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Volume 6, Issue 4 Just as the great ocean has one taste, the taste of salt,
October-December 2010 so also this Dhamma and Discipline has one taste,
the taste of liberation.
Uposatha Sutta
continued on p. 4
T
stories out of them, or reject them. Just he brain is the light bulb. The sun
let them come and go lightly. is the heart!
You may be harmed for showing
your splendor.
As your mind becomes quiet and still, The flowers are something I try to
picture when I concentrate. A long as you think of this
look more deeply into your breathing
Temple and remember
and the air that you breathe through The breath is the circles covering the
your nostrils and all the pores of your They may hurt this Temple, but
whole body. not the powerful light within it.
body.
Sometimes I can see the rest of my So, stick to the light inside of
Consider that every human being is body while my eyes are closed, so the Temple.
breathing the same air. It goes in oth- that’s why they’re inside the feet!
er people’s lungs and comes out This Temple is me and it is like
The mountains are a sign of taking a no other.
again, then goes into your lungs and
out again, and so the process contin- deep breath. It’s not hard to see this Temple
ues. Experience that connection. How is me,
The bird I guess is just attracted to the
would it be without each other’s air? And everything in it will cease to
peace of mind …
be.
Trees and plants are involved in creat-
ing the air you breathe. Animals are
breathing the same air. Focus on your
page 3 Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter
Beyond Words?, cont'd from p. 1 White Cloud
So, after reading 144 lines of the Patriarch’s words, he tells us, “The way is bey- Travis L. Adams (Bradenton, FL)
ond all words”?
It’s difficult to take phrases like, “don’t pick and choose,” “cut off all likes and dis-
likes,” and “do not seek the truth, only let go of your opinions,” and apply them to
prison life, or any setting for that matter. How do I not pick and choose the way
I’m going to spend my time in prison? Do I just wander aimlessly, letting the sys-
tem make all my decisions for me? Or do I choose and reject the activities that I
do have control over? How do I cut off all likes and dislikes in this environment? The Incense Burns
Let’s be honest, there are people and things that we like and those that we dislike. Travis L. Adams (Mujin) (Bradenton,
How do we not seek the truth, and let go of our opinions? Our very consciousness FL)
is the thing we are most attached to. It’s what makes me ME! How do I just “let
go” of my opinions? Do I not have a voice in the matter? Am I not a part of this The incense burns.
world?
Autumn winds, clouds of
Again, these are just words but they do have practical value. I’m pretty sure Soz- impermanence.
an didn’t intend for those who read his words to crawl in a hole and deny A bird in the tree sings his song.
them“selves” to such an extreme. I think in a practical sense it would be wise to The ancient eye sinks into the depths
practice closely examining the things we pick and choose rather than avoiding of the ocean.
them. It would be wise to look at the motives and intentions behind our opinions Rays of sun, as the dharma, fill the
rather than letting go of them. I think that with some introspection the “letting go” Ten Directions.
and “cutting off” will come with the passage of time. Time!!
Swift as the double edge sword,
For after all, if the goal of practicing the way is to achieve a mind of non-duality
Kill the Buddha.
then a certain amount of introspection is necessary. Or we can simply do away
The dewdrop falls between Heaven
with all of the words, questions, and my analysis for that matter, and try what Soz-
an suggests in the title of his poem: and Earth;
and the incense burns.
Hsin-hsin-ming, The autumn wind, cold as that of
Hsin-hsin-ming, Death.
Hsin-hsin-ming. Great sages, voices of emptiness
echoing through the mountain
Trust in mind, valley;
Trust in mind, Do you see them?
If so, know this,
Trust in mind.
Mumon is a jokester!!
* Zen Sourcebook, Traditional Documents from China, Korea, and Japan
When the hubles wheel turns,
Neither master nor no-master
can stop it.
It turns above the Heavens and
below the Earth-
South, North, East, and West.
I have been in prison thirty-seven years of my life. In that blind. To achieve illumination or spiritual insight, we require
time, I have overcome many obstacles related to my mind an essential change in attitude and practice. That alteration
and my relationships with various people. This is no big involves our choice to relinquish our old nature of indiffer-
deal. This is what we should do. We should make ence and independence and submit or surrender to our
ourselves whole. true selves.
I have complained, whined, and denied many things Too frequently, we are in the thug mentality, opposed to
while in prison, but one day, I said, “This is enough.” I change. Old age tends to kick your ass. We start to see
have always had somewhat of a this is not working for us. Living faith and practice requires
generous heart and compassion introspection and personal work.
for certain people, but I was not Sometimes it involves pain. The
fully whole with myself, my true pain is the change. A major
self. I carried a great deal of bag- struggle of the pilgrimage for you
gage from the past. It influenced and me is to adopt a new way of
my life drastically. thinking. The Buddha, the Dharma,
and the Sangha give us a natural
I have heard inmates complain way to think.
about their suffering, their stay in
prison, the guards, the parole This study and practice is the tam-
board, and just people in general. ing of the ego, of our dualistic think-
Yes, we all suffer, but the people ing, and of our fictitious concepts.
in Kenya and other places in the To do this, we must endeavor to rid
world would just love to live in our ourselves of afflictions, addictions,
shoes in this prison: three meals a and negative attachments. We do
day, a place to stay, clothing, this through intensive study and
healthcare. Many people don’t meditation.
have that in their lives. I hear bad
We need to overcome our anger,
acts all the time, and the roles
hatred, separation, pride, distrac-
they play. I see the masks they
tions, lust, greed, jealousy, and ig-
wear. Been there, done that. The
norance. As prisoners, we
book on Karma changed my life.
definitely have been ignorant and
It was the beginning of a search
delusional in many instances. The
for understanding and wisdom. I
proof is in the pudding, so to
had to overcome the burdens I Kenneth Griggs speak.
had been carrying, the fears that (Cheshire, CT)
were affecting my life. I began the As a prisoner I have had trouble
search with the diligent study of with my gossip and talking about
Buddhism. others’ faults. I know it is wrong, and I catch myself. Fortu-
nately, it is happening less and less often. However, without
We are all connected to each other, related to all that is,
a sincere heart, we find ourselves bogged down, motion-
but we create our blindness, our own heavens and hells
less, not knowing how to get free. The Buddhist teachings
here on earth. We are heir to our spiritual blindness. We
show us the way. We may not be free of prison, but we will
have eyes to see and appreciate things, but not things as
be happy and free in mind.
they are, because we are blinded to the ultimate reality.
There are many obstacles in our way. We still cling to the at-
Do we believe what we are told, or do we believe what
titude we belong to ourselves, when in fact we have no
we experience? We convicts tend to abandon ourselves to
“self.” When we are free of our self-ownership, we tend to
a life of uncertainty, obscured and distant from any faith. If
see things in a different light. This blindness of the natural
we choose to live in complacency, we remain weak and
continued on p. 7
T he issues of no-Self and imperman- tional notion of Self. As with sprouting, growing, dying, and decay-
ence have been on my mind a lot everything else in the body--perhaps ing: not one single thing, but an ag-
lately. I recently finished lesson 4 of even more so--these brain centers and gregation. Both ancient Buddhist
the Buddhist Correspondence Course, their interconnections change in re- teachings and modern Western psy-
which covers those topics, as does sponse to our experiences. chology support his view. (It is no coin-
much of Part I of Peter Della Santina’s cidence that many renowned Western
Having grown up in a traditional West-
The Tree of Enlightenment. Other psychological theorists have vener-
ern Christian environment, at first I
Buddhist texts I’ve read including ated Buddhist teachings and studied
found the thought that my Self had
Kosho Uchiyama’s Opening the Hand under Buddhist masters.) After the ini-
turned up missing pretty unpleasant.
of Thought and When Things Fall tial shock of grieving a self-concept I
The Self, I thought, was who I am,
Apart by Pema Chodron, emphasize held so dear, however, I realized that
who I had been, and who I would be,
the notion that what we call the self, these teachings--no-Self and imperman-
for all time. Western religion posits a
“I”, “me”, or “myself” is in reality a con- ence--represent an opportunity: an op-
soul or Self that is essential and per-
stantly changing assemblage of other portunity for change and liberation
manent, something that, if it followed
things. that would not otherwise exist.
certain rules, could expect to attain
Prior to my incarceration, I had the op- an eternal reward. Even Western secu-
portunity to take Western philosophy, lar tradition thinks in terms of an un-
psychology, and sociology courses. I changing core personality or essence,
have continued studying psychology something that can be found, meas-
while in prison via correspondence, ured, and actualized. Western
and read some books about Western European and American systems of re-
philosophies like existentialism. What I tributive (punitive) justice, recidivism,
have learned is that when modern and increased punishment for repeat
Western psychologists and philosoph- offenders simply don’t make much
ers, like their ancient Buddhist counter- sense without assuming the existence
parts, are attempting to identify and of a permanent Self.
describe the Self, they cannot find any Thus, we come to what is, for me, the
well-defined, permanent aspect of hu- heart of the matter. As hard as I find
man consciousness that maps directly Strength
the notions of no-Self and imperman-
to what we call “the Self.” One theorist ence to embrace, I cannot escape the James Bettis (Clarinda, IA)
describes in great detail how different evidence that supports these ideas. In-
parts of the mind--like the senses, the stead I see in them tremendous relief some people look for it
emotions, and the thought process--af- and opportunity. Even though I accept some people pay for it
fect and are in turn affected by the en- responsibility for committing awful some act like they have it
vironment, and that these parts of the crimes and hurting innocent people, I travel the world for it
mind do not have clear boundaries am not those crimes. If the Self were travel all over land
between themselves, with the rest of as permanent and unchanging as
the body, or with the world. Yet anoth- travel all over the sea
some worldviews would have us be-
er theorist, in examining human behavi- for strength of mind
lieve, there is no way we could
or, found that we do not have fixed change and become better people. for strength of spirit
characteristics, only tendencies, and Accepting responsibility is itself a for strength of body
that we only behave consistently some change, perhaps the most important but true strength is always
of the time in some situations. Yet a kind of all: a change of thinking. with us
third group of researchers over the the true strength comes from
years has begun at least tentatively to Thus, by having searched for
within.
identify parts of the brain associated something permanent I can call the
with sensation and perception, with Self and failed to find anything clearly
M
to sleep. Then there are those who have to talk constantly. They fill their day with
indfulness, examining the state
a non-stop barrage of, for the most part, non-productive idle chit-chat or negative
of our emotions. The mind
crying and moaning. Even reading and exercise can be a way to distract
races from here to there, not stopping
ourselves.
to form anything tangible. There’s no
What are we running from? What are we hiding from? What do we dislike so filter between brain and mouth, like a
much about ourselves that causes us to go to such mind-numbing extremes to river flowing into the ocean. With no
avoid facing? Are we even aware that we are running? provocation, our delusions and non-
virtuous ways are causing us to harm
I like using food as my escape from the reality of my own suffering. We all have
ourselves and others by not being
our own favorite escape. This fact has spawned the cliché, “Everyone has a vice,”
mindful of our speech and actions.
as if this makes it all right.
Ignorance is not bliss. Avoiding the
OK, here is a challenge. I am preparing to take it tomorrow myself. Pick
web that is being spun will only let it
something you enjoy and set it aside for a pre-determined amount of time. Then
get so big that there will be no place
sit back and observe yourself. For me, I am choosing to fast by not eating from
to turn without being stuck in our own
sun up until sun down. Not too long I know, but for me a lifetime. I love to eat.
defilements.
*****
I’m just like everyone else, I want to
So, my fast is up. It was a little rough in the beginning but got easier. When those be happy as well as I want to be suc-
first hunger pangs began to rumble and shake I started thinking, “I’m gonna cessful and accomplish goals in life.
starve.” “Hey, it’s not healthy to deprive the body.” This all took place during the But in the striving for accomplishment,
first three hours. I seemed to be hungrier since my mind knew what I was trying to we experience greed and jealousy.
do. We become attached to the struggle
of surviving. The funny thing about
The predominant thought was that I was going to somehow miss out on that is, no matter how much we ac-
something if I did not eat. Not following my normal activities produced a sense of complish in our struggling, imperman-
dread. I felt out of place in my own life. ence taps us on the shoulder just to
People everywhere cling to who they believe themselves to be and the familiar remind us that it is everywhere and in
world around them. I believe this is even truer for us in prison. We have so little to everything.
identify ourselves with that we cling that much harder. You see, by looking into your own
I am going to start stripping away all of those things in my life that I identify my- heart, you can find the unclouded ex-
self with. I am not giving all of my possessions away or stopping all personal activ- perience of all kinds of situations and
ities. Instead, I will detach myself from, well—myself. how things really are. No matter who
we are, nothing ever measures up,
Does my TV define my life? No, it only offers an escape. So I will watch less TV. nothing is ever good enough. The
In fact, I will lessen all of my time spent in unmindful attempts to escape the real- problem is the confusion within us.
ity of life. I invite you to do the same. Give it a try. Your discoveries will be The beginning of mindfulness is con-
simple, yet vast at the same time. trolling the chaos and telling yourself
that I can stop all of this and step
away from the norm and possess a
power all of my own…the power of
sentience.
Douglas Phillips
Tricycle magazine