The Limitless Sky of Pure Being.

This journey that we find ourselves upon is like floating through the limitless sky. Sometimes it is blue as the bluest eyes as far as one can see and other times there are amazing sights to see such as rainbows but the sky behind them remains the same. other times it is cloudy blocking out the sun but the sun is always there, just above the clouds.

Sometimes it is black with little twinkling stars that shine at us as if especially for us but they do not belong to anyone or anything, they just are. Nor do they remain motionless although it may seem to our limited mind to be thus, they are in motion perhaps subtle motion in orbits but constantly changing position just as all things change. Our own planet twirls around in constant patterns much like ones mind follows habitual patterns. Even our giant galaxy is in flux.

Despite all this knowledge learned through science it is all empty of any inherent form or definition. In the final analysis, we really know only a tiny dust particle resting upon a pin head worth of information about the mysterious Universe. This information is nothing more than symbols that our limited minds use to try and explain our place in the Universe.

Yet try as hard as we might our place is forever in motion rotating other planets and galaxies that in turn rotate around us. We are constantly chasing the mysteries of the Universe that will always be a step ahead of our minds because mind can not perceive the totality of the vastness of Pure Being. It is like what the Native Americans say is, "Chasing the wind." It is nice to understand some of the physics of our Universe and I am indeed partly a man of science and appreciate Buddhisms embrace of science. However, sometimes science can become an obsession and an attachment to the ego that forever chases which often ends up frustrating us and creating despair and feelings of isolation.

Each moment we breath we are constantly arriving at a new present moment in this limitless sky of emptiness pregnant with beauty and joy. Sometimes we only see the dark clouds and turn around thinking that we can never make it through them. We perceive them as impenetrable obstacles that will surely crush us into a million pieces. However once we let go of our perceptions and begin to move toward them we realize that even the largest, darkest cloud (painful emotions, stress, etc.) can be penetrated and we emerge out the other side to continue on our journey. Yes passing through these clouds can be bumpy and scary at times but with a mind concentrated upon the true nature of that cloud we can realize right understanding. We can see that these clouds/obstacles are mostly made of nothing and can fade away into the limitless sky as quickly as they formed.

Perhaps some of these clouds knock us around enough that our bodies do break apart (cancer, heart attacks, etc.) and die but that is merely the end of the body, not the end of the Universe which our energy will always be apart of. We came from star dust and will return to star dust. Just like planets are born and die only to be reborn again somewhere else within the limitless Universe, so too then there is a good chance that we too will be reborn in one form or another.

Perhaps that will take the form of a gas that creates a new planet to sustain sentient beings or perhaps we will take the form of a rock, a mineral to benefits other sentient beings. Still too we could be reborn again as a sentient being living in some form not recognizable by humans off on a distant planet from Earth. The possibilities that exist within this great project of the Universe and beyond into the indescribable parinirvania are limitless.

Nothing to be or not be, this is the Self.

PHOTO CREDIT: "Light of the Dharma" by Anya Langmead. Her other works are brilliant and just as beautiful. I hope to buy a print one day. Check out the rest of her stunning work here.

~Peace to all beings~

"God for Harry...

... England, and St. George!" Shakespeare's blood-summoning rallying-cry from his famous depiction of the start of the Battle of Agincourt comes to mind as we hear about our present-day Harry warrioring over there in Afghanistan. To judge from television interviews, he seems like a very decent young man in search of not only of adventure, but also some measure of independence, some sense of himself independent of the heritage of his birth. It must be a weight to have to carry around, along with all the exposure to the public that goes along with it.

I have not explored the political blogs, but I imagine there must be considerable backlash against The Drudge Report for outing Harry. It seems like an ungallant thing to have done, when the young man himself was exhibiting a gallantry of his own. Clearly, the revelation has put both him and his comrades at risk, setting him up as a juicy target for the Taliban, and this morning I hear that he will likely be withdrawn from the fighting lines at the front. More's the pity, if only in the sense that his presence there put the families of our American rich and powerful to shame. There are many things that I have admired about John McCain, and one of them is that he stands apart from virtually every other member of Congress in this respect, allowing his own family to stand in harm's way, as he himself did in his younger years.

(That said, let me quickly add that I oppose everything McCain proposes in the way of policies for the future; and that I note, sadly, that he has turned away from his purported principles on many important issues--even torture.)

Back to Harry and Afghanistan. Obama's right. It's here that the "war on terrorism" should have been pursued from its earliest days. The reported resurgence of the Taliban and its Al Qaeda allies is a frightening reminder that we are very far from winning what, as it's currently conceived, is an unwinnable war. I heard on at least one report that they have regained a full one-tenth of the territory which they once ruled--thanks to our intervention in their struggle with the Soviet Union--with ruthless barbarity and medieval religious fervor.

And once again, I find myself in a distressing moral landscape. I despise war and violence, I despise the imposition of one person's will upon another, one country's will upon another; and yet when I see oppression of the kind once exercised by the Taliban against their own people, when I see the threat of ethnic cleansing and genocide, I find myself unable to embrace the full meaning of pacifism. I have to concede in such cases that armed intervention can become the desirable option.

As a recovering Brit, I take note of some silly remnant of national pride in that our prince Hal is fighting the right war. Even though I can't believe that "God" is for anyone, even Harry, England, and St. George, something in me admires the warrior in him. I could wish his warriorship might be manifest in actions other than the old-world, violent kind; but along with many others, I suspect, I am frankly pissed at Drudge for interposing what I judge to be his own self-importance into matters more weighty than his trivial report.

Slightly confused Metta to all this Friday! May we all find true happiness and peace in our lives.

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/29/2008

My message is the practice of compassion, love and kindness. Compassion can be put into practice if one recognizes the fact that every human being is a member of humanity and the human family regardless of differences in religion, culture, color and creed. Deep down there is no difference.

~Tenzin Gyatso

Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Compassion

Love, Love, Love: In Homage to The Beatles

We finally got around to watching "Across the Universe" last night--the Julie Taymor movie based on songs by The Beatles. Since we don't go "out" to the movies very much, we tend to rely on their availability on Netflix, which naturally involves some delay. This, particularly, is not one that's best seen on a television screen--though ours is of adequate, if not excessive size. The play of image, color and movement cries out for the big screen but, well, we made do with what we have...

... and loved it. I generally get nervous when artists in one medium start messing around with art that's generated in another, and part of the reason for the delay mentioned above was frankly my own hesitation about what I feared might be the Hollywoodification of a phenomenon that meant much to me in the Sixties. As I'm sure for many others, The Beatles were in good part responsible for the change in my life from shrink-wrapped British public schoolboy and somewhat snobby intellectual into, well, I suppose kind of a hippie. Or as close as a shrink-wrapped British public schoolboy could get. I flirted with marijuana and LSD. I expanded my mind. So to speak.

It was fun. (It was also quite painful, as I recall!) From my first encounter with The Beatles as a grammar school teacher, shocked by the rebellious length of their hair and the freedom of their ways, to the time of their last concert on that rooftop on Abbey Road, I was a fan--and their progress reflected in many strange ways the course of my personal life.

So I brought a big stake to this movie, and was pleasantly surprised to find myself, after the first few minutes of suspicious reserve, thoroughly engaged. I loved the way the story kept shifting around, refusing conventional linear narrative and yet returning often enough to its theme to be emotionally coherent. I loved the easy movement from real time to dream time, from real life to dance, from speech to song. I loved the bold use of image, color and rhythm which made of the screen a painting in action--as, in one scene, the splash and fury of action painting itself. Even the psychedelic scenes--hard to accomplish without degenerating into cliche--worked well for me.

What also worked well was the casual play with the history of the sixties--from race riots to Vietnam protests, from pop art to the music scene. The movie felt free to evoke characters in new, an-historical contexts--Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix--and mingle them in emotionally and aesthetically satisfying ways. It recaptured the spirit of the times, the joyful excesses along with the real agonies, the two sides of that always elusive coin of the "love" that John Lennon preached.

Clearly based on the Liverpuddlian Lennon himself, the main character manages to be charming and, at times, indignantly childish and provocative. The support characters engage us with their struggle for freedom, their spirit of fun, their sheer energy and verve. The love story blends fantasy with reality in finely-tuned balance, and its outcome satisfies the soul and brings a tear to the eye. Love, appropriately, triumphs over discord and strife. And all in all, the movie provides a delightful and thoroughly entertaining experience.

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/28/2008

I pray for a more friendly, more caring, and more understanding human family on this planet. To all who dislike suffering, who cherish lasting happiness, this is my heartfelt appeal.

~Tenzin Gyatso

Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Compassion

The Tibetan Book of the Dead

The Tibetan Book of the Dead
Narrated by acclaimed Canadian artist Leonard Cohen, this two-part series explores ancient teachings on death and dying and boldly visualizes the afterlife according to Tibetan philosophy. Program 1, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Way of Life documents the history of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, tracing the book's acceptance and use in Europe and North America. Included is remarkable footage of the rites and liturgies surrounding and following the death of a Ladakhi elder as well as the views of the Dalai Lama on life and death (45 min. 35 sec.). Program 2, The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation observes an old Buddhist lama and a 13-year-old novice monk as they guide a deceased person into the afterlife. The passage of the soul is visualized with animation blended into actual location shooting.

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4058034/The_Tibetan_Book_of_the_Dead__narrated_by_Leonard_Cohen.4058034.TPB.torrent

Healing Our Environment and Ourselves.

In one sitting meditation, when I focused my attention on my heart--breathing in, I am aware of my heart, breathing out, I smile to my heart--suddenly I realized that this is not the only heart that I have. I have many other hearts. Suppose that I look at the sun in the sky. I know that it is also another heart of mine. If this heart failed I would die right away. But if the other heart, the sun, explodes or stops functioning as the sun, I would also die right away.

~Thich Nhat Hanh, The Mindfulness Bell, winter/spring issue 47, 2008.

James: Another heart is our planet Earth, it is literally alive and very much like our own bodies. For example, most of our planet consists of water just like the human body. Deep inside the Earth a constant movement of hot liquid rich in iron keeps the planet alive much like our blood (also rich in iron) keeps us in health. If this plasma like layer where to cool and harden then life would eventually cease, not unlike too much blood loss causes the heart to stop.

The Earth's ozone and magnetic field act as shields that protect life here from harmful radiation emitted from the sun. Radiation is important and helpful in some respects but in small doses just like some bacteria is helpful in our bodies but again in small doses. If too much bacteria grows within our body then our white blood cells are stimulated to neutralize the dangerous levels of bacteria to return our body back to a stable, balanced environment. In that regard the Earth's atmosphere acts as those white blood cells to maintain the right balance to enable life to flourish on this planet.

So when seen through mindful openness an intricate interconnection unfolds within this Universe from the tiniest molecules to the largest stars until it can no longer be described and becomes parinirvana which is beyond our limiting labels, concepts and knowledge.

But let's return back to the present moment as I look out the window and gaze upon the gentle breeze dancing through the branches of the mock pear tree out front. That tree is apart of me as it relies upon the same sun to grow as I do, therefore if I do not care for that tree and millions like it then I will in turn die off. Trees thrive off of the carbon dioxide that we emit from breathing oxygen which is in turn partially created by those very trees and other plants. This leads to recycling.

We humans have not existed in harmony with the other organisms that share this planet with us, we have not been good neighbors over time. We have become in many ways a parasite or a cancer on the Earth because we have taken so much and given so little back to the circle of life that is our environment. Yet all is not lost, we can heal the scars that we have inflicted and return our lovely celestial body back to a more balanced state of being by recycling and using renewable energy sources.

In our city we have a recycling program that we participate in. We save our plastic bottles and recyclable metal and plastic containers in one bin and all our newspapers and paperboard waste such as old pasta boxes go in another bin. Then once a week a truck comes along and picks it all up to be sorted through at the recycling factory who then sell the metals and paper back to companies to make more metal and plastic containers and paper products and the cycle continues. Every time I put those bins on the curb I smile in peace knowing that I am giving back to my fellow organisms that share this planet with me.

The same goes with renewable energy, we harness the abundant clean energy available to us in using solar power, wind power, water, geothermal and others to meet our needs without harming the very body (Earth) that we are apart of. Through these measures we begin to cease being the separate, destructive cancer and return to being just another variation of being on a vast and beautiful heavenly body.

It is true that we can not prevent the eventually destruction of Earth but we do not want to have the karma of speeding up that process by our less than skillful actions. Life ebbs and flows of it's own accord and it is not our right to take life away from any living being and that includes our living Earth.

The Deer Park Monastery in the Zen tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh threw the switch that makes their property environmentally friendly. They are now completely off the grid, what a great example for the rest of us!!

~Peace to all beings~

Clinton vs. Obama: the Fighter

There can't be too many voters left--Democratic voters in particular--who still need convincing that Senator Hillary Clinton is one tough woman. A fighter, as she said repeatedly last night. Knock her off her feet, she'll be right back up, fighting still. With any and all weapons at her disposal.

Okay, I believe her. It's the pugilism itself that does not sit well with me. We have barely survived seven years--and nearly one to go!--of a pugilist president, a guy who evidently prides himself on being the scrappy in-fighter, the aggressive responder to everything perceived as a threat. And we know where his "leadership" took us.

I'm thinking the time for the kind of fighting we humans have been practicing for centuries is past. Time and again, it has provided us with pyrrhic--or at best temporary--victories. It could be argued, I suppose, that it still worked when it was a purely territorial affair, nation against nation. But it's not that any more. The weaponry and the communications of the twenty-first century world have irrevocably outmoded that kind of fighting. Today, the effects of armed conflict are immediately global. It's not just the field of battle that's at stake, it's the whole planet.

I'm not naive. Well, not entirely. I'm not even a pacifist, in it's purest sense. After last night's debate, I watched a powerful Frontline report on the resurgence of the Taliban in Pakistan. These are people who still adhere to that old notion of the fight, and they must be answered, at least in part, in kind. There are times when power-hungry, evil people run amok, leaving others to be defended. A leader, to deal with them, does need to be tough.

What I see in Obama is a more Eastern, martial arts kind of fighter, one who uses force as the very last resort and, when he does, is skilled in turning his opponent's attack against him. He follows the way of the peaceful warrior, walking softly, always prepared, but never aggressive or provocative. As Obama did last night, he deals with attacks calmly, responding with thoughtfully proportionate effort, and seeking common ground rather than opposition.

I believe that this is the kind of fighter that we need, not the scrappy one, pre-emptively aggressive, fearful of losing or of seeming weak. There are those who mistake Obama's calm exterior for passivity or timidity. I think they're wrong. I think the man carries his strength with quiet self-assurance and modesty. I don't see fear. I see an understanding of what, in these new tumultuous times, might work a whole lot better than the disastrously unsuccessful tactics of the past.

I do believe we have to leave the old world behind, if we are to survive these present crises, and that the change that's required is not to hone the old skills and strategies, but to develop new ones, appropriate to a radically changed world. Here's our chance. Better seize it, or it could prove our last.

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/27/2008

I truly believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world.

~Tenzin Gyatso

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Yungchen Lhamo- Coming Home & Tibet Tibet

Yungchen Lhamo's second album for RealWorld is an intriguing and sometimes difficult work. Boldly moving away from the solo voice that dominated her first CD, she and producer Hector Zazou have constructed a complex set of songs that range from ritual to pop, utilizing semiclassical strings along with electric and acoustic guitar, with a very light touch of electronic ambiance. Zazou has an incredible ability to create dense layers of sound that never interfere with the central character of a piece--in this case the wide-ranging vocals of Tibetan singer Lhamo. The sounds gently usurp other cultures, with many musical references to India and China at the forefront, but jazz and European folk enter into the scheme, too. Perhaps one of the key pieces is "Heart," with an almost surreal Finnish kantele (zither) linked to the sky by some indefinable drones and terse violin lines. There are some clichéd jazz guitar lines here and there, and the occasional drift into New Age "mood" music, but these elements survive because we are presented with a voice of such distinct character and grace. Lhamo is a singer of beauty and control, and Zazou has found a setting for Lhamo's voice that surpasses expectation.

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3556481/Yungchen_Lhamo.3556481.TPB.torrent

Doing Time, Doing Vipassana

This is the story of an ancient meditation technique named Vipassana, which shows people how to take control of their lives and channel them toward their own good.It is the story of a strong woman named Kiran Bedi, the former Inspector General of Prisons in New Delhi, who strove to transform the notorious Tihar Prison and turn it into an oasis of peace. But most of all it is the story of prison inmates who underwent profound change, and who realized that incarceration is not the end but possibly a fresh start toward an improved and more positive life. These people have shown that reform can work if it is self-reform. Their success has been so dramatic that recently the Indian Government decided to apply Vipassana in all the country's prisons. Other countries are becoming interested as well. The filmmakers spent about two weeks inside Tihar Central Prison in New Delhi and Baroda Jail in the Indian state of Gujarat. They interviewed inmates and jail officials, and filmed in places rarely accessible to film crews, whether Indian or foreign.

Mononova

Youtube

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/26/2008

If the love within your mind is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue.

~Tenzin Gyatso

Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Compassion

Kundun

Kundun
The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation of Tibet. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

In 1937, in a remote area of Tibet close to the Chinese border, a two year old child is identified as the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, the compassionate Buddha. Two years later, the child is brought to Lhasa where he is schooled as a monk and as head of state amidst the color and pageantry of Tibetan culture. The film follows him into adulthood: when he is 14, the Chinese invade Tibet and he is forced into a shaky coalition government; he travels to China to meet with a cynical Mao; and, finally, in 1959, ill and under siege, he flees to India. Throughout, he has visions of his people's slaughter under Chinese rule.

There's a few different formats for DL on this one.

http://torrentportal.com/details/999906/Kundun%20%281997%29.avi.torrent

Peacefulness.

Peaceful be heaven, peaceful the earth, peaceful the broad space between. Peaceful for us be the running waters, peaceful the plants and herbs! Peaceful to us be the signs of the future, peaceful what is done and undone, peaceful to us be what is and what will be. May all to us be gracious!

-Atharva Veda 19.9

PHOTO: My wife took this picture in 2003. This lake is up in the tall mountains north of us here in Colorado where we backpack into. It's deep into the forests and high into the mountains. You usually don't see another human being for days up there but you see plenty of animals: Moose, deer, elk, coyote, birds/hawks/eagles/owls, fish, and some bears I've heard but I've never seen one. I have a special spot up there where I sit between dense pine trees and meditate listening to the wind flow through them creating a sound that is like hearing the trees whisper all together in unison. It's pure peace to be up there.

I haven't been up there in a few years because I have gained some weight from the medicine I take and because of those drugs I have a hard time keeping my weight down even when I exercise. This is because the pills act like a fat pill but they are necessary to keep me alive. It takes a lot of work getting up there as you have to carry 40 pound packs on your back with everything you would need to survive for a week. I do hope to return again someday soon.

I guess I say all of this to bring up the point that we can be anywhere we feel like being through meditation and mindfulness on pictures, memories and writings describing the atmosphere and energy of a place. As we know we are interconnected with all places so that like Thich Nhat Hanh says, wherever we are--that is home.

There is something else that I'd like to mention on this topic and that is feeling happy with where we currently find our bodies living. I tend to daydream about traveling to new and exotic places often and forget to see the wonder where I live currently. It is important for me to rediscover the great aspects of where I live. I have a home, live in a realitively stable country, live in a safe place in regards to crime and environmental disasters and get to enjoy slices of nature even in my urban location. There is a delightful, noble pine tree across the street that I can see out my front window as I'm typing. So whenever I gaze upon it mindfully I can easily see myself up at that special place in the mountains and the peace of that pristine land washes over me as if i was literally there at this moment.

I also have animal life right here out my window that I am honored to experience. Yes I don't get to see live moose walking around but I have a wonderful opportunity to watch the little birds eatting at our bird feeder, listen to their joyful songs and watch their adorable antics. I also get to watch the squirrel who comes daily to eat the peanut and hazelnuts that I leave out for him every morning. Squirrels are so cute, full of life and I love to watch how playful they are, watching them flick their bushy tails and jump from tree branch to tree branch. Yes I live in a great place. I do enjoy visiting new places and feeling the greatness of them but I truly am home where ever I find myself.

~Peace to all beings~

A Dream...

... from last night: I fly over to England to visit my parents (both now, in reality, long gone.) I take an old-fashioned steam engine train from London north toward Bedford--a slow train with frequent stops at unfamiliar stations--aware that I'll be arriving late in Bedford and that I'll need to get from there to Sharnbrook, the village where they live. My father, I know, is too old--or perhaps too ill--to ask him to pick me up, so this will be a problem. I get off the train early, thinking obscurely that it will be easier to get to Bedford this way, and notice long lines of people trying to get on board. I start to walk, wondering how I'll get a ride, asking at a major intersection which road leads north, to Bedford. Pointed in the right direction, I find myself riding a child's bike--all chrome with white and mauve trim--and leave it in an open lot where children are playing while I stop off at a wine shop to pick up something to bring home. I buy a very expensive bottle which turns out, after long delays, to be something called "Barbeque Bay Rum"--a small bottle of yellowish liquid that I would normally never buy, still less drink--and return to find the bike has been stolen by one of the children. I get it back, leave it again--and it's stolen again. By this time, I'm getting angry. I chase the children and catch a little girl with the bike. When I scold her, she tells me I'm drunk, and I'm glad to recall that the seal is still unbroken on the bottle of Barbeque Bay Rum that's in my pocket, as proof that she is wrong. Still, I'm thinking about how comforting it would be to take a little nip. Holding her up in the air by her two wrists--I realize I'm in danger of being physically abusive--I warn her not to do such a thing again and ask for her parents' telephone number so that I can let them know if she does. End of dream. Sorry, I can't remember any more. What does it all mean? Hmmm. Beats me.

A movie recommendation: " Les Choristes." Belgian. About a boys' reform school, straight out of Dickens, with a draconian headmaster. Salvation of a kind arrives in the form of a sweet new teacher and his love of music. Sounds weird. Try it. You'll love it, as we did.

In haste....

Ralph Nader: The Don Returns...

Quixote, that is.  I agree with virtually everything he says.  I agree that we need more radical change than that offered by either Clinton or Obama.  I agree with him about the health care system and its cost in human life.  I agree with him about trade agreements and the loss of jobs and the shoddy imports that, again, cost human lives.  I agree with him about the stranglehold of corporations and their lobbyists and the influence of power and money on American politics and policies...

And yet... right intentions and right speech, it seems, do not always go hand in hand with right action.  I disagree profoundly with Nader's declaration of another quixotic run for the presidency.  I am among those who (dis)credit him with Al Gore's loss to the current incumbent of the White House in the 2000 election.  I believe we have Ralph Nader to thank, in part, for seven years (so far!) of the worst administration in the history of America.  Siphoning off precious votes from a serious contender was, in my view, a frivolous and self-indulgent act, and one which produced disastrously different results from those he claimed to intend.

There is some small part of me that is still idealistic in the face of practical reality.  One member of our meditation group yesterday was quietly insistent in his support for Nader.  Realizing, of course, that this old crusader has not the remotest chance of being elected, this friend feels that the time for what he sees to be timid steps is past.  We have reached such a critical state in the world, he believes, that only the most radical change can save us from irreversible disaster, and only Ralph Nader and the Green Party envision such change.

He may be right.  I hope not, because America is very far, still, from embracing the need for such a change.  I take the practical view, that we must do everything we can to assure the success of the electable candidate, and that to support the unelectable is to court the very opposite of the kind of change on which we certainly agree.  I believe that Barack Obama embodies the greatest possibility for a radical change of course in America and the world, and that his emergence as a political leader is powerful testament to the growing awareness that we cannot persist in the old ways and expect, as a species, to survive our own voracious greed.  

I believe, too, that those people I know who voted for Nader in 2000 are confident enough in the candidacy of Obama not to vote for him again in November.   They came too soon to regret their vote, and have had ample time since then to observe its results.  There is, this time, an option to cast a vote without sacrificing one's ideals.  Ralph Nader, I predict, will attract even less support this time than last.   But we can still ill-afford to lose even a single vote to him in November, and I'm hoping he will stick around only for long enough to make his point before urging his supporters to cast a more practical vote. 

He did not, in any event, make a big splash in the news this morning.  Nothing on the front pages.  A column on page 15 of the New York Times and another on page 10 of the Los Angeles Times.  And not a word, that I've heard, on television news...

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/25/2008

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.

~Tenzin Gyatso

Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Compassion

Music for Zen Meditation - Tony Scott

A celebrated jazz clarinetist in the 1950s, Tony Scott started collaborating with Japanese artists on a trip he made to the country in 1959. He returned in 1964 to teach classes in American jazz and ended up collaborating with koto player Shinichi Yuize and shakuhachi flute player Hozan Yamamoto on a dozen improvised collaborations. Based on the Zen concept of beginner's mind, a state of openness that leads to exploration, the Scott-led pieces predate the more modern concept of "ambient" by a good couple of decades--but, as music descended from temples and designed to ease the mind to a state of higher consciousness, it follows many of the same directives. The gentle clarinet is complemented by the flute, with the koto--a 13-stringed zither--providing a comfortable contrast, though all three musicians appear on only a single track, the opening "Is Not All One?"

http://www.torrentreactor.net/view.php?id=274610

7 Hundred Years of Music in Tibet: Mantras & Chants of the Dalai Lama

7 Hundred Years of Music in Tibet: Mantras & Chants of the Dalai Lama
Sink into a trance to the hypnotic sounds of traditional Tibetan chants and mantras as interpreted by the Buddhist Monks of Maitri Vihar Monastery and the Singing Nuns At Chuchikjall.


http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3637018/Tibet_-_Mantras___Chants_Of_The_Dalai_Lama_and_the_Singing_Nuns.3637018.TPB.torrent

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/24/2008

True compassion is not just an emotional response but a firm commitment founded on reason.

~Tenzin Gyatso

Technorati Tags: Buddha Buddhist Buddhism Meditation Dharma Compassion

Dreaming Lhasa

Dreaming Lhasa
Karma, a young Tibetan woman from New York City comes to Dharamsala, the exile headquarters of the Dalai Lama in India, in search of her roots. She is making a documentary film about former political prisoners who have escaped Tibet. One of her interviewees is Dhondup, who has recently fled to India. He reveals to her that his dying mother had made him promise to deliver an old charm box to an exile Tibetan named Loga, and appeals to her for help in locating the man. Their enquiries reveal that Loga, a former CIA-trained resistance fighter, has been missing for the past fifteen years and is presumed to be dead. But is he really dead? As they set out to unravel the mysterious circumstances of his disappearance, Karma finds herself unwittingly attracted to Dhondup even as she is sucked into the vortex of his search, which takes them through the world of the exile Tibetan community in India and becomes a journey of self-discovery.

TPB

http://rapidshare.com/files/58388312/dlhasap.part1.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58385480/dlhasap.part2.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58384585/dlhasap.part3.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58385033/dlhasap.part4.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58383092/dlhasap.part5.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58383018/dlhasap.part6.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58381645/dlhasap.part7.rar
http://rapidshare.com/files/58379571/dlhasap.part8.rar

Tibet :Cry of the Snow Lion

Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion
Ten years in the making, this award-winning documentary was filmed during a remarkable nine journeys throughout Tibet, India and Nepal. CRY OF THE SNOW LION brings audiences to the long-forbidden "rooftop of the world" with an unprecedented richness of imagery… from rarely-seen rituals in remote monasteries, to horse races with Khamba warriors; from brothels and slums in the holy city of Lhasa, to the magnificent Himalayan peaks still traveled by nomadic yak caravans. The dark secrets of Tibet’s recent past are powerfully chronicled through riveting personal stories and interviews, and a collection of undercover and archival images never before assembled in one film. A definitive exploration of a legendary subject, TIBET: CRY OF THE SNOW LION is an epic story of courage and compassion.

BTJunkie

The Flowering of Human Consciousness DVD: Eckhart Tolle

I could fill a whole blog just with Eckhart Tolle torrents. With his latest thumbs up from Oprah hes only sure to get a bigger following.

The bestselling author of The Power of Now reveals specific, powerful insights on how to be present in this very moment. Tolle teaches easy techniques for self-observation, how to stop the endless stream of thoughts that interrupt, and methods for breaking out of object consciousness by tapping into an intelligence that is greater than the personal mind.

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3557677/Eckhart_Tolle_-_The_Flowering_of_Human_Consciousness_2CD_XVID_DV.3557677.TPB.torrent

The Creative Mind

I did not get around to making an entry yesterday. I was too busy getting ready for my next installment of "The Art of Outrage" for Artscene Visual Radio. I have had the opportunity to interview three noted artists in the past couple of days, and their voices will be heard on my podcast about the show in which they are included at the Orange County Museum of Art, "Disorderly Conduct: Recent Art in Tumultuous Times." It's always a pleasure to be in touch with creative minds, and the material I gathered will create, I know, an interesting montage.

Speaking, though, of the creative mind--and it does seem to have been on my own mind in the past couple of days (see Thursday's entry in The Buddha Diaries)--we spent the evening before renewing old friendships with an artist and a fellow writer who live in our immediate neighborhood but with whom, for all those ridiculous and inexcusable reasons, we had lost touch for a number of years. It was a particular pleasure to discover that we have been following, each in our own way, much the same kind of path in the intervening years. Our artist friend, like myself a man of respectable--but not yet venerable!--years, has been known chiefly for his works of public art, scattered in various locations throughout the country. Recently, though, he has chosen to withdraw from that arena into the intimacy of his studio, making works of much smaller scale in more malleable materials--a choice not unlike moving from the world of publishing into the blogosphere, where I have been able to do my writing without a moment's consideration for what might be expected of me, for reasons disconnected with the simple desire to engage in the art of writing.

My friend--I won't give his name, because I'm unsure whether he's ready to have his new work known through this particular medium--has been doodling, noodling with lengths of simple gray felt, working them into small, exquisitely-wrought spiral towers and quasi-figurative forms and, more recently, into larger, complex abstract compositions whose twists and folds engage the eye in smooth, flowing surfaces and shadows. Like all sensuous forms, they tempt the hand, too, begging for the caress and touch that a personal studio visit allows. I wish I had pictures to share of these delightful, modest objects that carry all the authority of a mature artist who's still willing to venture into the unknown. It's highly personal, hands-on work that emphasizes the process of its making and clearly evokes both the labor and the sheer joy that its making involves.

As much a pleasure as that studio visit was the opportunity to share with friends, at our dinnertime conversation, the sense that the advancing years bring not only the aches and pains, but a growing freedom from all those contingencies of the younger ones--the need to make a living, make a name, outpace the competition in one's field, and so on--and, with that freedom, a kind of wisdom and a growing understanding that what can be done without the material or critical reward is satisfaction in itself. One's needs and expectations diminish appropriately. In the terms of Buddhist teachings, it's action without attachment to the success or failure of the outcome, a permission to find joy where it can only be found--in each passing moment, in each small step along the way.

That, anyway, is what I brought away from our evening. We parted with good intentions to make it happen again before too much time slips past.

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/23/2008

Only the development of compassion and understanding for others can bring us the tranquillity and happiness we all seek.

~Tenzin Gyatso

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Don't Forget Burma. Plus, Announcing the "Free Burma" T-Shirt Recipient.

Perhaps the greatest chance for change in Burma lies with the very military that oppressed the non-violent protests of monks and civilians.

The probability of a Burmese soldier also being a Buddhist is great considering an over-whelming majority of Burmese citizens follow the religion. This means that probably most of these soldiers know that in their hearts that their violent actions not only create suffering amongst the people but within themselves as well and perhaps more importantly their family members. Surely many of these soldiers have family members who are devout Buddhists and maybe even have a family member who is a monk or nun. I think that these connections with their devoted Buddhist families will eventually wear down their loyalty to the government just like the soft strength of water erodes through the hardest rocks. It is true that Buddhism is very passive but it's strength lies within its devotion and unflinching love of everyone whether "enemy" or friend. It has been my experience that change for the better can only come when anger is matched with love and compassion.

It is only a matter of time before the average soldiers suffering becomes so great that they stage a massive desertion of the military and when that happens the violent government will collapse from it's own weight. This is because without their soldiers (who are increasingly conflicted) they are nothing. A major abandonment from the military is the best chance to end the suffering with the least amount of violence. If the majority of soldiers refuse orders to engage in hurting their friends and family as well as revered Buddhist monks and nuns then the Schwe inner circle has no one left to defend and fight for them. They would be over-whelmed by the masses that wouldn't be stopped by the soldiers which would quickly lead to throwing the sycophants into prison. Yes some people would surely die as the inner forces within the government would surely use violence to try and beat back the tide of change. However, if the majority of the military is with the people then that would be the best option in keeping deaths and injuries down to a minimum.

May peace come to the people of Burma sooner rather than later.

I just passed my 500th post here at The Buddhist Blog so I thought now would be a great opportunity to announce the recipient of the "Free Burma" t-shirt. And the name that I pulled out of the hat was Marie Roshi. Email me Marie (jaymur-at-gmail.com) with your address so that I can send it out to you. I hope that you wear it often and keep the Burmese cause alive.

~Peace to all beings~

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/22/2008

We must recognise that the suffering of one person or one nation is the suffering of humanity. That the happiness of one person or nation is the happiness of humanity.

~Tenzin Gyatso

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Happy Night in Canada

A nice little lecture in Vancouver during the Dalai Lamas 2006 Visit.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and leading Scientists search for happiness. What can Science and Spirituality reveal about happiness?
http://www.fulldls.com/torrent-movies-877610.html

PBS - Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason, Pema Chodron

PBS - Bill Moyers on Faith and Reason, Pema Chodron

Why does an ancient Eastern spiritual practice appeal to workaholic, frenetic, emailing, fast-talking, fast-typing, and overly stressed Americans? In Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason, Pema Chodron, whose teachings and writings on meditation have helped make Buddhism accessible to a broad Western audience, talks about how her own spiritual search led her to becoming a Buddhist nun.

FullDL

Youtube

"The Realm of Yearning..."

Last night at the meeting of one of the artists' support groups that my wife Ellie and I co-facilitate, we watched a DVD of the artist Elizabeth Murray talking about her work. It was a sad loss for the art world when this wonderful, innovative, always lively painter died last year of cancer at the too-young age of 66, but it was a pleasure for us to have this reminder of her contribution. When she spoke of "the realm of yearning that your art comes out of," the words struck a chord somewhere deep inside. It's a realm with which I felt an immediate and intense familiarity, and I woke this morning wondering what exactly I might find if I chose to explore it a little further. Here are some of the things I found, in no particular order, some of the things the writer in me yearns for:

--to be heard. As I suspect with many creative people, there's a part of me that wants to hide away, and another part that wants to speak out for fear of being nothing and nobody.

--to tell you who I am. I heard once from a wise woman of the Mexican Quichol Indian tribe that the first thing to be done when a new baby arrives in this world is not to give it a name of your own choosing, but instead to ask it: "Tell me who you are." This lovely idea has always stayed with me, as a guiding principle not only of my writing but of my relations with my fellow beings.

--in order to tell you, I must first find out. Another yearning. It's a never-ending process, to explore that inner part of me for which I have been able to find no fitter word than "soul."

--to affirm my presence in the world, fleeting though it be, and no matter that the world is in constant change; to fix each passing moment. I had a teacher once who believed that the origin of Western lyric poetry is to be found in the Greek "inscription" poems translated famously by Wordsworth and Coleridge in "The Greek Anthology"--poems written in praise of the "genius loci," the spirit of a particular place, and inscribed on a bench, a tree, a wall... In short, a kind of ancient tagging, an early version of "Kilroy was here," but more sophisticated, more beautiful.

--to affirm some purpose and meaning in my life. One of the great lines of poetry that have stayed with me for fifty years and more is one written in a prose poem by the 19th century French poet, Charles Baudelaire, from one of the darker moments of his often dark life: "Et vous, Seigneur mon Dieu..." he starts, and continues in my own inadequate translation, "And you, O Lord my God, grant me the grace to write a few fine lines, to prove to myself that I am not the last of men, that I am not inferior to those that I despise." (I have always been a bit uncomfortable with those last few words. I still am. But to my shame, I confess that I do know what he means.)

--not to have lived in vain, then; to be worthy.

--to be "in touch," to be one with others, to find that one-ness with all beings that gives context to each individual existence.

--to make a contribution, to be able to feel greater than my own small self, to leave this world in some way different, perhaps even a little better, than when I arrived.

These are some of those deep needs that I found in the recesses of my writer's mind. I'm sure there are others I have not yet discovered, milling around in the unconscious part of my "realm of yearning." Do they resonate for you, my fellow writers out there in the world? Or do you, as I suppose, have others, too?

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Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/21/2008

Under the bright sun, many of us are gathered together with different languages, different styles of dress, even different faiths. However, all of us are the same in being humans, and we all uniquely have the thought of I, and we´re all the same in wanting happiness and in wanting to avoid suffering.

~Tenzin Gyatso

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Spirit of Tibet: Journey to Enlightenment, The Life and World of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

Spirit of Tibet: Journey to Enlightenment, The Life and World of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche

The Spirit of Tibet is an intimate glimpse into the life and world of one of Tibet's most revered 20th-century teachers: Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (1910-1991). A writer, poet and meditation master, Khyentse Rinpoche was an inspiration to all who encountered him. His many students throughout the world included the Dalai Lama. This unique portrait tells Khyentse Rinpoche's story from birth to death... to rebirth--from his escape following China's invasion of Tibet to his determination to preserve and transmit Buddhist teachings far and wide. His life leads us on a journey revealing the wonders of Tibet's art, ritual, philosophy and sacred dance. Along with rarely photographed areas of Tibet, Bhutan and Nepal, this film features interviews with the Dalai Lama, who speaks candidly about his own spiritual life. Director Matthieu Ricard--noted French photographer, Buddhist monk and best-selling author--travelled with Khyentse Rinpoche for over 14 years.

1998, 46 min 05 s

http://thepiratebay.org/tor/3762498/Spirit_of_Tibet_-_The_Life_of_Dilgo_Khyentse_Rinpoche

FIDEL! Fidel...

Are you old enough--were you young enough--to have been thrilled by the fiery young Fidel and his spunky sidekick, Che,


and their revolution against the corrupt and oppressive Battista regime in Cuba? I am. I was. A dedicated young European socialist (small "s": remember, it had not yet been granted dirty-word status over there as it had here in America,) I saw in Fidel from that perspective a sign of hope for people across the ocean--the oppressed black people of America (this was the Fifties...) as well as the oppressed brown people to the south.

And then I watched in dismay as bully America--bear with me here, I am still in my early twenties, I am idealistic, I am socialist and European!--tightened its communist-fearing iron fist around the little island and drove Fidel unnecessarily into the welcoming arms of post-Stalinist Soviet communism.

I watched in dismay as the people's hero, the great liberator, turned into his own nemesis, the great dictator, the hectoring autocrat, dispatching those who dared to dissent from him to jail and continuing to cling blindly to his ideology and his power as the nation's economy crumbled about him.

I watched in dismay as the exiles from this Castro regime began to exercise an increasing and unhealthy influence in American politics, with their strident and overbearing demands on American leaders to support their anti-Castro agenda at the expense of American and hemispheric interests.

And I watched in dismay as the once jaunty hero showed up, at last, shriveled with age, a sick old man, gaunt, scraggly-bearded, hollow-cheeked and sallow, still clinging stubbornly to what was left of his power, a "shadow of his former self," the wreck of what had once been a powerful man.

The more I watch of the world and its affairs, the more I'm grateful to the wisdom of the Buddhist teachings. We all grow old and die. Political power is nothing but vanity. It is we ourselves who can be our own worst enemy. Attachment to outcomes brings nothing but further suffering, while equanimity and non--attachment lead to serenity of mind. And yet, and yet... I still continually find myself caught between the two!

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/20/2008

A truly compassionate attitude toward others does not change even if they behave negatively or hurt you.

~Tenzin Gyatso

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Animal Cruelty. Enough is Enough.

WARNING: If you are sensitive to any description of animal abuse then you might not want to read this post.

If you don't know by now, there has been a massive meat recall here in America because of treatment of sick and crippled cows. There was an undercover investigation at a slaughter house including hidden video which showed horrific and inexcusable treatment. I didn't want to post the video here on this blog but if you really want to see this disgusting video then click here. I warn you though that the images are very disturbing and shocking. Don't see watch this video if children are present and can see the screen. It is not fit for children's eyes. It's not even fit for the eyes of adults but those who are perhaps a bit out of touch as to what goes on in slaughterhouses--I suggest you watch it.

In one part a crippled co is picked up by a forklift and dumped later onto the ground from about 4 feet in the air. Other clips from the video show lame, undernourished cattle being poked and prodded with an electric pole. Still another shot shows a worker kicking a crippled cow in the head over and over. In addition it shows a cow lying on the ground being pulled across the ground by it's leg which has been tied to a chain in an awkward and clearly painful manner. Then there is footage of cows being blasted in the eyes and noses with high power water hoses which keeps them from being able to breath properly and ends up drowning some.

Not only are these animals being treated with the most cruel intentions possible but their meat is possibly very dangerous as their sick and cripple bodies lie in their own fecal matter which can contaminate the meat with salmonella, mad cow disease and e-coli just to name a few.

The news agencies are reporting that these animals aren't being slaughtered in a humane way which begs the question, "How is there a humane way to slaughter an animal?" In my opinion there is no humane way to kill animals because it is murder in my eyes. Would we consider killing and eating the flesh or another human being humane and justified? Absolutely not and so if you believe in interconnection then we are in fact not only killing animals when we eat meat but also killing apart of ourselves in the process--not the least of which being our compassion and love for all beings.

The company has a contract with the government to ship the meat to schools for children's lunches as well as used to feed the needy and elderly. It is shameful that American tax payer dollars have been paying this company as the business has been abusing these animals and as if this incident wasn't bad enough, this kind of practice occurs in many slaughter houses across the country.

When will we stop abusing and torturing our animal friends who have at one time been our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and children if you believe in rebirth and inter-being. I am not here to condemn those who are meat eaters but let me just say this one thing, think about that meat which you are eating and sincerely ask yourself, "Could I kill the animal who's flesh and muscle I am eating?" If the answer is no then you might want to make a change in your eating habits. I know I'm being a bit in your face meat eaters with this post but I needed to speak up on the animal abuse that goes on every minute of every day.

Avoiding eating meat is in keeping with Right Livelihood because if everyone stopped eating meat then no one would have to work in the business of killing animals. Buddha didn't mandate that Buddhist be vegetarians but it is strongly recommended to avoid adding to the suffering of all sentient beings. In specific, the Mahayana branch of Buddhism urges those wishing to follow the Bodhisattva path to avoid eating meat to build more compassion in one's heart.

In this day and age there are plenty of eating options that still give you plenty of protein without having to eat meat. If you want to know of some of those ideas then email me and I will give you some suggestions.

~Peace to all beings~

Early Morning Buddhist Inspiration - 2/19/2008

Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.
~Tenzin Gyatso

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After The Ecstacy, The Laundry - Jack Kornfield

After The Ecstacy, The Laundry
An original audio adaptation of Jack Kornfield’s newest book, this program reveals how the modern spiritual journey unfolds, and the difficulties of translating that freedom into daily life.

Torrent

Alan Watts - The Way of Zen

Alan Watts - The Way of Zen
The Way of Zen presents an understandable, inspirational and spiritually rewarding exploration of Zen Buddhism - "a way of liberation" that may be one of the most precious gifts of Asia to the world. For the first time on audio tape, The Way of Zen presents readings of carefully-chosen selections from Alan Watts' classic bestseller, illuminated byy rare recordings of the author personally commenting on some of the concepts and ideas in the book.


Mononova

"The Story of the Weeping Camel"

Enough of politics for the moment. Let's talk movies. Ellie and I Netflixed "The Story of the Weeping Camel" last week and enjoyed it immensely. What a treat! It's not about camels. Well, on partly. Mostly it's about this extraordinary Mongolian family of sheep- and goat-herders in the Gobi desert, who live in circumstances that we Americans, with our material well-being and our creature comforts, can scarcely imagine. Here's their little nest of yurts...


(is that the right term for these circular dwellings put together out of skins and wooden supports and camel-hair ropes?) in an environment as remote inhospitable as any I could dream of. And yet the interior is rich with carpets, tapestries, and all kinds of beautifully


made utilitarian artifacts and religious objects. Here, as you see, the family gather over tea, four generations of them so far as I could tell, from ancient, hoary great-grandparents to sweet-faced children. I imagine--what else can I do?--that they are not poor by the standards of their own society. They have plenty of livestock and can afford, so it seems at the end, a black and white television set with a satellite dish outside their home. Is this a suggestion, I wonder, at the end of the film, of the dangers inherent in the encroachment of technology on what must be one of the last enclaves of its kind on earth? Their distant neighbors in "town", a long camel's ride from their encampment, have motorcycles, cars, trucks, computer games...

Well, now, the story concerns the difficult birth of a white calf to one of their camels, who soon rejects his every advance to her, whether for food or affection. She turns him away, sulkily, and refuses the family's patient and loving efforts to bring mother and calf together. A heartless mom, indeed. In desperation, the family finally settle on a remedy and send their two young sons off on camel-back to the big city in search of a skilled musician! Just the thing to cure an an emotionally deficient camel! When he arrives on the scene, he readily grasps the situation and woos the mother camel with his two-stringed instrument,


until she finally weakens and allows her calf to suckle. Her tears at the eventual reunion, we suppose, are of repentance for her earlier intransigeance. A touching scene, for those of us who have soft hearts for other species and tend to humanize them. Here they are, reunited:


The wonderful part about this movie, though, is not the sentimental "story" at the heart of it, but rather the humanity of the people around its edges. They remind us that we are pleased to call our "civilization" has cost us dearly in terms of our relationship with the earth that nurtures us, with our fellow beings--both animal and human--and with that great, mysterious spirit that informs it all. Where we are scattered, individualistic, ego-centric, the people we meet in this film share a powerful bond of common interest: call it survival, call it love. They share everything. And the hardship of their lives serves to give them a strength and wisdom and clarity of purpose that is hard to find in our society, while the paucity of material goods provides little room for selfishness or greed. It's a film that has much to offer in understanding the best about our human species, along with a great deal of sadness that the last of this wisdom is so rapidly giving way to "progress."