All posts by brian@brianschell.com

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: How Grass and Trees Become Enlightened

10 Comments

Koan: How Grass & Trees Become Enlightened

During the Kamakura period, Shinkan studied Tendai six years and then studied Zen seven years; then he went to China and contemplated Zen for thirteen years more.

When he returned to Japan many desired to interview him and asked obscure questions. But when Shinkan received visitors, which was infrequently, he seldom answered their questions.

One day a fifty-year-old student of enlightenment said to Shinkan: “I have studied the Tendai school of thought since I was a little boy, but one thing in it I cannot understand. Tendai claims that even the grass and trees will become enlightened. To me this seems very strange.”

“Of what use is it to discuss how grass and trees become enlightened?” asked Shinkan. “The question is how you yourself can become so. Did you ever consider that?”

“I never thought of it in that way,” marveled the old man.

“Then go home and think it over,” finished Shinkan.

Daily Buddhism

Ignorance and Arguments

6 Comments

This was a comment left on the blog in response to my post yesterday, titled “Trouble in Texas.” The original question that I responded to yesterday was, “Due to the ignorance of others here in Texas, I get no leverage and I try to remain peaceful, but its very hard, I get frustrated. What should I do to ignore these conservatives and reach Enlightenment?”

And as my response, I pointed to a previous article about Dealing with Hatred.

Comment:

I am a little disappointed in your answer for two reasons; 1: the author did not ask about how to deal with hatred, he asked how to deal with the ignorance of others. 2; I really wanted your opinion on the subject because I have wanted to ask the very same question MANY times as I have struggled with the same subject many times.

Other than that keep up the good work, I find that your writing stimulates the thoughts of others, and that cannot be a bad thing.

Response:

First, let me point out that if you wanted to ask the question many times, then you should have asked sooner! I love to answer questions, they give me something to write about. So by asking questions, you’re doing me a favor as much as you are helping yourself by asking. Don’t hesitate or fear to email me! I’m always eager to tackle any topic.

Now, on to your real comment. I feel that ignorance and hatred are heavily intertwined. Generally, we fear or hate things we don’t fully understand, and we don’t try to understand things that we instinctively hate. It’s a major catch-22, and we have to try to handle those subjects carefully.

In theory, if you are simply running into plain ignorance, then all you have to do is explain yourself to the person in question and they won’t be ignorant any more. It’s rarely that simple, since there is either fear or hate involved. Fear and hate are powerful barriers to an open mind. Still, simple explanations are probably the best place to get started if you really want to beat ignorance and teach others.

One way to co-exist with those who are judgmental is to simply not give them anything to judge you with; become a model of good Buddhist behavior, live the life and be a real role-model. Personally, I don’t walk around town advertising the fact that I’m a Buddhist; there are only a handful of non-Internet friends and family that even know I am one. I see no need to tell everyone what I believe, as there are always some people who are going to judge me in a negative way. Yes, that’s due to ignorance on their part, but I know that I cannot educate everyone, especially those who have already made up their minds. I’m perfectly happy being the best Buddhist I can be in my actions and words, and every once in a while when the topic comes up with a friend or colleague, it’s the perfect opportunity to explain things to them. By demonstrating in my day-to-day actions that Buddhists aren’t “Heathen Idolators” (or whatever some people want to call us out of ignorance) people are much more open to my opinions when it does eventually come up.

I’m talking about Buddhism, but the same goes for the original questioner’s opinions on gay marriage, abortions, philosophy, and Communism. Both sides of each of the topics he mentions have strong arguments that make perfect sense to the people who advocate them; neither side is clearly wrong or blatantly stupid, although at times the opposition probably feels otherwise.

People in California are generally speaking more liberal-minded than those in Texas; that doesn’t make either group right or wrong. Still, if the writer is walking around Texas in a Che Guevera t-shirt carrying his Marx book and holding his boyfriend’s hand at the Pro-Choice rally, he’s going to find a lot of people unwilling to accept, or even listen to, his ideas. The writer didn’t say he was doing those things, but he definitely seems to have an issue with Conservatives, so I get the impression that the hostility may be mutual. I don’t intend to attack anyone, but sometimes the people who yell the loudest about others ignorance are the ones trying hardest to shove their own ideas down someone else’s throat. If this is the case, then he needs to examine why it is so important to him to change the minds of others and let that go.

I’ve always found that a little diplomacy goes a long way, and simply keeping my mouth shut in some situations goes even farther. If you go out looking for a fight, it’s usually pretty easy to find one.

Daily Buddhism

Trouble In Texas

17 Comments

Questions:

Hello, I am pretty new to Buddhism, I have been Zen buddhist for a year, before that, I was a Christian, I left due to the people who are conservatives, and I disagreed with it. I was born in California, now in Texas, so as you guess, I get no gain here in Texas.

Besides that, My questions are that, I’m a proud supporter of Gay marriage and I support Stem Cell Research, and I’m pro choice, do my beliefs check out with Zen Buddhism, or is what I believe sinful?

I also am studding Che Guevara, he turens out to have been a great guy, studing the Buddha and Marx, is it wrong to agree with Che or is it okay?

Also I read a great book recently titled, Siddhartha. It was about his life, in the book he states that there is another buddha, Gotma, is that true? Is Siddhartha a true book based on the real life of the buddha?

Last but not least, due to the ignorance of others here in Texas, I get no leverage and I try to remain peacefull, but its very hard, I get frustrated. What should I do to ignore these conservatives and reach enlightment?

Answers:

Wow- There’s lots to work with here. I’ll warn everyone ahead of time that everything that follows is MY opinion. Feel free to add yours in the comment section, especially if you disagree!

1) Let’s start with the easy part. The book Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse, isn’t really about the Buddha. It’s about a regular man named Siddhartha who lived in the same region at the same time as “The” Buddha. The “Gotama” character in the book is the person we call Buddha, Siddhartha is just a character in this book of historical fiction. It’s a great book, but none of it is considered to be true.

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1934648035/?tag=askdrarca-20

2) I see nothing wrong with studying Marx; he IS one of the world’s major philosophers after all. You’d be cheating yourself to not understand what it was he was saying.

I’m not here to promote my own political beliefs, but Che Guevara is NOT on my list of admirable people– quite the opposite in fact. You won’t be finding one of those T-Shirts in my closet. Rather than turn this post into a rant, I’ll stop there.

3. As far as the acceptability of gay marriage, stem cell research, and pro choice, that varies from Buddhist to Buddhist just as it does with any other group. For the most part, I think the majority of Buddhists are probably OK with gay marriage but against abortion. I don’t really understand the stem cell argument well enough to comment on that. Every individual has their own opinion on these topics.

4. I have addressed the topic of “Dealing with Hatred” in the past. Check out http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/1343 for the whole story (and especially the comments) on that post.

Daily Buddhism

Playing Mix & Match with Religion

7 Comments

Question:

Hello, I love the podcast and hope more come out soon. Any way I have a question. Is it legitimate to follow another religion and use buddhism as a philosophy? Thank You and All Blessings Be.

Answer:

Absolutely– People do it all the time. People follow Christianity or Judaism, for example, and still practice all the non-religious aspects of Buddhism as well. Since Buddhism doesn’t generally involve God or prayers, there’s no reason at all that one cannot simply add Buddhism as another “layer” to one’s own foundational belief system.

Many Christians practice Buddhism on the side, and so many Jews do it that they actually came up with a term for it, Ju-Bu (Jewish Buddhist Wikipedia Link). Depending on your specific local church, and how well they understand what Buddhism is really all about, your specific church may or may not support this.

From the wording in your question, however, I suspect you are not coming from a Judeo-Christian background. I suspect it may be even easier to fit Buddhism into one of the less dogmatic religions such as Wicca. If anyone would like to share their personal story on making Buddhism mesh with their pre-existing belief system, I’d love to hear it.

Daily Buddhism

Mindfulness At Work

5 Comments

Question:

How does one stay mindful and calm at work?

Answer:

I don’t know if there is any easy or quick solution to this one. In my own case, I meditate regularly, and it’s my belief that this causes me to be naturally more calm in everyday situations. It reduces my overall stress levels, and this in turn causes me to become less likely to explode when something unexpected or unpleasant occurs.

Mindfulness at work, though, is a much harder thing to accomplish, for me at least. When I am being mindful, everything I do is controlled and deliberate. Nothing is done out of habit or instinct; it’s pure mind at work. It’s also pretty rare that I actually get to that place; usually I run around doing whatever needs to be done, acting and re-acting from instinct and habit like everyone else.

I’m sure that other readers will share their tips and tricks for staying mindful, but I suspect that it really just comes down to practice and effort. The more mindful you are, the easier it will be to be mindful; a definite chicken-and-egg problem.

Daily Buddhism

Depression and Drugs

14 Comments

Question:

Paul phoned in to ask: What’s the Buddhist view on Antidepressants? Is it looked on the same as alcohol?

Answer:

I hate to put words into Buddha’s mouth, but I suspect that his prohibition against intoxicants wasn’t intended to condemn medicinal treatments.

In a perfect world, antidepressants would not be necessary; you would have such perfect mental control that they would be redundant. In reality, that’s rarely the case. People battling depression (and it IS a battle) are not taking the drugs for enjoyment or pleasure; they are taking them in order to function. The fifth precept (‚ÄúI undertake the precept to refrain from taking intoxicants‚Äù) was not meant to harm anyone, but rather the point was to keep monks in line. You cannot meditate and reach Enlightenment when you are too drunk to sit up straight. On the other hand, you cannot meditate and reach enlightenment if your depression keeps you from caring one way or the other. If it takes antidepressant medication to get you through the day, then that’s just what it takes– there is no reason to judge it.

There is, however, a fine line between a necessary psychological/medical treatment and fueling an addiction. An addict needs his ‚Äúdrug‚Äù too, but as with many things dealing with karma, intention and motives have to be considered. We have occasionally talked about addiction and recovery here in the past, so if you are not actually taking the medication under a doctor’s supervision, I would look into some kind of treatment program.

as always, just my opinion. There ARE other viewpoints on this.

Daily Buddhism

Attachment TO Buddhism

8 Comments

Question:

This is a general question… In studying Buddhism, we learn that attachment is undesirable. We learn we need to recognise and remove attachments that we identify we have. Is there a point where we can become too attached to the teachings of Buddhism? i.e. the Four Noble Truths, the Five Precepts, etc? In the end, does the path to Enlightenment simply boil down to the Buddha’s last words: “Conditioned things are perishable; with vigilance strive to succeed.” (from http://www.visiblemantra.org/buddha-last-words.html) i.e. simply trying one’s best at anything, the pursuit of excellence in any field, so that one loses oneself, and becomes one with the subject matter (say, like a great concert pianist, lost in the moment of playing)is what leads to Enlightment / salvation.

Answer:

Remember Buddha’s life before he attained Enlightenment. He was a wealthy, pampered prince, and then became an extreme ascetic, nearly starving to death. He definitely knew a thing or two about taking things to the extreme. One of his main teachings was that of the middle way, or moderation in all things. Too much of anything, even meditation and study, can be harmful.

That’s not to say anyone can reach Enlightenment without a great deal of effort and dedication. It’s not unusual to read about monks that went off into the wilderness for years of solitary meditation, nearly dying in the process. These stories are not told with ‚Äútoo much effort‚Äù being the point. Buddha himself abandoned his kingdom and family, and this also is not told with ‚Äútoo much sacrifice‚Äù being the point. There’s a long way between what most of us do to practice Buddhism and the ‚Äúextreme.‚Äù

That being said, there comes a point where dedication to anything can become an obsession. This is not good. It can damage your relationships, job, family, and so forth. Whether or not this is acceptable is entirely up to you. Most of us don’t go that far, but some do. They are the monks who dedicate their lives to reaching Enlightenment. That’s an admirable goal, and I applaud (and envy) those monks. Yet for most of us, we must remember the middle path and avoid the ‚Äúextremes.‚Äù

Daily Buddhism

Sin & Skepticism in Buddhism

8 Comments

Question:

Last night I was listening to the Skeptoid podcast, which examines various things from a skeptic’s perspective. The host was discussing sin and mentioned that being skeptical was a sin in Buddhism. Your podcasts have lead me to think otherwise. Was the host misinformed? Please elaborate. Thanks!

Answer:

I listen to a couple of skeptic podcasts as well; I prefer the Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe. I didn’t hear the episode of Skeptoid in question, but yes, I’d guess the speaker was probably just misinformed about Buddhism; they can’t be expects in everything. Generally, I agree with the skeptics’ views on religion, but I think in this case, he was either looking at some specific sect of Buddhism or just plain wrong.

Most, if not all, sects of Buddhism encourage open-minded thought and debate. Some are more open to modern science and thinking than others, but I’m not aware of any group that would consider doubt a form of “sin.” There is a reason many people (although once again, not everyone) prefer to call Buddhism a philosophy rather than a religion, and open-mindedness is a big part of it.

If any of the Daily Buddhism readers out there are familiar with a case where skepticism or critical thinking was discouraged in Buddhism, please post a comment. I’m sure it happens, but it’s definitely not the general rule.

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: The Thief Who Became a Disciple

3 Comments

The Thief Who Became a Disciple

One evening as Shichiri Kojun was reciting sutras a thief with a sharp sword entered, demanding wither his money or his life.

Shichiri told him: “Do not disturb me. You can find the money in that drawer.” Then he resumed his recitation.

A little while afterwards he stopped and called: “Don’t take it all. I need some to pay taxes with tomorrow.”

The intruder gathered up most of the money and started to leave. “Thank a person when you receive a gift,” Shichiri added. The man thanked him and made off.

A few days afterwards the fellow was caught and confessed, among others, the offense against Shichiri. When Shichiri was called as a witness he said: “This man is no thief, at least as far as I am concerned. I gave him the money and he thanked me for it.”

After he had finished his prison term, the man went to Shichiri and became his disciple.

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: Zen in a Beggar’s Life

15 Comments

Zen in a Beggar’s Life

Tosui was a well-known Zen teacher of his time. He had lived in several temples and taught in various provinces.

The last temple he visited accumulated so many adherents that Tosui told them he was going to quit the lecture business entirely. He advised them to disperse and to go wherever they desired. After that no one could find any trace of him.

Three years later one of his disciples discovered him living with some beggars under a bridge in Kyoto. He at once implored Tosui to teach him.

“If you can do as I do for even a couple of days, I might,” Tosui replied.

So the former disciple dressed as a beggar and spent a day with Tosui. The following day one of the beggars died. Tosui and his pupil carried the body off at midnight and buried it on a mountainside. After that they returned to their shelter under the bridge.

Tosui slept soundly the remainder of the night, but the disciple could not sleep. When morning came Tosui said: “We do not have to beg food today. Our dead friend has left some over there.” But the disciple was unable to eat a single bite of it.

“I have said you could not do as I,” concluded Tosui. “Get out of here and do not bother me again.”