments like The Trolley Problem and The Prisoner's dilemma.  The goal in these investigations was to stretch my reasoning abilities to the max, and force me to investigate the root cause of my ethical choices . These exercises planted the seed which allowed me to be open to koan practice. That being said, it has become clear to me over the years that koans and thought experiments have very different goals. The thought experiments worked to help strengthen my conceptual mind. In contrast, koans work to help me see past it. The way I work with koans is fai

Keep pedaling: The Buddhist Secret to Effective Meditation

Attack the hill is a catch phrase that's heard at least twice during every group bike ride.  It's usually shouted at the bottom of elevation changes as a way to motivate cyclists. People have a tendency to slow down when they start climbing a hill. It's an instinctive attempt to avoid the tight muscles and extreme exertion that comes with a hard climb.  The phrase attack the hill is meant to shake us out of that mindset, and remind us of what we really need to do in order to reach the top; pedal harder . This is necessary because as the bike begins to climb, gravity takes over, and we lose forward momentum.  In fact, if we give in to the initial instinct to slow down, we may lose all momentum and come to a complete stop.  That's why we have to pedal hard, with everything we've got in the beginning. Once that's completed, the name of the game is to keep pedaling.  It sounds simple, but when our quads start to burn, and shortness of breath kicks in,

Stolen Goods: A Hard Lesson on Life and Non-attachment

I walk out of the yoga studio feeling like I might start floating.  My skin is rippling with energy, and I feel incredibly relaxed.  Even the 40 degree temperatures and light rain don't dampen my mood as I walk happily down the street.  On a whim, I step into a nearby book store, promising myself that I'm only there to look.  Then I notice that they're doing a sale, buy one get the second 50% off, so I treat myself instead. Once my purchases are tucked safely in my book bag, I head over to my favorite coffee shop and do some writing.  But things are different today.  It's like my heart has cracked open, and the words are flowing out of me like river.  Hours pass without me realizing it until I finally stop, mentally exhausted, and read over the several pages of text. Hmmm... it's not perfect, but it's still pretty damn good. Smiling, I gather my things and head back out into the street.  I've got just enough time to ride home, drop off my s

3 Buddhist Practices For a Better Life

The practice of Buddhism is full of rules and rituals that can be over-whelming to the average person.  Remembering when to bow, how to sit, and where to go to the bath room can be frustrating when all we want to do is ease our mental suffering. Thankfully, there are many dharma practices that translate easily into everyday life, and they don’t require years of practice to learn.  Incorporating these gems into your daily routine will make life calmer, simpler, and more fulfilling. Menmitsu This is a Japanese word that is most often translated as mindfulness. However, in the context of Buddhism it would be more accurate to call it loving attention.  This practice is demonstrated in the way that Zen practitioners carry themselves during meditation sessions.  Everything is done with ceremony.  The hands are held just-so when bowing. The incense is placed on the altar in a very specific way, and there is often an elaborate ritual for signaling the beginning and end of p