25
January

Buddhist Belief – What Do You Know?


“All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?”

~~~ Buddha

One of the inevitabilities of life and among the aspects of Buddhist Belief we can’t avoid, is the inevitability that we will all reach a moment in our lives when we will die. As much as we all go to great effort to avoid this truth, it is the truth. Nothing is permanent, not even us. We know this but we don’t like to know we know it.

Now on that uplifting note …

Buddhist Belief, meditation, nirvana, mindfulness, karma, peace

One of the things I’ve learned in my Buddhist studies, and one of the results of folks knowing I’m trying to live a Buddhist lifestyle, is how many people I come across who lose interest in the study of the dharma because it seems to be “sort of negative” – and even harsh at times. I know one of the aspects I’ve written about here is the idea of “not knowing”. My own interpretation of “not knowing” is not about being a dummy or being ignorant – it is about not clearly understanding – you don’t understand, you don’t know, … yet! For me, “not knowing” as it relates to the teachings of Buddhist Belief, is sort of like “not knowing” a certain traffic law could end up getting you a ticket. Your “not knowing” about the law isn’t a problem to you until you get stopped and handed a ticket. Then the suffering sets in, doesn’t it?

But, (I hear you thinking), I’m pretty happy. I don’t feel like I’m suffering so much. Why should I worry about “not knowing” about something I may never truly understand anyway?

The answer is this — and I am speaking from experience – every minute of life is absolutely precious and those minutes will slip away from us faster than you would ever imagine. We’re just cruising along living our lives and seeking as much satisfaction as possible – cars, TVs, friends, lovers, movies, and other things we desire to make us feel happier. We all do this – it’s seems to be human nature. As long as we’re having fun, why worry about anything negative. But, those fun things will also pass – they aren’t permanent either. They will eventually end.

Now, I may be wrong about this, but I feel strongly about it so I’m going to write about it here. Feel free to disagree. I believe one of the reasons why we’re so focused on the accumulation of satisfaction is because it’s easier than allowing our minds to distract us from the fear of death, disease, war, poverty, and pain of all kinds. I guess it’s another human trait – if we avoid it – maybe it will go away. Keep the mind happy and everything will be fine.

Why do we do this? Because it’s what we’ve been taught to do from the very early days of our lives. We are generally focused on trying to keep one jump ahead of whatever might be right around the corner. We tend to cling to what we know because we’ve been taught it’s something that can’t be taken away from us. We add more and more labels to our experiences because we feel it adds predictability and stability to our lives. We label ourselves as athletes, or professionals, or wealthy, or beautiful, etc. We even label ourselves with negative labels like loser, poor, fat, ugly, etc. When we use the negative labels we then “know” we will fail or be disliked. With the positive labels we “know” we will succeed and be liked. This is where our lack of true wisdom becomes a real problem.

Why?

Because we all have the same chance of getting sick and dying. This is a 100% true fact. We are all in the same boat. All the rest of the stuff we rely on so heavily is in the eye of the beholder and we have no control over it. Our constant striving for all the “things and stuff” as a means of making us think we’ll be happy is a monumental waste of time – and it’s downright addictive. This may sound pessimistic, but when we work so hard at denying the truth of suffering it doesn’t decrease our chances of experiencing it – in fact – it could increase the potential circumstances that bring it about. When we begin to accept the fact that accumulating more and more will lead to less happiness, the more we will do the work necessary to understand the undeniable truth of suffering and the less it will be frightening to you. It also has the hidden benefit of teaching us about being humble and becoming more compassionate to those who don’t “get it” yet.

People who are selfless and humble tend to live longer and be healthier, making their lives more enjoyable even in trying situations. It also sets the stage for more positive events to occur in their lives without any discernible effort on their part, like a person who never smiles has a smaller chance of being approached by potential friends than someone who smiles at everyone.

The benefits are endless. Learning this lesson can be the most worthwhile pursuit in our lifetime.

Metta ….May I be well and happy. My I live in safety. May I be healthy and strong. May I live with ease. May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.

Namaste — Be in Peace.

Ron Rink
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Ron’s Recommended Reading List —

Just click the links that are sort of Grey in color to take you to where you can learn more about each book and how you can purchase a copy for your own library.

Stephanie Kaza — Hooked!: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume

Stephanie Kaza, an amazing writer and Buddhist teacher I knew from my 36 years living in Vermont, gathers key Buddhist thinkers to reflect upon aspects of consumerism, greed and economics. Certainly, many other authors have examined consumerism from the lens of their religious traditions, but this book’s Buddhist perspective is unusual, and its pairing of consumerist critiques with core Buddhist concepts is generally fruitful. Check this one out! Hooked!

Stephanie Kaza — Mindfully Green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking

Another one from my Vermont friend — Stephanie Kaza, a biologist and professor of Environmental Studies at University of Vermont, combines Zen Buddhist practices and teachings with her 40 years as an environmentalist for this guide to enlightened environmentalism, proposing a belief in the interdependence of people and nature as the genuine way to “go green”: “When we come to see ourselves as part of the green web of life… we are naturally drawn to respond with compassion.” A good read for Buddhists or anyone from any religion. Mindfully Green

Anam Thubten — No Self – No Problem

No Self – No Problem
shows how to realize the ultimate meaning of life in each moment by dissolving all notions of ego-identity. It asks that spiritual seekers wake up to their true nature, which is already enlightened. Based on Buddhist wisdom traditions, this easy-to-read book discusses in simple, but profound and inspiring language, how we can live a life full of love, satisfaction, and happiness. No Self – No Problem

Sharon Salzberg — The Kindness Handbook

“It takes boldness, even audacity, to step out of our habitual patterns and experiment with a quality like kindness–to work with it and see just how it might shift and open up our lives. This book is an invitation to do just that. — From The Kindness Handbook

Eckhart Tolle’s amazing best seller, A New Earth

Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor’s wonderful book, My Stroke of Insight: Nirvana is just a breath away!

And this one by Sharon Salzberg and is entitled: A Heart as Wide as the World: Living with Mindfulness, Wisdom and Compassion“.

This is a new one for you by Pema Chodron entitled: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times
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Always remember this wonderful quote from Buddha ….


“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”

~~~ Buddha

Shanti everyone, … (A sanscrit word meaning, “Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world. Peace for all beings.”)


“Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”

~~~ Buddha

Have a peaceful day!! —

Ron Rink

P.S. If you’d like to read my memoir/novel, you can access it here:
http://www.wecould2.com

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14
January

A Buddhist Perspective on Access to Guns

I don’t normally use this blog to bring you articles from other writers. However, this article, which I saw in the Huffington Post today, leads me to want to share it with you. It is certainly timely, and I know it helped me in my own thinking when attempting to process the events in Tuscon through a Buddhist perspective. I have included it in its entirety. I will get back to my own writing next week.

Be well — be in peace,

Ron Rink
===============================================

James Baraz — Buddhist teacher, co-author of ‘Awakening Joy‘
Posted: January 12, 2011 06:46 PM

A Buddhist Perspective on Access to Guns

How can we make sense out of the senseless? When a deranged young man opens fire killing innocent people, what lessons can we take away that can give meaning to the lost lives? Learning something new or deepening our understanding seems to be the best way to honor those who’ve suffered the most. I’d like to offer some thoughts from a Buddhist perspective.

Events unfold largely due to causes and conditions. An event like this does not happen in a vacuum. An unbalanced person with paranoid delusions, with easy access to guns, immersed in a culture of hatred and violence, whipped up by a media hungry for sensational news, given messages that a politician is threatening his well-being and should be targeted, can produce the tragedy we’re dealing with now. All of those factors were likely at play. To only blame the young man’s mental stability and simply say, “Oh, he was nuts,” misses the point. Our country spends 60 percent of its budget on the military and more than the next dozen nations combined. Is it just a coincidence that we have so many civilian gun killings? Pima County sheriff Clarence Dupnik sarcastically commenting on the easy access to guns said, “What will be next — Uzis in kids’ cribs?” Yet, we were still shocked.

Every human being wants to feel safe and have peace. That’s a tall order in a culture that glorifies violence. Gun rights groups are now proposing legislation that would require the Arizona Department of Public Safety to provide firearms training to state legislators. Would that have protected Gabrielle Giffords? As Martin Luther King pointed out:

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate…Returning violence for violence multiples violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that.”

The Buddha similarly taught, “Hatred never ceases by hatred. Hatred only ceases by love. This is an ancient and eternal law.”

When the news about the shootings first came out, many assumed that right wing conspirators were behind it. That conclusion led to outrage. Later, when it became obvious that the killer was mentally unstable, the outrage lessened a bit, at least toward the suspect, because he was clearly confused. Even though what he was doing made sense to him, he was ignorant of his actions on some level because he was out of touch with reality.

In Buddhism, ignorance has an even broader definition. One aspect of it is not truly understanding the karmic consequences of our actions. Another is lack of awareness as to where happiness really lies. Basic understanding of karma states very simply that actions which come from greed, hatred or ignorance lead to suffering. Actions based in generosity, kindness and wisdom lead to happiness. After his enlightenment, the Buddha was motivated to teach because of the ignorance he saw: although everyone wants to be happy, most people are acting in ways that lead to more suffering.

Jesus’ famous statement on the cross was based on this same understanding: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” He saw that, although on one level they knew very well what they were doing, they didn’t understand who he was or the consequences of their actions because their minds were colored by hate and fear.

The real villain is in this story is not Jared Loughner. It’s not the media. And it’s not the gun rights advocates. The real villain is ignorance. Because of ignorance, people project their fear and turn those who are different into enemies — both in their minds and in actuality. This is the history of war, as Sam Keen brilliantly pointed out in Faces of the Enemy. Once you demonize the “other” they become less than human and you can inflict pain on them without guilt or shame.

Clamoring for more access to guns because you genuinely want to feel safer is like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. And those politicians who seem to know what they’re doing as they spew vitriol, consciously inciting and provoking others by making an opponent a target, are simply pyromaniacs enthralled by the fire of conflict and power. That, too, is ignorance in the Buddhist sense because, although it might seem to have a purpose, in the end it will not lead to less suffering.

Right now, this tragedy is capturing our attention. Can anything good come from it? Unfortunately, Columbine and the shooting spree at Virginia Tech had little effect on the access to guns by anyone including the mentally unstable. The NRA is stronger than ever. And the cowboy mindset in this country, from our military budget to Second Amendment advocates, is still entrenched in our psyche. The response of two congressmen to the Arizona tragedy was to announce that they would be carrying guns from now on. Not exactly good modeling for non-violence. As long as media is salivating over stories that frighten and outrage us, it’s unlikely that the level of public discourse will favor voices that speak to our nobler qualities. As one friend puts it, “At this point in time we are in a race between fear and consciousness.”

A story like this affects us all. But rather than hoping it’s a wakeup call that magically turns down the hateful rhetoric and makes our society safer, I believe what’s needed is a personal inquiry. Do you get outraged and wish ill will on those who have a different political viewpoint than yours? Do you feel uplifted when they’re the target of ridicule?

A friend who shared his reflections about the shootings said it made him ask himself, “How do I show up in this culture?” We need to stop and feel into it — the pain, the fear, the anger, the confusion — and ask ourselves: “Where does this take me? What’s the wisest response internally and externally?” The answers from the past aren’t quite sufficient. Something else is needed. This is the time to ask ourselves how spirituality can help when a new response is called for.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote,

“If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

Each of us has love and hatred within us. The more we can be aware of how our own anger and ill will colors our thoughts, words and actions, the greater the chance for real transformation within ourselves. That transformation can lead to genuinely understanding how the confusion of an individual or a group could create greater pain and sorrow for themselves and others. When we can see the real villain as ignorance, we can stop demonizing “the other side.” Then our words and actions, based in clarity and compassion, minus the hate, will be more effective and be part of a larger transformation in human consciousness.

James Baraz is a co-founder of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught the online “Awakening Joy” course since 2003. To learn more about the upcoming 2011 course, visit Awakeningjoy.info.

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