Promises Promises

“Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.”

― Suzuki Roshi 

“Daily sitting is our bread and butter, the basic stuff of dharma. 
Without it we tend to be confused.”
― Charlotte Joko Beck

A Carmelite Monk and his Vows

There were quite a few of us back in the day that were first drawn to Zen because of its seemingly irreverent and iconoclastic tenor and tone.  To a bunch of us erstwhile hippies, peaceniks, and radicals, those ancient monks kicking over water jugs, writing poems lauding drunkeness, proclaiming Buddha was a "shit stick", etc., seemed like our kind of guys. 

Little did we know.

Once I actually connected with a teacher and a sangha, a different reality emerged.  I found that the foundation of Zen Buddhism, like that of other spiritual traditions throughout the world, rests squarely on a set of vows and precepts.  Rather than becoming a member of another tribe of free form hippies, I found out that engaging in formal Zen training with a teacher meant making a commitment to a set of clearly stated intentions: Taking Refuge in the Triple Gems, the Four Bodhisattva Vows, the Three Pure Precepts, and the 10 Essential Precepts was expected.  It was part of the deal.

WTF?  

Jeez.  In the Judeo-Christian world, we only had to worry about the ten commandments! Now? Do the math. This is twice as many.  So much for being hip and cool, for "doing your own thing!"

Or so it seemed. 
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'Tis the Season

"Commitment is at the very heart of freeing ourselves 

of old habits and old fears."

― Pema Chodron

 “I think what everyone should be doing, before it's too late, is committing themselves to what they really want to do with their lives.”
― Thich Nhat Hạnh

Buddhist Nuns at Amaravati Monastery

As the sultry days of August melt into early September, my thoughts have turned to those times in my life that I have engaged in Intensive Practice in the Fall.   

In Buddhism, like many of the world's religions (Ramadan in Islam. The High Holy Days in Judaism.  Lent in Christianity,  etc.), there are extended periods of time each year that people move beyond "business as usual" to make a special commitment to their Spiritual Practice.    

In Buddhism, the tradition of the Rain's Retreat (Vassa or Ango) goes back to the time of the Buddha.  Traditionally beginning the first day of the waning moon of the eighth lunar month (June/July), it lasted about three months, the period of time that  the monsoon season in India made travel difficult.  During that time the monks, who generally were homeless wanderers, would gather in one place to hear the Buddha's teachings and engage in intensive meditation practice.  

To this day, this period of intensive practice is widespread in Theravadan Buddhism, and is observed in various forms in Tibetan Buddhism and some traditions of Zen as well.  Here in the US, where hot summer weather is more problematic than monsoons, it often seems to have evolved into periods of intensive practice that occur in the Fall and/or the Spring. 

At Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, the Rain's Retreat has become the 3 Month Course, a meditation intensive that begins in September each year.  One year, I joined that retreat for the entire month of October.  
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It's Only Words

“The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts,
in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.”
― Thich Nhat Hạnh,
  Buddha Mind, Buddha Body:
Walking Toward Enlightenment

"Be Still and know that I am God!"
―  Psalm 46:11

In the world of Zen, words are not generally held in high regard. 

It's not surprising that some students even got smacked by crotchety old Zen masters for their "loose lips."   Words can be pretty damn tricky.  

A case in point:  The realm of words creates a thought world where the word "swearing" could either describe what emerges when a person angrily launches into a foul-mouthed condemnation of something -- or a what happens when a person wholeheartedly takes a sacred oath.

It seems to me that any particular word, or even a whole string of those slippery devils, at best, can only hint at the Truth.  If you are paying attention, what is not said may be more meaningful than what is said.  Like Life itself:  It's all a matter of context.  The devil isn't in the details.  The devil is the details -- devoid of a Connection to the Heart of the Matter.

For me, staying Connected to That takes Practice.  

And Practice takes Commitment.

Oh no, not that!
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Stormy Weather Blues

"Engaged Buddhism is just Buddhism. When bombs begin to fall on people,

you cannot stay in the meditation hall all of the time. 

Meditation is about the awareness of what is going on 

--not only in your body and in your feelings, but all around you."

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

"Many of us think that compassion drains us, but I promise you

it is something that truly enlivens us."

--Roshi Joan Halifax, Abbot of the Upaya Zen Center

Although there is no doubt that the cultivation of Mindfulness has generally brought a deeper and more consistent ease and clarity to my life, the past couple of weeks have brought forth a bevy of vivid and disturbing dreams.  On two successive days, the intensity of the emotions that emerged didn't vanish as I awoke to face the day.

Although I did notice a shadow of resistance to the notion of intentionally sitting down to be with the undefined, but obvious anger one morning,  and again (what are you CRAZY?) to sit with the deep, deep sadness the next, the momentum of Practice prevailed.  Within moments, as is my habit, I had bowed to the zafu and begun Morning Practice.  I am extremely grateful that both days I was able to embrace the torrent of feelings and thoughts for an hour within the gentle arms of Simply Sitting Still and Tonglen Practice.  Both days, I rose from the zafu energized, calm, clear, and ready to engage Life.

So, what's the deal?

In the past few weeks, I've begun to reConnect directly with the movement to address racism and the continuing oppression of people of color in the United States.  I am extremely grateful to the young activists of Black Lives Matter and the others who helped kick my butt into gear.
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