I have no experience with Evangelical Christians in Asia but what little I do know falls well in line with those that I am familiar with in the Midwest – Largely criticizing other religions (or non-religions) while being extremely defensive of their own beliefs.
Here are two video clips of the Evangelical Lighthouse mega-church preacher Rony Ta’s intelligent commentary on Buddhist practice and thought and interview of a “saved” Buddhist. Tallying souls for Satan!
Hi my name is John and my silly superstition is Buddhism. What’s yours?
Update!
The good Pastor Rony Tan actually apologized for his comments. I do believe that the Singapore Evangelical community is far better than the home-grow ones we have here in thte states. You can’t pull an apology from an American Evangelical with three mules and a crowbar.
“I have received a number of emails from people who have been saddened and hurt by the testimonies of an ex-monk and an ex-nun. I realized that my presentation and comments were wrong and offensive. So I sincerely apologize for my insensitivity towards the Buddhists and Taoists, and solemnly promise that it will never happen again.
When we have received those emails, we immediately removed the video clips from our website. I urge those who have posted those clips on the YouTube to remove them as well.
After reading the frank views from those emails, I was also prompted to tell my members not only to continue to love souls, but also to respect other belief and not to ridicule them in any way, shape or fashion.
Let’s put our goal to build a harmonious Singapore a top priority.”
Regarding Samye Ling’s satellite centres in Harare, Joburg and Cape Town, which benefit from the guidance of the movement’s local representative, Rob Nairn, he says: “The development has been very good. The SA centres have been going for 38 years.
“Sometimes I lose patience, feeling we could do better, but then we realise that Tibetan Buddhism always has to start with zero – no capital, no foundations. Some of our achievements have exceeded my expectations. The Dharma is growing faster in Africa than it originally did in Tibet.”
Read the whole article for a better feel of the challenges. I respect the work done and attempts made but I am always concerned with the feeling of “doing better”. How is that measured? By converts? Size of monastic presence? Money? Charity and compassionate works? My humble opinion is that “starting with zero” or ending with that much is of small concern in comparison to extent of practice and effort made.
On a different note, Buddhism and Africaby Michel Clasquin and Kobus Kruger has mentioned that majority of Buddhist practitioners in South Africa are largely middle-class and white with one commentor in the book stating that
Buddhism does not fit all that naturally into the present black social or religious mentality
As well as it being…
too foreign to their accustomed ways of thinking: too intellectual, philosophical and introspective.
I quick word on the book “Buddhism in Africa” – It seems to me and to others that the statistics utilized can be vastly skewed when certain sects are discounted. It may be more accurate to state that most Tibetan and Zen groups are largely white-middle class while Nichiren sanghas have a greater number of black participants. Or something of that sort. I really have no knowledge of the statistics except to say that knowingly skewing the results to a prefered outcome is poor and immoral statistics work.
I would love some comments from those that may be practitioners (of any race) in Africa
The centre is a major initiative in the heart of Africa and intends to provide the first stable source of the original teachings of the Buddha in Uganda. It aims to create an enduring home for the preservation and transmission of the Buddha’s teachings by venerable and respectful masters established in Dhamma, and to continue to develop a landmark of Buddhist culture and teaching in Uganda and Africa as a whole.
I was excited to hear that the Rochester Zen Center put up another of Philip Kapleau Roshi’s Teisho talks recently. This one is from June, 1975 and is a portion of the Mumonkan “Goso’s No words or Silence“. The only other one that I am familiar with was Kapleau’s exploration of Ummon’s “Every Day is a Good Day” from the Hekiganroku.
Both these talks (especially “Every Day is a Good Day”) powerfully resonate with me. It does amaze me how beneficial words can be in the hand of someone skilled with them (of course also can be equally dangerous). While I admit that Kapleau had some controversy in his day whenever I walk outside in the bright morning I can hear his voice…
Every day is … a Good day.
I may not have attained the tracks of birds, nor have flowers rain down upon me but it is the only koan that has stayed in my stream of thought. That has taken root and grows finding focus without being brought purposefully forward.
When I wake up in the morning, I can hear someone ask me “Are you going up the mountain today?”… I usually answer “Yes” and when I reach the top I never find my words to speak to the abbot. Instead of parroting wisdom or imitating Ummon, I just bow to the morning and bare my neck - Giving myself humbly to it. Not a challenge to the new day but accepting what it brings, for better or for worse.
It was especially difficult this morning since I overslept and missed the morning sit. However the way I was greeted this morning was beyond reproach. Samsara-toddler decided to poke my eyeballs with her toes until I woke up.
Cheers,
John
via MindOnly to supplement with a little background music!
Purchase: www.der.org Shot primarily at the Rinzai-Ji temple in Los Angeles, One Precept documents traditional Zen Buddhism in America today. In a personal, often poetic portrayal, the story introduces a Zen priest named Seiju, who discusses the principles of the practice, the growing popularity of Zen and his seventeen years as a disciple of one of its oldest living masters, Kyozan Joshu Sasaki. Detailed images of meditation, chanting, formal meal, and Koan study are combined to reveal a highly disciplined practice that has been handed down from master to student, from one culture to another, emerging as a popular form of religious expression in contemporary western society. a film by Steve Flood and Robin Adams distributed by Documentary Educational Resources
This was a nice little preview I thought I would share. The drums and bells that were played during the video kept Samsara baby happy while we were waiting for mom to come home.
The first foray into an unknown field of research is a challenge. Much of the time is spent searching out false leads and running into dead-ends. Up one hill only to notice several hills that follow in the distance. Promising lands up close are disappointing and barren. You are running half blind-folded and grasping at whatever possible trail you pick up. This was the feeling gathered from Bill Porter’s “Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits”. Anxious to find his quarry of modern mountain hermits in China; Porter’s book reads like a survey report pitched together with scraps of info from field notes and recorded conversations.
Is this sounding negative? It shouldn’t since this raw, indigestible writing agreed with me for a topic that tends towards idealization in the Western Buddhist community. “Oh! If only I could find silence and peace I could practice so much easier.” “If only I lived on some mountain, some river-side, some beach, some fucking other place.” If only I read more sutras, started younger, had the correct type of cushion, the right teacher …
In this book Chinese hermits, enigmatic as they may be, largely existed solely from the donations and support of larger monasteries or families. What was disappointing in this book was the lack of detail really spent on the lives and interviews but what information was gleamed from the wisdom of the hermits was a stark reminder that practice was practice. Taoist, Zen and Pure Land were simply labels that, when practice became organic and fluid, began to blur and blend into each other.
Q: Is Pure Land practice more appropriate for the present age?
Hsu-tung: All practices are appropriate. There’s no right or wrong dharma. It’s a matter of aptitude, your connection from past lives. Once people start practicing, they think other kinds of practice are wrong. But all practices are right. It depends on the individual as to which is appropriate. And all practices are related. They involve each other. They lead to the same end….The goal is the same. Practice is like candy. People like different kinds. But its just candy. The Dharma is empty.
__________________
Q: What sort of practice do you follow? Do you chant the name of the Buddha or meditate?
Chi-ch’eng: I just pass the time.
__________________
Te-ch’eng: I teach all sorts of odds and ends. You name it. Whatever seems to fit. A little of this, a little of that. This is what practice is all about. You can’t practice just one kind of dharma. That’s a mistake. The Dharma isn’t one-sided. You have to practice Zen. If you don’t you’ll never break through delusions. And you’ve got to practice the precepts. If you don’t, your life will be a mess. You’ve got to practice Pure Land. If you don’t, you’ll never get any help from the Buddha. You have to practice all dharmas….Its a system. All practices are related.
The wisdom of hermits isn’t austere. It is practical and rooted deeply in practice. A practice that is embedded in the Dharma but expressed in the daily working of a hard, cold and sometimes lonely life. In that way the practice of the hermits is not so far from our own practice at times. Maybe we need a tang of loneliness to view ourselves in meditation or the bite of wind to help us gasp the name of the Buddha.
Or maybe we just pass the time.
Cheers,
John
While unrelated to the book ~ Amoungst White Clouds is a documentary on contemporary Chinese Hermits…
“Tea Muthaf*cka! Do You Drink It?” will be an ongoing exploration into the world of tea and insulting people by cursing while reviewing them. Largly this was born of interactions on Twitter with other tea-dorks who will remain nameless as to protect their reputations. They know who they are.
History
Lapsang Souchong (also called Russian Caravan tea) is a black tea from China’s Fujian province. It evidentally has a sublte smoky aroma and flavor (if my subtle you mean being smacked in the face with a burning pine-pitch log). This distinctive flavor is achieved through by having the tea leaves dried in bamboo baskets over pine fires. If you store this stuff in a closed container it will stink up everything else. I left it in my car overnight and in the morning during my commute I pulled over twice to determine what was on fire…evidentally it was my tea.
The name “Russian Caravan Tea” refers to the journey from China to Moscow peasant markets. Russian-bound tea was famous for the smell of the many campfires it would absorb along the way. Thus the smoky tea varieties became associated with Russia.
Legend claims that the smoking process was discovered by accident. During the Qing dynasty, an army unit passing through Xingcun (Star Village) camped in a tea factory filled with fresh leaves awaiting processing. When the soldiers left and the workers could get back into the premises, they realized that to arrive at market in time, it was too late to dry the leaves in the usual way. So they lit open fires of pine wood to hasten the drying. Not only did the tea reach the market in time, but the smoked pine flavor created a sensation!
Review
Like sucking a campfire through a flaming bamboo straw, but I suppose it is nice. Not something I think that I could drink all the time but it was interesting. Oddly enough it reminded me of some smoky beers that are currently popular with homebrewers. I’ve been fooling around with the recipe for my Pumpkin Chai Ale and I think I may replace the spicy chai tea with the Lapsang to create a smoky variety.
The taste was actually pretty good once you got around the intense smell and the disapproving looks of my wife and my daughter constantly sniffing my cup and grimacing.
With all of these Buddhist animal avatars (Kyle’s Squirrel Zen and Montana’s own Bitterroot Badger) plus with the passing of Groundhog Day, I thought that this passage would be appropriate.
For individuals of superior faculties, the introduction [to the nature of the mind] may be enough. For middling individuals, quiencence will arise, and even inferior people will get a glimpse of stillness. Then these are th characteristics of having cultivated quienscence with and without signs: All ideation is calmed in its own place, and the attention remains wherever it is focused. That is quiescence. Moreover, if you remain in a state of vividness, that isf flawless quiescence. If you become blacked-out, as in deep sleep devoid of mindfulness, this is a parody of cessation, and a kind of meditation in which marmots are experts….~ from A Spacious Path to Freedom
Oh yes, indeed. This is the official birth of the Dharmot ~ The Dharma Marmot! I am so happy. My wife calls them “meatloafs”… but I am the master of crappy meditative practice. I love it!
Every Groundhog Day, they drag a poor old Punxsutawney Phil out of his constructed den and see if he sees his own shadow. Will there be 6 more weeks of winter or is spring right around the corner? That predicitive logic might be acceptable for an eastern Groundhog (I personally prefer Woodchuck), but we have our own Groundhog in the Rockies who won’t even if see sunlight for another 3 or 4 months. ~ from here
Good old Dharmota monax will take care of them violent, home-wrecking sons-a-bitches! Our only weapons are limitless compassion, a slight weight problem and a tendency to waddle when we run (although we prefer to be called strutters)!
Prayer should be part of our spiritual journey, transforming confusion into clarity and suffering into joy. However, some mistakenly believe that the Absolute is separate and/or different from us. Believing this, their prayers ask for favors, such as health, salvation, fame, victory or the winning lottery numbers. They use prayer in order to manipulate their God to work for their benefit. Wanting Him to play favorites, they beg to be blessed by Him at the expense of others. However, this attitude defeats the power of prayer. We believe that in order for prayer to be effective it must be devoid of any self-centeredness and calculation, relying strictly on great compassion. It should be done to strengthen and open our hearts, and to benefit all beings. Buddhist prayer has nothing to do with begging for personal worldly or heavenly gains.
Buddhist prayer is a practice to awaken our inherent inner capacities of strength, compassion and wisdom rather than to petition external forces based on fear, idolizing, and worldly and/or heavenly gain. Buddhist prayer is a form of meditation; it is a practice of inner reconditioning. Buddhist prayer replaces the negative with the virtuous and points us to the blessings of Life. ~ from here
I soooooooo want to make fun of this picture!
This is always a tough one for me and both the video and excerpt touch upon important differences between Buddhist and Christian definitions of prayer. It seems that no tradition of prayer in Buddhism utilizes a direct connection with supernatural agents. This doesn’t mean that, as Barbara puts it, we don’t “invoke” the names, features or aid of deities or Bodhisattvas. If you walk into my house in the morning during my routine, I would say that it damn well looks like a prayer. Hands in gassho while reciting something “reverent” in front of an altar (which by the way includes this guy, this gal, this dude and this).
I don’t ask or request anything but by connecting with the needs and suffering of others and by trying to realize the qualities of those Buddhas and bodhisattvas, I suppose that it opens up some Dharma doors for me.
There is a conduit to transcendence somewhere. Even my skeptical mind assumes as much but the exact method is out of grasp and open to interpretation and experimentation. Prayer can be a part of that because it connects me to the transcendent nature for which I strive. Just as Christians pray, we pray. We ground our prayers in the strength of our practice and not the waiting ears of some omniscient creator however. That is not to say that some help or guidance isn’t appreciated from time to time (yeah, I’m looking at you Amitabha!).
Bottom line is that if praying to invisible omnipresent Buddhas aids your practice then apply it. From my brief (and granted incomplete) exploration of some esoteric practices it seems that the qualities of those we pray to can eventually become realized in our own actions and reactions if we strive. At that time I suppose it is fine to throw away the deities and pray to the features we already have as a way to actualize them.
Not saying a word....
The critical point of any practice is to practice with zeal. Zeal does not entail just working hard, but also enthusiasm and some amount of delight in the practice. That zeal may manifest itself in prayer to deities, Buddhas and bodhisattvas, recitation, meditation or just joyous experience in life. The whole point of prayer is connection, whether that connection is with nature, God, Amitabha or simply our own nature is of little (or no) importance.
The real point is to bring about some amount of inner balance and serenity. It is not important to get into a great deal of conceptualization whether this or that thing is of a specific practice (Buddhist, Christian or secular). The largest difference between Buddhist prayer and prayer in a Christian sense is that prayer for Buddhists is a part of a process that works towards the end of suffering.
.........nothing to see here....just some deities, ummmm, wrestling.....
….I suppose that there is an aspect of reverence in any tradition though. But sometimes the best prayers or chants are the ones where the dude next to us laughs, farts or falls down. Then we connect with our practice in an honest and whole-hearted way – laughter!
Got called into work tonight so won’t be on show (as if anyone cared)….may still call in though!
Tomorrow’s show will focus on mindful eating along with an interview with Susan Powers, a raw foods afficianado and blogger at Rawmazing. I am looking foward to this interview since vegetarianism in Buddhist practice brings up some interesting and sometimes intense conversation.
Speaking of intense coversation we may be talking a bit later on irreverence and Buddhist practice. Since this brought up some (even from my perspective) negative comments, I am hoping that a change in venue with some call-ins may flush the issue out more fully without bringing it down to quote slinging and comparissons of who has the bigger “Dharma Resume.”
I respect the conversation that has started and lets see if we can continue it.
Join Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda, his co-host, John Pappas, and their guests for an insightful look at postmodern spirituality. Focusing on the essential teachings of compassion, altruism, loving-kindness and social justice, and looking at ways to bridge the self-imposed limits on human potential, the Dharmacharya inspires, challenges and entertains listeners.
The program starts at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (7:00 PM for us out in the Mountains). Call in number for this LIVE radio program is: (347) 215-8103.
irreverence: n1. lack of due respect or veneration; disrespect 2. a disrespectful remark or act
What role does reverence play in Buddhist practice?
The Buddha repeatedly discouraged any excessive veneration paid to him personally. He knew that an excess of purely emotional devotion can obstruct or disturb the development of a balanced character, and thus may become a serious obstacle to progress on the path to deliverance. The history of religion has since proved him right, as illustrated by the extravagancies of emotional mysticism in East and West
…It would be a mistake, however, to conclude that the Buddha disparaged a reverential and devotional attitude of mind when it is the natural outflow of a true understanding and a deep admiration of what is great and noble. It would also be a grievous error to believe that the “seeing of the Dhamma” (spoken of in the first saying) is identical with a mere intellectual appreciation and purely conceptual grasp of the doctrine. from Access to Insight
So what do you think? This conversation has already started and I didn’t expect it’s introduction to be so heated. If I offended any readers then I apologize, humbly and deeply, and would appreciate any input and comment on this topic by individuals much more learned and experienced than myself.
