For Those Who Act From the Heart According to Dharma

Namo Guru

For those who act from the heart according to Dharma,
wealth is like little birds on top of a tree.
Give generously without attachment.

To extract the essence of freedoms and endowments,
guard moral discipline like it's your eyeballs.

The root of the lower realms is hatred,
Cultivate patience though it means your life.

Your own aims and those of others aren't achieved with laziness.
Be diligent in virtuous actions.

There's no time for confused thoughts.
Practice the meaning of single-mindedness.

Buddha isn't found by searching.
Look at the characteristic of your mind.

Generally, faith is like spring mist at first.
Be brave at the vanishing point.

-Adept Godrakpa Sonam Gyaltsen in "The Hermit of Go Cliffs".

Golden Leaves, Bright Moons, and Crisp Winds

I enjoy the stillness of winter and the vigor of spring and summer but autumn has always been my favorite season. I'd be lying if the traditional North American foods associated with fall didn't play some part in this; pumpkin pie, pomegranates, sweet potato pie, apple cider, pecan pie, etc.

Things are, of course, always changing but autumn seems to announce the seasonal tide in a way that's deeply resonated with me for as long as I can remember. The temperature becomes gradually cooler, the wind crisper, and the moons hazier. As a kid, the excessive free time of summer gave way to the structure and hard work of a new school year. TV shows are resurrected with new episodes and the long daylight of summer gradually gives way to the creeping night of winter.

Seeing and experiencing the changes of autumn tends to make me reflect on the various changes occurring in my own life.

The idea of change, or impermanence (Pali: anicca अनिच्च) can be tricky to grasp but Thich Nhat Hanh, in his classic "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching" gives a beautiful explanation of impermanence:

If we see impermanence as merely a philosphy, then it is not the Buddha's teaching. Every time we look or listen, the object of our perception can reveal to us the nature of impermanence. We have to nourish our insight into impermance all day long.When we look deeply into impermance, we see that things change because causes and conditions change. When we look deeply into nonself, we see that the existence of every single thing is possible only because of the existence of everything else. We see that everything else is the cause and condition for its existence. We see that everything else is in it.

From the point of view of time, we say, "impermance," and from the point of view of space, we say, "nonself". Things cannot remain themselves for two consecutive moments, therefore there is nothing that can be called a permanent "self". Before you entered this room, you were different physically and mentally. Looking deeply at impermanence, you see nonself. Looking deeply at nonself, you see impermanence. We cannot say, "I accept impermance but nonself is too difficult." They are the same.

Understanding impermance can give us confidence, peace, and joy. Impermanence does not necessarily lead to suffering. Without impermance, life could not be. Without impermance, your daughter could not grow up into a beautiful young lady. Without impermance, oppresive political regimes would never change. We think impermance makes us suffer. The Buddha gave the example of a dog that was hit by a stone and got angry at the stone. It is not impermance that makes us suffer. What makes us suffer is wanting things to be permanent when they are not.

As I mentioned at the beginning, autumn is the season that makes me think of impermanence and one of my favorite songs that makes me think of autumn is Chicane's "Autumn Tactics". Featuring the smooth vocals of Justine Suissa, the song presents a relaxed and introspective look at the changes of autumn. It's one of those songs that can evoke a wide variety of responses and feelings depending on one's mood. Below is the original mix from the classic album "Behind the Sun". Enjoy!

The Moving Finger Writes

The Moving Finger writes; and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it.

-Verse 71 in Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat
translated Edward Fitzgerald.

David Bowie's 'Heroes': A Buddhist Commentary

Introduction.

The 'hero' archetype is one that is truly universal. In every culture and country, throughout all periods of time, we can find people who are considered heroes. David Bowie, the "chameleon of rock" who always seems ahead of his time, needs no introduction. So what happens when David Bowie makes the 'hero' a subject of his artistic talents? A really great song!



My first exposure to this song was in 1998 via The Wallflowers' cover. Theirs was an admirable and catchy attempt although, as is the case with most covers, the original version is unbeatable.

I, I wish you could swim.
Like the dolphins-like dolphins can swim.
Though nothing-nothing will keep us together.
We can beat them-for ever and ever.

The hero motif runs very deep within the Buddha's Dharma. Many of the epithets or titles of a buddha have very heroic rings to them. The Transcendent Perfection of Energy/Diligence is known as virya pāramitā (विर्य पारमिता), with 'virya' (a cognate with the Latin 'virlis' and English 'virile') implying great heroism. 'Arhat' (अर्हत्) means "one worthy of offerings", 'bhagavat' (भगवत्) means "blessed one", and jinā (जिना), a term also applied to Jain tirthankars, means "victor" or "victorious one". The names go on but the take home message is that enlightened beings (buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats) are heroes. Before delving into what makes these beings heroic, let's first look at how heroes arise.

As Lao Tzu says "a journey of a thousand miles starts under one's feet". For those who wind up walking the Path of Awakening, the journey starts with an aspiration: a big one. To "wish to swim" is one thing but wishing to "swim like a dolphin" is bigger still. In the same way, the wish to be freed from suffering is big but the aspiration to become enlightened for the benefit of all beings is bigger still. Splashing in the kiddie pool to stay afloat is incomparable to a majestic dolphin effortlessly gliding through the vast oceans. This resolution, known in the texts as bodhicitta (बोधिचित्त), is often called the Supreme Resolution or the Greatest of all Thoughts.

To make such a lofty vow seems inconceivable at best and at worst, just plain impossible. Yet this vow is the fundamental motivation for the practice of bodhisattvas. When viewed in this light, all practice can take on farther reaching, cosmic attributes. For example, in many Mahayana temples, the Three Refuges are recited with slight modifications that reflect the vastness of the bodhisattva's vows:

"I take refuge in the Buddha, and I wish that all sentient beings will awaken to the Great Path and make the Supreme Resolution.

I take refuge in the Dharma, and I wish that all sentient beings will delve into the sutras, their wisdom and deep as the ocean.

I take refuge in the Sangha, and I wish that all sentient beings will be brought together in great harmony, without any obstructions at all".

In the first teaching after his enlightenment, the Buddha said that suffering (partly) consists of being separated from what we love. As we move from life to life, it is inevitable that the closest and dearest relationships we have, such as those with our spouses, parents, siblings, children, friends, teachers, etc., will be broken by old age, sickness, and finally death. Sound morbid? Welcome to samsara (संसार). Although "nothing can keep us together", it is certainly possible for us to go beyond the cycle of suffering and the cycle of birth and death. We "can beat them for ever and ever" if we take the "them" to refer to Mara (मार), the personification/representation of all that negative in cycle of existence.

Oh we can be heroes-just for one day.

The word 'hero' comes from the ancient Greek term 'hērōs' (ἥρως ) and originally referred to epic characters that were somewhere between gods and mortals. Many great heroes of the Classic Western epics (Odysseus, Aeneas, Achilles, etc.) were mortals with "divine blood" running through their veins.

Upon hearing the word 'hero', our minds immediately jump to lofty descriptions about people who do deeds that no on else can perform, endure things that no one else can endure, and know things that no one else can know. In the texts, beautiful and eloquent descriptions abound regarding the Buddha, his disciplines, the bodhisattvas, and others who are considered heroes.

It is not only the great wisdom, compassion, diligence, patience, and virtue which makes enlightened beings heroes. The main reason why they're called heroes is because they have gone beyond suffering and have helped, are helping, and will help others go beyond suffering as well.

By saying "we can be heroes", Bowie touches on a vitally unique aspect of the Buddha's teachings, i.e. when we walk the path of Awakening, we walk the same path that the buddha and all other enlightened beings walk. For example, The Heart Sutra says:

All buddhas of the past, present, and future, also take refuge in Prajñāpāramitā (प्रज्ञापारमिता - The Perfection of Wisdom) and realize unexcelled, perfect enlightenment (अनुत्तरांसम्यक्संबोधि - anuttara samyak sambodhi).
-(translated by Bill Porter/Red Pine).

In Western monotheism, statements like "I can be Jesus" or "I can be the Prophet Mohammad" would be indefensibly blasphemous and heretical. For a practitioner of the Buddha Dharma to say "I can be a buddha" is the definition of the Supreme Resolution (vide supra) and is, in the Mahayana tradition, the fundamental purpose of practice.

A hero is a hero, no matter if its for eternity or just for one day. Similarly, all it takes is a single penetrating insight to really change the way we view the world and interact with it. In the Platform Sutra, the Sixth Ch'an Patriarch Hui Neng says:

"Just as one lamp can disperse the darkness of a thousand years, one thought of wisdom can destroy ten thousand years of delusion".
-(Buddhist Text Translation Society Translation)

The Dhammapada expresses a related idea:

"Better than one hundred years lived
Without seeing the ultimate Dharma
Is one day lived
Seeing the ultimate Dharma"
-Ch. 9, verse 112, translated by Gil Fronsdal

I, I will be king
And you-you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be heroes-just for one day
We can beat them-just for one day

We've established what makes a hero and how heroes arise. These lines and all the rest that follow reiterate the same point: we can be heroes. You, me, our parents, our neighbors, our favorite barista, the glamorous celebrity, the drunken beggar, all of us have the capacity to be heroes.

As for being "kings and queens", bodhisattvas are usually depicted wearing the garbs of royalty, often adorned with wonderful jewels, crowns, necklaces, etc. One reason for this has little to do with aesthetics. Heroes can come in many, many forms. This is shown in the final chapter of the Avatamsaka Sutra, (known as the Gandavyuha or Entry into the Inconceivable) where the spiritual pilgrim Sudhana meets and receives Dharma teachings from kings, children, courtesans, goddesses, and many others.

The seemingly impossible nature of treading the bodhisattva path was mentioned earlier and the line "though nothing will drive them away" is yet another reference to this idea. The Four Great Vows address the idea of "impossibility" by showing that we can be heroes even if we "don't drive away" the unskillful aspects of our being all at once:

Sentient beings are numberless; I vow to save them.
Desires are inexhaustible; I vow to put an end to them.
Dharmas are boundless; I vow to master them.
The Buddha Way is unattainable; I vow to attain it.
-translated by the Mountains and Rivers Order of Zen Buddhism

I, I can remember
Standing-by the wall
And the guns-shot above our heads
And we kissed-as though nothing could fall
And the shame-was on the other side
Oh we can beat them-forever and ever
Then we could be heroes-just for one day
We can be heroes (3x)
Just for one day

Much has been said about the lofty attributes of epic heroes and while it can be very helpful to draw inspiration and motivation from these people and their stories, it is vital to not lose perspective in regards to the "ordinary world". Epic heroes may be the subject of Hollywood blockbusters but sometimes it's the mundane deeds of everyday heroes that make the profound impression on us.

Not many people wake up with the thought "I will do a heroic deed today!" Many times, being a hero means doing something ordinary in an extraordinary circumstance. The little story Bowie presents in these lines are an example of this. It starts out with him simply "standing by a wall" but we soon find out that there are "guns" are "shots above our heads", implying he's in the middle of a war zone or shootout of some sort.

In the midst of such chaos, he does something seemingly bizarre: he kisses someone. In many cultures, particularly the West, a kiss is an expression of love, affection, intimacy, and endearment. War has the terrible ability to dehumanize people and bring out the worst that humanity has within itself and yet Bowie opens his heart by kissing "as though nothing could fall". Kissing the ones we love in a normal situation can seem like a natural, if mundane thing to do but the heroic stance taken by Bowie underscores how important it is to pay attention to the everyday occurrences in our lives.

There is a famous koan where master Zhaozhou (趙州從諗) asks Nanquan (南泉普願) what The Way is. Nanquan replies by saying "Ordinary mind is the way".

Layman Pang, the famous Ch'an master was once asked what he was up to. His now famous words were "before enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water. After enlightenment, I chopped wood and carried water".

Having embraced his loved one, Bowie tells us that "the shame-was on the other side" of the wall. The Buddha's famous discourse on loving-kindness, the Metta Sutta says:

...So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings.
Radiating kindness over the entire world.
Spreading upwards to the skies And downwards to the depths,
Outwards and unbounded, Freed from hatred and ill-will...
-from the Abhayagiri Monastery Chanting Book

In his famous essay, "East and West", Rabindranth Tagore speaks of love's power in the context of the Buddha and how his teachings shattered many walls:

"We know of an instance in our own history of India, when a great personality, both in his life and voice, struck the keynote of that solemn music of the soul - love for all creatures. And that music crossed seas, mountains, and deserts. Races belonging to different climates, habits, and languages were drawn together, not in the clash of arms, not in the conflict of exploitation, but in the harmony of life, in amity and peace".

The song concludes with the previous exhortations of how we can be heroes, even if its just for one day. What, however, happens when we become heroes? According the last chapter of the Dhammapada:

"Whoever, having given up liking and disliking,
Has become cooled, without attachments,
A hero overcoming the entire world,
I call a brahmin".
-Ch. 26, verse 418, translated by Gil Fronsdal

We Are The Time. We Are The Famous.

We are the time. We are the famous
metaphor from Heraclitus the Obscure.

We are the water, not the hard diamond,
the one that is lost, not the one that stands still.

We are the river and we are that greek
that looks himself into the river. His reflection
changes into the waters of the changing mirror,
into the crystal that changes like the fire.

We are the vain predetermined river,
in his travel to his sea.

The shadows have surrounded him.
Everything said goodbye to us, everything goes away.

Memory does not stamp his own coin.

However, there is something that stays
however, there is something that bemoans.

-Jorge Luis Borges

SF Pilgrimage

The NY Times just put out an interesting travelogue about various Buddhist sites in and around San Francisco, the "heartland" of Buddhism in America. The article, entitled "In Buddha's Path on the Streets of San Francisco", looks at some of the oldest and most influential temples in the city. Below, Maitreya Bodhisattva from Gandhara Period (2nd Century) @ the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

Song of Zazen

All beings by nature of Buddha,
as ice by nature is water.
Apart from water there is no ice;
apart from beings, no Buddha.

How sad that people ignore the near,
and search for truth afar:
like someone in the midst of water
crying out in thirst;
like a child of a wealthy home
wandering among the poor.

Lost on the dark paths of ignorance,
we wander the Six Worlds;
from dark path to dark path-
when shall we be freed from birth and death?

Oh, the zazen of the Mahayana!
To this the highest praise!
Devotion, repentance, training,
the many paramitas,
all have their source in zazen.

Those who try zazen even once
wipe away beginningless crimes.
Where are all the dark paths then?
The Pure Land itself is near.

Those who hear this truth even once
and listen with a grateful heart,
treasuring it, revering it,
gain blessings without end.

Much more, those who turn about
and bear witness to self-nature,
self-nature that is no nature,
go far beyond mere doctrine.

Here effect and cause are the same;
the Way is neither two nor three.
With form that is no-form,
going and coming, we are never astray;
with thought that is no-thought,
even singing and dancing are the voice of the Law.

How boundless and free is the sky of Samadhi!
How bright the full moon of wisdom!
Truly, is anything missing now?
Nirvana is right here, before our eyes;
this very place is the Lotus Land;
this very body, the Buddha.

-composed by Hakuin Ekaku ((白隠 慧鶴),
translated from the Japanese by Robert Aitken.