Category Archives: Engaged Dharma

May 17, 2013 · 5:09 pm

And Mysteries

Part Four of a Series

Talk given at the Buddha Center, Second Life

Including: “Science of Thought” — “Myth-Conception” — “Invoking and Calling”

by Wayne Ren-Cheng, Shi

It is written in the earliest known texts of the Pali Nikayas that the Buddha chose to remain silent when metaphysical subjects arose, subjects that were unknowable in his culture and time. He was taking a view that a “science of thought” would allow human beings to recognize the suffering that encompasses life from birth to death, and to recognize as an individual and a society the alleviation of suffering. He came to the realization, through his own experience that any discussions of metaphysics would distract one from the realities of the causal Universe that humans engage with from birth to death. However, there is one aspect of metaphysics that Siddhartha first engaged in as a young man, and continued to engage in until his death at eighty years of age . . . mystery.

Mysteries are something to be solved. Whereas, metaphysics, magic, mythology and mysticism are events and abilities that are meant to be taken on faith especially when religion enters the conversation. They are meant to be taken as truth without the question ‘why?’ being asked. It is mystery viewed as a religious truth that is incomprehensible to reason and knowable only through divine revelation. When ‘why’ is asked with the intent of finding an answer based in reality and experience those metaphysical concepts take on the nature of mystery. Mystery can be viewed as what is the cause, why does something happen. A sense of spirituality arises with the question why no matter the context: religious, spiritual, or philosophical.

Ven. David said in a talk here at the Buddha Center, “Our spiritual side is driven by thoughts of what is this Universe all about. Humans love a good mystery. It is what drives the pursuit of science for example. A mystery is without boundaries, it requires an open mind, and the suspension of our ordinary filters, so we can be accepting of an ever increasing expansion of our mind’s horizons, so this expansion of thought results in making the abstract real.”

In the initial talk in this series, “Science of Thought”, I offered the 5Ms, metaphysics, mythology, magic, mysticism and mystery. Of the five, the first four are unknowables that become known over time with the advent of new ways of exploring and understanding the world around us, or may never become known. There is a mythological tale of the Buddha that says as a young man he determined through mathematics the approximate size of an atom. Before his Awakening Siddhartha engaged in what was termed a “counting contest” with a mathematician named Arjuna, a culturally significant way of settling disputes in ancient India. Siddhartha sought to win the heart of a woman, Gopa. To do this he was asked to calculate a very big number and a very small number, the number of smallest possible unit of measure, yojana. He would need to determine how many atoms (yojana) in a line ten kilometers long. The myth has it that Siddhartha nearly calculated the exact size of an atom millenia before an electron microscope was available. He arrived at the number 0.00000000001416 meter, more or less the size of a carbon atom. Siddhartha was very close to solving a mystery of the Universe without being aware of it, a mystery that was eventually solved in 1920.

The scientist and physicist Richard Feynman said, “I have a friend who’s an artist and has sometimes taken a view which I don’t agree with very well. He’ll hold up a flower and say “look how beautiful it is,” and I’ll agree. Then he says “I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing,” and I think that he’s kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is … I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it’s not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimeter; there’s also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don’t understand how it subtracts.”

Dr. Feyman is asking why, and then answering the question. Why does the artist believe that they have a better view of beauty? He answers it by revealing that as a scientist he goes deeper than the outer appearance and aroma of the flower, eventually getting to an encompassing answer to why is the flower beautiful not just to him, but that the beauty plays an interconnected role in the Universal causal chain. Certainly there is beauty in the outward appearance of the flower. There is also beauty under that surface, all the way to a molecular level. There is mystery in the ‘why’ that beauty is important in it’s connection with all other phenomena. But even the answer brings about the arising of more mysteries, more ‘whys’ that culminate with ‘I don’t understand . . .’

During a talk the Buddha held up a flower and his disciple Mahakasyapa came to the sudden awakening of the mystery of wisdom (prajna). The outward beauty of that lotus flower could be seen readily by all those attending the Buddha’s talk. Only Mahakasyapa realized the mystery that lay beyond the beautiful form of the flower to the beauty of the lesson. It is up to each of us to find the answers to our own mysteries.

How do we engage mystery as part of a Buddhist practice? That mystery often begins with a person’s first experience with Buddhism. Why Buddhism? Some people have a clear reason such as illness, fear, discontentment and a search for what they view as spiritual fulfillment. Others reasons are not so clear, even to themselves. It may be curiousity, an unrecognized discontentment with a practiced faith, or to find a place to “fit in”. No matter what brings them to the Noble Path it began as a mystery, and for many remains a mystery until through meditation practice, rigorous self-honesty, and engagment with the sangha they find an answer to what was previously an unknown. It is the mystery of “what comes next” that is a powerful motive to commit to the effort needed to make that discovery, and then go on to make other personal and societal discoveries.

Mystery is the pursuit of the unknown. The pursuit of mystery is one of life-long learning, one of spiritual development. Long before I encountered Buddhism I had a saying; a saying that has since become a personal mantra, ‘I love life and all it’s mysteries.’

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May 10, 2013 · 6:33 pm

Invoking and Calling: Magic and Mysticism

Invoking and Calling: Magic and Mysticism in Contemporary Practice

by Wayne Ren-Cheng, Shi

Ancient man held to beliefs in magic and mysticism as ways to explain the what, who, when, and why of events they couldn’t find ready explanations for. There are some people even now that hold to the same belief. Invoking magic through ritual and word are thought to have the power to override reality. Achieving direct contact with other-worldly beings through activities such as meditation and other bodymind activities are mystical practices that ancient man engaged in, and modern man continues to engage in. In ancient times these concepts served a purpose. Today, what role does magic and mysticism have in the alleviation of suffering and in the development of effective Buddhist social selves?

The belief in magic that arises through the voicing of certain syllables, phrases, mantras and verses came to Buddhism through its Hindu roots. These magics are as old, some say much older than what is found in the Rig Veda. The Rig Veda is one of four foundational scriptures of the Hindu religions. Scholars and linguists have set authoring of the Rig Veda between 1700 and 1100BCE, making it the oldest known religious text still in common usage. In those pages are mythology and epic poems that tell of the world’s origin, mantras and songs to honor the gods, and ancient prayers and divinations meant to bring prosperity, health and the notice of the gods.

The Pali Nikayan texts make no mention of these aspects of religious worship. Early Buddhists who recited the Buddha’s words and the scribes that wrote them down show a more rational, a more existential and pragmatic view of human existence and how the universe worked. In the Pali texts can be found criticisms of rituals that were performed to heighten the power of the Brahmins rather than bring peace and contentment to the people who occupied the other castes of Indian society. In the Sammaditthi Sutta: The Discourse on Right View the Buddha teaches, “There are these four kinds of clinging: clinging to sensual pleasures, clinging to views, clinging to rituals and observances, and clinging to a doctrine of self.” Clinging to rituals and observances for their own sake would lead to suffering and discontentment when what were expected responses to those rites did not arise. On the Rock Edicts of King Ashoka there are warnings against the voicing of ‘magical’ mantras as dangerous practices. The practice of magical ritual and observances had always been a part of Hindu rites, and long after the death of Siddhartha some Buddhist schools began to teach that the constant repetition of particular sounds and words were a path to liberation.

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May 8, 2013 · 1:26 pm

Myth-Conception

Talk Given at the Buddha Center, Second Life

by Wayne Ren-Cheng, Shi

Myths are conduits of imagination that are meant to teach moral and ethical lessons. In the present day it is hard to imagine that people actually believed the stories of gods and goddesses, magical beings and fantastic events in times past. Hard until you recognize the myths surrounding your own personal and cultural history. In the U.S. is the story of George Washington, the first American President. It is said that as a young boy he chopped down a cherry tree. When his father confronted him about he said, “I cannot tell a lie. I chopped down the cherry tree.” Much later this became proof of George’s moral and ethical character, making him a perfect choice for President. The tale is accepted because the moral and ethical message needs to be understood and practiced. Buddhist myths can serve the same purpose now.

The late 1800s experienced the initial surge in interest about Buddhism in the West. Written in 1890, The Light of Asia by Sir Edwin Arnold told the story of Siddhartha in an epic poem that introduced the Buddha to many Westerners. While his writing has a distinctly Olde Worlde flavor with the thees and thous, the intent and the imagery follow the same path as the stories recited about Siddhartha’s birth by Hindu and Buddhist disciples. Sir Arnold offered the Buddha to a Western audience as a religious figure backed by a deep mythology, and Buddhism as an exotic practice steeped in metaphysics.

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May 1, 2013 · 3:38 pm

What Does Buddhism Mean To You?

What Does Buddhism Mean To You ?
David Xi-Ken Astor

I get ask frequently to explain the basics of Buddhism.  This is normal for a teacher and Buddhist monk.  I’m use to it.  But it is never an easy question, because I don’t have easy answers.  When I’m ask, I try to quickly determine what the person “really” wants to hear.  What is their perception?  Because you see, everyone has some sort of idea of what they think Buddhism may be.  After all, Buddhism has been in the West, and especially in America, for over seven decades.   Words like Zen, Tibetan, Dalai Lama, mindful meditation, karma, and causality have been in the English language for quite awhile.  Not to mention the iconic images of Buddha.  Buddhism is not a foreign word.  It is one of those words that you think you know what it is until you are ask to explain it.

For several years now I and Wayne Ren-Cheng Shi have been at this task as is evidenced in our effort both on our site here, in our public speaking, our teaching, and our published material.   We work hard each day to help others to understand Buddhist thought and practice.  We learn much along the way that nourishes our own practice too.

Now it is your turn to give us feedback in a few sentences of what Buddhism means to you.  We are most anxious to hear from you as we get energy from our readers open dialogue.

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April 27, 2013 · 12:59 pm

Science of Thought

Talk Given at the Buddha Center, Second Life

by Wayne Ren-Cheng, Shi

Siddhartha Guatama, the historical Buddha, encountered cultural difficulties offering his new paradigm of understanding the complexities of human existence. To skillfully accomplish the alleviation of suffering required a “science of thought” that was much different than than the “science of faith” being offered in ancient India. Then, Brahmins controlled the religious lives of the Indian people by keeping them in narrowly defined stratas of society and knowledge. They also controlled the sciences (metaphysics) of their day. They invoked magical, ritual manipulation of the forces of nature and society rather than recognizing the realities of causation Siddhartha awoken to. The Buddha taught an alternative view of human existence that didn’t depend on the accepted metaphysical and mystical rituals promoted by Brahmins as the way to salvation. He made it clear that he wasn’t believing or disbelieving the beliefs of others, but that human beings must pay closer attention to reality and be prepared to think about it in new and different ways dependent on the reality experienced. This was, and continues today to be the foundation of Siddhartha’s science of thought.

For many years the Awakened One travelled, taught and gathered together a sangha of monastics, and a following of laity. He was a sought after teacher and guru. After the death of the Buddha the sangha was left without their charismatic and wise leader, the laity without their compassionate and skillful teacher. We can imagine there was a drop-off in attendance as the Buddha’s disciples worked to retain the place that their new philosophical discipline had found in the lives of the Indian people. The Buddha had left them with the Four Ennobling Truths, and the realities of impermanence, not-self, and dependent origination (causation) as the foundations of Buddhist philosophy and practice. All of the core concepts were firmly based in Siddhartha’s science of thought, the science that led him to set-aside any metaphysical or mystical explanations for events and apply the reality of causation that he had awakened to. Why then, after the Buddha’s death and subsequent recitation and scribing of his teachings did so much mythology, metaphysics, magic and mysticism arise in the scriptures? The answer is rooted in dependent origination, in causation.

Metaphysics, mythology, magic, mysticism and mystery I view as the Five Ms that arise when explaining Buddhist philosophy, practice and spirituality to Westerners. Metaphysics was the science of ancient India, and mythology, magic, mysticism and mystery were aspects of it. It was how the learned people of that time and culture explained aspects of their reality that they couldn’t observe or measure. They often attributed events, whether bad or good to the whim of deities, the cycle of rebirth and the velcro karma that came with it, as well as the capriciousness of fate. To keep Buddhism moving forward in the Indian culture and beyond it can be postulated that the Buddha’s disciples reverted to metaphysics and mythology because they were aware that they didn’t have the insight and knowledge to avoid them. They skillfully recognized that Buddhism would continue to be accepted if some of the trappings of Hindu faith were incorporated, and they took what they viewed as appropriate actions to gain that acceptance. This wouldn’t be the only time such concessions were made with the religious and spiritual fabric of cultures new to Buddhism. From South Asia to Japan, the unknowable crept back into Buddhist thought. Now, in the West, Buddhism encounters a culture of science that strives to pay closer attention to reality. Yet, in this culture there are people equally accepting of metaphysical explanations that must be taken on faith. Acknowledging this dualism, can the Five Ms, in any combination, add value to a contemporary understanding and practice of Buddhism? With the setting-aside of some and the creative re-description of others while remaining firm to the intent of the core principles of Buddhism they can.

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April 25, 2013 · 1:40 pm

Tribal Differences And Prejudicial Behavior

Tribal Differences And Prejudicial Behavior
David Xi-Ken Astor 

This past week’s developments relative to the Boston bombing has yet again exposed this ongoing world dominating cultural issue of “tribal identity” surrounding how we confront our human differences.  As a consequence we are given an opportunity to consider race/gender/religious differences and the role of prejudicial behavior that can arise from distorted dispositions.    This is not an easy lesson to present, either from a Buddhist perspective or from a pluralistic one.  Pragmatic philosophy as a model when coupled with Buddhist thought can be a guide for our ethic and moral outlook relative to this social reality.  This tragedy is, yet again, an example of an opportunity to apply situational ethics to our practice.   So, I would like to share with you some of my thoughts that might give you an idea on how, as a Buddhist, we might approach a discussion on these events.  Both Jesus and Siddhartha spoke in a very clear voice that can guide us through these very real, and very divisive, situations with lessons on our obligation as social-selves to act with astute and applied compassion.  A compassion not just extended to one side.  That would just ignore the causal-chain culminating in an act of violence.  Acts of violence often cloud the underling emotions of suffering.  We are challenged to find the interconnective lessons that bring all of us as subjects to these events.  From my perspective, no one has the luxury of being a bystander.

Buddhists are naturalists, and naturalists are first of all champions of causal accounts of the Universe.  As such, we look for naturalistic accounts to help us understand “why” something expresses itself the way it does.  This allows us to plan, take and succeed through deferential action aimed at undoing what is unhealthy, destructive, and promoting discontent while promoting that which is instead healthy, harmonious and satisfying in the psycho-emotional sense.  The person who is bound by his racism/prejudicial disposition is in need of help and intervention as much or more than the victim, as it is easier to tell a new story to oneself about a wrongdoing done to us than it is for a perpetrator to change his actions.  It is easier to think differently than to act differently.  It takes a deep understanding and appreciation for causality to see this, because we are, in a liberal democratic society, “wired” today to feel strong disgust first and foremost at the individual of negative attitudes and actions before we feel the urge to make it better.  The feeling of disgust is protective of cultural values because if we don’t feel this way, who will preserve the values?  However, it is not sufficient, and is far from sufficient, for anyone seeking to make the world qualitatively better just to feel disgust.  If one person is a “political or attitude racist” we all still have work to do to promote change.  It takes practice, but Buddhists as well as Christians (and especially leaders) living in their communities aim to develop a sense to stop the immediate repercussions of negative attitudes and actions, such as scolding someone’s extreme bias remarks or standing in the way of an angry boyfriend ready to hit his girlfriend (this is the disgust part), followed up immediately by the ethics of the Bodhisattva ideals:  asking ourselves how do we reform these circumstance for the better?

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April 8, 2013 · 6:28 pm

Would You Take Me by the Hand: Experiencing the Bodhisattva Vow

by Wayne Ren-Cheng, Shi

The recitation of the Bodhisattva Vow is an important part of the intentional rituals performed before EDIG sangha meetings. Like the Three Pure Precepts and the Three Jewels, which are also forms of vows, it reminds our bodymind how we can best be social selves who act with the intent of being positive transformational examples. It isn’t wishful thinking that we can each be Bodhisattvas, it is a guide to how we can act like one.

Majushri and Avalokitesvara are most frequently named Bodhisattvas in Mahayana. Majushri personifies the perfection of spiritual wisdom and seeing the Buddha-nature in all of us. To your right in the temple at the Buddha Center is a virtual image of Manjushri wielding the sword of discriminating wisdom that severs all notions of duality. In his hand the sword cuts away delusion and craving to reveal equanimity and compassion. Avalokitesvara, He Who Hears the Deepest, provides every manner of benefit, worldly or spiritual by being the example of compassion that is offered to all beings. Intentional daily chanting of the Heart Sutra opens the bodymind to the emptiness and form of non-negotiable compassion. Contemporary Mahayana scholarship is that the Bodhisattvas were not actual known historical figures that lived at the time of Siddhartha. Instead they were, and continue to be allegorical figures that personify the virtues and wisdom of Mahayana Buddhist philosophy and practice. The ritual intent of reciting the Bodhisattva Vow as part of a pragmatic Buddhist practice is to realize its guidance as part of how we live and interact with others in ways that promote human flourishing.

BC MANJUSHRI_001

                      

Avalokitesvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion -- He who hears the deepest.
Avalokitesvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion — He who hears the deepes

Imagine yourself as a caravan leader preparing to lead a large group of people across an endless desert. In the caravan are all manner of people, their number always changing. There are young men and women ignorant of the world, older men and women whose worldviews clash, children whose innocence of the world can put them in danger, and along with them are the animals and technologies that are part of their culture. All the people, young and old, are in need of guidance and example that will get them across safely and enable them to get past the preconceptions and personal preferences that could hinder that journey. Accomplishing this monumental task takes thorough preparation that arises from experience, and selflessness that arises from a realization that what you do will matter.

To find success the leader must have adequate provisions no matter the number of beings. They must be familiar not only with the geography of the land to cross, but also with the recognition that each travelers abilities and personalities will be different. Realizing these aspects of land and people allows the arising of wisdom needed to discern the minds of the people and to take the appropriate actions needed when doubt and ignorance endanger the individual and group.

The Bodhisattva Vow is like a caravan leaders travel plan. It realizes a energetic and compassionate spirit that strives to have an appropriate view of what people don’t know, what delusions they may harbor, and how these things affect how they are. It equally strives to realize the energy and compassion that others exhibit in how they are.

BODHISATTVA VOW

However innumerable all beings are,

I vow to lead them all.

However inexhaustible my delusions are,

I vow to extinguish them all.

However immeasurable the Dharma teachings are,

I vow to master them all.

However endless the Buddha’s Way is,

I vow to follow it completely.

Engaging the Bodhisattva Vow

You’ve probably noticed the liberal use of the words “I vow to . . .” that may seem a bit egotistical. It is far from that in intent. In order to help others on the Noble Path, one has to walk the Noble Path at all times, and in all circumstances. The vow is a reminder of what must learned, extinguished and followed so that one can realize that intent through thought and action.

Do I personally see myself being a Bodhisattva? No. That is one delusion down . . . a few more to go. Do I personally see myself as being able to master all the Dharma? No, but one of the Precepts I took as a monastic was to “engaged in life-long learning” so I’ll master some, and what I do master I’ll joyfully pass on to others so they might benefit. Do I personally realize how endless the Buddha’s Way is? Yes, but do I also realize, through my own experience how valuable and productive that Way is? Yes.

There is great value in seeing the Bodhisattva Vow as a tool for a Buddhist layperson, too. The Buddha, in the Dhammapada, is quoted, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.” The vow is a tool for changing how you think about your own capabilities and a way to imagine how you can be a better human being. Thinking like a Bodhisattva will lead to acting like one, acting like one is certain to engender positive transformations in you and the world around you.

 

 

 

 

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March 29, 2013 · 8:11 pm

Shattering the Links of samsara — Cycling through samsara to nirvana II

by Wayne Ren-Cheng, Shi

Last week we talked about samsara as the state of mindfulness of the cycle of birth to death that we all experience, and that finding ways to break that cycle will lead us to states of nirvana in our moment-to-moment existence. We used the definition from John J. Holder as a bridge to understanding the concept of samsara and its value in our Buddhist practice.

samsara: cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; mundane, unenlightened existence; escape from samsara constitutes liberation or nibbana.

To “escape” from samsara and experience awakened (or liberated) moments you need to know what are the aspects of the samsara state of mind that will hinder you from those experiences. I ended the talk last week with these words, “It is up to you to get on your bicycle and ride.” So, let’s do it.

A successful bike ride – one that doesn’t end in being lost, injured or discontent – is dependent on a variety of factors, some you’ll have control over and others that you’ll need to react to in appropriate ways. To realize how to react you must first recognize what traditional Buddhist philosophy views as the obstructions to success, the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination that can hinder the noble path, in this case the bike path you’ve chosen. Those links are: ignorance, volitional actions, consciousness, psychophysical phenomena, the sense faculties, contact, sensation, thirst, clinging, the process of becoming, birth, and pain-and-death. These are viewed as the aspects of human condition that must be overcome to reach the ultimate destination of Nirvana. Each of links are interconnected with the others even though some may seem to arise and fall away independently.

Before the bike trip begins let’s talk about ‘birth’. Traditional Buddhist thinking is that the fact of being born puts you in the state of samsara, and that through a series of rebirths in the metaphysical sense you are no longer are reborn, find yourself in Nirvana the destination, and ta-da . . . all is good . . . at least for you. In my view that is both pessimistic and selfish. None of us would have the opportunity to experience life, to experience samsara if you weren’t born because no one is born into Nirvana. Without birth though you wouldn’t have the opportunity to walk the noble path and all . . . well, and nothing. So, of the twelve links, this one doesn’t hold much contemporary value except that it is the beginning of our dependent human condition, giving each of us the opportunities to find a path through samsara to moments of nirvana (awakening).

The cycling trip you’re anticipating is from the state of samsara to the state of nirvana. You want that goal to be reached in a joyful, rewarding and positive way, and that takes planning. To do that you’ve got to have knowledge of the route, the bike, possible hindrances, and your own abilities. Being ignorant of any of these things could lead to negative consequences like pain and death for example.

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March 21, 2013 · 9:31 pm

Cycling through samsara to nirvana.

 by Wayne Ren-Cheng, Shi

Venerable David and I were discussing rebirth the other day, kind of our form of dharma combat, and he offered an appropriate view for contemporary/traditionalist Buddhists. It is a view that can be applied to much of what can be confusing philosophies in this ages old system of beliefs, a system of beliefs that the Buddha himself made clear must change with time, culture and context so that the intent of the dharma could be realized and valued. David said that, “the Buddha’s arising occurred during a time of metaphysics, and as a result his teachings have metaphysical elements used to describe them and to realize them. Now those teachings are arising in a time of science and it is up to us to realize them through a lens of modern society, science and cultural influences in order to harness their potential of positive transformation”.

When I ask for questions or comments after a dharma talk, members of the sangha (at the Buddha Center) are likely to bring up two Buddhist concepts: samsara and nirvana, They first is a place that they feel they are, the second the place they feel they want to be. What if these are not places WHERE one is, but are instead viewed as HOW one is? Can we pull away the traditional veil of metaphysics to reveal the contemporary value of these millennia old concepts that initially arose from Siddhartha’s (and his earliest disciples) Hindu beliefs? I offer that the answer is . . . YES.

Buddhist scholar, professor of philosophy and Pali translator, John J. Holder presents definitions of samsara and nirvana in his book Early Buddhist Discourses, definitions that see these concepts through a traditional lens with a contemporary shading. In these definitions we can recognize the HOW inherent in realizing these important Buddhist ideals.

samsara: cycle of birth, death, and rebirth; mundane, unenlightened existence; escape from samsara constitutes liberation or nibbana.

The reality we know is that we are born and we die. Viewing samsara as the cycle of birth to death that is human existence it is important that we pay equal attention to the positive experiences as well as the negative. It is the joyful, the beautiful, the compassionate, and all other uplifting experiences that help to energize our bodyminds to make the effort, to apply the concentration, and to realize the potential of positive transformation. We must hold the appropriate view that while these positive experiences have value inherent in their effect on us, they are as fleeting and momentary as the negative ones that we tend to apply unequal focus to. All experiences have lessons to learn from. That is the reality of the cycle of birth and death. Nothing really metaphysical to mess with there.

Rebirth. That opens up a whole metaphysical can of fish bait. Transmigration of . . . well, of something . . . from one body to a new body can lead us into a pretty long philosophical debate that in the end won’t have much effect on HOW we decide to be. I must say here that I find it interesting that folks who scoff at the idea of witchcraft, UFOs and Bigfoot can be adamant in their belief in the metaphysical idea of rebirth; and I stand firm calling it a “metaphysical idea” because it arose in a time and culture of metaphysics and still must be taken as a matter of faith not proof.

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March 19, 2013 · 5:10 pm

Pope Francis And The Dao De Jing

Pope Francis And The Dao De Jing
David Xi-Ken Astor

Over the past few days we have been experiencing the social reaction to the election of the 266th Christian Catholic Pope.  Like many former Catholics, I have been drawn by curiosity to see what this change may be all about.  If what the first few days may teach us, it will be quite a change.  Pope Francis is bringing an old message back into the light of day, one that seems to have been muddled over the recent decades in our technological and capitalistic driven age.   This old message was also one that was echoed 2,500 years ago by Siddhartha, the Buddha.  Pope Francis is wasting no time in issuing an appeal that in the limited time he has in Rome we must return to the basics of social justice as it is reflected in responsible economic policies, having compassion for the less fortunate in our communities, in the focus of doing good, and in protecting the world environment.   He said, “We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness.”  A statement that is universal to a spiritual path.  He went on to say that, “Let us never forget the authentic power is service.  Only those who serve with love are able to protect.”

As I think about his message I am reminded of the expansive thoughtfulness found in Chapter 60 of the Dao De Jing that speaks to this encompassing ideal.  When I say encompassing, I mean universal.  So lets look at this Chapter to experience the lessons that point directly to the responsibility of social governance.

“Bringing proper order to a great state is like cooking a small fish.
When way-making (dao) is used in overseeing the world,
The ghosts of the departed will not have spiritual potency.
In fact, it is not that the ghosts will not have spiritual potency,
But rather that they will not use this potency to harm people.
Not only will the ghosts not use their potency to harm people
But the sages will not harm people either.
It is because the ghosts and sages do not harm
That their power (de) combine to promote order in the world.”

COMMENTARY:

First remember the historical context and language of this text.  It is Chinese and developed over the period 403-221 BCE.  This period in pre-Buddhist China paid homage to how ancestors influenced world order in many ways.  Like in the time when Siddhartha lived it was believed that the realm of ghosts existed.  The Dao De Jing, however, has been used by Buddhists throughout the ages as a tool that underscores many of the valued lessons also found in the dharma.  In our 21st century reality some creative re-description is called for in bringing this chapter into contemporary understanding, but in doing so takes nothing away from the core message.

While this verse identifies the expectation of the state, the importance of social responsibility can also be extended to all social institutions: governments, religious, courts, military, educational, and the like.  For effective leadership requires patience and a light touch on those that assume control.  The first line can be interpreted in several ways.  The reference to small fish for example can be pointing to the importance not to over cook them taking care to fry the fish briefly and without much ado.  The message here is subtle and the language used is deliberate.  The word “overseeing,” suggests a need for a soft hand in concentrating and crafting governing policies in order to achieve useful and productive outcomes for the greater good, the importance of a pragmatic approach to applying social control.

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