The Same Old Zen

One of my all-time favorite anime's growing up was Naruto .  It followed the adventures of a group of children who were training to become ninjas in order to protect their village from rival clans. For a kid's show, it dealt with some pretty adult themes like the importance of loyalty and the dangers of seeking revenge.  But my favorite part of the show was the way everyone manifested their ninja abilities in different ways. One ninja might be an expert in hand to hand combat (taijutsu) while another might be an expert in creating illusions (genjutsu).  Meanwhile, a different ninja might have the spirit of his dead mother living in the sand that he carries around in a giant gourd on his back (long-story). My point is that each of them showed their ninja-ness to the world in different ways.  Based on each person's personality and combat abilities they would develop their own "way of the ninja" and refer to it sometimes in the show; as in, "I won...

The dictionary defines g race  as, 'a manifestation of favor, especially by a superior."  Another definition that is commonly used in religious circles is, 'underserved mercy.'  To understand the Buddhist interpretation of grace we first need to understand the teaching of Original Enlightenment, which is found in the Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana Sutra . It states that all sentient beings are inherently enlightened. More than that, they all exist as part of a single Buddha-body. This is explained through the Trikaya teaching, which divides the Buddha-body into three parts.  First, there is the Dharmakaya or wisdom-body of Buddha, which is the primordial essence of enlightenment.  Next, there is the Sambhogakaya or joy-body of Buddha, which includes celestial beings like Kannon and Amida.  Finally, there is the Nirmanakaya or physical-body of Buddha, which is physical reality. We can understand the Trikaya teaching by imagining the ocean in the north p...

One of the first bible stories that I learned involved Adam, Eve, and the garden of Eden.  As the story goes, Adam was the first man, created by God from the dust of the earth.  And Eve was his wife, created from Adam's rib in order to serve as his helpmeet. The garden of Eden was a paradise, designed by God to provide for their every need.  Adam and Eve were charged with caring for the garden.  They named the animals, they cared for the plants, and they enjoyed each other's company. There was only one rule.  God proclaimed that they could eat the fruit of every tree.  However, they must never eat fruit from the tree of life, which grew in the center of the garden.  God warned Adam and Eve that if they broke this rule, they would die. The couple lived in harmony until one day a serpent entered the garden and spoke to Eve, telling here that if she broke God's commandment and ate from the tree of life, she would not die.  Instead, she would gain kno...

On Christmas morning, Buddhists find themselves in a tricky situation.   They may wonder if celebrating Christmas is in-keeping with the Dharma, or if they should abstain from the celebrations all together. However, a brief survey of Buddhist devotional practices shows that Christmas celebrations are not only in-keeping with Buddha's wisdom, they also help us end suffering for ourselves and others. In Buddhism, we're taught that ignorance is the root cause of suffering.  This ignorance comes in two forms.   There is ignorance of the absolute, which results in clinging to the illusion of a separate, permanently abiding self.  And there is ignorance of the conventional, which results in clinging to sense-pleasures. These two types of ignorance are interpenetrated and mutually supporting.  When we chase after sense-pleasures (drugs, money, status, etc.) they reinforce the illusion that we are separate from the world around us.  And when we feel separ...

The four noble truths represent the capstone of Buddhist practice. They provide a clear explanation of the nature of reality along with an ethical framework that helps us live skillfully, and be of benefit to ourselves and others. That being said, it can be difficult to decipher the subtleties of each truth and how they can be implemented in daily life. The following essay discusses each one in detail along with giving explanations how they can be understood within the context of daily life. 1.  Life is suffering We need to unpack this a bit, because it can be disconcerting if taken at face-value.  The word "suffering" is used in a slightly different way in Buddhism than what we're used to in western culture.  The death of a loved one or the loss of a job qualifies as suffering.  However, a child who forgets to take out the trash or a spouse who forgets a birthday is also suffering. So, suffering is not a finite thing.  Rather, it's a spe...

Eminem dropped a surprise album recently called, Music to Be Murdered By- Side B  The first half of the album was dropped in January of this year,.  In both recordings he took on the entire music industry to prove his continued dominance of the rap game. He went after his his haters, music critics, new-school rappers, old-school rappers, and anyone who might have blinked at him wrong in the last 10 years. Imagine a man screaming, "Get off my lawn," at a bunch of kids while he torches his neighbor's car with a flamethrower.  That was Eminem on the Music to BE Murdered By LP .  And I loved every minute of it.  To be fair, I'm a little biased.  Eminem aka Marshall Mathers and I have a long history. I've never met him in person.  Be there's some common ground.  We both grew up in dying, rustbelt towns, we both got picked on in school, and we both have an unreal amount of family drama. The biggest difference is that Eminem expressed his childhood ange...

Recently, I had the great honor and privilege of participating in The Gathering II: Buddhist Sangha of Black African Descent.  The event was a week-long retreat at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where Black Buddhist teachers, scholars, and guests from various traditions practiced together and discussed the intersections of Race, Gender, and Buddhist practice. Admittedly, I was a bit starstruck from being in the presence of so many senior teachers, and I did my best to speak as little as possible; choosing to listen and absorb as much wisdom as I could.  The event was organized by  Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams ,  Bishop Myokei Caine-Barret ,  Noliwei Alexander , and  Konda Mason . I know from experience that organizing a half-day retreat can be a nightmare, so I can't imagine how much time and energy went into organizing a week-long event that culminated in 300 black Buddhists attending talks, workshops, and panel discussions on the Spirit Rock ca...

In 2010, I was a fire team leader, serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Marines.  The men and women I served with were smart, strong, and capable in ways that I'll never measure up too.  And they sacrificed their physical and mental health because they thought we were doing something important.   They missed the birthdays, funerals, and weddings of their loved ones because they thought we were part of something bigger than ourselves.  And they endured cold, hunger, and the threat of death because we thought we were making the world a better place. When I served overseas, I believed that last part with every fiber of my being.  Every time I took charge of a Humvee, every time I stood post, every time I called into the command operations center for a radio check, I believed that my actions were bringing light to a dark corner of the world. I had to believe it.  There's no way I could have survived over there if I didn't. Today, I'm sitting in my living r...

Before he discovered the middle-way, Buddha searched for happiness in a variety of ways. In his early life, he was a hedonist. As the son of a wealthy warlord, Buddha was given access to the best of everything as a child. Women, wealth, and fine food were always at his finger tips. He excelled at sports, and he seemed destined to rule over a great kingdom once his father died.  But while this lifestyle gave him a great deal of short-term satisfaction, it didn't lend itself to a feeling of peace or fulfillment, so he left the palace in search of something else. Next, he practiced asceticism in his quest for spirituality.  Eventually he reached a point where he was eating only a single grain of rice a day, and he was so thin that he could poke his stomach and feel his spine.  He continued on this path until one day he passed out from the physical torment that he was experiencing.  Once again, Buddha realized that this path wasn't giving him the long-term h...