Silent Rhetoric: The Dynamic between Zen Silence and Language

To some obsessed with logical precision who do not wish to grant paradoxes to traditions and thought, there lies an interesting challenge within the Zen tradition.

The undisputed founder of Zen, Bodhidharma, left the world to sit for nine years and gaze at a wall until he reached some sort of “Enlightenment.” (I will be putting large and important Buddhist terms such as “Enlightenment” in quotes for a reason that will be known soon.) There was always an anti-intellectual stream in Zen that always has confused practitioners and Westerns alike.

How can a tradition that seems to be so anti-intellectual not only last so long, but also be so popular in the West, which praises intellectuality? Did somebody miss something and all practitioners of Zen are just morons, including myself? I would like to believe that that is not the case but there is something deeper going on here.

        

Within my first blog post, which I will keep as short as possible, I would like to quickly explain that Zen practitioners generally know what they are dealing with when they encounter a tradition like Zen. It is not as it seems, anti-intellectuality, as understood here in the West is not what Zen is about.

Zen is no stranger to this as well; much of Zen writing is focused on the idea of forgetting the debates and just sitting. That is what Zen is all about. Yet in order to have a successful teaching practice be sustained there has to be records on what to do in meditation, how to achieve “Enlightenment” or “Realization” and so forth. All of those experiences and expectations must be carefully articulated. If it was just left to the person to just sit in silence for thirty-five minutes a day then Zen would never have existed. Something incredibly inappropriate must take place in order to maintain the Zen tradition, we have to write about the experience of silence.

How on Earth do we do something like that?

Suddenly anti-intellectuality flies out the window and must be abandoned because any sort of articulation of silence must include precise vocabulary and rhetoric. Without it, the goals of Zen and the teaching of Zen would remain meaningless and silence would remain just that, silent. Now we have another issue that we Zen folk have to undertake. “Enlightenment” takes place during silent meditation. Right?

Well, we really have no idea.

To examine early texts and even browsing through popular modern Zen texts one finds an enormous attempt of describing the moment “Enlightenment” can be achieved. But in Zen philosophy “Enlightenment” is every moment and paradise is attained when it is realized at that given moment. This is very important because mundane situations and day-to-day occurrences now must hold a vocabulary that for the Christian tradition would hold the same weight as the word “Salvation.” Zen philosophy now has to find precise definitions and phrasing that hold enough weight to describe moments that don’t really have much weight at all. This is certainly a sort of paradox but it is an important one that can be granted and can’t be ignored.

So finally I get to my point.

Language, even when speaking of moments where language isn’t present, is vital to the experience of “Enlightenment.” Without it, “Enlightenment” could not be attained in any significant sense because the dynamic between language and “Enlightenment” become meshed.

Which one comes first? The chicken or the egg? “Enlightenment” or me talking about “Enlightenment?” Does one evoke the other, do they evoke each other? Do they fall under the other Buddhist idea of interdependency? It seems as if though they must because we have no other choice but to speak and write of “Enlightenment” and it has no other choice but to capture us in moments when we begin to articulate what exactly it can be.

“Enlightened” monks write works post-Enlightenment (if that can even somehow be calculated, which it can’t) which then evokes “Enlightenment” in others. It seems to be as simple as that. The lesson we need to take from this is that language is essential to the understanding of times when it seems to be vacant, such as sitting on the meditation cushion. But to abandon discourse regarding the relationship and rely entirely what is believed to be raw experience is romantic and not possible, a hard lesson that the West must learn regarding Zen.

So tell me. Does this post evoke “Enlightenment” or am I writing this because I am “Enlightened?” Or both? Regardless, to describe either one of those is to not to fall back on language and lose our Zen enthusiasm, but to understand the tricky pathways through Zen thinking and be glad in the puzzles that it creates for us.

-  Denis Kurmanov

Acting the Part

There is anatta (no self) and there is ‘self’: identity, you, me, him, her - the habitual self-construct. Usually we are engaged, like this, in the act of ‘being somebody’. Many years ago I was staying with a drama school friend in an apartment full of actors, performers and exceptional ‘people’, opportunists; all hustling for parts in TV, movies, music, anything. They were performing all the time. Every step of the way was an opportunity to perform – life itself was the audition.

In the apartment the phone was ringing constantly, theatrical agencies calling up to return a call from somebody in the apartment. The process of answering the phone was an invitation for these multi-personality beings to try out a different persona every time. The phone rings and whoever is sitting next to it answers, switching to a subtly different ‘voice’, with a different accent, quite believable and acceptable to the caller but interestingly ‘changed’ to those of us in the room.

It was baffling to me at first because there’s a strange logic to this: the caller at the other end of the line is ‘somebody else’, a person with his/her own identity – hence the created personality, character (game) seems like, well, appropriate? You create a ‘self’ to communicate with the other person’s ‘self’. The phone gets put down and immediately rings again. The same person answers it in another ‘voice’ – an identity that’s so different from the one he just used it’s hard to believe; bordering on the schizoid. Who you are at that moment is determined by whom you’re talking with. The way I project ‘my’ character, ‘my’ personality at a particular point in time changes. I can appear to be somebody in one situation, then ‘be’ somebody else in a different situation. The ‘self’ function has flexibility. The whole thing is about acting the part.

The skilled actor plays the part so well; the spectator thinks he is the person, not the actor. The actor being himself and simultaneously not himself reveals the ‘self’ construct. Or it could be that the ‘act’ is revealed completely to the spectator; a self-reflexive act that does not distinguish between the ‘self’ construct and acting the part, it’s just there; a total act, an actor/spectator encounter. The performance is not usually given a direction that would allow the spectator an opportunity to see this extraordinary existential moment. For the most part, it’s accepted as ‘theatre’, illusion, samsara and we’re immersed in the story of it all.

From: ‘Acting the Part’ http://dhammafootsteps.wordpress.com/2012/06/03/acting-the-part/

Buddhism and Government Control Over Women's Reproductive Rights

I just had an interesting read from a BBC article on Buddhism and abortion. It seems there is no universal view from Buddhists, which is usually the case with many other things but not all things. Should any government force a woman to have a child? What do you think from a Buddhist perspective? How do we reconcile that those who denounce big government often believe in the role of government in reproductive rights? How does Buddhism, which universally promotes life and life giving things reconcile any single point of view on this issue to a coherent belief system?

Here is a link to the article to read before responding to the different points of view:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/abortion.shtml

I am sure that a lot of use who do not consider ourselves Buddhist scholars, but yet lay practitioners, are curious about different Buddhist perspectives not coming from people deemed as official media spokespersons for such a diverse religion.

Peace
Sean Flanigan
Charlotte, NC

I'm a buddhist. I think.

For you, as a reader of this blog that may sound like stating the obvious, but let me assure it is not.
As this is my first post on this blog (thanks again Justin!), let me give you a short introduction of who I am and along the way I hope you will start to understand why this is not so obvious.

Hello everybody, I'm Kurt and I'm a buddhist.

I think.

I first got in touch with buddhism about 15 years ago when I was struggling with the big question of life.
"Why am I here?"

And it was through buddhism, philosophy and a whole lot of less intellectual (and legal) activities that I came to the conclusion that I realised I get to decide why I am here.
Which still left me with the question as to what I was going to pick.

Luckily the Dalai Lama gave me the option I was looking for.

I am on this planet to be happy.

Along the way I came across the basics of buddhism, the Four Noble Truths.
Looking back I have spent most of the time on truth 1 & 2, where now I can see the power is in truth 3 & 4.
Not entirely sure how long it took me to figure it all out, but I do know that ever since I did figure that out, I have been learning how to be happy as much as possible, as often as possible.

So a few months ago I finally made it to truth nr. 4 and I started my journey on the Eightfold Path.
Which pretty soon led me here!
While studying the Eightfold Path I also learned that once you decide to start following this path, you are a buddhist. I guess this is what I needed to hear to confirm what I have known all along for the last 15 years: I'm a buddhist!
But as I'm a scientist by education and still leaving some of the habits that come with such a background behind, I need a second (or even a third opinion), so here's my question to all you readers:

What was your moment when you decided you are a Buddhist?

The one thing that set a lot of these changes into motion, was my blog at kurtgielen.me. On this blog I decided to share with the whole world the real and complete me. No more mr. Marketing Manager at work, frustrated and easily irritated dad after a long work day, and buddhist only during those few moments when I was on my own.
No, I decided to go all in and be me, always. Which is why the invite to participate in this blog is such an awesome thing for me as it forces me to walk the talk I do on my personal blog.

Now that you all know who I am, let me just briefly tell you what I will definitely be blogging about.
As a fairly 'new' buddhist I will be sharing my experience and questions, hopefully starting some discussion from other travellers on this path.
As a scientist (Master in Biochemistry) by education I have a really strong interest in the science behind meditation, especially the effect it has on the brain and the rest of the body.
As a marketing manager working for a large corporate organisation, I have firsthand experienced how buddhism can help me survive and thrive in what is by some, including me in the past, perceived as a potentially non-buddhist environment.
And as a father, husband and overall busy person, expect posts about the struggles and pleasures of integrating buddhism and meditation in "the real life".

Everything that is not related to buddhism I will continue to share on kurtgielen.me.
If you want to say hi, you can find all my online profiles on about.me/kurtgielen. Do come and hook up, I like company.

And as always,

Have fun!

Kurt




 

Is compassion the tight rope or the safety net?

A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you. (Dalai Lama)

Tonight I meditated with the Bare Bones group and while I strive to let the thoughts come and go, I did snag one and put it in the basket for this blog post. 

It is simply this: A present awareness can give rise to gratitude and a present awareness can give rise to sharing it. 

I remember first approaching Buddhism as a typical Westerner, casting aside any artifacts of the supernatural. For me, the present moment is the most supernatural thing I have ever encountered. Compared to when I first started practicing three years ago, I am often astonished as to what having the present moment as a true home has to offer. 

Being present and compassionate was like walking a tight rope. Now the present is my safety net. It is a place to return to when I am projecting into the future or ruminating on the past. Being able to be grateful is, in and of itself, a gift. From the seat of this gift the things that once hardened me have made me softer and more gentile. 

I still need practice. 

What about you? Is compassion a discipline?

Peace In Every Step
Sean Flanigan
Charlotte, NC

Writing Down The Bones

Well, I just ventured to Charlotte from Chicago. I took the time to make a pit stop in my old sangha and it was literally packed. What was once a four person operation in a very small room is now filled with a dozen or so enthusiasts in the same small small room.

Walking meditation was a little awkward.

I ventured out tonight to the Bare Bones Meditation group. I have been practicing in a chair for almost a year due to a raging case of arthritis and decided to hit the floor tonight and had a hard time staying in the present moment. Back to the chair.

The Mindfulness meditation group meets in the basement of a Baptist church building and the Bare Bones group meets in the clubhouse of an apartment complex near downtown that is three times bigger. There is at least one other meditation group here that goes by the name Soto Zen. No chairs last time I went. It is in the attic of an old house.

Fortunately I have been in the present during the little moments like taking the time to blink after staring at a monitor all day or the fifteen minutes I set aside between my alarm clocks in the morning just to lay there and chill with no regard to planning my day or deciphering any unusual dreams.

I have come to the conclusion that if I have the lotus position in my head, the body can be wherever its is to be comfortable. The body needs just enough comfort to be in a place (my head) that would normally require therapeutic supervision.

Are you from a town not in the fabled West coast? What it the Buddhism scene like there for you?

Peace In Every Step
Sean Flanigan
Charlotte, NC

Where is our Community?

Where is the online Buddhist community? A few years ago this was one of but a few bustling blogs filled with people who seemed commited to both their Buddhist practice and engagement with the world (via blogs, at least).

Today so many of the 'names and faces' of 2007,8,9 and 10 are gone or have simply shifted interest.

Perhaps their practice went deeper, drawing them away from the distractions of online communication.

Perhaps their interest in practice went away, and with it their interest in online communication.

Perhaps politics, family, hobbies, studies, etc., became more pressing.

I know I'm not much help. I took over this blog a few months back (or is it a year already...?) and haven't done much since. My own blog was 'picked up' by patheos.com, which has been great in terms of exposure to a new and broader community, but it has also meant that I have tried to focus there with better writing and fewer travel photos and details of my life.

So I request this: your help.

If you're already a contributor here, try to post more. Try to bring us together. Ask questions. Solicit feedback.

If not - consider becoming a contributor. You can email me (see side panel on the right) and I can add you (you'll need a gmail/blogger account). I'd hope for a post a month from people, but there's plenty of room for extras or time off.

As Buddhism continues to grow and develop in the 21st century, we need more intelligent, thoughtful people willing and able to discuss it and to put in the time needed to write well-crafted blog posts/short articles about it.

This blog still gets several hundred hits per day which speaks very well of the many wonderful people who have contributed over the years. But we need your help, to make sure those hits are worthwhile to all of the people just now searching for and discovering the world of Progressive Buddhism.

The Politically Correct Buddhist

As we approach the coming election let us consider one of the precepts in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh:

“Aware of the suffering caused by unmindful speech and the inability to listen to others, I am committed to cultivating loving speech and deep listening in order to bring joy and happiness to others and relieve others of their suffering. Knowing that words can create happiness or suffering, I am determined to learn to speak truthfully, with words that inspire self-confidence, joy and hope. I will not spread news that I do not know to be certain and will not criticize or condemn things of which I am not sure. I will refrain from uttering words that can cause division or discord, or that can cause the family or the community to break. I will make all efforts to reconcile and resolve all conflicts, however small.”

What say you, politicians?

Any advice on how to approach the coming election? How to be politically correct? 

Let us also consider the following:

“The only reason we don't open our hearts and minds to other people is that they trigger confusion in us that we don't feel brave enough or sane enough to deal with. To the degree that we look clearly and compassionately at ourselves, we feel confident and fearless about looking into someone else's eyes. ”

― Pema Chödrön (Happy Birthday by the way!)

So, I guess the politically correct thing to do is to listen with compassion. 

Sean Flanigan

Charlotte, NC

Asking Tough Questions

It seems that a key aspect of Progressive Buddhism should be asking tough questions about Buddhism and its place in the world today. For each of us, those questions may be a bit different. I, for example, don't see the necessity of as much ritual as is found in much Buddhism. A bit is great, but beyond that I don't get much from it. Others, however, will find great benefit in elaborate rituals, from the Anglicised puja ceremony of the Triratna Buddhist Community to chanting in Tibetan or Pali (etc) with monks, lamas, rinpoches etc.

Some people like all of the titles and 'levels' of discipleship. Others find them fundamentally incompatible with Western, Progressive notions of equality and democracy.

Some people take on the belief system, wholeheartedly; while others strip down or eliminate doctrines that don't fit with their worldview.

What are the tough questions today? How can we, using this site as a potential forum, discuss these in a way that avoids both dogmatism and merely arguing to be argumentative?

~

For my part, I would like to continue to see posts and discussions focusing on what is good, helpful, and useful in our lives and what we come to know through our experience. I was moved, for instance, by this from Will Simpson:

I just finished Stephen Batchelor's "Confession of a Buddhist Atheist" and am impressed by his writing style. Flipping back and forth between his life experience and the writings of the Pali Cannon, he presents a compelling narrative. I, like him, am compelled to acknowledge that I am certain about nothing. Really anything. My world view is dependent on my circumstances, the conditions that have already arisen. Given different circumstances, I would have a different world view. This is ennobling. I enjoyed the book and recommend it.

Kalachakra Ceremony 2012, a guest post by Lisa Tully

Lisa runs spiritual group tours to India which her two Tibetan friends Lama Buga & Lama Kalden co-host with her.  Taking people to attend teachings by the Dalai Lama & learn meditation, she does this work to open hearts and expand minds way beyond norm!  And who better to help do that than the Dalai Lama himself? www.spiritualbackpackersindia.com

Kalachakra 2012 – How The Dalai Lama Raised The Spiritual Roof In India!

Ever dreamed of experiencing the power of Tibetan Buddhism at its peak?  Or thought of fully letting go of all physical comforts and attachments in search of the ultimate comfort, that of the mind and heart?

Upon hearing about the Kalachakra initiation happening in Bodhgaya India, the place where Buddha achieved enlightenment whilst sitting under the Bodhi tree, I just knew I had to be there.   However I will put my hands up straight away and say I didn’t fully understand what it would entail.  What I did know was that Tibetans travel from far and wide, including from Chinese occupied Tibet to get to this special 10-day tantric initiation.  All sects of Tibetan Buddhism are represented, so it really is one big ol’ Tibetan party and one that the Dalai Lama does not do on a regular basis.   In 2011 there was one held in Washington D.C but previous to that it was as far back as 2006 since the last one held at Amarvati in India.

As I began to share with people both Tibetans and Westerners that I really wanted to go the overall response was don’t do it! It will be filthy dirty, totally chaotic and you will most definitely fall ill.  The reasons for their concerns were Bodhgaya is situated in Bihar one of the poorest states in India and is filled with beggars, sickness and a understandable culture of get what you can from whoever you can.  Add 300,000 Kalachakra pilgrims to that and the picture definitely starts to look somewhat daunting.

When I actually arrived in India I had no hotel or transport booked for the Kalachakra which others had done up to a year previous.  Hotel prices were through the roof at an escalated price that was fifteen times the norm!  However somehow a room manifested at a fraction of the cost others were paying at the last minute in a Burmese monastery affording me a peaceful escape from the Kalachakra crowds.  Having been there a good two weeks before the event itself I got to witness the build up to it including the assembly of the breathtaking chair for His Holiness and the raising of colourful thankas all around it.  In general Tibetans wait till the last minute to arrive because of the inflated costs but when they did finally arrive they did so by the busload and that in itself was a sight to see.  Armed with pots, pans and bedding of all sorts it was not unusual to hear of up to 12 of them sleeping in one double sized room.  Friends of mine from Gyumed monastery were sleeping in a hall with no less than 500 monks with barely enough room to turn over.

So what is it that drives the Tibetans to take on such physical challenges without a second thought?  The Kalachakra initiation was given over 10 days and is considered to be the one of the most auspicious initiations within the world of Tibetan Buddhism.  There was eight days of preparation rituals during which the Dalai Lama and his monks made the incredible Kalachkra sand mandala.  In the morning time we could go into the grounds and listen to their chants and watch them prepare.  Sitting there in the energy of the proceedings was a blessing in itself as meditations ran so so deep.  In the afternoon the place would fill to bursting and beyond with steadfast devotees from around the globe eager to listen to teachings by His Holiness.  Outside the same numbers of people were blocking the streets as they watched the event on the big screens.  It was an all time record for the number of devotees attending a Kalachakra.  After the teachings and preparations were done, the initiation itself happened over the final two days.

I feel it is important to mention that at the end of the day we fell into our rock hard beds exhausted, crashing out immediately.  Yet the Dalai Lama was getting up at three in the morning most mornings to prepare, followed by giving teachings and all the while holding us in his big heart.  The energy of this wonderful 76-year-old monk as he calls himself, is indeed endless.  On the night of the first day of initiations something really special occurred which I will never forget.  I was sitting meditating under the Bodhi tree in the Mahabodhi temple as around the perimeter devotees walked uttering their mantras and prayers.  It was totally packed with people shuffling and prostrating their way around.  In the distance I heard singing and I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from.  Then sure enough as the crowd continued to circle around the ancient melody got louder and louder.  A throng of Tibetan monks were signing their hearts out and as they flowed past it did not falter.  It was as if the song had spread around the perimeter like a flame to petrol.  In that moment I felt like I had the chance to witness the true beauty of Tibetan Buddhism.  The Dalai Lama had worked so hard for eight solid days, had given us the initiation and we were as high as spiritual kites.  It was totally electric and my initial thought was the Chinese government will never ever dampen this spirit and I hoped so much that the 200 Chinese spies reported to be at this event were witnessing that moment.

The Dalai Lama then finished by giving us the White Tara initiation for long life.  When he was leaving Bodhgaya people were understandably running after his car crying and I was grateful I didn’t have to witness him going for I know I would have been right there with them.  The sand mandala remained for 3 days to allow us to go and have a closer look.  According to a book distributed at the Kalachakra in Washington D.C, just by looking at the mandala you remove all negative karma from countless eons previously.  A wonderful sight it was, the feeling from it was one of inner beauty.   The ceremony then ended by monks releasing the positive energy of the mandala into the everyday world by a final ritual.  The Kalachakra is for world peace and I have no doubts whatsoever it has the deepest of impacts.

As Bodhgaya is quite a small town many people had to camp and tents were rented out ranging from $3 to $100 per night.  However it rained severely on the first day which is apparently normal for when high Lamas arrive and start cleansing the place.  But that meant conditions on the campsites were pretty awful and only went downhill from there due to poor organisation and sanitation.  Towards the end of the initiation the Dalai Lama asked why should people pay to stay in those awful tents when we have received so much in donations? So he requested that all tent dwellers get a refund and so they did.  Then he left not taking one remaining Rupee of donation with him; instead he gave it to the local schools and hospitals of Bodhgaya.  This man has the power to change the world…so why won’t we let him?

If you're interested in finding out more or contacting Lisa, 

Click here to watch our video clip to learn more, or visit www.spiritualbackpackersindia.com