INSIDE DHARMA "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is tied up with mine, then let us work together." Lilla Watson, Aboriginal activist Volume VIII, Issue 2 March - April 2010 FORM AND EMPTINESS The Great Heart of Wisdom Sutra Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, while practicing deep Prajna Paramita, perceived all five skandhas were empty and was saved from suffering and distress. Shariputra, form is no different from emptiness, Emptiness is no different from form. That which is form is emptiness, That which is emptiness is form. Feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness, the same is true of these. Shariputra, all dharmas are marked with emptiness. (They) do not appear or disappear, are not tainted or pure, do not increase or decrease. Therefore in emptiness no form, no feelings, perceptions, impulses, consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind; no color, sound, smell, taste, touch, object of mind, no realm of eyes and so forth until no realm of mind consciousness; no ignorance and also no extinction of ignorance and so forth until no old age and death and no extinction of old age and death; no suffering, origination, stopping, path; no cognition, also no attainment with nothing to attain; the Bodhisattva depends upon Prajna Paramita and (his) mind is no hindrance; without any hindrance, no fear exists; far apart from every inverted view (he) dwells in Nirvana. All Buddhas in the Three Worlds depend on Prajna Paramita and attain complete, unsurpassed enlightenment. Therefore know the Prajna Paramita is the great transcendent mantra is the great bright mantra is the utmost mantra is the supreme mantra which is able to relieve all suffering and is true, not false, so proclaim the Prajna Paramita mantra, proclaim the mantra that says gone, gone, gone beyond, gone all the way beyond, Bodhi Svaha!
The Fullness F of Emptiness by Dom Lupo Bonne Terre, MO I recently came to an awareness in my meditating that surprised me. As I sat there trying to find emptiness, it occurred to me that I had made emptiness an object. The emptiness I sought would never really be empty, because I had given it form. I started to think about what emptiness is, what form is, which led me to what I am. In my meditation I observed being empty, which meant that I couldn t be empty because there was something there to observe. I observe or witness things inside and outside of who I think I am. But if I can witness or observe something, then it is not a part of who I am. So, now when I meditate, I meditate on what I am not, peeling away the observable, exposing my true nature. Someday, hopefully, I will fully realize what I already am by nature, the divine clarity of emptiness. Who Are You? by JR Bloom Cameron, MO Recently, the Who performed during the Super Bowl halftime show. One of their songs, Who are You, got me thinking. You ve probably heard this song as the theme to the television show CSI. I went through everything I could observe in side and outside of myself, but none seemed to be a part of who I am. I was left with the observer, the witness. But I can witness the witness, so I can t be the witness. What s left? Emptiness. This emptiness is not a place, a destination or an object to get to or to become. This emptiness doesn t exist in time or space, yet it exists in all time and space, in everything that was, is and will be. This emptiness doesn t mean blank or void. Its meaning is more akin to unobstructed, or unimpeded. To be a part of this emptiness is to be a part of a vast ocean of potentiality, the possibility of form, but not form. The sutras say all is empty by nature. From this emptiness we construct the world around us using the five aggregates. We take emptiness and label it a house, a person, ourselves. We take emptiness and label it pain, suffering, joy, happiness. In doing so, we miss out on being a resident of infinity. But if we can let go of the labels, let go of the observer, we can just be the uninterrupted bliss of emptiness. We take emptiness and label it a house, a person, ourselves. We take emptiness and label it pain, suffering, joy, happiness. In doing so, we miss out on being a resident of infinity. Who am I? When I tried to answer that question, I had several easy, quick responses, but when I thought about them, I realized that they were not answers to the question. Some of my responses were I m a son, a prisoner, a tutor and on and on. But none of these things are who I am, yet they are all who I am. How can this be? The Buddha taught about no-self and dependent origination esoteric terms but he simply meant that anything you see or hear or touch or taste or smell or imagine is just a collection of many different things that your mind labels as whatever it perceives in that moment. This is the basis for the Buddhist teachings on impermanence and the nature of reality, both apparent and ultimate. So after thinking about that for awhile, I thought If I wasn t a prisoner, would I still be me? The immediate answer was Yes, I was me before I came to prison, and I will still be me after I am released. 2
I found that I could answer yes to that question for each of the things I responded as being me. All of those things merely describe me and help to label some aspect of my behavior, abilities, interests, and appearance rather than identify who I am. Too often we describe ourselves and identify others through those labels and become caught up in what they mean to us and how we feel about them. Certain labels make us feel good, some we don t like, and some arouse nothing in us at all. So, just like everything else in our lives, we find ourselves trying to get or be around more of the good and less of the bad. Buddhist teachings call this attachment and aversion, a never ending battle that, unless stopped, causes more and more suffering. Our habit is to perceive, then label, then react instead of looking beyond the surface, beyond what we ve been trained to think at first impression and upon initial impressions. Instead of identifying with our common humanity, we focus on our differences in age, weight, color, social status, employment, bank account balance, sexual preference, and so on. How much suffering could have been avoided if we had only seen the other person as someone just like us, that she suffers like I do and that what I say and think and do affects her too? This is where our practice comes in. Is it enabling and training us to look past the label and see the commonality, the humanity and reflection of you in him? Have we become mindful of our unconscious habits and tendencies? Are we taking our moments on the cushion into the real world? Take a few minutes and ask yourself, Who am I? Write down everything that comes to mind. Next, ask yourself whether those things are just labels, just relative. Practice looking beyond the things you usually think about yourself and about others. Try to answer the koan: Who were you before your parents were born? I think we all will be surprised at what we discover in ourselves and in the world around us. the fire goes out the flame of once was ceases to be did she die or is she merely at rest unbound from the need to consume no longer fettered diffused throughout the cosmos that which once seemed to be never truly was what had once possibly been the alpha has become transformed, convoluted doubled over unto itself the nexus reached and passed consensual reality narrowed down the fulcrum reaching a possible omega state revealing that all, to the wise noumenon and phenomenon lose contrived substance the two, where it may matter, become interchangeable unified in separation made glorious for achieving the state of nothingness embers of the mind, neither burning nor sleeping a creation unto itself self-fulfilling prophecy which brings nor takes joy nor misery. David Snyder Hondo, TX 3
Segregation,, Thoughts, Lost in Time by James Munson, Menard, IL The yelling of chess pieces being called out. The talking over one another which in turn turns to yelling over one another. Feeling the cool breeze as it blows between your toes and then eases upward as you feel the breeze upon your face, as the sun reflects, flickering and dancing off the water of the great Mississippi. Watching the trees grow from bare nothing to bloom with leaves, watching the people go to and fro, coming with glee and smiles, parting in tears and head in bow. Not only do I feel pain and sorry for the ones that are with me but more so for the mothers who say Where did I go wrong? I want my baby home. The wives and girlfriends who say, I ll be here for you and do all I can for you. The children who say Daddy, when are you coming home? Those words clinch your hear and stop it at a beat. To ask the guy in the next bed and cell, How was it up top (visiting room)? It was beautiful man. I saw my mom, my shorty and my lady. I hear the moment of peace and joy in his tone. That still lets me know there is love and compassion even here. I ll do all I can to keep the peace and joy, for that moment of peace is something we all search for. I find myself forgetting about the moment of peace I found feeling the cool breeze on my face, the sun reflecting off the Mississippi, watching the people go to and fro with glee, smiles and finding happiness in someone else joy of seeing their loved ones. Suddenly I hear the words, God damn it, IS THIS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE? The words resonate in my ears. I open my eyes. I found my hands clinching the bars so tightly my hands hurt. I realize those words came from me. I slowly fall to the floor and cross my legs relaxing my eyes. Deep inhale, slow exhale, deep inhale, slow exhale, deep inhale, slow exhale. I find my niche in breathing. The yelling, threats, profanities have all subsided. I feel myself in a place of no time, yet massive space of nothingness, gliding, floating across, searching in the darkness. I see a flicker of flame, light. I m drawn to it like a moth to a flame. As I come closer, I see a silhouette. As he continues to tell me of his moments of peace and joy the ruckus gets more unbearable to hear, so I close my eyes to focus on his voice, yet still the rhetoric and profanities are thrown Mother F**ker! You don t know me! Bitch! I ll kill you I ll see you on the yard, punk. The hurtful things you hear cut at your soul, the fiber of your being. They may not be towards me yet words leave a deep wound. As I search in the confines of my mind I ponder who or what this silhouette will be. The man of peace, Martin Luther King, or will it be the nonviolent man, Mahatma Gandhi, or will it be Mother Teresa, or will he be the prince of peace, Jesus, or will it be Lord Buddha. Maybe it will be the Face of God himself or maybe the new hope of our young people, Barack Obama? It becomes closer and closer. The enigma of the silhouette starts to fade. I glide around to face the silhouette. The flame is dancing in the nothingness. The flame is lowered from the face and it is I (me) that sits there. 4
I m lost for words. Speech will not come. I m amazed though. I expected to see someone of greatness, the epitome of importance, quality and substance, someone who imbues compassion. Yet I see me, no one yet someone searching for that rest, joy or peace. He is me, radiant, vibrant, full of life, sparked with a glow and a welcoming smile. He (me) says There is no need to speak, yet you have many questions but I have no answers, however the advice I give you is this: When your mind is calm there is a stillness, the deep breath before the long plunge. You ll find that solace then you ll see all that is not clear become pristine, as looking through a pane of glass. The answers to all your problems, burdens and woes lay within you. You just need to see and feel the stillness before it becomes clear to you. For as the Bookey (my nick name) Buddha nature said, When your mind is calm there is a stillness, the deep breath before the long plunge, you ll find that solace then you ll see all that is not clear becomes pristine, as looking through a pane of glass. The answers to all your problems, burdens and woes lay within you. You just need to see and feel the stillness before it becomes clear to you. My peace has not been fully found, my stillness has not be sound for I still search to hear the resonant sound of these are no longer your confine grounds. The clang of the bars will sound open and the dropping of the bound chains will fall, for these are no longer your confine grounds. Segregation, thoughts, moments of time, lost in time doing time. He (me) places both his hands upon my head, kissed and blew a mantra on my forehead and glided backwards in the emptiness of space, as going back to the deep confines of my mind. As I come back to body and form, the yelling and obscenities had turned to laughter and joy. I hear the younger ones makes jokes as kids, children so often do. That let me know they are still immature, filled with life, love and compassion marked with an innocence, yet they only need guidance. A moment of peace, joy, anger, frustration came and went yet it came back full circle. I ll do all I can to keep the peace and joy, for that moment of peace is something we all search for. It further informed me that we are an emotional species searching for that moment of peace and we find it in the most peculiar places and ways. This cell bed and tomb I call it, is no more bigger than maybe your linen closet. I can t accept it as being my bed and tomb anymore. I can t accept this as being the rest of my life. It is now my war room, which in turn is filled with thoughts and strategies to procure my freedom, yet I still like the ring of my bed and tomb, for I will try to obtain that freedom. Dear Dharma Friends: Below is a copy of my monthly Buddhist column. This column will appear in the Kansas City Star newspaper on Saturday, March 27th in the Faith Section. As always comments are welcomed. Your Friend In The Dharma, Lama Chuck Stanford (Lama Changchup Konchok Dorje) Rime Buddhist Center Question: "Is it possible to live a good life without involvement in any religion?" Answer: We all know "good" people who are not religious. So, it is obvious that involvement in religion is not the only prerequisite for being a good person. H.H. Dalai Lama said, "There is...no reason why the individual should not 5
develop love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness... even to a high degree, without recourse to any religious or metaphysical belief system. This is why I sometimes say religion is something we can perhaps do without. What we cannot do without are these basic spiritual qualities." But where do these spiritual qualities come from - if not from religion? From the Buddhist perspective we are all born with basic goodness. In fact our fundamental nature is already enlightened just waiting to be uncovered. This potential for enlightenment is called "Buddha-nature" and it is something all of us possess equally. So, why do some people cause so much suffering to themselves or others if they possess this basic goodness? We act in less than enlightened ways out of ignorance. Because we are not able to see the nature of reality as it really is, we fail to see that we are all part of one vast web of interconnectedness. However, we are not able to see this due to the obscurations of our mind. Our minds are infinitely malleable and change is al-ways possible. By meditating we can begin to gain some insight into why we keep making the same mistakes and through this insight we are able to change. ----------------------------- Dear Inside Dharma, This is a letter to thank you for the many copies of your bi-monthly Buddhist newsletter received since being incarcerated here at the Southeast Correctional Center. Each of them has been a great blessing. It is a very valuable resource at helping me stay focused on what is real as distinct from illusion. As we know, we prisoners (or many of us) have ongoing strong desires for regaining our physical freedom to indulge in hedonistic pleasures, pleasures such as: creature comforts, financial prosperity, choices for various foods we ve craved, and of course sexual intimacy. We generally interpret sensory pleasures as being the truly good life and ultimate happiness. I assume we all want ultimate happiness for ourselves, but many do not know what true happiness is. Within your newsletter dated May-June, 2009, Lama Chuck Stanford addressed the question, Should there be more than living a good life and helping others? He indicated that a truly good life is all about being of benefit to others. He went on to give a quote from the 11 th century Buddhist saint Shantideva, who said, All those who suffer in the world do so because of a desire for their own happiness. All those happy in the world are so because of their desire for the happiness of others. I wholeheartedly agree with the message you asserted from Lama Chuck and the quote of the saint Shantideva. It is a spiritual truth that helping others is the good life. Such truth is a spiritual sermon in and of itself, and should be preached universally for all to hear and hopefully apply for obtaining true happiness. May the repetition of this message be enlightenment and blessing to someone reading this newsletter. Best wishes, Willie Blackmon Charleston, MO SEND your letters to: Letters to the Editor Inside Dharma PO Box 220721 Kirkwood, MO 63122 6
His Holiness the Dalai Lama, on Emptiness: "One of the most important philosophical insights in Buddhism comes from what is known as the theory of emptiness. At its heart is the deep recognition that there is a fundamental disparity between the way we perceive the world, including our own experience in it, and the way things actually are. In our day-to-day experience, we tend to relate to the world and to ourselves as if these entities possessed self-enclosed, definable, discrete and enduring reality. For instance, if we examine our own conception of selfhood, we will find that we tend to believe in the presence of an essential core to our being, which characterises our individuality and identity as a discrete ego, independent of the physical and mental elements that constitute our existence. The philosophy of emptiness reveals that this is not only a fundamental error but also the basis for attachment, clinging and the development of our numerous prejudices. According to the theory of emptiness, any belief in an objective reality grounded in the assumption of intrinsic, independent existence is simply untenable. All things and events, whether material, mental or even abstract concepts like time, are devoid of objective, independent existence. To intrinsically possess such independent existence would imply that all things and events are somehow complete unto themselves and are therefore entirely self-contained. This would mean that nothing has the capacity to interact with or exert influence on any other phenomena. But we know that there is cause and effect turn a key in a car, the starter motor turns the engine over, spark plugs ignite and fuel begins to burn Yet in a universe of self-contained, inherently existing things, these events could never occur! So effectively, the notion of intrinsic existence is incompatible with causation; this is because causation implies contingency and dependence, while anything that inherently existed would be immutable and self-enclosed. In the theory of emptiness, everything is argued as merely being composed of dependently related events; of continuously interacting phenomena with no fixed, immutable essence, which are themselves in dynamic and constantly changing relations. Thus, things and events are 'empty' in that they can never possess any immutable essence, intrinsic reality or absolute being that affords independence." Announcing the Inside Dharma Haiku Contest! ---------- Submit up to five haikus to: Inside Dharma P.O. Box 220721 Kirkwood, MO 63122 A haiku is a traditional Japanese threeline poem that does not rhyme. The first line has five syllables (beats), the second line has seven syllables, and the third line has five syllables. Here s an example, one of our winners from 2004 by Bryan Taylor, Sr., of Gatesville, TX: Recite the mantras (5) Back and forth on the rec yard (7) Don t step on the ants (5) Traditionally, a haiku hints at a particular time of year In this one, the ants make us think of summer. A haiku also tries to capture a moment, a feeling, a thought or a realization. Give it your best shot. The top six haikus, as judged by a panel of haiku fanatics, will appear on the front page of the May- June issue of Inside Dharma. Deadline: March 31, 2010 7
Inside Dharma P.O. Box 220721 Kirkwood, Missouri 63122 NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ST. LOUIS MO PERMIT NO. 1129 Return Service Requested This issue is dedicated to All of the great friends and supporters of Inside Dharma who continue to donate their art and writing. 8