Ox Herding

On Spiritual Practice

James Ford, Roshi, recently wrote a "passing thought" about spiritual practice on his blog, Monkey Mind. Among the aspects of a spiritual practice, Roshi called out three for special attention. I appreciated the clarity of these and thought you might, as well.

1) You need some shut up time. If you're making noise all the time it is hard to pay attention, hard to notice the lessons and the lesson.

2) You need some regularity. Doing it once might open your heart and eyes. Has happened. But most of us need to return and return and return.

3) You need someone to check you. The brain is a great liar. We tell ourselves all sorts of stories about what we need and deserve, only some of which are true. Also along the spiritual way we have lots of experiences. Mostly of limited or actually no value on the way. Someone who has walked the way before you, who you have some trust in, and who is willing to say the hard truth now and again, is worth their weight in gold.

I especially value the third point. My shifty mind frequently nudges my life into the weeds, where I wander around interminably. All too often, I can't find the way out. It's hard to admit, but I need the help of others.

Photo by Hartwig HKD

Four Noble Truths

I recently set aside my extremely short Internet attention span to watch these videos of a dharma talk on the Four Noble Truths given by Dosho Port. As you may know, Dosho teaches through Wild Fox Zen and has worked hard at making Zen training available to those who may lack a local community.

As I watched these videos, I was moved by Dosho's honest and humble discussion of our shared practice tradition. I encourage you to spend some time with them.

Thanks to James Ford, Roshi, who published these videos recently on Monkey Mind.

Thank you for reading Ox Herding. Best wishes for the weekend!

Barry

The Human Route

On this Thanksgiving Day (in the U.S.), I thought it would be appropriate to consider The Human Route, an ancient poem from the Zen tradition.

As we celebrate this holiday, and on every day, may we touch the deep sources of gratitude, that one pure and clear thing.

The Human Route

Coming empty-handed, going empty-handed - that is human.

When you are born, where do you come from?

When you die, where do you go?

Life is like a floating cloud which appears.

Death is like a floating cloud which disappears.

The floating cloud itself originally does not exist.

Life and death, coming and going, are also like this.

But there is one thing which always remains clear.

It is pure and clear, not depending on life and death.

What is that one pure and clear thing?

Photo by Sune Petersen

Parayana Sutta

The current issue of BuddhaDharma Magazine has a fine article by Glenn Wallis on the practicality of Buddha's teaching. The article features the Parayana Sutta (SN 4.43.44), which the author translates as the "Destination" sutra.

I found myself deeply moved by the last two paragraphs - similar as they are to words I've heard from my own teachers.

Destination

I will teach the destination and the path leading to the destination. Listen to what I say.

What is the destination? The eradication of infatuation, the eradication of hostility, and the eradication of delusion is what is called the destination.

And what is the path leading to the destination? Present-moment awareness directed toward the body. This awareness is what is called the path leading to the destination.

In this way, I have taught to you the destination and the path leading to the destination. That which should be done out of compassion by a caring teacher who desires the welfare of his students, I have done for you.

There are secluded places. Meditate, do not be negligent! Don't have regrets later! This is my instruction to you.

Photograph courtesy of John Small. Photos.

Mirror

When I saw this cartoon last week, I immediately thought of the inevitable delays that come with home renovation.

When Susann saw this cartoon last week, she immediately thought of the inevitable delays that come with spiritual growth.

Funny, how the mirror works.

Tripwire

Recently I watch a 60 Minutes segment about a bomb-hunting unit working in Afghanistan. The (mostly young) men on this team had developed incredible skills for sensing the presence of buried explosive devices.

Although the Army brings technology to the task, the soldiers depend primarily on experience and sense-perception. In one case, a misplaced clothes-pin caught a soldier's attention - and it was connected to an explosive.

War being what it is, the soldiers sometimes missed, with devastating results.

As I watched the program, I thought about what it would be like to bring the same sort of attention to the bombs quietly resting within me.

If I cared enough to stop the destruction - if I viewed the matter as life-and-death - I might also develop the skills needed to detect and defuse the explosive devices I bring to the world.

I think that's why practice was invented.

 

Both photographs are from The Hurt Locker, a recent motion picture about a bomb-deactivation unit in Iraq. I recommend this film.

A Bunch of Drunks

I'll come right out and apologize for this Friday's video: most of it is in Korean and lacks any real interest. But the translation (thanks to Zen Master Dae Jin) provides a good window into Zen Master Seung Sahn's teaching.

In the video, a student asks Zen Master Seung Sahn: 

Is it true that you were Mahakasyapa in a former life?

Zen Master Seung Sahn responds:

Don't even talk about such nonesense.

That was a long long time ago. Zen means using your mind clearly from moment to moment.

So what if the Buddha appeared, if Mahakasyapa appeared, if all the patriarchs were a bunch of drunks?

Those things have nothing to do with with you or me.

The only thing that is important is for you to sit here and now, be clear, and work towards enlightenment.

Thank you for reading Ox Herding. May we all be clear together, and soon attain enlightenment!

Barry

Passing the Time

In 1989, Bill Porter traveled through the Chungnan Mountains to discover the remains of China's ancient hermit tradition.

Originally, Porter thought that hermits couldn't possibly have endured the persecution that occurred in the 20th century. He learned that hermits not only continue their practice, but continue it with great vigor. Here's a dialogue between Porter and one of the hermits he encountered:

Why come to the mountains?  It is a good place to practice.

Did there used to be more hermits?  There used to be more, and now there are less.

Is it a good place because it is quiet?  If people are quiet, they can be quiet anywhere.

Isn't it hard?  After a while, it's all the same.

Isn't it cold in the winter?  Winters are a good time to practice.

How do you practice?  I just pass the time.

Do you practice very much?  Practice is the only thing that matters. Have some tea.

Source: Road to Heaven, by Bill Porter

Photograph by Emiana

The Problem With Karma

It's a reasonable question, isn't it? Why should we change behavior, if we can't perceive its consequence?

I suspect this is how many of us think of karma:  first this, then that.

And that might be right.

But, in my experience, the more energy I put toward consequences, the greater the risk of manipulation (speaking as a known manipulator . . .).

So I'd rather focus on what I'm doing right now, in this moment. When I see what I'm up to, I can take responsibility for it. And let karma take care of itself.

The Touch

John Small recently posted additional images from his travels in Japan.

The image below (of Kannon?) caught my attention, not only for its remarkable beauty, but also for what it doesn't show.

Millions of human touches surely have given these fingers their high gloss, ordinary people reaching out to something within themselves.

This repetition, this extending of our selves, is the essence of practice. It is how we polish our lives.