dharmatalks

I’d like to extend a two-part challenge to everyone who reads this blog to pass it along to at least five people you know, whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS. And the second part is to comment on the blog, sharing your personal story… how has AIDS affected you? What are you hopes for the future? Whose lives were cut short, but remain forever etched in your memories and hearts?

Part of the Vancouver Peace Summit, which preceded the launch of the Charter for Compassion, included some wonderful discussion and guest speakers talks about “telling our stories” and “listening to the stories of others”. Compassion is organically generated the moment we begin to listen with open minds and open hearts to the stories of another.

We live in a time, twenty-eight years into this pandemic, when women account for more than 25% of all new diagnoses. For twenty-eight years, society has largely turned a deaf ear and blind eye to the suffering of those affected by AIDS, because it was seen as a disease “those people” had – namely gay men, IV drug-users and people of colour.

Society as a whole has chosen not to take seriously the questions many doctors and scientists have posed about the real causes and origins of the disease. Big Pharma has seized the opportunity to engage in its usual parasitic behaviour, while bringing us no closer to a “cure”. And the Fundie-McNugget™ Brigade continues to fight and knock down every attempt to bring safer-sex discussion to classrooms and public forums, because they are frightened and self-loathing of their own and terrified of others genitalia.

Until last month, my monthly co-pay for the medications I take, as a 26-year survivor (living with full-blown AIDS since 1983), was $691.97 (for Kaletra, Epivir, Intellence, Isentress, and Dapsone). There’s no question that someone is benefiting from this disease… but it’s not the patients!

Today, AIDS remains the leading cause of death for Black women (including African-American and Black American women) aged 25-34 years. It’s the third leading cause for the same group, aged 35-44 years; and the 4th leading cause for those same women between the ages of 45 and 54. In fact, AIDS is the sixth leading cause of all women between the ages of 25-34, second only to cancers and heart disease.

As a young monk, walking home from being fired from a part time job as a security guard, because the supervisor discovered I was “a fag”, I was mistaken for  a police officer, by four Haitian illegal-immigrants in South Florida, May 10th, 1983. In the hour that followed, I was beaten, raped and left for dead, behind a 7-Eleven store, along Dixie Highway. When the police arrived, I was in shock, covered in blood and bruises, and the investigating officer said he thought for sure that it was some kind of ‘kinky sex fantasy gone wrong…” throwing me out of the police station, and never looking for the assailants. The newspapers carried the story, and were outraged, as were many locals in Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale.

Six months later, I was in the hospital with 106-fever and pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. Doctors told me that fewer than 15% of the men who came in with that kind of pneumonia survived at that time. I was diagnosed with what was then known as “GRID” (Gay-Related Immune Deficiency). When the other monks heard that I had “that disease”, they never came to the hospital to see me… never called my family to tell them… and by the time I was released, twenty-one days later, they had abandoned the house we shared, taking all of theirs (and my) things with them.

It’s been twenty-six years now, and I continue to beat the odds, through Tibetan medicine, Science of Mind techniques and alternative healing modalities. But that doesn’t change the discrimination that I continue to face… or the pain that marginalisation causes so many others.

Today, more than 33.4 million adults and children are infected with HIV and AIDS. And while I am one of the marginal few who continues to question the veracity of the “official story” – that HIV is the primary cause of AIDS – the point is moot, when it comes to the suffering both diseases cause.

A severely weakened immune system has resulted in my inability to work.

Have you ever broken a bone? It was terribly painful, wasn’t it? Imagine breaking your arm and then having that same pain for twenty-four months. AIDS has so weakened my immune system that the shattered arm I suffered in November 2007 remains broken today, and has not healed, despite reconstructive surgery, and the insertion of a 10.5 inch (26 cm) plate and 18 screws into the bones. And the pain? It remains a constant reminder of that day, when an apparently AIDS-related neurological disease caused severe Bradykinesia and I flew headlong into a brick wall, while shopping for holiday presents – ironically, for those who were disabled and too poor to afford gifts for one another.

I’m one of the fortunate ones, however. I have the loving support and care of an amazing partner (who courageously battles Parkinson’s Disease in his own life), a wonderful family (including an extended family and of course the sangha (monastic and lay community). And I have the benefits of having worked with people like Louise L. Hay for seven years, in the earliest years of the pandemic… and with leaders in the fight for our lives, such as Cleve Jones, Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, Michael Callen and Elizabeth Glaser.

Others are not so fortunate.

You Can Make a Difference

The simple fact is that most of us living with this dis-ease are living well below the Federal Poverty Level. We can barely afford housing, and yet, even when we reach out to the communities doing the most for people with AIDS – the shelters, the ashrams, the social service groups – they are unable or unwilling to help us. I was told by the “gatekeepers” at my own guru’s ashram that unless I could afford the well above average rents and living costs established by their community, I would not be able to move there. As a result, I was literally homeless for more than three months.

Social service agencies have had their funding cut to a minimum, in no small part thanks to the Fundie McNugget™ Brigade and the Bush Cabal… but there has been no relief under the Emperor’s New Plan for America either.

Take time to consider how you and those in your local community can reach out to those who are affected and infected. Listen to the stories of those who are suffering, and share ideas that would make that suffering a little less. Become involved and show the compassion we all profess to want to cultivate.

The Dean Sandoval Centre for Compassionate Care

In June 2005, Dean Sandoval lay in a hospital bed in Orlando’s Florida Hospital. He was recovering from minor intestinal surgery, following a long and successful battle with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Dean also had AIDS. A nurse, who was a “rotating” nurse, covering the shifts left open by nurses requiring some time off, was assigned to Dean’s floor.

Among the first things she did was to erase my name as the “spouse” on Dean’s contact board. She replaced it with his mom’s name and number. (His mom was staying with us, and was outraged by the nurse’s actions.)

When Dean had difficulty getting from the bed to the bathroom, and had an accident, he rang for the nurse to help him clean up. And because she was rabidly AIDS-phobic, she left him laying there in his fecal waste for 2 hours, until I arrived, and with the charge-nurse, cleaned him up. But it was too late. In his weakened state, Dean developed a decubitous wound that ate away at his flesh, clear down to the tailbone within a week and a half, despite every effort to contain and debride  it. It would claim his life less than two weeks from that day.

One of the chief projects of the Contemplative Order of Compassion will be to build and establish the Dean Sandoval Centre for Compassionate Care – a centre for social services, pastoral counseling, and loving support for those living with (and dying from) AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging dis-eases.  You can read more about this effort here: http://www.orderofcompassion.com/centre_for_contemplative_care.html

Through hands-on care partnerships with leading community healthcare providers, hospice volunteers, caregivers and pastoral training programs, as well as by gently advocating contemplative care at a local, regional and national level, we believe that we will positively impact the quality of life for those we serve, relieve individual and family suffering, and effectively create a more courageous and peaceful community that provides compassionate care for all, especially those facing end-of-life issues.

Opportunities exist for individuals and corporate sponsorships, grants and donations to make the Centre a reality in the Greater Washington D.C. area, and later throughout the country. Contact the Development Office for more information.

Over the past year, more than two million people died with AIDS worldwide. And another two million children (under the age of fifteen) are living with the dis-ease today. For every five people diagnosed, only two have access to medical treatment.

This Year’s Theme… I AM

The World AIDS Campaign arrived at the selection of the theme Universal Access and Human Rights after close consultation with representatives of various constituencies, communications and media representatives of partner organisations, and friends of the World AIDS Campaign.

Why I AM?

Understanding HIV and AIDS from a human rights perspective can be difficult. Human rights are often misunderstood and can sometimes be seen as abstract ideals with not much practical relevance for real people.

The slogans for the World AIDS Day materials were designed to bridge that gap and underscore the importance of awareness of Human Rights.

Among the key slogans adopted:

• I am accepted.
• I am safe.
• I am getting treatment.
• I am well
• I am living my rights.
• Everyone deserves to live their rights
• Right to Live
• Right to Health
• Access for all to HIV prevention treatment care and support is a critical part of human rights.

In recent years civil society has not asked for new promises, but rather that promises already made be kept. Chief among these today remain the following objectives:

• The commitment signed by the 189 members of the UN present in 2001 as the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS
• The 2005 G8 commitment to provide universal healthcare access by 2010.
• The 2005 UN Summit commitment: “Developing and implementing a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care with the aim of coming as close to the goal of universal access to treatment by 2010 for all those who need it.”

As religious hate-groups masquerading as churches – chief among these, the Roman Catholic, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and fundamentalist fringe groups – continue their campaign of intolerance, hatred and violence against humanity, we can make a difference.

Make it known that you support the objectives of the Charter for Compassion – that you demand these tax-exempt Political Action Committees, disguised as churches, “…to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain IS ILLEGITIMATE…” or lose their tax-exempt status permanently.

Make it known to the the officials of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. that the American people will not be held hostage by the extortion tactics of an contracted service provider, and that this nation will not become a theocracy on our watch!

Get involved on a local, regional and national level. Put your compassion into action. Take time to listen to the stories of others, and take time to share your story as well. You’ll never know how your words could impact the pain and suffering of another.

Finally, take time to share this with as many people as you can… Help us take this message around the world.

My name is Dharmacharya Gurudas Suynatananda (Francis-Maria Gianmichael Salvato to those who knew me in the secular world and as a Catholic clergyman), and I have AIDS.  I am committed to bringing emergent spirituality to the world, and creating an environment in which it is safe for people of all traditions, backgrounds and beliefs to come together and care for those in need.

This is MY world, and I intend to take it back!

- dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda
DharmadudeUnplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda. All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

Listen more and talk less. When you need to communicate, be brief.

Rabbi Jesus said, “Follow me.” The Buddha said, “Come and see!” That’s brief! Jesus and Buddha  could be brief, because their actions made words unnecessary.

If you need to speak, make sure that you only do so when you can add something of value to the conversation.

- dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda
The Contemplative Order of Compassion

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda. All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

There are times we may find ourselves repeating a pattern, perhaps in relationships, jobs or financial situations, which cause us to suffer.

The good news is that you can break those patterns by becoming conscious of the moment itself. When you are no longer deluded by the idea that you are a prisoner of the past, and become aware of the present moment as the only one that exists, you can take back the control over your life.

Seize that moment and break the cycle you’ve created in the past. Do something radically different, and celebrate the victory of love in your life.

Compassion is creative, imaginative, empowering and personal. Make it yours and the patterns that once held you captive will become distant memories.

- dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda
The Contemplative Order of Compassion

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda. All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

With the official start of the Christmas season now upon us, the whining, bitching and complaining about the “commercialisation of Christmas” has begun. A couple years ago, I wrote a piece, entitled, “Santa’s Not the Problem” (which you may want to read as well – http://dharmadude.multiply.com/journal/item/377/377), in which I addressed this phenomenon and the plagiarised Christmas tale. So we’re not going to cover that again this year, despite the popularity of that previous post.

What we are going to look at is something I find equally disturbing at this time of year – a time when the Fundie McNuggets™ are out in legion, decrying commercialisation, and whining about the need to “put Christ back in Christmas”. I would take no issue with their rant, were it not for the blatant hypocrisy, which leaves the essence and meaning of the Christ’s message out of everyday life, as they justify their intolerance, hatred, homophobia, racism and lack of compassion, with a superstitious reliance on their “scriptures” as justification for such vitriolic behaviour.

It seems awfully convenient to me that they overlook what the Great Teacher said, in the First Letter from John:

If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother or sister, he is a jacked-up liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, who cannot be seen.

- 1 John 4:20

So you cannot claim to love “God”, and sow seeds of hatred and intolerance toward others. If you do, then you’re a liar.

Today, we look at one of the traditional seasonal  scripture readings, in which we heard three times, Rabbi Jesus telling his disciples to stay awake and be mindful (Mark 13:35-36). Three times he warned against spiritual slumber. For followers of the Dharma of Christ, Advent begins with an attitude, not an event… it is the attitude of awareness that they seek to cultivate, not only during the 23-40 days of Advent, but during the rest of their lives.

The challenge to be awake asks us to be mindful in all we do, as though we were already in the presence of the One we await. We are that One. We are indeed already in the presence of the Christ, which is our Indwelling True Nature – also called the Buddha Mind, Universal Intelligence, or Ki.

Our primal vow, the Bodhisattva Ideal, embraces this boundless compassion as its foundation. Without compassion, there is judgment, vindictiveness and pain. When people create gods in their images, they often create these vengeful, intolerant, jealous and judgmental “gods”, but such mythical creatures are nothing more than the figments of their primitive imaginations.

This week, let us set aside such useless notions and consider ways in which we can work on generating greater compassion for others, and for ourselves. Let us be less self-critical, and we will find it easier to be less critical of others. Let us strive to live in this moment, where there is nothing but peace, calm and love.

Our refuge vows tell us that the Awakened Mind, the Path to Enlightenment and the Fellowship will be there for us whenever we need them. And by truly surrendering to them, we allow this sense of “me” to dissolve… the ego mind… and we begin to awaken to the Oneness that is Love Incarnate… the true message of the story of the birth of the Christ, who as Athanasius taught, was that God could become human, so that humanity could become God.

Whether we embrace the traditions of the holiday season or not, we can become more mindful of this magical season of the celebration of Light in the World. We need not embrace the superstitions, the legends or the sacred myths, to recognise the value in the stories and traditions themselves. We would do well to remember that even those whose spiritual paths lack maturity are people, just like you and me.

They want nothing more than happiness and an end to suffering, just like you and me. In fact, I cannot help but have more compassion and sympathy for those who are searching for what they want in external sources, legends and myths, because I know they can never find it there. So instead, I strive to be the Light they seek, so that that Light might connect with the part of them that is likewise Light, and ignite a spark of awakening in their hearts.

Let this time be a time not spent passively listening to the holiday music, or putting up lavish displays of colourful lights, but rather let it be spent in activities that are truly worthwhile… preparing ourselves by “scrubbing and cleaning” our spiritual lives and our daily actions, thoughts and words, examining our lives through the practice of Lojong or Naikan, repairing those things that have fallen into disrepair interiorly – just as one prepares one’s home to receive an important visitor. That’s the spirit of Advent… the nature of the Way… and the path to cultivating greater compassion for others.

Namasté

dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda
The Contemplative Order of Compassion

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (retired Archbishop Francis-Maria Salvato, O.C.) has been regarded as a provocative, revolutionary “voice of reason” within the field of religion and spirituality, since 1983. Having the distinction of being one of the few openly non-theistic, openly-gay and post-denominational thinkers ever to serve as Bishop-Exarch and spiritual leader of the autocephalic Eastern Catholic Franciscans in North America, Gurudas is the author of more than 600 articles, eight books and currently serves as the spiritual advisor for a non-theistic, intentional spiritual community, The Spiritus Project. He can be reached at: http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda (The Most Reverend Dr. F. Francis-Maria G. Salvato, M.Sc., O.C.). All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

Moving to Harrisburg represents another challenge and opportunity for personal growth for me. The capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a total population that’s less than ten percent of the population of Atlanta or Philadelphia, the two cities I call my “hometown”. Harrisburg’s population is even smaller than that of Lancaster, making it the ninth largest city in Pennsylvania.

Harrisburg, in its heyday was one of the most industrialised cities in the United States. Unfortunately, by 1981, it had become one of the most distressed cities in the nation — one of the casualties the previous decade of economic stagnation, recession and inflation of the Ford presidency. In recent years, Harrisburg has undergone a dramatic economic change, with nearly $3 billion in new investment now realised.

Situated just south of the Blue Mountain ridge of the Appalachians, along the Susquehanna River, the cultural make-up of Harrisburg is predominantly Black and Hispanic, with an average per capita income of only $15,787. The racial make-up of Harrisburg is nearly identical in percentages to that of Atlanta, meaning that many of the same inequities, social justice issues and human services needs exist.

An astounding 25% of the population of Harrisburg live below the Federal Poverty level.

Forty percent of the homes in Harrisburg were built before 1939, including what will soon become the Lojong Ladrang (Our Lady of Compassion Hermitage). Built in 1922, the residence, which is more commonly called “Compassion House”, will be located in the heart of the Inner City, on a quiet, nicely maintained street, despite most of its residents living at or below the Federal Poverty Level.

Harrisburg, like most of South Central Pennsylvania also suffers the ill-effects of its strict, fundamentalist heritage. Unlike more progressive cities, such as Philadelphia, which were established and thrived under the influences of Quakers, Harrisburg was settled by a majority of so-called “Pennsylvania Dutch”. The Pennsylvania Dutch were not actually Dutch at, but rather German. They referred to themselves as “Pennsylvania Deutsch“, and to the English-speaking locals, that expression was misinterpreted as “Dutch”.

The culture of the Pennsylvania Dutch was a strong-willed, family oriented, but frequently religiously intolerant, passive-aggressive culture, resulting in strong lines drawn in the sand, as the ultra-conservative German Lutherans, Anglicans and other German Protestant sects established their homes along the Susquehanna. Over the years, other largely intolerant sects, such as the Roman Catholics, Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons also gained footholds in the Harrisburg community as well.

So why would we even consider establishing a Ladrang in such adverse conditions? Simply put, because so many intolerant, separatist and vitriolic communities exist. And also, because Harrisburg is the capital city, and as native Pennsylvanians, we want to be able to positively contribute to the on-going dialogue that occurs in the legislative process.

Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, renowned and respected Dharma holder of the New Kadampa Tradition of Buddhism operates a Buddhist centre not far from us, and the Unitarians have a Mindfulness Meditation Group in town as well. So we won’t be bringing anything “foreign” to the area, but will hopefully contribute in meaningful ways to the cultural make-up, social justice activities and community service in the area.

Our greatest goal is to support the objectives of the Charter for Compassion, by developing a grassroots community of individuals dedicated to alleviating suffering. In a city such as ours, that will present limitless possibilities for service to the poor, the sick and dying, the marginalised and the hungry.

Additionally we hope to provide the region with a fresh, reinvigorated and inviting look at the Dharma of the Buddha and the Compassionate Way of the Christ, interpreted through a non-sectarian, non-theistic and postmodern lens… to offer a diversity in forms of meditation, liturgy and study, so that the Dharma of Compassion is accessible to all who are interested.

The house will require some minor renovations, particularly in the basement, which will eventually include a small liturgical chapel and meditation room, in addition to the laundry facilities and utility/storage area. The majority of the restoration simply requires a little plaster, paint and hardware.

If everything goes according to schedule, we’ll close on the house at the end of December, and providing we can get some physical help, should be able to move everything from Lancaster that same day.

Our desire is to bring peace to others and impact the community at a grassroots level, so that we all do a little more to actively engage in acts of compassion. We believe this can powerfully impact a city that has a lot of suffering people, with one quarter of its residents living below the Federal Poverty Level, and another fifteen percent very close to that. This transformation will occur by first inspiring others to cultivate inner peace. Only by achieving inner peace, can we ever hope to achieve global peace. Similarly, until one cultivates compassion within, one can never realise compassion for others. By realising that we are members of one family… the human family… we can erase the imaginary boundaries, distinctions and separateness the ego imposes on our view of others.

His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama calls this process “inner disarmament”, and calls it a “prelude to peace”. By inspiring this in others, compassion will organically arise and we will begin to see the suffering in others more clearly. I believe that when we actually see the suffering, without the numbing filters we usually apply to block out the reality of human suffering, we will naturally be compelled to do something about it.

We still have a lot of territory to cover in the next few weeks, including attending an FHA course, to get some of the stimulus funds available to help with the downpayment, and eventually, raising the additional funds for the move itself. We ask you to keep us in your thoughts, and continue to maintain an attitude of confidence that we will overcome any obstacle put in our paths, and will end up exactly where we ought to be.

Peace -

dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda
The Contemplative Order of Compassion

_____________________________________________

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda (The Most Reverend Dr. F. Francis-Maria G. Salvato, M.Sc., O.C.). All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

“Don’t tell me that you’re serving the Buddha or the Christ in their Temples and Tabernacles, if you cannot show them devotion in the slums, the ghettos and the streets. We cannot encounter Jesus in the Sacraments, or Buddha in Pure Light of Awareness, if we turn our eyes away from Buddha and Jesus in the bodies and souls of the sick, the hungry, the homeless and the marginalised. Hypocrites! Prayer begins with a servant’s heart… and a servant SERVES!” — my address to the Contemplative Monks of Compassion (inspired by a speech by Bishop Frank Weston)

In the United States, the tradition of observing this last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving is a time when most people attempt, at least briefly, to cultivate a sense of gratitude. And that is always a good thing.

But in all good conscience, I cannot and will not ever say the same thing about the “holiday” itself. I simply cannot call a celebration good, the origins of which brought about so much suffering and death.

Despite what we were taught in grade school about that mythical “first Thanksgiving”, where the fundamentalists of their day, known as Pilgrims, and Native People allegedly came together for a great feast, the real history of that “holiday” is sinister and sickening.

The first official observance of Thanksgiving was the result of a proclamation, issued in 1637, by the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In his proclamation, he declared a public day of thanksgiving and celebration on the day after the English and Dutch mercenaries slaughtered more than 700 men, women and children of the Pequot Nation.

Prior to 1637, it was only the members of the Pequot Nation who celebrated a day of “thanksgiving for the harvest and for health”. It was, in fact, this celebration of thanksgiving that the Pequot People were celebrating, when they were murdered.

Most of those slaughtered were burned to death, as the building in which their feast was offered, was locked shut, and set on fire by the English and Dutch mercenaries, who intended to “own” the new world.

It was the first major act of religious intolerance by the Protestant Fundamentalists in this country – a sad tradition, which has tragically spread, like an untreated cancer, and which now includes various Anglican sects, and the vitriolic Roman Catholic Church, as well as such groups as the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses and fringe cult groups.

Therefore, while friends and families indulge in a tradition whose roots are steeped in the mythological tale of the “good and righteous Pilgrims” — the very religious fundamentalists who considered their native benefactors to be devils, and brought with them small pox, intolerance and genocidal tendencies — more blood will continue to be shed in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Darfur and Chad, in Burma, Tibet and elsewhere.

Since the first sounds of alarm were raised before the United Nations in 2003, between 250,000 and 600,000 people in Darfur have been murdered. More than double that number of women and young girls have been raped, tortured and maimed by Sudanese militia. Darfur has become the single greatest U.N. failure since the genocidal massacre in Rwanda. In all, about 2.3 million Darfuris have been forced to flee their homes, and now live in refugee camps. And now, the 13,000 humanitarian workers and humanitarian operations themselves are being targeted by the Sudanese rebels.

In Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga, a thousand homes were destroyed and 150 people killed in a tsunami recently, leaving thanks without shelter, including two of our monks. Typhoon Ketsana struck the Philippines, just a couple short months ago, leaving more than 3,000 deaths and nearly 400,000 homeless.

Famine and war are responsible for around 2,500 deaths every day worldwide. About 24,000 people perish globally from hunger daily.

In the short time you have been reading this post, 180 people have died from hunger.

Of these, the majority were caused by chronic malnutrition and tainted water supplies. And these are just the death totals. It is estimated that around 100 times as many people who die are suffering from hunger and malnutrition right now! That means 876 BILLION people will be hungry while the belt buckles get loosened and folks kick back to watch their favourite football teams play, or steep themselves in the opiates of It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol on T.V.

Even within the United States, there will be 17 million children going to bed hungry on Thanksgiving night… and the day before… and the day after. According to the US Department of Agriculture, 49 million people in the United States – nearly 15% of all households are unable to afford enough food for their families to eat daily. And that strikes particularly close to home for us, having been there several times in the past year ourselves.

I would be saddened, even if I somehow found it possible to accept that hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on turkeys, hams, stuffing, casseroles and deserts in the past week; while all around us, there are people who will go to sleep hungry tonight, perhaps even homeless, as temperatures begin their descent into winter.

Without question, I am grateful to have the love of friends, family and Sangha. I am grateful for the Dharma and for the Sovereign Teacher of the Dharma. I am grateful for my teachers, my colleagues and workers in the vineyard. Gratitude and mindfulness of my good fortune to have the care and support of a loving partner, compassionate care for the medical challenges I live with, and a roof over our heads fills my heart and mind… not only this Thursday, but every day.

I am profoundly grateful that the doctors, who told me I would be dead within 24 months, in November 1983, were wrong… that I have had 26 years to continue working to spread the Dharma of the Buddha and the Compassionate Way of the Christ in some small way, hoping to alleviate suffering wherever I could.

But I cannot join you in your celebrations of a day of infamy, which stands in my minds, the minds of the Native People’s and the hearts and minds of those who are open-minded, as a day of great sorrow.

Instead, Thursday will be a day of recollection, of honouring the lost lives of those who were murdered, and offering all that I can to generate enough merit and compassion in this lifetime to significantly reduce the debt created by those murderous Pilgrims and by the generations of Fundie McNuggets™ who’ve succeeded them.

I will also remain grateful for that tiny, but significant remnant of men and women who still strive to uphold the compassion, generosity and kindness of the Great Teachers – those who serve in the ministry and laity of some of the hatemongering churches… for people like Karen Armstrong, Brian McLaren, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Rev. Candace Chelew, Dr. Jerry Maneker, Fr. Bill Dohman, Fr. John Albino, for the Episcopal Church in the US, Pax Christi, Sister Joan Chittaster OSB, for the Franciscan Sisters at Prairiewoods, Brother Aelred and Brother Jacob OSB, and so many others.

And of course, I will offer thanks for the many who are not part of the subversive hategroups (especially the Roman Catholic Church®, The Church of Latter Day Saints™, The Freakazoids of Westboro Baptist Cult, and the Anglican Bishop-Terrorists of Africa), but who have blazed new trails in contemporary spirituality. You know who you are, my sisters and brothers, and you do your work without requiring recognition, praise or honour, because compassion is the honour itself.

My heart finally goes out to all of those who suffer, including those who are too cowardly to abandon the intolerant, vitriolic and hatemongering sects that I mentioned earlier, because “the were born Catholic,” or because they confuse the fact that the Church is the people, not the building with an imaginary absolution from having to take a stand against the vile and disgusting corruption of the institutions that hijacked the very message of the Christ, to line their pockets with wealth, and their beds with untold millions of victims of predatory misconduct.

But most of all, my heart is with those who suffer for any reason, especially hunger, homelessness, cold and dis-ease.

Perhaps you, my dear readers and friends, were unaware of the history of this tragic and dark “holiday”. Now you know. There’s no need to feel guilty or sorrowful for having planned a great meal, or bringing together loved ones. But perhaps… just perhaps… some of those leftovers can find their way on nicely wrapped plates, and taken out to the streets, and offered to someone who is hungry on Thanksgiving night.

Perhaps you will make room at your table for someone who might otherwise be alone.

Perhaps you will pause for just a second longer, to think of the 14 million children who are hungry, and make a resolution that at least a portion of that money you planned to spend on “Black Friday” would go to direct relief in your local or regional Food Banks, which are particularly hard-hit this year.

For my Muslim friends, including my baby brother, Thursday is the celebration of Eid, the end of the month of Hajj (journey to Mecca).

The Prophet Mohammad (upon him be peace) taught: “Feed the hungry, visit the sick and free the captive,” just as Rabbi Jesus admonished, “Whatsoever you do for the least of these, you honour me as well.”

And Buddha Sakyamuni reminded his disciples, “If you do not tend to one another ,then who is there to tend to you? Whoever who would tend me, he should tend the sick.”

If we brought a mindfulness of this opportunity to serve others… to care for the needs of those who suffer… this holiday season could be the start of a global transformation.

Join us at The Charter for Compassion, and take time to consider making this holiday season truly become a “season of miracles and of light”.

May peace and calm abiding be yours in the coming week!

Namasté

gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (retired Archbishop Francis-Maria Salvato, O.C.) has been regarded as a provocative, revolutionary “voice of reason” within the field of religion and spirituality, since 1983. Having the distinction of being one of the few openly non-theistic, openly-gay and post-denominational thinkers ever to serve as Bishop-Exarch and spiritual leader of the autocephalic Eastern Catholic Franciscans in North America, Gurudas is the author of more than 600 articles, eight books and currently serves as the spiritual advisor for a non-theistic, intentional spiritual community, The Spiritus Project. He can be reached at: http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda (The Most Reverend Dr. F. Francis-Maria G. Salvato, M.Sc., O.C.). All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

If we are going to do our part to cultivate greater compassion in our world, we must become more mindful of violence in our world. It’s easy to imagine that violence is only something that happens “out there”, but such a mindset does little to contribute to personal responsibility and realisation. Violence finds its way into all aspects of daily life, and can range from the most subtle expressions to extreme physical manifestations.

The sage, Krishnamurti once noted:

“Violence is not merely killing another. It is violence when we use a sharp word, when we make a gesture to brush away a person, when we obey because there is fear. So violence isn’t merely organized butchery in the name of God, in the name of society or country. Violence is much more subtle, much deeper, and we are inquiring into the very depths of violence.”

We must be mindful that we make an impression upon others by saying or doing something as well as by not saying or doing something. The question we must ask is what that impression is. Are we contributing to that person’s personal, emotional or spiritual wellbeing? Or are we lashing out, and simply wanting to hurt them, to “get even”.

  It’s difficult to balance the need for directness and “tough love” with the mandate for compassion at all times. There are times when we might witness someone we love engaged in self-destructive behaviours, and out of our own fear for their wellbeing, we may appear to lash out. Our intention may be good, but the impact on the other person is not changed by the intention.

Everyone desires the same thing: happiness and freedom from suffering. From the smallest of microscopic organisms to the most complex beings, every being is hardwired for happiness and non-suffering.

If we cultivate a greater awareness of our own motivations, we can ensure that we do no harm, no violence to another. And that does not make it easier, to be sure. In fact, I can tell you that right now, my heart is heavier than imaginable, because I know that I can say or do no more to inspire maturity, responsibility, growth and self-empowerment in someone entrusted to my care. I must guard my words and actions, and remain vigilant to dispel fears that may arise, leading me to want to lash out. I can simply be love for that person, and all persons by extension, and rely on the assurance that “when the student is ready, the teacher appears”.

Of course, those who are steeped in selfish, irresponsible and often self-destructive behaviours are among the first to rally against anyone appearing to be a “teacher”. But their rallying is not against those external teachers who manifest in their lives, but to Our Lady, known in Sanskrit as Bhagavati, the culmination of wisdom and compassion. This wisdom and compassion is our true guru… our interior teacher. And it is against that indwelling Bhagavati that those we love, who are not yet ready to take responsibility for their lives, rally.

Be unrelenting in your gentleness. Never stop trying to extend love and kindness to those around you. You never know the other person’s story.

You see, this is one of the greatest reasons for cultivating a true practice of compassion. True compassion is not the kind of love we feel for those close to us. Often that compassion is occluded by our own attachments to those persons. But if we learn to cultivate compassion for all beings, particularly those we do not know, there is a dramatic shift that occurs within our minds. We suddenly learn to dwell in what Eastern philosophy calls the chidikash – the “heartspace over the head”, expounded upon by India’s Swami Nityananda. The chidikash is the sacred space in which our minds merge with our True Nature, the Awakened Nature, and dissolve into the bliss of Emptiness. It is in this space, which sounds a bit esoteric on first read, that we find our real spiritual home… Only when we can function from this space, can we effectively serve, forgive, and live.

As one cultivates that practice of compassion, and dwelling in the chidikash, then one begins to be able to manifest greater compassion for those they love as well, because the attachments to those persons dissolve with the ego. Suddenly, the expression of compassion becomes unclouded by our fears, our hurts, our impressions or opinions. We radiate the true Buddha/Christ Nature and can begin to heal others, by healing ourselves.

Remember this… everything that appears in your external life, from the manifestations of aches and pains in your body to the occurrences in the world around you is a reflection of your interior life. If there is chaos around you, there is chaos within you. If there is hunger and dis-ease around you, there is hunger and dis-ease within your mind. These manifestations or reflections of your interior (spiritual) condition are opportunities for you to heal and grow. And when you do that, you find that the external takes care of itself, and begins to transform as well.

How then, does the mind free itself of its accumulated violence, cultured violence, self-protective violence, the violence of trying to protect another through harsh words, the violence of aggression, the violence of competition, the violence of trying to suppress and bully oneself, brutalise oneself, in order to be non-violent?

We begin by realising that violence is, itself, nothing more than energy. It is energy that is misdirected in such a way as to manifest aggression. But that same energy, from a non-dualistic perspective, can be redirected toward compassion. How do we do that?

We do that by mindfulness. Consider any and all of the times when you have experienced an angry outburst. I’ll bet it was only later, when the experience passed, or perhaps even seconds after the outburst itself, that you realised that you were angry.

The language used in your self-talk, which is the ego, is an attempt to redefine your nature.

“You are angry,” the ego tells you. Not really. You are love. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We’re going to use a strategy that anyone can use right away, which allows you to skilfully use the “tricks” of the ego to your benefit.

As I said, mindfulness is the key to transforming violence. If you live from an introspective, mindful and contemplative place, then whenever angry, fearful, hurting or jealous emotions, thoughts or impulses arise, you can immediately recognise them and acknowledge them. Say to yourself, “This is an angry thought arising.” It won’t prevent the thought from manifesting, but will do something much more important. It will prevent you from becoming attached to it.

For example, very recently, someone we know did something remarkably irresponsible and reckless. My impulse was to “get all Sicilian” on them and tell them how badly they are f*cking up their lives and the lives of their loved ones with their stupid, selfish behaviour. But what would that have accomplished? They already know that deep within themselves, and they would only lash out in resistance to the external manifestation of their interior voice/teacher (Bhagavati). 

So instead, I became quiet and still. I turned my awareness away from the immediate situation, because what that person has done is done… that isn’t going to change. Instead, I looked at and listened to the interior dialogue, which went something like this:

“Gurudas, you’re angry.”

“No, I am love. This anger is arising from a chain of interdependent causes and effects, and is impermanent… it is ego.”

“But you’re really pissed…”

“I recognise the emotional response to self-destructive behaviour in others, and know it comes from knowing that I have made bad decisions in my life too. Underneath all of this misguided energy is a desire for the other person to find happiness, and stop their self-defeating behaviour, thus ending their suffering.”

That whole dialogue took maybe one minute, and guess what… the anger dissolved, unexpressed.

I didn’t suppress it. I didn’t “stuff it” and allow it to eat at me. I disarmed it. I recognised that at the root of every emotion and impulse is nothing more than energy, and as the Creator and Architect of my universe, I have the authority and power to redirect all energy for the greater good. Jesus knew this, and used this technique to empower others to experience healing. Buddha knew this and exemplified it in his life and teachings.

This is ultimately the foundation upon which the Eight Verses of Mind Training (Lojong) are compiled.

Our inattention (dwelling from the ego-mind) attaches us to images, perceptions and notions. These are the delusions which give rise to anger, fear and aggression.

By cultivating mindfulness (attention and awareness, rooted in wisdom and compassion), we become unattached to images, perceptions and notions. Our fears dissolve and all aggressive energy is redirected toward healing and wholeness.

Again, quoting the sage Krishnamurti, “To be free of violence implies freedom from everything that man has put to another man, belief, dogma, rituals, my country, your country, your god and my god, my opinion, your opinion, my ideal. All those help to divide human beings and therefore breed violence. And though organised religions have preached the unity of mankind, each religion thinks it is far superior to the other.”

Make a personal decision to end your contribution to violence today. Disassociate yourself from activities and groups which support or teach or foster separatism, elitism, discrimination and dogma. Work toward becoming more mindful, more aware, more awake.

Cultivate a genuine desire to help alleviate suffering and unhappiness, wherever you find it, beginning with your own heart.

The message of the Great Rabbi was clear, “Love your Awakened Nature, the Sovereign Essence. Love one another. Love yourself.”

Namasté
dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (retired Archbishop Francis-Maria Salvato, O.C.) has been regarded as a provocative, revolutionary “voice of reason” within the field of religion and spirituality, since 1983. Having the distinction of being one of the few openly non-theistic, openly-gay and post-denominational thinkers ever to serve as Bishop-Exarch and spiritual leader of the autocephalic Eastern Catholic Franciscans in North America, Gurudas is the author of more than 600 articles, eight books and currently serves as the spiritual advisor for a non-theistic, intentional spiritual community, The Spiritus Project. He can be reached at: http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda (The Most Reverend Dr. F. Francis-Maria G. Salvato, M.Sc., O.C.). All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

The following, is one of my favourite poems from the mythic Rumi, read by one of my favourite contemporary artists (Madonna). Take a moment and allow yourself to consider what it would be like, if your heart (your Enlightened Mind) could speak to you. What would your True Nature have to say?

dharmacharya gurudas sunyatananda
http://orderofcompassion.com

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Dharmacharya Gurudas Śunyatananda (retired Archbishop Francis-Maria Salvato, O.C.) has been regarded as a provocative, revolutionary “voice of reason” within the field of religion and spirituality, since 1983. Having the distinction of being one of the few openly non-theistic, openly-gay and post-denominational thinkers ever to serve as Bishop-Exarch and spiritual leader of the autocephalic Eastern Catholic Franciscans in North America, Gurudas is the author of more than 600 articles, eight books and currently serves as the spiritual advisor for a non-theistic, intentional spiritual community, The Spiritus Project. He can be reached at: http://dharmadudeunplugged.com

Copyright ©2008, His Eminence Dharmacharya Gurudas Sunyatananda (The Most Reverend Dr. F. Francis-Maria G. Salvato, M.Sc., O.C.). All rights reserved. This material may be reproduced, blogged, quoted or distributed, provided the entire copyright including contact information remain intact. It may NOT be altered in any way, without express written permission.

Sorry I am late posting this on the blog… bad punk monk!