Mass Distraction

This may be different for certain people.  But what would happen if you turned off your TV, stepped away from your games, or stayed home from the pub?  Just with silence around and nothing to do.  Would you feel lost?  Confused as to what to do to past the time?

Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh said in a Dharma talk that, we thrive on these distractions because we are afraid of ourselves/one's own mind.  The more I think about this, and the more I try to break away from these stimuli, the more I find it is true.

Our present day is filled with a constant stream of input and data.  90% of it is essentially useless in all truth.  It's filler, not unlike the foods we think we taste with other elements mixed in.  It distracts us from who we truly are and who we can be.  But how many of us take time to take that inward step to realize what we are and where we are?

Understandably, not everybody's life can include a long period of solitude.  But what about a half hour, or even twenty minutes a day to reflect and be mindful of where we are and what we do?  Just to mindfully breathe and realize that we are not the only thing that matters. What we do inevitably influences others in some way. 

This is important even to the non-Buddhist.  It can be stress relieving, and open the mind to more things than a self-centered reality. 

Wavelenghts

Sometimes we say "We're on the same wavelength" when meeting or talking to somebody.  Others sometimes are on a totally different wavelength.

Harmony

To practice understanding, acceptance and compassion to all involves a harmony of wavelengths on all levels.  How can one do this?  Perhaps with mindfulness, understanding, and unbiased opinion, or abolishing ego.  I know in posts past I have gone on about "ego."  But this is really what drags us down as humans.  We put ourselves first and cling to the idea that "I am" or "I need."  

So what if we could be on the wavelength of anybody?  I personally am trying to do this myself, trying to judge others less, and accept people.  Of course there are people I don't want to be involved in my personal life, and I have made measures to do so.  I don't believe this to be hypocritical, there are just people out there who may have a negative influence on you or people who are holding you back from what you believe is your potential. Though, to understand life and this "whole" we need to understand everybody and everything without exception.  

In short, it's important to have a wavelength or form of understanding to give compassion and acceptance to all beings.  Also it is very important to realize the influence and affect we all have on each other.

In Gassho.  _/\_

Nothing Special

What is it to be special?  Being held in high or low regard?  To be unique to all others?  In Reality, what is truly the difference between wealthy or poor; respected or ignored; sacred or mundane, wise or lame of mind?

All of the above are relative.  What I mean is that you can't have one without the other.  And why do these opposites exist?  Ego.  The sense of self, the idea of disconnection from the All. It is only applying form to that which in truth is actually formless or empty.

Too often we get caught up in the ideas and beliefs of what is right vs wrong, beautiful vs ugly, dark vs light, etc. But Buddhism and Zen is about seeing things for what they are before these ideas, or what we could even call labels.  Absolute Reality doesn't depend on opposites/relativity/opinions.  The universe will inevitably continue to unfold itself regardless of what happens or what we may hold as valuable.  As sobering as it may be, the earth will continue to spin after encounter the end of you life, and people will forget about you time to time.

One of the purposes of Zen is to live in the moment and approach each moment to it's fullest and deepest meaning.  A homeless person can penetrate this moment just as well as a billionaire. A plastic representation of a "holy" figure can have just as much value as one made of gold. It is never about who or what you are, but how you approach life in its completeness in this moment.  Just to be awakened is the point.  To see through the delusion of thought that opposites exist in the mind but not in Reality.

In conclusion nothing is ugly or beautiful, good or evil, sacred or mundane, light or dark, etc.  These are all ideas (delusion) which conflict with true reality.  Nothing is special or lame, everything just is.

Pushing Against the Tide

One of the biggest roots of suffering is feeding our ego or self this belief that we can have Reality the way we want it.  Things don't happen in our favor when we believe they should, or we feel the universe is against us.

There was a ninth century Zen teacher from China named Kuei-shan and his student Yang-shan.  The student asked his teacher, "When the ten thousand things come up to you, what should you do?"  Kuei-shan responded, "Green is not yellow; long is not short.  Each thing manages its own; why should I interfere?"

What control do we truly have over Reality?  The answer is none.  Thinking that we can have things our way is like pushing against the tides when the water will just go around you anyway.  But do not think things are predetermined as destiny.  Things may go in favor for a while, but invariably can change in an instant because everything is constantly changing.

Also this isn't telling you to "just sit back and take it."  We can accommodate to the situations that rise up in our lives by approaching them wisely and in a calm manner.  As my teacher always says, "We just need to rise to the moment."  Face whatever comes your way, from a flat tire to losing a loved one.

Ego-patrio-tism

I wasn't sure if I should post this on the 10th anniversary of the "9/ll attacks" or for Columbus Day.  So  I chose Columbus day.
If it weren't for ego, many things in history, including many atrocities wouldn't have happened.  Radical religious practitioners are no different.  Crusaders, Jihad, Conquistadors, they are all based on an attitude that of ego, that their religion is best.  And it always ends up in unnecessary deaths and disposal of innocent lives.
With that in mind, for Columbus Day, I leave you with this video.  But consider it has not only been Columbus and his time, but so many other "leaders" who have killed and harmed many innocent people in the sake of ego.