Category Archives: Daily Buddhism

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

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Koan: The Moon Cannot Be Stolen

Ryokan, a Zen master, lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening a thief visited the hut only to discover there was nothing to steal.

Ryokan returned and caught him. “You have come a long way to visit me,” he told the prowler, “and you should not return empty-handed. Please take my clothes as a gift.”

The thief was bewildered. He took the clothes and slunk away.

Ryoken sat naked, watching the moon. “Poor fellow,” he mused, “I wish I could have given him this beautiful moon.”

Daily Buddhism, Dhammapada

Dhammapada Chapter 3: Thought

Dhammapada Chapter 3: Thought

33. As a fletcher makes straight his arrow, a wise man makes straight his trembling and unsteady thought, which is difficult to guard, difficult to hold back.

34. As a fish taken from his watery home and thrown on dry ground, our thought trembles all over in order to escape the dominion of Mara the tempter.

35. It is good to tame the mind, which is difficult to hold in and flighty, rushing wherever it listeth; a tamed mind brings happiness.

36. Let the wise man guard his thoughts, for they are difficult to perceive, very artful, and they rush wherever they list: thoughts well guarded bring happiness.

37. Those who bridle their mind which travels far, moves about alone, is without a body, and hides in the chamber of the heart, will be free from the bonds of Mara the tempter.

38. If a man’s thoughts are unsteady, if he does not know the true law, if his peace of mind is troubled, his knowledge will never be perfect.

39. If a man’s thoughts are not dissipated, if his mind is not perplexed, if he has ceased to think of good or evil, then there is no fear for him while he is watchful.

40. Knowing that this body is fragile like a jar, and making this thought firm like a fortress, one should attack Mara the tempter with the weapon of knowledge, one should watch him when conquered, and should never rest.

41. Before long, alas! this body will lie on the earth, despised, without understanding, like a useless log.

42. Whatever a hater may do to a hater, or an enemy to an enemy, a wrongly-directed mind will do us greater mischief.

43. Not a mother, not a father will do so much, nor any other relative; a well-directed mind will do us greater service.

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: The Last Poem of Honshin

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The Last Poem of Hoshin

The Zen Master Hoshin lived in China many years. Then he returned to the northeastern part of Japan, where he taught his disciples. When he was getting very old, he told them a story he had heard in China. This is the story:

One year on the twenty-fifth of December, Tokufu, who was very old, said to his disciples: “I am not going to be alive next year so you fellows should treat me well this year.”
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The pupils thought he was joking, but since he was a great-hearted teacher each of them in turn treated him to a feast on succeeding days of the departing year.
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On the eve of the new year, Tokufu concluded: “You have been good to me. I shall leave tomorrow afternoon when the snow has stopped.”
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The disciples laughed, thinking he was aging and talking nonsense since the night was clear and without snow. But at midnight snow began to fall, and the next day they did not find their teacher about. They went to the meditation hall. There he had passed on.

Hoshin, who related this story, told his disciples: “It is not necessary for a Zen master to predict his passing, but if he really wishes to do so, he can.”

“Can you?” someone asked.

“Yes,” answered Hoshin. “I will show you what I can do seven days from now.”

None of the disciples believed him, and most of them had even forgotten the conversation when Hoshin called them together.

“Seven days ago,” he remarked, “I said I was going to leave you. It is customary to write a farewell poem, but I am neither a poet or a calligrapher. Let one of you inscribe my last words.”

His followers thought he was joking, but one of them started to write.

“Are you ready?” Hoshin asked.

“Yes sir,” replied the writer.

Then Hoshin dictated:

I came from brillancy
And return to brillancy.
What is this?

This line was one line short of the customary four, so the disciple said: “Master, we are one line short.”

Hoshin, with the roar of a conquering lion, shouted “Kaa!” and was gone.

Announcements, Daily Buddhism

Call In Now!

Call In now!

As I have mentioned a few times over the past week, your continuing donations are going toward improving the show. Although the donations are still a bit short of my goal to cover the voice mail for a year, I have jumped the gun and set it up anyway. It will only take one or two more small donations to cover the cost, so I figured why wait any longer?

We now have an online voicemail system that you can call with your questions and comments. I love answering your emails, and they give me something to share with all the great readers on the daily email list. But I also know that some people don’t like writing long emails, and there are all those people who listen to the podcast who aren’t on the daily email list. This project is meant to make interacting with me and the Daily Buddhism listeners and readers easier. More access and easier interactivity for everyone!

So, here it is. You can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at the Daily Buddhism call-in line. The phone number is 937-660-4949. It’s not toll-free, but long distance is cheap enough that I hope that won’t be a problem for you. This is an automated voice mail system, not a direct phone line; I won’t answer live, so you can call anytime of the day or night without fear of bothering me or getting caught up in a conversation.

After you hear my recorded greeting, just state your first name and maybe where you’re calling from and then get on to your comment or question. If you’ve ever listened to the callers or a talk-radio show, try to use that format. If you don’t want to use your real name, then make up something fun.

“Hi, this is Brian from Dayton Ohio, and I have a question about karma…”

or something else entirely. It’s your line; use it how you like. You don’t have to have a question; if there’s a story you would like to share, or some classic reading or text, an inspirational poem, a book review, or anything, call in.

My Usage Policy

If you call the number, be aware that if it’s appropriate I will use the recording of your call on the weekly audio show; that was the while point of getting the number. Please don’t say anything too personal and especially no contact information; if you don’t want thousands of listeners to have that information, then don’t say it. I also may ‚Äúparaphrase‚Äù your words in writing for use in the Daily Email.

Once again, the phone number is: 937-660-4949

Give it a try, let’s see what we can all do with it!

Daily Buddhism

The Karma Of Performance Reviews

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The Karma Of Performance Reviews

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A Reader recently wrote:
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Hello, everybody here,

I have a simple question regarding the karma generated if i wrote negative comments for a co-worker job performance review.

I have been refraining myself from false speech, and practicing kindness as my ‘religion’. (quote from Dalai Lama).

My job requires me to give co-workers performance review and it would be lying to management if I intentionally obscure any facts.

I found it joyful to give co-workers due credit on review paper.

Now please help me to understand the karma flow if I have to comment on a co-workers’ unprofessional performance.

I don’t want to make false speech to management. But negative review would cause co-worker pain(although the pain is we said ignorance).

Please help me to find the middle way to deal this situation.

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And my response:
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Buddhism is all about reducing suffering and harm to others.

If no harm is being done by your co-workers actions, then why mention it at all? I assume you ask this because there is something wrong.

You weren’t specific on the offense, but if someone is acting unprofessionally, it’s probably causing harm somewhere, even if its only in building resentment and hard feelings. Even the act of causing you to worry enough to ask this question shows that this person’s actions are causing harm.

Will your negative review allow the co-worker a chance to correct whatever it is he/she is doing wrong? If so, your not making the problem known is going to cause harm as well. Will your review cause the co-worker to be fired immediately? If so, then perhaps a gentle, unofficial warning would be in order before putting it on the report; that depends on the situation and environment, so I cannot absolutely recommend that. However, if the problem is made known to the worker and her or she continues offending, then the person is going to have to be responsible for their actions.

Under no circumstances should you deliberately LIE about someone, whether or not you believe that lie is going to do harm to someone. But you are now asking about a ‚Äúlie of omission.‚Äù Refusing to mention, or actively ‚Äúcovering up‚Äù someone else’s ‚Äúunprofessional performance,‚Äù is still a lie. Not only do you damage your own karma by lying, but you damage your co-worker’s karma by enabling him or her to continue doing something wrong.

Bottom line: Give them a fair warning and the opportunity to correct the situation if you are able. If he behavior continues, then write your review objectively and truthfully, and let the chips fall where they may.

Daily Buddhism, Dhammapada

Dhammapada Chapter 4: Flowers

Chapter IV
Flowers

44. Who shall overcome this earth, and the world of Yama the lord of the departed, and the world of the gods? Who shall find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the right flower?

45. The disciple will overcome the earth, and the world of Yama, and the world of the gods. The disciple will find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the right flower.

46. He who knows that this body is like froth, and has learnt that it is as unsubstantial as a mirage, will break the flower-pointed arrow of Mara, and never see the king of death.

47. Death carries off a man who is gathering flowers and whose mind is distracted, as a flood carries off a sleeping village.

48. Death subdues a man who is gathering flowers, and whose mind is distracted, before he is satiated in his pleasures.

49. As the bee collects nectar and departs without injuring the flower, or its colour or scent, so let a sage dwell in his village.

50. Not the perversities of others, not their sins of commission or omission, but his own misdeeds and negligences should a sage take notice of.

51. Like a beautiful flower, full of colour, but without scent, are the fine but fruitless words of him who does not act accordingly.

52. But, like a beautiful flower, full of colour and full of scent, are the fine and fruitful words of him who acts accordingly.

53. As many kinds of wreaths can be made from a heap of flowers, so many good things may be achieved by a mortal when once he is born.

54. The scent of flowers does not travel against the wind, nor that of sandal-wood, or of Tagara and Mallika flowers; but the odour of good people travels even against the wind; a good man pervades every place.

55. Sandal-wood or Tagara, a lotus-flower, or a Vassiki, among these sorts of perfumes, the perfume of virtue is unsurpassed.

56. Mean is the scent that comes from Tagara and sandal-wood;–the perfume of those who possess virtue rises up to the gods as the highest.

57. Of the people who possess these virtues, who live without thoughtlessness, and who are emancipated through true knowledge, Mara, the tempter, never finds the way.

58, 59. As on a heap of rubbish cast upon the highway the lily will grow full of sweet perfume and delight, thus the disciple of the truly enlightened Buddha shines forth by his knowledge among those who are like rubbish, among the people that walk in darkness.

Daily Buddhism

B&W Questions and Gray Answers

6 Comments

To Guru Or Not To Guru?

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A Reader recently wrote:
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I have been a follower since very near the start of the podcast series and I strongly appreciate what you’re doing here, it’s good that you’re helping bring a higher level of understanding of Buddhism to many people globally.

However, I’ve noticed that of late, when people are sending in email questions they seem to be seeing you as more and more of a guru and are looking for absolute answers on complicated subjects which, for the most part, you have been giving them.

I don’t doubt that you know much more about Buddhism than I do at the present time, possibly more than I ever will, but I still personally believe that the concept of Buddhism is one that is free-flowing and does not rely on simple yes/no answers ‚Äì such as declaring buying dog food a karma neutral situation – from anyone, let alone from a simple layperson such as you or I. That’s why I feel it’s an extremely positive thing for you to be giving your input and your own personal take on people’s questions, however it’s important that people don’t mistake your word as being final and absolute.

I hope I do not come across as too confrontational here, this is just my personal take on the last couple of weeks’ emails. What are your thoughts?

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My Response:
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You make several great points there.

I noticed right off the bat that you said, ‚ÄúI have been a follower since‚Ķ‚Äù I hope you only misspoke there– It’s true enough that I want a big audience, but I hope nobody gets the impression that I’m looking for followers! Yes, I’m kidding; I know that’s not what you meant, but you just never know what some people out there might be thinking.

Let me make a clear statement on the topic. I am not a Zen Master! My training is from the University, not the Temple. My official expertise is strictly on an academic, almost secular level, and I can talk with some knowledge about Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and a few others as well as Buddhism. I’m a writer and a teacher, not a priest.

That being said, I am a practicing Buddhist, and have been for years. I have read and experienced a lot on the subject beyond my training, so yes, I do know a good bit on the subject. Still, as you point out, I am a layperson. I hope you’ll find that the majority of my posts are more directed at ‚Äúteaching‚Äù rather than ‚Äúpreaching.‚Äù

Early on, I explained about the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and other basic Buddhist concepts. Those things are pretty much facts, or at least ideas whose meaning are generally agreed upon; you can read about them in thousands of Buddhist books. The “rules” of Buddhism are fairly simple. The application of those rules is often not so clear.

Very few ideas are really black and white in Buddhism. Buddha’s ‚ÄúGolden Path‚Äù is the pathway of moderation in all things. There are few black and white / right or wrong ideas that have no exceptions. The Buddhist world is very grey from walking down that middle path.

I will agree that some of the questions I’ve been getting recently have been deceptively complex. The one about the dog food and the one on performance reviews come immediately to mind. I thought I was pretty clear, especially in these two posts, that I was only giving my logical opinion. This is one reason I always invite anyone to comment on the blog; MANY of the answers I give could be argued differently. Buddha didn’t have any wise words about dog food or performance reviews, so sometimes we have to work things out on our own. That’s one reason Buddhism places such an emphasis on meditation and reflection.

The bottom line is that I love getting your emails and answering your questions; keep them coming in! However, always keep in mind that my opinions are just my opinions, informed perhaps, but still just opinions. I’m hoping that through this ongoing mail list/website/podcast I can help you all learn enough about Buddhism to come to your own conclusions about things like this.

Daily Buddhism

Christian Bashing

9 Comments


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A Reader recently wrote:
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I am thankful for your insights into Buddhism. The faith gives me many important insights in creating “win-win” relationships with others. Still, one characteristic about your podcast bothers me.

Many of your listener comments insult the Christian faith or those who practice it. While it would be unfair for me to expect you to leave out part of what they sent in, I would be delighted to hear you encourage your listeners to work through their hard feelings toward Christians and Christianity. I recognize growing up in a household where not being of a faith the family insists the young follow would not be easy. Still, empathy for Christian concerns about Buddhists or whomever going to hell, for example, is a step on the path towards peace.

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My Response:
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You’re absolutely right about the anti-Christian sentiment of some of the commenters. Phrases like “breaking the chains…” and so forth are, if not offensive, at least heavily prejudiced. There was one letter that was so hostile that I had to heavily edit the thing to make it usable here.

I personally haven’t intentionally been hostile, but I’m probably not innocent either. I end up getting three or four ‚ÄúYou’re going to Hell for this!‚Äù emails every week; I don’t get them in my personal or business email accounts, only the one for THIS site. Christians mean well, most of them at least, but sometimes their zeal works against them and builds resentment and ill will. It’s hard not to let that get to you sometimes.

I think that being in such a minority (Buddhists in America) tends to encourage us to build up defensive barriers and an “us versus them” attitude in many cases. And it is not unusual to see actual hostility aimed from Christians towards anything different. That sounds like a real test of Buddhist compassion and loving-kindness, right?

I was one of ‚Äúthem‚Äù for many years, and I didn’t feel like a bad guy back then; somehow I suspect they don’t feel like the villains either. Nowadays, I look back and wonder, ‚Äúwhat was I thinking!‚Äù with incredulity. Here in the West, we’ve been exposed to Christianity pretty heavily all our lives, even if we weren’t raised with it. Those of us who adopted Buddhism later in life do tend to see it as an ‚Äúescape.‚Äù But I also realize that it all made sense to me back then, and Christians (for the most part) really do have your best interests in mind. Be patient and forgiving with them.

Also be aware that if you present your case carefully, you can still win over Christians, at least the ones who are open to listening. There are many Christians, priests and pastors included, who meditate and agree with the basic tenets of Buddhism and even teach meditation to their congregations. They don’t have to give up Jesus or the Bible in order to benefit from the teachings of Buddha; we could learn a few things from the words of Jesus too‚Äîgood advice is always good advice, regardless of what people have added over the centuries. In many cases, if you just explain what it is that you believe, carefully and in plain English, and you might be surprised at how accepting they can be. Many Westerners have no idea what Buddhism is really all about; use every opportunity to explain!

Daily Buddhism

Buddhist Business Books?

4 Comments

Buddhist Business Book Question:

After reading my comments on last week’s post on performance reviews, a reader wrote in to ask, ‚ÄúAre there any quality books on Buddhism in Business?‚Äù And to be honest, I haven’t read any; I can’t say that I have ever looked for them though. I imagine they must exist; does anyone have a suggestion?

email suggestions to dailybuddhism@gmail.com or post your comment here.

Daily Buddhism, Koans

Koan: The Story of Shunkai

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The Story of Shunkai

The exquisite Shunkai whose other name was Suzu was compelled to marry against her wishes when she was quite young. Later, after this marriage had ended, she attended the university, where she studied philosophy.

To see Shunkai was to fall in love with her. Moreover, wherever she went, she herself fell in love with others. Love was with her at the university, and afterwards when philosophy did not satisfy her and she visited the temple to learn about Zen, the Zen students fell in love with her. Shunkai’s whole life was saturated with love.

At last in Kyoto she became a real student of Zen. Her brothers in the sub-temple of Kennin praised her sincerity. One of them proved to be a congenial spirit and assisted her in the mastery of Zen.

The abbot of Kennin, Mokurai, Silent Thunder, was severe. He kept the precepts himself and expected the priests to do so. In modern Japan whatever zeal these priests have lost for Buddhism they seemed to have gained for having wives. Mokurai used to take a broom and chase the women away when he found them in any of his temples, but the more wives he swept out, the more seemed to come back.

In this particular temple the wife of the head priest had become jealous of Shunkai’s earnestness and beauty. Hearing the students praise her serious Zen made this wife squirm and itch. Finally she spread a rumor about that Shunkai and the young man who was her friend. As a consequence he was expelled and Shunkai was removed from the temple.

“I may have made the mistake of love,” thought Shunkai, “but the priest’s wife shall not remain in the temple either if my friend is to be treated so unjustly.”

Shunkai the same night with a can of kerosene set fire to the five-hundred-year-old temple and burned it to the ground. In the morning she found herself in the hands of the police.

A young lawyer became interested in her and endeavoured to make her sentance lighter. “Do not help me.” she told him. “I might decide to do something else which will only imprison me again.”

At last a sentance of seven years was completed, and Shunkai was released from the prison, where the sixty-year-old warden also had become enamored of her.

But now everyone looked upon her as a “jailbird”. No one would associate with her. Even the Zen people, who are supposed to believe in enlightenment in this life and with this body, shunned her. Zen, Shunkai found, was one thing and the followers of Zen quite another. Her relatives would have nothing to do with her. She grew sick, poor, and weak.

She met a Shinshu priest who taught her the name of the Buddha of Love, and in this Shunkai found some solace and peace of mind. She passed away when she was still exquisitely beautiful and hardly thirty years old.

She wrote her own story in a futile endeavour to support herself and some of it she told to a women writer. So it reached the Japanese people. Those who rejected Shunkai, those who slandered and hated her, now read of her life with tears of remorse.