PART III

Living Buddhism

Sand, breeze, and sun
Join with primeval sea
To synthesize as one
Experience of unity
—C. Alexander Simpkins

The sea of Buddhism is vast and deep, yet you must search within to discover it. Everything you do reflects the wisdom of Buddha, as every drop of water is a drop of the same essence as the waters of the ocean. Draw your inspiration from the same wellspring that has nourished generations of buddhas and bodhisattvas. Now, plunge into your inner nature, a nature shared by all. With this experience comes a wonderful sense of unity, well-being, and calm.

CHAPTER 10

Meditation: Beginning with
Your Own Mind

It is the readiness of the mind that is wisdom.
—Shunryu Suzuki, Soto Zen master

Wisdom begins with awareness, and awareness can be enhanced with meditation. Meditation will help you gain both the control and release of mental processes, leading to your own understanding of enlightenment.

There are two distinct types of meditation, each offering a pathway to enlightenment: dhyana, meditation to clear the mind; and prajna, meditation to fill the mind. The two methods are best performed in conjunction with each other. The Lotus Sutra states this principle of needing two forms:

The Buddha while dwelling in Mahayana used the transcendental power of the dhyana and prajna which he had realized to liberate living beings from birth and death. . . . The practice of dhyana alone, while wisdom is disregarded [causes] stupidity, and the practice of wisdom (prajna) alone, while dhyana is disregarded, causes infatuation. (Luk 1991, 111)

The T’ien t’ai patriarch Chih-i taught that the meditative practice of clearing the mind should be balanced by filling the mind in equal proportions. He said, “This twin realization is like the wheels of a cart and the two wings of a bird. Partial practice of them is wrong” (Luk 1991, 111).

We offer several variations of each technique, drawn from many Buddhist traditions. You will find some methods of meditation easier than others. Experiment with the different forms and notice your reactions. Allow time for your skills to develop. Choose the variation that works best for you, or do them all.

GETTING STARTED

Pick a time when you will be undisturbed for at least five minutes. You will no doubt increase the duration of your meditation later; what is most important now is that you begin to do it. In today’s fast-paced world, people often feel they just don’t have enough time to fit meditating into their schedules, but most of us can find a few free minutes here and there.

Find a relatively quiet place. At first sounds may be distracting; later, you won’t notice them. Many people have a room or an area set aside for meditation. Having a meditation corner may in fact help you to get in the mood. You might burn pleasant-smelling incense, hang a picture of Buddha or another inspiring image on the wall, or place a statue nearby. All of these are optional enhancements. Keep in mind that the essential component is you and your willingness to try.

Meditation is traditionally done sitting on the floor, perhaps on a meditation pillow If you are able to sit comfortably on the floor, do so. If not, sit on a low bench or in a chair. Where and exactly how you sit should not interfere with your meditation. Buddha did not believe in taking a restrictive meditation posture. Be comfortable. Sit cross-legged or in a half-lotus position (one foot is brought up to rest on the other leg).

Misty Evening. China, Ch’ing dynasty, Ink on silk, hanging scroll, seventeenth century. Donor unknown, San Diego Museum of Art

There are several classic ways to hold your hands. One is to sit with one hand resting palm up on the other in your lap, thumbs lightly touching. Another is to let each hand rest comfortably on each knee, palms down. A third position is to rest your hands on your legs, palm up with the thumb and index finger touching.

DHYANA: MEDITATIONS TO CLEAR THE MIND

The untrained mind jumps from thought to thought, often causing a seesaw of emotional reactions. A calm mind can perceive clearly and is capable of flexibly coping with life’s inevitable challenges. You can learn to tame the “monkey mind” by practicing these three forms of dhyana.

Dhyana: Clearing the Mind Meditation I

Begin your meditation by concentrating on your breathing. Close your eyes. Sit upright so that your breathing passages are free and open, but do not strain. Allow yourself to relax and breathe normally. Focus your attention on breathing, in and out. Give one count to each complete breathing cycle, inhale and exhale. Continue to breathe normally and count up to ten, then return to one and count again. Do this for several minutes the first time. Gradually increase the time until you can sit comfortably for increments of fifteen minutes. Meditating in this manner each day can have a calming effect.

Dhyana: Clearing the Mind Meditation II

Pick something—a statue, a vase, a picture—as an object of concentration. You can also use any ordinary household object. We have done this meditation using such varied items as a soda can, a blade of grass, and a mural on the wall.

Place the object before you. Sit comfortably and focus all your attention on it. Try not to think about anything else. Notice everything about the object—its colors, texture, features, shape. After several minutes, close your eyes and visualize the object in your mind. Picture it as vividly as possible. Keep your attention focused on the image in your memory. Whether you see it vividly or vaguely does not matter. The important point is to stay focused on it.

Open your eyes and look again. Do you notice things that you did not see before? Close your eyes and again picture the object in your mind. Is the image different now?

If you find yourself distracted by another thought, gently bring your attention back to the object. Keep returning to your focus whenever your attention wanders. Eventually, you will be able to focus without becoming distracted.

Dhyana: Clearing the Mind Meditation Ill

Now that you have practiced focusing your attention, you can experiment with letting your focus go. Imagine that your mind is like a stream flowing down a mountain. Your thoughts are the branches and leaves that are being carried downstream. You are standing on the shore, watching. Can you let the branches and leaves flow past without stopping them? Can you stay on the shore, quietly watching? Let the flow of your thoughts go by. Do not identify with any one thing. Gradually, less branches float past. The stream clears. Stay with the clarity, quietly meditating.

When you are ready to stop these meditations, open your eyes and notice how you feel. Are you calm? Do your visual perceptions seem bright? Enjoy the clarity and calmness.

PRAJNA: FILLING THE MIND MEDITATIONS

Prajna meditations teach how to fill the mind with moment-to-moment experiencing. These meditations allow people to discover Buddhist concepts for themselves. Through direct observation of their own thinking processes, people come to understand impermanence, and these understandings become a springboard for letting go of cravings and desires. If you carefully watch your thoughts, you will have your own personal experience of these truths. Keep your mind open and try for yourself!

Prajna: Filling the Mind Meditation I

Sit quietly. Close your eyes at first to lessen any distracting stimuli. Turn your attention to your breathing once again, but this time you will meditate on it in a different manner. Instead of counting your breaths, focus your attention on the process of breathing. As you draw air in, notice how the air fills your lungs and causes your rib cage to expand. Follow the air as you push it out and it exits through your nose.

Notice how each breath, in and out, is a unique experience. Even though a new breath follows immediately, each breath is a separate action. We call the process “breathing,” but that is only a conceptual abstraction. If you really pay close attention, you will observe and feel the air going in though your nose and down into your lungs as your rib cage expands. Then the air goes back up through your nose and out as your rib cage contracts. This full breath is really a series of separate actions repeated over and over. Nothing more is present. Follow each breath in and out; try to become aware of how the breath comes into being and then is gone. Stay in the absolute now with each new breath.

Prajna: Filling the Mind Meditation II

Sit quietly with your eyes closed and pay attention to your sensations. Notice each one as it occurs. For example, suppose you hear the sound of a car passing outside. Pay attention to how the sound comes and then disappears. Try not to think about it. Simply notice. Observe the sound but do not let yourself start thinking further about it—perhaps wondering what kind of car it is, how many people are in it, and so on. Just recognize the sound. Then try to notice how the sound comes and then goes. Keep following each experience as it appears and disappears. Pay attention to this coming and going of sensations, noticing their transitory nature.

Prajna: Filling the Mind Meditation III

When you are able to follow your sensations while sitting quietly with eyes closed, try to expand your awareness even farther. Open your eyes and notice your experience as you did before. Try to stay aware of each experience, but always let go when it ends. Do not conceptualize, judge, or add to it in any way. In other words, refrain from thoughts such as “This is a nice feeling,” or “I hate when that happens!” or “I hope that will happen again.”

Prajna in Action I

Expand your practice of prajna meditation even more by paying attention to every waking action, no matter how commonplace. The Vimalakirti Sutra encourages meditation in action. You do not have to withdraw to meditate: Enlightenment is here and now. Practice the earlier meditations until you feel comfortable with them. Then try this exercise.

Pick a small task you need to do, such as washing the dishes or washing the car. As you begin, turn your full attention to the task. Notice every aspect of the experience; the feeling of the soapy water, the cloth moving along the surface, the smell of the suds, the sound of the water. Keep noticing each sensation as it occurs. Try not to think about anything beyond the direct experience. Bring your thoughts back from any associations that carry you away from your experience. Stay focused until you are completely finished.

Once you are able to do this meditation on a single, time-limited task, try to extend your meditation over a longer period, perhaps for an hour or an entire afternoon.

Prajna in Action II

You have probably had a time in your life when you were so involved in what you were doing that for that moment, you let go of your ego. With meditation, you can deliberately forget your limited self to find your deeper true self, your buddha nature.

Pick an activity that you find fulfilling and meaningful. Perhaps it is playing a musical instrument, practicing a martial art, fixing something, or making something. Engage in the activity as fully as you can. Let go of any ego concerns: Do not think about how well you are doing, whether you are progressing, or what other people might think. Simply do the action fully. Afterward, you will notice a pleasant feeling of relief, calm, or inner satisfaction.

EMPTINESS MEDITATIONS: PRAJNA AND DHYANA AS ONE

Once you realize the impermanence of the world and the ego, you open yourself to emptiness. With practice, dhyana and prajna meditations blend together in the wisdom of emptiness, a spiritual sense of Oneness that can transform you. The next series of meditations will guide you toward the enlightened perspective.

Empty Thought

Enlightenment does not ultimately rest on analytical reasoning. You must move beyond rational thought. Ask yourself, “Can I let go of distinctions and simply experience without analysis or judgment?” Like experiencing something for the very first time, before you have built up expectations about how it will or should be, can you simply experience this moment? Pose the question and then sit quietly. Stay with each moment and wait for your answer.

Hua-yen Totality Meditation: One in All and All in One

This meditation draws upon Hua-yen’s concept of totality. Sit quietly. Think about how one thing is the boundary for another. For example, our skin forms a boundary with the air; our skin cells enter the atmosphere and the air penetrates our skin. Another example is the interaction between plants and the earth. Think about other possibilities. Now take one of these ideas and extend it outward. How does the root of the plant interact with the earth? How is the earth connected to the atmosphere? Keep expanding until you can conceive of the entire universe in one, all-inclusive single thought. Meditate on this.

Zen Meditation: Discovering Your Buddha Nature Here and Now

You do not have to go anywhere else for enlightenment; it can be found here, now. According to Zen, enlightenment is in every moment. All forms of meditation dissolve into one form, in the Absolute Now. Sit upright. Eyes can be closed or kept half open. Sit quietly until your breathing becomes steady and calm. Do not think about anything. If a thought arises, take note of it and then dismiss it. If you feel a sensation, take note of it and then dismiss it. Continually return to full attention. As Dogen said, “If you practice in this way for a long time, you will forget attachments and concentration will come naturally. That is the art of zazen. Zazen is the Dharma gate of great rest and joy!” (Dumoulin 1990, 76). Observe each moment with focused awareness, as if for the first time.

Nembutsu Meditation

If you find it difficult to meditate, you might like to try the “easy way” to enlightenment, nembutsu. Repeat the name of the bodhisattva Amitabha: “Namu-amida-butsu.”Think of nothing else. Repeat the words often.

BODHISATTVA COMPASSION: PERFORMING GOOD DEEDS

The highest form of meditation for the bodhisattva involves helping others without thinking of oneself or receiving anything in return—this has traditionally been part of the practice. You can turn compassionately to the world with positive action. Pick something positive that matters to you—for example, volunteering at a local nursing home, becoming a big sister or brother, participating in a community cleanup. Make the time for it. Perform each moment mindfully and fully. When complete, let go of it, and continue on to something else.

If you have experimented with the meditations in this chapter, you have felt Buddhism for yourself. In meditation, sitting quietly, focusing with awareness or engaged in selfless action, you can experience enlightenment.

CHAPTER 11

Paradise Now: Action Is Thought

Everything harmonizes with me which is harmonious to Thee, oh Universe.
—Marcus Aurelius

Buddhist doctrine expressed what science now confirms, that everything is interrelated. As the Avatamsaka Sutra tells us, each grain of sand contains the ten thousand things. Like the ripples from a pebble thrown into a quiet pond, anything we do reverberates through the entire world.

People, their situation, and their reactions are in a flowing unity. Your positive actions make a difference. Your actions affect others. Consider what you do and how you do it. What you do becomes your input into the world’s system. You can affect the world in many positive ways.

ENVIRONMENT IS ONE

The housekeeping of our planet requires an inner as well as an outer aspect of ecological consciousness. (Tucker and Williams 1997, 291)

Modern biological theory recognizes that everything is interrelated in an ecosystem—that is, all species depend upon each other. Scientists have come to think of this mutual interdependence as the web of life. “Much as the strands of silk in a spider’s web bind one segment to another, feeding and other interactions bind all organisms to one another” (Milani 1992, 5). Biologists arrived at this conclusion through careful empirical observation. Similar to our modern scientific method, Buddhism uses mindful observation as the method to discern the true nature of the world.

Developing Your Sense of Unity

When we are in touch with our true mind, we naturally feel more respectful of all life as we respect ourselves. The motivation comes from within as a deeply felt understanding, not from an external “you should.” According to humanistic psychologist Abraham Maslow, when we are in tune with our true inner nature, we will want to do what is best. “These are situations in which, so to speak, head and heart, rational and nonrational speak the same language, in which our impulses lead us in a wise direction” (Maslow 1971, 210).

Living in Enlightenment

After you become aware that there is no separation between you and your world, you may notice things that others overlook. Senses and nerves are magnified. You become more sensitive to addressing the perceived needs of your environment as they truly are for you. Marcus Aurelius’s insight at the opening of this chapter encourages us to take the harmony of the world around us seriously: seek harmony without to find harmony within.

EXPANDING YOUR BOUNDARIES

One great splitting of the whole universe into two halves is made by each of us, and for each of us almost all the interest goes to one of the halves, but we all draw the line of division between them in a different place. When I say that we all call the two halves by the same names, and that those names are “me” and “not me” respectively, it will at once be seen what I mean. (William James in Shim 1995, 46)

As you become open to a larger perspective, awareness extends. When you look at a tree, you can experience the tree as it truly is. There is a blending between you and the tree. As Dogen said, “Delusion is seeing all things from the perspective of self. Enlightenment is seeing the self from the perspective of the myriad things of the universe” (Tucker and Williams 1997, 168).

You become more sensitive as your perspective expands to include the object of your perception. You develop empathy, not just with other people but with all living things. For example, in Zen flower arranging, the practitioner communes with the flower nature. Deep calm and comfort are obtained by allowing consciousness to dissolve into an experience of Oneness with nature.

Earth Meditation

We have done this exercise with many students, and they have often found that it helped them to experience their interconnection with the earth. Go outside and sit on the ground. Place your hands palm down on the land. Close your eyes. Sense the massive earth below you. Do you feel a pulsing from the activity of all who share this earth as their support? Allow yourself to notice what you perceive.

When you become more aware, you may sometimes sense events taking form before they quite happen. This can be useful. A black belt martial artist trained his awareness for many years. One day he was sitting in the front passenger seat as his friend drove. The martial artist said, “Slow down!” Mystified, his friend complied and decelerated the car. Then he asked, “Why did you say that?” Suddenly a car darted out across the intersection they were about to enter. He smiled as his friend sighed in relief, “Thanks! How did you know that?” “I don’t know,” the martial artist answered. “I just felt it was important to slow down just then.” He had no idea how he knew, but the timely sensing was there.

One with Nature Meditation

Find a peaceful place outdoors. It could be a local park, a beach, or your own garden. Before you begin, sit quietly for several minutes and become aware of your breathing, then focus on what you are experiencing, including your awareness of the environment. Once your thoughts have settled, begin walking around. Let your attention to your experience include your surroundings as you walk. Be aware of all that you see, hear, smell, and feel. Do not conceptualize about it. Can you permit the boundaries to merge and feel your Oneness with the world?

Ability to Respond

No separation between you and your environment also means no obstruction to positive actions. There need be no hesitation. Nothing stands in your way but yourself. Heroes respond directly to a need. “I was there,” a common phrase. “I saw what needed to be done, so I did it!”Without hesitation or thought, these courageous people let go of the boundaries between self and other. They perceived a situation where someone or something needed help, and before they even thought about it, the action was done. We can all be heroes by helping in small ways, by responding to what is there.

Responsiveness Meditation

Start small, with one of your house plants. Read up on plants to learn about their needs. Then bring your plant near and meditate on it. Notice everything about it: the color of the leaves, the quality of the soil, whether it grows straight or tilted, and anything else you observe. As you observe mindfully, you may begin to sense what needs to be done. You feel for the plant as a fellow living being. If your plant is dry, provide water. If dust has built up on the leaves, clean them. If the leaves are yellow, add fertilizer. As your awareness increases, you will feel a spontaneous response. Let yourself attend to the plant as needed.

After you have been successful with one thing, expand. Try to become more aware of your environment with direct awareness. Allow yourself to respond appropriately based on mindful experiencing.

Practice mindfulness of your environment wherever you are. You do not have to deliberately think of Oneness; simply feel it naturally. What’s important is the attitude; after that, correct action flows. You can express these values in your own way, respecting your world just as you respect yourself. As you travel the Path, you will find your own ways to help your world thrive.

NO DISTINCTIONS

In the mysterious Oneness of the universe,
None is better,
None is worse.
—C. Alexander Simpkins

Rise above duality to make no distinctions. Do not take sides and say “This is good. That is bad.”When we think about our environment, we should always be aware of not favoring one thing over another. Everything has a place in the web of life. For example, we often think of insects as something unpleasant or frightening, but some bugs help the environment. Ladybugs can be an effective solution to white flies, a tiny insect that attacks plants such as hibiscus. The ladybug is nontoxic, without the negative byproducts that a common pesticide would have. Be sensitive to the balance of nature. Recognizing the relationships between all things, your responses can be more complex and all-inclusive.

FINDING PEACE

Putting a stop to fighting is a problem that concerns our world, from entire nations to individual relationships. To be at peace with others, we must first be at peace with ourselves. In our interdependent world, peacefulness within will inevitably lead to peace with others.

Finding Inner Peace Exercise

Observe how you relate to others and how they relate to you. Are you argumentative? When your partner says something, do you disagree without even thinking?

Observe how others relate. Are they actually as argumentative as they seem? Look deep. Are other people really arguing with you or are you projecting your own hostile feelings onto them?

Do you judge yourself or other people harshly? Do you compare yourself to others? Do you feel that you are better or worse than they? Do you try to judge your neighbors’ motives? From the enlightened perspective, no comparison is correct or possible. Question yourself.

Recall your meditation practice—letting go of judgments, concepts, and opinions. Feel the deeper reaction behind your annoyance or judgment. Accept yourself and accept the other person. Trust that, within, you share in the same compassionate nature. Dig until you find the quiet mind beyond anger or judgment. Allow this shared, peaceful true nature to emerge.

A clear mind is like an open sky.

Peace Is Now

Sit quietly and calm your mind. Think of a place where you feel at peace. Picture it as best as you can. Try to imagine yourself there now. Allow the calm, peaceful feelings you naturally feel there to emerge.

Notice how you become calmer, here and now, even though you are not actually in this peaceful place. Enlightenment is here and now, beyond time and space. You can bring peace with you, wherever you are. The feeling comes from within. It is always present, ready to emerge, whenever you allow it. Continue to meditate, completely at peace with yourself now.

Peaceful Solutions

The welfare of others matters as much as your own well-being, because if someone else is suffering, somehow, it affects you, too. Thus, working things out in a mature way is a positive basis for action. Buddhism has a definite approach: Peace happens when you openly and sincerely approach your life with compassion for others as yourself.

A new creative perspective opens to you. You perceive more directly. Begin from clear awareness. Feel the reciprocal interaction with others. Recognize that the perceptions of others are just as real and correct to them as your perceptions are to you. Both sides matter equally as part of the whole. From this empathic understanding you have the basis for working out conflicts. If I hurt you, I hurt me. This is the compassionate view, in the center.

Conflict Resolution Exercise

First, face the situation as it is, moment by moment. Use your mindfulness skills to carefully observe what is happening. Do not try to conceptualize about the conflict in order to comprehend it. Do not add personal opinions or judgments. Pause and simply observe how you are behaving. An inward glance helps. How do you feel? How does the other person feel? What are you both doing?

Consider your part in the situation. What are you doing to extend or repeat the conflict? Observe your conduct as if from a distance, from the other’s point of view as well as your own. For example, if you had a dispute with someone, what are you doing that continues the dispute? Is this dispute the only alternative in this situation?

Are you viewing the conflict in terms of yourself, or are you including the other person’s needs as well? Expand your boundaries of self and sense the other person as if he or she were you. How do you seem from the other person’s perspective? Can you imagine the needs of the other person as real to them as your own? Is there a way to come to terms together, mutually?

From this broad perspective, new, more inclusive possibilities may come to mind.

CONCLUSION

Face the present openly with awareness. Develop your world in your own way, as fully as you can. Do not create problems or obstructions for yourself or others. You do not need to hold yourself back with conflict. Develop yourself. Meditate deeply on the present and you will find a future opening up to you that is peaceful, compassionate, and filled with potential. The ripples of your actions will help create the best possible world.

CHAPTER 12

Mindful Work

There is nothing either good or bad that thinking makes it so.
—William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Everyday life is enlightening. If you accept this, your approach to everything you do changes. Little things will bring happiness. Each relationship you have will be rewarding in its own way. This feeling will inevitably filter into your work. Day-to-day interactions with coworkers and projects you are doing will bring great satisfaction and joy. With deeper understanding, you will transform your time at work. As you grow as a person, the quality of your work will improve, and you will enjoy it more, too.

WORK MATTERS

Buddha considered work an important aspect of living. He believed that work could be done in harmony with the Buddhist lifestyle: He called it right livelihood. We all need to find our own way to earn a living while we contribute to society.

Buddha specified that most forms of earning a living are honorable, but jobs that involve cheating and greed are not. Any job that is in harmony with Buddhist precepts is a form of right livelihood. It is even better if the work you find helps the world as well. Think about the work you are doing and ask yourself how it relates to the world. This leaves a wide latitude for possibilities: business, law, the helping professions, engineering, architecture, construction, sales, the food industry, transportation, and many others all contribute to life in today’s world and can be perfectly appropriate to the Buddhist path.

FINDING RIGHT LIVELIHOOD

Noted Buddhist activist Thich Nhat Hanh said, “The way we earn our living can be a source of peace and joy and reconciliation, or [it] can cause a lot of suffering” (Whitmyer 1994, 244).Work can be an opportunity for people to express themselves, but sometimes they have difficulty discovering what is best for them to do.

Ideally, your work should be an outward expression of your inner being. Generally, when you feel interested and enjoy the everyday process of doing a job, you are in the right field. There will always be unpleasant times and frustrations, but ultimately, the bad days are to be experienced rather than judged.

The best guide to your personal right livelihood comes from within, and a very good way to become aware of your inner sense is through meditation.

Sensing Correct Livelihood

If you are uncertain about what to do with your life, experiment mindfully with options. Put yourself into a situation where people are doing the kind of work you think you are interested in, learn what it is like and note how you feel. Do some research on the field, either from books, on the Internet, or by talking to people in the field. Notice your reaction to the research. Imagine yourself doing the work. Is this something you would be comfortable doing for long hours? Open your awareness and your path becomes clear.

MINDFUL WORK AS PRACTICE

Right livelihood is more than just your choice of work. It also involves how you bring yourself to your work. Sometimes people feel as if work is just a way to get by until the weekend, when they can have fun and truly enjoy life. But life is happening all the time, and happiness can—and should—be found in every moment.

Some people believe that the only way to be truly happy is to do nothing, to loaf. Yet even the most devout couch potato becomes restless after a while. Buddhism agrees with psychologist Albert Ellis that it is irrational to think we are happiest when we are inactive (Ellis and Harper 1971, 173).

Zen Master Loori said, “Work is an opportunity to practice” (Whitmyer 1994, 31). The Buddhist way to happiness is through mindful awareness. When you open your perceptions and fully experience activity itself, you undergo a transformation. The most mundane task can become fascinating. When people are not working in their chosen field but are instead just trying to earn their livelihood they can still find opportunities to practice mindfulness. Even boring, repetitive work can be more pleasant if it is approached with mindful awareness. You may not have thought of the positive role of your work, or expanded its scope into the world as only you can.

Active Involvement Meditation

Imagine some kind of work without actually doing it. Concentrate fully on all its aspects. What is your part in it? How can you bring your own uniqueness to it? How can you do the work more fully? Allow yourself time for comprehension and insights.

Meditation on Action

Approach a small task. If you feel uncomfortable trying this exercise at work, pick a common household chore, such as cleaning out a desk drawer. Whatever the task, do it energetically. Let yourself become fascinated.

Begin with careful preparation. Set out the materials you will need: cleaners, rags, dusters, a trash bag. Ready yourself with a few minutes of meditation; clear your mind of all distractions, center your awareness in the moment.

Fully focus your attention on the job before you. Now begin your work. Try to maintain your mindful awareness. Feel, see, and think about what you are doing. If your thoughts wander, gently bring them back as you do in sitting meditation. Allow the task to inspire you. Try to learn from any intuitions you might be having. Do not hurry. Respond directly to what needs to be done. Do not judge yourself. Attend to all the details until you are completely finished. Then put everything away. Leave no trace. Finish completely.

Meditate again on the present moment. Sit quietly. Can you let go of cleaning and be fully present in this moment, empty of purpose, simply being here with yourself? Do you feel calm and/or energized?

Practice approaching other tasks mindfully until you feel comfortable with the process. You may find interesting and challenging aspects that you overlooked before.

MASTERY

When you can absorb yourself fully in your work—whatever it is—you will find yourself becoming better at it. Whether your tasks involve basic manual labor or more abstract intellectual work, mindfulness is the sure road to mastery. Mindful workers become adept; a Zen master of archery, for example, can hit the mark even with his eyes closed. A master mechanic can tune an engine and diagnose problems using his senses and only simple instruments.

The way to achieve mastery is to first learn what you need to know, to set aside unnecessary thoughts, and to then focus on doing the work. Approach your work with full awareness. Stay with the task and keep your mind clear of everything else. Work without getting on an emotional roller coaster. Walk away or pause to meditate if you become frustrated, then return to your task. Be at one and mastery will come.

WORKING TOGETHER AS A TEAM

People often assume that rewards are limited. If one person gets more, others will get less, like dividing up a pizza. We can become trapped in our concepts, imprisoned by our individual tastes—some want extra cheese, others pepperoni. But everything is empty, without lasting substance, so no limitations should constrain us. We are all part of a larger whole, one that transcends us even as we create it. We can all have pizza—there is enough for everyone. Variations can be accommodated.

Although the Western perspective tends to define situations as either/or, the business or institution that can transcend “either/or” thinking will make room for everyone in the company to thrive, thereby improving each person’s satisfaction and productivity.

Working as One Exercise

If you are working with others, you can incorporate meditation to help enhance your group projects. Meditating together, even if only for a few minutes, can bring more cohesiveness and cooperation to a group.

Group Meditation

Gather everyone together, perhaps in a conference room before a meeting. If possible, sit in a circle either in chairs or on the floor. Ask everyone to close their eyes for two to five minutes. (You can set the timer on your watch.) Begin by asking the group to focus on clearing their minds. Explain that if another thought appears, they should let it go and return to clearing the mind. If some in your group are inexperienced in meditation, suggest that they begin by focusing on their breathing. When you meditate silently together, new possibilities may emerge that will enable your group to work together more cohesively.

Management Enhancement

If you have management responsibilities, you have probably often looked for ways to enhance the productivity and satisfaction of your workers. But have you thought about your own links with others? The smooth operation of the group is an interaction of everyone together. By guiding each person to address his or her task fully, you will find that the whole organization benefits. A united company, working harmoniously together, develops a supportive, trusting atmosphere. People will feel they can be honest with each other, supportive of one another, able to follow through on commitments. Stay open to possibilities, let go of limited assessments of others. Seek the positive potential you have together. You will undoubtedly fulfill it.

CHAPTER 13

Enlightenment Through Art

There are always new sounds to imagine, new feelings to get at. And always, there is the need to keep purifying these feelings and sounds so that we can really see what we’ve discovered in its pure state so that we can see more and more clearly what we are. In that way, we can give to those who listen the essence, the best of what we are. But to do that at each stage, we have to keep on cleaning the mirror.

—John Coltrane, On Meditations

The Heart Sutra states that form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Form is the opening to emptiness and the mirror in which formlessness may be seen. Through this opening you can enter into the arts. The medium you choose depends on your interests and talents. Artistic creation is a means of expressing enlightenment. Form’s looking-glass shows us an illusion we learn to see through. Then, like Alice, we can enter through the looking-glass. Form leads back to creation, the creative, the art of the formless.

Lotus. Chang Ta’ch’ien Chinese (1899-1983), Ink and pigment on paper, hanging scroll, 1958. Gift of Ambassador and Mrs. Everett F. Drumright, San Diego Museum of Art

MARTIAL ARTS: ART IN MOVEMENT

Artistically designed, the martial arts hold a firm place among all art. The outstanding martial artists are those endowed with something akin to poetic imagination, critical acumen, natural piety, and spiritual insight. (Shim 1995, 46)

Form and the basic patterns of martial arts may be used as a way to express emptiness. The practitioner is offered an opportunity to meditate with form, precision, and exactness so as to develop mind. The practitioner then becomes attuned to a deeper understanding of the art and of him- or herself.

STUDY OF FORMS

Forms and sets in kung fu, known as kata in Japanese martial arts, are patterns of movement. Exact placement of hands, balanced posture, correct concentration of attention, and spiritual intensity are central to performing well. Through forms, martial artists learn control and the application of the basics, as well as insight into the nature of the art and its solutions to situations.

The principles for studying forms can help people to master many kinds of movement arts, whether you prefer dance or sports. With forms, you learn to integrate outer precision with inner mindfulness. Apply the following exercises to whichever art you practice. Integrate the inner and outer together; fill your mind with each detail and then let go of thought to discover perfection in emptiness.

Meditation on Form

Pick a form in your martial art, a dance routine, or a particular movement in your sport, such as a tennis serve or a bench press. Sit quietly in meditation for several minutes to focus your attention. When you feel ready, do the movement slowly, keep your attention directed to what you are doing. Feel the movement. Notice your balance, your muscle tone. Are you too tight? Too loose? Be precise in the placement of each action. Repeat the movements several times with attention to detail.

Clear Mind Movement

After you have done the previous meditation, sit quietly for a moment to clear your mind of all thought. Then perform the same movements without any thought, without hesitating, unconsciously. Move quickly, precisely. Allow your training to express itself. Do not think about anything, just let the movements flow naturally.

BUDDHISM’S LINKS TO THE MARTIAL ARTS

Asian martial arts have a long tradition of descent from Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. Whether or not scholars agree on actual facts, Bodhidharma is still the symbol of intensity and courage. Buddhist philosophy inspires karate, kung fu, and tae kwon do at their innermost core.

Buddhist monks were also a resource for the shogun’s military, called samurai, in feudal Japan. Zen monks trained the samurai in koans and meditation to enhance the speed of their reflexes and extinguish their fear of death. In Korea, monks also took up arms to help fight against oppression. As men of peace, they became adept in unarmed combat, used to defend their principles.

Defense Only

Self-defense does not only mean defense of oneself, it also includes helping others and minimizing violence. Many of the strikes, blocks, locks, and holds found in martial arts can be applied to safely and compassionately prevent violence while preserving life. A properly applied defense can stop an aggressor’s attack without causing any harm to either person.

Self-defense should be performed with control. The correct approach to a situation with the potential for aggression is to perceive what is happening but not to add to it by losing your temper or becoming afraid. The Buddhist orientation is not to engage but at the same time to face what is before you. Anger may add fuel to an aggressor and worsen a situation. Fear often has the paradoxical effect of eliciting aggression. It is a well-known fact that bullies become more aggressive with a frightened victim. Hostility does not result from strength and confidence.

The following account illustrates this point. A store clerk was arguing with an acquaintance in front of the store. The owner stepped outside, and after loudly insulting the acquaintance, demanded that he leave. The acquaintance became even more enraged at this, threw the owner to the ground, and kicked him.

A martial artist who was passing by saw what was happening and immediately intervened. Choosing not to threaten or confront the assailant with more anger, he calmly said, “You don’t want to do this!” The attacker responded by trying to kick and punch the martial artist, who blocked the attacks as he continued to talk calmly to the man. “Think of the consequences.You will be arrested and go to jail for a trivial fight. This is not a good way to settle your differences.”

Eventually, the man calmed down and left. His anger was diffused because the martial artist peacefully faced the situation and interjected his defense with compassion. The skill of the martial artist prevented harm to himself and others without hurting the attacker. Later, the store owner admitted that he should not have spoken to the clerk’s acquaintance in such an insulting, challenging way. He unintentionally contributed to what happened, though of course he did not merit the beating.

The martial arts of jujitsu and aikido express the spirit of harmony. They rely on staying in the center point, transforming the defender and attacker into a harmonious interaction. Thus, what one person does is reflected in another. Aggression breaks the harmony; correct intervention restores it. Martial arts can help to neutralize aggression.

In the martial art of tae chun do practitioners are taught to keep an open mind, to meet the situation as it is, not add to it and make it worse. The martial artist either deflects offensive force or extends force to cope with the encounter, but the practitioner always responds with compassion for the other. Compassion requires not permitting harm to oneself or the other: no attacker, no victim.

The martial artist should never initiate aggression, nor should he retreat from it. There is an old saying among martial artists: No first punch, no second punch. What this means is that the martial artist should never be the one to throw the first punch, to start a fight. But if someone has attacked, the martial artist stops the fight before a second punch can be thrown. High-level martial artists seek the peaceful solution without putting themselves or others unnecessarily at risk.

Applying Buddhism to self-defense, you know that if there is no attacker there is no need for a defender. Step outside the role and invite the aggressor to do the same. Do not engage in a duel. Experience the nameless, formless process; seek harmony and Oneness within the situation and your martial art; be at peace. Try to return others to their best possible conduct rather than their worst.

ENHANCING YOUR CREATIVITY

Creativity involves letting go of the known to create the unknown. You can discover the uncreated inspiration for your own creativity in emptiness.

Emptiness is positive, filled with potential. It is not just a desolate vacuum; it is more like the pause in breathing, between the in and out breath. The rhythm of music includes both sound and the silence between. If there is no silence, there is also no music. No notes are possible, only a steady tone that soon is not noticed. We need rhythms to experience anything. We resonate with our experiences. Without space, we can have no boundaries, no objects, no time. Your immersion in the artistic experience can become your teacher. Guided by the unknown, you make discoveries. Naomi Minkin was an artist and art teacher to the blind, the deaf, and the elderly. When she learned that she had been accepted as an art instructor for the blind, she went home and put on a blindfold—not merely for a few hours but for an entire month. While blindfolded, she tried to create some crafts. She felt textures and shapes that her eyes had not allowed her to see, and she made some surprising discoveries. Everything she tried to create without sight came out larger than it was supposed to be. With the help of her new understandings, she invented ways to compensate for that and so was able to guide her blind students to be accurate and create as they intended. By temporarily becoming blind, she learned to see as they did. This approach can be varied in many ways.

CREATIVITY AND ENLIGHTENMENT

One well-accepted model of creativity describes four stages: preparation, incubation, illumination, verification. The stage of illumination is creative enlightenment; it is here that ideas or patterns emerge. How this comes about is a mystery. Buddhism would predict this moment of enlightenment as a gift of grace, complete in itself.

In Jack Kerouac’s theory of creation, drawn from his interpretation of Buddhism, spontaneity is the key, permitting and following the flow of free expression. When Kerouac wanted to create, he carefully set the stage, immersing himself in the ideas and the preparation, and then allowed his thoughts to emerge. As they formed their own patterns, he expressed them without interference.

At times, Kerouac and other beat artists performed their creative writings to audiences—with and without jazz playing in the background. The truly beat recital was spontaneous, free, and unpredictable, expressed as it was thought.

Creativity requires immersion in the true self and unity with the unknown. Creative persons continue to evolve in their understanding of what they have created. For example, we all listen to our favorite songs and come to like them as they are. Some years later in a live concert, the recording artist changes the song. Sometimes we like the new version better, but more often we prefer the original. The enlightened perspective teaches us to appreciate both versions. Value the creative potential in each moment. Do not get stuck in any one interpretation.

Exercise in Preparation

Before you begin to create, engage in a period of preparation. Learn about the topic, practice techniques, look at inspirational art. Immerse yourself in what you will be doing, but do not begin until you have given yourself plenty of time to live with these preparations, to incubate.

Exercise in Creative Enlightenment

When you feel ready to create, set aside all the techniques you have acquired and allow yourself to let go of the creative act. Begin with meditation to clear your mind, then approach your work sensitively. Allow yourself to begin to create without any preconceived ideas in mind. You may surprise yourself with something new.

RELEASE FROM THE SELF

Self-surrender helps creativity. To create, you must let go, release yourself from the illusion of self toward unknown, unrealized potential. Links are begun by the artist, but then, as the painting or the poem takes on form and shape, its composition demands a change here or there. The work transcends the ego of the artist. The artist must allow this and give to the creation what is needed until the work is complete. Each creation has its own unique mini-enlightenment, in a sense. The poem, painting, or story has a unique existence as it is, and transcends its origin or personal meaning. Genuine creation means something new to each person who experiences it.

The state of deep meditation opens up creative potential. In the gap— the openness—new potential can emerge to enhance creativity. Learn to step back and fully give yourself to the situation. Let go of preconceptions and concepts. Enlightened perception shows the way; no certain or absolute concept truly exists. No concept can possibly encompass the complex mystery of life. Nothing is possible, everything is possible. The middle way is the creative way, not just conscious, not just unconscious, but somewhere in between, accepting and including both while transcending.

BUDDHIST ART

Buddhist art has always had a dual purpose, both pragmatic and evocative. This dual purpose has been present since its beginnings in many countries. During the first and second centuries, Buddhism’s early recorded transmission and acceptance from India into China was by means of statues of Buddha. These statues showed Buddha sitting or standing, often wearing elaborate clothing and jewelry. The art was displayed in urban centers during ceremonies that the monks performed to inspire interest and curiosity. Once interest was aroused, Indian monks began to teach the doctrine. The Koreans followed the same procedures when they introduced Buddhism to Japan in 552 with a golden statue of Buddha as a gift.

Images of Buddha meditating, whether in sculptures or paintings, have been transmitted to every country that received Buddhism. Buddhas and famous bodhisattvas have been depicted by artists as an integral part of Buddhism to help convey an experience without words. Settings of the sutras have also been depicted in paintings and sculptures, especially the Lotus Sutra, where Buddha is pictured as a deity with rays of light emanating from him, seated on lotus flowers, and surrounded by followers.

Buddhist temples were built to provide a sanctuary for meditation. Unlike some of the frightening images present in Hindu temples, Buddhist temples had an atmosphere of serenity, light, and open space, with large windows to allow sunlight to enter. They were built to invite people to feel comfortable sharing in the spirit of Buddhism.

Buddhist art evokes the viewer’s potential consciousness of calm and joy. When we look at a statue of Buddha deep in meditation, we can feel complete peace of mind resonating with our own. Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944), the father of abstract painting, believed art is like a tuning fork whose note causes resonance in the soul. Whether the creation is abstract or representational is irrelevant—resonance is the important core, the experience of art. Buddhist art resonates with the spirit of Buddhist enlightenment.

CHAPTER 14

Psychotherapy:
The Path that Heals

This pure mind, the source if everything, shines on all with the brilliance if its own perfection.
—Hsi Yun (840), Chinese Zen master

FREEDOM FROM LIMITATIONS

The Eightfold Path details a clear way to learn about yourself by examining how you speak, think, feel, and behave. Psychotherapy takes a similar course, guiding people to become aware of themselves. Buddhism can be used therapeutically to help you on your path to discovering your deeper being.

RIGHT SPEECH AS A THERAPEUTIC TOOL

Language has a powerful influence on thoughts, emotions, and subsequent conduct. Mankind points out and defines the world with language. If you use language inaccurately, you may perceive and respond inaccurately.

Derogatory language is based on judgments—for example, this person is bad or that behavior is ridiculous. Using these kinds of judgments when referring to a significant other leads to reactions that do not reflect the true nature of the situation. Distinctions such as this person is good or that person is bad lead us away from direct contact. We move farther from the real into an illusory world of abstraction. Be correct in how you use language. Do not use words that create illusions. Seek truth in the situation. Meditation can bring you back in touch.

Listening to Language Use

Listen to yourself as you speak to a person who annoys you. Does your voice sound harsh? Loud? Grating? Listen to the words you use. Are you judgmental or critical? What are you thinking as you listen to this person?

Listen to yourself as you speak to a person about whom you feel positive. Listen to the sound of your voice as you speak. Compare this to how you sounded when you spoke with the person who annoys you. Also, take note of the words you use. Is your language influencing the other person’s perception of this relationship? Does your choice of words correctly express how you feel? Can you describe your feelings better?

Reviewing Relationships

Consider the Buddhist idea that all living beings share in the same nature, and that all are therefore equally united. Now think about the relationships you just observed. Are they truly as they should be? Can you appreciate and cherish others as yourself?

RIGHT THOUGHT, RIGHT ACTION

Contemporary psychotherapy models usually include restructuring patterns of thoughts and actions. Changes in our thoughts lead to changes in our feelings. The same is true of conduct. If we change our behavior, our feelings and thoughts tend to change as well. The basis for change is simpler than it seems. Behavior, feelings, and thoughts are linked together in such a way that each affects the other and each can change the other.

We create our experience by how we think and feel. If you think negative, hostile thoughts, you will feel as if the world is a hostile and negative place. Often, such thoughts are outside awareness, occurring as subvocalizing undercurrents. You can explore your inner thoughts by meditating mindfully.

Exercise: Noticing Your Inner Critic

Sit quietly and clear your mind for a few minutes. Once you feel calm, think about something that has been on your mind lately: a person or a situation. What are you telling yourself about it? Do you say things like “That person is awful” or “This is unfair”? Allow yourself to become aware of what you are telling yourself, but do not think anything about it, simply observe. When you begin to explore your inner self, it is very important that you do not judge yourself harshly. By allowing awareness, you will begin to change. Nonjudgmental mindfulness has a healing effect.

OVERCOMING STRESS

Fear, worry, and tension often accompany stress. But these emotions may be intensified by thoughts about the stress. Fear involves running away or avoiding threatening or uncomfortable situations. But what lies behind fear may be thoughts like “I can’t tolerate this” or “This is scary.” Worrying often involves repetitive reviewing of concerns without being aware of it. Tension can result, leading to secondary difficulties such as high blood pressure or psychosomatic ills. Do not add to your stress. Use right thinking instead.

A better attitude can help you cope with stress. Courage, as Ernest Hemmingway used to say, is “grace under pressure.” Buddhism offers a positive way to think about your life situation. Through meditation, you can stay aware of moment-to-moment processes, and do whatever is needed to stay relaxed. Each experience is complete. Although you cannot know for certain what will be next, nor what it will mean to you or others, you can be fully alert and attuned in the here and now. Then you can discover your resources to handle stress gracefully.

Meditation on Fear and Discomfort

Don’t try to avoid stress—embrace it. Meditate on the discomfort from your stressful situation. Notice the feelings, body experiences—tightness in your stomach or shortness of breath. Accept these feelings for what they are—sensations. Notice how they change from moment to moment. Remember how each experience is impermanent, rising and falling. Pay attention to distinctions over time. Can you recognize that the discomfort is a series of experiences?

Stay with your moment-to-moment awareness. Stop imagining the future or ruminating about the past. Now is the only reality. Do not add to it with secondary assessments. Appreciate each moment of each experience as unique, without precedent.

Give yourself to your stressful situation wholeheartedly, without hoping or despairing. Simply trust in each moment’s fullness and each moment’s emptiness.

DISSOLVING ANGER

Anger, cravings, as well as other inner struggles can be dissolved by shifting your point of view. It is helpful to think of things from two perspectives— the relative and the absolute—and then to grasp the interrelatedness. We are individuals, yet we are also citizens of our country and citizens of the world. As the Avatamsaka and Lotus Sutras teach, we are part of the Oneness, part of each other. If I am angry with you, I am also angry with myself.

But in a real sense, what is there to be angry about? If nothing exists from the absolute perspective, we cannot be absolutely angry, only relatively. Anger from the relative perspective may seem to call for a particular action. We may want to prevent the other from doing something we don’t like. We may even feel like chastising them, even if it won’t resolve the situation.

From the perspective of the absolute, however, everything changes. We know that anger is a transitory emotion. We can let go of our anger and look for the compassionate solution, whatever that may be. This understanding changes how anger is experienced by reducing it to a more manageable level.

Anger also involves judgment. For example, they should not be doing this to me, or things should be different. Sometimes we wish the world were otherwise, but to insist that it should be is not a reflection of true nature. According to Buddhism, the world just is. If you can accept this, you will have a more balanced and tolerant reaction. Situations may annoy you, but they need not enrage you.

LESSENING CRAVINGS

Careful attention to each moment can bring release from compulsions and control impulses. This is the correct use of mindfulness in programs for drug and alcohol abuse. When the person becomes aware of the true nature of their situation, a middle way, a path of moderation, opens up.

Clear, mindful awareness permits control of behavior. As people become more aware, they gain a moderate perspective. By facing their actions with awareness, the path to follow for change is clear: just do the correct thing. They learn to accept responsibility for actions and their consequences. Openness gained from meditation makes it possible to learn from consequences and make better choices in the future.

Meditation for Impulse Control

If you are struggling with control of an impulse—smoking, nail-biting, an Internet addiction, excessive alcohol or drug use—you can help yourself with meditation. Practice the meditation exercises in Chapter 10 until you can comfortably follow your experience and have some success with clearing your mind. Meditate on your difficulty. Notice all the sensations and thoughts associated with it. Analyze them according to insight meditation, as distinct experiences, arising and passing away. Embrace the feelings as sensations and nothing more. Do not add your usual thoughts, which probably make you want to engage in the action. Do not do the action. After you have spent some time reflecting in this way, relax and clear your mind of thought. Repeat this meditation several times each day. Eventually, as you gain natural control of your actions, you will find your impulses weakening.

If you cannot gain control, face this and accept it. Recognize your need for help, and seek help so you can return to the path. The important thing is to follow the path of right conduct.

ACTUALIZING FROM WITHIN

We seek balance in our lives. Buddhism offers guidance in how to achieve this by following the Middle Way. One modern learning theorist has found this to be true in his research on the set point (Timberlake, 1984). Previous theories held by E. L. Thorndike and B. F. Skinner believed that satisfaction and reward were a continuing, positive experience that encourages behavior: More is better. Reward for behavior was thought to restore comfort.

Timberlake found that too much reward for behavior can be discomforting and, paradoxically, unsatisfying. Buddhism’s Middle Way would predict this unlikely seeming occurrence. For example, by the end of a long vacation, many people begin to feel impatient to return to work. Relaxation should be in the correct amount: not too much, not too little. As another example, if we are unrewarded for our efforts, never receiving positive feedback for what we do, we are unhappy. But if we get too much praise, even though we might theoretically like the idea, we also feel uncomfortable. We have a built-in capacity to know what is right.

Carl Rogers, one of the founders of humanistic therapy, believed that the capacity to instinctively know good and bad can be used to guide our conduct. This capacity is a compass for action. The source of true ethics is within. If we follow the path Buddha set out, we will act compassionately toward others as toward ourselves. Then we will find ourselves able to help others overcome their suffering as well as our own.

Actualization is an important part of healthy, positive living. We feel good, energetic, and happy when we are fulfilling ourselves. We cope with adversity better when we trust that stress is a temporary state of affairs, part of the process of actualization.

The light of the path is within, beyond concepts and abstractions. A deep heartfelt vow to do what it takes to fulfill our worldly goals and to help others is part of developing an enlightened lifestyle. To actualize ourselves we must actualize potential in all. This is the psychological aspect of the doctrine of Mahayana, that self-actualization means other-actualization.We are one, not separable from the world. Where is the exact boundary? There is none; each requires the other. The self includes others. Begin with those for whom you care, then widen the circle.

THE FAITH THAT HEALS

Faith can evoke a positive transformation. Researchers in psychotherapy have found this, too. As one of our teachers, Jerome D. Frank, M.D., Ph.D., said, “Faith is the most precious commodity without which we should be very badly off” (Frank 1975, 1).

Much research has been conducted to measure the effects of faith on healing. In one study, a group of patients undergoing surgery for detached retinas were given a test to measure their faith in the operation. Those who scored high on the test healed much faster than those who scored low. In a commencement speech to doctors, Frank said, “By fostering the faith that heals, we can enhance our therapeutic power, a goal towards which we all continue to strive” (Frank 1975, 12). Faith can help you to tap resources to live a healthy, happy life.

Faith Meditation

Meditate deeply to quiet your mind. Think about your source for strength. Feel the connection and allow yourself to draw from it. When you let go of doubts, you open yourself to new possibilities. View yourself and your health in the broader context of enlightenment and discover a harmonious integration of mind and body, society, nature, and the cosmos.