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.

The Tree of Love

The tree of love its roots hath spread
Deep in my heart, and rears its head;
Rich are its fruits: they joy dispense;
Transport the heart, and ravish sense.
In love's sweet swoon to thee I cleave,
Bless'd source of love . . .

-Saint Francis of Assisi

What Happens When We Die?

Attitudes towards an afterlife/reincarnation vary a great deal and even science is now beginning take a serious look. In a recent Time Magazine interview, Dr. Sam Parnia of the Weill Cornel Medical Center answers questions about his latest study, called "AWARE" (AWAreness during Resuscitation). The 3-year study will make detailed investigations into this phenomena.

Something I particularly liked was Dr. Parnia's explanation of the need for these kinds of experiments:

...When we look at the world around us, Newtonian physics is perfectly sufficient. It explains most things that we deal with. But then it was discovered that actually when you look at motion at really small levels — beyond the level of the atoms — Newton's laws no longer apply. A new physics was needed, hence, we eventually ended up with quantum physics. It caused a lot of controversy — even Einstein himself didn't believe in it. Now, if you look at the mind, consciousness, and the brain, the assumption that the mind and brain are the same thing is fine for most circumstances, because in 99% of circumstances we can't separate the mind and brain; they work at the exactly the same time. But then there are certain extreme examples, like when the brain shuts down, that we see that this assumption may no longer seem to hold true. So a new science is needed in the same way that we had to have a new quantum physics...

Silence

Drink the wine of mystic knowledge,
but don't then forget to keep your lips closed.

It's never a good time,
to sell the Divine Secret.

Should you face any troubles,
don't babble and gush
like the mountain spring.

If you remain silent,
then you'll become the sea.

-Farid al-Din Attar (عطار فریدالدی)