Being Lamps Unto Ourselves
I finally worked up the nerve to write an introduction to the Heart Sutra -- a very brief, beginner-level introduction. I recall that I had committed the sutra to memory before anyone explained any part of it to me. I hate to think how long it took for me to figure out who that guy "Shariputra" was.
The Heart Sutra is part of the much larger Prajnaparamita (perfection of wisdom) Sutra, which is a collection of about 40 sutras. Various legends claim these sutras were spoken by the historical Buddha and lost to mankind for centuries. According to one story I've heard, the sutras were guarded by nagas in an undersea cave and then entrusted to the sage Nagarjuna.
However, historians say the prajna sutras were composed by several authors between 100 BCE and 500 CE, as were most of the Mahayana sutras. Reference books don't all agree, but generally historians seem to think the Lotus and Vimalakirti sutras were composed around 200 CE, and the Diamond Sutra about 400 CE. The vast Flower Garland (Avatamsaka) probably took at least a couple of centuries to write, beginning no earlier than the 1st century CE. And so on.
When Monks Attack: Anti-Christian Violence in Asia
A few days ago some photos popped up on the Web that allegedly shows Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka attacking a Christian church. I can't tell what they're doing from the photos, but eyewitness accounts say that protesters threw stones and petroleum bombs at the church after two women died at an evangelical faith healing service.
No one was hurt, and the local Buddhist temple denies any involvement. But this episode points to an increase in violence against Christian churches in Asia. The National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka complained in 2004 that more than 140 churches had been forced to close because of attacks, intimidation and threats.
Virtual Dharma War
At Tricycle, Zenshin Michael Haederle writes about online bickering among Buddhists. In particular, there have been a few online flame wars that involved Buddhist teachers. For example, a couple of Zen teachers used their blogs to challenge each others' teaching credentials. Sad.
[Update: See Jaime McLeod's comment that Haederle misrepresented this specific situation.]
Anyone who has ever participated in online discussions has seen them melt down into nasty personal attacks. Buddhist online discussions seem about as likely to do this as any other, unfortunately. Online culture can be so nasty I think some people throw in insults because they think it's expected.
Shaolin Temple Website Hacked
Twice this month, critics of Shi Yongxin, the abbot of China's fabled Shaolin Temple, have hacked the temple's website. The critics accuse the abbot of running a commercial enterprise instead of a Buddhist temple.
Shaolin, first built in the 5th century CE, is thought to be the birthplace of Chinese Kung Fu as well as Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism. The temple was sacked in the late 1960s during the Cultural Revolution, but martial arts clubs around the world donated money to bring it back to life. Critics complain today's Shaolin is more a commercial enterprise than a temple, and that the abbot is more interested in promoting tourism, books, films, television programs and affiliate "temples" than in spiritual practice.
I'm Off to Sesshin
I'll be on retreat until Sunday night. In the meantime, please check out the Buddhism forum!
Also, check out "Cultivating Her Faith" by Zen T.C. Zheng in the Houston Chronicle. It's a profile of the Rev. Myokei Caine-Barrett, the first woman Nichiren Shu priest in North America.
Walking Away From Buddhism
Every now and then I trip over an article about Buddhism in which someone says he or she "tried" Buddhism and rejected it. Almost inevitably the article reveals that the writer's understanding of Buddhism is laughably superficial.
I found a good example of the "rejection of Buddhism" genre today. The author, whose name is Jake Shannon, at least has read Walpola Rahula's What the Buddha Taught and has a little cognitive understanding of some basic teachings. But Shannon makes the tiresomely common misunderstanding that anatta is a teaching of non-existence.
He writes, "To the Buddha, the self or Atman (ego) was an ever-changing composite of the Five Aggregates, namely matter sensations, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness. For Buddha, since these five composites were in flux, they somehow ceased to exist."
Meditation and Gamma Waves
The Irish Medical Times reports that Professor Billy O'Connor, a neuroscientist, is the new Professor of Physiology at the new Graduate Entry Medical School (GEMS) at the University of Limerick. The article about Professor O'Connor reports that "experiments on Tibetan Buddhist monks have shown a correlation between transcendental mental states and gamma waves."
I don't know about "transcendental" mental states, but gamma waves are brain waves associated with perception and consciousness.
Neuroscience tells us the brain is plastic, Professor O'Connor says. It is constantly re-wiring itself. Your brain is a work in progress. "We have a constantly changing brain in a constantly changing world." So meditate away; it's good for your brain.
Finding a Buddhist Teacher
At Shambhala Sun, Karen Maezen Miller has some great advice for finding a teacher. Here are some highlights:
- "Teachers can be charming, entertaining and provocative, but if you choose based on anything other than the vigor and authenticity of their practice, you will surely be misled."
Most of us seek out teachers because we're looking for someone to give us something we think we don't have. Second-rate teachers and charlatans encourage their followers to think that way. My first teacher, the late John Daido Loori, used to tell us he had nothing to give us. But Daido was a walking manifestation of vigorous practice. Daido was a great teacher.
- "Choose a teacher who has time for you and a practice center you can get to, or your spiritual life might be little more than intellectual tourism."
Buddhist Doctrines vs. Dogmas
I cringed a bit when I stumbled onto a religion forum discussing the proposition "Buddhism is compatible with any other religious belief: Why or why not?" However, most of the responses are well informed, I thought. I especially liked this response (and the LOLcat signature line).
Several of the commenters emphasize the role of dogma in the Abrahamic religions and observe that Buddhism generally is "softer" about doctrines, letting people come to their own understanding of many issues. This is generally true, but I think it's important to remind ourselves why it is true.
Of Gods and, Well, Other Gods
People standing outside Buddhism and looking in often comment that for an allegedly nontheistic religion it has a lot of gods. Which I suppose is true, but Buddhist "gods" aren't gods as most Westerners understand the word.
There's a book review in the Sri Lanka Sunday Times that discusses the distinction from a Theravadin perspective. The book is Gods in Buddhism - Origin, Function and Relevance by Professor M.M.J. Marasinghe. The most important point, I think, comes at the very end of the review. In most religions and cultures, "gods" are beings with special powers and abilities who can help or harm humans. Much of the function of religion amounts to pleasing or appeasing these beings in order to receive favor and blessings from them.