Buddhist Belief Blog » Buddhism

Buddhist Belief – Challenges

Ron Rink — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:08:56 +0000

”Medicine King, now I say to you, I have preached various sutras, and among those sutras the Lotus is foremost!”
~~~ from the Burton Watson translation of the Lotus Sutra

What is involved with meeting the challenges of later life? How do those challenges relate to following Buddhist Beliefs? How do we stay inspired? Do we still have inner resources to draw on for wisdom? So many questions looking for answers.

Now that I have been including the primary Lotus Sutra chant, Nam myoho renge kyo, in my meditations, I feel the answer to one of those questions, (Do we still have inner resources to draw on for wisdom?), is a resounding, YES! As I chant this with my meditations and other times through the day, I think about how this sutra came into being. This was a lesson taught by the Buddha in the latter years of his life. Since it was written by someone who was aging I wonder if it is especially understandable by older people? I know I feel a connection to it. This sutra was written and then stored for many years. Some scholars say it was stored for 500 years or more. They also felt the sutra was held back because the monks hadn’t reached the point where they could understand it. I’m not a monk by any means and I know as I study it I feel as though I’m studying one huge koan!

The primary teaching of the Lotus Sutra is its extensive instruction on the seventh paramita, skillful means, and the perfection of a Bodhisattva. This sutra also refers to the Buddhist traditions of Mahāyāna. As I said earlier, I am only beginning my study of this sutra and it is not easy to understand. I keep looking for different translations and explanations and am slowly finding more and more sources. Throughout all of them, one factor remains constant – this sutra is a special teaching that supersedes everything else that the Buddha has taught, but the Sutra never actually states what that teaching is. This is said to be in keeping with the general Mahāyāna Buddhist view that the highest teaching cannot be expressed in words.

Again, in my feeble attempt to put what I’m learning into words we can all understand, this sutra talks a lot about the parent/child relationship of all the former Buddhas, to those of us who are the children needing to be taught. I’m coming to the conclusion there are hundreds, if not thousands of Buddhas available to help as I progress through this stage of my studies and my life.

I feel I am learning as I continue to include the chant, Nam myoho renge kyo, of the sutra in my meditation. My quandary was how to be at this stage of my life and also learn how to be with “what is” – when the “what is” is not as I had hoped it would be. Oh, I have moments, plenty of them, where I would like to be anywhere but where I am. Most of those moments come when the two-year-old is having one of his tantrums. Or, now that he has figured out I am always attached to an oxygen tube and am only able to reach so far, he will pick up something he knows is off limits to him and then stand just out of my reach and give me a look of defiance that says, “I dare you to try and take this from me!”. The teenagers have a pretty good grip on how to push my buttons as well.

However, I have the luxury of being able to spend most of my weekdays in solitude. My wife works outside the home, the teenagers are in school, and the two-year-old goes to the sitter. I do treasure the weekdays. At the same time, the learning process is happening every moment. The way things are right now, is the way they’re going to be for the foreseeable future. I haven’t reached the point of true acceptance of this reality as yet, but I am learning ways to adapt. The changes happening to my body are rather harsh realities, but I feel following the teachings of Buddha are showing me how to still tap into the peace within.

I feel it is time for me to move on to a different topic with the next post. I don’t know yet what that topic will be, but I feel you’ve read enough about all the changes taking place in my home-life. Thanks for bearing with me as I unloaded!

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, environment, inner peace, karma, Lotus Sutra, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – The Lotus Sutra

Ron Rink — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 15:55:51 +0000

Buddhist Belief – The Lotus Sutra

“Therefore, one should understand that the title of the Lotus Sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, represents the soul of all the sutras.”

~~~ Nichiren

As the years accrue, the call to the inner life grows louder. It seems as though the greatest ally to those who follow Buddhist Belief, is to see the wisdom of the dharma, the teachings, and to strengthen our commitment to the practice. I also received several responses from readers of this blog to the question I asked a couple of weeks ago – Should I continue to stay on a path I had chosen for this time of my life, a path of contemplation focusing more on inner preparation for my final days – or – should I bring my focus more onto my current situation and learn to deal with it? I was finding being able to stay on my chosen path difficult because of the introduction into my daily home life of two teenage girls and a two-year-old boy, my wife’s grandchildren who now live with us.

Most of those who did write to me felt I should find ways to be able to live with “what is” and to still be able to follow what I felt were the necessary steps to go where my health was taking me. I knew these were all words of wisdom offered after careful thought on the part of the wonderful people who commented. I also knew I hadn’t a clue as to how to proceed. When I looked carefully at how I was currently dealing with the stress which rose up in me with all the chaos and disruption to the way I was accustomed to living, I knew I was facing a huge challenge – a challenge I truly didn’t want to accept. Where was I going to find the energy to accept AND fulfill what I felt I needed to do with my remaining life? I was already physically worn out with all the life-changes my age and illness were presenting.

So, I decided to do some more reading and studying of some of the Buddhist teachers who have helped me in so many ways over the years. In doing so I came across several references to Nichiren Buddhism. Nichiren Buddhism follows the teachings of Nichiren, a Buddhist monk who lived in thirteenth-century Japan. These teachings provide a way for anybody to readily draw out the enlightened wisdom and energy of Buddhahood from within their own lives, regardless of individual circumstances. Each person has the power to overcome all of life’s challenges, to live a life of value and become a positive influence in their community, society and the world. When Nichiren was a young monk he set out to study the Buddhist sutras hoping to find some answers as to why people weren’t living happy and empowered lives. He came to the conclusion that the Lotus Sutra contained the essence of the Buddha’s enlightenment and felt it held the key to transforming people’s suffering.

Considering my situation, this interested me, so I decided to dig in deeper. Thanks to my nearly constant companion, the Internet, I found plenty to study about the Lotus Sutra and translations of the Sutra itself. I’m still early in the process of this study but have added one new thing to my daily meditation practice — the invocation, or chant, of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This invocation is a universal practice to enable people to manifest Buddhahood in their lives, and gain the strength and wisdom to challenge and overcome any adverse circumstances.

I thought, “This is something I have to check out!”

I began chanting this aloud as I meditated, but my breath capacity wouldn’t let me do so without struggling to breathe, which obviously distracted me from the chant itself, so I am now “chanting” this in my mind as I sit. ( I trust that doing this is my mind will have the same effect as chanting it aloud.) These words “myoho-renge-kyo” are the essence of the Lotus Sutra. As Nichiren said, “Therefore, one should understand that the title of the Lotus Sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, represents the soul of all the sutras.” He viewed the words of the sutras as expressions of the mind of the Buddha, and further revealed that all the teachings of the Buddha are encoded within the phrase of “Myoho-Renge-Kyo”. This phrase has the meanings of “The Wonderful Law of Life” – or the “Universal Law of Cause and Effect”. It is also referred to as the ultimate reality of life.

The Buddhist way of “attaining enlightenment” requires a dedicated practice of devoting one’s life to the Universal Law or the Dharma. The Sanskrit word, “Namu” means “devotion to”. By including the “Namu” (devotion) to Myoho-Rengo-Kyo (the Universal Law of Life), Nichiren revealed that the Law of Namu-Myoho-Rengo-Kyo is the direct path to Enlightenment, as it unifies one’s subjective self with the objective reality of life (the Dharma). It all comes down to this – the teaching of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can be interpreted as expressing the state of being “one with the law” and thus manifesting the state of Buddhahood.

In addition to learning more about the Lotus Sutra in my reading, I also came across several other references to how I should take these circumstances in my life as a blessing, a teaching and a training.

My first thought was, “A blessing?” – you have to be kidding.

Yet, over these past couple of weeks with the addition of the Lotus Sutra chant to my practice I have noticed slightly more ability to be more adaptable. I won’t say I’m truly “accepting” at this point, but at least I’m not trying to find ways to disappear any longer. When all this chaos began here a few weeks ago, I was cursing my illness and the restrictions it was putting on my ability to be more mobile. Now I’m adapting to the reality that I’m here to stay and this is what life is all about now. My studies of the teachings of Buddhism have led me to the understanding that these teachings are the things I need to include in my life now. I included them before, but not to the degree I need to include them now. This is now the “major leagues” – and I need to “up my game!”

More on this in future posts. Thanks again to all who got back to me on my question.

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 — Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo …

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

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, environment, inner peace, karma, Lotus Sutra, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – More about The Aging Question

Ron Rink — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 19:26:18 +0000

The Five Remembrances:
Buddha recommended we bring this almost into the mantra category as a reminder of life’s ephemeral nature. (1) We will grow old. (2) Our bodies will deteriorate. (3) Death is inevitable. (4) Everything changes. (5) We must part from our loved ones, and our actions or karma are our true belongings, the ground upon which we stand.
~~~ Buddha

Since I am in the process of aging and also a practitioner of Buddhist Belief, I have to ask myself, and hopefully you who are reading this blog, how are we dealing with the inevitability of aging? It doesn’t matter whether you’re in your 20s or 30s or whether you’re in your 70s or 80s, or somewhere in between or older, the question is still there. Nothing is permanent. We may think we’ll live forever, but the fact is, we won’t. Our time will come. So, how do we prepare?

Where does our practice and way of life fit into this picture of impermanence? Let’s face it, our culture is in denial and is phobic about death. How do we find a path through this getting old stage of life while we live in this culture? Buddha taught there were three characteristics central to Buddhism – dukkha (suffering), anatta (nonself) and anicca (impermanence). All three of these characteristics are vital to all of us as we move through our lives. For those of us in our older years, it’s time to start paying attention.

In Buddha’s time, the culture had the tradition of ashramas, the four stages of life. First we are students – followed by a period of providing for our family. Once your children were grown and your career had run its course (sort of like retirement age in our culture), it was time to focus on your inner life – a time when you would go on retreat and get more involved in your practice. Our culture isn’t much different, except for the last stage.

Here in our modern-day western culture, we find the idea of focusing on our inner life to be a huge challenge. How do we make the leap from a fast-paced, “work your butt off” lifestyle, to one that is calmer and contemplative – one where we give more of ourselves to meditation and inner discovery? Our lives, up until this “getting older stage”, have been driven to doing rather than being. This has become a form of addiction for all of us, and there’s nothing more difficult than trying to rehab ourselves out of an addiction. I know I still get up every morning and “go to work”. No, I don’t get paid any more, and no,I don’t climb in a car and drive to an office any longer, but I do have an office in my home and I do go there every day – most every day of the week. It’s where I do my work – the writing for this blog and two others. It’s where I do my political activism and other forms of rabble-rousing. Yes, I do meditate and it is an important part of my day, but it’s on a schedule just like the rest of my life.

This is not how I should be living now with my health the way it is and at my age. Perhaps it is time for me to call up another of Buddha’s teachings – the Five Remembrances. Buddha recommended we bring this almost into the mantra category as a reminder of life’s ephemeral nature. (1) We will grow old. (2) Our bodies will deteriorate. (3) Death is inevitable. (4) Everything changes. (5) We must part from our loved ones, and our actions or karma are our true belongings, the ground upon which we stand. If this is true, then what becomes truly important, especially in our culture of television, tweeting, and Facebook?

I’m slowly becoming more and more convinced there is a sacred dimension to the process of aging because we begin to see how precious time can be. This is the time to call upon our practice to sustain us – to inspire us. I do clearly see this, but putting it into my own way of life is proving to be an enormous challenge. I need to summon up some new, inner strength to carry this off. This is when I’m dealing with declining energy levels and a life-threatening illness. To now make this leap into a more contemplative life is a huge task, especially in my current environment.

I was speaking to some friends yesterday when I brought up the fact that my wish for this time of my life was to be able to be more contemplative and to be able to devote my quiet moments to preparing myself for my final days. However, now with two teenagers and a 2-year old living in my home, their very ill mother where my wife has to devote so much energy and care, plus all the related drama that goes along with all that, it is near impossible. One of my friends, (a person I hold in the highest regard for their wisdom) commented, “You probably need to just let that idea go!”

Was that comment right? Is that the way to go now? Do I need to find a different direction than the one I had hoped for?

I’m curious and would love to hear your thoughts over the coming days. Please comment here and let me know what you think. Thanks!!

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, environment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – Sacred Dimension to Growing Old

Ron Rink — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:35:37 +0000

“In terms of Buddhist thought, the process of aging consciously involves staying open to the sometimes harsh realities of what’s happening to the body and mind during this time. Equally important is knowing what our inner resources are – where is our strength? This growing old stuff is unpredictable territory and I’m learning my best sources of strength are the teachings of Buddha and my daily meditation practice.”

~~~ Ron Rink

I have had considerable difficulties getting down to the process of writing in this Buddhist blog over the past few weeks. I feel there were plenty of things I wanted to write about, but I always felt they were too personal to include in writing about Buddhist Belief. I felt they were about what was going through my mind on a day-to-day basis and not necessarily things my readers would be interested in reading, so I didn’t do any writing at all.

Also, during this same “writing dry spell”, major changes were taking place in my life. Those who know me personally know that over the past couple of years I’ve progressed from needing oxygen therapy during exercise and while sleeping, to now being on oxygen 24/7 and needing a wheelchair to get from one place to another as walking and breathing at the same time were no longer possible. I knew my disease (pulmonary fibrosis) was progressive but, as I stated in the quote above, part of the unpredictability of growing older is not knowing the rate of such progression. These health changes were leading to the place where I was needing more help around the house and going to places. Plus, many of the household functions I usually took care of have now been dropped in my wife’s lap. To top it all off, I will also have completed 78 years on the planet at the end of next month.

About three weeks ago some major events took place in my wife’s family. Her daughter became very ill with bacterial meningitis and was near death. She was in critical condition in a local hospital here and needed to have open heart surgery to repair a valve damaged by the bacteria in her blood stream. She also developed a serious bacterial infection in one of her eyes. She did come through the heart surgery alright but is now in danger of losing the sight in her eye. She is, as of today, still in the hospital.

She is also the mother of three children – two teen-age girls and one son who is now just 2-years old. She is a single mother. Since her prognosis is unknown and her future in general is up-in-the-air, my wife has become the legal guardian of the three grand-children. Three more people have moved into our home and are now in our care.

You’re probably asking yourself what does all this have to do with writing about Buddhist Belief? I will be continuing this topic in the next edition of the blog which will not be weeks from now, but rather in a few days. I will write more about how Buddhist teaching has helped me in dealing with these drastic changes and relating how my following a Buddhist lifestyle is playing into all of it.

I will leave this post today with a wonderful tale about the Buddha and being older.

Back in Buddha’s day, there lived a man who was near his eighties who had done little about his spiritual life. Thinking he really should look into this shortcoming while he still could he set out to find Buddha’s encampment which he had heard was nearby. He was old, hopeless and dressed poorly, so he looked like he might be a beggar. When he found the encampment he asked the senior monks if he could be accepted into the sangha.

After checking out what this man had done with his spiritual life, the monks replied, “You are an old man and haven’t done any practice, so there’s no point in giving you teachings now.”

Completely dejected with this news, the old man lay down in front of the door to the encampment. When the Buddha came by he asked the old man why he was lying there. The old man told his story, to which the Buddha replied, “Some of my monks don’t realize that just because the body is old, there’s still every reason to practice. All you need is courage and enthusiasm to study and meditate. I know you have insight and roots of virtue. I will take care of you.”

The old man eventually became enlightened.

The Dalai Lama told this story at a conference in New York a while ago and added this comment, “ There’s no reason to feel old just because the body is old. The mind can still be young and full of enthusiasm. We can have the courage to carry on our study and practice.”

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, environment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – Violence is a State of Mind!

Ron Rink — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 19:13:23 +0000

“By means of meditation we can teach our minds to be calm and balanced; within this calmness is a richness and a potential, an inner knowledge which can render our lives boundlessly satisfying and meaningful. While the mind may be what traps us in unhealthy patterns of stress and imbalance, it is also the mind which can free us. Through meditation, we can tap the healing qualities of mind.”

~~~ Tarthang Tulku

Violence doesn’t always have to be a physical act. It is one of our emotions and it gets its start in our mind. One of the many teachings of Buddhist Belief is that if there is violence in the world, we have created it. Even when we are thinking thoughts that are harmful to ourselves, we are committing violence.

Violence can be very subtle. It can manifest itself with no more than what we are thinking. If we hear something on the TV, or read something online or in the news, and we react to it with a thought of hatred or a wish for harm to come to someone who has done evil in the world, we are promoting violence. Not only are we in this subtle way creating violence, there may be thousands of others having similar thoughts. Even though we may never act out such thoughts in reality, there may be someone else who is having these thoughts who will. Violence exists because we haven’t learned how to control our mind. If the only emotion we ever have in our heart and mind is love, there would be no violence – all those other thoughts would dissolve. If you speak harshly to someone, or even just give someone a dirty look which will hurt their feelings – or what your do or say to another person causes them to feel badly – that’s a form of violence.

Can you imagine or remember a time when those around you were all in a bad mood? Perhaps you were feeling great and suddenly all these others around you were being miserable. How long would it take you to pick up on their mood and eventually find yourself in the same place? Buddha taught how everyone’s pain can become your pain, and everyone’s joy can become your joy. It’s equanimity. It’s an illusion to believe we are separate from each other. We may think we’re “just me” – but it’s more like “we are all one”. If we could become truly aware of how we are all connected, we would exude love and compassion for everyone because we would feel it, just like we could feel the example I gave above of the moods of those around you and how it affected you.

So much of what we think and do is based on our selfishness. We can come up with so many clever excuses to justify how our selfishness determines how we think. But excuses are just that – excuses. What are some of the “afflictions” Buddha says are our reasons for being so dissatisfied? A few of them are, envy, pride, doubt, anger, delusions, attachment to material things and an incorrect world view. These are all creatures of the way our minds work. They’re just thoughts and making excuses for them is a cop out!

Every time we do something, or say something, or think something based on what is in our mind, we plant a seed that will eventually flower. That flowering makes for our life experience. It’s about being aware of where our mind is and learning how to reposition it. One way to gain some control of our mind is through meditation. Yoga is also a good way. The object it to develop a mind focused on love and compassion for all others. Planting seeds of love and compassion will create a flowering which extends the definition of who you truly are.

One of the meditations I use frequently and which has helped me to work through times when negativity rears its ugly head and when I forget the interconnectedness of all of us, is the Metta or Loving Kindness meditation. Here’s a guided version I created of this meditation which I’d like to share with you. Just click the link below.

Metta Meditation

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, environment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – Buddhist Responsibility for Environment?

Ron Rink — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:07:37 +0000

“Sit, Be still, and listen,
For you are drunk,
And we are at the edge of the roof.”
~~~ Rumi

One of the most basic of Buddhist Beliefs is when Buddha points out that our unhappiness is a direct result of our grasping and craving. He said that to end suffering we need to exercise self-restraint, cut way back on our consumption, do more sharing and practice other compassionate ways when relating to our fellow beings. This idea that we are separate from the rest of the world is an illusion – in fact it is our most troublesome delusion. “We are not a collection of objects – we are a communion of subjects.” So notes eco-theologian, Thomas Berry.

We live in a corporate-dominated world today. This domination has resulted in a culture based on greed, materialism and alienation from nature. This culture is further influenced by our governments which are largely controlled by the same corporations and economic institutions they should be regulating. The government, the corporations and all of us share the same basic view – the view that we need to continue to grow and to acquire more and more no matter what the long-term consequences might be. Here we are today – we’re experiencing record-breaking droughts, floods, snowstorms, wildfires, hurricanes and tornadoes. And yet, we keep repeating the same patterns over and over despite what happens to our ecology. We’re not “getting it!”

Most of us are already aware of the fact that our climate is in trouble. Not everyone believes it’s our fault, though. Many people are still figuring it will all straighten itself out in time – that all these major ecological events are cyclical. However, as a Buddhist, I lean more towards the belief that what is happening with our glaciers, oceans, coral reefs, etc., are the result of our own need to continually satisfy our own selfish needs. Our craving for more energy sources since the 1950s has led to an industrial growth economy whereby we initiated dangerous climatic transformations. As my friend, Bill McKibben, who founded 350.org points out, the safe level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is 350 parts per million (ppm). With all the emissions from the coal-fired industrialization in China and India, plus the increase in industrial growth throughout the world, plus the increase in the burning of fossil fuels, we’ve pushed the levels of CO2 up over 395 ppm. At the rate we’re increasing our addiction to fossil fuels and coal, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to turn this around in time.

What is difficult to wrap my brain around is the fact that our society has made the choice not to protect itself from the results of climate change. Science has been defeated by power, money, as well as the greed and bureaucracy of our corporations and government. The concept of “becoming more green” was one of the ways we got sold a bill of goods. When we were convinced to become more “green”, we shifted the responsibility away from corporations, which are accountable for most carbon pollution, and from governments which should be restraining the corporations, and onto us, the private consumers. Now it’s up to us to solve the climate crisis. It’s a lot cheaper for the corporations to change public perception of what they do than to actually change what they do. So the marketing has been changed to persuading us that fossil fuels are essential and not dangerous. Just look at all the commercials showing up on television these days about how great “fracking” for natural gas can be. Look at whose commercials these are – they’re paid for by Exxon Mobil. The other bit of cynical marketing has been about “clean coal”. Is that an oxymoron?

The ignorance, fear and greed of our corporations and government have acquired a disastrous momentum, which has, in turn, led to our cultural obedience. However, as a Buddhist, I believe that once we become aware of the truth, we are presented with a choice. We can choose to continue down the same path, or we can choose to share what we know as widely as possible. The “power’s that be” no longer have the same control over us. We know alternatives are out there and they are necessary. We have to find ways to break the cycle of corruption in our governments as the result of money influencing political decisions. We have to get off fossil fuels.

There’s a great example of what I mean taking place in Washington, D.C. right how as I write this. The civil disobedience action in front of the White house to get President Obama to stop the construction of the Keystone XL Tar Sands Oil Pipeline is showing some good results. This is a two-week continuous sit-in happening each day. The people taking part are putting their bodies on the line for their beliefs. Most are being arrested and fined. Yet, each day, more people are showing up. There’s more on this at my other blog at http://www.ronrink.com.

What is true for each of us is also true for our culture. Rumi’s lines at the beginning of this article are so appropriate. We have become drunk on the manipulation of the corporations and the government. We are drunk to the point of not realizing the situation we’re in. We’ve been drinking this liquor for over 50 years and we are now teetering on the edge of the roof. The “tipping point” of our environment is nearly here, if it’s not here already. We need to act now to counteract the forms of ignorance and greed we’ve some to accept. We can’t continue to survive on what has been created.

That’s it for this time. Let me hear your comments on this writing on the environment, especially since I’m writing in a Buddhist Blog.

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, environment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – Buddhism and the Environment

Ron Rink — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 14:55:36 +0000

“The poison of global warming due to the harnessing of machines in all places and times,
Is causing the existing snow mountains to melt,
And the oceans will consequently bring the world within reach of the aeon’s end.
Grant your blessings that the world may be protected from these conditions! ”

~~~ Kyabje Sakya Trizin Rinpoche

One of the questions I’ve asked myself many times over the past years is how does the following of my Buddhist Belief affect my political and environmental activism? As some of you may have noticed, I have begun to post articles to a new blog in my own name, http://www.ronrink.com. The articles for this blog will all be devoted to Climate Change and/or Global Warming. In the past few articles, my focus has been on the proposed new Keystone XL Pipeline which is designed to transport the dirtiest form of oil, tar sand oil, from Alberta Canada to the oil fields of Texas. But the question for today’s article here on Buddhist Belief is what is my role as a practicing Buddhist in this activism?

I suppose one way to answer this question might be found in this quote from Buddha:

“It is in this way that we must train ourselves: by liberation of the self through love. We will develop love, we will practice it, we will make it both a way and a basis, take our stand upon it, store it up, and thoroughly set it going.”

First, I have to come to some stark conclusions. Human beings are opportunistic, as are all higher animals, and characteristically greedy. We’re also rather intelligent and find we are capable of grabbing excessive power and control over our Earth’s resources. We’re also easily led into using many forms of aggression to attain our desires. Now that we have ‘accidentally’ acquired the capacity to destroy the climate of this planet, what will we call upon to restrain ourselves? What are some of the consequences of our “technological prowess”?

One thing we have learned is how all this brilliance on our part hasn’t brought us the happiness we desire. In our ‘advanced’ societies, the rates of anxiety, stress and mental illness are greater than ever previously recorded. On a physical level too, cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory and auto-immune disease as well as diverse ‘functional illnesses’ have become epidemic. What will our governments, corporations and politicians now do with the power of life or death over the biosphere from which our species evolved?

Do our politicians even have a basic understanding of science? I guess there are a few who do, but they are definitely in the minority. How do the citizens of this country and the future generations compare to the way our politicians view the lure of the corporations and their money, the massive corporate special interests and their money, and particularly the campaign dollars provided by the fossil fuel industry? As it stands at the moment, we don’t even fit into the picture. The latest Congressional fiasco about the debt ceiling proved this beyond doubt.

The answer to these questions will be the determining factor in our Earth’s history. Are we now approaching the end of an era of geological time – or as the Buddhists refer to it – the end of an aeon.

As a consumer society we have followed the principle of having rather than well-being. This principle is powered by polluting energy sources and guided by a pseudo-scientific principle of limitless economic growth. We think we can continue to grow and accumulate without regard to the ability of our planet to absorb this growth. Both these factors are contrary to the basic laws of biology. The truth, as former senior economist at the World Bank, Professor Herman Daly states, is otherwise:

“The larger system is the biosphere and the subsystem is the economy. The economy is geared for growth, whereas the parent system doesn’t grow. It remains the same size. So as the economy grows, it encroaches upon the biosphere, and this is its fundamental cost.”

Scientists consider that a ‘top predator’, like we human beings, relies on the whole pyramid of biological life beneath it. Therefore the destruction of whole ecosystems is suicidal for our species. For Mahayana Buddhism, which sees all life as interdependent, driving other species to extinction is unmistakably harming ourselves and our own destiny.

When we take a look at why we have become the way we are, we only have to look at the way advertising has become such an integral part of our lives. This begins even before we are able to speak. I can see it happening in my own home with one of my wife’s grandchildren. He is just learning to say a few words, yet if he’s in the same room as the television, he locks onto any commercials as they come on. From even this early age, we are bombarded by powerful imagery, that comes to us via an hypnotic medium – the television. Somehow, this imagery gets embedded into our subconscious mind. From America to China, consumerism has become an organizing principle for billions of peoples’ lives. Zen Buddhist philosopher David R. Loy states:

“Consumerism requires and develops a sense of our own impoverishment. By manipulating the gnawing sense of lack that haunts our insecure sense of self, the attention economy insinuates its basic message deep into our awareness: the solution to any discomfort we might have is consumption. Needless to say, this all-pervasive conditioning is incompatible with the liberative path of Buddhism.”

Fossil fuels will be exhausted within this century. The production of oil, the most valuable and versatile fossil fuel, seems already to have peaked. This is happening just as increased summer melting of the Arctic pack-ice moves us towards the first predicted “tipping point” in a climate crisis. We have entered upon the period of climate-energy emergency.

That’s it for this time. Next time I’ll talk a little more about how we, as Buddhists, can help with this crisis.

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – Who Was the Buddha?

Ron Rink — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 18:11:39 +0000

“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path. ”

~~~ Buddha

As you know I haven’t posted much here in the past couple of months. I did get a guest article up last week, but I haven’t done much writing about Buddhist Belief myself during this time. There are a variety of reasons for this – the most prominent one has to do with my own health issues. They are sapping my energy to an extent I would never have imagined. The other is the writing of my own book, Lost and Found, which is a memoir of my youthful life. (http://www.wecould2.com) I was falling behind on this and needed to devote more energy to it. It’s a book I need to finish in this lifetime. I’m the only one who knows how it’s supposed to end.

This blog about Buddhism will never really be finished. The blog may come to an end someday, but the words about Buddhism will be with us for a long time. I may not write here with the same regularity as I have in the past, but I won’t abandon it.

I also find my passion for the topic of Climate Change has prompted me to take on another blog (http://www.ronrink.com) on that topic.

So, I’m busy – I’m tired – and I’m still a Buddhist. I will continue to write here – just not as often.

Now, on to today’s article.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to actually meet the Buddha? I know, he died over 2,500 years ago – but has it ever crossed your mind as to what it would have felt like to see him – listen to him teach – and maybe follow him around for awhile?

I have – and I can see where trying to re-invent him for today leaves open the possibility of making him into what we think he might be. We have a slew of quotes and teachings purported to be right from the Buddha’s mouth, but we still have the possibility of taking those words and molding them to fit what we would wish him to be – sort of doing a make-over to fit what we’d like to see.

For example, what did he look like? In some areas of the world he’s sort of squat and has a big belly. In other areas of the world he might be quite statuesque. There are so many images of him it’s impossible to form a solid conclusion. We just don’t know what he truly looked like – and – you know – it doesn’t truly matter!

What does the Buddha mean to those of us who follow his teachings? We have a sort of archetypical view of him, don’t we? So many of the representations of the Buddha capture the essence of what he taught – what he stood for. We often see him represented as touching the ground – which means his wisdom is well grounded – he is connected to this planet we live on. Often his eyes will be represented as clear, relaxed and aware.

That fits, doesn’t it? The word Buddha means awakened mind. Buddha means awake and aware. This makes me wonder – if when we think about what it would be like to have been around when the Buddha was alive – maybe what we are really looking for is we want to meet our own awakened mind. Hmmm, maybe now we’re getting somewhere!

Looks to me like what we should be doing is getting down with who we truly are. The only opening to our awakened mind is us. Who are we? How do we live our lives? There are teachers all around us who write the books and do the retreats and pass along the teachings and traditions of Buddhism. They’re kind of like radio receivers and transmitters. They picked up what they were taught and they are now passing it along to us. When you realize how most of these teachings have survived for so many years, you start to get the idea there just might be something in them we should learn.

To cut to the chase – and to demonstrate why what we’ve learned from our teachers isn’t truly complicated – Buddha was someone who, like us, started out in a materialistic way, then became a seeker, and then claimed he had found a way to get a handle on no longer being materialistic, and said it was possible for all of us to learn the same thing he did.

He added that if we could learn what he learned, we would find true happiness and inner peace.

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – How Hot is Your Anger?

Ron Rink — Thu, 19 May 2011 16:26:42 +0000

“By means of meditation we can teach our minds to be calm and balanced; within this calmness is a richness and a potential, an inner knowledge which can render our lives boundlessly satisfying and meaningful. While the mind may be what traps us in unhealthy patterns of stress and imbalance, it is also the mind which can free us. Through meditation, we can tap the healing qualities of mind.”

~~~ Tarthang Tulku

One of the things so many teachers of Buddhist Belief include in their teaching is to not react with anger toward others because anger has a way of turning into hatred. Hatred will only lead to more hatred.

Do you get angry? If so, what makes you angry? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? I know I do. Perhaps not as much as I did in past years, but, yes, I do still get angry. Or, I get irritated. Here’s an example of what I mean. Sometimes when I’m trying to explain something to a person or to a few people, they just don’t seem to get it. So, I try again using different words to get my point across and they still don’t get it. I then notice I’m getting a kind of nervousness in me. I feel anxious about not being able to make myself clear enough for people to understand. That irritation turns into impatience or anger and the next thing you know I’m thinking things like, “Oh, c’mon on people – this isn’t rocket science I’m talking about here! Why can’t you get it?” Or, I start into a thought process which goes something like this, “I might just as well give up trying to get through. I should just give up and stop talking.”

When I hear about some of the things that are happening here in our country with the politics – and when I watch the dysfunction in how our government is working, I tend to get a bitter taste inside of me. Sometimes it turns into a hard place in the pit of my stomach. So, I write letters – I sign petitions – say things on my Facebook page. I used to go out and do marches and take part in protests and stand on street corners and wave signs at people driving by. Age and health has caused my activism to be more of an “at-home” process now – but I guess I’m still wondering if this is anger or is it irritation. Or, is this an okay way to react for someone trying to live a Buddhist lifestyle?

Some people do have a short fuse. They’re the folks who will start yelling and screaming at the drop of a hat. They’re also the ones you’ll see taking out their anger on some inanimate object. I used to know this guy who did construction work who would bang tools around when something didn’t go the way he had planned. He screwed up some pretty nice tools doing this. Then, there are those who go to the next step and take their anger out on other people. Not good!

A former Buddhist teacher of mine in Vermont used to ask his students what they gained by being angry about something. Invariably, after some thought, the answer would always be “Nothing”. He then would ask what do you lose by being angry. Again, usually the answer was “Nothing”. Then came the teaching … he would say, “Oh, but you do lose. You lose your peace of mind. You lose your positive karma.” He would point out how when we’re being angry we’re teaching our mind to use anger to deal with problematic issues. He would also remind us that the pathway to hatred is anger – and each time we get angry we’re widening the pathway to hatred.

Hatred is much more dangerous than anger. We need to become aware of those times when anger takes over. We need to recognize it for what it is. Next, we need to learn why we became angry. Then we need to spend some meditative time with the reason or reasons.

One technique I use is to make a sincere attempt to walk away from the cause of my anger. Turn away from it. Take a quiet walk. Listen to some peaceful music. Pick up a good book. But, as most of us know, there will be times when the anger is just too intense to walk away from it. What I was taught by my Vermont Buddhist teacher is to know when the anger is so hot you are totally aware of it. It’s no longer just possible you’re angry – you know it. That’s when you look at what you’re losing out on by being angry. As I said above, your peace of mind is lost. You can’t seem to do anything you want to do. Your concentration is shot. You can’t talk to people in a decent way. You feel a need to cry you’re so frustrated. That’s when you ask yourself, “Is this what I want?”

Hopefully the answer is a resounding, “No!” When you succeed with this, you will be beginning the training of your mind to go this route rather than the route to hatred.

This process of training ourselves to react differently to situations which arouse our anger is not easy. However, if we learn the power of being compassionate with ourselves as a way to protect ourselves, we’ll see that compassion is much stronger than anger. Most of us have an established pattern of using anger. Buddhist teaching says our practice is to work on changing the pattern to use love and compassion, not only for ourselves but for others as well. Like with any practice, it needs to done over and over. Do this and it will become a habit – and a darn good one.

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace

Buddhist Belief – Can We End Suffering?

Ron Rink — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 18:29:32 +0000

“If you would like to know what you did in past lives, look at your present body,” and “if you would like to know where you will go next, look at your present actions.”

~~~ H.E. Garchen Rinpoche

This past Tuesday night I had the wonderful privilege to be present for a talk by His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche. He spoke on “How to Find Happiness in Today’s World” and I found his wisdom to be inspiring. I felt he made the teachings of Buddhist Belief so clear and understandable. Rinpoche doesn’t speak much English, so his talk was done through an interpreter, who did an amazing job of making his entire message clear to all of us. It was an evening I will remember for all my life.

As I said above, his talk was inspiring and it leads me to want to write some of my own thoughts about what he had to say. He spoke a great deal about the suffering we humans have to endure in our lives. One of the things Buddha made clear in many of his teachings is that Buddhism is about how to get rid of suffering. So often, people acquaint Buddhism with just the opposite – they feel Buddhism is about suffering, but all the teachings are about how to eliminate it from our lives. In fact, if people came to Buddha with questions or to seek advice about things which would not lead to the relief from suffering, he didn’t discuss them.

There’s a wonderful Buddhist story about the time when Buddha was walking through the forest with some monks and he picked up a handful of leaves. He asked the monks to decide which was the greater amount, the leaves in his hand or all the leaves in the forest. Of course, all the monks said there were more leaves in the forest. Buddha told the monks that there are, indeed, many more leaves in all the forest and they were similar to all the things we know or think we need to know. However, he went on, all the things that are necessary to know – things which should be taught and practiced, were equal to the number of leaves in his hand.

This story seems to bring some clarity to what we need to know to alleviate suffering based on Buddhist Belief. We don’t need to know a lot in order have a clear understanding of what should be in our practice. We have to be paying attention to whether we’re placing our life principles on clinging to things and stuff we call “mine”. When Buddha compared the things he had realized (which were as many as the leaves in the forest) with the things he taught his followers to include in their practice (which were merely a single handful of leaves), the single handful of teachings were about the principle of not grasping or clinging to anything as being “self” or belonging to “self”.

Grasping and clinging is what causes suffering. When we grasp and cling we suffer. When we cease to grasp and cling, suffering vanishes. Our practice is to train our minds to not grasp, cling, and give into our “wants”. That’s enough. That’s all we have to do. This is our practice. When we are free of grasping and clinging our hearts will be in refuge with the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. I felt Garchen Rinpoche made this crystal clear the other night.

Once we are free of grasping or clinging to a self or a possession of self, all our behaviors will be in keeping with the Buddhist concept of “sila” or virtuous conduct. When our minds are free we find we are able to concentrate with ease. Only the mind that is free of the causes of suffering can have the true stability of correct concentration. As far as wisdom goes, the essence of wisdom is the mind which is free of “self”.

Getting back to the story of the leaves, Buddha taught that his handful of leaves was the essence of the end of suffering. This was all we needed to know and understand. Once we train our minds with this practice, we have learned all we need to know.

As Garchen Rinpoche said often the other night , “The cause of happiness is love. The cause of suffering is self-grasping.”

I’d like to leave you with a short video about H.E. Garchen Rinpoche. Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcUghigbD3o

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
=====================================================

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
=====================================================
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

Technorati Tags: attachment, Buddha, Buddhism, Buddhist, Buddhist Belief, detachment, inner peace, karma, loving kindness, Meditation, metta, mindfulness, Nirvana, Peace