Kuan Yin Watches Over London Ontariario

A peaceful oasis of compassion at the Duc Quang Vietnamese Buddhist Centre on busy Hamilton Rd. in London, Ontariario. It seems to me, somehow, that not so long ago, this was a Spanish Catholic church or something like that, and the statue in the courtyard was the Virgin Mary. Plus ça change, eh?

hum-tibetan2

hum-tibetan2, originally uploaded by jayarava.

Tibetan calligraphy. Tough to do. Well, maybe not so tough, but you need proper instruments to really do it write. I've practised a little bit but all my calligraphy comes out looking like doodles. I'd like to learn to do it better. It's hard to do effective visualizations during meditation of syllables like this Hum. I imagine it would be easier if I knew how to draw it. Easier to recognize, easier to distinguish from other syllables, easier to remember.

Jayarava is pretty good. Check out his stuff here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayarava/

"Demon-hearted Splittist" Recruits Child Soldiers in Seattle

Parental Advisory: Since you can't see my eyes rolling, be advised that the title above is ironic/sarcastic/not serious, eh? They say that sarcasm is a form of anger. Maybe it's passive-aggressive. So, OK, I have some issues. But I'm still mystified by the Chinese government's inability to see the disconnect between their accusations and the whole of the Dalai Lama's career since leaving Tibet.

Having said that, here's a transcript of part of Democracy Now's broadcast from April 15/08. His Holiness is in Seattle giving teachings and generally being a nuisance I guess, but he took some time to subvert the minds of 15,000 young Murricans. Here's what some of them had to say:

AMY GOODMAN: We wrap up today show with the reflections of three kids from Seattle, Washington, who heard the Dalai Lama speak yesterday. The Tibetan spiritual leader addressed over 15,000 children at the Key Arena in Seattle.

AMY GOODMAN: Hi. What’s your name?


PHIL: Phil.


AMY GOODMAN: And how old are you, Phil?


PHIL: I’m twelve years old.


AMY GOODMAN: And who were you just watching?


PHIL: The Dalai Lama.


AMY GOODMAN: And what does he mean to you?


PHIL: He means the future, because he represents hope. And we also—a lot of people at our school, we love to see someone who can set a good example. And because he—even though he’s a leader of Tibet and he’s exiled, he still does good throughout the world. I think that really means a lot. And I really hope that one day everyone will see as he does, that we need to have compassion, and we need to have hope.


AMY GOODMAN: And what school do you go to?


PHIL: Seattle Country Day School.


AMY GOODMAN: Seattle Country Day School?


PHIL: Seattle Country Day School.


AMY GOODMAN: What’s your name?


ELEANOR: I’m Eleanor.


AMY GOODMAN: And how old are you?


ELEANOR: I’m eleven.


AMY GOODMAN: And what did you think?


ELEANOR: Well, I think that it’s a great opportunity for all of us to be able to see someone who speaks with such wisdom and experience. And I’m really glad that I was able to learn from his powerful words.


AMY GOODMAN: What did you learn?


ELEANOR: I learned that there is such thing as a place where everyone can be happy and help each other. And he is a motivation to create that world.


AMY GOODMAN: Where is that world?


ELEANOR: That world is in the future. That world’s in the future.


AMY GOODMAN: And what’s your name?


SHAY: My name is Shay.


AMY GOODMAN: How old are you?


SHAY: I’m eleven.


AMY GOODMAN: Where do you go to school?


SHAY: Seattle Country Day School.


AMY GOODMAN: And what did you think of the Dalai Lama today?


SHAY: I think he’s very wise, and I think he had a message that everyone should hear, and everyone could be compassionate no matter what religion you are, or you’re atheist or whatever. And I think it was a great opportunity for us to see him.


AMY GOODMAN: Will you remember this day?


SHAY: Yeah, I definitely will.

AMY GOODMAN: Kids at the Key Arena yesterday. It was packed with children, ages three and four up through high school. But this in theSeattle Times: on Monday, when the Dalai Lama awarded an honorary degree at the UW, University of Washington, students will get to ask him his views on compassion, peace and relationships, but not on the Chinese political situation or Tibet. UW officials last month asked students to submit possible questions for the Dalai Lama’s campus visit. About sixty students responded, including eight who wanted to ask about China or Tibet, but when UW officials handpicked fourteen students to ask questions at the event, politics were deliberately left out.

It says here the Dalai Lama was awarded an honourary degree. We wonders, yes we does, what sort of degree...political science maybe?

And BTW, check out Democracy Now whenever you get a chance. You can download free transcripts of the shows, or podcasts, even video. They have excellent coverage of many issues that concern Murricans and other citizens of the world, but be warned. Democracy Now is unremittingly leftist/liberal/progressive, and the show would probably scoff at the idea of a demon-hearted Dalai Lama.

Serendipity

I'm looking at the face of Mental Blog, and off there to the right, in the sidebar, I have two little display units, one on top of the other. The first is called Random Wisdom. The second, Quote of the Day. Ordinarily I wouldn't point them out. They are there for you to notice if you've managed to spend more than 10 seconds on the page.

But today I want to draw attention to them, because the two quotes, entirely without my help, somehow seem to complement one another. The Random Wisdom was inserted by me a few days ago. But the Quote of the Day comes randomly from the Quote of the Day Magic Wizard, so I never know what's going to show up.

And here's what they say:

In the company of others, guard your speech.
Whenever you are alone, guard your mind.
Dipamkara Atisha: The Jewel Rosary of the Bodhisattvas

Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.
Josh Billings

The first is obviously a Dharma quotation. That's what Random Wisdom is...my random pick of Dharma quotes. Atisha was one of the great arya beings who helped establish Buddhism in Tibet. He was one of the first, if not the first, to codify the teachings into a graduated path known as Lam Rim.

The second is also a Dharma quotation. But not quite so intentional. I didn't know who Josh Billings was until I Googled his name. Wikipedia says old Josh was "the pen name of humorist born Henry Wheeler Shaw (20 April 1818 – 14 October 1885). He was perhaps the second most famous humor writer and lecturer in the United States in the second half of the 19th century after Mark Twain, although his reputation has not fared so well with later generations."

He was also the guy who really made famous the line about the squeaky wheel getting the grease. Not bad. One hundred and fifty years later, we may not know his name, but we sure know what he said. Wouldn't we all like to claim something like that?

The Dalai Lama's Anniversary Statement

The Statement of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Forty-Ninth Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day

On the occasion of the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan people's peaceful uprising in Lhasa on 10 March 1959, I offer my prayers and pay tribute to those brave men and women of Tibet who have endured untold hardships and sacrificed their lives for the cause of the Tibetan people and express my solidarity with those Tibetans presently undergoing repression and ill-treatment. I also extend my greetings to Tibetans in and outside Tibet, supporters of the Tibetan cause and all who cherish justice.

For nearly six decades, Tibetans in the whole of Tibet known as Cholkha-Sum (V-Tsang, Kham and Amdo) have had to live in a state of constant fear, intimidation and suspicion under Chinese repression. Nevertheless, in addition to maintaining their religious aim, a sense of nationalism and their unique culture, the Tibetan people have been able to keep alive their basic aspiration for freedom. I have great admiration for the special characteristics of the Tibetan people and their indomitable courage. I am extremely pleased and proud of them.

Many governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals across the world, because of their interest in peace and justice, have consistently supported the cause of Tibet. Particularly during the past year, governments and peoples of many countries made important gestures that clearly expressed their support to us. I would like to express my gratitude to every one of them.

The problem of Tibet is very complicated. It is intrinsically linked with many issues: politics, the nature of society, law, human rights, religion, culture, the identity of a people, the economy and the state of the natural environment. Consequently, a comprehensive approach must be adopted to resolve this problem that takes into account the benefits to all parties involved, rather than one party alone. Therefore, we have been firm in our commitment to a mutually beneficial policy, the Middle-Way approach, and have made sincere and persistent efforts towards achieving this for many years. Since 2002, my envoys have conducted six rounds of talks with concerned officials of the People's Republic of China to discuss relevant issues. These extensive discussions have helped to clear away some of their doubts and enabled us to explain our aspirations to them. However, on the fundamental issue, there has been no concrete result at all. And during the past few years, Tibet has witnessed increased repression and brutality. In spite of these unfortunate developments, my stand and determination to pursue the Middle-Way policy and to continue our dialogue with the Chinese government remain unchanged.

A major concern of the People's Republic of China is its lack of legitimacy in Tibet. The principal way to lend weight to their position is for the Chinese government to pursue a policy that satisfies the Tibetan people and gains their confidence. If we are able to achieve reconciliation by treading a path of mutual consent, then, as I have already stated many times, I will make every effort to win the support of the Tibetan people.

In Tibet today, due to the Chinese government's numerous actions, driven as they are by a lack of foresight, the natural environment has been severely damaged. And, as a result of their policy of population transfer the non-Tibetan population has increased many times, reducing native Tibetans to an insignificant minority in their own country. Moreover, the language, customs and traditions of Tibet, which reflect the true nature and identity of the Tibetan people, are gradually fading away. As a consequence, Tibetans are increasingly being assimilated into the larger Chinese population. In Tibet, repression continues to increase with numerous, unimaginable and gross violations of human rights, denial of religious freedom and the politicization of religious issues. All these take place as a result of the Chinese government's lack of respect for the Tibetan people. These are major obstacles the Chinese government deliberately puts in the way of its policy of unifying nationalities which discriminate between the Tibetan and Chinese peoples. Therefore, I urge the Chinese government to bring an immediate halt to such policies.

Although the areas inhabited by Tibetan people are referred to by such different names as autonomous region autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties, they are autonomous in name only; they actually have no real autonomy. Instead, they are governed by people who are oblivious of the regional situation, and driven by what Mao Zedong called "Han chauvinism". As a result, this so-called autonomy has not brought the concerned nationalities any tangible benefit. Disingenuous policies that are not in tune with reality are causing enormous harm not only to the respective nationalities, but also to the unity and stability of the Chinese nation. It is important for the Chinese government, as advised by Deng Xiaoping, to "seek truth from facts" in the real sense of the term.

The Chinese government severely criticizes me when I raise questions about the welfare of the Tibetan people before the international community. Until we reach a mutually beneficial solution, I have a historical and moral responsibility to continue to speak out freely on their behalf. However, it is common knowledge that I have been in semi-retirement since the political leadership of the Tibetan Diaspora has been directly elected by the general Tibetan populace.

China is emerging as a powerful country due to her great economic progress. This is to be welcomed, but it has also provided China an opportunity to play an important role on the global stage. The world is eagerly waiting to see how the present Chinese leadership will put into effect its avowed concepts of "harmonious society" and "peaceful rise". For the realization of these concepts, economic progress alone will not suffice. There must be improvements in observance of the rule of law, transparency, and right to information, as well as freedom of speech. Since China is a country of many nationalities, they must all be given equality and freedom to protect their respective unique identities if the country is to remain stable.

On 6 March 2008, President Hu Jintao stated: "The stability in Tibet concerns the stability of the country, and the safety in Tibet concerns the safety of the country." He added that the Chinese leadership must ensure the well-being of Tibetans, improve the work related to religions and ethnic groups, and maintain social harmony and stability. President Hu's statement conforms to reality and we look forward to its implementation.

This year, the Chinese people are proudly and eagerly awaiting the opening of the Olympic Games. I have, from the very beginning, supported the idea that China should be granted the opportunity to host the Olympic Games. Since such international sporting events, and especially the Olympics, uphold the principles of freedom of speech, freedom of expression, equality and friendship, China should prove herself a good host by providing these freedoms. Therefore, besides sending their athletes, the international community should remind the Chinese government of these issues. I have come to know that many parliaments, individuals and nongovernmental organizations around the globe are undertaking a number of activities in view of the opportunity that exists for China to make a positive change. I admire their sincerity; I would like to state emphatically that it will be very important to observe the period following the conclusion of the Games. The Olympic Games no doubt will greatly impact the minds of the Chinese people. The world should, therefore, explore ways of investing their collective energies in producing a continuous positive change inside China even after the Olympics have come to an end.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my pride in and appreciation for the sincerity, courage and determination of the Tibetan people inside Tibet. I urge them to continue to work peacefully and within the law to ensure that all the minority nationalities of the People's Republic of China, including the Tibetan people, enjoy their legitimate rights and benefits.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Government and people of India, in particular, for their continuing and unparalleled support for Tibetan refugees and the cause of Tibet, as well as expressing my gratitude to all those governments and peoples for their continued concern for the Tibetan cause.

With my prayers for the well-being of all sentient beings.

The Dalai Lama
10 March 2008

http://www.snowlionpub.com/pages/uprising2008.php

Help the Tibetans Pt.II

Dear friends, Tibetans have exploded onto the streets in frustration--call on China to respect human rights and enter dialogue with the Dalai Lama now: Sign the Petition! After decades of repression under Chinese rule, the Tibetan people's frustrations have burst onto the streets in protests and riots. With the spotlight of the upcoming Olympic Games now on China, Tibetans are crying out to the world for change. The Chinese government has said that the protesters who have not yet surrendered "will be punished". Its leaders are right now considering a crucial choice between escalating brutality or dialogue that could determine the future of Tibet, and China. We can affect this historic choice--China does care about its international reputation. China's President Hu Jintao needs to hear that the 'Made in China' brand and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing can succeed only if he makes the right choice. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention--and we need it in the next 48 hours. The Tibetan Nobel peace prize winner and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama has called for restraint and dialogue: he needs the world's people to support him. Click below now to sign the petition--and tell absolutely everyone you can right away--our goal is 1 million voices united for Tibet: http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/6.php China's economy is totally dependent on "Made in China" exports that we all buy, and the government is keen to make the Olympics in Beijing this summer a celebration of a new China, respected as a leading world power. China is also a very diverse country with a brutal past and has reason to be concerned about its stability -- some of Tibet's rioters killed innocent people. But President Hu must recognize that the greatest danger to Chinese stability and development comes from hardliners who advocate escalating repression, not from Tibetans who seek dialogue and reform. We will deliver our petition directly to Chinese officials in London, New York, and Beijing, but it must be a massive number before we deliver the petition. Please forward this to your address book with a note explaining to your friends why this is important, or use our tell-a-friend tool to email your address book--it will come up after you sign the petition. The Tibetan people have suffered quietly for decades. It is finally their moment to speak--we must help them be heard. With hope and respect, Ricken, Iain, Graziela, Paul, Galit, Pascal, Milena, Ben and the whole Avaaz team PS - It has been suggested that the Chinese government may block the Avaaz website as a result of this email, and thousands of Avaaz members in China will no longer be able to participate in our community. A poll of Avaaz members over the weekend showed that over 80% of us believed it was still important to act on Tibet despite this terrible potential loss to our community, if we thought we could make a difference. If we are blocked, Avaaz will help maintain the campaign for internet freedom for all Chinese people, so that our members in China can one day rejoin our community. Here are some links with more information on the Tibetan protests and the Chinese response: BBC News: UN Calls for Restraint in Tibet Human Rights Watch: China Restrain from Violently Attacking Protesters Associated Press: Tibet Unrest Sparks Global Reaction New York Times: China Takes Steps to Thwart Reporting on Tibet Protests -------------------------------------------- ABOUT AVAAZ Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Paris, Washington DC, and Geneva. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Myspace pages! To contact Avaaz, write to info@avaaz.org. You can also send postal mail to our New York office: 260 Fifth Avenue, 9th floor, New York, NY 10001 U.S.A. http://www.avaaz.org.

Help the Tibetans

Read this doc on Scribd: Canada-Tibet Committee-Help Save Tibet

Praising Others

Praising others should be part of our daily life and a component of our Dharma practice. Imagine what our life would be like if we trained our minds to dwell on others' talents and good attributes. We would feel much happier and so would they! We would get along better with others, and our families, work environments, and living situations would be much more harmonious. We plants the seeds from such positive actions on our mindstream, creating the cause for harmonious relationships and success in our spiritual and temporal aims.

An interesting experiment is to try to say something nice to or about someone every day for a month. Try it. It makes us much more aware of what we say and why. It encourages us to change our perspective so that we notice others' good qualities. Doing so also improves our relationships tremendously.

A few years ago, I gave this as a homework assignment at a Dharma class, encouraging people to try to praise even someone they didn't like very much. The next week I asked the students how they did. One man said that the first day he had to make something up in order to speak positively to a fellow colleague. But after that, the man was so much nicer to him that it was easy to see his good qualities and speak about them!

--from Taming the Mind by Thubten Chodron, published by Snow Lion Publications

Root Institute for Wisdom Culture, Bodhgaya

Festival of Lights and Merit 2008

"Those who offer one thousand lights will be reborn when Maitreya Buddha shows the deed of gaining enlightenment and receive his first Dharma teaching." Arya Maitreya Sutra

At the Great Stupa of Enlightenment in Bodhgaya

Celebrating the Four Great Buddhist Festivals with offerings of lights, pujas and prayer flags at the holiest site in the universe at the four most auspicious times of the year to fulfil the wishes of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

The Four Great Buddhist Festivals

Commemorating the most significant events of Guru Shakyamuni Buddha's life, the Four Great Festivals are:

• 15 Days of Miracles (7 - 20 February 2008)

• Enlightenment and Paranirvana (17, 18, 19 June 2008)

• First Teaching (4, 5, 6 August 2008)

• Descent from the God Realm of the Thirty-three (18, 19, 20 November 2008)

The merit from making any offering on these days is said by Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche to be multiplied one hundred million times, and offerings made in Bodhgaya are said to be eight times more powerful!

"All comfort, happiness and peace in this world are received by making offerings to the Triple Gem, therefore those who like to have happiness, comfort and peace always attempt to make these offerings." Tenth Wheel of the Sutra of the Essence of the Earth

The Festival of Lights and Merit supports Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Merit Box projects, your own FPMT centre and the social work projects of Root Institute.

We invite you to join the entire FPMT mandala in celebrating these four great Buddhist celebratory events by sponsoring:

• Any number of the thousands of coloured electric lights adorning the entire Mahabodhi Stupa grounds

• Pujas (Tara, Guru and Protector Pujas) performed by the monks of Namgyal Monastery around the sacred Bodhi tree and at Namgyal Monastery in Bodhgaya.

• Prayer flags strung around the stupa grounds.

Many thousands of lights are offered nightly around the Bodhi Tree gardens on behalf of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, the FLAM sponsors and the entire FPMT Mandala using Rinpoche's Extensive Offering Practice to multiply the offerings and merit, together with the recitation of the sponsors' names and personal dedications. For a detailed description of how the lights are offered please refer to website http://www.rootinstitute.com/holy-objects/light-offering.html

Lights

Number of lights US$ Number of lights US$

350 $25 7,000 $200

1,000 $50 21,000 $500

3,000 $100 100,000 $2000

Pujas Prayer Flags

Tara Puja $35 One set of prayer flags $30

Guru Puja $35

Protector Puja $35

Your sponsorship will include offerings on all four festivals in 2008.

To sponsor Lights, Pujas or Prayer Flags simply ask your local FPMT Centre if they are collecting sponsorships, or send your cheque or credit card details to FPMT International Office, 1632 SE 11^th Avenue, Portland, OR 97214-4702 USA, or go online to www.rootinstitute.com and follow the prompts under Festival of Lights.

The merit of your offerings will be dedicated for:

• All the sponsors, with their personal dedications read individually

• The long lives of our holy gurus: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Lama Osel Rinpoche and all FPMT lamas and teachers

• The preservation and spread of the pure Dharma

• The temporal and ultimate happiness of the sponsors and their loved ones

• The happiness of all sentient beings

• World peace

• And for all obstacles to FPMT projects to be removed and the quick success of all the projects.

The Seven-Limb Prayer & Short Explanation

Seven-Limb Prayer

Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind;

I present clouds of every type of offering, actual and imagined;

I declare all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time

And rejoice in the merit of all holy and ordinary beings.

Please, remain until the end of cyclic existence

And turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings.

I dedicate my own merits and those of all others to the great enlightenment.

Short Explanation of the Seven-Limb Prayer

The seven-limb practice in connection with delusions:

1. Beseeching the Supreme Field of Merit not to pass away overcomes our wrong views and the negative karma we have created by committing negative actions towards the buddhas and spiritual guides. With it we remove dangers and obstacles to our life and plant seeds that eventually ripen in our attainment of the indestructible body of a buddha. (The reference here is a little inaccurate because it is referring to a specific practice: the Ganden Lha Gyäma. In this practice, beseeching the gurus to remain comes first.)

2. Prostration overcomes pride.

3. Offering overcomes miserliness.

4. Confession overcomes all three root delusions, desirous attachment, hatred.

5. Rejoicing overcomes jealousy.

6. Requesting to turn the wheel of dharma overcomes the negative action of abandoning dharma.

7. Dedication overcomes the power of our anger to destroy the merit of whatever good actions we have done. Also by dedicating our merit to benefit all sentient beings we overcome the demon of self-cherishing.

This is taken from: Ganden Lha Gyema: the hundreds of deities of the Land of Joy, by Kyabje Gehlek Rinpoche.

100 Million Manis

In the course of browsing browsing browsing (Hey, what else should I be doing? It's not like I have brain surgery scheduled for the next day or two...) I found the Buddhist blog Awakening the Buddha In Us. The blog is written by Colin, a Buddhist practitioner in Singapore. His latest post is a plea for people to sign a petition to request that a monastery there continue with its annual retreat during which 100 Million Om Mani Padme Hums would be recited. It seems that the driving force behind this event, Drubwang Rinpoche arrived in Singapore for the 2007 event and passed away the day before it was to begin. And this year, they're considering not holding it.

Drubwang Rinpoche at a previous retreat

100 million manis. That's one heck of a peace offering. I'll do some myself (altho not in Singapore) if they continue with it. Apparently, the plea is just to continue. Colin's not asking for donations, just a signing of the petition to demonstrate that people around the world think this is of value. You can find the petition here.

Does the Buddha Exist?

Not according to the Diamond Sutra (or Vajra Cutter Sutra as it's now being named), if I'm reading it correctly. (And that's not certain by any means...)

The early lines of the sutra are taken up with the Buddha discussing with his disciple Subhuti how a bodhisattva should practise. The essence described here is non-discrimination. (But even that's not accurate.)

I'd better quote:

...those bodhisattva mahasattvas will not engage in discriminating a self and will not discriminate a sentient being, will not discriminate a living being, will not engage in discriminating a person.

Subhuti, those bodhisattva mahasattvas will not engage in discriminating phenomena nor discriminating non-phenomena; nor will they engage in discrimination or non-discrimination. Why is that? Subhuti, because if those bodhisattva mahasattvas engage in discriminating phenomena, that itself would be of them grasping a self and grasping a sentient being, grasping a living being, grasping a person. Because even if they engage in discriminating phenomena as non-existent, that would be of them grasping a self and grasping a sentient being, grasping a living being, grasping a person. (Italics added)

Whoa! Neither discrimination nor non-discrimination. Here is the difficulty of trying to use words to signify the dharmakaya, or the buddha, or phenomena, or anything at all. Better to remain silent! Even the use of the word signify is fraught with difficulty, since one of the "characteristics" of the dharmakaya is signlessness, that is, a state without characteristics.

But to get back to the existence or non of the Buddha...A few stanzas later, the Buddha compares the bodhisattvas' giving of vast gifts (completely filling this billionfold world system with the seven types of precious things...) with the merit of reciting, explaining and thoroughly teaching even four lines of the Vajra Cutter sutra. The merit produced by that would be incalculably greater.

Quoting again:

Why is that? Subhuti, because the unsurpassed perfectly completed enlightenment of the tathagata arhat perfectly completed buddhas arises from it; the buddha bhagavans also are produced from it.

I put the word arises in italics. Why? Because that's the key. The Buddha clearly indicates that buddhahood is a dependent arising. In other words, it is in the nature of emptiness or voidness. It neither exists nor does not exist. It arises from a conjunction of causes and conditions.

It is not only the Vajra Cutter that asserts this, now that I think of it. It is a basic teaching of the Mahayana that our ability to develop bodhichitta, the mind of enlightenment, the heart of great compassion, depends on other sentient beings, on the people around us. It's an odd way of phrasing it, but we can't practise in a void. We have to practise with others. We can't become Buddhas without the wing of bodhichitta, and we can't generate bodhichitta without other sentient beings. Therefore, our buddhahood is dependent. In the nature of emptiness.

So all we can say is, it neither exists nor does not exist.

At least, that's the way I see it. And in a future post, I'll contemplate whether I see anything at all.

Larry's Teachers

I can't resist a new gadget. GoogleDocs has a new feature: embeddable slideshows. (Hoo-ee! How's that for cutting edge technology????) Sarcasm aside, I had to try it out. So here's a short list of my Buddhist teachers. All the teachers who have personally taught me. Except for the last two. Lama Yeshe is included although he died more than 20 years ago, but he lives on through his teachings and through Lama Yeshe Ling Buddhist Centre and the FPMT. And Tsong Khapa because he rocks.

The Buddha On My Coffee Cup

pretends to be a hippo
"I have the body of a god" it says.

But Buddha is not a god.
He's something you kill
when you meet him on the road
                                                      to Damascus.

How would the world be now
if Saul had plucked out his eyes
in answer to that blinding flash
                                                      of insight?

Mingyur Rinpoche's Compassion Exercise

Chapter 13 of Mingyur Rinpoche's book The Joy of Living is called Compassion: Opening the Heart of the Mind. At the beginning of it he suggests a short exercise to demonstrate how a compassionate heart can be, not boring, but diligent and active.

He writes:

If you really want to see how active a compassionate mind can be, here's a very simple exercise that probably won't take more than five minutes of your time. Sit down with a pen and paper and make a list of ten problems that you'd like to see solved. It doesn't matter whether they're global problems or issues close to home. You don't have to come up with solutions. Just write the list.

So I did. Here's my list. For today.

1. the fossil fuel/energy crisis
2. poverty
3. the enslavement/oppression of people by their governments
4. war
5. road rage
6. my income tax bill
7. my obsessive anger over situations that don't really matter much
8. becoming a two-handed keyboard player
9. clutter--both physical and mental
10. my tendency to procrastinate

Does Beckham have Buddha-Nature?

According to the monks at Pariwas temple in Bangkok, he most certainly does. They're all football (soccer) crazy there, and included an image of him in their altar statuary.

HHDL Rocks Hawgtown

Security measures at the Yoni School are similar to those found at airports. They are porous and whimsical. It is, after all, not a maximum security reform school, but rather a halfway house of sorts. Halfway between po-tic anarchy and grammatical orthodoxy. The electronic arches at the Yoni school invariably let pass anyone carrying a fountain pen. A volume of Charles Bukowski, however, sends alarums through the system that register several points on the Richter scale as far away as Ottawar, that paragon of political connivance. Do you understand me? Probably not. I scarcely understand myself.

However, what I am trying to convey here is that under certain circumstances, one may leave the environs of the Yoni School, with a pass authorized by Nurse Ratchet and various under-secretaries of literary health, and partake of the doings of society at large. Therefore, I was permitted to go and pay homage to the modern-day Chenresig, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama yesterday in Hawgtown.

He started off by saying that altho he's visited Canada several times, this is the first time he has come to this country as an honourary citizen. That drew an appreciative round of applause.

Here are a few of the themes on which he spoke:

We must realize that the world is not composed of isolated, more or less self-sufficient villages anymore. Everyone is dependent on everyone else now...for food, for energy, for clothing, for shelter. Therefore, we must begin to develop a concern for the welfare of people all around the world. The kind of concern we must develop is like the feeling of love and affection that a mother feels for her child.

If we think of the 20th century as an age of violence and bloodshed, we should work to make the 21st a century of dialogue.

NATO should move its headquarters to Moscow to help bring Russia into the community of European nations, in a unified force.

We treat our animals little better than vegetables. So, in addition to developing concern for the 6 billion humans on our planet, we must begin to change our attitudes towards the animals.

It is time to begin teaching our children in a way that develops not only their brain power, but the power of warm-heartedness.

He praised the US as a beacon of democracy, but strongly suggested that the billions spent in Iraq would have been more useful educating, training, and feeding Iraqis. The money spent on armaments, he said, was a complete waste.

When all is said, His Holiness is an optimistic kind of guy. Where I, for example, often see the world going to hell in a handbasket, he sees progress being made. In fact, he said that the 21st century, so far, has been less violent than the previous century...in spite of Iraq, in spite of Darfur, in spite of terrorism.

And when he uses the word "dialogue" you can be sure he is thinking of China.

White House Press Conference References the Dalai Lama

It's been a long time since I posted. Busy. But I noticed this in my surfing. The first part is a discussion of the award to be presented to the Dalai Lama by the US Congress, and the President's intention to attend this presentation over Chinese objections.

Peace March in Burma

Video provided by MettaTV

Is this not a powerful demonstration of what we call "engaged Buddhism"?