Gaze Upon the Buddha Statue and See Your True Self.

A common misconception that people have about Buddhists is that we worship the Buddha because we bow before his statue. Buddha wasn't a god but a human being just like the rest of us who found a way to transcend the suffering of this world. Initially he resisted sharing his path to others because he didn't think anyone would want to face their inner suffering as he had. However, having developed into an infinitely compassionate being he shared it with those who came to him and 2,500 years later we people are still coming to him. We are his heirs.

To be an heir of the Buddha simply means that we have seen the futility of the greed, hatred and delusion of the world and seek to awaken ourselves from the cycle of suffering as he has. So, in this regard when we bow to a Buddha statue or one another we are acknowledging the Buddha nature of ourselves and others. Tibetan Buddhist Dzogchen teacher Lama Surya Das explains it this way:

As a longtime meditator and student of Buddhism, when I myself see a Buddha statue, I intuitively sense that I'm looking in a mirror at my highest, deepest, truest, and most authentic best self. It is not merely something to imitate -- in dress, shape, or hairstyle -- but something to emulate in terms of seeking what the Buddha himself sought and found, in order to find it in myself along with recognizing that in others, and then acting accordingly. The Buddha is actually an archetype representing enlightenment, an icon symbolizing inner wisdom, a pointer towards the possibility of a level of spiritual awakening embodying the fullest actualized potential of human beings.

So, we are bowing to the Buddha within us, which emphasizes that yes, we too can awaken to the same freedom that Buddha experienced. It is an act of hope that strengthens intention--intention to free ourselves once and for all from the thrashings of the mind. It reminds us of who we really are and after some time, just gazing upon his image has helped me remember that this identity I cling to isn't my true nature. So, when I'm feeling depressed and self-hatred arises I gaze upon him and contemplate that, "If I have the same potential of Buddha then I must be a good person." It doesn't always help but sometimes it's a nice swift kick to the head that jars loose the grip of my mind.

We also bow to show respect for the path he laid out for us to follow. Buddha's path is like bread crumbs left in a deep, dark, frightening forest to help find our way out and into an open field of awareness that shows us where the stumbling blocks lie. In the dark fog of delusion our mind makes up all sorts of things and we can't see where we are going and before we know it we're deep down in a hole of immense and crippling suffering. Haven't you suffered enough? Wake up and embrace your Buddha nature.

PHOTO CREDIT: From the Public Broad Casting documentary, "The Buddha."

~Peace to all beings~

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Diamond in the Ruff.

Meditation is many things to me. It is the ultimate medication--like garlic it's helps just about everything.

Today's meditation was like sitting under a water fall after a long day of marching through a steamy, exhausting jungle. As I sat there each breath washed away grime of delusions built up in my mind to once again reveal the Buddha nature within all things.

In keeping with the three jewels imagery I see Buddha-nature as a perfectly cut and brilliant diamond buried in the mud of the delusions, greed, anger within the hologram of the self. It gives me perspective to see the self as a suit coat that one wears to work. It can be put on but also taken off and that it only has form when I wrap myself in it.

It is not permanently strapped to me though at times I get so used to it and I forget that I'm wearing it and those are times of delusion thinking that the suit coat gives me comfort but it is a false sense of comfort. It might bring slight warmth (pay raise) for a time but sooner or later it will become constrictive (attachment to money and power) and cause great discomfort (suffering) and must be shed. The trick is for me to be mindful enough to realize that I don't need the suit (self) to realize retirement (Buddhahood) from the work place (samsara).

But let's get back to the diamond--even when all those layers of mud, dirt and silt cover that diamond of Buddha-nature its essence never dulls or changes. Buddha-nature is indestructible and never loses its luster and pure essence regardless of what covers or conceals it. A diamond can wait for eons locked inside a dark, dirty and hard chunk of rock but it's pure nature never changes. It waits locked inside our karma to be unveiled to bask in the vast openness and freedom of Buddhahood to reflect the glorious light of Nirvana.

PHOTO CREDIT: Click here.

~Peace to all beings~

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Buddha Inside, Buddha Outside.

Each form, each particle, is a Buddha. One form is all Buddhas. All forms, all particles, are all Buddhas. All forms, sounds, scents, feelings, and phenomena are also like this, each filling all fields. -Pai-chang

James: This sentiment pretty much sums Buddhism up for me. It is the wisdom that sees my DNA as apart of Buddha just as it is apart of star dust, refuse, the air, birds, other sentient beings, rocks and subatomic particles. This is a huge reason why I believe in the cyclic universe theory that the Universe will die but will also be reborn only to die again and be reborn, etc. It reminds me that Buddha is both eternal and not eternal just as all things.

The cyclic model is a theory that has gained popularity with the recent discovery of dark matter and dark energy. It says in part that there is a net expansion each cycle with each new big bang thus preventing entropy from building up (which was a critique of the earlier cyclic model). I won't go further into the particulars of the cyclic universe model but if you're interested check out the book, "Eternal Universe: Beyond the Big Bang." I'm currently reading it and it's absolutely fascinating especially reading it from a Buddhist perspective of rebirth.

The cyclic model agrees with the Buddhist concept that something can not come from nothing because all things are subject to the doctrine of pratītyasamutpāda or dependent origination. In conclusion, if Buddha is eternal and not eternal and Buddha is within all things known and unknown then the cyclic model makes perfect sense. This all said, the answer to the questions of the fate of the Universe is not essential to our awakening as understood in Buddha not answering this very question. In the end, the only moment is now.

P.S.~The blog counter topped 200,000 over-night and I just wanted to type a note thanking everyone for making this blog possible. Thank-you for reading and for commenting. I look forward to the next 200,000!! To celebrate I might give away a couple of books.

~Peace to all beings~

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Spring is Reborn.

Sometimes the concept of rebirth is hard to envision because it seems like a mystical, supernatural idea that is hard for our limited minds to understand. And to be honest, I don't know for a fact that we will be reborn. I have faith that rebirth is a reality but I don't dwell much on the concept and constantly worry how I will be reborn and what do I need to do to be reborn into a "good situation," whatever that means. I do not think that this kind of attention is helpful to us because it only brings us anxiety because we are attached to something that is impossible to figure out in this moment.

I have personally found it more skillful to focus on the present moment at hand where we have the best chance to liberate ourselves from the suffering that we bring upon ourselves by wasting that moment obsessing about what happens upon the death of the body. Each moment is a chance to be reborn anew giving us another precious moment to live mindfully which enables us to transform habit energy into something more positive and more helpful in our ultimate goal of achieving full liberation from samsara. It is ironic that we refer to it as liberation when it is more like remembering, remembering our essence which is nothing short of Buddhahood.

Being fully present in being aware of our surroundings we see the beauty of rebirth in a direct way all around us. We know and see the change of seasons in many areas of the world and with mindfulness we see that this process is a reflection of the reality of human life. In the spring we are born, we grow up in the summer into adulthood, in the winter we begin to age and in the winter we die but the process continues. On the coldest days of winter it seems that life is gone and so is the beauty of existence but there is joy to be found even in that season of death. The coldness is not unlike the cold feelings that we experience when a loved has died and is a reminder to us to make the most of each moment.

The snow in the world shuts down the known and conditioned brain's "preferred" beauty of blooming trees, plants, flowers and active animal life. To our blinding sensory desires we miss the artistic way that snow sculpts itself into delicate and stunning formations. We miss the creative way that icicles form and accent the sky. We often miss the beautiful contrast of green pine trees dusted with fine layers of white snow.

If winter in your part of the world means rain, we miss the beauty of the cleansing nature of water and how without water the rebirth of life sustaining plants would never be possible. The winter monsoons drive people indoors for days at a time and it is easy to resent the rain because it prevents us from doing the things that we love outside. However, seen in a more mindful way it should be seen as a blessing because it gives us time to be mindful, reflect on our lives and allows us ample time to meditate.

All is being reborn here in my part of the world, flowers are growing, trees and budding and birds are looking to usher in new life. This is another chance to enjoy the beauty of change. So often we only see suffering in change but like with all experiences there is beauty and joy to be found.

So do not worry over enlightenment, Nirvana and the Pure Land for they are all present in the here and now. The total liberation in the scriptural state will happen when we are ready and our karma has ripened. In the mean time, the bliss of Nirvana can be seen in the beauty of delicate flowers re-emerging right before our eyes and even in the dark cold days of winter. All is present to us if we but relax our minds and allow ourselves to just be. We are apart of Buddha's enlightenment and therefore Buddha's to be, what a wonderful thought!! What a wonderful heritage we are apart of!!

There is nothing that is not divine for all is as it can only be. We can not do anything else but go with the flow of the vast river of pure being. Resistance is the path of suffering.

May we all realize joy in the rebirth of each breath. Present moment, wonderful moment, only moment. I leave you with the words of my precious teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh:
~Peace to all beings~

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Taking Refuge in the Buddha

NOTE: I am not a Dharma teacher, a "guru" or Buddhist master but am a simple lay person and the following thoughts are mine and mine alone. I firmly believe that we must work out what we believe for ourselves. That being said, it can be helpful to hear other peoples' opinions and it is my hope that this post will do that to some degree. Please, do not take it as some kind of dogma or doctrine, it is simply my understanding of one aspect of Buddhism.

We constantly hear about taking refuge in the Buddha but what exactly does that mean? Well, the word Buddha literally means "awakened" in sanskrit. Therefore when we take refuge in the Buddha, perhaps we aren't necessarily taking refuge in the historical Siddhartha Gautama. I'm not saying that if you do take this refuge literally that you are somehow "wrong" but I'm simply putting forth the conclusion that I have reached.

For me, taking refuge in the Buddha doesn't mean that in doing so the Buddha will protect us from harm, the Buddha was not a "God." It seems to me, rather that when we take refuge in the Buddha we are actually taking refuge in the present moment. As Buddha means "awakened" we are taking refuge that being awake and aware in the present moment will aid us in realizing peace with our surroundings and the world around us. This greatly reduces suffering.

The other aspect of this for me is that I see taking refuge in the Buddha to mean that we take refuge in the Buddha within us. It is reminding my duality loving ego/mind that I am interconnected with all beings throughout space and time and that includes the historical Buddha. It brings me peace that my True Nature is a beautiful, peaceful Buddha. For me, such a realization brings me great comfort and motivation to cultivate and maintain the pure awakened state of awareness that defines Buddhahood.

Just a few Friday insights from the mind of the one that they call James

~Peace to all beings~

PHOTO CREDIT: CLICK HERE

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All is Buddha

Each form, each particle, is a Buddha. One form is all Buddhas. All forms, all particles, are all Buddhas. All forms, sounds, scents, feelings, and phenomena are also like this, each filling all fields.

-Pai-chang

James: This quote reminds me of one of my favorite poems by the Venerable Lama Gendun Rinpoche

Happiness cannot be found

through great effort and willpower,

but is already present,

in open relaxation and letting go.

Don't strain yourself,there is nothing to do or undo.

Whatever momentarily arises in the body-mind

has no real importance at all,

has little reality whatsoever.

Why identify with, and become attached to it,

passing judgment upon it and ourselves?

Far better to simply

let the entire game happen on its own,

springing up and falling back like waves --

without changing or manipulating anything --

and notice how everything vanishes and reappears, magically,

again and again,time without end.

Only our searching for happiness

prevents us from seeing it.

It's like a vivid rainbow which we you
pursue without ever catching,

or a dog chasing its own tail.

Although peace and happiness do not exist
as an actual thing or place,

it is always available

and accompanies you every instant.

Don't believe in the reality

of good and bad experiences;

they are like today's ephemeral weather,

like rainbows in the sky.

Wanting to grasp the ungraspable,

you exhaust yourself in vain.

As soon as you open and relax

this tight fist of grasping,

infinite space is there --

open, inviting and comfortable.

Make use of this spaciousness, this

freedom and natural ease.

Don't search any further.

looking for the great awakened elephant,

who is already resting quietly at home

in front of your own hearth.

Nothing to do or undo,

nothing to force,

nothing to want,

and nothing missing --

Emaho! Marvelous!

Everything happens by itself.

PHOTO: The Venerable Lama Gendun Rinpoche.

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