buddhist correspondence course
newsletter
Volume 5, Issue 4
October-December 2009
INSIDE THIS ISSUE...
Articles
Building a Buddha-Box, James Davie
Bodhicitta, Janet
Lawsuit Resumes Concerning
Buddhist Prisoners, James Newby
My Nature and Yours,
James Halbirt
Poetry
Silent Screaming, Cliff Marvin Nowell
Dragon, James W. Bettis
Grow, James W. Bettis
Eradication Day, Cliff Marvin Nowell
Love Letters, Cliff Kathleen Wyatt
What Is, "Is," Travis L. Adams
Art
Zen Art, Travis L. Adams
Letters
Ronald Couch, Jr.
James L. Halbirt
G. A. Norrell
page 1
To avoid all evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one's mind —
this is the teaching of the Buddhas.
Dhammapada, 183
Building a Buddha-Box
James Davie (Brent, AL)
I wrote this in hopes that those who can relate to tools and toolboxes will be
able to imagine a mental toolbox filled with tools to help them with their mind
and relations with others.
Have you ever needed to repair something but just didn’t have the right tools? Or
used the wrong tools or the right tools in the wrong way and ended up with an
even bigger problem than you started with? Me, too! Plenty of times.
Knowing how to use tools properly takes wisdom, knowledge, and hands-on ex-
perience. Knowing where to find them takes organization. That’s why the toolbox
was invented. A carpenter, mechanic, electrician, auto body repairman, and so
on all use some common tools. They also have specialized tools for their trade.
The specialized tools I’m referring to are for the repair and maintenance of the
mind.
The Buddha’s teachings have given us many tools to work with. So many that I
had to have a larger toolbox to keep them in.
Just like an electrician needs to understand ohms, watts, and volts, we need to un-
derstand how attachment and desire arise and where emotions come from.
Just as my physical toolbox is a large three sectional unit, so is my Buddha tool-
box. The tools in my box are based on the Noble Eightfold Path. The top section
is my wisdom box (panakkandha). It holds tools for right views and right inten-
tions. My moral box (silakkahandha) is in the middle section. It contains tools for
right speech, right action, and right livelihood. My concentration box (samad-
hikkandha) is on the bottom. It holds all my heavy duty tools of right effort, right
mindfulness, and right meditation. You can organize your box as you see fit. This
is just my personal reference.
As sentient beings we all have the same basic problem. It’s called ignorance.
We need to understand the nature of our dissatisfied mind. Just as we would
check the oil and radiator fluid in our car, we should make regular checkups to in-
vestigate the health of our minds. This is not just philosophy, we need to know
how the mind functions. We all have the potential for infinite development.
Be mindful of your tools. If you think you are lacking tools in any area, ask your
guru or teacher for help and study Buddhist books. The wisdom knowledge you
continued on p. 3
Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter

The BCCN is distributed at no
charge to those taking the
Buddhist Correspondence
Course. This is your newslet-
ter–by you, about you, and for
you. You are the major contribut-
ors, so send us your questions,
problems, solutions you've found
to difficulties in practice, thoughts
you have on practice, artwork, po-
etry, etc. Due to limited space,
some editing may be necessary.
We also welcome your comments
on the newsletter and sugges-
tions for ways we might improve
it to serve you better.
Please mail all correspondence to:
Buddhist Correspondence Course
c/o Rev. Richard Baksa
2020 Route 301
Carmel, NY 10512
Let us know if we may use
your full name or just initials.
To receive copies of any of the
resources listed below, please
write to Rev. Richard Baksa at
the address above.
• A listing by state of Buddhist
groups that may be able to
send volunteers to your prison
to conduct Buddhist activities.
• The "Religious Land Use and
Institutionalized Persons Act of
2000." This guarantees equal
access for all religions to prison
facilities for the purpose of reli-
gious meetings.
• “What is the Religious Land
Use and Institutionalized Per-
sons Act?” This explains the
Act and how it is to be applied.
page 2
Bodhicitta
Janet
Get up with Bodhicitta.
Eat with Bodhicitta.
Go to work with Bodhicitta.
Sleep with Bodhicitta.
Study with Bodhicitta.
Experience problems with Bodhicitta.
Die with Bodhicitta.
T
his quote from Lama Zopa denotes how bodhicitta, the union of compassion
and wisdom, or the awakened heart/mind, should be all-encompassing and
pervasive in our lives, not an ornamental philosophy to espouse and take down
from the shelf now and then, but an integral part of our thoughts and actions.
With our thoughts and actions based on bodhicitta, we can become bodhisat-
tvas.
Lama Zopa puts the importance of bodhicitta so simply and put it within the
reach of everyone:
Our lives are so busy; we are preoccupied by many family and other obligations.
When your life is so busy, there is no other refuge than your good heart. Your
good heart is the most important thing in which to take refuge. Even though you
might want to do long practices, sitting meditation, many prayers or retreat, your
life is usually so busy that you don't have time. You have too many other obliga-
tions; you can't do everything that you'd like. If this is the case, your only refuge
is your good heart, your compassion, the thought of benefiting others, bodhicitta.
If you take refuge in that, if you can practice that, no matter how busy you
are—even if you cannot do many hours' sitting meditation, prayers, preliminary
practices and so forth—you will have no regrets over lost opportunities, now or in
the future. In this life and in all future lives, you will go from happiness to happi-
ness to enlightenment.
As I write this essay, I never want to forget that the study of Bodhicitta is very im-
portant because its purpose is to teach us how to have bodhicitta. When all is
said and done, though, it is the actual practice of bodhicitta (“the Wish-Fulfilling
Jewel”) that is ultimately the most important thing.
Bodhicitta is made up of the word bodhi signifying “awakened” and citta mean-
ing (according to your source) “mind,” or “consciousness, “ or “spirit.” The words
“essence,” “core,” “foundation,” or “crux” are just some of the words that I thought
about to use when speaking of Bodhicitta but the word “heart” is the most appro-
priate. Bodhicitta is the heart of Mahayana Buddhism; it is the most apt word be-
cause bodhicitta is all about “the good heart.” Everything we study and do is for
this end—the development of bodhicitta and enlightenment, enlightenment for the
benefit of sentient beings. Developing our minds, meditating, reading, and study-
ing all lead to this end. If someone were to ask, “Tell me what Buddhism is all
about in just a few sentences,” I would refer to the Four Noble Truths and Bodhi-
citta in my answer. At the very least, we should consider the immediate benefit of
continued on p. 8
Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter
Buddha-Box, cont'd from p. 1
gain will be the actual tools you store
in your toolbox.
Here is a brief example of some of the
tools we can have in our Buddha box.
Our right view drawer (samma ditthi)
can consist of the tools of the Four
Noble Truths, and the right views of
the five aggregates of clinging and
suffering. Another right view to have is
of the Noble Eightfold Path as it is
truly a way to end dukkha, and the
right view of the cause and effect of
karma.
The right intention drawer (samma
sankappo) can have tools for
understanding the intentions of
renunciation, good will, and
harmlessness, plus knowing what our
aim and purpose is in everything we
think and do.
In the right speech drawer (samma
vaca) we should have tools for
understanding the reasons for
abstaining from idle chatter, false,
slanderous, and harsh speech. Wrong
speech can create enemies and start
wars. Right speech can give wisdom,
heal, and create peace. When used
properly, speech is silver and silence
is golden.
The right action drawer (samma
kammanta) can consist of tools for
abstaining from taking life, from
taking what has not been given to us,
and from sexual misconduct. There are
counterpart tools for each of these. For
example, abstaining from taking what
has not been given to us has a
counterpart tool of honesty, being
content with what we have and the
virtuous tools of generosity.
In our right livelihood drawer (samma
ajivo) is where we can keep tools for
righteous ways of making a living.
The drawer of right effort (samma
vayamo) are for tools of mental
determination. These are attempts to
page 3
stir up the energy in our minds to
strive for what is right.
Our right mindfulness drawer (samma
sati) should have some tools for
contemplating the body, feelings,
state of mind, and phenomena.
The right meditation drawer (samma
samadhi) should be filled with
concentration tools. These one-
pointedness meditation tools can
consist of tools for establishing a
meditation practice, meditations on
the mind, analytical meditations,
visualization meditations, prayers and
other devotional practices.
All of our tools should be chosen with
wisdom knowledge and used with
lovingkindness and compassion.
Better than a toolbox filled with a
thousand worthless tools is one tool
that brings peace and happiness to
all. Gassho.
Lawsuit Resumes Concerning
Buddhist Prisoners
Rob L. Newby (Teague, TX)
T
he 5th Circuit Court of Appeals
has vacated the judgment of the U.
S. District Court in Amarillo, Texas,
that had dismissed the Buddhist in-
mate lawsuit as “frivolous” and for
“failure to state a claim”.
In a 13-page opinion issued April
30th of this year, the Court of Appeals
ruled in favor of Buddhist inmates on
four of five points finding that a reason-
able finder of fact could determine
that the Texas Department of Criminal
Justice imposes an impermissible sub-
stantial burden on Buddhist prisoners’
religious exercise and fails to provide
reasonable alternatives in violation of
the RLUIPA [Religious Land Use and In-
stitutionalized Persons Act of 2000]
and the 1st and 14th amendments the
Constitution.
Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter
More specifically, the Court of Ap-
peals said that when an outside volun-
teer is not available to oversee
“regular” meetings, prison officials
must provide supervision similar to that
enjoyed by Muslim prisoners.
Additionally, the Court found that the
prison policy requiring malas to be
black plastic, and forbidding inmates
to carry or wear them, was not shown
by the state to be the least restrictive
means of furthering a compelling gov-
ernmental interest. The case was re-
manded back to the District Court for
further proceedings.
This case was filed May 8, 2005, ad-
dressing Buddhist inmates’ rights at
the Roach Unit in Childress, Texas.
Consequently, the outcome of this suit
has the potential to confer benefits
upon not only Texas Buddhist inmates,
but prisoners anywhere that federal
constitutional and statutory rights are
protected.
Buddhist prisoners should be sure their
prison record shows their faith to be
Buddhism. Prison officials regularly ar-
gue that they have less than 1% of the
inmate population recorded as
Buddhist, and thus should not be re-
quired to make special accommoda-
tions for them.
Details on the developments of this
case will be provided to the BCCN as
they occur. (Copies of the Court’s opin-
ion are available.)
For the sake of Dharma, practice.
 Silent Screaming
Cliff Marvin Nowell (Beaumont, TX)

An ensemble of emotions
Rage throughout a young mind,
Warped by incestuous acts,
Illegally and insidiously obtained,
By coaxing or intimidation.
Neglected of parental passion,
Craving encouragement and approval,
Inviting acceptance of immorality.
Sadly taught sexual transgressions,
Are physical equations of love.
Invitations of lustful congresses
Are readily extended, bringing
Future harm, invisible dangers.
Psychogenic states go unnoticed,
Sexual improprieties deemed normal.
Gender lines drawn, then crossed, Dragon
As physical aggressions prosper. James W. Bettis (Clarinda, IA)
Denial of sexual access,
Shock, stun, flabbergast, angers, Looking out the widow
Introducing series of self-rejections, At the bright blue sky
Accompanied by imagined verbal slurs, Thinking of the dragon
Destroying a fragile confidence. That was hard to suppress
Imagined looks of contempt, Til I met special friends
Degrade thoughts of self-esteem, Who had patience
Igniting anti-social behaviors. Who gave me a chance
Confusion, fear: clearly in view. Who taught me
Needs, wants: out of reach. To tame the Dragon.
Desperate yearning invades wrecked psyches,
While early learning reverts/diverge,
Upon unsuspecting youthful victims, Grow
Needful of tender loving acceptance, James W. Bettis (Clarinda, IA)
Silently screaming for rescue
Will they ever be heard? Seeing steel bars day in day out
Metal fence wherever you go
Being told what to do
Getting up at a certain time
Sleeping on hard beds
Lights on, lights off at certain times
Some call prison
We call it a chance to grow

page 4 Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter

 Eradication Day
Cliff Marvin Nowell (Beaumont, TX)

He inherited the best

Of an amazing childhood –
A time full of joy!
And toys made of wood.

He became a greatly
Admired athlete of lore:
Like the boy next door –
With trophies and ribbons galore.

He had earned the life

One full of glowing health
And a business that provided Zen Art
His family with great wealth.
Travis L. Adams (Mujin),
He surely had the touch – (Sarasota, FL)
Rewards arriving every day.
Then one day when he was going home …
An accident happened on the way.

It was not his fault …

That the blood was tainted –
Not knowing, the orderly drew it
From a risky person who knew it.

Sure it’s sad I admit

Thought not all lives end this way –
But his family I had to tell:
AIDS eradicated him today.

page 5 Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter

 Love Letters
Kathleen Wyatt (Willimantic, CT)
Once upon a time
Under the guise of fairy tale lies
Girls and women believed …
Believed in happily ever after
Believed good would always win
When that reality became a delusion
They carved love letters into their skin
You always told her
Home is where the heart is
Home sweet home
When Grandpa comes to visit
He gets her alone
Kisses like Prince Charming
Smells like mothballs
Tastes like sin
Now Daddy’s little Princess
Carves love letters into her skin
Teens in formal wear
Vote for King and Queen
At the stroke of midnight
She pleads, Don’t make a scene
DJ spins Rhiana’s Umbrella Song
The prince punches Cinderella
For ignoring him all night long
He roars, Only whores wear glass slippers
I’m sorry, the maiden whispers
Again and again, the prince hits her
I must learn to treat him better
I’m so stupid, he’s so clever
His proclamation I must remember
I belong to him now and forever
As an affirmation to this surrender
The prince watches with a grin
Cinderella carves love letters into her skin
Sleeping Beauty’s nodding
Chimera runs through her veins
The Queen slams back gin and tonics
Ignoring the signs, afraid of blame
Puss-filled purple pockmarks
Poison pricks like a pin
Beauty sleeves are long and bloodied
From carving love letters into her skin
page 6
I’m out of here, said L’il Red
My grandmother’s ill
She can’t leave her bed
Then she pulled on her hoody
And asked a friend could she
Be her shift cover
To check on grandmother
She cut through the park
To arrive before dark
Teen wolves in a pack
Planned their attack
Leading Red like a lamb to the slaughter
Sliced up and bruised
Red was violated and used
What a cruel lesson this world taught her
She left a note on her bed
And this is what it said
This pain I wear is a skin I can’t shed
I’m sorry but I’m better off dead
Your loving granddaughter, L’il Red
Then she cocked a gun to her head
Shooting her brain full of lead
With all innocence robbed
Her friend at the job
Filled with guilt as she sobbed
An old hymn about God, about salvation, about sin
While carving love letters into her skin
Rapunzel’s prison tower
Mirrors prisons of today
Good women who are broken
Are forgotten, hidden away
It’s the perfect fortress
The good townspeople say
To keep those women silent
Teach them to obey
In the village chapel
They sing rejoice and pray
But do they love thy neighbor
Even whey they stray
Because it’s girls and women who seem to pay
Those born of this earth
Are cursed right from birth
Because men decide their worth
Now this is not a bedtime story
Or a tale from Brothers Grimm
It’s the testimony of our sisters
Who carve love letters into their skin
Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter
My Nature and Yours Four Thoughts that Turn the
James Halbirt (San Luis Obispo, CA) Mind Toward Dharma

I have always been fond of nature, its outlook and its simplicity. Nature is at my (Ngondro or Preliminary Teachings)
beck and call. We live in it, we are a part of it, and it lives within us. It is the or-
The Four Thoughts clearly describe
der, the disposition, and the essence of all entities. The stuff of the universe is
how reality works. Contemplating
what we are made of. them helps integrate their deep wis-
dom into our awareness, transform-
Have you ever looked at a beautiful stone and wondered about it? What does it ing mind and heart, bringing
represent? Where has it been? Is it alive? It is my understanding that stones have greater insight, wisdom, lovingkind-
rudimentary life. One might think, “This guy is crazy.” However, think about it this ness, and compassion. Actively con-
way: these stones put our lives into perspective. As we sit, our lives appear to un- template the importance, merit,
fold at a pace in between the lives of a long-lived stone. and relevance of this wisdom to
your life and to the lives of others.
A stone is a natural object, obviously made without motive. Thus it portrays the
Contemplate the importance and
qualities of a buddha, like the one sitting on an altar. It indicates stillness, opportunity of having a precious
calmness, centeredness, patience, tolerance, even magnanimity, compassion, human birth. We are fortunate to
and wisdom. The stones we can hold, just sitting, remind us of our true nature, be- be born as human beings and to en-
fore we stir our minds in thought. Yet all the while, they remain natural objects, of- counter the Dharma. Allow this to
fending no one and encouraging no one in particular in belief or thought. These inspire within you the compassion-
ate wish that all beings find libera-
stones have taken many twists and turns in life, just like our flow of life. tion from spiritually impoverished
Even a Buddha statue you might honor and respect is alive. It represents truth, circumstances.
compassion, kindness, and love, to name just a few aspects. Think also of anim- Contemplating impermanence and
als: they are self-contained. Like the rocks, they just are. They don't look for any- mortality is an essential aspect of
thing outside of just this. Each comes equipped as it is. It does not try to be Dharma practice. It helps us realize
the preciousness of life, choose to
anything that it is not. It's ready and willing to sleep, to breed, to find food and
embrace what is of value, and
shelter to survive. wisely spend our valuable time and
energy. It inspires us to make a de-
That is serenity. They just are what they are. They don't get outside themselves like
termined effort to practice the
we do. They don't manifest fantasy worlds. They don't have time to be anything Dharma, cultivate virtue, and serve
but real. They don't look outside themselves. They live entirely in the moment. the welfare of all living beings.
When a lion kills a deer, the world rolls on; all is placid and serene.
Karma and its results are certain
Animals, like rocks, are artless, without guile or deceit. They don't try to manipu- and unfailing. By understanding
late our impressions of them or cover up the truth about themselves. karma, purifying our delusion and
negativity, and engaging in virtuous
A very young person, for example a baby, shows no sign of feeling separate behavior, we change our life experi-
from the world. Just noticing such qualities is enough to give us grownups a mo- ence and move swiftly toward libera-
tion. Closely examine your life, your
mentary sense of lightness and freedom. Thinking on this, why can't we live with thoughts, feelings, speech, and ac-
such peace and serenity ourselves? We tend to look "out there" to make tions. These are a precise indica-
ourselves whole, hunting for something as if it were prey. We can't seem to stay tion of your future experience.
in our own reality. We are never satisfied. The reality we create traps us. Like an-
We must understand and embrace
imals and rocks, the world is always here. There is nothing "out there" we need the truth of our stress and suffer-
to acquire. True reality is forever at hand. Moment to moment of radiant pure be- ing and the disadvantages of the
ing. worldly life. Attachment to this
samsaric life can distract us from
Even our earth is alive, just like the rocks. It is always contracting and expanding, practicing the Dharma. For the wel-
just like the breaths we take moment to moment. Even on the earth resides birth fare and benefit of all living beings,
and death. The rocks, the earth and everything we see is alive or being born or we should make a firm commit-
dying. We know from physics that the rocks you can hold in your hand are recon- ment to renounce samsara, a firm
commitment to study and practice
structed (that is, reborn) moment to moment in a blur of rapidly moving molecules the Dharma until we attain joyous
and atoms, each exchanging electrons and energy with other molecules and enlightenment.
atoms at enormous speeds. The whole picture can be reduced to energy and
--adapted from Naljor Prison
continued on p. 8 Dharma Service

page 7 Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter

My Nature, cont'd from p. 7
movement. If these rocks did not have
rudimentary life, they would fall into
space. The molecules and atoms keep
this rock contained. However, like us,
they change.
Typically, even as we die, all things
die. We return to the earth and birth
begins again, maybe in a different
form. Energy cannot be destroyed. All
living beings are energy. Whatever ex-
ists is energy manifesting. The earth is
much like ourselves: it belches, it
breathes, and in its movement it gets
rid of inner trash from its inner en-
ergy. It changes just like we do, but it
lives on in birth and death, moment to
moment. Whatever dies, it takes and
renews. Like ourselves, we do not take
care of our earth. I think the earth
gets mad at times, just like we do.
After all, aren't we destroying our en-
vironment, just like we do to other
people? Maybe it is collective karma.
It is amazing that we cannot learn
from nature. We know from physics,
for example, that our hand is reborn
moment to moment as a blur of rap-
idly moving molecules and atoms,
each exchanging electrons and en-
ergy with other molecules and atoms
at enormous speed. As a result, in no
two instances is there the same hand,
the same animal, the same rock. The
whole picture is reduced to energy
and movement, just like the movement
on our earth. As we are physically, it
is also necessary for us to change
mentally. We will do that eventually
given enough time, but time is limited,
we only have NOW.
Early Buddhists, I'm told, did not have
the benefit of modern physics, yet nev-
ertheless recognized total imperman-
ence. Nothing abides for a moment.
In each instance, we find a different
picture, a changed universe. Why are
we physically and mentally this way?
Because this is the only way it can be
page 8
experienced. It's a mental experience.
Mind is the Course.
The reason why we practice is to
tame our egos, to find a common
ground of reality to understand hu-
man life, a way to conduct our affairs
that doesn't lead to suffering for
ourselves and others. To practice well
is to find our center, and to abide in
awareness of the moment is to bring
us awake to see there is nothing out
there to be found. In meditation, there
is nothing to be found out there that
would cure our minds. What is lies
within. Our innate wisdom is found by
seeing the reality of what is. We have
all we need. There is nowhere to hide
or run. We are special and when we
live in a grateful world, the world will
be grateful as well. And so it is...
Bodhicitta, cont'd from p. 2
bodhicitta—that it reduces all our
fears and worries. The long-term bene-
fit is that it totally eliminates them be-
cause it is the main antidote to the
self-centered mind. Shantideva said, “I
invite every living being to this festival
giving both immediate and lasting
joy.” In addition, bodhicitta is a prac-
tice that can be done by Buddhists
and non-Buddhists alike because there
is absolutely no conflict with any reli-
gion’s prevailing belief system, nor
any conflict due to East-West differ-
ences in culture.
I remember one time, in particular,
when I think I understood bodhicitta
and the emptiness that is its founda-
tion. I was in the surgical waiting
room while my daughter was undergo-
ing surgery for breast cancer. I remem-
ber feeling a unity with all who had
experienced the same suffering; there
was a sense of deep connection, a
sense that we were all in the same
family. While I waited, I wrote in my
journal:
Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter
I have become extra sensitive to all
around us, seeing suffering not from a
generalized global perspective, but up
close and personal, knowing all who
suffer are really connected. As they
say in Zen “it’s just the skin bag” that
separates us. What made me think I
was so different from anyone else who
suffers, who desires not to suffer, who
wants happiness and peace?...I have
had to re-learn some very elementary
and basic things (I say “re-learn” be-
cause I think I once knew them):
namely, that yesterday belongs to yes-
terday, that yesterday’s bitterness can
poison today, that sickness and death
are a part of life, that I cannot hold on
to anyone or anything, and finally that
I am responsible and accountable for
all time for my actions. Yes, I know
they sound hauntingly familiar. In fact,
I claim them as my daily practice—
the Five Remembrances [see. p. 9,
Ed.], but I now really have experiential
knowledge of them; they are not just
beautiful sentences from the Buddha
that I keep framed on my desk.
And so, I would say that something
has happened to my heart. I feel as
though the great big hand of the uni-
verse has taken my puny heart in
hand and kneaded it to a suppleness,
a vulnerable porousness, a softness
that takes on, receives and blends
with all suffering in this world, not
from any phony intellectual gleaning,
but an understanding from where suf-
fering can only be truly understood—
in the softness of the human heart.
That day, I felt all barriers dissolve.
There was no “I” no “others.” We
were all the same in our human joys,
frailties and suffering. I believe that I
went beyond just an intellectual under-
standing of emptiness that day, empti-
ness which is part and parcel of
bodhicitta. I know we should not at-
tach to feelings but I will never forget
the feeling of complete ease that day.
 THE FIVE REMEMBRANCES
"There are these five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained.
Which five?

"'I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.' This is the first fact that one should reflect on often,
whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained.

"'I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.' ...

"'I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.' ...

"'I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.' ...

"'I am the owner of my actions,1 heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my
actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.' ...

"These are the five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained."
(from the Upajjhatthana Sutta: Subjects for Contemplation, trans. by Thanissaro Bhikkhu)

The Five Remembrances help us make friends with our fears of growing old, getting sick, being abandoned, and
dying. They are also a bell of mindfulness that can help us appreciate deeply the wonders of life that are available
here and now. But in the Heart Sutra, Avalokiteshvara teaches that there is no birth and no death. Why would
the Buddha tell us that we are of the nature to die if there is no birth and no death? Because in the Five
Remembrances, the Buddha is using the tool of relative truth. He is well aware that in terms of absolute truth,
there is no birth and death. (from Heart of the Buddha's Teaching, by Thich Nhat Hanh)

1) I am of the nature to grow old. There is no way to escape growing old.

2) I am of the nature to have ill health. There is no way to escape having ill health.

3) I am of the nature to die. There is no way to escape death.

4) All that is dear to me and everyone I love are of the nature to change. There is no way to escape being separated from them.

5) My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on
which I stand.
fold along the dotted lines to make a convenient, business-card

The
Please feel free to tear out this sheet along the solid lines and

size. May these teachings inspire and benefit your practice!

Four
Noble
Truths

page 9 Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter

 What Is, "Is"
Travis L. Adams (Bradenton, FL)

Great sages of time, speak of the Indus Valley
Tell of the Himalayans, the two great rivers of time
Let be known, what is not written
For there is no Dharma, sutras, nor teachers
Emptiness, can you see
Buddha is the mind, mind is the Buddha
There’s only the practice
Look, you shall not find, hear and you will see
Emptiness and impermanence
The wheel turns, the key Avidya, see the moon
Escape Jaramarana, the grasp of “Yama”
O great earth, reveal the great sages of time
The secrets of the north, flow in the two great rivers
How deep, how shallow, for there is no duality
Emptiness is emptiness / form is form
What is, - “is” and the wheel turns
Great sages of time reveal to me
Speak the truth of the mid-way
Concentration / focus
Do not come upon me Buddha! For I will beat you
with my spoon
“Quite!”
Whisper into my mind great sages
Speak to me the wisdom of time
Indus Valley, ancestors of time
Can you see
The Mountains walk, rivers flow, ride the white cloud
great ancestors of time
Beyond the bush, hear the ox, no rope is needed
Indus Valley, sit with me
Let it be known, nothing is written.

page 10 Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter

Gassho, BCCN Sangha. My name is
Ronald Couch, Jr. I’m serving a 1,072
month federal sentence (approxim-
ately 89.4 years) and since March of
1999 have been doing time at F C. I
in Beckley in West Virginia. This is my
intro of sorts, to the readers, writers,
and Dharma practitioners of the
BCCN community. I have been silently
appreciating all your efforts for a
couple of years now – and I gotta say
that it wasn’t until I read the article by
Travis L. Adams, in Raiford, Florida
(BCCN, Volume 4, Issue 3, page 4)
stressing a “Shut up and practice!” ap-
proach that I felt dharmically oblig-
ated to commit myself to join what I
understand of his stance.
Allow me to begin with a joke my fath-
er shared with me from Reader’s Di-
gest: Every ten years, the monks in the
monastery are allowed to break their
vow of silence to speak two words.
Ten years go by and it’s one monk’s
first chance. He thinks for a second be-
fore saying, “Food bad.” Ten years
later, he says, “Bed hard.” Another
decade, it’s the big day; he gives the
head monk a long stare, and says, “I
quit!” The head monk quickly re-
sponds, “I’m not surprised. You’ve
been complaining ever since you got
here.”
Ha! Now that’s funny – very character-
istic of Buddhist behavior. So here we
have this one monk who spent thirty
years in a meditation-conducive atmo-
sphere and only arrived at that the
food was bad, his bed was hard, and
that he didn’t want to be in this place
that slapped him in the face daily with
situations of dukkha. Had he invested
a fraction of that time meditating on
“MU!” or some other dharmic expedi-
ent, then perhaps he would’ve directly
experienced that his true nature and
his discriminating mind are, indeed, di-
page 11
visions of his own device. self-reliance. Stop trying to make
sense of the elements of prison. Make
The Buddha provided that all phenom-
sense of what’s trying to make sense!
ena are born of the mind. But don’t
Instead of me leaving you with Mr.
just take his word on blind faith. Quite
Adams’, “Shut up and practice!”, I
the contrary, the Buddha left the world
end this comment with the actions of
with a last address: “Be a lamp unto
silence and a bow—signifying wis-
yourselves.” Meaning: Realize for your-
dom beyond words, and compassion,
self that the only true teachers are the
respectively. Thus may we obtain the
universe and yourself. Therefore, “Shut
Marrow of Bodhidharma.
up and practice!” and share in the ex-
perience of Mr. Adams earning Bod- Ronald Couch, Jr.
hidharma’s Bones. Beaver, WV
Fortunately, Zen Master Shunryu Su-
zuki even said that sometimes you
have to say something. And so it was This is in response to the many excel-
with the Buddha when he delivered lent writers, and my brothers and sis-
the Deer Park sermon some two and ters who peruse the BCCN. I would
half millennia ago. So I rhetorically also like to specifically address Jeremy
ask you again: What was the monk Jones and mentor Florence.
doing at the monastery? Oh yeah,
I thoroughly enjoy your sharing and
that’s right, he was supposed to be
all the thoughtful articles written by
there applying the Buddha’ antidote
prisoners and mentors, those who em-
to his “Bad food – “Bed hard” – “I
brace humanity and who are getting
quit!” mind.
their compassionate life in order.
Mr. Adams, you said, “Practice is
knowledge, knowledge is wisdom, wis- In response to Jeremy Jones (Tenshin
dom is the understanding of ignor- Hyo Sek) of Greencastle, Indiana. It
ance.” With a little leeway, I’d like to seems we are homeboys of sorts, in
modify it to: “Practice is knowledge that I lived in East Chicago, Indiana
applied, knowledge applied skillfully years ago. ln my younger and way-
is wisdom, wisdom is the disabuser of ward days, I frequented many haunts
ignorance.” The “practice” is medita- and nighttime joints, around Gary, In-
tion—single-pointed concentration on diana, Hammond, Whiting, and Calu-
met City, the sin city of the 50s and
whatever expedient is conducive with
60s. Included would be many of the
your temperament, to the gateway
nightclubs of downtown Chicago. I
and beyond of absorption. The “know-
used to work in the steel mills in the
ledge”—in context—is the Dharma
Harbor area, Youngstown Sheet and
(i.e., the second of the triple treas-
Tube, and Inland Steel. I don’t think
ures); “applied” means “practice.”
they are there now. In my younger
Oh, look. We’ve come full circle. The
days, I was a boxer, a street fighter,
result is wisdom. And just as wisdom
who enjoyed getting my kicks into
is realized in degrees, ignorance is
some bully. I’ve since overcome that
disabused in degrees. Only that
aggression as worthless energy and
which we have unnecessarily created
not conducive to humanized living
stands between ourselves and enlight-
and the practice that we serve.
enment. Thus, buck up to this path of
Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter
In any event, you got it right Jeremy,
“never give up.” Our days are always
brighter when we start anew and
atone. There is no failure in Buddhism.
There is no everlasting hell, and as you
know, we create our hells, right here. It
is good to see that as a “nobody” you
have lots to offer your brothers in pris-
on. We both might be a “nobody”, but
all life is precious, and we’re all broth-
ers and sisters, mothers and fathers to
each other. Our DNA is connection.
Our births are connecting the maze of
humanity. I assume you have taken the
precepts as your away-from-home
names indicates. In Gassho, brother.
As for Florence, the mentor. I would
like to respond that my detective
friend, a neighbor in my hometown of
St. Joseph, Missouri, saved my life in
one incident of madness. I felt I was ab-
used and certainly was as a young per-
son, and at 16 I was beaten up by
police officers at the booking desk,
who used clubs on me. It had an influ-
ence upon my attitudes at that time
and in the future, and the fight was on.
They would have killed me out here in
California. This detective, my friend,
talked me down from an incident of
“madness” that was about to occur. I
was a very strong and combative per-
son at that time, and it was like a swat
team incident, or something similar,
but they had no swat teams in those
days in that area. I was wounded from
another incident and was a victim, but
when they pulled me over, I didn’t take
it as help. To make a long story short,
my friend talked me down and I went
to the hospital for help. He was one
friend that I listened to. He was not
only a cop, he was a friend and he
treated me as a friend.
There are good people in all phases of
life, and we need people like you,
Florence, who recognize that those
who suffer need help, not abuse or un-
told aggression. They need empathy,
compassion, and assistance in their
troubles. We need more people like
page 12
you in our California prison system
and on our parole boards, people
who have a greater understanding of
human behavior. Even in prison, I help
mentor a couple of COs, one who is
presently involved in a nasty divorce. I
assist him with my experience of my
tragedy of what not to do. Another of-
ficer and I communicate about the
Buddhist Dharma. He is a good listen-
er and he thinks I should be released
from prison. Again, we need people
like you who have a compassionate
heart and have right understanding. I
enjoyed your article. Your brother in
the Dharma. May both your precious
lives be filled with peace and happi-
ness. In gassho.
James L. Halbirt
San Luis Obispo, CA
This is in response to those who ask
about the problems of doing
meditation in prison
In regard to the problem of finding
quiet times and places to practice
their meditation, may I suggest
jogging and/or running. Not only is it
a component of a clean, healthy
lifestyle, but it is also a great way to
focus on breathing and quiet the mind.
As with traditional forms of
meditation, running takes practice.
One must start out slowly and build up
their endurance. After you “get your
wind up” and work through the initial
bouts with shin splints, the breathing
practices of running meditation get
easier - instinct kicks in. After a few
weeks of practice, you’ll find your
pace, and with it comes peace.
G. A. Norrell
Carlisle, IN
Buddhist Correspondence Course Newsletter
This is in response to Darwin Brown,
in Kingsley, MI, who wrote the article,
“Everything is New and Imperman-
ent” (BCCN, Vol. 4, Issue 3, p. 3).
Your reflection upon present moment
was refreshing. Reminds me of the
classic Zen Mind, Beginners Mind.
Gassho.
Ronald Couch, Jr.
Beaver, WV
INVITING YOUR
CONTRIBUTION
Your BCCN needs your
contributions! How can you
contribute?
Are you an artist? Perhaps you
can offer a drawing or sketch
that is inspired by your
practice.
Are you a poet? A short verse
of a few lines or a longer poem
can be a beautiful way to share
your insights with other
students.
Do you have a story to share?
Perhaps you could write a
personal essay about how your
practice has affected your life.
Are you a fiction writer?
Fiction can be a wonderful
vehicle for offering wisdom.
Feeling less secure about your
abilities? Consider a letter to
respond to another student or
to ask a question to which
others can reply.
If you need help framing your
thoughts or need support to
bolster your confidence, your
BCC mentor will be happy to
help you.
As always, your comments and
suggestions for ways that we
can improve the BCCN are
welcomed!
Revs. Adrienne & Richard Baksa