Sun, 28 Feb 2010
The Boy Can't Help It
Maybe, as Brad Warner says, the need to gossip is hard wired into our brains. In that case, you'll have forgive me for ladling this spoonful of gossip, because the boy just can't help it. Last night I saw Lama Phurbu Tashi for the first time since he got back last night. I couldn't have seen him much earlier, as he only got back an hour or so before, He was originally scheduled to arrive back on Wednesday, but arrived late because of a missed connection and some time spent with a friend in New York. Lama looks well, in fact, it looks like he's put on a few pounds. His Indonesian hosts must have fed him well. I kept up with what he was doing while he was in Indonesia, but after he went to Tibet, I didn't hear anything. I thought it was because conditions were primitive in Tibet, but actually it was because of Chinese censorship. China does not allow Tibetans to connect to the outside world. Only a few, officially approved, websites are accessible and you can't make international phone calls. Lama showed pictures of his visit to Tibet. He taught to large crowds at his brother's house and at the Gangkar Monastery. Lama seems happiest when he's teaching, so this was some satisfaction to him. He also took part in the Losar practices at the Gangkar monastery, including the lama dances.
This video is for Kathy, who tells me she's afraid of losing her ego. There's nothing to be afraid of—jump on in the water's fine. It's not a Buddhist video, but it hits the nail right on the head (or knocks the ball out of the park, or whatever other metaphor you'd like to use.) And for those of your are looking for more losar-y goodness, here's a selection of videos taken at the 2010 losar at KTD, where the celebrations were more elaborate than those at TMC.
Fri, 26 Feb 2010
Kagyu News
On January 1st, Khenpo Karthar Rinpoche announced that a North American version of the Kagyu Monlam would be held at Karma Triyana Dharmachakra. During his announcement, he stressed the sacredness of the area:
These lands were considered to be sacred by the Native American people. Their special reverence for this country was not like an invented notion that they attached to it; but rather, the indigenous medicine elders were genuinely and fully aware of the unique sacredness of this country and its lands. Therefore, it was known to them that these places are sacred abodes in which viras and dakinis enduringly reside.
There's some more distessing news from KTD. Bardor Tulku had a stroke, though it sounds like he is recovering well:
As some of you have already heard, Bardor Tulku Rinpoche experienced stroke-like symptoms the night before last. The effect was mild and the prognosis for full recovery is good. Rinpoche is tire but comfortable. He has a room at the Benedictine Hospital where he is undergoing further testing. He may remain in the hospital for another couple of days.
Lama Phurbu Tashi is back from his travels. I haven't heard from him yet, but in this case no news is good news.
Sun, 21 Feb 2010
Meaning of Devotion
Seeing your teacher as a Buddha means that for you he performs the function of a Buddha, by teaching you the dharma. The Buddha is no longer here, and it is only through the instruction of your teacher that you will be able to appreciate the dharma. And for that, you should feel sincere gratitude. It does not mean that you see your teacher as faultless or that you rationalize your teacher's faults as qualities. It means that you see these faults as unimportant, as when someone hands you a check for a million dollars, you don't quibble that their handwriting was sloppy.
Mon, 15 Feb 2010
Tergar International
Until now it has escaped my attention that Mingyur Rinpoche has been building off the success of his books by setting up a network of meditation centers that he calls Tergar International. I think he has been planning the group for a while, even before his books were published. A woman from Arizona associated with KTD told me some years ago that he had asked her for help starting a center there.
I think Mingyur Rinpoche's success comes from his warm and humorous style of teaching. Some people are really wild about him and I'm left scratching my head wondering why. Not that I don't appreciate him, but I don't understand the strength of the reaction. His books are written in the style of Western self-help books. It would be easy to mock the style, but it does make his books appeal to a wider audience.
Sun, 14 Feb 2010
Iron Tiger
Today is the start of the Tibetan New Year. This year it coincides with the Chinese New Year as well, that seems to happen about half the time. This is the year of the iron tiger. The five elements and the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac combine to make a sixty year cycle. There was no celebration at the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick because of our recent bad weather. As far as I know, Lama Phurbu Tashi is still in the (snow free) Kanding county in China. Last week homeopathic medicine really showed its value in saving me from the aches and pains of shoveling snow. I was really impressed with how well it worked. Despite the sceptics' claims, there's more evidence every day that homeopathy works and is cost effective.
Sat, 13 Feb 2010
Emptiness
Emptiness is the unfindability of a thing when searched for. The classic example is a wheel. When we take apart the hub, the spokes, and the rim, the wheel can't be found in any of them. Nor is the collection of parts a wheel. When we assemble the parts, we call it a wheel, but that is nothing more than a name. So the "wheel-ness" of the wheel cannot be found and the wheel is empty of being a wheel.
By a similar argument, everything which arises in dependence on something else is empty. The classic example is a rainbow, which arises when you stand in the correct position to sun and raindrops, but which cannot be found apart from these factors that it is dependent on. All phenomena arise in dependence on other phenomena, so all are empty. But this does not mean there is nothing. The rainbow exists, just as the wheel does, but only as a dependent, relative phenomenon.
Hope this makes the knotty subject of emptiness clearer.
Fri, 12 Feb 2010
A Hole in the Head
An article in Scientific American talks about a study that shows brain cancer patients become more spiritual after brain surgery. The effect only happens when certain parts of the brain are operated on. Some skeptics commenting on the article at Slashdot commented to say that the study shows that religion is a form of brain damage. William James commented on this religion as pathology argument a hundred years ago in Varieties of Religious Experience and argued that we should judge religion by its results rather than its cause, just as we judge any other idea.
From the Buddhist perspective, spirituality is removing delusion, specifically the delusional belief in an ego. A delusion is nothing but a pattern of thoughts. We maintain ourdelusions through our constant mental chatter. Part of the reason for meditation is that by quieting our mental chatter, our delusions lessen and make it easier to see the truth. Our thoughts are obviously maintained by our brain states and will change if certain parts of the brain are disabled or strengthened, either temporarily, through drugs or alcohol, or permanently, through surgery or pathology. These changes can disrupt the mental talk which supports the delusion of ego, making it easier to see the truth. So brain surgery does not produce the spiritual state, it weakens the mental delusions which screen it. In Tibetan Buddhism it's said that all people experience the clear light mind at the moment of death, as the bodily processes which support our deluded stated of consciousness are no loner able to support it. The idea is the same enlightenement is our natural state of mind and it's our deluded thoughts that obscure it. One can remove them either in a healthy way or sometimes through disease. Obviously the healthy way is better, but it does not matter to the result.
Mon, 08 Feb 2010
The Seventh Realm
Internet junkies are fond of calling the physical world "meatspace." Two way electronic media, from cellphones to Facebook, have developed into a seventh realm, along side the traditional six realms of Tibetan Buddhism. People interact, just as they do in the other six realms, and wit the same emotional baggage as in the other realms. Bill Schwartz is a long time member of the Chicago KTC (Katma Thegsum Choling). The KTCs are satellite centers of KTD (Karma Triyana Dharnmachakra). Bill has been tweeting about Buddhism, and has gotten into arguments with the Shambhala Buddhists in Boulder (Bite Me, Boulder Buddhists) and Jetsunma Akhon Lhamo and her students (Welcome to Twitter Hell). I found both the linked articles interesting in their own right and because they led me to this interview with the Karmapa from Bodhi Magazine. I'm trying to find a good reason to use Twitter. Mostly it seems useful for marketing, letting people know about a business or cause you are interested in. Right now my Internet activities are this blog, the homeopathic news summary I do, and a Buddhist forum I answer questions on as Jinzang. If I add Twitter to the mix, I'll let you know.
Sun, 07 Feb 2010
Snowpocalypse
This was the weekend of the big snowstorm of 2010. I've survived the experience and here's the story. I took off from work Friday so that I could get my usual weekend shopping done before the storm hit. This is Baltimore, so of course the grocery store was mobbed. (Does this happen in other cities?) It must have been mobbed the night before, because many things were sold out. Some I understand, such as chips. (Seems to be the snack food of choice in snow storms. That, and beer, but grocery stores aren't allowed to sell beer in Baltimore. Plus, it is Superbowl weekend.) Other foods, maybe I understand, like margarine. (Maybe everyone is making Chex party mix.) Other shortages had me scratching my head, like lentils. I was able to get most of what was on my list. (No lentils or frozen vegetables.) I had to wait in the checkout line for half an hour, though.
When I find myself waiting like this, I pull out my cellphone and start the ereader program. Right now I am reading Flaubert's book, "The Temptation of Saint Anthony." I've wanted to read this book ever since it was mentioned in an episode of Dragnet, In the episode a mopey high school kid engages in a thrill kill after reading the book. In the episode a librarian reads the page in the book that inspired him. But it's not an easy book to get, and so I haven't read it until now. The book is strange, written in a very flowery style with a heightened sense of what was grotesque and bizarre in the late Classical world Anthony lived in. One phrase the sticks in my mind is a shield Anthony is offered, whose dragon skins were "tanned in the bile of a parricide." I'm sure Flaubert had a lot of fun writing this book and I'm having fun reading it.
The snowstorm started Friday night, but really didn't get serious until after I went to bed. I woke up to a full blizzard, with thunder and lightning. The snow lasted until mid-afternoon. Then it stopped quite suddenly, the sky cleared and the late afternoon sun shone on two feet of new snow. My car was buries under it, plus had additional snow that had been blown against it or had been plowed against it. I spent five hours or more Saturday and Sunday clearing out my car. It was really hard work and left me aching. So I took a homeopathic remedy (arnica), which helped a lot. All you skeptics out there who believe homeopathy is just a placebo effect, please note. Before I took the arnica, I had bruises on the palm of my hands from shoveling. Two hours after taking the arnica the bruises were no longer there. So say what you will about homeopathy. I am still a believer, because experience has made me so.
Wed, 03 Feb 2010
Follow the Money
The critics of homeopathy have been much in the news lately. I thought I should raise my lonely voice to make simple point. And that is that no one stands outside on a cold winter's day to pull a stunt out of an abstract respect for the truth. The whole campaign against homeopathy started when the British government allowed the homeopathic pharmacies to advertise their products for the treatment of disease. This threatened the medical industry and they responded with a campaign to discredit homeopathy. Anyone who researches the issue will see that this is so. So the campaign started with a dubious review article published in Lancet, continued with press releases and interviews by several public spokesmen, continued with the attempt to defund homeopathic medical clinics, and now has descended to recruiting the skeptic organizations as foot soldiers in their marketing campaign.
If the public realized how well homeopathy works our modern medical institutions would be greatly changed. The ten minute doctor's appointment would be gone, it is incompatible with homeopathy. The overpriced prescription medicines wouldn't be sold, homeopathic medicines are unpatentable and thus won't generate monopoly. Hospitals would be smaller, homeopathy generates less revenue per patient and couldn't support their current opulent scale. So is it any wonder why this campaign is underway? Follow the money.
Tue, 02 Feb 2010
Enlightenment and Delusion
I've had my new smartphone, a Nokia E63, for several months and generally I'm quite pleased with it. I bought it mostly as a replacement for my dead Palm organizer and it does everything the Palm did, plus works as a cell phone, plus does a few extra things. I use it to listen to podcasts when I exercise and I've started listening to the Buddhist Geeks podcast. Today I was listening to Kenneth Folk describe his meditative experiences. (You can read a transcript of the podcast at the link.) Kenneth is convinced that he's reached the third path through his practice. I'm sure he's achieved some definite result from his practice , but I think he's mistaken about what level he's achieved.
A little explanation: Theravada Buddhism, and the shravaka tradition generally, recognizes four levels of enlightenment: stream enterer, once returner, non-returner, and arhat. These are called the four paths (marga) and fruits (phalla). The path represents the first moment of the experience of that level and the fruit represents all subsequent moments. The four paths represent stages of overcoming the ten fetters, which I won't explain further here. But there is a very simple test to see if you are enlightened. If you haven't eliminated greed and anger, you are not enlightened. I have not, as anyone who knows me can tell you, and neither, by his own admission, has Kenneth Folk. What Kenneth has experience is some degree of development of samadhi. It's not often understood that there are mundane levels of wisdom described in abhidharma as well as supramundane wisdoms and the experiences that Kenneth describes correlate pretty well with what I've been taught about these mundane wisdoms.
I've noticed a lot of this status claiming in Thervada Buddhism recently. People are claiming either that they are enlightened or have achieved jhana states and are offering to teach others how to do the same. I think that these people are sincere and well intentioned for the most part, but ignorant of what these states actually are. I can only say that through what I have been taught and what I have learned through my own study that they are mistaken and spreading mistaken ideas about what these states actually are.
