I am not sure if 2022 was that much better than 2021 with respect to tragedies occurring in the World.Here we are, continuing to hurtle through space on this fragile planet. One could talk about many things to wrap up the year. Despite all the suffering in the world, this is still, at times, a pretty good place. I am reminded of the Buddhist middle way and the need to sometimes hold things lightly and to have compassion — for others and ourselves. Besides being mysterious, weird, and oftentimes beautiful, this existence can also be funny and it is good to laugh together with family and friends. Reflecting on my practice over the last year, I am not sure how it’s going, despite a meditation, mindfulness and ethics practice, which can bring joy. When negative emotions or actions arise in ourselves and others we need to remind ourselves that they came from the collective — from each other and our ancestors. The late Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s writings on dependent origination or as he sometimes calls it, interdependent co-arising, basically state that nothing in this world exists by itself, and in fact only exists because of everything else. Here is a brief dharma talk by the Master from a Reddit post. Essentially this relates to the Buddhist teaching of emptiness. Emptiness, sounds so cold, but it just means any thing is simply empty of a sole separate self or nature and, thusly, dependent on everything else. We are not alone, and the whole Universe is a potential ally. Conversely, our action ripple outwards (and inwards.)
My wife has a down pillow. It’s her favorite. After fifty years or so there is not much left of it– just a little soft lump in the pillow case that looks a bit like Sweet Pea’s blanket. But, each of those escaped feathers is somewhere, in some form, out in this world and eventually may reach the far corners of the universe. And that pillow came from the far corners of the Universe, as well. Not to be left out would be the suffering of the geese when their feathers were ripped out. It gets pretty complicated, and oh so connected.
In 2023 I am looking forward to working with a Buddhist teacher, developing more patience and insight and just continuing with what the Zen monks called practice-realization (It’s an everyday affair.) In the silence of sitting we can face our demons and just be with them and they will eventually become less real and scary. By sitting and in mindfulness practice, we can embrace our bodies and practice with forms, letting thoughts and emotions pass by like little fleeting clouds. It takes time. While the world seems like a mess, the result of practice realization literally changes the world through the development of kindness and compassion. These positive qualities can permeate into our existence and each other. We’re just here for a little while, so let’s do the best with it.
The Heart Sutra is chanted in many Buddhist Services and when group-chanted is a very energizing practice. The Sutra is a short poem pointing the way to liberation through embodiment of wisdom (prajna paramita, or perfection of wisdom) that entails freedom from fear, and simply “seeing” things as they are — deeply practicing emptiness. While the text is also a teaching, it is more about pointing to the Way that cannot be explained by words. A more or less traditional translation of the Sutra can be found HERE. Below is my paraphrase as I have always felt that the Sutra, while wonderful, can be a bit scary to some (No eyes, no ears, no nose, no tongue, no body no mind.) Happy New Year, and good health!
The heart is a spiritual warrior, steadfast.The head sways with the breeze.
Listen! With compassion the heart explains , while practicing wisdom —
and seeing the world, of suffering free:
Flower petals drop, one by one.
Is the flower the petal, the stem, the color or center?
Form — a visible shape, a thing as it is, is empty of a separate self.
Yet the non-separate parts make a flower, if but for a little while.
The shape, the color, the texture, the fragrance: form is emptiness and emptiness form.
The Buddha held a flower. Smile!
Your world, oh you who sways in the breeze, — your, feelings, perceptions, thought-memory and consciousness are also like this. The flower is not just a separate thing. Where does the flower live if not in your feelings, perceptions and thought-memories? You are the flower and vice versa.
Swaying so hard up in a tree, hold on! The past rides on a rusted renegade train; the future
is a mad orange fool. From white hot to stone cold, take a wild ride to the far side of emptiness. It neither comes, nor goes, is neither perfect or imperfect, and does not get smaller nor bigger.
No attachment, no self, no hiding, no seeking — known like the clear sky.
The clouds travelling by, gently dance on your eyes.
Wind whistles past the bark of the cypress tree.
Scent of the ocean and taste of salt spray. Body feels wetness
Were you by the seashore or were those things inside you?
“Your” eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind depict a picture.
Where is the paint, brush, canvas and painter?
We are chasing mirages, as there is nothing that can be truly held or grasped.
If you know you can’t touch it or grasp it or have it, that “it” will lose its grip and you will be relieved of the sparkling hell– no birth nor death. Imagine being free of concepts and not clinging to a thing. See those old spiritual warriors, bodhisattvas. If they conjure up things, they conjure up causes and conditions, conceive of paths, knowledge and attainment, not to mention write volumes of scripture. But how can there be words, a path, knowledge or attainment when there is no dust on the mirror? Emptiness is just a metaphor.
There is no need to reason or try to acquire, as both existence and non-existence are part of the mire. All bodhisattvas rely on the transcendental wisdom known as prajna paramita. Whatever they believed in was just another flavor of delusion, but accepting all things and conditions, with nothing to grasp and ease in ones vision, there is no fear in leaving behind the world of illusion, thus Nirvana. No” I,” “me” or “mine. ” This is saving others and open compassion.
Stand on the border, look across to the other side. Edge a little closer to the holy mystery. All buddhas are beyond space and time and emanate from prajna paramita and as such are the state of unconditional enlightenment itself.
Know the prajana paramita as your real mother, who won’t let you suffer. When words lose their meaning there will still be a name. Chant the mother of all mantras and be one with it: “Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha.” (Gone, Gone, gone over, completely gone over, to the other side. So be it!}
Little Known Mystic 