dharmatalks

The consciousness of love releases the greatest power of all. It is that consciousness that can turn an ordinary meal into Communion with our own organic and indwelling capacity to emerge as the Sacred. Our True Nature is the pure consciousness of love, which is called the Buddhadhuta (Enlightened Nature) or Christ Consciousness.

This consciousness stems from following a spiritual path, which has nothing to do with religion or religious traditions. It arises from the practice of respect for life, dedication to non-violence, awareness of our essential unity, a feeling of equanimity and loving-kindness toward all beings, and the ocean of limitless compassion.

For those students of the Dharma of the Christ, we progress further and deeper into Holy Week, and the narrative of that last celebration of the Paschal meal that Rav Yeshua shared with his disciples, commonly referred to as the Last Supper.

The meal they shared would have been the traditional Passover Seder; but I am unconvinced. You see, there are a number of elements in the biblical narratives that give us clues to what I believe was intended to be seen as yet another aspect of the radically fresh, inclusive and dharma-oriented teaching of the Great Rabbi.

To begin with, scriptures tell us that Jesus instructed his disciples to go into the Holy City and look for the young man carrying water, telling him that the Master wants him to prepare things for the Pesach (Passover celebration). Many of us might think that those directions were vague. How would they know to which guy, carrying a pitcher of water their Teacher wanted them to speak. It might surprise the Fundie McNuggets® to discover that this passage also tells us that Rav Yeshua (Jesus) was not a homophobe, like so many of them; for his instructions would have led the disciples to a particular gay man. That’s presumably why it was unnecessary to describe the guy any further, because you see, no heterosexual male in that ancient society, would have been carrying water (traditionally a woman’s role).

So Jesus has his disciples find the gay dude in town, and entrust that this gay guy would know him as “the Master” and ensure that everything was set up properly.

Then we jump ahead to the meal itself, when the English translation of the Aramaic texts also fails to provide a clear translation and insight into the meaning of that meal.

Here is a more accurate interpretation of the words of that Eucharistic Meal:

“Then the Teacher took bread and said the Passover blessing, broke the bread and gave it to the men and women with whom he shared that meal, saying, ‘Take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my flesh sacrifice… a non-violent and perfect substitution for the violent ritual slaughter of our tradition. Such violence is unnecessary, for simply breaking bread and being grateful is enough!

“When supper ended, the Teacher took the cup, again saying the traditional blessing, and passing it to his disciples, said, ‘Take this and drink, for this is our blood sacrifice… representing a new and life-affirming covenant for all people. No more do we need to superstitiously rely on animal sacrifices to appease imaginary external gods.

“Do this in memory of me.”

And so it was that a new tradition supplanted the ancient Passover tradition, and this new community recognised that they could share a “thanksgiving meal” any time, simply by breaking bread and sharing a cup of wine. Their teacher opened the way for them to experience a “new covenant” – a non-violent, compassionate and equally shared covenant between all beings.

In the Satasáhasriká Prajñapáramitá, we learn that a true Bodhisattva shows his or her compassion by choosing to suffer the pains, torments and passions… even the agony of death, so that he or she might lead all beings to perfect Enlightenment. Such a person, we are told, becomes consumed with grief over the suffering he or she sees among others, and desires to take such suffering upon himself or herself, for the sake of freeing others… literally, saving them, from torment.

According to the biblical legend,  both Rav Yeshua and his Mother (Miriam) willingly surrender themselves to great suffering — both physical and emotional — out of an overwhelming sense of longing to free the world of suffering and death for innumerable æons.

For the Catholic-Buddhist, the story of Good Friday and Easter can be seen through the lens of the ancient mystery traditions, which recognise the stories as a ways to fill in the gaps science leaves with symbolism and myth, for the purpose of illustrating the importance of the gaps themselves — those empty spaces in which ultimate truth (Emptiness) exists.

The apostle wrote that his desire was "to decrease, so that the Christ Consciousness in him could increase". This consciousness of which he speaks is the awareness or awakening that Buddhists call "Enlightenment". It is an awareness of the ineffable, ungraspable, groundless reality, which the primitives called "God", and which the mystics and Desert Fathers knew could never be named or quantified.

Holy Thursday is a particularly important day of contemplation for the Contemplative Monks of the Eightfold Path, because it is the retelling of an ancient myth, which has been told about many characters before it was superimposed on the story of Rav Yeshua…

It is a story of transformative potential. The story of love. And that transformative love is manifest in the gathering of people to share an "intentional meal". We can make every meal an intentional meal, by bringing mindfulness, gratitude and love to the experience. That is what Jesus wanted his disciples to understand.

For me, the Liturgy of Holy Thursday, in which we strip the altar of its linens, its candles and empty the tabernacle of the sacramental presence that usually resides there, has always been a powerful and emotional symbolism. I’ve always returned, as was the case of the elders (episkopi) in the early Jesus Movement, to sit in silent contemplation in that empty church… and turned my awareness to the profound experience of that emptiness.

The period of time from that Paschal meal that Rav Yeshua would have shared with his disciples and their families… during which his Mother must have been keenly aware that something was troubling Her beloved son… bring a mindfulness that there is a pain inherent in being alive. We read about the "agony in the garden", and find the tremendous sadness and agony Christ experienced, when contemplating the suffering of others, and during which he seems to have resolved to identify solely with that sovereign value in the identification of one’s own suffering with the sufferings of all beings.

This ethic of sacrificial compassion is at the heart of the Bodhisattva ideal. And I find meaning in contemplating not only the staid story of Rav Yeshua and his passion and death, but the frequently overlooked, and equally courageous role of the co-redemptrix, Mary, his Mother… who becomes, by adoption, the Mother of Us All. For a mother to stand by and watch her child suffer must be a terrible thing. I know that when my late partner was dying, who for the last year of his life, was more like my child than my lover, it was one of the most emotionally heartbreaking experiences I had ever known. Yet to compound that experience of watching a loved one die with watching them die a savage and brutal death is even more extreme.

A Mother, barely older than Her Child, stands on the step, watching as Her Son is ridiculed, beaten by a crowd, tortured and hanged upon a tree. These words seem inconceivable, and we imagine that is because they are part of an ancient legend… a sacred myth… and that is why we cannot begin to understand. But those words were not a description of our Blessed Mother at Calvary… they were the words used to describe the experiences of a 23 year old Black woman, in Selma, Alabama, who watched her son being beaten and hanged by a mob of racist terrorists in 1962.

Suddenly, when the context changes, our hearts begin to feel the terror, the agony and the grief.

We reflect on the meanings of the story… on the meaning of Pilate, the representative of the "great civilisation", which was threatened by the radical message of inclusion and equanimity being preached by this revolutionary Rabbi of Love. "What is truth," Civilisation (in the person of Pilate) asks of the Anointed One. In the end, Civilisation washes its hands of the responsibility to uphold social justice.

Then there are the high priests… the ones charged with upholding truth and who became caught up in the literalist interpretation, the ritiualistic practice, and the lust for power and authority that comes in every institutionalisation of spirituality. In the end, they too were threatened by the suggestion that compassion calls us to erase the lines the priests had drawn in the sand, dividing "us" from "them"… "pure" from "ritually unclean".

Afraid that doing the "right thing" might upset the status quo (Rome), the few priests with a conscience, retreated in silence, and let fear and manipulation win, just as we find those dedicated and compassionate priests in the Roman Church often doing, in the shadow of the oppression, injustice and intolerance their institutional dogma puts forward. They know that women, gay and lesbian persons, and people from other faiths are being dogmatically marginalised by their religion, and in their hearts, they do not embrace such intolerant ideas… but they do nothing about it… and like the Pharisees, stand by in silence, and watch the torture unfold.

Now there was, at the time of Rav Yeshua, a tradition during Pesach (Passover), during which every observant Jew would bring a lamb or a goat to the Temple for ritual slaughter. The priests would first bleed out the lamb (poorer families would use a goat), and then offer the first portion sacrificially to their vengeful and punitive god, Yahweh. The families would not be permitted into the Holy of Holies, and would have to stand in a waiting area (actually only the men were even permitted to stand in this section). So a name tag was placed around the necks of the animals to be sacrificed.

As we read the story of the Passion, we find that the Jewish priests were horrified and appear angry, when they looked up at the Cross, and see the sign Pilate had inscribed in Latin, Hebrew and Greek.

Many are familiar with the inscription that is often seen on crucifixes today, with the Roman "INRI" appearing above the head of the Corpus.

This sign would have actually contained the entire message "IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM" — meaning "Jesus the Nazarene, and King of the Jews" (contrary to the misinterpretation of many later scriptural texts, which claim it said "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews", since there was no such place as Nazareth at the time of Jesus’ birth. The Nazarenes were a sect of Dharma adherents, who were trained in the healing arts by the Therapeutae — Alexandrian monks, trained as disciples of the Tibetan Buddhists). Back to the story…

The Pharisees subscribed to a metaphysical method of looking at all written words in Hebrew as containing a literal meaning, and then a numerological meaning, followed by a "hidden" Kabbalistic meaning, which was derived from taking the first initial of every word in a passage, and looking for symbolism or words therein.

When the words "IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM" are translated into Hebrew, the first initials of the words would have been "YHVH".

There, before the eyes of those who were charged with the responsibility to protect the truth, was a sacrificial lamb… above whose head was his "family name" the name of their mythical god, Yahweh, whose name in Hebrew is "YHVH".

On a deeper level, there were other more ancient assignations, dating back to the crucifixion myths that pre-date the plagiarised version found in the Bible, in which those letters mean, "IGNE NATVRA RENOVATVR INTEGRA" — "By fire is restored purity."

Thus we see in the story of Good Friday the Bodhisattva Path — which represents the inner fire of the spirit, regenerates and resurrects Love and Life… much like the sun regenerates the earth.

Regardless of your personal spiritual path, I invite you to consider and contemplate this exemplary story of the Bodhisattva Christ (Aviloketesvara) … and the Bodhisattva Mary (Kuan Yin).

Consider a love so great, that after becoming incarnate, was moved so deeply by the suffering of this world and others, that he gave his life in exchange (the Tibetan practice of tonglen) for the freedom of others. Each day, we too have an opportunity to take on the suffering of others, symbolically and in small ways, to alleviate the suffering they experience in some meaningful way.

We can let the desire for that pack of cigarettes die in us, so that the $5 can feed that homeless woman we pass on our way home from work. We can let the habit of Happy Hour with our friends die so that we can spend those couple hours visiting those in the country home or cancer ward.

We can allow the need to be right die, and simply say, "I’m sorry", next time our wife or husband is bitching about something stupid.

And I’ll promise you this, my friends… three days later, you will discover that there has been something in you that is indeed "raised up"… restored to life… reinvigorated. And by the fires of daily life, may your hearts be made pure!

Namasté

khenpo gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

“Chenrezig, Treasure of Objectless Compassion;
Manjushri, Lord of Stainless Wisdom;
Vajrapani, Destroyer of all adversarial forces;
O Je Tsong Khapa – Losang Drakpa —
Crown Jewel of the Sages of the Land of Snows,
Humbly at Your Lotus Feet I ask your blessing.”

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Khenpo 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, Khenpo 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.

For followers of the Christian liturgical tradition, particularly those who observe the so-called Apostolic (Lineage) Tradition, Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week – and both the contemplation and the remembrance of the series of mythic events, said to culminate in the crucifixion of Good Friday, and the triumphant metaphoric Resurrection mythos.

And while we can easily find older legends, which include much of the same motif, what truly matters for disciples of the Christ Dharma is not whether the mythical events described in the biblical narrative literally occurred (something I have never personally accepted as credible, logical or important), but rather focusing on the significance and meaning behind these legends.

The crucifixion/resurrection mythos is a recurrent archetypal story among the Mystery Schools, which were less concerned with the legends and characters of the sacred narratives, and focused upon the process of apotheosis and gnosis.

Apotheosis comes from the Greek, literally meaning, “to make divine”. Apotheosis is the process by which we free ourselves of the egocentric and dualistic ideas and concepts (including the notion of an external, personal god), and recognise the Ground of Being (as Tillich puts it) or what we refer to as Groundlessness or Sunyata. As St. Francis of Assisi noted, “What we are looking for is also what is looking.” In other words, we are indeed the Ones for whom we have been waiting.

Gnosis is another Greek term, which means a type of transcendental and experiential knowledge. This is why you may have often heard me say that true discipleship for the student of the Buddha or the Christ does not require blind faith, if indeed any faith at all. The teachings of these two transcendental masters imparts gnosis, and encourages us to experience truth, in a living, dynamic way.

And so we have this archetypical narrative, in which Rav Yeshua (Jesus) enters into Jerusalem on a donkey, greeted by his disciples waving palm branches and olive branches, laying out their cloaks upon the road as sort of a “red carpet”.

Rav Yeshua enters via the Eastern Gate entrance to the Holy City, a significant symbol as it is counter to the entry used (at approximately the same time) by the Roman Equestrian Procurator of Judea, Pontius Pilate. When Pilate entered the city, he would have entered (as was the custom of the Roman dignitaries, from the Western Gate. The symbolism here, often overlooked is a radical redefinition of sovereignty.

Pilate, a representative of Caesar, would have been accompanied by his soldiers and officials, all on horses, and dressed in the refinery of the Roman dignitaries. Rav Yeshua (Jesus) enters on a donkey, surrounded by his followers and supporters… a dramatically different kind of army.

Jesus’ message was a message of love. He redefined what the superstitious people imagined to be some sort of personal, jealous, vengeful and human-like being, they referred to as their God, instead telling them that what they imagined to be "God" is really Love.

The sovereignty embodied by Jesus was not the kind of "kingship" we saw in the courts of Caesar or Herod… it wasn’t the kind of "messianic kingship" the Jews were waiting for… it was the kind of sovereignty Jesus expressed, when he taught, "The sovereign reign of the Divine is within you."

In the coming week, we will reflect on a story of tremendous pain… the mythical story of the arrest, torture and crucifixion of the Great Teacher, the Christ. We will talk about suffering, pain and the extraordinary way in which we find the Christ and His Mother overcoming and transcending suffering.

Many of the same people who greeted Rav Yeshua with shouts of “Hosanna” on Palm Sunday would, according to the legend, turn against him, and call for his crucifixion, less than a week later. This potent symbology reminds us that often, it seems that the triumph of the Light is overcome by the archons of the ego-world. Yet we recognise that what actually happened (as the story continues to unfold into the Resurrection mythos), is that the Light was only obscured, not overcome.

And so we receive (and in some cultures) exchange palm branches on Palm Sunday, as a reminder of our own triumphant Sovereign Nature – the shared divinity that we often call our Christ-Nature or Buddhadhuta. And like the archetypal Christ, there are times when we may feel indeed that those who supported, loved and lauded us just days ago, have turned against us. But while such painful experiences might obscure from our awareness (and perhaps the awareness of others) the truth about us, it does not overcome us, and will never triumph against us.

As I reflected upon the Palm Sunday narrative last year, I was reminded of a book I read not long ago, called, "Etty Hillesum: An Interrupted Life the Diaries, 1941-1943 and Letters from Westerbork". Etty Hillesum was a Dutch Jew, who was killed at Auschwitz, in 1943, when she was only 29 years old. Among the persecutions she suffered, Etty was accused of being a Christian, because her sentiments did not seem to reflect the traditional wisdom of the Jewish people.

Etty Hillesum was unfazed by these accusations, writing in her diary:

"All I wanted to say is this. The misery here is quite terrible, and yet, late at night… I often walk with a spring in my step along the barbed wire, and then time and again, it soars straight from my heart… like some elementary force — the feeling that life is glorious and magnificent, and that one day, we shall be building a whole new world. Against every new outrage and every fresh horror, we shall put up one more piece of love and goodness."

These are the words of a Bodhisattva. Like the story of Etty Hillesum, and the Christian narrative of Holy Week, we are challenged to move through those "fresh horrors" of our time… the accusations that are levied against us… the dangers that await us from the intolerant and hateful… and to emerge having raised up one more piece of love and goodness.

Our reflection as we enter into a period of silent contemplation, until Holy Thursday, comes from the gospel attributed to John:

Then Jesus told them, “You are going to have the light just a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, before darkness overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them."  – John  12:12-36

Ultimately, the message of Palm Sunday is one of mindfulness. It is about a mindfulness and awareness that each of us can become more authentic, more aware and reflective of our True Nature (Inner Light). It is the story of learning to recognise that all phenomena are impermanent, and that appearances are simply a matter of our undisciplined and dualistic perceptions – not a reflection of the truth about a given situation or condition.

Learning to find the truth hidden and sometimes obscured by our limited comprehension of ancient myths and sacred texts is an example of being lost without the light. We know that the gospel story is a story of Love becoming incarnate in the person of the Christ… something that occurs in each and every one of us. We need not seek external light, but instead, remember how to radiate the light that we are.

We are the light of the world.

Namasté!

khenpo gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

“Chenrezig, Treasure of Objectless Compassion;
Manjushri, Lord of Stainless Wisdom;
Vajrapani, Destroyer of all adversarial forces;
O Je Tsong Khapa – Losang Drakpa —
Crown Jewel of the Sages of the Land of Snows,
Humbly at Your Lotus Feet I ask your blessing.”

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Khenpo 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, Khenpo 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.

Thirty years ago, one of the great peace workers of the Christ Lineage, Archibishop Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was martyred, for his courageous and visionary social justice efforts in San Salvador.

While he failed to come to terms with the difference between a pure Communist ideology and the corrupt expressions (distortions) of Communism seen in the modern world, Romero was an outspoken advocate for the poor, the marginalised and the oppressed. In 1980, as he elevated the Chalice, during the Eucharistic Consecration at Mass, Romero was murdered – shot by an M16 assault rifle, by members of ARENA (National Republican Alliance), an extreme-right-wing political party, under the leadership of terroristic leader, Major Roberto D’Aubuisson Arrieta.

Honoured by many of the world’s spiritual traditions, for his social justice work and his efforts at championing democracy for all peoples, Romero is included among the statues of martyrs depicted above Westminster Abbey in London, and is one of the patrons of the Spiritus Project – a social justice outreach of the Contemplative Order of Compassion.

I cannot help but feel that he would be disgusted with the state of his church today, as it supports the continued oppression of women, the vilification of LGBT persons, and as it incites injustice, intolerance and violence through the support of such hateful initiatives as Prop 8 in California. And when he would see a church preoccupied with hiding, harbouring and making excuses for predators, I cannot help but think he would be as disgusted as we are today.

It was Romero, after all, who said, "The church would betray its own love for God and its fidelity to the gospel if it stopped being… a defender of the nights of the poor… a humaniser of every legitimate struggle to achieve a more just society… that prepares the way for the true reign of God in history." (8/6/79)

While Romero was naturally a theist, something for which I personally find no value or merit, I was moved by his visionary admonition to his colleagues: "A preaching that awakens, a preaching that enlightens — as when a light turned on awakens and of course annoys a sleeper – that is the preaching of Christ, calling, ‘wake up! Be converted!’ this is the church’s authentic preaching." (Jan 22, 1978)

And so we honour the memory of the Catholic martyr and peace worker, +Óscar Arnulfo Romero.

Namasté

khenpo gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

“Chenrezig, Treasure of Objectless Compassion;
Manjushri, Lord of Stainless Wisdom;
Vajrapani, Destroyer of all adversarial forces;
O Je Tsong Khapa – Losang Drakpa —
Crown Jewel of the Sages of the Land of Snows,
Humbly at Your Lotus Feet I ask your blessing.”

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Khenpo 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, Khenpo 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.

It’s rather easy to recognise fundamentalism, whether Christian, Islamic, or a fundamentalism based on any other spiritual tradition as being unhealthy, detrimental and illegitimate. We may not be as readily aware of the subtle forms of fundamentalism and intolerant supremacist mentalities that arise in our every day dealings with others, however. These are equally unhealthy, and like all baseless spiritual criticism, arise from arrogance and ignorance.

When someone criticises your spiritual practice or path, it’s best to gently remind them that you are following your interior path, and are disinterested in their approval or disapproval. Admit that your path is a humble and lowly path, and that your path is simply love and compassion.

I would suggest that you seek only three things from your spiritual practice:

First, seek authenticity. Be sure that the path you follow is the one that resonates deeply with you, and which withstands examination and reasoning. For this reason, most practices that are based on superstition, doctrine, dogma and hierarchical authority may prove troublesome. Believe only that which your reasoning and heart have found to be true.

Second seek a path rooted in compassion. Your principal, if not sole motivation for spiritual practice ought to be the desire to alleviate suffering, and end self-cherishing, fears and those things which cause attachments. That means your path should be one free of judgment, and filled with forgiveness – for yourself and others.

Third, ensure that your spiritual practice is relevant. It’s fine to subscribe to the ancient and honoured traditions of our spiritual heritage. But we must work to keep those traditions relevant, dynamic and accessible. If you find yourself drawing from various traditions, don’t let anyone intimidate or ridicule your decision to do so, simply because they are too ignorant to appreciate the limitless possibility for authentic spirituality that exists for those mature enough to do so.

There have been those who continue to attack and ridicule members of our community, because we adapted our spirituality, our rule of life, our monastic (or lay) vows, and our traditions to reflect more authentically the message of the Buddha and the Christ, as it speaks to us.

For the petty, small minded and vitriolic imbeciles of the world, it’s unfathomable for someone to faithfully uphold their vows as a Catholic contemplative, and Successor to the Apostles, while faithfully living the vows of a postmodern Buddhist monastic. Even more impossible, in their minds, is the idea that one could freely celebrate the spiritual traditions of the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers… the rich heritage of Eastern (esoteric) Catholic spirituality and Vajrayana Buddhism – from an entirely non-theistic approach.

Central to the spiritual of the Contemplative Monks of the Eightfold Path is a text that my Refuge Guru, Swami Abishiktananda (Fr. Henri Le Saux, OSB) shared with me when I was seven years old – a teaching that was given to both arhats and bodhisattvas by the layman, Vimalakirti, which particularly focuses on non-duality.

In the eighth stanza of the sutra, there is a passage which spoke deeply to me as a seven year-old child, and both inspired and informed my future spiritual path ever since. It describes the path I would take… the path which would be confirmed later, as my Root Guru, Tenzin Yangchen Ma, would receive from her Guru Neem Karoli Baba… the path which Swami Bede Griffiths understood, as did Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Master Thich Nhat Hanh. For some, it was a passage which metaphorically spoke of an inclusiveness and tolerance that should be held by every spiritual practitioner. For me, it was a literally affirmation of the path I would choose:

He becomes a monk in all the different religions of the world so that he might free others from delusion and save them from falling into false views.

Vimalakirti Sutra 8

It has been a liberating path for me, while certainly not a path for most folks, to be sure. It allows me to live the teaching in a way that is more authentic for me.

I don’t believe that Buddha Sakyamuni intended for people to become “Buddhists”, nor do I believe Rabbi Jesus intended for his disciples to convert people to “Christianity” (or Judaism for that matter). Instead, they intended for people to live joyfully and without attachment… without self-cherishing… without fear or the delusional sense of “separateness” we know as the ego.

Let this new week be an opportunity for you to sever those ties with those who bring toxicity to your daily experiences and relationships. When you allow toxic people to continue to interact with you in ways that create further conflict, you become culpable for the conflict itself. Engaging someone, who continues to attack or disparage you, and then getting angry about their sophomoric attacks is about as sensible and becoming angry with fire because it burns.

Sometimes, the best way for forgiveness to transform a relationship that is damaged is to allow space to exist for a period of time, in which the egocentric mechanisms of all parties can lose their focus and power. By gently letting go, and preventing further toxic interactions, we make room for that miracle in which the broken can once again become whole. The “miracle” of reconciliation and understanding.

Thank you to everyone who sent their well wishes, prayers and expressions of support this past week, following my surgery. The pain in my arm and shoulder remains very intense, but I grow stronger each day, and chose, over the weekend, to stop using the pain medications, so that I could function this week, and return to my work teaching, consulting and counseling.

I will be working fewer hours, and taking breaks as needed. But I am happy to be back, and grateful for the wonderful job the orthopaedic surgeon did once again.

May your week be filled with mindfulness and awareness of the breath, and may love light your way.

Namasté

khenpo gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

“Chenrezig, Treasure of Objectless Compassion;
Manjushri, Lord of Stainless Wisdom;
Vajrapani, Destroyer of all adversarial forces;
O Je Tsong Khapa – Losang Drakpa –
Crown Jewel of the Sages of the Land of Snows,
Humbly at Your Lotus Feet I ask your blessing.”

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Khenpo 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, Khenpo 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.

It’s a tragedy that Corey Haim, at the young age of 38, apparently died from an accidental overdose. It’s always a tragedy when a life is ended unnaturally, particularly when it happens to someone young.

I was troubled, however, by an interview with Larry King, in which Haim’s long-time friend, Corey Feldman remarked:

"I appreciate the fact that everybody really cares and — and is trying to show their expression of sorrow right now, but at the end of the day, Larry, where were all these people the last 10 years, the last 15 years of Corey’s life?" he asked.

"Where were all these people to lend a hand out, to reach out to him and say, you know, you’re a legend … you’re an amazingly talented, wonderful person who’s really never gone out of his way to hurt anybody other than himself," Feldman added.

Wait… Corey Haim was a former teen idol… and he was in two successful movies. But a legend?

While other young actors from his time were dedicated to and refining their craft, Haim and Feldman were party-boys. At a time when other young actors were working diligently to recreate themselves and move beyond the typecasting of their youth, Haim was in and out (and in and out) of rehab.

Feldman paints the Oakwood Apartments, where Haim lived with his dying mother, as a place for the “down and out” and those living “month-to-month”. The cheapest two-bedroom apartment in that complex, which is a very comfortable, very nice, middle to upper-middle class complex, is $1200 to $1500/month. I lived there myself, as did Neil Patrick Harris (of RENT and Dougie Howser, MD fame) and dozens of Hollywood actors, writers, producers, etc.

Believe me, there are many places in the Los Angeles area that are far more accurately the homes of those living “month-to-month”.

Don’t get me wrong, I am pleased to know that in the final months of his life, Haim was taking care of his mom, who was undergoing cancer treatment. I am glad that he was trying to stay clean. And I am sorry that his life was cut short, based on his choices. Addiction is a disease, and without doubt, it had a grip on Haim that he didn’t seem to be able to shake. That’s tragic.

The loss of any young person to drugs or alcohol is a tragedy.

But let’s not get caught up in the histrionics and pretend suddenly that we lost a “legend”. Let’s recognise that the suffering Haim experienced was self-created and self-sustained. And let’s make that something that inspires us to look at our own lives, and take responsibility for our own choices.

May Corey Haim rest in peace, and may his loved ones be comforted at this time of loss.

Namasté

khenpo gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

“Chenrezig, Treasure of Objectless Compassion;
Manjushri, Lord of Stainless Wisdom;
Vajrapani, Destroyer of all adversarial forces;
O Je Tsong Khapa – Losang Drakpa —
Crown Jewel of the Sages of the Land of Snows,
Humbly at Your Lotus Feet I ask your blessing.”

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Khenpo 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, Khenpo 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.

There is a story familiar to those who are students of the Dharma of the Christ, which many of those who observe the Season of Lent heard repeated in their liturgical celebrations this past Sunday.

In the reading, found in the biblical text attributed to Luke, in which Rav Yeshua tells his disciples that unless they make amends for those things they have done wrong, and reform their thoughts, actions and hearts, they will bring about tremendous personal suffering. He compares the self-inflicted suffering that they will experience with some of the calamities of their present-day – the slaughter of certain Galilean contemporaries, who were on their way to Temple; the eighteen victims crushed by the unexpected collapse of a building… His response was likely framed with a particular mindfulness of the saying from the Hebrew scriptures, in which we read:

“Though the righteous fall seven times, and get up again; the wicked are overthrown by calamity.”

- Proverbs 24:16

Now I don’t believe that the message of Rav Yeshua was one of the same superstitious belief his contemporaries held – a belief in an imaginary being who “punishes” the wicked with horrible events such as genocide, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. Sadly, those who fail to understand the cultural context of his message, and don’t look at the bigger picture, taking into account the “whole message”, rather than literally interpreting bit-by-bit, may be misled to imagine such things.

The real “danger” about which Rav Yeshua speaks is the danger of not taking responsibility for one’s actions and moral choices. In the Buddhist context, we call this recognising the karmic consequences of not living according to the Noble Eightfold Path.

In order to avoid this self-created suffering, we must develop a sense of loving-kindness, compassion and self-acceptance – which we call maitri – and which enables us to gently recognise the behaviours, thoughts and habits which directly contribute to the suffering we create in our experiences and the experiences of others. It’s a skilful practice of exposing all our delusional ideas, habits and self-deceptions in a way that is non-accusatory, and deeply compelling.

By allowing ourselves to see this behaviours and habituations in a non-judgmental, truly compassionate light, we are able to choose to let them go. Have you ever been driving somewhere, and you realised you were headed in the wrong direction? Most likely, when you realised that, you simply turned around or changed direction. Right?

Similarly, when we realise our habituations and behaviours are taking us in the wrong direction, we don’t struggle to control them… we don’t condemn ourselves… we simply recognise that we’ve been making choices that were taking us in the wrong direction, and turn around. We recognise that not letting go of these wrong views and wrong actions will destroy our hearts, our minds and our bodies.

In our spiritual practice, we don’t set out to “gain merit and recognition”, but rather to simply cultivate compassion and wisdom, realising that merit will organically be accumulated, regardless of whether anyone “notices” or not. We begin to learn to see in everyone the potential for that person to be our teacher, our mother, our child… and by so doing, ignorance begins to dissolve, and our perceptions gradually transform toward a clear sight.

Does this mean we won’t screw up again? Nope… in fact, we may even feel like we screw-up more often. However, the truth of the matter is that what’s changed is that we’ve become more aware of the times when we screw-up, and our awareness allows us to hold that compassion and wisdom longer, so that we can gently let go of those habits, those ideas, those fears… and choose a new path.

For disciples of the Christ, Lent is a time for mindfully purify the body and spirit, in order to more abundantly be filled with the fruits of that “new birth” or “transformation” metaphorically represented in the Easter mythos. It’s a time for conversion of heart, and letting go of habituation.

Each morning, the Contemplative Monks of the Eightfold Path recite and contemplate the sixteen lines of the Heart Sutra – a text that many traditionalist Buddhist orders require its monks and nuns to memorise. The Heart Sutra describes the liberation of the great Bodhisattva of Compassion, Chenrezig (Avalokiteśvara), who, while meditating deeply of the Perfection of Wisdom (Astasahasrikā Prajñaparamita Sutra), told the monk Sariputra:

Body is nothing more than emptiness,
emptiness is nothing more than body.
The body is exactly empty,
and emptiness is exactly body.

The other four aspects of human existence —
feeling, thought, will, and consciousness —
are likewise nothing more than emptiness,
and emptiness nothing more than they.

All things are empty:
Nothing is born, nothing dies,
nothing is pure, nothing is stained,
nothing increases and nothing decreases.

So, in emptiness, there is no body,
no feeling, no thought,
no will, no consciousness.
There are no eyes, no ears,
no nose, no tongue,
no body, no mind.
There is no seeing, no hearing,
no smelling, no tasting,
no touching, no imagining.
There is nothing seen, nor heard,
nor smelled, nor tasted,
nor touched, nor imagined.

There is no ignorance,
and no end to ignorance.
There is no old age and death,
and no end to old age and death.
There is no suffering, no cause of suffering,
no end to suffering, no path to follow.
There is no attainment of wisdom,
and no wisdom to attain.

The Bodhisattvas rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
and so with no delusions,
they feel no fear,
and have Nirvana here and now.

All the Buddhas,
past, present, and future,
rely on the Perfection of Wisdom,
and live in full enlightenment.

The Perfection of Wisdom is the greatest mantra.
It is the clearest mantra,
the highest mantra,
the mantra that removes all suffering.

This is truth that cannot be doubted.
Say it so:

Gaté,
gaté,
paragaté,
parasamgaté.
Bodhi!
Svaha!

Which means…

Gone,
gone,
gone over,
gone fully over.
Awakened!
So be it!

This idea of “sunyata” or “emptiness” is based on the recognition that all phenomena are inherently impermanent, and therefore, lack substantiality. In other words, everything in this world is interconnected and in constant flux.  A deep appreciation of this idea of emptiness thus saves us from the suffering caused by our egos, our attachments, and our resistance to change and loss.

And so once again, the Dharma of the Buddha and Dharma of the Christ challenge us to cultivate compassion, transform our habituation and behaviours in order to adopt a clearer, undeluded view, and gently let go of those things which cause us to suffer.

I’ve included a beautiful rendition of the Heart Sutra as a means of providing each of you with something you can listen to, perhaps while reading the English translation, and allowing the words to wash over you, as the sacred syllables themselves become seeds of transformation in your consciousness.

Namasté

khenpo gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

“Chenrezig, Treasure of Objectless Compassion;
Manjushri, Lord of Stainless Wisdom;
Vajrapani, Destroyer of all adversarial forces;
O Je Tsong Khapa – Losang Drakpa —
Crown Jewel of the Sages of the Land of Snows,
Humbly at Your Lotus Feet I ask your blessing.”

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Khenpo 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, Khenpo 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.

Once more, the digital mouthpieces of Western Buddhism – simple-minded and petty bloggers, whose lack of proper formation and training, apparently limited scope of functioning intelligence, and demonstrated lack of capacity for open-mindedness and proper research have led them to waste bandwidth and time decrying “the punk monk”. And once again, they resort to nothing more than lies, baseless innuendo and sophomoric remarks, rather than providing any substance to their claims.

It’s disgusting, really. I mean, we cannot complain about how inaccurate Bill Maher’s comedic portrayal of Buddhism was, or how ill-informed Britt Hume is, when within our own ranks are people whose hatred, intolerance and divisiveness makes Maher and Hume look like successors to a high lama.

Thirty years of service leaves evidence and mountains of documentation. I have no reason to waste my time or that of my readers with further “rehashing” of the lives we’ve touched, the qualifications of my lineage and succession, or the fact that despite the limitations of the ignorant minds to comprehend such things, there are many Catholic clergy who hold ordination in Buddhist traditions as well.

And those who know me know that from the start, I have held the titles of “His Eminence”, “His Grace”, “Holy Exarch” and even “Lama” in disdain, when applied to me. Of course, I accepted the Office of Exarch and did my best to fulfill my obligations to our community in that capacity. And I fully understand that my role as a semi-retired archbishop and abbot of our community ought to be publicly regarded, if only as a courtesy to my students and fellow monastics.

Some clowns have gone so far as to claim that the use of Dharmacharya is incorrect, further demonstrating a lack of formation and proper training.

They fail to recognise that from the moment I was consecrated as a bishop, I have maintained the foundational principles of our Order, which adopted a congregational polity, like all Buddhist and Quaker communities, as well as the form of governance used by the United Church of Christ and Disciples of Christ. Therefore, my role is one of spiritual shepherd, but not “boss”. For that reason, I bow to the decisions of the Sangha, and until there was consensus, was not privileged to “change my title” from Dharmacharya or Lama to simple khenpo (abbot).

In the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha teaches, “People with small minds want a small Law, because they cannot believe they can become a Buddha.” (Lotus Sutra 2)

This intolerant and divisive behaviour is merely a reflection of the attackers’ pettiness. Franz Metcalf notes that such petty and intolerant people feel they need strict adherence to their narrowly-defined idea of Buddhism because they feel they cannot be trusted to keep peace and behave properly without them. Thus they demean themselves and they demean others.

I also consider such attacks as an opportunity for me to contemplate what unresolved issues lie within my own heart. When someone is calling me a fraud, I believe that is a reflection of some internal issue in which I have doubted my own capacity to become a Buddha/Christ.

When I bristle at being called “His Eminence” or Lama Gurudas, I recognise that beneath my apparent disdain for lofty titles, there may also be an issue of unworthiness lurking about.

I am a servant-leader, and have been for thirty years. I am mindful of the many opportunities I have had and shared with many of you over those thirty years, and I strive to honour those memories as treasured experiences.

And I’ve often said that if it causes discomfort for some of the smaller-minded sectarian teachers or their students, or simple-minded bloggers and their cats, for me to be recognised for my meager contributions to the work of our community and our Order, then what harm would there be in allowing them to believe what they choose?

So I am unworthy to be honoured by my students or recognised as an accomplished Buddhist lama. So what? My students don’t honour me with their words. They honour me by serving others along side of me. I need not be recognised as an accomplished lama or archbishop-exarch. I am simply a Dharma teacher. And those ordained in my succession/lineage know that they have been able to rely on me when it counts. Their ministries are evidence of the teachings I share taking root in meaningful ways.

The petty and narrow-minded are not serious about the Dharma and never have been. And I give them all the rope they need, for in their attacks, they hang no one but themselves. May their suffering and the karma brought about by their insipid hatred ripen upon me, and may they awaken to their true nature, and recognise the folly of their intolerant behaviour before it’s too late.

 I honour those ordained in my succession – Especially those who serve as bishops, archbishops, priests and deacons, who continue our lineage, and validate the message of the Dharma of Compassion. You are evidence which controverts the accusations. And you are my heart.

Namasté

khenpo gurudas sunyatananda

_____________________________________________

“Chenrezig, Treasure of Objectless Compassion;
Manjushri, Lord of Stainless Wisdom;
Vajrapani, Destroyer of all adversarial forces;
O Je Tsong Khapa – Losang Drakpa —
Crown Jewel of the Sages of the Land of Snows,
Humbly at Your Lotus Feet I ask your blessing.”

_____________________________________________

Drawing on the essential teachings of the great spiritual teachers, philosophers and freethinkers throughout time, Khenpo 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, Khenpo 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.