dharmatalks

Generating genuine compassion is a simple practice, which benefits the practitioner as well as the recipient of that compassion, the community in which they each reside, the world, and indeed, the entire universe.

This is because compassion is not just something we "ought to develop", but is, I would suggest, who we are. His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama notes, "At the time of our birth, we have neither religion nor ideology nor culture. We acquire or learn about these later in our lives. But I believe no one is born free from the need for love. No material object, however beautiful or valuable, can make us feel loved, because our deeper identity and true character lie in the subjective nature of the mind." (from Disarmament, Peace and Compassion)

This is why we strive toward becoming compassion for those who might be perceived as our adversaries, our enemies or our "biggest pains in the ass".

You see, when we show what we think is compassion toward someone we love, it’s not pure loving-kindness… because our emotion investment in that person is a type of attachment. But those who have done nothing but attempt to harm us, discredit us, anger us… those are the ones who teach us to dig deeper, and find the source of who we are. They push us to become living dharma, not just mouthpieces for some lofty ideas. They are the grains of sand, which enter the depths of who we are, without whom, we could never generate the true pearl of Compassion.

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

As a contemplative monk, the principal aim of my life and work is to cultivate genuine compassion for all sentient beings. This is done, in part, by disciplining myself to sit quietly in my room, meditating and developing the skills of calm abiding. Such a practice is helpful, and makes the cultivation of compassion easier, but it is not enough.

in order for genuine compassion to arise, I have to muster the courage to take action. Genuine compassion compels me to want to do something to alleviate the suffering of others. It is active, engaged, socially aware. I must be willing to confront and deal with the challenges that arise from placing myself “on the line”, when injustices occur. I must be willing to demonstrate the courage to alleviate the suffering that exists, not only in the lives of the apparent “victims” of injustice, but in the lives of those who appear to be their oppressors.

Often, I find myself assisting someone who’s struggle with drugs or alcohol have caused them to spiral out of control. And it is easy to cultivate compassion for their suffering, while looking at their dealers as the “bad guys”. In truth, however, many of those dealers are suffering as well. True compassion, engaged loving-kindness, seeks to alleviate their suffering as well.

It is the same with my work in interspiritual dialogue.

There are individuals who come to the Spiritus Project seeking answers. They may find themselves struggling with some of the doctrines, superstitions, oppressive dogma or irrational beliefs of their current religion. Some might be struggling with a fundamental disbelief in the entire concept of theism itself. And others might be simply looking for something more substantial.

What matters is not so much whether their current belief system is based on myths, legends or superstitions; because all religions have that in common. What matters is that all spiritual paths seek to alleviate suffering… to inspire us to become better persons. Some attempt that through the cultivation of fear. I don’t personally believe such an approach is very effective. Our approach is to offer a rational, non-religious approach to the nature of suffering, the possibility of eliminating it, and the realistic path to meet that goal.

We don’t have to disarm a person’s religious beliefs. They’ll discover, as they learn to recognise the root of suffering often includes fear, those things which can be released in their belief systems. Often, that means that someone who calls themselves a follower of Christ will develop a deeper and richer understanding of the real teaching of their master, than they experienced in religion. Many followers of Islam, Hindu dharma, Sikhism, Wicca, Druidism and other paths find that their experience of the spiritual truths in their tradition become more vibrantly alive, once they learn the science and philosophy of the Dharma.

What matters to me is that I somehow manage to inspire others to apply the principles of their spiritual traditions in a way that gives rise to genuine compassion… and that the compassion they feel in their hearts and minds compels them to take action.

This, we call “Engaged Dharma”… because it is not enough for the student to be “in the dharma”. The dharma must also, as we are reminded by my spiritual brother, His Eminence Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, be in us.

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

We often judge as too simplistic the idea that if we "change our thinking, we change our world," yet this simple and fundamental truth is the foundation of most philosophies and spiritual paths. Although it sometimes becomes obscured beneath layers of religious narrative, superstition and mythos, it can even be found at the core of the less spiritually developed paths of the Abrahamic religions.

We may initially encounter resistance to the idea that our suffering and problems can be relinquished at will, because it’s always easier to blame those experiences on external phenomena. Taking responsibility for what is going on in our lives is a radical approach, and forces us to engage a level of maturity seldom found in our spiritual lives. We’ve also been indoctrinated into the belief that these perceived problems are integrally part of our experience, and must therefore be part of who and what we are, that we lose control of our perspective.

Right now, you may be shaking your head, convinced that your problems are far too complicated to resolve by simply changing your perspective and changing your mind. Consider, however, that until you change your mind… until you allow a shift of perspective… the solution may not become apparent to you. Once we allow ourselves to view the experiences without judgment as "good" or "bad", we don’t allow ourselves to function from the source and summit of our true nature — that which some call the Buddha Mind or the Christ Consciousness — the place of ultimate control over our perceived reality, which I often refer to as Universal Mind or Creative Intelligence.

Right this moment, there are unimaginably difficult circumstances going on within my own personal experience. I am quite aware of how easy it would be for most people (including myself) to just "give up," given the severity of these circumstances and conditions. And it would be so easy to place the blame on external persons, institutions, events and other phenomena.

But the truth is that these experiences are nothing more than impermanent circumstances, arising out of the interconnected and interdependent causes and conditions that exist all around me. They don’t really affect me… they affect my perception. They are teachers, challenging me to adapt… to find a new course… to learn to go where I might be uncomfortable being.

Nothing that is happening in your life right now is more powerful than you. No gods, demons, angels, spells or blessings can be found anywhere that do not originate in your mind and your heart. You control that which you created. If you are faced with a challenge, shift your perspective to see what you might be able to learn from the challenge, and then stop trying to avoid it! Move toward the problem, through the crisis, and you will, I promise, come through the other side of that circumstance the victor.

When painful emotions arise in our mind, or uncertain conditions appear in our experiences, there is no need to panic; we can patiently accept them, experience them, and investigate their origins. When we do this, we discover that circumstances or other people have no power to make us feel bad; the most they can do is trigger the potentials for painful reactions or emotions that already exist within our own minds. By patiently accepting painful feelings and experiences without clinging to them, the negative karmic potentials from which they arose are purified, and we shall never have to experience that kind of situation again.

So while it’s a little unsettling to think that all of what we’ve been taught about the nature of our experience may have been wrong, it can be equally comforting to know there is another way of seeing these difficult situations, and to take back the control, the power and the potential that is inherently ours. Doing so, I believe, will always result in solutions unfolding in perfect order for each of us.

I don’t ask you to believe me, or anyone else. I encourage you to put this, and all spiritual and philosophical teachings to the test, using reasoning and science, and discarding the need for superstition, fear and subjugation, discover the truth that makes itself known from within.

Namasté!
- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

We live in a society in which far too much emphasis is placed on the illusory notion of “hope”. We like hope. We imagine that we “need” hope. But hope, like the institutions that create that illusion, is not helpful and truly unnecessary.

Ani Pema Chodron writes, in her book When Things Fall Apart, “When things fall apart and we’re on the verge of we know not what, the test of each of us is to stay on that brink and not concretise. The spiritual journey is not about heaven and finally getting to a place that’s really swell.”

In our imperfect and impermanent world, shit happens. And it will happen regardless of our hope, our faith, our affirmations or our rituals. It’s not bad. It’s not good. It’s just, well… shit.

One of the beautiful strengths of the dharma path can be seen in the way that we learn to embrace our imperfections, and those around us, without judgment, anxiety or a need to “fix” them.

The talented artist, Barbara Bloom, notes that “(w)hen the Japanese mend broken objects, they aggrandise the damage by filling the cracks with gold.  They believe that when something’s suffered damage and has a history it becomes more beautiful.”

The dharma is like that gold, which fills in the cracks, accentuates them, and celebrates them as part of the journey.

Too often, we imagine that Enlightenment is a destination or accomplishment to be had. It is, rather, the journey itself… cracks and all.

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

In an earlier blog, based on a 2008 Dharma talk I gave, just before leaving the Atlanta satsang, we talked about the concept of sunyata — emptiness — and how being empty is a means of expanding beyond the illusions of "self".

I used, as an analogy, one of my favourite quotes from the television series, Babylon 5 — a show that frequently managed to introduce dharma truths into its brilliantly crafted story lines.

We imagine ourselves to be individual, unique and all important centres of our self-created universes, but the simple fact is that we’re no different than the stardust we see in the midnight skies. Not only are we no different from it, we literally are part of it, and it of us.

In the series, Babylon 5, the character of Delenn tells Captain Sheridan:

"Then I will tell you a great secret, Captain. Perhaps the greatest of all time. The molecules of your body are the same molecules that make up this station and the nebula outside, that burn inside the stars themselves. We are starstuff, we are the universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out. As we have both learned, sometimes the universe requires a change of perspective." (– from the episode: A Distant Star)

This isn’t just clever writing, or the stuff of great sci-fi. Any element heavier than hydrogen was created as a direct result of the fusion of matter within a star. Therefore, every atom of your body and mine was created inside the nucleus of a star that once existed in an ancient universe. We truly are the universe made manifest, trying to figure itself out.

We can use each moment of calm mindfulness to gain that insight into the stillness… the insubstantialness.. the emptiness that is Love.

Namasté!
- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

Unsatisfactoriness (suffering), impermanence and impersonality (emptiness) – Buddha Sakyamuni concluded that these three inescapable factors or “marks” of existence were the common characteristics shared by all phenomena. Often referred to as “the Dharma Seals”, Buddha taught that by bringing theses three factors into awareness, moment-to-moment (mindfulness), we achieve Wisdom — the third of the three higher trainings — the way out of the cyclic existence, called Samsara.

This fundamental idea represents a departure from the kinds of thinking that mark the more “religious” spiritual paths, and is an approach that is much more closely compatible to modern psychology. As a result, we can often find this approach to be a more effective way for a person to transform and heal their lives. In fact, this is one of the reasons that many of those who are still involved in the traditional Abrahamic religions begin to explore ways in which they can integrate some of the Buddhist ideology into their spiritual practice.

Let’s look at these three inescapable factors of existence, and what they mean for us:

The Buddha taught that nothing found in the physical (phenomenal) world or the realm of psychological can bring lasting deep satisfaction. The word for this unsatisfactoriness in Sanskrit is dukkha, and is often translated as “suffering”. Buddha understood that if one reflects deeply upon the truth of suffering or unsatisfactoriness of all phenomena, they could dispel the illusions (and delusions) they possessed about the world and of life.

Impermanence, called anicca in Sanskrit, refers to the awareness of the fact that all phenomena (including psychology and intelligence) are in a constant state of flux. It also teaches that all phenomena arise out of an ever-changing “cloud” of causes and conditions; thus all conditioned things eventually cease to exist.

And because nothing in the conditional or phenomenal world is permanent, Buddha understood that the notion of a soul or self was likewise an impermanent phenomenon and illusion. We call this anatta or impersonality. Anatta pervades all of the phenomenal world, and includes an understanding that our dualistic impressions are delusional. We understand that the “person” we imagine as “me” is not an autonomous, integral entity. The seemingly individual self, or what we might call the ego, is more correctly thought of as a by-product of the five aggregates (form, sensation, perception, mental formations and consciousness).

This can be somewhat confusing to the Western mind, particularly if they still embrace some of the more primitive superstitions about imaginary places, such as heaven or hell. That is because to the Buddhist practitioner, there is no difference between nirvana (liberation) and samsara (cyclic existence).

While the purpose of all spiritual practice can be seen as work undertaken to leave the shores of samsara behind, we also recognise that what we seek is right here.

We say that the difference between liberation and suffering is purely one of perspective. If we are looking at things from the side of suffering, moving toward Enlightenment, then we are following the path of the Sutra, which enjoins us to identify the entire world (internally and externally) as samsara — a continual churning of suffering that nobody wants to be part of.

But if we are following the path or perspective of the Vajrayana, we are enjoined to identify the entire world as nirvana — a continual play of enlightening activity that everyone wishes to be a part of.

It’s all just point of view. Although each of the Three Marks of Existence comprise a topic of samatha or meditation/concentration in its own right, conceptually they are interrelated: there is "no-self" because there is "impermanence," and because there is "impermanence" there is "suffering."

By better understanding this foundational point in the Dharma path, we are better able to understand that the concept of reincarnation is not quite the idea that many New Age and science fiction accounts refer to =, when they use the same term.

What is “reincarnated” is not the “personality” of someone who once lived, but the mental formations (habits) and consciousness – known as the fourth and fifth aggregates.

Consider this… in one episode of Babylon 5, there was a brilliant observation made by one of the characters, in which we were reminded that you and I are made of the “stuff of the stars”. And while that is scientifically sound, in and of itself, it is also a good metaphor for anatta (no self).

Look into the night skies and you will see particular groupings of stars, referred to by certain constellation names. Many of the familiar constellations are given mythological names, such as the stars that comprise the various signs of the zodiac. These groups of stars, when connected by an imaginary line, form different animals, characters, and images.

No one imagines that the stars designated as Aquarius really is a water bearer. And so it is with us. We draw imaginary lines between the elements of form, perception (thought), feelings (emotions), habits and consciousness, and call it “a person”. But from the moment that “person” is born, every single atom from which that “person” is comprised is in a state of flux. Cells die and are replaced. Organs are completely replaced. And with each breath, that “person” is actually in the active state of disintegration, which we call aging, until it will eventually cease to exist.

The idea Buddha wanted us to embrace was the idea that we need to look more deeply… to change up our perspective. Look deeply, explore reality in your own experience, moment by moment. Find out for yourself. As Ani Pema Chodron puts it, we should recognise impermanence and suffering and egolessness “at the kitchen-sink level”. And she suggests that we learn to celebrate this unsatisfactory quality of all things… that we celebrate the constant state of flux that we call impermanence… that ultimately, we find joy in our insubstantiality.

In some Buddhist schools of thought, there is a fourth mark of existence… one which comes when we have understood the other three…

The great dharma teacher, an according to many, the great bodhisattva of the West, who brought the dharma to the people of Palestine, Rav Yeshua (Jesus the Nazarene), is said to have taught: “You are not of this world…”

It is by understanding that we are not what we appear to be, and that all things are impermanent, that we encounter that fourth mark of existence: peace.

I wish you peace!

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

An email arrived this weekend, in response to my having mentioned the verbal attacks and attempts at discrediting me, by certain individuals involved in somewhat questionable religious institutions. The email, which was quite sincere and very respectful, asked why I “fought back” with the facts that disproved the claims of the attackers. “Didn’t Jesus say you should turn the other cheek?” they queried.

Now, I will admit to having always been a bit amused by the irony of biblical literalists and fundamentalists, who are quick to espouse such out-of-context quotes from their scriptures as this one. Seems that Jesus, according to their beliefs, meant that it was wrong to fight back, when someone is trying to unjustly ruin one’s reputation with lies and machinations, but somehow, their saviour didn’t intend for that same pacifism to apply when their church leaders murdered untold hundreds of thousands of Muslims, Gnostics, Pagans and aetheists, during the Evil Crusades. And of course, Jesus would never want them to turn the other cheek in Israel’s attempt to “ethnically cleanse” the land belonging to the Palestinian people… or when the U.S. invaded Afghanisatan or Iraq without reason.

But that absurdity is not the intention of our discussion tonight. Instead, I would like to talk about understanding the context of the actual narratives being misinterpreted, so that we can better understand the ideology and dharma of the historical Rav Yeshua, around whom the biblical legends were posthumously established.

When Yeshua tells his disciples that “when someone strikes your right cheek, turn and give him your left…” (cf: Matthew 5:38-42; Luke 6:27-31) it is likely that he was framing his response within the cultural context of his audience — that is, the Jewish people. It is also likely that as a rabbi himself, Yeshua would have studied and respected the teachings of Rav Hillel the Elder, who wrote: “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” (Pirkei Avot 1:14)

Rav Hillel believed that personal dignity was both to be given to one’s fellow man and equally demanded for oneself. And so it is that Yeshua’s teaching (in this instance) was not about pacifism or ahimsa (something he did embrace and often taught), but rather served as an instruction in civil disobedience or defiance of the cultural norm. It was a teaching on equanimity.

At the time of Rav Yeshua (Jesus), striking someone deemed to be of a lower class with the back of the hand was used to assert authority and dominance, particularly as punishment for insubordination. Striking a person of lower class would be considered an “unclean act”, since it involved touching a Gentile. Thus it would have been done with the back of the left hand (striking the right cheek).

If the victim turned their other cheek to the attacker, their assailant would be faced with a dilemma. It would be impossible to deliver a back-handed strike to the left cheek with the attacker’s left hand! Therefore, they could either strike the person with the palm of their hand — an act reserved for striking one who was your equal — or they would have to defile themselves, and use their right hand, or punch them… both of which were also culturally viewed as a statement of equality. And so the “victim”, by turning the other cheek, was demanding equality.

The passage goes on to say that if a creditor demand your cloak, you should give him your shirt as well. This too would force the oppressor into a dilemma, since the Torah forbid one from extracting such a debt from a poor person.

It would also do us well to recall the story from the Buddhist narratives, in which the legends say that on the night when Sakyamuni was about to become Enlightened, he sat beneath the Bodhi Tree, and was attacked by the mythological demon, Mara. A legion of demons fired arrows at the Buddha, but those arrows became a shower of flowers, and could not prevent him from attaining Enlightenment.

What does this mean for us?

Put simply, we are ultimately the masters of our experiences and of our universes. Painful and often inconvenient “shit” happens. We cannot control those things. But we can control our responses to those things. We can view the attacks that occur as being attacks with arrows, and respond with fear and powerlessness, or we can choose to perceive them as no more threatening than a shower of roses.

When we do that, we place ourselves on the level of “equal”, rather than subjecting ourselves as slaves or victims of the phenomenal world. Our oppressor becomes our equal… not our master, and not our subjugate. And if one is your equal, how could they be your enemy? Their behaviour may be inappropriate, even hurtful, but because they are your equal, your compassion for them cannot help but arise.

A dear friend sat with me tonight, and became angry at the email I received, but said nothing. When we were prepared to eat, looking at a bowl of soup, which was all I had to offer him, he “lost his cool”.

“What? These assholes are attacking you, and saying that you don’t deserve help, when all you’re eating for dinner is clear broth, with a few carrots and peas in it? This is unacceptable!” So I offered him a little grated parmesan cheese… “Maybe if you thicken the soup up a bit, you’ll see it’s not so bad. It’s quite delicious, just as it is!”

Of course, he was not disparaging the soup (which was delicious, thanks to Craig’s hard work). He was angry at what he perceived to be oppressors winning a battle. And he wanted me to fight back “dirtier”.

I explained to him that by fighting back with the facts, and with gentleness, I didn’t have to wait to “win”. The victory was universal. By turning their arrows into flowers, I spared them the negative effects of having done physical harm to me. We both lived. And another day passed. No harm. No foul.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a student of both the Buddha and the Christus, understood this balance between ahimsa (non-violence) and civil disobedience. The Mahatma used this wisdom to effect powerful changes in India — abolishing the caste systemme’s “untouchables”, achieving equal rights for women, easing poverty and building religious and cultural amity in India. Gandhi employed non-cooperation, non-violence and peaceful resistance as his “weapons” in the struggle against the British oppressors.

And so we rest easily tonight, as the oppressors spin their tales. I am reminded of something the Mahatma once said in a speech, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind! When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall — think of it, always.”

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

This week’s question: “I understand the idea that attachment is the source of suffering, and I know that I have attachments. I do know that it’s important to become free of attachments, but cannot seem to tackle that problem. The more things I try to let go of, the more attachments I seem to find or replace them with. Thank you for another year of dharma teaching, Khenpo!”

Peace! You may find that you are closer to the answer than you realise, my friend. Attachment arises out of delusional thinking. When we experience attachment, it is always because we’ve lost sight of the true nature of all phenomena.

All phenomena are impermanent. Those things which are impermanent are also ultimately insubstantial, and therefore, incapable of helping us to avoid pain or attain happiness.

Let’s look at an example of this, before I share with you the way to reduce your experience of attachments:

This afternoon, our landlady reminded us that we are late with the rent. We also received the second cut-off notice from the electric company. Those two experiences gave rise to emotions of unrest, agitation and fear. None of those emotions gave us any solution to “real question” — how we were going to come up with $300 immediately — but the ego-mind didn’t care about solutions… it was all about fear.

The fear gave rise to grasping and longing: I found myself considering letting the urgent medical needs to get the surgery on my arm and resolve the neurological issues that are creating so much pain and functional problems, and simply return to work. Then I recognised emotions of agitation that certain folks, who literally waste hundreds of dollars on trivial entertainment, toys and alcohol each month, have never once offered to help us, despite their constant emails encouraging me to “keep helping the world with my teaching”. And finally, my mind settled on “wishing” we could have gotten that grant to rebuild the monastery. The mind settled on the idea that what we needed was a “house”.

But what I perceive as a “house” is an impermanent phenomenon. I imagine it is a house, but it is really an “effect” of the interdependent relationship of nails, wood, drywall, wiring, appliances, pipes, and so forth.

An even closer consideration recognises that what I perceived as wood, is actually an impermanent phenomenon arising out of the interdependent relationship between sunlight, water, soil and a seedling, which produced a tree.

Now, the question is whether any of those things, or the combination thereof, are capable of giving me happiness… or causing me pain. And the answer will always ultimately be “no”.

If we consider that everything we experience — things, people, emotions situations, religion, status — everything — arises from a complex interplay of impermanent causes and conditions, we discover that there is no real substance… nothing to desire, nothing to fear, nothing to resent, nothing to grasp. When we are mindful of the insubtantiality of phenomena, it is much more difficult for attachments to arise.

As we begin to see more and more of our experiences as the result of interdependent causation, less and less will appeal to us as some sort of panacea.

Therefore, I suggest that you have actually made good progress, because you recognise that you have attachments. That awareness will enable you identify and hone-in on one of those particular attachments, and begin looking at the attachments themselves, and deconstruct them. As we look more deeply and honestly at the interdependent causes and conditions from which those “things” take their illusory appearance, we also begin to notice the attachment dissolve.

Each day, I try to make up my mind to simply be aware of the thoughts that come through my mind. I know that some of those thoughts will be thoughts of attachment, delusion, anger and fear. And I welcome those thoughts… I don’t want to get rid of them at all! They are opportunities for personal and spiritual growth!

When they arise, I strive to turn my awareness inward, and “deconstruct” the illusion. Once I have, I don’t even have to “work” at “letting go” of it. It dissolves on its own. And there is an indescribable sensation that accompanies that process. I won’t even attempt to put it into words. You’ll know it, as it occurs.

Congratulations on your willingness to undertake your journey from such an honest and vulnerable place, my friend! And may that journey contribute richly to he elimination of suffering in your life and the lives of others.

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda

http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

The Japanese symbol for Emptiness

At the foundation of the Dharma, there are four fundamental Buddhist notions: impermanence, interdependence, suffering and emptiness. Of these, it seems that the notion of emptiness is most difficult for us to grasp in the West.

We can find evidence that the concept of voidness or emptiness, (Śūnyatā in Sanskrit or stong pa nyid in Tibetan), was not exclusively embraced by followers of Easter spiritual paths. The writings of the mystics, John of the Cross, Antony of the Desert, Teresa d’Avila, Meister Eckhart, Anthony de Mello and of course, Thomas Merton, are rich with metaphor and reflection on the fundamental emptiness or nothingness for which we long unknowingly.

Emptiness, from the perspective of our Teaching, is a characteristic of phenomena arising from the fact (as observed and taught by the Buddha) that the impermanent nature of form means that nothing possesses essential, enduring identity. In the Buddha’s spiritual teaching, one develops this insight, called Śūnyatānupassana, into the inherent emptiness of phenomena, as part of the process of attaining wisdom and enlightenment.

In Sanskrit, the root of the word śûnyata (shoon-ya-ta) is śûnya — a word meaning zero or null — thus making śûnyata the equivalent of voidness or emptiness… literally, nothingness. Śūnyatā signifies that everything one encounters in life is empty of absolute identity, permanence, or an in-dwelling ‘self,’ but is rather interdependent, arising out of a “cloud” of causes and conditions.

Yesterday, I shared briefly how I was able disengage from the drama of worrying about our financial hardships. I really cannot pretend to possess some remarkable strength of character, or indomitable spirit. The only thing I possess is something each of us equally possesses: the ability to shift perspectives, so that I can see things less as I think they are, and more as they actually are (based on my imperfect understanding of the Dharma).

You see, the tendency in the West is to think of things as happening to us. Largely because of our social and religious constructs, many people perceive something difficult or painful as happening to them because of something or someone, trying to bring us harm. Our feelings, we imagine, are hurt by others. We are treated unfairly by others. Some even imagine their god(s) as “punishing” them for transgressing some “sacred law”.

Similarly, we are caught up in the delusion that when good things happen, we are somehow being rewarded… that those good things are happening “to us”.

The reality is that these ideas arise from a delusional perspective. What appears to be happening to “us”, is not really about “us” at all, since even the “us” (our imagined “self”) is nothing but an ego-construct.

If we shift our reality, we can realise that these things are happening as part of an interconnected and interdependent “chain of events” (much like the Socratic idea of causation). What seems to be happening to us, is simply occurring in our experience. And really, it is only because we are half-awake that we perceive this as our experience, since there is infinitely more going on in the same moment, of which we are completely unaware.

As mindfulness gives rise to awareness, our perspective broadens, and we begin to see that neither the things we perceive as “good things” or those we perceive s “bad things” have any power over us. And they are, in fact, equal.

So I don’t see the financial hardships as bad things happening to me. Oh, like most people, I find myself challenged by moments of anxiety, frustration and fear. But it is only awareness that “saves the day.” Whenever I recognise those emotions arising, I look at them, like everything else, as arising out of a cloud of causes and conditions, and I remember that conditions are always impermanent.

How amazing would it be, if instead of New Year’s Resolutions, we created a New Years Revolution! What if we simply allowed ourselves to recognise and acknowledge that sometimes, “shit happens”. And that we can move through it, and will.

Ani Pema Chodron notes, in her book, When Things Fall Apart, “The difference between theism and non-theism is not whether one does or does not believe in God. It is an issue that applies to everyone, including both Buddhists and non-Buddhists.

“Theism is a deep-seated conviction that there is some hand to hold: if we just do the right things, someone will appreciate us and take care of us. It means thinking there’s always going to be a babysitter available when we need one. We are all inclined to abdicate our responsibilities and delegate our authority to something outside ourselves.

“Non-theism is relaxing with the ambiguity and uncertainty of the present moment without reaching for anything to protect ourselves. We sometimes think that dharma is something outside of ourselves, something to believe in, something to measure up to. However dharma isn’t a belief; it isn’t a dogma. It is total appreciation of impermanent and change, The teachings disintegrate when we try to grasp them. We have to experience them without hope… Dharma gives us nothing to hold onto at all.”

For those who want something to hold onto, the Dharma is not going to be a solution. That role is best filled by religions. Religion, in this sense, while not meaning to diminish the value it might have for someone else, is like an addiction. Again, Pema Chodron writes, “We’re all addicted to hope — hope that the doubt and misery will go away. This addiction has a painful effect on society: a society based on lots of people addicted to getting ground under their feet is not a very compassionate place.”

The truth is that we don’t know what the next year will bring any of us. And we’ve never known what any previous year was going to bring either. But we survived!

In RENT, the modern adaptation of the classical La Boheme, the character of Mimi sings a piece that illustrates beautifully this point — a point my friend Jon Larson hoped to make in his show — “The heart can bleed, or it can burn. The pain will ease, if we will learn… there is no future, there is no past… let’s treat this moment as our last. There’s only us, there’s only this… forget regret, or life is yours to miss… no other road, no other way… no day but today.”

This New Year, I would like to propose that what we need, is not necessarily more hope, but a better perspective. This coming year, some wonderful experience will be had… and some pretty fucked-up experiences will follow… always proceeded by some more wonderful or neutral experiences. None of them will last. All of them will end. And each of us will survive.

Stay in the moment. Follow your breath. Whenever you experience the sensation of separation, it is because you have become distracted. Return your attention to your breath, and separation dissolves.

Try not to judge your thoughts. They’re impermanent too. Let them simply be what they are, and then let them go. If you find a troubling thought, that means you’re still holding onto it. If you find a thought distracting you, it means you’re also holding onto it. When we let go of our thoughts, we allow new thoughts to arise… and with each new thought is the potential for greater clarity.

In the past, we may have allowed the ego to weaken our ability to reason. We may have allowed our addiction to “hope” to diminish our ability to rationally see things as they are. But we can change that today. Remember that all illusion arises in the mind. Only truth arises from the heart. If you follow your breath, it always leads you back within… where you find your heart… the heart metaphorically referred to as a “manger” in the Christian mythos… and therein is born the Great Love Incarnate… whether you picture that love as the Buddha, the Christ, Krsna or Spirit… or if, like me, you simply experience that Inner Nature as it is, without the imposition of imagery or personification… it is the Source of Your Power and Potential, because it is the groundless, formless, beginningless reality… which we call Emptiness.

Follow your breath, and it will take you to the place where you will one day experience the “joy of emptiness” — Śūnyatānanda.

Namasté!

- dharmacharya gurudas śunyatananda
http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (Dr. F. Gianmichael Salvato). All rights reserved. This article may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire blog, including by-lines, contact information and this copyright remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.