Category Archives: Daily Buddhism

Daily Buddhism

The Four Seals

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Question:

Hi Brian, I’m reading a book by by the Dalai Lama, and he mentions the “Four Seals.” What are these?

Answer:

I’m not sure I’d call this a beginner’s idea, but it won’t kill anyone to touch on some more advanced ideas occasionally.

The Four Seals are:

  1. All compounded things are impermanent.
  2. All stained emotions are painful.
  3. All phenomena are empty.
  4. Nirvana is peace.

1. All compounded things are impermanent. Anything that is assembled or built from component parts is going to break down someday. Your body is the sum of its components. Your personal relationships are the sum of the individuals. Your daily schedule is the sum of work, play, rest, sleep, and everything else. A mountain is made up of rocks, dirt, and other materials. All of these are impermanent.

2. All stained emotions are painful. What’s a stained emotion? The Dalai Lama translates this seal “all contaminated phenomena are of the nature of suffering.” The word “stained” or “contaminated” refers to actions, emotions and thoughts conditioned by selfish attachment, or by hate, greed and ignorance. Even love and compassion can be stained if they lead to false assumptions or are built up on ideas of dualism or too much attachment.

3. All phenomena are empty. This comes right from the idea of anatman (no-self), which we have looked at briefly in the past. There is no “self.” The being you think of as “You” is both far more than you think, and also nothing. Westerners, with our tendency toward self-centeredness and individualism, often find this an insanely hard concept to grasp. “Being one with the universe” also means the same thing as being nothing at all.

4. Nirvana is peace. As we discussed yesterday, Buddhism (whose goal is Nirvana) is centered around removing and eliminating suffering. Without suffering, we have… peace.

I also have a too-long-to-include-here article written by the Dalai Lama on this topic, which I’ll put in the Weekly PDF Magazine. This is also one of those times when I probably have oversimplified things again. If you have anything to add, please post your thoughts in the comment section.

Daily Buddhism, Reviews

Book: Quiet Mind, Open Heart by Laura Wright

Book: Quiet Mind, Open Heart: Finding Inner Peace Through Reflection, Journaling, and Meditation.
By Laura Wright
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Bristlecone, 2008. 256 Pages, ISBN 978-0-9787757-6-6
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0978775767/?tag=askdrarca-20

The subtitle of the book is ‚ÄúFinding Inner Peace Through Reflection, Journaling, and Meditation.‚Äù That combination of ideas is really an excellent summary of the point of the book. Reflection and meditation are subjects we’ve covered quite a bit here, as well as in most other Buddhist books; the interesting facet of this book is the emphasis on personal journaling. There are many meditation exercises and stories, but it is the journaling portion of the book that I am going to focus on.

Personal journaling, as most writers will know, is essentially a form of diary-writing or personal essays that you write to yourself. The point of this is that if you take the time to write out and organize your thoughts, it will assist in the ‚Äúreflection‚Äù part of it all and aid meditation. From my own experience, I can attest to the idea; one of the main reasons I like writing for Daily Buddhism is that by explaining things to my readers, it helps increase my own understanding. Even if it’s a topic I already know all about, just the act if writing about it helps focus my ideas.

The author explains that the book was written “so that sincere practitioners would have a method for going from a busy mind to a quiet mind. It weaves stories with reflective journaling exercises to give the reader excellent tools for unloading thoughts onto paper, and thereby emptying the mind and setting the tone for meditation.”

For example, here are the reflective journaling questions that follow a section on Existential Depression:

From “Difficult Emotions” Page 193-194:
• How is existential depression a function of wisdom?
• What pragmatic views do you uphold and how might softening your attitude allow for more beauty in life?
• How have you experienced impermanence?
• How do you see suffering in your own consciousness?
• What is selfishness, and what is selflessness?
• Can you accept that there is a knowing beyond logic?

There are no right or wrong answers, no one is there to grade you, it’s just a way for you to explore your own thoughts and ideas on a huge variety of themes. I like the idea. By exploring ideas and putting your own thoughts down on paper, you can organize your own thoughts, which makes meditation less haphazard. I will say that it’s not for everyone, if you don’t enjoy writing, there isn’t that much here for you. If you do enjoy writing, give this one a try. If you are already familiar with the ideas of journaling, or if you are already doing it, then absolutely pick this one up.

Daily Buddhism

To Meat or Not to Meat?

15 Comments

To Meat or Not to Meat?

Question:

I was recently reading “The Accidental Buddhist” and read that the Dalai Lama eats meat. That bleew me away. Can you cover eating meat? Thanks for your great podcast.

Answer:

We’ve discussed this topic several times in the past, but it just keeps coming back. This question seems be especially confusing to newcomers to Buddhism. It’s good that it keeps coming up, because it’s one of the most common misconceptions about Buddhists. Many beginners and outsiders see Buddhists as super-pacifists who would rather suffer greatly than step on a bug; I think the media has a lot to do with this.

It’s really a complex situation, and there is plenty of debate on the topic, and has been for thousands of years.

Yes to Vegetarianism:

The first precept states that you cannot kill or take life. This is the primary argument FOR vegetarianism. That being said, everything you eat was alive at some point, even plants. Where do you draw the line between living things you can eat and those that you cannot? Most people, would say it depends on whether the animal was sentient or not. How do you define sentient? That’s a major can of philosophical worms, and whole libraries have been written on the subject, Buddhist and otherwise. Is a dog or cow self-aware? Do they have “souls” in the Buddhist sense? The ideas of samsara (the cycle of rebirth) would seem to say they do. Is it right to eat a being that could be the reborn version of a family member?

No to Vegetarianism:

Everything dies, death is a part of the cycle of life. One animal dies in order that others may live. Animals kill other animals all the time, does that make them evil or damage their karma? No, that’s just the order of nature. You cannot keep from killing in life; you could kill hundreds of insects just by driving a car down the street. Killing is unavoidable, the only thing you can do is be aware of this and mindful of your killing, and try not to kill where it can be reasonably avoided. Many stories say that Buddha himself ate meat, and encouraged monks to eat what they were given.

Confusion and Debate:

Many people say that prohibitions against eating meat was added long after the Buddha by monasteries who wanted to make life more stringent and ascetic for their monks. Others say the prohibition was there all along and removed by monks who liked to eat meat. I don’t know of any definitive answer to this, it’s just something that has been continually debated.

Bottom Line: The majority of Buddhists are NOT vegetarians. Whether this is right or wrong is up to you to decide, and there is no absolute official answer on the subject.

Related links:
Are Buddhists Vegetarians? http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/59
The First Precept: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/37
Buddhist Dog Food: http://www.dailybuddhism.com/archives/141

Daily Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews

Review: Seeds of Kindness Beads

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Loving Kindness BeadsReview: Seeds of Kindness Beads
By: http://www.seedsofkindness.biz

“May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you be safe.”

A couple of months ago, I reviewed the book “The Gift of Loving Kindness.” In the introduction of the book, one of the authors mentions that she sells beads. When I contacted her for more information, she kindly sent along a sample set for review.

What you get: A string of Loving Kindness Beads, hand-made and strung together while the assmbler wishes loving kindness upon the new owner and the word in general. As we have already discussed, loving-kindness generally involves well-wishing for yourself, for others, and for the world, by reciting, “May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be peaceful, may you be safe,” in several variations. You will notice in the picture that there are four large beads, one for each step of the L-K meditation. Note that these are not mala beads, these are uniquey designed for the 4-step L-K “mantra.”

Along with the beads comes a nice little drawstring bag to keep the beads, but I noticed the bag has a “Made in PRC” (China) tag inside. There is also a CD which includes a walk-through on the ideas of loving kindness, use of the beads, and a 20-minute guided meditation session. The CD will be very helpful to newcomers to Loving-Kindness meditation.

Each strand of beads is unique and hand-assembled, and the ones currently on their website are priced between $45 and $90. Although it’s perfectly possible to do loving-kindness meditation without the use of beads, I can easily see this as an excellent gift. The accompanying CD makes an easily accessible introduction to L-K meditation, and the beads are something “real” to work with while meditating, which might make meditation more appealing to beginners.

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: Stingy in Teaching / Joshu’s Mu

Koan: Stingy in Teaching

A young physician in Tokyo named Kusuda met a college friend who had been studying Zen. The young doctor asked him what Zen was.

“I cannot tell you what it is,” the friend replied, “but one thing is certain. If you understand Zen, you will not be afraid to die.”

“That’s fine,” said Kusuda. “I will try it. Where can I find a teacher?”

“Go to the master Nan-in,” the friend told him.

So Kusuda went to call on Nan-in. He carried a dagger nine and a half inches long to determine whether or not the teacher was afraid to die.

When Nan-in saw Kusuda he exclaimed: “Hello, friend. How are you? We haven’t seen each other for a long time!”

This perplexed Kusuda, who replied: “We have never met before.”

“That’s right,” answered Nan-in. “I mistook you for another physician who is receiving instruction here.”

With such a beginning, Kusuda lost his chance to test the master, so reluctantly he asked if he might receive instruction.

Nan-in said: “Zen is not a difficult task. If you are a physician, treat your patients with kindness. That is Zen.”

Kusuda visited Nan-in three times. Each time Nan-in told him the same thing. “A physician should not waste time around here. Go home and take care of your patients.”

It was not clear to Kusuda how such teaching could remove the fear of death. So on the fourth visit he complained: “My friend told me that when one learns Zen one loses his fear of death. Each time I come here you tell me to take care of my patients. I know that much. If that is your so-called Zen, I am not going to visit you anymore.”

Nan-in smiled and patted the doctor. “I have been too strict with you. Let me give you a koan.” He presented Kusuda with Joshu’s Mu to work over, which is the first mind-enlightening problem in the book called The Gateless Gate.

Kusuda pondered this problem of Mu (No-Thing) for two years. At length he thought he had reached certainty of mind. But his teacher commented: “You are not in yet.”

Kusuda continued in concentration for another year and a half. His mind became placid. Problems dissolved. No-Thing became the truth. He served his patients well and, without even knowing it, he was free from concern of life and death.

Then he visited Nan-in, his old teacher just smiled.

Extra Koan: Joshu’s Mu

A monk asked Joshu, a Chinese Zen master: `Has a dog Buddha-nature or not?’

Joshu answered: `Mu.’ [Mu is the negative symbol in Chinese, meaning `No-thing’ or `Nay’.]

Daily Buddhism, Meditation, Reviews

Book: The Method of No-Method, by Chan Master Sheng Yen

Book: The Method of No-Method: The Chan Practice of Silent Illumination
By Chan Master Sheng Yen
Reviewed by Brian Schell
Shambhala, 2008. 152 Pages, ISBN 978-1-59030-575-1
Buy from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1590305752/?tag=askdrarca-20

Someone a few weeks back lamented their inability to go on a retreat. This book is the perfect solution to that situation, as it’s essentially a retreat in book form. I introduced Master Sheng Yen a while back when I reviewed his book ‚ÄúFootprints in the Snow.‚Äù I was impressed with that biography, and wanted to learn more about his actual teachings, so when he released this latest book, I jumped on the opportunity to read it. This book is basically a cleaned-up transcript of one of the week-long retreats that he offers.

There are three main sections to the book, ‚ÄúThe Practice of Silent Illumination‚Äù, ‚ÄúMaster Hongzhi’s Discourse: First Commentary‚Äù, and ‚ÄúMaster Hongzhi’s Discourse: Second Commentary.‚Äù Master Hongzhi lived from 1091-1157 and was the first to write about the practice of Silent Illumination. Sheng Yen has deeply researched into this Master and teaches his ancient method today.

The first section of the book is broken up into seven days’ teachings on how to practice Silent Illumination. Silent Illumination, to put it simply (probably too simply), seems to be a combination of ‚ÄúEmpty Mind‚Äù meditation combined with the idea of being one with the environment. Sheng Yen gives several short talks each day, and each has a small section with that day’s teachings. If you wanted to know what goes on in a retreat, this book is a clear way to see without actually attending one.

The second and third sections are also broken up into seven days’ teachings, but are more theoretical, explaining the original writings of Hongzhi in a modern way.

Since this is basically a transcription of a real weeklong seminar, there is some repetition, as the teacher reiterates some of what has gone before, but it’s not overly repetitious. Actually, some of the expansions in the later days really clarify what silent Illumination is all about.

Although practice and success at Silent Illumination is not an easy thing, the book is not complicated at all. There is some Buddhist jargon in the book, but whenever a new term is introduced, the word is marked with an *asterisk to show that it is explained in the glossary. He explains the practice of meditation, and explains that there are stages in Silent Illumination, but that not all of them are necessary; you might choose to focus on one stage forever. The book is reasonably short, but it did take me a while to get through it, as there is a lot here to think about.

Bottom Line: If you want to learn how a real Master teaches real meditation and theory in a real retreat setting, this is it. The language is easy and conversational, the ideas are not complex (quite the opposite in fact), yet there is enough depth here that you could spend the rest of your life mastering it.

Daily Buddhism

Buddhism: Half-Empty or Half-Full?

8 Comments

Question:

Hello, I have been following your Podcast for a few days only. I am quite intrigued and pleasantly surprised in all the information you provide as it clears a lot of misconception I have myself about Buddhism. Further on this subject. I have been researching and doing some reading about buddhism and it’s denominations. I would like to ask which denomination would you say has the most ‘positive’ outlook on life. The idea that the glass is ‘half empty’ is usually associated with Buddhism; but I am wondering if there are any denominations which believe or act in a more the glass is ‘half full’ kind of idea?

Answer:

I think a lot of beginners get the same idea that Buddhism is very pessimistic and negative. The main foundation of Buddhism (and usually the first things taught to new students) are the Four Noble Truths. Unfortunately, many teachers (myself included) simplify the first Noble Truth to say “All life is suffering.” Yes, that is very depressing. It’s not strictly accurate though.

Buddha, in the first noble truth actually said “In life there is suffering.” He later expanded this to include suffering during birth, aging, illness, death, association with unpleasant people and conditions, separation from loved ones and pleasant conditions, and inability to possess what one desires. Well, yeah, everyone experiences those things, and they are obviously bad, but that in no ways means all life is suffering.

Regardless of the specific translation of the First Truth, the majority of Dharma is about how to REDUCE and REMOVE suffering.The Four Noble Truths are the foundation of Buddhism, but the Eightfold Path is the “great beacon of Hope” that Buddhism offers. Whether its meditation training to clear the mind and remove the jumble of confusing thoughts, or teaching dharma to help reduce attachment to material things and illusive ideas, it’s all about removing suffering in yourself and others.

Is there a lot of focus on suffering? Yes, but in the “how do we eliminate it” sense.

If anything, I think Buddhism increases calmness, joy, compassion, peacefulness, clarity, empathy, love, and wisdom while decreasing materialism, greed, hate, closed-mindedness, judgementalism, deceit, self-delusion, and anxiety. With this mix, can the teachings be in any way pessimistic?

No, I have to think it’s the greatest message of Hope that has ever been taught.

Daily Buddhism

A Buddhist Christmas

16 Comments

(If you have submitted a question, please be patient, I’m starting to get backlogged. Keep sending them in, but be patient, I’ll answer them all as soon as possible.)

Question:

Santa Brian Xmas 2007
Santa Brian Xmas 2007

I’ve been listening to the podcast since summertime, and I guess I am a new Buddhist. What do I do about celebrating Christmas? Is that allowed?

Answer:

Christians have Christmas, Jews have Hanukkah, people of African descent have Kwanzaa and others celebrate the Solstice or the New Year. Everybody has a holiday to celebrate except Buddhists, who don’t get a December holiday.

There’s nothing scriptural about this problem that I ever heard of, so it’s pretty much just a matter of judgment. Here’s my situation: I’ve been a Buddhist for more than a decade, and I’ve put up a Christmas tree and bought and received presents every single year. I go with my niece and nephew to see Santa Claus, and recently went to see them both in their Christmas Pageant. It was a very well-done Christmas Pageant, I hasten to add. I play Christmas music on the radio, at least until I can’t take it anymore, and never fail to watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on TV. Last year, in Japan, I even dressed up and played Santa (link to that story) for one of the Kindergartens in Hiroshima (see picture of “Santa-Brian”).

I don’t focus much on the all the “Baby Jesus” stuff, but I’m not one to get offended either. I realize that the majority of Americans are Christian, and I’m not about to deny anyone their choices. Fortunately, my extended family is not particularly religious, so it’s not really a big issue at the big family party. I do all my traditional Christmas stuff, and I keep right on doing my regular Buddhist stuff as well.

Santa Meditating
Santa Meditating

Again, there is no “official answer” on this, just my opinion, but it seems to me that if you have been raised with traditions that you are used to and comfortable with, stick with them. Changing is only going to cause needless suffering, and doing what you have come to love is a good thing.

Much of the holiday season is based on helping others, caring for the poor, donating to charities, goodwill towards men, peace on Earth, and these are great Buddhist concepts. Materialism and greed, going into debt, drinking parties, family fights, well… not so much.

Remember the five precepts, and don’t do anything that is going to cause any suffering this holiday season. Be mindful of what you are doing, but other than that, enjoy yourself!

I would assume my readers have plenty of opinions on this subject, as well as stories about how they deal with the holidays. Please post them in the comment section below!

Daily Buddhism

Sleepy Legs in Meditation

10 Comments

Question:

I’ve started to meditate a lot, but my legs keep falling asleep. Any advice?

Answer:

There’s no magical solution to this very common problem, but here are a few tips that may help:

1. Stretch before meditation. Basic yoga or a few good stretching exercises can be a big help. Just because you’re sitting on your butt doesn’t mean meditation isn’t physical; a warm up is a good idea.

2. Try a different cushion; if you aren’t using a cushion, get one. People who meditate for long periods of time often use a cushion called a ‚Äúzafu.‚Äù It’s a small cushion that raises your butt and back off the ground by about four to six inches, while your legs stay at floor level. Imagine your body as the hands of a clock: If your legs and butt are flat on the floor and your back is straight, that is ‚Äú3:00.‚Äù By elevating your body with a zafu, you sit in the ‚Äú4:00 position‚Äù instead of the ‚Äú3:00‚Äù position.

3. Straighten up your posture if you find yourself slouching. Using the clock metaphor again, if you’re sitting at 3:05, that’s putting extra pressure on your legs.

I’m also assuming you are running into this problem after just a few minutes. If you are sitting for an hour or more, then your legs falling asleep would be perfectly normal. Get up and do some walking meditation for a while, and alternate between the two every so often. Naturally, if the problem is severe, or you just cannot work around it, talk to your doctor and see if there is any medical solution.

Daily Buddhism

Buddhism and Homosexuality

9 Comments

Question:

What is the view on Homosexuality and Buddhism? Is it condemned or accepted or just something they don’t want to talk about? Hope your nor offended by me asking you to answer this topic.

Answer:

Offended? Nope. Actually, I’m surprised no one asked before the election. As you might imagine, opinions are all over the place on this topic.

First of all, the monks:

Monks living within a monastery are expected to be celibate. That means both men and women and partners of any kind. No sex. Period. There is no distinction between regular heterosexual sex and homosexuality. It’s all bad. That being said, over a 2500-year history, there have been plenty of exceptions and behind-the-scenes stories that scholars speculate upon.

Next, for laypeople:

We are supposed to follow the five precepts, which includes the promise not to engage in sexual misconduct. What exactly is sexual misconduct?

(from religionfacts.com see source links below):

Right and wrong behavior in Buddhism is generally determined by considerations such as the following:

* Universalibility principle – “How would I like it if someone did this to me?”
* Consequences – Does the act causes harm and regret (in oneself or others) or benefit and joy?
* Utilitarian principle – Will the act help or harm the attainment of goals (ultimately spiritual liberation)?
* Intention – Is the act motivated by love, generosity and understanding?

“Sexual misconduct” has thus traditionally been interpreted to include actions like coercive sex, sexual harassment, child molestation and adultery. As Homosexuality is not explicitly mentioned in any of the Buddha’s sayings recorded in the Pali Canon (Tripitaka), most interpreters have taken this to mean that homosexuality should be evaluated in the same way as heterosexuality, in accordance with the above principles.

The above seems to point to the acceptability of homosexuality. There are plenty of opposition opinions on this, and there are even some important people who don’t seem fully committed either way. The Dalai Lama, for one, commented, “the purpose of sex in general is for procreation, so homosexual acts do seem a bit unnatural.‚Äù He said, “sexual desires in themselves are natural, perhaps including homosexual desires, but that one should not try to increase those desires or indulge them without self-control.‚Äù He added, “From a Buddhist point of view, [gay sex] is generally considered sexual misconduct.” But he did note that this rule is for Buddhists, and from society’s viewpoint, homosexual relationships can be “of mutual benefit, enjoyable, and harmless.” His spokesman has added, “His Holiness opposes violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation. He urges respect, tolerance, compassion, and the full recognition of human rights for all.”

The bottom line is that there really isn’t an answer. Some schools of Buddhism are more or less accepting of it, but there is no single across-the-board answer. Overall, Buddhism is more accepting of gays than most of the other “big” religions. My own point of view is that consensual sexual activity by a committed couple, whether engaged in by a heterosexual or homosexual couple, is not sexual misconduct, and this is a point of view shared by many others. It really all hinges upon whether or not harm is being done and the motivations behind the relationship, and the same goes for heterosexual relationships for that matter!

Here are a few sites that discuss the issue more fully. I have quoted from a few them above.
http://www.religionfacts.com/homosexuality/buddhism.htm
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_budd.htm
http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/7-18-2004-56791.asp