The cultivation of altruism

True happiness comes from a sense
of peace and contentment,
which in turn must be achieved
through the cultivation of altruism,
of love and compassion...

the Dalia Llama

Commentary:

I don 't have a lot of spare time, and what little time I do have is consumed by many things I need to get done, and rarely things that I want to do. One thing I do want to do, aside from starting a new photography project is to volunteer at a local garden. But between post-hurricane clean-up and and the upcoming election, suddenly, I have found myself volunteering three times in one week! Since Thursday, I helped to clear trails from hurricane debris at the Houston arboretum, where they estimated that they lost over 1000 trees in the storm; I have helped prepare plants for an upcoming sale to help support local gardens in the area; and today I got deputized and then joined an event sponsored by a local radio station to register people to vote. There isn't much time left before the elections, so I imagine I will continue to use my free time over the next few weeks to help get out the vote. Then I can focus on the stuff I need & want to.

Buddhist dogma talks a lot about altruism and how the giving of oneself is but one of many actions that help one reach peace and harmony. I can't really explain the feeling that I get when I volunteer, but it is different than when I actually do similar work for a paycheck. When I am volunteering, I give myself up wholly, without expectation of reward for the work that I am doing. I suppose I do hope that my efforts in registering voters will be rewarded with a win for Obama. Its not a completely selfless desire, but neither is it selfish, for I truly believe if Obama were President, he would look out for the interests of most (95%) citizens in this country.

There was a child went forth

There was a child went forth every day,
And the first object he looked upon and received with wonder or
pity or love or dread, that object he became[...]

The early lilacs became part of this child,
And grass, and white and red morningglories, and white and red clover, and the
song of the phoebe bird[...] all became part of him[...]

from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Luke is finally at an age where everything he comes across he holds in wonder and amazement. He is understanding a lot and learning even more, every day. If I spend time with him wholly, not distracted by dishes or emails or my need to accomplish something in the day, then I too, begin to revel in the wonder of the world, just as I did as a child. And this brings me closer to a state of harmony and peace. There is nothing better than a young child to help us "live in the moment" and remember to "stop and smell the roses".

If you do not cross the meadow thickly covered

If you do not cross the meadow thickly covered
in weeds,
You will never reach the village dusted with
falling blossoms.

from The Mirror of Zen by Zen Master So Sahn

Commentary:


Or as my father always says: "forefront the agony." There is also another saying that goes something like: "anything worth having is worth working hard for." But I like the way Zen Master So Sahn says it.

I just want the beautiful third story

Once there was a wealthy but foolish man. When he saw the beautiful three-storied house of another man, he envied it and made up his mind to have one built just like it, thinking he was himself just as wealthy. He called a carpenter and ordered him to build it. The carpenter consented and immediately began to construct the foundation, the first story , the second story, and then the third story. The wealthy man noticed this with irritation and said: "I don't want a foundation or a first story or a second story; I just want the beautiful third story. Build it quickly."

A foolish man always thinks only of the results, and is impatient without the effort that is necessary to get good results. No good can be attained without proper effort, just as there can be no third story without the foundation, and the first and second stories.

from Sayings and Parables, Buddhist Publication Society

Commentary: We started house shopping this weekend. One of the house descriptions that we came across was: "This house NEEDS A FOUNDATION." Needless to say, we passed that one by!

Family life

A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another, the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another, it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.

If discord arises within one's family, one should not blame others but should examine one's own mind and follow a right path.

from Sayings and Parables, Buddhist Publication Society

Let us rise up and be thankful

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful.

Buddha

Commentary:

I might add to this... at least we have electricity and running water. And if we don't have electricity and running water, at least we have a house, and if we don't have a house, at least we have food...

I'm still giving thanks, and even if I don't post another entry on gratitude tomorrow, I will still try to keep gratitude in my heart and mind every day, for there is always something to be thankful for.

Let us receive it in love and gratitude...

The joys and pains of all beings
are present in the gift of this food.
Let us receive it in love
and gratitude...

And in mindfulness of our sisters and brothers
among living beings of every kind
who are hungry or homeless,
sick or injured,
or suffering in any way.

Meal Gatha from Blue Iris Sangha

Commentary:

I want to continue the theme of gratitude. I find myself often giving thanks for what I have, and I believe reflection on gratitude keeps me at peace. I feel especially grateful today as another day passes for many who are still waiting for electricity. Luckily the weather is pleasant (not the usual heat & humidity) as they stand in long, long lines for Meals Ready to Eat and drinking water. Some of these people don't have a home to return to.

A thankful heart is the way to happiness

It's no easy task to find happiness in a society established on insatiable desire. So what is it that we need to do to escape never-ending desire and find happiness? The answer is to have a thankful heart... There are no conditions needed for appreciation. We can be thankful for life and for our freedom to move about.


From The Secret Life of Water by Masuru Emoto

Commentary:

I am extremely grateful that we got through Hurricane Ike without any complications. We were only out of power for 12 hours. The rest of the city was not so lucky. Millions are still without power and according to the power grid map, so should we also be. I do not know if its because we were mentally and physically prepared for the worst, if we paid our dues in Florida because we went without power there for weeks (after two separate storms) or if we were just plain lucky. Either way, we are extremely grateful, and my heart goes out to those who do not have electricity, and especially to those who lost their homes this weekend.

Tibetan sand painting

YouTube - Sand Mandala

Tibetan monks create paintings of 'mandalas' with colored sand, to help promote healing in the world. These paintings are beautiful and intricate creations that take many days to complete. At the end of it all, the monks destroy the paintings, symbolizing the impermanence of everything in the world. Thus we are reminded not to get attached to the physical nature of things, that nothing is permanent and that it is often the process, the actions, the journey, that are as important as the final destination or the end result.

YouTube - Sand Mandala Dissolution Ceremony

If you don't hear from me for a while, I may have lost power do to Hurricane Ike, which is due to start flexing it muscles in the Houston area sometime this evening. Stay tuned... I'll be back with more Zen thoughts, when I can!

Things will flow as they will

As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.

Emmanuel Teney

Commentary:

Just as I was getting happy about crossing all the little details off my seemingly neverending list of things to do, I found myself running around town today preparing for a hurricane. Lots of details indeed. We are now, however, physically and mentally prepared and so instead of worrying, I can only just 'go with the flow'.

Our life is frittered away by detail

Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb nail.

from Walden by Henry David Thoreau

Commentary:

I have finally caught up on every last detail that is involved in a big move. My desk is cleared. My house is clean. Luke is sleeping. And I have time on my hands! I'm almost at a loss for what to do! Its a shame that there are so many details involved in leading the modern life. It makes my head spin. Which is why, even on the days that are the busiest, I try to find a moment or two of 'being in the present moment'. Having a young child certainly helps in that aspect. It might not be a quiet moment, but it is most certainly in the present.

As for the details... out of sheer necessity, I have begun to simplify many aspects of my life and it feels good. I will continue to work on paring down the excess so that I have time to actually enjoy living.

On a clear and bright day

On a clear and bright day,
Clouds gather in deep valleys.
In a remote and silent place,
Radiant sunlight illuminates the clear sky.

Gatha from the Mirror of Zen by Zen Master So Sahn

Commentary:

I like this gatha and I think I know what it means, but cannot yet find the right words to express it. So because I cannot find the right words, I was going to abandon this post and search for another quotation. But then I read that one of the ten 'sicknesses' one must avoid in meditation on sayings and parables is "allowing yourself to get caught by words and speech... Instead keeping your mind clear, pour all of your energy into the question 'What is this?' " (also from the Mirror of Zen).

So I will continue to meditate on the gatha throughout the day and see if its meaning crystallizes. I may or may not come back for further commentary, depending on whether I find the right words to express how it makes me feel. In the meantime, I encourage comments from anyone else.

Tune us the sitar

The string o'erstretched breaks, and the music flies;
The string o'erslack is dumb and music dies;
Tune us the sitar neither low nor high.

The Light of Asia, Edwin Arnold

Commentary:


May my mind be perfectly tuned so that my soul may experience harmonious bliss.

Commentary on Friday's post

I found the content for Friday's post fairly early in the day, and knew that I liked the saying. But it took me all day to meditate on it and find its meaning in my own daily life. Mostly because these days meditation happens here and there, in ten second intervals as I am carrying on the daily activities of my busy life.

To reiterate:

Blossoms come about because of a series of conditions that lead up to their blooming; leaves are blown away because a series of conditions lead up to it. Blossoms do not appear unconditioned, nor does a leaf fall of itself. So everything has its coming forth and passing away; nothing can be independent without any change.

from Sayings and Parables by the Buddhist Publication Society

Its now obvious to me that success in life/love/career/happiness... whatever one's definition of success may be (and this includes Enlightenment), does not just happen, just as that blossom does not just suddenly bloom. Diligence, hard work, sometimes luck, and always following the right path are some of the conditions that lead up to success. So too, failure or dieing out (of a relationship, of an old way of being, of a direction in life... etc.) does not just happen one day, like a dead leaf on a tree. It can come about from neglect, laziness, or maybe just a change of seasons which gradually took place. Realizing this, it calms my mind knowing that I don't have to expect the blossom to appear right now - I know that I am working toward that. And at the same time I should never be surprised if the leaf suddenly falls off the tree, the signs that such would happen most certainly should be prevalent before the event actually takes place.

Blossoms and leaves

Blossoms come about because of a series of conditions that lead up to their blooming; leaves are blown away because a series of conditions lead up to it. Blossoms do not appear unconditioned, nor does a leaf fall of itself. So everything has its coming forth and passing away; nothing can be independent without any change.

from Sayings and Parables by the Buddhist Publication Society

You cannot bend your arm backward

Contort your body as you may, and yet still
You cannot bend your arm backward at the elbow.


Gatha from The Mirror of Zen by Zen Master So Sahn

Commentary:

There are some things that just cannot be changed, not matter how hard we try. Accepting that is a key to freeing the mind.

One thing

There is only one thing, from the very beginning, infinitely bright and mysterious by nature.
It was never born and it never dies. It cannot be described or given a name.

Sutra from The Mirror of Zen by Zen Master So Sahn

Commentary:

To me, this is both God, and the energy that runs the entire universe (from planets and stars to humans and microorganisms), which I believe to really be one and the same, whether you describe it through mathematical equations and laws of physics or theological doctrine and biblical verse. This 'one thing', I believe, exists within us, as well as all around us, and so all that exists is really intertwined into one great thing, even if we each have unique qualities within this system. Understanding I am only one small part of this big never-ending system is humbling, but it is also freeing.