On Becoming Buddhist in America: Part I.

Since being an American Buddhist and the transformation of traditional forms of Buddhism through their introduction to American and changes in the Western spiritual landscape through the introduction of Buddhism, is what I'm most intrigued by these days, I'm going to continue writing about it here. I'll admit this may not make for the most engaging blog reading but it is fun blog writing for me and as that is the really point of engaging in this project. Still, I hope that at the very least I leave you with something to ponder.

I am a "Western Buddhist" who dedicated myself to the Three Jewels or Tiratna at the age of twelve (eleven if you ask my mother, who was fine with my interest in Buddhism but horrified when I declare that my ultimate goal was to grow up and become a monk).  The Circumstance of my early, self-induced conversion to Buddhism are probably unusual, much of the story of my life's journey has been about exceptions to the norm. I don't mention this as a point of bragging, rather it is something I feel is important for me to recognize and be mindful of, as it tends to shade my interpretation of other peoples experiences. One positive way my story has effected me, is that I have an implicit understanding that most of us are in one way or another, an exception to the norms. In its less skillful forms my unusual perspective can lead me to the bully pulpit, where I tend to expound upon other peoples ignorance regarding "my type" or the evils of stereotyping in general although, I myself am not above such human frailties.

So I've been wondering, how do Western Buddhists come to their faith? Please note, that in my use of Western Buddhists, I'm referring to Buddhist practitioners in America (my personal point of reference) whose cultural heritage does not include one of the many Asian countries where practicing Buddhism is a cultural norm. At this point, I'm not as interested in the internal factors that might motivate the decision to adapt Buddhism as a faith, as much as I am in the way a non-Buddhist Americans might form an opinion about what Buddhism is that would lead them to further investigation and eventual personal identification.

"Buddhism" is, to say the least, a very broad arena. Some people believe that the term might be put to its best use if we refer to it in plurality, as in "Buddhist faiths" because there are so many sectarian and cultural variations that lumping all of them together under one title seems slightly ridiculous. Others like to point out that Buddhism isn't actually a religion but more a philosophy and in response it has been noted that, "If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, its probably a duck!".   I myself sometimes feel it's a philosophy and sometimes feel its a religion, depending on the experiential context. Either way, I have come to believe that the key component is faith- I have faith in the practicality of the philosophy and faith in the significance of the religion. At age eleven I made a decision to make Buddhism the vessel of my faith and it has remained that to this day, although my journey has led me sometimes closer and sometimes further from these two aspects of my commitment, I have always maintained my faith.

I just love this video- I was reading Rifkin's book on Empathy when this came out and I haven't stopped thinking about either... So, "Click Here" to check it out!

Coming out as a Buddhist

Apropos to the topic of Buddhist identity, I would like to trot out a rather well worn observation; the Buddha was not a Buddhist. 

Of course, that brings up the question, what is a Buddhist? Better yet, how well does it serve us to bother with such identifications? I like all these questions although, as usual, I don't feel qualified to tell you what the answers are to them. However, I won't let this get in the way of my thinking aloud about them here, if for no other reason than that it gives me someone (myself) to disagree with tomorrow. 

I have several friends who I deeply respect and admire that put most people to shame when it comes to their personal meditation practices. Like myself, most of them come from a Vipassana influenced perspective, some of them have a deep knowledge of the Buddhas teachings and yet, they don't seem the least bit interested in identifying as Buddhist. Its not a fear of the precepts or a lack of respect for the path   just a general sense that the identification isn't personally necessary. I  respect their choices when it comes to these matters, after-all, these are issues of faith, a deeply personal investigation if ever there was one. 

There is something about their lack of identification that I even envy, it seems so bold, so free, so... "enlightened". Although I secretly wish to evolve to this higher state of non-dual identification, I fear I haven't made a great deal of progress lately. My enrollment in a Buddhist founded university has thrust me into the position of having to identify my sectarian allegiances on a daily basis. Instructors, monastics, students, they all seem to want to know what sect I identify with and just how much I identify with it.

That I'm Buddhist is a pretty safe assumption (since I'm studying Buddhist Chaplaincy) but never in my life have I felt the burden of labels so keenly. I'm not complaining, I've been offered a lot to think about in terms of the construction of identity and its usefulness since I've immersed myself in the program. I have concluded that this stage of identification (with a capital I) is just that, a stage. One that serves a certain useful function for a particular time and place. As personal as my faith might have once been, I'm officially "out", Its hard to avoid people identifying you according to your religious beliefs when you're moving towards an officially endorsed title of Chaplain!

As for wearing the mantle of Buddhist, I'm very Ok with that and have been for some time. I think there are some basic tenets of the belief system that one is required to accept in order to claim Buddhism as a faith and I do. I question some of the recent Western trends of identifying oneself as "Buddhist and fill in the blank", as if we were discussing a pleasant side dish to be added to a main course. This is strikes me as particularly problematic when we discuss the attempt to wed Buddhism and any of the theistic religions. As a whole, this seems like a rather vulgar display of disrespect to both faiths. 

I have my own opinions about the nature of change and growth that is occurring as the Dhamma flows to the West. Any time a set belief system is confronted with change, there generally seems to be a period of contraction on the part of the establishment concurrently there will be those who feel the need to protect the old modes of identifying. I think Buddhism might be going through just such a period, Im not saying its an original perspective but it is based on personal observations. The history of Buddhism has been marked by numerous inevitable periods of reformation, adaption and modification. Perhaps my non-Buddhist Buddhist friends represent the latest trend in a historic saga that will lead to a shedding of old identities, or maybe they're part of a generational fad that will fade in time; either way, the view from the middle doesn't seem so terrible.  

 " One has to all the time feel others' sufferings as one's very own.
Sympathy has to be the first and foremost thing in one's life, sympathy and the feeling of oneness.
There cannot be anything greater than the feeling of oneness ."

- Sri Chinmoy

"Western" vs "Eastern" Buddhism

What exactly is a Western Buddhist? Or for that matter Western Buddhism?
Lets face it, some pretty heavy-hitters have weighed in on this issue and in a side by side comparison of qualifications for addressing it, I don't think I'd stack up to well. To be honest, I don't really think I  have any qualifications, there are no initials behind my name, nobody has ever transmitted anything to me and as far as I know, nobody has listed me in their "spiritual will".

I decided this was the place to respond to some issues surrounding this topic as they arise.
All I really have to offer here is my own observations, which are based on my limited personal experience. As such, I've noticed they're subject to change. I have found that as I go about my life, getting exposed to new people, ideas and experiences, my perspective on things constantly seems to change, sometimes expanding, sometimes contracting, sometimes changing in the moment and sometimes shifting slowly over the course of the years. Based on this, I have inferred that since my sense of "reality" is based on subjective experiences, "reality" for me, is subject to change.
As you can imagine, this works out well for somebody who, for the time being, is OK identifying as Buddhist. (If you are the kind of person who is prone to fits of philosophical logic, or is scientifically minded, try not to let what I'm saying worry you too much, its my reality after all, not yours!). I guess this is a long-winded way of saying I might not identify with these thoughts by the time I'm finished typing them! 

Lately I've been thinking about what being Buddhist constitutes for non-Asian Americans. While the topic is a little sticky, its also interesting and informative to delve into. I currently live in Southern California, I've also lived in Northern California, Seattle, Eastern Washington State, Idaho and Alaska, my home State. As might be assumed the general rule is, the farther north you go the "Whiter" and more Caucasian things seem to get. However, what many people fail to realize, is that places like Alaska and Eastern Washington also have large extant indigenous populations (Nope, John Wayne didn't kill em all). Here in Southern we have one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse populations on the planet and it makes for some interesting cross-cultural dynamics. One of them is the opportunity to hear how other people contextualize you according to their experiences and beliefs. I want it to be clear that my experiences and the thoughts they've helped form, are personal- I'm not speaking for anyone else, but I do want to address at least one idea I've heard lately about Western Buddhists from some very lovely acquaintances who happen to be Asian Buddhists.

Myth: "All Western Buddhists are converts from Abrahamic Faiths and are unable to let go of this theistic perspective. "

Truth:  I'm not, so that means we're at least one shy of "all", and I have a hunch that I'm not the only one.

I also have a hunch about this stereotype, Its called "the squeaky Dharma wheels get the grease". People who convert are, by definition, experiencing major shifts in perspective. These shifts are sometimes accompanied by a lot of "compare and contrast" and vociferous identification- I don't think this is a bad thing, its just a thing. There are probably many converts who aren't vocal about the experience... you're just not hearing from them.

 I was not, nor have I ever been Christian, Jewish, Muslim or  Catholic. My parents did do a very brief stint as Baha'i's, but I made a choice for myself at the age of twelve, that I was fine with Buddhism. Many Western Buddhists I've met are from a non-specific spiritual backgrounds and I also know some very fine, upstanding Western Buddhist who inherited their beliefs from their Western Buddhist parents, it happens.

I think some of the confusion here may stem from differences between Eastern and Western cultures in concepts of social identity. I can easily imagine how someone coming from a culture where group identification is a prevailing norm, might have a to assume that there was some similar, coherent, prevailing social structures binding together all of us "individualists" and I'm sure there are but in this case I don't think its a predilection for theism.  As far as I can tell, the best part of two cultures or for that matter, two people coming together, is the space it opens for us to explore our differences, review our assumptions and deepen our understandings. I'm grateful that I live in a place that provides so many ample opportunities to do just this and that I get to participate in a faith that equally challenges me.

Loss

A few of days ago, I began this project with an entry on the theme of old beginnings, endings, and new beginnings. I was attempting to use the lyrics of a pop song to illustrate how my belief system was addressing my fears and hopes in light of my entering graduate school and letting go of portions of my previous life.

In the brief time since then I have been exposed to a much more profound sense of change and loss. Two days ago I separated from my partner of the past two and a half years. The choice of timing was hers not mine but the reason behind the split was a mutually conceded, seemingly irresolvable difference. There was no enmity, no harsh words, no finger pointing, just the acknowledgment that each of us, to the best of their ability, had strived to overcome an issue that we had known from the onset of our relationship was going to be key to its long-term survival. Early on we made a tacit agreement to support each other in both the endeavor of facing our individual shortcomings and in our growth as a couple. In many ways our splitting up is a result of the deep mutual love and respect that we have built in our relationship.

My partner decided it might be best for both of us if she moved the majority of her belongings out of the house as quickly as possible, I believe she felt that she was doing me the favor of reducing "painful reminders" from my daily environment. This morning I woke up to a series of giant holes; in my heart, my home and my daily routine. For the past few years, this day of the week has been exclusively reserved for us to spend together, it has been the polar star of my week. Without this point of reference I find myself in total disequilibrium.

From my solitude I am witness to a variety of subtle passing emotions, sadness, grief, bewilderment, resentment, anger and frustration but the dominating theme this morning is loss, a  presence of absence that is profoundly deep. With the sudden disappearance of somebody I love so dearly, I feel like I'm experiencing a prelude to death, that inevitability which defines everyone and everything I love, myself included.

For the moment, I have no insightful observations about The Four Noble Truths, no stories about mustard seeds. Although I know there are sections of the Dhammapada where the Buddha addresses the experience of death and loss I don't care to recite them here. If there is a teaching in the canon that deals with break-ups I cannot bother to research it.

For the rest of today I will endeavor set aside my observations and interpretations and make an extra effort to engage in my feelings, free from meaning or moral. Today I began the process of reorienting my compass, starting from the hole in my heart and moving outward from there.

9-11, Metta and Personal Relationships

Nyanaponika Thera was a Jewish Theravada practitioner Born in Hanau Germany in 1901. He moved to Sri Lanka and was ordained as a monk in 1936, was interned by the British during WWII as a potential German spy, co-founded the Buddhist Publication Society in 1958 and died in the Udawattekelle Forest Hermitage outside of Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1984. 

 

Besides being a founder and then president of the BPS, Nyanaponika also authored a considerable number of significant works of Buddhist scholarship and was an important teacher to the American Theravda monk, translator, scholar and international aid activist, Bhikku Bodhi, among others.

 

The passage below is excerpted from Nyanaponikas commentary on The Four Sublime States. The Brahma-vihara or "Divine Abodes", as they are known in the Pali language, were the Buddhas guide to skillfully negotiating all social situations. They are; Metta or Loving-kindness, Karuna or Compassion, Mudita or Sympathetic Joy and Upekkha or Equanimity. 

 

Here in the contemporary West, our social and cultural diversity can be the source of many strengths. Conversely, this pluralism with its divergent ideals and goals can be a great cause of conflict between both strangers and intimate relations. The Brahma-vihara are the medicine for all social stresses, no matter the size or proximity and its never to late to begin observing them. We begin with building the abodes within ourselves, dwelling in them, so that they become part of our true nature and we will be able to carry them into our relations with others in a genuine manner. Until we reach this stage, applying them as a meditation is the skillful way to facilitate positive growth.

 

Last night I found myself at a critical impasse in my relationship with my partner of the past two and a half years. I can honestly say that as immediate and painful as the situation seemed, I found myself flooded with deep compassion and Metta. I am certain that change is inevitable, I am certain that grasping and suffering are optional and I know the Brahma Vihara are the platform from which to direct my actions. This response was born directly out of my mediation practice and in particular, the work I have done with Metta...

 

 Love (Metta)

 

Love, without desire to possess, knowing well that in the ultimate sense there is no possession and no possessor: this is the highest love.
Love, without speaking and thinking of "I," knowing well that this so-called "I" is a mere delusion.
Love, without selecting and excluding, knowing well that to do so means to create love's own contrasts: dislike, aversion and hatred.
Love, embracing all beings: small and great, far and near, be it on earth, in the water or in the air.
Love, embracing impartially all sentient beings, and not only those who are useful, pleasing or amusing to us.
Love, embracing all beings, be they noble-minded or low-minded, good or evil. The noble and the good are embraced because love is flowing to them spontaneously. The low-minded and evil-minded are included because they are those who are most in need of love. In many of them the seed of goodness may have died merely because warmth was lacking for its growth, because it perished from cold in a loveless world.
Love, embracing all beings, knowing well that we all are fellow wayfarers through this round of existence -- that we all are overcome by the same law of suffering.
Love, but not the sensuous fire that burns, scorches and tortures, that inflicts more wounds than it cures -- flaring up now, at the next moment being extinguished, leaving behind more coldness and loneliness than was felt before.
Rather, love that lies like a soft but firm hand on the ailing beings, ever unchanged in its sympathy, without wavering, unconcerned with any response it meets. Love that is comforting coolness to those who burn with the fire of suffering and passion; that is life-giving warmth to those abandoned in the cold desert of loneliness, to those who are shivering in the frost of a loveless world; to those whose hearts have become as if empty and dry by the repeated calls for help, by deepest despair.
Love, that is a sublime nobility of heart and intellect which knows, understands and is ready to help.
Love, that is strength and gives strength: this is the highest love.
Love, which by the Enlightened One was named "the liberation of the heart," "the most sublime beauty": this is the highest love.
And what is the highest manifestation of love?
To show to the world the path leading to the end of suffering, the path pointed out, trodden, and realized to perfection by Him, the Exalted One, the Buddha.

-Nyanaponika Thera

 * * *  This entry is dedicated to JRCG, thanks for everything!

Cleaning House

Every Wednesday our home is transformed into a meditation center. We have been hosting this weekly gathering for almost three years and I suspect that unless we completely outgrow the space offered by our living and dining room, there will be a meditation group here until we move out of this house.

The meditation was originally lead by my long time acquaintance Michael Taft, a widely experienced and uniquely gifted Dharma teacher. Over a year ago, Michael and his partner Penelope left us to relocate to the Bay Area. Filling Michael's shoes seemed like an impossibly tall order but we were lucky in that Jessica, as Michael's main student, had reached a place where she felt comfortable taking on the role of group facilitator. While both Jessica and I had been trained in teaching meditation by our (and Michael's) main teacher, Shinzen Young, At that point I was not yet comfortable working with more than one person at a time.(I have since graduated to group work!)

Besides leading the guided meditation on Weds nights, there are a number of other small chores associated with the gatherings. The first (and in some peoples minds, most important), is including cookies (and tea) for the group in our weekly domestic shopping. The next issue is sending out weekly attendance invitations via our Facebook site (Vipassana at 1501 Scott), and the last, is the cleaning of the space every week before people arrive. Since our Dhamma (Dharma) space is also our home, the cleaning is extra important and takes on an air of ritual cleansing. As we have busy, active lives it's sometimes a juggle to see who can commit the time to doing a proper cleaning job. The funny thing is, its never really felt like a burden. Our teacher often extols us to seek out opportunities to practice "meditation in action" and cleaning and simple household chores are often associated with meditation. I think Jessica and myself both enjoy the opportunity to quiet the mind before receiving the evenings first guests.

Today at school, the topic of Thich Nhat Hanh's Gatha's for mindfulness in daily life came up. Although they have been associated historically with certain forms eastern scripture, a Gatha is simply a poetic verse. Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese monk and Nobel Peace Prize candidate is also well known by his followers for his poetry and calligraphy, his use of the Gatha is generally associated with hymns to aspects of mindfulness. Below is Thich Nhat Hanhs Gatha on cleaning the meditation room.

"Cleaning the Meditation Room"

As I Clean this fresh, calm room, 
boundless joy and energy arise.


"It is a joy to tidy the meditation room, In its fresh, calm atmosphere, everything reminds us to come back to the present moment. Every sweep of the broom is light and every step we take is filled with awareness. As we arrange the cushions, our mind is still, working in a relaxed way, with a feeling of peace and joy, we become energized. Everything we do can be filled with this peace and joy."




That last line of commentary is key, it reminds us that for that even the "everyday", "mundane", tasks can be filled with worship and mindfulness; Who in attending to our daily "chores" doesn't sometimes find themselves rushing to get on to the important parts of life, the meaningful parts, the overt acts of sanctity, or the "quality time" with the family or friends. It's so easy to forget that we are personally responsible for allowing in and observing the blessing that the opportunity of each moment presents to us. Attempting to be mindful in every moment brings the sacred to all that we do but it also makes us better prepared for those times when we are called on to go the extra mile.

you will find more of Thich Nhaht Hanhs Gatha's here: http://books.google.com/books

The Doctrine of Impermanence

One of the surprising side effects of a regular meditation practice is an increased awareness of all the "background noise" I used to tune out. This awareness exposes me to some things that might be categorized as For the Better and some that might seem like they belong in the For the Worse category. The good news is that my practice has also increased my base-line equanimity exponentially, so I find that most of the new input seems to falls into the "equal to" category.

One experiential field that has expanded a great deal is my ability to hear and interpret musical lyrics. As a result, songs I've heard hundreds and thousands of times before and given little or no thought to, have opened up as vast new territories of exploration. This past weekend, while driving down the Long Beach freeway with my partner, who is an avid car radio fan, I heard for the first time, all of the lyrics to the Semisonic song "Closing Time". If  you're a Buddhist and you're familiar with this song you might be able to guess where I'm headed with this...

I was pleasantly surprised to find an eloquent rendition of a line of thought common to Buddhist philosophy, in a song that I had previously dismissed as irredeemable pop tripe and a sugar coated homage to one-night-stands. The particular line reads: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end". In a word, Anicca or Impermanence, one of Buddhisms Three Marks of Existence. The line stuck with me the way one hopes an important teaching from a traditional Sutta would and I'm not the least bit perturbed by this!

Today was the first day of my third week of school. For the next three years I will be moving towards a Masters in Divinity, with a focus in Buddhist Chaplaincy. After fifteen years of pondering the goal of going to graduate school I have finally arrived at this great big "new beginning". As a person who never made it through more than four months of High School, it feels like a rather significant turn of events. The goal of this blog, if there is just one, is to document this period change, this new beginning and the old beginnings end.