REFLECTIONS
The quarterly E-Magazine of the Bucks County Buddhist Sangha
The three disciplines for progress on the Buddhist path are study,
reflection and meditation.
Spring Issue May 2007                                                            Vol. I  Issue 2

Table of contents


A little madness in the spring  --- Is wholesome even for the King.
                                                              By Emily Dickenson



EDITOR’S COMMENTS
There is a very important upcoming event mentioned in this issue. Be sure to
check it out and mark your calendars. In addition this spring issue of Reflections
gives us plenty to reflect on. We explore Karma and its impact on death and the
bardo.  We explore death and how it can impact our living where karma is
created. Certainly death is a precious friend teaching us about living and how to
order our lives that is how to live ethically. So just what makes Buddhist ethics,
Buddhist ethics is a an important question to ponder and we try to do that.
There are various resources and tools included for digging into the subject of
ethics.
As we reflect on ethics it is important to remember that dualism is an illusion.
We cannot divide our world into the personal and the societal and then further
divide it into the private and the political. To do so would be as insane as a drop
of water trying to differentiate its self from the ocean. Life is one. We are
individual and community and a nation and this world. We therefore must think
in terms of ethical choices not just for our personal life and satisfaction or our
interpersonal relationships with friends and family but with the child in Iraq, with
the polar ice caps and the polar bears who roam them. Any division between us
and the world is illusionary. The goal of our meditative practice is to cut through
illusion. So as we consider the topics in this issue, let us thing about there
impact on us the individual and us the world. Enjoy
                                                                      D. L.

***


TAO DE CHING – VERSE THREE

The highest good is like water,
Nourishing life effortlessly,
flowing without prejudice
to the lowliest places.
It springs from all
who nourish their community
with a benevolent heart as deep as the abyss,
which are incapable of lies and injustices,
who are rooted in the earth,
and whose natural rhythms of action play midwife to the highest good
of each joyful moment.

***




Living the good life
means living a good life.


THE PRESIDENT’S PEN
                                       BY JIM HILD

The Bardo Candy Store
In general, I believe the concept of death in the western world is something that
most of us put off dealing with it until we really have to deal with it and even
then, for some it’s a shock.  Admittedly this is a difficult subject for us to
personalize.  You might say it is our “self” protecting itself from what in reality, is
the ultimate impermanence.   Only when we are faced with the death of a loved
one, a friend, or our self, do most of us start to really think about it.  So it is not
surprising that a lot of us have a natural fear of this aspect of life.  It is an
unknown, and for that matter, very inconvenient to say the least.  So we keep it
separate from our daily life.  It is something that happens later, much later.  In
Buddhism, death is described as a part of our daily life - not separate from life.  
We die and are reborn on a regular basis, every second, hour, day, or year.  
Within the many Buddhist traditions, death and rebirth is described in varying
but similar ways.  Within the Tibetan tradition especially, death is expressed as
a natural part of life and the Tibetans have a definite idea of what happens to
us after we die. In fact they have written a book about this subject “The Tibetan
Book of the Dead”.  It has many translations, one of which is by Robert
Thurman.  We explored that in our Sangha recently.  The Tibetans believe that
when we die, our consciousness enters the Bardo, a place in time and space
between death and rebirth.  We stay there for up to 49 days.  Our fate, so to
speak, or how we will leave the Bardo, is directly related to our Karma,
accumulated over our life (or lives) and our “state” of consciousness at the time
of death.  It is my understanding that these two key factors determine how we
leave the Bardo.  The state of consciousness is critical, where as our Karma is
“what it is”.  We can’t change our Karma at this point in time when we die.   Our
state of consciousness, on the other hand is something that is controllable to a
point.  Our state of consciousness is a function of what our thinking was at the
time of our death and the amount of preparation for and understanding of
death we have prior to our death.   That is, if we did not prepare for death in
our time prior to death then we are probably afraid of death.  We more than
likely will carry that fear with us into the Bardo in our state of consciousness.  

Let’s look at the experience during the Bardo period another way.  At the risk of
trivializing a serious event, but then in Buddhism, I have found that everything is
serious and nothing is serious.  So let’s say that our death can be viewed as
sort of like going into the “Bardo” Candy store to purchase some very special
candy.  We probably had heard of this special candy store, as it may have been
referred to as Heavenly candy or many other variations.  We were told that
candy from this store was of the highest quality and only obtainable from this
store.  Incidentally, while we may have thought someday of buying candy from
this store, we never really felt that we would really go there.  In fact when we
mentioned it to our friends, they would often say “Are you crazy, that is weird!”  
However, we now find ourselves in the candy store.  So what happens now?  
What did we bring with us?  Only two things –we brought our Karma, instead of
money (remember, money is no good here) and we brought our state of
consciousness, instead of an appetite!  Our Karma, in this case, is a pair of
glasses that filter what candy we can see to buy.  The more selfless, loving,
compassionate actions we did prior to entering the store, the fewer attachments
we have to the kind of candy we crave.  So if we had recognized our own
awakened nature, we would see no candy at all.  But, in this example, our
Karma has limited us as to what it is that we see.  Our state of consciousness
on the other hand, is how clear our thinking is.  We may have entered thinking
only of lemon drops (i.e. attachment) and therefore, all we see are lemon drops
in every shape, color and taste.  So we head for the lemon drops.  If our Karma
was especially bad, then grab the first lemon drops we see.  They are fowl
tasting.  But our craving (state of consciousness) for lemon drops is so powerful
that this is what we purchase.   So we leave the Bardo Candy store with a bag
of fowl tasting lemon drops.  

In the case where we had brought with us mostly good Karma and our state of
consciousness was mostly, very positive, we would have seen good tasting
lemon drops and purchased them. This is what we leave the store with.  
However, there was a special for the day that we did not see when we entered
the store.  If we had just seen it and recognized what it was (our own true
nature), it would have allowed us to see that there really was no candy at all in
the store.  Ah, a feeling joyful bliss - nirvana!

Incidentally, this whole process of buying candy in the Bardo Candy store was
really an illusion of our mind (our state of consciousness).   There never was
any candy in the Bardo Candy store.  We created that vision based on our
attachments (Karma).  If we had recognized that when we first entered the store
and understood what our true nature was then, we would have experienced
nirvana. We just didn’t recognize it when we entered.  Ah, our state of
consciousness.

***

10 Warning Signs of Inner Peace
1. Being present in the moment; acting spontaneously rather
than from fears based on past experiences.
2. Chronic optimism; a tendency to reframe all events and
situations in a positive light.
3. A complete loss of interest in conflict.
4. Persistent sense of humor.
5. Adaptation to changing conditions.
6. Frequent episodes of appreciation, pleasure and generosity.
7. Feelings of trust and closeness to others.
8. Identifying and openly communicating feelings.
9. Inability to worry (a very serious symptom)!
10. Increasing susceptibility to love extended by others, as
well as an uncontrollable urge to extend it.
Used with permission from Vidya Ishaya
Editor of the Awakening Path Newsletter
http://www.awakeningpath.com/index.htm


FOOD FOR THOUGHT
      Excerpts from Ethics for the New Millennium, by His Holiness the Dalai
Lama, Riverhead Books, New York, 1999

My own view, which does not rely solely on religious faith or even on an original
idea, but rather on ordinary common sense, is that establishing binding ethical
principles is possible when we take as our starting point the observation that  
we all desire happiness and wish to avoid  suffering.  We have no means of
discriminating  between right and wrong if we do not take into account other’s
feelings, other’ suffering. For this reason, and because the notion of absolute
truth is difficult to sustain outside the context of religion, ethical conduct is not
something we engage in because it is somehow right in itself. Moreover, if it is
correct that the desire to be happy and avoid suffering is a natural disposition
shared by all, it follows that each individual has a right to pursue this goal. (p28)
… because our every action has a universal dimension, a potential impact on
other’s happiness , ethics are necessary as a means to ensure that we do not
harm others. … genuine happiness  consists in those spiritual qualities of love
and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, humility , and so on. It is
these which provide happiness both for ourselves and others. ( p62)
We must evaluate our own needs in relation to the needs of others and
consider how our actions and inactions are likely to affect them in the longer
term. … occasionally it will be necessary to take risks in order to benefit the
wider community.  (p 168 -169)
When we are committed to the ideal of concern for all others , it follows that this
should inform our social and political policies. I say this not because I suppose
that thereby we will be able to solve all society’s problems overnight. …. [but]  
take practical steps to acknowledge our responsibility to all others both now and
in the future.  
… a number of areas we need to give special consideration …. including
education, the media, our natural environment, politics and economics, peace
and disarmament, and interreligious harmony   (p179 – 180)
… Education is much more than a matter of imparting the knowledge and skills
by which narrow goals are achieved. It is also about opening the child’s eyes to
the needs and rights of others. (p181)
If education constitutes one of our most powerful weapons in our quest to bring
about a better, more peaceful world, the mass media is another.  … It is
appropriate, therefore , to have journalist, their noses as long as an elephant’s
trunk, snooping  around and exposing wrongdoing where they find it ( p185)
[Responsibility to our natural  environment] … has less to do with questions of
right or wrong than with the question of survival , this is common sense. The
stage has been reached where she  [mother nature] can no longer accept our
behavior . She is warning us that there are limits even to her tolerance. (p188)
[Concerning politics and economics] … it our present trends continue, it is
certain that the poor will get poorer. Our basics sense of fairness and justice
alone suggest that we should not be content to let this happen. (p195)  So as
far as economic policy is concerned the same considerations apply here as to
every human activity. A sense of universal responsibility is crucial. (p. 196)
[Also]… violence begets violence. And violence means only one thing:
suffering. (p201)... we need to a distinctions between peace as a mere absence
of war and as a state of tranquility founded on the deep sense of security that
arises from mutual understanding, tolerance of others’ point of view, and
respect for their rights.(p202) We each have a role in this…. What is required
therefore is that we establish clear objectives by means of which we can disarm
gradually. And we must develop the political will to do so.
[In conclusion]…we can reject everything else: religion, ideology, all received
wisdom, But we cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.
      This, then is my true religion, my simple faith. In this sense there is no need
for temple or church, or mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated
philosophy, doctrine , or dogma. Our own heart, our own mind is the temple.
The doctrine is compassion. Love for others and respect for their rights and
dignity, no matter who or what they are: ultimately these are all we need. …
whether we believe in Buddha or God, or follow some other religion or none at
all, as long as we have compassion for others and conduct ourselves with
restraint out  of a sense of responsibility , there is no doubt we will be happy.
(p234)
***


BUDDHIST LIGHT, BY DAN LEE
A COMTEMPLATION ON BUDDHIST ETHICS

Non-violence is the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we
stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”  Thomas Edison
(American inventor)

I can do no other than be reverent before everything that is called life. I can do
no other than to have compassion for all that is called life, this is the beginning
and the foundation of all ethics” Albert Schweitzwer (German medical
missionary, Theologian, Musician and Philosopher)

“Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what is right.” Isaac
Asimov (Russian born American science fiction Writer and Biochemist)


This article is the result of my contemplation of the issue of Buddhist ethics. It’s
a contemplation in progress. Yet I think what I have to share may add to your
own journey of reflection on the subject.  First, let’s consider what is the most
basic foundation that supports all Buddhist ethical decisions? How can that
fundamental underpinning be concisely stated? At its most fundamental level
Buddha’s teachings are about compassion with awareness and insight. So one
can define the core ethical principle upon which all moral action from a Buddhist
view is based as follows:
Any action taken with an awareness of the interdependence of all things
sentient and inanimate, taken with the intention of relieving psychological,
emotional and physical suffering while conversely nurturing emotional
psychological and physical well being is an ethical act.

There is no action that is ever free from consequences to the actor and
everyone else around. Those consequences either do not harm or cause harm.
The Buddhist seeks to relieve misery. There are no islands in this sea of life.
We are a web of interconnectedness. So, from a Buddhist stand point the
criteria by which we judge the rightness of our actions is love that relieves
suffering and does no harm. A desire to end suffering is at the heart of
Buddhism. We can elaborate on this root concept and expound on its
ramifications but in the final analysis there is nothing to add. It is the sole
measure of wise and proper action as opposed to unhealthy and improper
actions.

So does this mean there is something unique about Buddhist ethics when
compared to other ethical philosophies? The answer seems to be both YES and
NO. There is not a single religion that comes to mind that does not have love
and compassion as its central value. Even non-religion such as atheism has
love – mutual wellbeing of all – as its basis for ethics.   
An example of this is the simple statement – “love your neighbors as yourself”
Long before Jesus ever said it, it was recorded in the Jewish Torah in the book
of Leviticus. Long before that we have the Confucian saying. “Do not do to
others what you do not want them to do to you. (Analects 15:23) and the Hindu
admonition, “One should not behave toward others in ways which are
disagreeable to oneself.” (Mahabharata Anusasana Parva 113.8) Buddha said
the same thing. So there is an universality to Buddhist ethics.
But there is also an aspect of the ethical code found in Buddhism that is
different than in many of the other world’s religions. There seems to be two
differences that stand out. First, Buddhism makes no claim or a Creator or a
Supreme God or Gods in an absolute sense. For many religions faith in and
obedience to an Absolute Divine Creator God is an essential part of their
ethics. For them, however compassionate a person maybe, to be a moral
person they must meet the criteria of faith in and obedience to God as revealed
in scared scriptures. This element is missing entirely from Buddhism. Different
religions meet the personality needs of different people. So by pointing out this
difference I am not identifying it as a flaw in anyway. But I offer this as a matter
for reflection.  For me there is something personally quite liberating about not
having a Godhead’s demands as part of my ethical system. As a Buddhist, I am
free to judge and decide each action solely on the basis of love and not
harming. This can be both freeing and a bit anxiety producing as well. For it
leaves the ground under my feet a bit uncertain and leaves me totally
responsible for my decisions. Yet I personally experience this as a good thing.  
There are times in theistic centered religions when followers can make what to
them appear as ethical decisions that cause hurt and suffering based on a view
that “God demands it” or “God would want it” It is not impossible for a Buddhist
to make unwise ethical decisions based on what the sacred Buddhist writings
say or seem to say. But without the addition of “blind faith” it seems that a
course of self correction is easier to achieve.
An other area in which Buddhist ethics are unique is the area of how misdeeds
are categorized; there is no mention of “sin”. The approach is softer. The
language used for unethical behavior is “unskillful” or “unwise”. There is no
divine punishment only natural consequence (karma). This can free a person
from paralyzing or discouraging guilt. That is how I have experienced it. Though
I suppose it can have the unhelpful effect of making a person feel like they have
permission to be unethical. But a person would have to misunderstand or
ignore consequences (Karma) to come to that conclusion.
I offer this reflection on Buddhist ethics for your consideration. Hearing from you
as to your thoughts would be most welcomed. My central point here is that all
wise and wholesome actions are based on love and the relieving of suffering.
We are solely responsible for our choices and the resulting actions. Others will
be effected by our actions but we will have to live with the consequences of
them. We can learn and grow while walking on the path of love and compassion
but being on that path is a must. It is were will find the Buddha and his
teachings.  

***


A DATE TO REMEMBER
June 29—30      WEEKEND OF TEACHING WITH LAMA GURSAM    
Lama Gursam’s Biograhy
At the age of six, Lama Gursam entered Drikung Kagyu Monastery in Tso
Pema, India, where he completed his basic education and studied Buddhism. In
1981 he began his college education at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan
Studies (University) in Sarnath, Varnasi, India. He earned his Bachelor's degree
in 1988 in the Sanskrit, Hindi, Tibetan, and English languages and in Buddhist
philosophy. He. pursued graduate studies at the University. In 1990 he received
his Master's degree in advanced Buddhist philosophy. Upon graduation he also
received a special award from His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
After graduation, His Holiness Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche requested he come
to come to the Drikung Kagyu Institute in Dehra Dun, India. There he served for
five years, teaching Tibetan language, Buddhist philosophy and history. He also
held the posts of Instructor, Head of Examinations, and Assistant Director while
serving as secretary to His Holiness Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche, the head of
the Drikung Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. During this time, he did a one-
year meditation retreat receiving Dzogchen teachings and empowerments from
Khenchen Thupten Rinpoche and other lamas of the Nyingma lineage. He also
studied with Dr. Pema Gyaltsen, a specialist in the Tibetan language.
In 1995, Lama Gursam was sent by His Holiness Kyabgon Chetsang Rinpoche
to the United States, where he taught Buddhist philosophy for five years. Lama
Gursam worked as a resident teacher in a Tibetan Meditation Center, also
serving as director of North American Drikung Kagyu Center. Then Lama
Gursam met His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche, whom he considers to be the
second Milarepa. Under H.E. Garchen Rinpoche's guidance, together with the
Venerable Traga Rinpoche, he became a yogi, and in 2002 he completed a
traditional three-year retreat in the United States. After a nationwide teaching
tour, he then traveled to India, Nepal and the border of Tibet, where he
completed a six-month retreat in Milarepa's cave at Lapchi. Lama Gursam
continues to return every year to India for teachings and retreats, and every
year to the United States and Canada to teach. His current sanghas are located
in Vermont, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia, and Arizona, as
well as Montreal and Sault Sainte Marie, Canada. In 2006, Lama Gursam
founded The Bodhichitta Foundation, a U.S. non-profit organization officially
recognized by His Holiness Chetsang Rinpoche, head of the Drikung Kagyu
lineage. The Bodhichitta Foundation benefits the West with teachings, a future
center and retreat land, and the East, preserving ancient texts, Tibetan culture,
education, women's rights, and health.
***

The Journal of Buddhist Ethics inaugurates its 14th issue
You can find the new issue here:
http://www.buddhistethics.org/current.html
The issue
includes:                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                              
                                                                                                             

ARTICLES
"Avoiding Unintended Harm to the Environment and the Buddhist Ethic of
Intention" by Peter Harvey

BOOK REVIEWS
Buddha’s Warriors: The Story of the CIA-Backed Tibetan Freedom Fighters, the
Chinese Communist Invasion, and the Ultimate Fall of Tibet Reviewed by Vibha
Arora
The True Dharma Eye: Zen Master Dōgen's Three Hundred Kōans Reviewed
by Gregory Miller  

***

BUDDHA GOES TO THE MOVIES

Pan's Labyrinth
Review By John Storm
Although I've hated doing book reports since 5th grade, I'll start with the simple
reason why I went to see it. My wife wanted to see it...She loves to read fantasy
and was drawn to the dream-like mythical and visionary content....

I am normally not averse to some meaningful violence in service of the storyline,
but I have to say that there are scenes in this movie which are very difficult to
watch...and which draw on some primal fears and outrages of history. Do Not
take children to see this! It is a very dark Fairy Tale in the original sense.

I really don't think this movie affects me much from a Buddhist standpoint other
than to point out that in the midst of the murderous delusions of samsara there
can be found an internal "path" by which one can transcend their circumstances
to gain "Heaven" (a Christian one at that) in the end. The measure of progress
on that path as portrayed in Pan's Labyrinth owes more to creative responses
to a set of fantastic challenges. Dynamic tension propels the storyline to the
dreaded pathos laden conclusion.

I recommend it for people with active imaginations who like to be stimulated on a
symbolic level and don't mind some harrowing depictions of cruelty. I'm glad that
I saw it...and wish that I could have seen it again before writing this.

Here are some links to some other reviews of Pan's Labyrinth:

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,3668,0,0,1,0
http://www.safnet.com/writing/archives/000180.html#more
http://www.shadowsandclouds.com/index.php/weblog/more/pans_labyrinth/
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=16154



INTO GREAT SILENCE
Review by Dan Lee

The setting for this film is the Grande Chartreuse Monastery located in the
French Alps. This monastery is one of the most ascetic monasteries in the
world.  The monks live their lives in near total silence and solitude. Except for
one Sunday meal all meals are eaten alone. Except for a brief period on
Sundays there is no talking. But INTO GREAT SILENCE  is more than an
observation of the lives of these monks.  The viewer enters into the sacred
rhythm of their daily contemplation, study and prayer and has a sense of being
a participant in their peace and simplicity. The silence, the prayers and
contemplation weave a deep inner stillness within the one viewing this movie.
The movie covers a six month period. You live that quiet passage of time.
Filmed with no artificial lighting, no musical score or artificial sounds, no
commentary, no archival footage or voiceovers, it enables the audience to
experience the solitude as if present. The movie is about 2 hours and 50
minutes long yet seems a lot shorter. It never looses your interest.
No matter what your religion, if you have any interest at all in contemplation and
mediation this movie is wonderful experience into the contemplative life and the
power of stillness. It seems to be getting limited release in the theaters. But will
make its way onto DVD soon. Its worth seeing

***




WORDS FROM THE DHAMMAPADA
258  A man is not spiritually mature (or: learned) merely because he talks a lot.
He is said to be spiritually mature who is secure (in himself), friendly and without
fear.
262  One who is jealous, miserly and dishonest is not accounted “good’ merely
by reason of his speechifying or beautiful complexion.
263  He is said to be ‘good’, that fault-free man of understanding, whom this
kind of behavior is extirpated, it being destroyed at its roots and abolished.
270  A man who harms living beings is not one who is spiritually developed. He
is said to be spiritually developed who is harmless towards all living beings.
              
                      ***                 

Buddha Goes to the Library:
BOOK REVIEW   by LOUISE WILE

[Note: In conjunction with recent Sangha discussions on death and dying, this
seemed a timely book to read and review.]

Chasing Daylight: How My Forthcoming Death Transformed My Life. A final
account written by Eugene O’Kelly with Andrew Postman, 2006.

   I picked up this book at the library recently, found it so compelling I read it
twice. The book seemed especially timely.
   It begins with these words:
   “I was blessed. I was told I had three months to live.
   “You think that to put those two sentences back to back, I must be joking. Or
crazy. Perhaps that I lived a miserable, unfulfilled life, and the sooner it was
done, the better.
   “Hardly. I loved my life. . . . Because I was forced to think seriously about my
own death. Which meant I was forced to think more deeply about my life than I’d
ever done.”
   The writer was the CEO and Chairman of KPMG, one of the largest
accounting firms in the U.S. At the age of 53, Gene O’Kelly was diagnosed with
a rare form of brain cancer. The doctors told him he had a few months to live.
Maybe.
   This is not one of those books about a miraculous remission or a story of
how someone “beat” cancer and lived to write a book. It is the account of a very
human guy who had to figure out how to spend his last 100 days.
   The book is the story of how he turned his final days and weeks into a
positive experience for himself, his friends and family.
   In this journey, O’Kelly came to realize some of the things we talk about
frequently at the Sangha. O’Kelly was not a practicing Buddhist or New Ager. He
was a practicing Catholic whose faith was strong and meaningful to him.
   None of the labels really matter. What I found so amazing were the
conclusions O’Kelly reached, as he figured out how to make the most of the
transition. In many ways, he had to reinvent himself -- in a very short time.
   O’Kelly quickly realized he had to let go of all the plans he had made, all the
dreams and goals he had worked toward. His challenge -- and his opportunity --
was to figure out how to create the “best death possible.”  Quite a project for
someone whose work defined him.
   For starters, he had to stop living in the future, and learn to live in the
moment. He realized that if he became more conscious and aware, he would
actually have more time.
   He wrote, “No more living in the future. (Or the past, for that matter....) I
needed to stop living two months, a week, even a few hours ahead....I felt that if
I could learn to stay in the present moment, to be fully conscious, I would buy
myself lots of time that had never been available to me, not in all the years I was
healthy.
   “Who makes such a fundamental change this late in the day? I would soon
discover that staying in the present and being genuinely conscious of my
surroundings were just about the hardest things I’d ever attempted.”
   While O’Kelly struggled to stay in the moment (does this sound familiar?), he
started meditating (something he had done in his distant past), helped and
encouraged by his wife. After much struggling, he learned to let go of his past.
He found a place at the Cloisters in Manhattan, where he was able to center his
consciousness and meditate. (Note: the Cloisters is a medieval museum in
northern Manhattan and would be a great place to meditate. It’s always been
one of my favorite places in the city.)
   O’Kelly approached his transition to death the way he had always
approached his life and work; he set goals for what he hoped to accomplish in
the abbreviated time he had remaining. Besides all the paperwork and end-of-
life “stuff” like funeral arrangements, he wanted to say goodbye to colleagues,
friends, and family. He called it “unwinding relationships.”  Being a list-maker
and “Type A” personality, he pushed to make this happen.
   O’Kelly was quite fortunate in that he was “given” a few months to live.
Fortunate, because many people die without warning and never get around to
thinking about their death. He was also lucky that he was relatively affluent, had
the support of family and friends, and lived his last weeks pretty much pain free.
The nature of his brain cancer meant that shadows would fall over his life, and
he would eventually slip into a coma and die.
   Free from pain and financial worry, with some time to think about stuff --
seems like a great scenario to me, a list-maker and overly scheduled Type A
personality.
   The way O’Kelly lives out his last few months may not be for everyone. It’s
hard not to feel envious of someone who does not have to worry about finances
or pain. Who wouldn’t want to be in that situation, as these things go? If you
had to plan your death, this would seem a pretty good way to go, and certainly
beats being hooked up to a bunch of machines in a hospital setting. Or being
the victim of some shooter’s random rampage.
   Living in the present, becoming more aware, learning to meditate, -- what
could be more Buddhist than this? It struck me as pretty cool that O’Kelly
reached similar conclusions about how to live that I’ve been reading about in
Buddhist teachings and am trying to follow in my practice.
   While not everyone would follow this spiritual journey in the same way as O’
Kelly did, there are lessons to take away from this book, suggestions, if you will,
for things you can do (writing letters to friends and family, for example). Above
all, O’Kelly said, if you are planning to think about death at some other point in
the future, do it now. “Move it up,” he says, meaning start now so you can think
about it before you get so sick and mentally incapacitated that you cannot.
   Coming from someone who had been a hard-charging businessman and
CEO, the lessons found in this book might be useful to others. I know they have
been to me.
   His wife Corinne wrote the postscript of the book, describing how her
husband declined in a few months. She noted that once he refused the last
medical procedure, and began to fail, he had shifted from “the plans of the
living to an acceptance that he was dying. To die in peace, you first must
accept that you’re dying.”
   A healthcare provider who had worked with the dying, his wife Corinne must’
ve been very helpful. She commented that Gene had “done himself and those
around him a hugely positive thing by resolving his relationships and embracing
what was happening to him. . . . A lot of people arrive at that final stage having
not done the psychosocial and spiritual work that would have brought them
more peace.”
   Interestingly, before Gene died, he asked to make sure that his legs were
raised 20 degrees and his head 40 degrees. Corinne noted that this idea was
similar to “ideas put forth by Tibetan monks, who believe that when you die, you
should be sitting up because consciousness exits the body at the highest point,
and if it leaves from your head, you will be most conscious, which will enable
you to have greater influence over your reincarnation.” [Note: Stephen Levine
writes, “The top of the head is considered the most skillful point of departure at
the time of death.”]
   It was unclear where this idea came from. What was clear to me, though, was
that Gene O’Kelly left a gift for readers in writing down his journey of a soul.
   As he wrote, “For most people, the specter of death is brutally hard to
accept. They don’t want to spend even a minute thinking about it. They’d rather
put it out of their mind, to be thought about, if it’s thought about, at a later date.
   “As for those considering taking the time someday to plan their final weeks
and months, three words of advice: Move it up.”
   “If physical pain can be managed, who’s to say this can’t be the most
spiritually and intellectually rich time of our lives?”
   Most people don’t get the chance to do what Gene O’Kelly did. I can
understand why he felt so blessed. And why he concluded, “To go through life
not fully awake is not to really live.”
   You can’t get more Buddhist than that!     

***
Valuable Resource: The Buddhist Peace Fellowship
              www.BFP.org.   www.bpf.org/html/home.html

The Mission of BPF:
The mission of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF), founded in 1978, is to
serve as a catalyst for socially engaged Buddhism. Our purpose is to help
beings liberate themselves from the suffering that manifests in individuals,
relationships, institutions, and social systems. BPF's programs, publications,
and practice groups link Buddhist teachings of
Wisdom and companion with progressive social change.
The Vision of BFP:
The Buddhist Peace Fellowship envisions a future in which people from all
backgrounds come into a heartfelt realization of our interconnection to each
other and to the Earth. We believe that actions generated from this
understanding will create societies guided by generosity, compassion, wisdom
and justice.

BFP’s practice of contemplation and social action is guided by their intention to:
Recognize the interdependence of all beings
Meet suffering directly and with compassion
Appreciate the importance of not clinging to views and outcomes
Work with Buddhists from all traditions
Connect individual and social transformation
Practice nonviolence
Use participatory decision-making techniques
Protect and extend human rights
Support gender and racial equality, and challenge all forms of unjust
discrimination
Work for economic justice and the end of poverty
Work for a sustainable environment
***


A Look At Pure Land Buddhism  By Bill Regan and Dan Lee

THERE ARE VARIOUS SCHOOLS THAT MAKE UP BUDDHISM.  ATTEMPTING
TO CATORGORIZE THE VARIOUS SCHOOLS OR SECTS OF BUDDHISM IS
NOT AN EASY TASK. HOWEVER ONE VERY GENERAL WAY TO LOOK AT
THEM IS TO DIVIDE BUDDHISM INTO SEVEN VERY LARGE GENERAL
CATAGORIES. THE ARE:
1. THERAVADA                2. MAHAYANA                        3. VAJRAYANA
4. ZEN AND CH'AN                 5. TENDAI AND T'IEN TAI                6. NICHIREN
7. PURE LAND

YET THIS IS A GROSS OVER SIMPLIFICTION OF REALITY. BECAUSE WITHIN
IN EACH OF THESE CATAGORIES THERE ARE NUMEROUS DIVISIONS OR
SECTS.   TO ADD TO THE DIFFICULTY THESE SEVEN SCHOOLS OVERLAP.  
ZEN IS CONSIDERED PART OF THE MAHAYANA TRADITION. TIBETAN
BUDDHISM IS BOTH VAJRAYANA AND MAHAYANA. PURE LAND IS
CONSIDERED MAHAYANA. SOME SECTS SUCH AS VIETNAMESE BUDDHISM
ARE A BLEND OF THERAVADA AND MAHAYANA.  SO YOU SEE THERE ARE
MANY STYLES OF SHOES WORN ON THE FEET OF THOSE WHO TRAVEL
THE BUDDHA'S PATH. THAT BEING SAID LETS LOOK AT PURE LAND
BUDDHISM MORE CLOSELY.

PURE LAND CAME INTO PROMIENCE IN CHINA IN 402 C.E.  IT SPREAD
THROUGH OUT CHINA AND OTHER AREAS OF ASIA ESPECIALLY JAPAN.
PURE LAND IS CURRENTLY ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR BRANDS OF
MAHAYANA BUDDHISM IN EAST ASIA.  IN JAPAN APPROXIMATELY 85
% OF THE POPULATION IS BUDDHIST. THE NICHEREN BUDDHIST SCHOOL IS
BY FAR THE LARGEST BUDDHIST SCHOOL IN JAPAN. BUT PURE LAND
BUDDHISM IS THE SECOND LARGEST SCHOOL. THERE ARE VARIOUS PURE
LAND SECTS IN JAPAN. IN ADDITION MANY PURE LAND PRACTICES AND
PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS HAVE BEEN INCORPORATED INTO OTHER
SCHOOLS OF BUDDHISM. SO PURE LAND GREATLY INFLUENCES
BUDDHISM IN JAPAN.  

PURE LAND HAS BEEN CALLED THE PATH OF SERENE TRUST BECAUSE IT
IS BUILT ON TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE POWER AND WISDOM OF ALL
THE BUDDHAS - BUT ESPECIALLY BUDDHA AMITABHA. THAT IS WHY IT IS
SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE "FAITH ONLY" SCHOOL OF BUDDHISM.

ALL BUDDHAS ARE SAID TO PRESIDE OVER A BUDDHA REALM (KINGDOM
OR WORLD). WHEN THE BUDDHA  AMITABHA (WHOSE NAME MEANS
BOUNDLESS LIGHT) WAS STILL A  BODHISATTVA, HE VOWED THAT WHEN
HE BECAME A BUDDHA HE WOULD CREATE A REALM WHERE PEOPLE
COULD BE REBORN AND EXPERIENCE NO HINDERANCES AT ALL IN THERE
QUEST FOR BUDDHAHOOD.  HE HAS KEPT THIS PROMISE AND THE NAME
OF HIS REALM IS SUKHAVATI.

THIS REALM IS UNSPEAKABLELY BEAUTIFUL. IT IS BE JEWELED AND
GLORIOUSLY FURNISHED WITH THE BEST OF EVERYTHING. THE BIRDS IN
THE TREES ARE EMINATIONS OF AMITABHA HIMSELF  AND RATHER THAN
SINGING OR CHIRPING THEY SPEAK THE DHARMA TRUTH ALL DAY LONG.
THERE IS NO SICKNESS OR OLD AGE OR DEATH IN THIS REALM.
EVERYONE WHO IS REBORN INTO IT RECIEVES AN IMMORTAL BODY AND
IS GUARENTEED BUDDHAHOOD.

NOT ONLY BUDDHA AMITABHA BUT THE BODHISATTVAS KUAN-YIN (ALSO
KNOWN AS AVALOKITESVARA) AND MAHASTHAMAPRAPTA PEROSNALLY
HELP EACH PERSON ON THEIR SPIRITUAL JOURNEY TO COMPLETE
ENLIGHTENMENT. HERE YOU ARE BEYOND DANGER OF EVER FALLING
BACK INTO A LOWER REALM. THE ONLY WAY TO GO IS UPWARD SO TO
SPEAK.

THE GOAL OF PURE LAND BUDDHISM IS REBIRTH INTO THIS REALM OF
BLISS CREATED BY BUDDHA AMITABHA.  THIS MAY BE SEEN AS LITERAL
REBIRTH INTO HIS BUDDHA-REALM AND / OR IT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AS
DIRECTLY EXPERIENCING A REALIZATION OF A MIND PURIFIED FROM
DISTRACTIONS, GREED, HATRED AND INDIFFERENCE.


THE TEACHINGS OF PURE LAND BUDDHISM RESTS ON THREE PILLARS.
THEY ARE:

1. FAITH OR CONFIDENCE IN ALL THE BUDDHAS BUT ESPECIALLY IN THE
PROMISE OF BUDDHA AMITABHA TO ENABLE FOLLOWERS TO REACH
TOTAL ENLIGHTENMENT I.E. BUDDHAHOOD.

2. ASPIRATION OR COMMITMENT TO BE REBORN IN AMITABHA'S REALM OF
BLISS AT THE TIME OF DEATH.

3. PRACTICE SINGLE MINDED EFFORT AT CONSTANTLY REMEMBERING
THE NAME OF AMITABHA.

PRAISING A BUDDHA'S VIRTUES AND KEEPING A BUDDHA IN MIND AT ALL
TIMES IS AN ANCIENT BUDDHIST PRACTICE.  IN THE PRAYUTPANNA SUTRA,
BUDDHA SHAKYAMUNI SPOKE OF PERCEIVING OR REMEMBERING THE
BUDDHAS SO THAT THE PERSON BECOMES ONE WITH ENLIGHTENED
WISDOM AND COMPASSION.

THE PRACTICES OF THE PURE LAND BUDDHIST INVOLVE READING OR
CHANTING THE SUTRAS AND VISUALISING BUDDHA AMITABHA,
BODHISATTVAS AND  AMITABHA'S BLISS REALM. BUT RECITATION OF
BUDDHA AMITABHA'S NAME IS THE CENTRAL PRACTICE.
ONE REPEATS OVER AND OVER "NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA" (HOMAGE TO
THE BUDDHA OF BOUNDLESS COMPASSION AND WISDOM" )  THIS
RECITATION MAY BE DONE SILENTLY OR ALOUD. THE AIM IS
CONCENTRATION ON AMITABHA WHICH WILL AROUSING FAITH AND
TRUST IN HIM. IT WILL ALSO BRING ABOUT A LETTING GO OF  ALL OTHER
THOUGHTS.

THIS PRACTICE OF RECITING AMITABHA’S  NAME BEARS A RESEMBLANCE
TO THE COMMON BUDDHIST PRACTICE OF REPEATEDLY OR CHANTING A
MANTRA OR SUTRA.WHICH IS  A PRACTICE FOUND IN MANY BUDDHIST
TRADITIONS.

IN FACT THE PURE LAND MASTER CHU-HUNG SAID, "THE BUDDHA- NAME IS
EQIVALENT TO UPHOLDING A MANTRA. AFTER YOU HAVE GAINED POWER
BY RECITING THE BUDDHA - NAME, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO FACE OBJECTS
WITH EQUANIMITY".  

WE ALL HAVE HABITUAL PATTERNS OF UNWISE BEHAVIORS AND
UNHELPFUL PERCEPTIONS THAT BUILD MOMENTUM IN OUR LIVES. THIS
PRACTICE OF RECITATION SLOWLY DISOLVES THEM.

IN ADDITION TO THESE PRACTICES, PURE LAND BUDDHISM TEACHES THE
SAME  FUNDEMENTAL ETHICAL PRECEPTS AND MORAL STANDARDS
COMMON TO ALL BUDDHIST.  PURE LAND ENCOURAGES VEGETARIANISM,
AND  TAKES REFUGE IN THE THREE JEWELS - BUDDHA, DHARMA AND
SANGHA.  ALL THE BASIC CONCEPTS SUCH AS KARMA, CAUSE AND
EFFECT, ACCUMULATION OF MERIT, HELPING THE NEEDY AND SO ON ARE
PART OF PURE LAND TEACHINGS.

A WONDERFUL CHARACTERISTIC OF PURELAND BUDDHISM IS THAT IT
CAN BE PRACTICED BY ANYONE OF ANY CAPACITY.  IT  PROVIDES THE
SKILLFUL MEANS FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE TO PRACTICE THE WAY OF
THE BUDDHA. THIS IN PART ACCOUNTS FOR ITS TREMENDOUS
POPULARITY. I USE THE PHRASE  "IN PART" BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW
ACCESSIBLE A PRACTICE IS IF IT DOES NOT PRODUCE POSITVE RESULTS
IT WHITHERS AND DIES. YET OVER THE CENTURIES PURELAND
TEACHINGS HAVE HELPED MEN AND WOMEN ACTUALIZE THE TEACHINGS
OF THE BUDDHA IN THEIR DAILY LIVES.

***
THE BUDDHIST FLAG

      note: An image of the Buddhist flag will take a few minutes to appear on
your electronic version of Reflections
It was in designed in 1880 by Colonel Henry Steele Olcott an American
journalist. It was first hoisted in 1885 in Sri Lanka and is a symbol of faith and
peace, and is now used throughout the world to represent Buddhism.
The five colours of the flag represent the colours of the aura that emanated
from the body of the Buddha when he attained Enlightenment.  In order (from
left to right and top to bottom ) the colors are Blue, Yellow, Red, White, and  
Orange.
Loving kindness, peace and universal compassion
The Middle Path – avoiding extremes, emptiness
Blessings of practice - achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity
Purity of Dharma - it leads to liberation, outside of time or space
The Buddha's Teaching - wisdom

***


Maha-mangala Sutta
Blessings1
This famous text, cherished highly in all Buddhist lands, is a terse but
comprehensive summary of Buddhist ethics, individual and social. The thirty-
eight blessings enumerated in it, are an unfailing guide on life's journey. …To
follow the ideals set forth in these verses, is the sure way to harmony and
progress for the individual as well as for society, nation and mankind.      Here
in this sutta we find family morality expressed in most elegant verses. We can
imagine the happy blissful state household life attained as a result of following
these injunctions." (From The Ethics of Buddhism by S. Tachibana, Colombo
1943, Buddha Sahitya Sabha).
“Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Exalted One was dwelling at
Anathapindika's monastery, in Jeta's Grove, near Savatthi. Now when the night
was far spent, a certain deity whose surpassing splendor illuminated the entire
Jeta Grove, came to the presence of the Exalted One and, drawing near,
respectfully saluted him and stood at one side. Standing thus, he addressed
the Exalted One in verse:
Pray, tell me the greatest blessing!"
[The Buddha replied:]
"Not to associate with the foolish,5 but to associate with the wise; and to honor
those who are worthy of honor — this is the greatest blessing.
To reside in a suitable locality,6 to have done meritorious actions in the past
and to set oneself in the right course7 — this is the greatest blessing.
To have much learning, to be skillful in handicraft,8 well-trained in discipline,9
and to be of good speech10 — this is the greatest blessing. To support mother
and father, to cherish wife and children, and to be engaged in peaceful
occupation — this is the greatest blessing. To be generous in giving, to be
righteous in conduct,11 to help one's relatives, and to be blameless in action —
this is the greatest blessing. To loathe more evil and abstain from it, to refrain
from intoxicants,12 and to be steadfast in virtue — this is the greatest blessing.
To be respectful,13 humble, contented and grateful; and to listen to the
Dhamma (truth) on due occasions14 — this is the greatest blessing. To be
patient and obedient, to associate with monks and to have religious discussions
on due occasions — this is the greatest blessing. Self-restraint,15 a holy and
chaste life, the perception of the Noble Truths and the realization of Nibbana —
this is the greatest blessing. A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune,16 from
sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated17 — this is the
greatest blessing. Those who thus abide, ever remain invincible, in happiness
established. These are the greatest blessings."18
Notes (Derived mainly from the Commentaries)
1. This Sutta appears in the Sutta-Nipata (v.258ff) and in the Khuddakapatha.
See Maha-mangala Jataka (No. 453). For a detailed explanation see Life's
Highest Blessing by Dr. R.L. Soni, WHEEL No. 254/256.
5. This refers not only to the stupid and uncultured, but also includes the
wicked in thought, word and deed.
6. Any place where monks, nuns and lay devotees continually reside; where
pious folk are bent on the performance of the ten meritorious deeds, and where
the truth exists as a living principle.
7. Making the right resolve for abandoning immorality for morality, faithlessness
for faith and selfishness for generosity.
8. The harmless crafts of the householder by which no living being is injured
and nothing unrighteous done; and the crafts of the homeless monk, such as
stitching the robes, etc.
9. Vinaya means discipline in thought, word and deed. The commentary speaks
of two kinds of discipline — that of the householder, which is abstinence from
the ten immoral actions (akusala-kammapatha), and that of the monk which is
the non-transgression of the offences enumerated in the Patimokkha (the code
of the monk's rules) or the 'fourfold moral purity' (catu-parisuddhi-sila).
10. Good speech that is opportune, truthful, friendly, profitable and spoken with
thoughts of loving-kindness.
11. Righteous conduct is the observance of the ten good actions (kusala-
kammapatha) in thought, word and deed: freeing the mind of greed, ill-will and
wrong views; avoiding speech that is untruthful, slanderous, abusive and
frivolous; and the non- committal acts of killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.
12. Total abstinence from alcohol and intoxicating drugs.
13. Towards monks (and of course also to the clergy of other religions),
teachers, parents, elders, superiors, etc.
14. For instance, when one is harassed by evil thoughts.
15. Self-restraint (tapo): the suppression of lusts and hates by the control of the
senses; and the suppression of indolence by the rousing of energy.
16. Loka-dhamma, i.e., conditions which are necessarily connected with life in
this world; there are primarily eight of them: gain and loss, honor and dishonor,
praise and blame, pain and joy.
17. Each of these three expressions refers to the mind of the arahant: asoka:
sorrowless; viraja: stainless, i.e., free from lust, hatred and ignorance; khema:
security from the bonds of sense desires (kama), repeated existence (bhava),
false views (ditthi) and ignorance (avijja).
18. The above-mentioned thirty-eight blessings.
***


Contact Us!
REFLECTIONS is seeking submissions. Everyone is invited to contribute.
Submission topics can include but are not limited to the following:
Letters to the Editor and suggestions
Poetry ( any style)
Articles about your spiritual journey and reflections
Buddhist thoughts on  a contemporary movie or novel or other book
Review of Buddhist Literature ( books magazines etc.)
Information on Buddhist resources and area events
Deadlines for submission are as follows;
Summer issue:  ( theme is Non-violence )                 July 15, 2007
Fall issue:         ( theme is community  building )     October 15, 2007
Winter 2008 issue     ( theme – to be announced)     January 15, 2008

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"This E-Mag’s purpose is to nurture the Buddhist practice of reflection and
contemplation. It is  sponsored by the Buddhist Sangha of Bucks County,
however opinions of the authors and contributors are not to be construed as
official policies or positions of the Bucks County Buddhist Sangha unless clearly
and expressly stated to be so.

REFLECTIONS
The quarterly E-Magazine of the Bucks County Buddhist Sangha
Three disciplines to progress on the Buddhist path are study, reflection and meditation.

Winter Issue February 2007                                    Vol. I  Issue 1



Table of contents

Articles        

Editors Comments:
So this is the first issue of  REFLECTIONS the Buddhist Sangha of Bucks
County’ s quarterly e-mag. Hope you enjoy it. It, like all newborns, will grow and
mature with time. Of course it needs your help. We are looking to you to
contribute to your e-magazine. So be sure to check out the section called
Contact Us!



From the President’s Pen
             By Jim Hild, BSBC President
Food for Thought - Understanding the Dharma is more than readings and
discussions!
Why do I feel that I am living in two different worlds sometimes?  I have been
actively studying the Dharma now for over six years - not that long of a time, to
say the least.  But the time I have put in to this study, has proved to be very
beneficial to me in my spiritual growth, but then has it? Recently I came across
the following passage while exploring new ideas with my practice that caused
me to think more about what I am doing with my spiritual life in general, or is
there a difference between a one’s spiritual life and life itself? :  
“Our present understanding and experience of Dharma is quite superficial. We
are like someone who has entered a huge food store and seen many things but
sampled only a few. We may have received many different teachings from many
different Teachers, but we have taken in very little,
just a few morsels.  There is a gap between us and the Dharma. It feels as if
Dharma is there and we are here. Our mind is not mixed with Dharma and so we
cannot apply it in our daily lives. As a result our ordinary everyday problems
remain. We also find it difficult to integrate our spiritual path into our daily lives
and so we cannot use this Dharma to solve our daily problems.  When we study
Dharma our mind remains passive, like someone watching television. Therefore
our daily life and our Dharma remain completely separate and unrelated.  Why
is this? It is because we are not studying and practicing systematically
according to a specially designed spiritual program. If we just dabble
superficially in a spiritual path we will never gain a deep and stable experience,
and our wisdom will never develop to its full potential. This is why the spiritual
programs offered by the New Kadampa Tradition are so important." -Geshe
Kelsang Gyatso
This started me thinking that while I have been actively studying the Dharma, I
am not really integrating it into my life, in a way that it would really be a benefit
to me.  While I am not advocating the New Kadampa tradition here, I do
understand what Geshe Kelsang Gyatso is saying.  It is not the first time this
idea has been part of my thinking, but up until recently, I have done exactly
what Geshe has stated “Our mind is not mixed with Dharma and so we cannot
apply it in our daily lives. ..... Therefore our daily life and our Dharma remain
completely separate and unrelated.”  So what is this Dharma that I am studying,
and how do I integrate into my life, really?  

Dharma has been defined as a “preventive measure”. It's something that we do
in order to avoid problems, not just correct them.  I have become more and
more aware of the fact that I tend to pick and choose when to apply the

Dharma to my life, sort of like taking an aspirin when I have a headache.  But
why do I do this, if the Dharma can be more that just an aspirin, why can’t I just
apply it to everything I do – preventative and corrective?  The practice of
Dharma is not just to feel good, or to have something to do on Monday
evenings, or to be trendy, or anything like that. The practice of Dharma, as I
understand it, is intended to help me (us) get rid of our problems, completely!

One of the most important points in Buddhism I have come to understand has
been to realize that my problems that I experience arise from causes. It's not
that they're there because of no cause at all. The source of these problems is
within me - my Karma!  My problems are not external or caused by someone
else.   I must find the source of my own suffering that is within me, which leads
back me to my original statement of feeling that I am living in two different
worlds.  This is the delusion.  In reality, I am only living in one world - the world
of the moment.  Therefore, I must find the source of my delusion and
intellectually, I believe it to be my unwillingness to let go of those things maintain
my “self”.  
I am probably correct when I say that progress is never linear; it goes up and
down and up and down. This is one of the main characteristics of samsara, and
it's not just talking about higher and lower rebirths. Going up and down also
refers to everyday life. Now I feel happy; now I feel unhappy. Our moods go up
and down. Now, I feel like practicing, now I don’t feel like practicing -- that goes
up and down all the time.  So I am guessing that my practice goes the same
way. It doesn’t mean that I have been a terrible practitioner. It’s just natural,
given the reality of our samsaric condition. What do you think?
that fallen flower
returning to the branch
was a butterfly
                    (Moritake) *

Nothing ends with you ---
every leaf on the ground
remembering root
(Corman)*

*Taken from The Unswept Path a collection of contemporary American Haiku

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Words of the Buddha:
Every fool who is born
Has an axe within his mouth
With which he cuts himself
When he uses wrong speech
Sn 657
Speak kind words, words
Rejoiced at and welcomed
Words that bear ill-will to none;
Always speak kindly to others.
Sn. 452
The worse of the two is he
Who, when abused retaliates.
One who does not retaliate
Wins a battle hard to win.
S. I. 162
The fool thinks he has won a battle
When he bullies with harsh speech
But knowing how to be forbearing
Alone makes one victorious.
S. I. 163

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The following is an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hahn’s book The Diamond that
Cuts through Illusion:
He uses “oil” to mean the Dharma or Buddhist teachings and “the water” to
mean Western society.  
If Westerners bring into their society an exotic expression of Buddhism, thinking
that this particular form of Buddhism is the only true Buddhism, the oil will never
dissolve into the water. Buddhism will only succeed here if it is built from your
own experiences and with your own cultural ingredients. If you practice in
exactly the same way we practice in Vietnam, Tibet, Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka,
Japan, or Korea, the oil drops will always remain separate from the water. As
Western Buddhists, please use the many elements of your culture to weave the
fabric of Buddhadharma.”


BUDDHIST LIGHT
Throw Me a Paddle – I’m Meditating!
                                                     By Dan Lee

“Someone without diligence – He is like
a boatman whose boat
has everything but oars.”
                                        ---- Jigme Lingpa

None of us want to find ourselves up the Buddhist path without a paddle.
Oarless we end up stuck along the shore line going no where. So there is a
need for diligence in practice. This is not new News. It is a simple principle
necessary for any spiritual path. But frequent reminders to “keep on keeping
on” are sometimes the helpful nudge forward we need.

This is particularly true with meditation.  Because in addition to the hurdles of
scheduling, boredom and need for effort there is the uneasiness (especially in
the beginning) toward the deep intimacy with yourself that meditation
engenders.  Meditation is an extremely personal experience. Trungpa Rinpoche
referred to it as making friends with yourself.  

As we meditate we gently come face to face with the deepest corners of our
personalities. Whether we are comfortable with or forgiving of what those
corners contain does not matter. We still are greeted by them and get to know
them well. Feelings of all kinds,
doubts, quirks and habits --- the whole ball of wax that make us, us - including
the parts we resist examining - slowly appear stark naked in our
consciousness.  Overtime mediation wears down our inner defenses. We have
spent a life time erecting partitions to divide and categorize the varied aspects
of your lives. Meditation naturally dismantles them. It steadily erodes those
partitions leaving us with an ever increasingly clear view of ourselves.

Since there is no bottom to the well of who we are– no end to what we can learn
about ourselves - this process is ongoing. It is the same for the beginning
mediator and the well experienced. Hence the need for diligence. For as we
continue day after day with our meditation we develop what one teacher refers
to as “ a sense of sympathy toward ourselves” We become increasingly more
open and relaxed with the chaos, inconsistencies and  variety of characteristics
that comprise each of us.  What we once looked upon as negative we learn to
view with gentle curiosity and humor. We let go of the fretting and our constant
resolutions to reform. We can smile at who we are and truly deeply embrace
with love every nook and cranny of our complex personality. In so doing with
ever increasing clarity we intuitively understand our connectedness to all
creation. Also there is an ever widening openness toward all of life’s  
experiences – a loud enthusiastic “YES” toward whatever comes our way
because we are no longer concerned about are ability to successfully with
contentment and joy navigate life’s events. We can thoroughly live each
moment with its joys and pains without fear or internalized conflict.

The trick is maintaining diligence. Stay with the habit of meditation. Make your
practice consistent. There is no such thing as a good or bad meditation
session. They are all part of the process.  Diligence in the Buddhist sense is not
gritting your teeth and white knuckling your way through it. The word most often
translated from the Sanskrit as diligence or effort carries the sense of effort
taken in anticipation of something terrific. Think of the effort required to step out
of a warm bed into a cold cabin in order to build a fire and cook breakfast. You
have to do it if you are going to spend that fun day hiking in the snow.  Or when
you find yourself carrying more things than you need while sweating and
struggling across the hot sand anticipating a day at the ocean relaxing in the
sun and water. The diligence we are after is effort put forth in anticipation of the
happy fruits of our meditating. It is not a have to or else come hell or high water
mentality.

None of us on this journey of meditation row our boats with absolute
consistency and navigate a flawless straight line across to the other shore. But
we do paddle with our eyes in the right direction. Sometimes we find ourselves
slacking off for long periods of time, doubting meditation’s value, or just not
putting forth the effort. Sometimes we face a grief or disappointment or physical
pain or one of life’s turmoils and we forget all we have learned and fall back on
old habits that are less than helpful.  In those moments meditation goes out the
window. But something reawakens in us and we return again and again to the
meditation seat. Each time we do it is with new determination and a deep sense
that we are in it for the long haul.  It is at those moments we are placing the oar
of diligence in the water and continuing the journey to the other shore.

So if we are meditating daily with the consistency of an Atomic clock but know
we want to increase the length of time or if we have not meditated in many
weeks; we can smile and gently say to ourselves, “Self, throw me an oar I am
meditating” The object is to continue nudging ourselves forward never fretting
for a moment over a missed opportunity for to attend a retreat or slacking off on
our meditation. Fretting and discouragement are a waste of time. Just grab for
the oar and start afresh.

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BOOK REVIEW
The Best Buddhist Writing 2006,
edited by Melvin Mcleod,
published by Shambhala Press

Every year Mr. McLeod and his staff publish a book of exceptional articles by
Buddhist authors. This year’s collection is phenomenal. It will tremendously
inspire and impact your journey.

McLeod writes in his introduction that when Buddhism arrives in a new culture
“... It sheds its previous cultural trappings so its timeless wisdom can take on a
new indigenous forms that are skillful and appropriate …”  American Buddhism
he continues will do the same eventually and  “… be truly and fully American .”

I  confess this is music to my ears. I very often am impatient and frustrated with  
what can seem to me to be an endless bombardment of innumerable practice
methods that represent Asian culture as well as  terms, words  and labels in
foreign languages that do not relate to me with my American ( English speaking
)  roots. Yet this book gave me a deep appreciation for the beauty with which
Buddha’s wisdom reaches us through old paths from other continents and how
slowly but magnificently American  Buddhism  emerges and teaches.

This collection of 33 articles ranging from 3 to 19 pages in length is perfect for
reading during those short free moments. Sometimes they are the only
moments for reading that   we can set aside during our busy schedules.

Every reader will have their own favorite articles. Mine included a mother
turning hair braiding into a meditation, a Roshi contemplating the place of doubt
on the Spiritual path , a mother’s response to her four year old’s question –
“what is  death Mommy?”, as well as the Rinpoche’s teaching on how ego plays
tricks on us. Another of my favorites is Thich Nhat Hahn’s vision for the 21st
century. This vision calls for loving communities of all types – from the local
Buddhist Sangha to the community of nations.

To say this book is worth your while is an understatement .  Oh and by the way
there is a copy on the BSBC library.



A Taste of the Sangha
                                    By Richard Baron
When I think about what it means to be a member of my Sangha, I look back at
the other Sanghas to which I once belonged. Sanghas can take many forms,
from a group that occasionally practices together, a group that has formed a
practice center, to a Sangha with many centers. I like to think that all Sanghas,
no matter their size and no matter the practice method and tradition, form a
worldwide Sangha. I’ve belonged to three different Sanghas. Each one has
been important to me in its own unique way, but they have all been important to
me in similar ways too. Two of those Sanghas were just groups of people who
practiced together occasionally. My current Sangha, the Philadelphia
Shambhala Center, belongs to a larger worldwide mandala of centers.

Nonetheless, however different they have been, all three Sanghas have kept
me honest. Sometimes when I sit alone, instead of returning to the breath, I
keep returning to thoughts of snacks. Since I’m alone, it’s easy to get away with
getting up and snacking instead of just sitting out the thoughts of snacking.
Then, as long as I’m snacking, I’ll watch a little TV and end up getting lost in the
TV.

Yet belonging to a Sangha gives me the opportunity to sit with others. When we’
re sitting together, I don’t want to be that “bad practitioner” who leaves his seat
to escape his thoughts; who leaves, for instance, to get a snack and watch TV!  
So I’ll sit, working with my crazy thoughts of hunger, boredom and impatience: “I
don’t like being stuck here,” “I wish I could just get up and get a snack,” and “I
wish we would all go get a snack and watch TV together.”  Of course, we don’t—
and therefore I don’t. I sit, and sit, and sit, and sit some more. And that’s my
point: in this situation, if I had been sitting alone, I wouldn’t have stayed at my
seat. Everyone sitting around me strengthens my resolve to continue sitting
while I’m also strengthening his or her resolve as well. The effect of
strengthening each other’s resolve feels as if we are multiplying the energy
arising from our sitting.

Staying at my seat keeps me from escaping. It forces me to give myself the
chance to witness my thoughts, to witness my needless suffering, and it gives
me raw material to work with. Pema Chodron says this material is “fishy” and
“smelly”: it’s that palpable. I deliciously rotting before me: haven’t escaped to my
snack and TV. (By now, it should be obvious that I do indeed often sit and work
with thoughts of and cravings for snacks and TV. They are some of my
individual issues that take me away from the present.)

My current Sangha holds regular practice sessions, programs, feasts, and even
simple potlucks. I’m grateful for all of these—even for the simple potlucks. They
are warm, inviting, inclusive gatherings where the members join in a spiritual
embrace. They are a family to me: not the family that I was born into, but the
family I’ve chosen.  I have people who share my spiritual and social aspirations
to improve our world. I don’t know
of many other groups that so deliberately return me again and again to where I
am right now—to this precious present, to this precious life.
I also volunteer at the Center; whether it’s composing an announcement or
sweeping the floor. At times, sweeping the floor at the Center has an almost
sweet taste—
ideally, sweeping should taste sweet anywhere and everywhere—but I’ll be easy
on myself and aspire to enjoying this taste someday in the future.

Speaking of tastes, I unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) have to attend to
some fish, . . .
                    

FREE BUDDHIST RESOURCES  
ON LINE FREE BUDDHIST JOURNALS AND MAGS

Here are a few free study  resources. These online magazines are full of
incredible tools and information. They can be had at no cost just by going to the
web sites and signing up. Check them out for yourselves.


1. The Journal of Global Buddhism
http://www.globalbuddhism.org/
In all respects, this journal  functions as a traditional scholarly journal.
The Journal of Global Buddhism publishes material on an ongoing rather than a
periodic basis, eliminating any backlog between acceptance and publication. It
is worth signing up to get it.

2. The Journal of Buddhist Ethics
http://www.buddhistethics.org/index.html
This is the first journal dedicated entirely to Buddhist ethics. Articles as well as
discussions and critical notes submitted to the journal are subject to blind peer
review. It is sent free of charge on a quarterly basis.

3. ZEN UNBOUND
http://www.zenunbound.com
It is an outspoken Buddhist Ezine  Out spoken and a bit eccentric it is worth a
look  

4. SHENPEN OSEL
E-mail address: ltashi.shenpenosel@verizon.net
http://www.shenpen-osel.org
Shenpen Ösel is a tri-annual publication of Kagyu Shenpen Ösel Chöling
(KSOC), a center for the study and practice of Tibetan vajrayana Buddhism
located in Seattle,
Washington. The magazine seeks to present the teachings of recognized and
fully qualified lamas and teachers.

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MEDITATION ON AN IMPERMANENT BUDDHA
By Betty Steckman

A friend gave me a Buddha statuette for Christmas. It looks like Avalokitesvara,
with a feminine face and graceful seated figure. Her left hand holds a vessel of
some sort; her right hand points downward, open palm out. Some kind of plant
is tucked behind her right arm—a lotus bud, maybe? She is gold-leafed, so
thinly that the dark substrate shows through a bit, giving her an antique look.
The workmanship is rather coarse, the details somewhat blurry, but
nonetheless it is an attractive little sculpture.

    “Bet you don’t know what it’s made of,” my friend teased me. The figurine
was rather heavy for its size. I turned it over. The bottom was ungilded and
dark, almost black. Some sort of resin, perhaps?

    “It’s chocolate,” she said.

    My friend, an inveterate shopper, has outdone herself in creative
appropriateness. But it’s one thing to gnaw the ears off a chocolate Easter
bunny and quite another to bite off the Buddha’s head. I’m faced with an
interesting subject for meditation; a dilemma. I sit and ponder. I’m charmed by
the little boddhisatva with her threadbare gilding. Eat her??

The Buddha is a figure of respect. As Avalokitesvara or Kwan Yin, she is the
personification of compassion. Compassion is a good thing. I want to have more
of it. Besides, in the Boddhisatva vows, I have frequently vowed to save all
beings, haven’t I? If I eat a being, I haven’t saved it.

On the other hand, this little figurine is chocolate. Chocolate is to be eaten—
that’s what it’s for. It’s not a “being,” it’s a snack. All things are impermanent,
and in my house chocolate is even more impermanent than most things. So why
not let her merge into the great chain of being by becoming a part of me? I will
try not to become too attached to either the statuette or to the pound of
adipose tissue it will become.

Ah, of course. “If you meet a chocolate Buddha on the road, eat him.”


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Some of your hurts you have cured
And the sharpest you still have survived
But what torments of grief you endured
From evils which never arrived
                                                            Ralph Waldo Emerson                    
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My Experience at a Zen Retreat                               
                            By  Edna  Telpa
In late August, 2006, I attended a silent retreat at the St. Raffaella Center in
Haverford, Pa. sponsored by the Philadelphia Meditation Society.  The
presenter was John Orr, a Buddhist and yoga instructor from Duke University in
Durham, N.C.    Our meditation and instruction began on Friday evening, after a
light dinner, continued throughout the day and evening on Saturday, and
ended in mid-afternoon on Sunday.  The setting at St Raffaella is suburban,
spacious, and peaceful, providing an ideal environment for meditation and
contemplation.

John Orr, a knowledgeable and engaging leader, alternated periods of
meditation with those of instruction during the workshop.  Most of our meditation
periods were about 40 to 45 minutes long, thought they seemed shorter.  He
began with some simple instructions on sitting posture, stressing the value of
looking for balance between comfort and attention.  We were encouraged to be
flexible, malleable, and open to whatever presented itself.  This led into a
discussion of one of the major themes examined during the weekend:
contraction, a condition that often accompanies the arising of a non-neutral
thought.  John stated that trying to control anything (i.e. our thoughts) creates
tension or contraction.  This can be experienced physically as a tightening in
the chest.  According to John, one doesn’t need to try to change this feeling,
but rather to switch the focus of our attention or our awareness to this tension.  
If this doesn’t relax it, switch the attention to a more neutral area or object.  The
aim, in meditation, is always to bring your attention to your most predominant
occurrence of the moment, rather than seizing or contracting around a
particular sensation.  Resisting a condition or sensation (aversion) creates
suffering, so we were encouraged to refrain from pushing against the reality of
our experience.  Rather, we were asked to be present with it, and to look at
what we were thinking with kindness, curiosity, and compassion.  In other words,
we were to be present with whatever was without judging it.

Another important instruction grew out of the previous ideas; it was the idea that
HOW
we react  to experiences is more important than the event  itself.  With
reference to this idea, John used the term “access concentration”, meaning, an
easy flow without distortion of objects of body and mind.  By compassionately
watching our words, actions and feelings, we can allow them to exist in their raw
state, observe them, and let them go.  We can respond rather than react to
them or judge them.  This allows for a more neutral contemplation of our
behavior and a greater opportunity to alter it if we think that would be
appropriate.  

The importance of being aware of when we are moving into a contracted state
was stressed. Contraction usually signifies fear, and this fear is often evidence
of a karmic pattern or knot that needs to be loosened or unraveled by giving it
attention and awareness.  This repeated awareness helps to identify karmic
patterns or areas of habitual reactivity.  In meditation, one strives to bring more
spaciousness to the contracted state,
12

that is, to be non-reactive.  Just allowing it to be, and observing it
dispassionately, will allow it to dissolve and eventually cease. We were
instructed to breathe in, “I’m aware of the fear” and breathe out, “I’m smiling at
the fear.”  In working with contraction, the aim is to avoid becoming caught in its
energy, or in short, ignorance.
Many other fine points and details leading to self-awareness, too numerous to
mention here, were discussed during the weekend.  John also offered private
consultations with those who had personal questions.  It was, in all, a very
worthwhile investment in time. One very positive result was the following: we
were encouraged to become aware of our thoughts while meditating, and I
found that, in addition to being able to do this during the workshop, I was able
to continue it at all times for several days after returning home from the
weekend.  My entire perspective seemed to open up and become clearer.  I
would encourage anyone who is able to attend weekend retreats periodically.  
They offer opportunities for growth and learning that one can’t access while
enmeshed in our daily lives within our homes and attendant responsibilities.  
For a small investment in time, they reap disproportionately generous rewards.

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Hearing Buddha’s words
I stop ignorant grasping
Occasionally
                                                            Dan Lee


Library Notes From Louise

  Thanks to the contributions of many people, our Sangha library continues to
expand. Materials in the bookcase in the Social Hall are for anyone who attends
the Sangha to borrow. We operate on an honor system, so please be mindful of
the books and tapes and return so others may enjoy. thanks!

 The Sangha library includes a wide variety of books on topics related to
Buddhism and Buddhist practice. We have many books by well-known Buddhist
writers, -- Pema Chodron, Jack Kornfield, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, and
Sylvia Boorstein, to name a few.
 Some recent new titles include:
 * The Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery by Jan Willem
van de Wetering
 * Buddhist Acts of Compassion compiled and edited by Pamela Bloom
 * Zen and the Art of Fatherhood by Steven Lewis
 * The World of Tibetan Buddhism and The Wisdom of Forgiveness by the Dalai
Lama   
13

* Creating True Peace and The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching by Thich Nhat
Hanh
 * The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying  by Sogyal Rinpoche
 * Letting Go of the Person You Used to Be.: Lessons on Change, Loss, and
Spiritual Transformation  by Lama Surya Das
 * Instructions to the Cook: A Zen Master’s Lessons in Living a Life That
Matters by Bernard Glassman & Rick Fields
 * What Would Buddha Do? 101 Answers to Life’s Daily Dilemmas by Franz
Metcalf
 *Women’s Buddhism, Buddhism’s Women: Tradition, Revision, Renewal edited
by Ellison Banks Findly

 We also have several different translations of The Dhammapada, so please
check us out!

Kwan Yin. The beautiful statue of Kwan Yin in our library is on loan from Judy
Henderson. In some Buddhist traditions, Kwan Yin (also known as Quan Shi Yin,
Kuan Yin, or Guan Yin) is a Bodhisattva considered the personification of
compassion and kindness, most often represented as a white-robed goddess.

 There is still much scholarly debate regarding the origin of devotion to the
female Bodhisattva Kwan Yin. “Quan” means to inquire or look deeply into, “Shi”
means the world of people, or generations, “Yin” means cries. The Boddhisatva
of Compassion promises to look into the suffering (cries) of all beings. Kwan Yin
is considered to be the feminine form of Avalokitesvara (Sanskrit), the
Bodhisattva of compassion whose worship was introduced into China in the
third century.

 Although Kwan Yin was still being portrayed as a male as late as the tenth
century, with the introduction of Tantric Buddhism into China in the eighth
century during the T'ang Dynasty, the image of the celestial bodhisattva as a
beautiful white-robed woman was predominant and the devotional cult
surrounding her became increasingly popular. By the ninth century there was a
statue of Kwan Yin in every Buddhist monastery in China.

 Traditionally, among Chinese Buddhists, the personage of Kwan Yin is highly
revered as the principle of compassion, mercy and love (Chinese Buddhism
derives from Mahayana Buddhism).

 Because she symbolizes compassion, in East Asia Kwan Yin is associated with
vegetarianism. Chinese vegetarian restaurants are generally decorated with
her image, and she appears in most Buddhist vegetarian pamphlets and
magazines.

 The Tea House in the Classical Chinese Gardens in Portland, Oregon,
features a statue of Kwan Yin on a beautifully decorated and colorful altar. If
you’re in Portland, don’t miss this wonderful tea house.



TAKE YOUR MEDITATION
             By Monk  Pastrama Onarye*
Buddha has said that life is suffering. Another way to translate this truth is to
say  “life is dis-ease”  Nothing seems to go quiet right. Every good experience is
impermanent.
We are like an ostrich with blistered feet trying to walk across a balance beam.
It is impossible to maintain a constant  balance and harmony. We have a dis-
ease. And what should you do when you are lying around suffering from dis-
ease? First get a diagnosis. In this case you are suffering from  Zippety  do do
do do do dah dis-ease – to much  doing and  not enough being. You need a
cure containing vitamin –Be.  The prescribed cure must always without  fail and
constantly . You must always take your meditation!  Too many people suffer
needlessly because they  refuse to take their meditation.  And  be sure to take
it until your prescription runs out. Of course it has been prescribed for all of
beginningless time. If  you forget one day – be sure to get your dose of
meditation the next.

Now this dis-ease is a stubborn virus. So it is necessary to now and again plunk
your dis-eased behind into a center where they administer large doses of  
meditation. There they  not only  treat your  dis-ease but they re-treat it as well
--- over and over  and over again with lots of meditation for as many days as
you want.. You swallow hard and take it. These re-treatment centers are
especially helpful in fighting dis-ease. And each and every one of us should
seek them out.

I know what I am talking about. As a monk with years of experience with dis-
ease,  I have been given the responsibility by  my fellow monks  of  tending the
back  door to our monastery.   I therefore am the keeper of the  Monk  Key.  By
tradition it must be carried on my back. I will tell you it is not easy spending your
life with  a Monk Key on your back. But daily doses of meditation help me put it  
in perspective. This Monk Key is only for this life time -  if I can only keep that in
sight. So the key thing is to keep in sight your daily doses of meditation.  Sit
down and take your meditation! The more often you do the better!

                            * Monk Pastrama Onarye is the pen name for a fictional
ghost writer of an absolutely non-existent sentient being living locally
somewhere in the universe. This being is from the fishy school of Buddhism
known as  “A Bunch of Carp” Buddhism whose main tenant is “Emptiness
applies to the head”



Contact Us!
REFLECTIONS is seeking submissions on topic of interest related to Buddhism
for future issues.  Everyone is invited to contribute. Submissions topics can
include but are not limited to the following:
Letters to the Editor
Poetry ( any style)
15

Articles about your personal experiences along your spiritual journey
Articles reflecting on Buddhist teachings
Buddhist thoughts or messages within a contemporary movie or novel
Review of Buddhist Literature ( books magazines etc.)
Information on Buddhist resources and area events
Articles on any of the themes  for future issues of this e-magazine – check
below for the schedule of themes

Deadlines for submission are as follows;
Spring issue:     ( theme is Buddhist Ethics )             April 15, 2007
Summer issue:  ( theme is Non-violence )                 July 15, 2007
Fall issue:         ( theme is community  building )     October 15, 2007
Winter issue     ( theme – to be announced)               January 15, 2008

SEND SUBMISSIONS TO:
BSBC19067@aol.com   using the subject title of REFLECTIONS
or
mail to BSBC C/O 2227 Polo Run Dr. Yardley, Pa. 19067

Also use the above email address to sign up friends who want to receive
REFLECTIONS on a regular basis.