Life Appreciation

Recently released is my 11th book, 'Life Appreciation'. I mention it in my Buddhism blog as one of the main topics it addresses is Buddhism. Although there is a lot more involved, Buddhism is one of the key areas that is mentioned.

The book as a whole deals with ways of making life not only survivable, but more enjoyable. It discusses ways in which we can all make alterations to our lifestyle in order to fully live our lives and benefit not only ourselves, but also the world about us. Some of the topics the book mentions include Yoga, Tong-len, vegetarianism, ahimsa, chemical-free living, peace, and a positive attitude.

The book also offers a collection of healthy from-scratch recipes, advice on growing vegetables at home, and ideas for keeping fit - physically, mentally, and spiritually. There is a free preview that anyone interested can check out available at www.lulu.com/winterbear.

Comparing post death within Buddhism and Christianity

In Christianity, it is said that good people go to heaven and bad people go to hell when their body dies. That may be right, but it is not the entire story. In Buddhism, good actions are ingrained as good karma in the mind-continuum and bad actions and thoughts as bad karma. Good karma takes us up to higher realms such as heaven and bad karma to the lower realms such as hell. But this is not the END. In Christianity, death appears to be so - it is all over with; you stay put where you are sent. In Buddhism, that is not the case. You continue to get reborn in new bodies and realms continuously until such time as you rectify every badness into goodness. We are reborn repeatedly until we perfect goodness and learn to reject badness.

Nor is the Christian view a COMPLETE belief. There are other options to heaven and hell. You might be reborn again as a human or an animal on our own or another planet among other possibilities. You do not find these options in the Christian faith. It therefore seems that Christianity has either lost a part of reality or perhaps it has over simplified matters to make it easier to understand. Whilst the Christian viewpoint is not wrong, it would seem more useful to me to broaden and deepen the perspective to its fullest scope.

BEDTIME = WORKTIME!

Over the past 5-7 weeks, I have spent much more of my time in bed that usual. This may sound extremely lazy of me, but I can assure you it is not. I have been spending the extra time in beditation. I find it far easier to meditate in bed than a traditional seated posture, as I do not have to continually reposition my spine, eyelids, or neck to stay in the correct position.

I can do the calm-abiding meditation in the regular half-lotus position, although my eyes become strained if they are not fully open or fully shut, but when it comes to analytical meditation, lying down is the only way I can (personally) progress. When I am in bed, my body rearranges itself as it needs automatically, and I am free to put all concentration into my efforts to analyze.

During the latter half of karma classes, I had to increase my meditation time. It was a serious subject that I found extremely interesting. These classes were followed by a course on the Diamond Cutter Sutra, which also necessitated extra meditation effort.

Karma and emptiness are both major league subjects that require a lot of out-of-class participation. To properly learn either, the classes, notes, questions, and memorizing is not enough. You need to use what you learn in relation to your own life - and to do this, I have to beditate. This meant spending at least 2 hours per 24 meditating, often more.

This may sound excessive for a layperson rather than a nun, but I have found it very helpful. Not only do I have enough time to fully explore each section of the topics in class, but I also feel much healthier with spending more time horizontal than vertical. (I expect this stems from the added physical rest combined with the extra blood flow to the brain.)

So, I have not grown lazy in my old age, but quite the opposite! In fact, the longer I spend in bed, the harder I work!

Refrain from stealing 2

Does the cow approach the human, to satisfy our need?
Or do we steal its milk, to satisfy our greed?
The tuna fish in your lunch sandwich did not flip,
for your belly's pleasure from the ocean into a ship.
Thieves we are, to take so much and not even care.
Replacing ungifted products with frustration and despair.

A chicken does not solely lay its egg,
To say 'eat my baby, of you I beg'.
The bees did not create honey to be yummy,
Just to give you sweetness and fill your tummy.
Humanity is wrong to take what is not freely gifted
We should begin to think and care, that our minds are truly shifted.

Refrain from stealing 1

I have recently decided to become vegan, primarily based on my Buddhist practice. Some beliefs say 'do not steal', others, 'refrain from stealing' or 'do not take what is not freely given to you'. If you explore this principle, you hit on the notion that animals have NOT freely given us their products - and you then need to either change your diet or change your belief.

The cows, hens, and bees, etc did NOT come up to humans and willingly make us a donation of their products, did they? It is as if we STOLE from them, without asking or even CARING, and that doesn’t sit right with me. Once you get into the principle deep enough and look at things from THEIR side - it appears wrong to continue to take from them.

I look at my own kind - humans - and I see a bunch of people who - mostly - don't see what they are doing. Blindly doing what everybody else does, ignorantly, uncaring. Some care; mostly indigenous cultures. Some of my own kind bless or pray for the spirit of the animal giving or dying for their belly's sake - but most of us do not even see this factor as we visit the grocery store and grab whatever we want, thoughtlessly.

I care enough to limit my own pleasure and diet in order to STOP this cruelty. I have to live with my karma and heart, and I do not want murder, theft, or causing distress, anger and misery to be lodged on either my karmic score or in my heart's feelings. Recognizing how inconsiderate we are being to other creatures is enough to make me want to stop my own participation. Considering the harmful karma that could arise from continuing to steal is enough to make me stop personally participating.

Karma and Dharma - my sinus cure

As I began Diamond Cutter Sutra study, I heard that it possibly leads to temporary pains and difficulties - such as headaches, etc - in order to prevent us from spending time in hell. This seems a preferable option - a minor league suffering to learn from now that eradicates the karmic potential to suffer major league in the future. But when I first began these studies, I felt a glowing warmth, clear, clean, and much healthier… Midway through the course I had a mild dose of flu, but that might have been due to the weather changes - we suddenly had a few days of 30 degrees daytime with under 10 at nights - and two major gales.

I assumed that I must have already been dealing with 'instant karma' throughout my life so far, and that this is almost certainly where my sinus problems have stemmed from. I usually get sinus problems from one of two things - heavy air pressure or spiritual poisons. I am beginning to realize that both can be dealt with dharmically.

To stay sinus problem free from air pressure, I need to contemplate the analogy of clouds being obstructions. If I can visualize remaining on the sunny side of the clouds within my head regions, then I am above the clouds and they do not obscure the Dharma. Relating this to the physical clouds and weather changes frees me from them mentally and physically.

To stay sinus problem free from spiritual attack, I need to visualize the poisons of Mara and karmic residue rolling off my brain, like raindrops roll off a pigeons' feathers in a shower. This, I hope, will keep the poison outside of me and I will not experience and react to it, causing the sinus problems to arise.

TERMINOLOGY

One problem we have in the Western world, is that Buddhism comes with multiple choices and options. Many of us get a taste of it through several different lineages and schools before finding the one that clicks with us. This can lead to confusion in many areas, including with the terminology.

For example, if referring to the person known in one lingo as an Arhat, they may also be known in different languages as a Foe Destroyer or an Arahant, as well as other terms from other places and languages.

Whereas I have found it easy to connect the right word to the right being, it remains difficult to recall which language the words I use stem from. This can lead to a written paragraph or spoken conversation using words from multiple sources. For example, I may refer to Sanskrit, Pali, Thai, and Tibetan, all in the same paragraph.

Once you have completed much study, it is not so bad - as you come across the various terms for the same matter so often that you may eventually learn them all. But at first, it can be exceedingly confusing to have to learn three or four different words for the same item.

THE DHARMA TREE 2

The dharma is the roots and the trunk is our knowing-mind. The branches and twigs are our sensings and our emotions; the leaves our thoughts. Whilst the tree relies on dharma sap to grow well, it can be affected by karmic and demonic winds. When these hit the leaves of thought or galefully push and play with the twigs of our emotions, we need to focus only on the trunk and dig our awareness deeply down into the roots to prevent confusion or wrongness affecting us.

I like to sit in my trunk and stay there - with only naturally arisen thought and emotion, not bending or swaying to the fancy of the karmic winds or demonic demands…

The battles of mara and karma swish away furiously at my leaves - so I sit in my trunk
To fight the battle would run me out of energy - you cannot prove truth or justice by fighting against lies or injustice - only by silently waiting and staying true within.

Safe below - inward go - stay and grow.
Danger outside - bashed and torn - all forlorn.

Stable and immobile am I, as raging gales my leaves destroy with animosity.
But I do not live in my leaves the way most people do - instead, I live inside, deep down - dharma touched - as Buddhism has taught me to. Secure as the storms rage outside.