Believe not...

From time to time I am asked what drew me to Buddhism and the practice of Zen...I remember reading this quote from the Buddha when I was a teen:

"Believe not because some old manuscripts are produced, believe not because it is your national belief, believe not because you have been made to believe from your childhood, but reason truth out, and after you analyzed it, then you find it will do good to one and all, live up to it, and help others live up to it."


This spoke to me immensely. Maybe because the Viet Nam War was raging and we were questioning a lot of beliefs during that era.  I was also growing as a teen with lots of 'rebellious thoughts' going on anyway...either way, this quote made me investigate more of the Buddha's teachings. I liked what I read and eventually went on to practice Zen and receive the precepts.

These wise words have always been dear to my heart. I hope they speak to you as well.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

The 84th Problem

One of my favorite Buddha Stories: The 84th Problem

A man seeking help went to see the Buddha. He told him he was a farmer. "I like farming," the man said, "but sometimes it doesn't rain enough, and sometimes it rains too much. One year we nearly starved." The Buddha listened.

"I like my wife," the man said, "but sometimes she nags too much, then I get tired of her...We have kids too. Good kids, but sometimes they don't show enough respect, and..."the man went on and on like this.

After the man finished, the Buddha sat, thought, then said, "I'm sorry, I can't help you." "Everyone has problems. In fact, we have 83 problems", and he enumerated them, from birth to death, but as he talked the man grew more and more furious until he questioned the very premise of the Buddha's teaching.

"Well," the Buddha finally said, "I may be able to help you with the 84th problem."

"The 84th Problem? What's that?" the man queried. 

The Buddha said, "The problem of wanting to not have any problems."

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Happy Birthday Buddha!

April 8th is the day most Buddhists celebrate the historical Buddha's birthday...so if you see Buddha today wish him a Happy Birthday....then kill him.

Hands palm to palm,

Shinzen

Boredom and the Way

A beginning Zen student complained to his master that the meditation practice of following the breath was boring. The Zen master unexpectedly grabbed the student and held his head under water for quite a long time while the student struggled to come up.

Finally, he let the student go."Now how boring is your breath?" he asked.

I love this story, especially when I find my own zazen practice going 'stale' or I am finding it harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning to go and sit. It is very important for all of us to be aware of when we are getting bored with our practice of the martial arts or meditative arts.
The simple things, like breathing, are essential. Without our breath, we would die. To meditate upon our inhales and exhales is to study the very nature of our life and death. It is to see life and death with each breath, with each step we take, with each time we practice kata, like Sanchin.

To see the ebb and flow of life and death in our daily lives and practice of the arts is the very essence of Zen...and freedom from suffering. And, yes, at times Zen and Sanchin Kata are very boring. Our 'ego' or 'small mind' loves drama and wants us to have lots of excitement to feel alive. Without drama the ego feels threatened. Zen practice is also about seeing through this delusion and deception.

To study the simple, basic and rudimentary levels of life, such as the breath, is to connect with the very essence of being alive and realizing true inner freedom. The same goes for the practice of the very rudimentary aspects of Karate, such as Sanchin. Sanchin is simply a moving Zen practice. Simple, plain and ordinary.

Shunryu Suzuki, a famous Zen Master, once stated that Zen is not some special excitement about life, but simply the concentration on the basics of life itself. Yes, not too exciting, but with daily practice, very liberating. So, I encourage you to perservere in the face of boredom. See boredom as an ally, a guide even, to seeing into your true nature and realizing your own buddha nature.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Enter the Gates

In the study of the Way, or Tao, you pass through many gates on the path to liberation. Today, I want to discuss three Gates of Liberation that are important for you as a Karate-ka to understand and meditate upon.

As most of you are aware, the -do of Karate-do indicates that you are on a path of awakening and liberation from suffering and the root of suffering. Inside the dojo you are following a path of freedom and learning how to accord with the flow of life, or Tao.

As you walk upon this path, the first gate you walk through is understanding the true meaning of Kara in Karate. This is the 'empty' of Empty Hand. As I have mentioned in previous posts, Kara or emptiness, does not mean there is nothing there. Kara relates back to emptiness of a separate existence from everything else. You have no separate self that lives and dies. You are composed of non-You elements.

For instance, I am Shinzen, but I am also the oatmeal and coffee I had for breakfast. I am a father only because I have children and a Sensei only because I have students. I, Shinzen, am composed of non-Shinzen elements. (I encourage you to read any of Thich Nhat Hanh's work on Interbeing).

To understand that you are not you, but also many elements connected to everything else, you can see that you are 'empty' of an individual 'you' and that 'you' can only exist because everything else exists. You can only be you because of the whole universe existing at the same time. With this understanding, or passing through this gate, you can see that 'you' were never born and can never die.

The second gate is the Gate of Seeing. This is the gate of seeing that the menu is not the food and the map is not the territory. So often you can get caught up in labels, concepts and notions about the world and all it entails. As a younger Karate-ka I was often criticized by the Karate traditionalist because I went outside the labels of what 'true' karate was and supposed to be.

I saw how a Kata, like Naihanchi, could be performed on the ground, rather than standing. I could see how other martial arts, like Aikido, Jujitsu, Kung Fu, exist within the Kata. I could only do this because I had caught early on, the meaning of emptiness or kara or kara-te, and could see how non-karate elements also comprise karate. I could also see how brushing my teeth is Karate, mopping the floor is Karate and laughing my ass off at Monty Python is Karate. Everything I do is real Karate.

The Third Gate to pass through is realizing there is nothing to get! This is my laughing gate. Having this insight caused me to laugh at myself till my ribs ached. There is nothing to get or to gain....there is no real hidden or dark secrets that are going to make you invincible...you are already infinite and eternal...so there is no problem. So many of us, especially me, often searched for the next best martial art, hoping to find that ultimate way of self-defense...and to build my ego, the false sense of existence. Passing throught the first two gates helped free me from this agonizing search...and helped me pass through this third one, waking up to the fact that all I need is right here and now. No place to go and nothing to get! Everything is perfect and complete just now as it is. I can now use and be free from what 'things' are called, even myself. Heck, no need for New Year's Resolutions.

Three Gates...I could go and on but this is a good starting point for discussion and fun. (Actually, my wife is telling me to get started on my post holiday honey-do list)

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Rohatsu

As a majority of the world enters into the holiday season, whether it be Kwanzaa, Christmas, Hannukah, Winter Solstice, etc., the Buddhist community finished its December 'holiday' earlier this month.

December 8th, or Rohatsu (8th day of 12th month) celebrates the day Gautama Buddha achieved complete and unsurpassed enlightenment.

Different Buddhist sects celebrate differently. In Soto Zen we honor the time with a 7 day Sesshin. Yep...we sit on our butts for seven days and stare at the wall! Now, I didn't do this myself this year, but I do honor the day with some extra time sitting zen and giving thanks. Typically, sitting begins December 1st and ends the 8th...although it can be held on different days.

Just had a few moments and this crossed my mind so I thought I would post it.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

Discipline the Mind

Open your hand right now. How did that happen? Make a fist now...and now point with your index finger...and now make a claw. How do you do this? With intent. Your mind's intent shapes the nature of your hand.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, the Art of Karate...the Empty Hand...on one level means you have no weapon in your hand....on a deeper level, the Hand open symbolizes Pure Raw Potential of Ku/Kara, or Emptiness. When you have an intention it shapes the open hand into what you need as a Martial Artist.

It can be a club, a fist, a claw, a gripper, a pointer, a flesh tearer, a knife hand and the list goes on. Since Karate-do is a microcosm of life it is important to understand that your life, just like your hand, is shaped by your mind's intentions. In many ways your mind's intent shapes your life into either a life of bliss or living hell. It depends on how you want to shape it!

Just something to think about. Buddha taught basically three things: 1. Do good things. 2. Avoid doing bad things. 3. Discipline the mind.

I have always contended when you take care of number 3 the first two are no longer needed. Just something to think about.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen




photo: Greybolt/flikr

Lessons from my Zafu: Ground Zero

Dr. Yozan (Dirk) Mosig, a Shuri-te practitioner and Zen priest, often would remind us that Karate was 95% mental and 5% physical. This saying has always stuck with me...and as I have my own sitting practice I am becoming more and more aware of how correct his statement is.

As I have mentioned before, Buddha spoke about how all we are is a result of our thoughts...with our thoughts we create our world and shape our reality. This is so true...and is even backed up by Quantum Physics, but I am not going to go into that right now.

What I am referencing today is Ground Zero....bringing your mind to that still point of just before you inhale and just before you have your next thought. Ground Zero is the place you have to decide upon how you are going to shape your world. Buddha spoke of being mindful of mind. Be aware of your thoughts as if they are a cobra ready to strike...bring your awareness to that level on and off your zafu.

I call that point of total awareness or stillness of mind Ground Zero...just like sitting on your Zafu...on the ground...this is Ground Zero....stay there and when your mind does wander be aware of the wandering....be curious about the wandering and then gently return to Ground Zero.

This is also the mindset when doing Kata. Kata is also a place for Ground Zero...be aware of your thoughts before, during and after Kata. Are you 'in' the kata or wandering around in your mind. Stay at Ground Zero....Did you know Kata also means 'how you behave'? So a Kata is also how you brush your teeth, do your job, take a piss, and talk to your children or friends. Are you at Ground Zero? Are you aware or are you running on Autopilot?

Ground Zero...being Here and Now...being with the events of life as they unfold moment by moment, but also being with your thoughts and judgements about the events of life as they unfold. If you do not like your thoughts or judgements, again, just be curious about them and gently return to Ground Zero...here you have the chance to change your world.

This is part of our Budo training...95% mental.

Hope my morning rambling has made sense...

In Gassho,
Shinzen

If You Wish to Understand...

During one of Nonin's Dharma talks at a Sesshin he said, "If you wish to understand your past, look at your present: If you wish to understand your future, look at your present."

For some reason this stuck in my head as it had a ring of truth to it. I did not give it much thought until just recently. I was thinking about what Buddha had said about how all we are is a result of our thinking. All that we are arises with our thoughts. So, I inserted 'thinking' into Nonin's quote and it reads like this:

"If you wish to understand your past, look at your present thinking: If you wish to understand your future, look at your present thinking."

As a mental health professional many of the people I see are lost and confused and want to know why their life 'sucks' and what they can do about it. They want to explore the past and find a cause or an excuse or someone to blame for their problems. Now, this does have some therapeutic value, however, if you really examine why life sucks now, take a look at what you are thinking now.

If your thinking is full of negativity, bias, jealousy, aversion, greed your life will be full of negativity, bias, jealousy, etc. Everything in your life right now is a result of your thoughts. Your life right now is a total culmination and manifestation of all that you have thought! When you examine your present thoughts you are seeing your past...as well as your future.

So, if you want to have a better future, start thinking better thoughts. Notice how all great spiritual traditions and teachers focus on positivity, joy, love, compassion. Why? Because we become what we think about and we get what we think about. In therapy, I have my clients begin with counting their blessings and see how there life does have some great things going on...and to focus on gratitude moment by moment. For some clients, I teach them how to Gassho with thanksgiving to everything in their lives...and you know what? Their lives do begin to change.

Entering into a Dojo and recieving formal training in a traditional martial art has lots of bowing and showing signs of respect. This is why a Dojo and your martial art is also a healing art. You are healing yourself (and others) just by coming in and following the martial way. You become transformed through these actions of respect and gratitude. Notice how a Dojo usually has lots of smiling and laughing going on? It is really a happy place.

Buddha spoke of three things really. A summation of his teachings boils down to this:
1. Do good things.
2. Avoid bad things.
3. Discipline your mind.

This third thing, when it happens, helps you manage the first two. The process of disciplining the mind involves Zazen. This is the perfect vehicle for examining the self. Dogen-zenji, the founder of Soto Zen in Japan, spoke of how Zen is the process of examining the self...and is enlightenment itself.

Well, this post is getting long...maybe I will continue again on this subject. It was just running through my head so now you can have it.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen

If you meet the Buddha...kill him!

Buddha taught self-reliance and non-attachment. His teachings are full of examples of being lamps unto ourselves and not relying on someone else's experience...and not hanging onto the ones we have.

He wanted for all people to have his experience of total awakening, but be our experience. We need to have the direct and immediate awakening inside ourselves.

Many Zen Masters, like Bankei, were chastised for not using the zen system of its day, with regimented routines and koans. He was a light unto himself. He had the experience and went around challenging others in their enlightenment experience like a samurai challenging another to determine their level of skill. Bankei did not lose.

One time during zazen I had a very high level of clarity and had a laser light pass into my third eye (area located between the eyes). I went to Nonin, my Zen teacher, and asked him about it. He basically told me to kill it. It is nothing to hang on to. It was a just another level of consciousness, no better or worse than another. This too shall pass. He was teaching me to not get attached to wonderful sensations and heightened levels of awareness. Just stay here and sit.

This is killing the Buddha. Do not hang onto the Buddha or Buddhism or any -ism or wonderful insights. They are passing and transient and can hook us into a false sense of confidence and spiritual egoism. This is just as dangerous as being addicted to a street drug like cocaine or heroin. It deludes us and keeps us in a trance. We are not free or awakened. We only think we are.

True freedom comes from killing the Buddha...every single day. This extends to my study of Karate as well. I am always killing my own insights. When I have one, it excites me. I play with it, give it thanks, and then kill it. I move on. To stay stuck on one interpretation or a set of interpretations of kata or strategies about fighting or self-defense is to not accord with the -do of Karate-do. I drive my students crazy some days because I am always changing things. Just when they think they have Sanchin Kata understood, I change it. Kill the Buddha.

This is so they understand there is no firm ground on which to stand. Karate is not static...it is an active evolving art form and it is important to keep the mind bouyant and non-attached. Life is bouyant and non-attached. Kill the Buddha!


I hope this makes sense.

If it does.

Kill it.

Hands palm to palm,
Shinzen