Wonderful Music

I had the privilege to experience the beauty emitted from the violin of Chee-Yun in two quite unique performances within the Hawaii Performing Arts Festival this summer.  Should you see that she is coming to perform near you, be present.  You will not regret the time spent for such an enthralling experience.

The schedule for the festival is at www.hawaiiperformingartsfestival.org

Interesting Allegory

While reclining on Contemplation Point I reflected on comments made to me regarding one's library.  The comment was that one's library is only so large and has a finite capacity.  When one's library is full and a new book is introduced then an old book must be taken from the shelves.  If one is happy with their library must they stop acquiring new books?  If a new book is acquired which old book should be discarded?  Is this an allegory for life?

A Mid-Life Path Correction

Living with the Precepts

My life was packed with stress and tension.  Anger would often raise its ugly head.  I needed to erase those things from my life if I were going to be happy and healthy.  I had an idea of how I might change the way I lived but my idea lacked any structure.  It was the body of an idea with no bones.  When I discovered the Precepts I knew that I had found the bones.  For me, those clearly stated, simply written guidelines have given me a basis upon which to judge the actions I take every day of my life.  The guidance those principles has given me makes my life so much richer and relieves so many of life’s pressures.  Since I have begun this path my life has become so much more peaceful.  I hope that I have become more kind and compassionate.  I know that I am much more calm and at peace with all things that surround me.  I am not certain whether I found the Precepts or they found me.  I am certain that my life’s path and the events along the way gently led me in this direction.  I am very happy to be on this path.

Also, I believe that the Precepts are just the beginning of a long and increasingly rewarding journey.  The many bits of knowledge that have come to me from multitudinous sources not only amplify the Precepts but serve as a beacon lighting the way along the path to a much more enjoyable life.  Certainly, each of the Precepts can be and often is interpreted in different ways.  Finding the interpretation that resonates with you is the cornerstone to living a harmonious life.  However, having the foundation built upon the Precepts has led me along the path toward a wonderful life.

A Life Redirected

Living with the Precepts

My life was packed with stress and tension.  Anger would often raise its ugly head.  I needed to erase those things from my life if I were going to be happy and healthy.  I had an idea of how I might change the way I lived but my idea lacked any structure.  It was the body of an idea with no bones.  When I discovered the Precepts I knew that I had found the bones.  For me, those clearly stated, simply written guidelines have given me a basis upon which to judge the actions I take every day of my life.  The guidance those principles has given me makes my life so much richer and relieves so many of life’s pressures.  Since I have begun this path my life has become so much more peaceful.  I hope that I have become more kind and compassionate.  I know that I am much more calm and at peace with all things that surround me.  I am not certain whether I found the Precepts or they found me.  I am certain that my life’s path and the events along the way gently led me in this direction.  I am very happy to be on this path.

Also, I believe that the Precepts are just the beginning of a long and increasingly rewarding journey.  The many bits of knowledge that have come to me from multitudinous sources not only amplify the Precepts but serve as a beacon lighting the way along the path to a much more enjoyable life.  Certainly, each of the Precepts can be and often is interpreted in different ways.  Finding the interpretation that resonates with you is the cornerstone to living a harmonious life.  However, having the foundation built upon the Precepts has led me along the path toward a wonderful life.

A Serenity Unmatched

My Richest Deer Park Experience

The entire monastery, monks and nuns and all other residents, was invited to attend a presentation by one of the nuns.  The presentation was in the large meditation hall and would be in Vietnamese.  I arrived, received a set of headphones for the English translation, and found a seat.  The presentation began shortly after I arrived.  The nun was very petite, seated on a raised platform overlooking the audience.  She took her seat on the cushion in the center of the platform.  She smiled and bowed her head ever so slightly.  She checked the microphone for volume and giggled, a nervous little giggle like a child might make.  The audience settled and she began her talk.  I placed my headset over my ears and began to listen to the halting English translation.  I did not like this method, so I removed the headset and listened to the Vietnamese speaker.  To me the words did not matter that much for I had heard this topic discussed before.  The speaker, however, was lovely in her melodic presentation.  Her voice flowed and her hands waved gracefully to emphasize her thoughts.  It was a lovely performance to experience.

When the presentation was finished the audience was to divide into groups to discuss the topic.  This idea interested me little, so, upon the conclusion of the nun’s remarks I quietly departed the meditation hall and scooted up the hill to the dining hall.  I arrived alone to the dining hall, poured myself a cup of tea, and took a seat in the far corner.  I began to sip my tea and enjoy my solitude when a small group of Vietnamese monks and nuns began to arrive.  Soon a few more arrived and they began to sing lovely little Vietnamese songs.  After a time a group of nearly two dozen had formed a circle and the singing continued.  A song would end and there would be a moment of silence followed by giggling and laughter, which lead to another song.  The group was so happy.

After a time an older monk and nun arrived.  The singing stopped.  Evidently, I had inadvertently found myself in the spot of a Vietnamese discussion group from the presentation.  I sat quietly.  I would just watch and listen and sip my tea.  Soon the discussion began.  A member of the circle would be acknowledged and would share their thoughts with the group.  When a speaker would stop their remarks often there would be a rejoinder from across the circle followed by giggles and laughter.  The monks would laugh openly while the nuns would often cover their mouths and giggle.  The group was so happy and appeared to be so supportive of each other.

Occasionally there would be remarks that were not so happy, almost somber.  It was easy to spot these times for the nuns would look down and their smiles would disappear.  During one of these times, although I didn’t understand a word that was said, I became very sad.  I’m not certain for the reason for my sadness but I lowered my head to hide my feelings.  After a time of struggling with my sadness I felt a presence.  I raised my head to see a young monk standing next to me.  He had a warm smile.  His eyes were knowing.  He placed his hand on my shoulder.  He stayed with me for a moment, then turned and returned to the circle.  As he walked back to the group I looked at them.  Many were smiling at me.  None of their heads were averted.  I took a deep breath, wiped a tear from my cheek and allowed myself to be calm.  The monk retook his seat and their dialogue began again.  Soon afterwards the peel of laughter rang out and my thoughts went back to the joy of the group.  I returned to reveling in their joy.  However, the sharing was coming to an end.  People from the other groups were entering the dining hall for lunch.  The circle quickly dissolved into the crowd.  For me, I was so happy to have been just a fringe member of this delightful joyous sharing experience.  I sat for another moment and watched the dining hall begin to fill.  It was a loud and relatively unsettling time.  Soon I rose to take my lunch.

Plum Village: remembering, part 3

We practice walking meditation in Hawaii and I quite enjoy it. However, in Plum Village they've expanded my concept of this very pleasurable exercise. The walk is really more of a very casual stroll. It begins with a song or two while the group is gathered under a large oak tree. The songs are sung first in English, then in French. When the singing is finished the group walks off in silence, down a gravel driveway and then onto a forest lane. The crunch of the gravel gives way to the rustling of the monk's robes and the wind in the trees. The crows caw overhead and the finches chirp amongst the trees. Initally we walk through a forest of scrub oak. Where there are breaks in the trees we look out over vineyards and orchards dotted with farm houses and barns. Eventually we pass into a meadow that glows golden in the sun. Walking on we are on the edge of a small growth of long-needle pines which yield a very sweet smell. All the time we are walking very slowly and deliberately, looking, listening, smelling. The sun passes in and out of the enormous white clouds floating above. Many times, when we are in the sun, the group stops, silent, just basking. We gradually skirt the circumference of the village and arrive back at the giant oak. When we've all gathered again under the tree, we stand silent for a moment and then quietly disperse, each moving into one's own thoughts.

Walking meditation occurred often during my time in Plum Village and each time I felt so refreshed. It is really the same thing I do on the farm when I check the fruit trees, but with a slightly different mindset. I'm going to change that. Any time you'd like to practice walking meditation, come walk with me among the fruit trees.

Plum Village: remembering, part 2

It was a mostly cloudy, cool morning. I was just standing and watching the monks get on with their day. Since I'd just arrived no one paid much attention to me. I noticed that, near the center of the village, a ring of bamboo had been planted. The bamboo had created a small secluded spot. In the middle of the circle was a large stone and next to the stone was a small wooden stool. I entered the circle through one of the four or five openings and sat on the stool. I felt very peaceful. The sun came from behind the clouds. Suddenly, all that I could hear was the wind rustling the bamboo and all that I could feel was the warmth of the sun. I leaned back against the rock and closed my eyes. I don't know how long I rested there but when the sun passed back behind the clouds it became cool again so I sat upright on the stool. I thought, why don't I ever listen to my bamboo at home? I must remember to do that when I return home. I began to feel chilly so I walked to the dining hall for a cup of tea.

While this was the most memorable, I had similar experiences at different places around the village. Everyone was encouraged to seek out "mindful" experiences like mine. Not a good way to run a business but a great way to run a life.

Plum Village: remembering, part 1

I have arrived at the Grand Barrail Hotel and Spa, just returned from a most amazing spa treatment, and am now prepared to begin recording my experiences of the past week.

Perched atop a wooded hill, mostly hidden from the surrounding vineyards and orchards, sets a truly unique place. Unique to me because I have never been to, let alone lived in, a monastic village. The founder of the monastic order and still its leader at over 80 years of age, Thich Nhat Hahn (called Thay by his followers) built this place in the Dordogne region of France. Its purpose is to teach and promote his Buddhist philosophy of mindful living. The monastic community of over 150 monks and nuns is predominately Vietnamese, but there is a sprinkling of various other nationalities from around the world (e.g., French, Italian, American, Indonesian, Spanish, etc.). Together they work within the confines of this small forest.

Their uniqueness isn't that they live within such a confined space but their style of life within that space. Each part of each of their lives, while extremely tranquil, is very focused (I.e.,very mindful of everything in their world). Life is orchestrated so skillfully that it might be a masterfully composed symphony.

The details of daily life are interesting but the string holding it together is amazing. Herein lies a real world experiment of how people of widely varied cultures and backgrounds can live together in harmony, buffered by kindness, understanding and compassion. While each individual searches for their own true nature, they reach out to help others find theirs.

If you would be interested in the details, I am happy to share them. If you would like to spend some time in a place that will, by its very nature, put your mind and body at rest, this might be the place for you.

Plum Village: the morning ritual

I awake from a deep sleep and remain silently under the warm comforter.  I have no clock and so, have no idea of the time.  All I know is that I'm well rested.  After a time and as if from a far distant place, I hear the sonorous sound of the bell, the call to morning meditation.  As if by instinct, I flip back my cover and roll to sit on the side of the bed.  I wait, listening for the next deep sound of the bell.  Maybe the first had been a dream.  I hear the second call and rise quietly, get dressed and begin to make my way to the zendo.  Entering the cool morning air, I stop for a moment, looking up at the stars.  Yes, a restful moment well spent.  I begin the slow walk to meditation.  Each deliberate step sets my mind at ease.  I begin to notice others making their way silently to the zendo.  As I come closer to the meditation hall the bell sounds again but, this time I can hear a monk chanting as the bell's sound disappears into the morning air.  I arrive at the hall and wait outside for a time, listening to the bell and the chanting of the monk, looking up at the star filled sky.  I turn and enter the hall.  I remove my slippers, placing them on the rack in the hall's entry way.  Entering the zendo, I bow to the Buddha at the far end.  The meditation cushions are aligned and waiting.  A few monks have arrived before me.  Silently making my way to a cushion, I bow to it and then turn to bow again to the Buddha.  I sit and close my eyes.  I can hear the rustling of the monk's robes as they take their positions and then all is silent.  Again, as if from a far off place, a small bell sounds.  A monk begins to read a gatha, first in English and then in French.  The bell sounds again and the monk begins to chant in Vietnamese.  As the chanting nears its end the meditation group, en masse, responds three times to the chanting monk.  It is such a lovely sound, so melodious.  With the end of the chanting we begin our meditation, which lasts for 45 minutes.  It's easy to tell when the end of the meditation time is drawing near, people begin to shift their positions.  When sitting is finished another bell sounds.  Everyone stretches a bit and then stands.  Another bell and we bow to each other.  A final bell and we turn to bow to the Buddha.  We make out way silently out of the zendo and walk, without a word, toward breakfast.

On my way to breakfast I stop in my room and sit on my bed.  I prefer to wait here for the ringing of the bell that is the call to breakfast.  The bell sounds, I rise and walk the short distance to the dining hall.  Queues have already formed, each person serving his own breakfast.  This meal is always the same.  Large metal pots of gruel which are supplemented with grains and fresh fruit.  Toasted breads to be covered with jams made in the village.  A cup of tea.  Each takes a bowl for the gruel with grains and fruit.  Each takes a plate for the toasted bread.

I have prepared my breakfast and select a table at which to sit.  I place my dishes on the table and bow to the others already seated at the table.  Each returns my bow.  I take my seat and bow to my food, remembering to be thankful for all that has caused this food to be before me.  Thankful to nature for growing this food and thankful to all of those who worked to bring this food to this very spot.  Lastly, I hope that the way in which I conduct my life will be worthy of receiving the bounty of their toil.  I begin to very deliberately eat my breakfast.  I cut the bread into bite sized portions.  I take my first spoonful of gruel, being careful to place my spoon beside my bowl as a enjoy each bite.  Occassionally I take a piece of bread.  When I have finished eating I rest for a moment, drinking my tea.  Then I move to the end of the dining hall where I rinse my dished and place them in the drying racks.  As I exit the hall I see a roommate and say "Bon Jour", my first words of the day.  The sun is up now.  What a wonderful way to begin each day.

Returning Home

It's the final leg of this journey halfway around the world.  As the plane rises from the runway my eyes move easily across the turquoise waters, punctuated by frothy surf, over the golden beaches, over the skyline of Honolulu and to the lush green Pali Mountains.  It's a sunny day with just a few white, puffy clouds dotting the clear blue sky and a great day to come home.  Moving swiftly, we pass over the stark isles of Molokai and Lanai, skirt the lush mountain of Haleakula on the island of Maui, and finally descend onto the lava encased runway at Keahole Airport on the Kona side of the island of Hawaii.  As we approached the island my eyes followed the island base of moonscape-like lava blend into lush forests which in turn became barren mountain tops rising to over 14,000 feet above the turquoise and blue ocean.  Allowing these sights to pass over me reminds me of how wonderful it is to be home.

As I deplane I feel the light trade winds on my face and smile.  Leaving the airport, I drive along Queen Kaahumanu Highway, turn up Hina Lani Street, departing the lava landscape and turning into the lush green forests of home.  A couple of miles down Mamalahoa Highway, I turn up Keopu Mauka, move up the green slope of Hualalai Mountain, finally arriving at Chez Marquis Farm.  While it's only a 15 minute drive from the airport, it's another world.

Before unloading my things, I opt for a stroll around the farm.  It was great to see that the lemon trees were full of fruit, the limes were ready to pick, the figs were coming along nicely, and there were several new stalks of bananas.  I was excited that the fennel I had planted before I began my trip had already broken ground.  I was amazed at the new growth on many of the trees and at how the flowers had grown.  The sweet smell of the Kahili ginger waffed across the field.  Many Kana Lillies were blooming, the red being the most spectacular.  The Blue Ginger flower was beautiful.

As I took stock of the farm and the work that was to be done, it occurred to me that this was my transition from traveler to farmer, from marquishungrybuddha to westhawaiifoodie.  Well, it's time to get to work, time to work off a bit of the weight a brought home with me.  I hope that you've enjoyed the log of my travels.  I can assure you that there are many more trip to come.  A hui hou.

A changing of seasons

The Changing of Seasons.

During the middle of each year I decide to rise from the comfort of my bed when the sun climbs over the shoulder of Hualalai Mountain and lights the branches of the Lychee Tree outside my bedroom window.  As the cool season comes and the sunrise drifts to the south, the early morning sun is blocked from the Lychee Tree by a giant Podocarpus Tree and a large stand of Blue Bamboo.  I lounge in my warm bed a bit longer, knowing that when there is no sun to beckon me that the morning air is cooler.  I cherish the extended lounging but eventually rise to greet the clear blue sky.  The day is wasting away.

After preparing breakfast for Pua and myself, I go to the front stoop and sit overlooking the orchard.  I place Pua’s bowl on the ground below me and whistle for her to join me.   We have our meal while enjoying the gentle breeze coming off the mountain and the myriad bird songs.  There are few other noises.  Pua eats quickly.  She is anxious for her morning walk.   She stares at me as I finish my breakfast, her tail wagging wildly.  I return our dishes to the kitchen and grab a handful of doggie treats.  The purpose of the treats is to coax Pua along during our walk.  She loves to languish over this smell or that and often falls well behind me.  It is always interesting to me that as soon as I place my hand in my pocket for a treat she races to my side, sitting attentively, awaiting her snack.  Day after day, year after year we have gone through this same ritual.  It has formed an excellent anchor for our lives together.

I arrive outside the front door with the treats where she is waiting for the first offering.  She consumes it quickly, then swivels and races down the driveway and onto the street below, tail wagging in giant circles the entire way.  I stroll behind her, noticing what new things nature has brought with the coming of the cool season.  The fig trees, which are cut to the stump each spring, are now quite large.  I don’t see many new fruit.  I wonder if the drought of the past two seasons isn’t have an impact.  The branches of the lemon trees are bowed under the weight of so many fruit.  It’s amazing the branches don’t break.  A few of the fruit are beginning to yellow.  Hopefully, the drought won’t cause them to not be juicy.

As I reach the bottom of the driveway and turn onto the street I notice my neighbor’s coffee trees, red with ripe coffee beans.  Although it is quiet now, soon I will hear the songs of the coffee pickers and the laughter of their children as they race about the coffee field.  It always brings a smile to my face when I hear the children’s voices, as they run through what they must think is a coffee forest.

Further along our course I notice the giant Tulip Trees, full of beautiful orange flowers.  I reach our halfway point, giving Pua her much expected treat.  I turn and notice how beautiful the morning sun is on a distant stand of giant Golden Bamboo.  A bit further along our path I stop at my usual place, the place where I have a panoramic view of the ocean.  The cool season sky seems to be clearer, the sights below more crisp.  Today the ocean looks beautiful and serene.  The distant ocean has a few bobbing white dots, fishing boats, and it has lines sculpted across it by the currents, as the ocean is want to do.  I don’t know why the lines appear but they vary the water’s tone, always making an interesting montage of blues.  As I stand, mellow in the warmth of the morning sun, the enormity of the picture before me comes into view.  To the right is the Golden Bamboo, bright in the sun.  Across the bottom are the dark green coffee trees peppered with red coffee beans.  To the left are a handful of large Tulip Trees, full of orange flower.  The middle is the blue of the ocean dotted with fishing boats.  But, the most amazing thing of all is the clear, crisp horizon, bending across the sky.  I am always awed at seeing the curvature of the earth and there it is, framed in nature’s beauty, spread before me.  I take a deep breath and turn to head home.  While I could rest here for too long, there is work to do and doggie treats to dispense.  After all, with good luck, it’ll be here again tomorrow morning.  So, different flowers, different fruits and slightly different temperature signal the changing seasons.  Watching nature at work is a wondrous thing

Canada: Salt Spring Island: an odyssey

I awake and sit on the edge of the bed, looking out over the Strait of Georgia at the dark purple Canadian mountains being crested by the morning sun.  I think of waking up at home when the sun pulls itself over Hualalai Mountain.  I remember when life was so wonderful.  I would awake in the morning and I would smile and mentally note that I had a wonderful day before me.  I would vow to live each moment of this day fully and to treat all with kindness and compassion.  Today has the possibility of being a wonderful day.

I begin early and catch the second Crofton ferry to Salt Spring Island, a short 20 minute boat trip.  I drive across the island to a tasty little breakfast at Barb's Buns in the rustic little hamlet of Ganges.  Ganges and its folks look interesting, sort of like old hippies.  I decide to find out a bit about this place and these people.  To get my information I head for the local bookstore.  Where better to determine the tone of a village than by what they read.  The visit to the store and the talk with the owner is quite enlightening.  It seems that my destination, the Buddhist Retreat located near here, had had some political controversy.  It's interesting gossip but I'm headed there anyhow.  I thank the bookstore owner and head on down the road.

So, I'm off to visit Kunzang Dechen Osel Ling (KDOL) operated by the Kagyu Kunkhyab Chuling sect of Vajrayana Buddhism.  It's a Buddhist retreat that my friends suggested that I might want to visit.  After a quite long drive down what can best be described as a logging road at speeds of 10-15 mph I arrive at their compound.

I drive up to the group of rather dilapidated buildings and saw nary a person.  I park and warily enter the largest building.  There I find a man preparing the lunch I knew I would be getting.  The kitchen was quite rustic but the food looked good and smelled great.  He was expecting me and sends me out and around the building to find Robi, my hostess and guide.

Robi and I have a very nice chat and a look around.  She shows me the male and the female retreat compounds, also very rundown.  Then we visit what might best be described as one of the primo meditation spot in the world.  I could see myself perched upon one of these giant boulders overlooking the ocean, without a manmade noise for miles, being serenaded only by the sounds of nature.  Robi said she spends many hours here in her meditation practice.  I can see myself in this place, except.

We return at the bell, the bell of mindfulness,  for a fine outdoor lunch and an interesting talk with the Lama, who happens to be from Nepal and speaks little English.  As it turns out, the Lama has little interest in teaching anyone about his Buddhism but it happy to live here in peace, with occassional retreat visitors.  If my goal is to come here to learn of Vajrayana Buddhism, that's not likely to happen.  It appears that I'm headed for the exit.  As I expected, the lunch was delicious.  The only part of the meal that was not freshly picked was the wok-fried tofu.  The fresh veggies couched in mild spices were so good.  What man can do with no electric gadgets is amazing.

However, this is an intrguing place with much potential.  If any of you are interested in a rewarding project in an especially cerebral place, it might be for you.  But, it's not for me.  I bid my farewell and head back down that long, dusty road .  Next stop, Victoria.

Solitude: one dimension

Ideal Solitude

As I have considered and reconsidered the thought of ideal solitude it has come to me as an interesting concept to lessen the suffering often evident in all social constructs but not as a panacea for dealing with social difficulties in one’s everyday life.  It is not a strategy one may use to avoid the realities of life.  For a time one may retreat into ideal solitude to buffer the foul winds often pushing the sails of every social construct but one must still seek the smooth waters of kindness and compassion to enjoy a harmonious life.

But what is this “ideal solitude” of which I speak?  Ayya Khema, in her book “All of Us Beset by Birth, Decay and Death” has placed this concept before us.  Ideal Solitude is solitude of the mind (citta-viveka).  Her belief is that if we cannot “arouse mental solitude in ourselves, we will not be able to be introspective, to find out what changes within ourselves.”  This mental solitude means not to be dependent upon others for approval.  It means to be mentally independent.  It means to place oneself apart from the actions of all others.  It means to be spiritually self-sufficient.  It means that one must be unaffected by the difficulties of others.  In essence, one must become “detached.”

By achieving separation from the suffering of others one might place their mind at ease.  When one can place their mind at ease then one may be introspective and contemplative.  One may discover what is happening within oneself.  One may discover what is going on in their mind and why those thoughts are occurring.  The understanding of oneself can create a strong mind, a mind that can stand still and observe.  The strong mind can yield clear comprehension.  When clear comprehension is joined with mindfulness one can achieve greater purpose and clearer direction.

So, therein lies the goal of “ideal solitude.”  According to Khema, “the secluded mind has two attributes: one is mindfulness, full attention and clear comprehension; and the other is introspection and contemplation.  Both of them bring the mind to unification.  Only in togetherness lies strength; unification brings power.”  The underlying question is does such internal strength come at the expense of a harmonious life?

Beyond Middle Age

Can There Be Life Beyond Middle Age?

“Whether life has a future for you beyond middle age depends, in the end, not on poetry but on the values of your life.  If your values are supremely those of body and sense, you may as well resign yourself to the fact that life after youth may be downhill.  If worldly achievement and the exercise of power are what you value most, middle age will be your life’s apex.  But if vision and self-understanding carry rewards equal to or surpassing these others, old age has its own opportunities and you can come to happiness at the time when the rivers of our lives flow gently.

A Facet

Now that I have decided to add the ocean to my life, when the weather doesn't permit me to work on the farm I head to the water.  Today the mountain rains began just before noon so I mounted my trusty steed and headed for the shore.  I arrived to discover that a giant storm must be raging in some distant clime for the ocean was a bit agitated.  I walked over the white sands and onto the black lava shelf running out to the water.  I strode to a high point and stood marveling at the power of the surf.  The ocean would rise up to challenge the invading darkness and then retreat to reveal deep fissures in the lava.  As the water rose up it became black like the lava and as it retreated it would flash turquoise in the fissures.  What a beautiful rhythm.  I stood for a time, my mind totally enthralled by the grace of nature.  What a nice new facet to have in my life.

Renunciation Revisited: Letting Go or Giving Up?

Renunciation can mean letting go of one's preconceptions.
Renunciation can mean letting go of one's expectations.
Renunciation can relate to "non-clinging" or "diminished desires/non-wanting" or "refusing temptation".

Is the solution to our search for inner peace the discarding of everything (i.e., renunciation)?

Does renunciation of preconceptions and expectations lead one to the truth?

Can meditation happen without renunciation/letting go?

A basic question: Who knows that person who knows?

a Personal Note: Traveling Through Life

Traveling Through Life

As individuals travel through life they have the opportunity, if they are observant and mindful of their environment, to see, hear and experience the many varied aspects of life.  It is interesting how many seemingly trivial events, when observed closely and considered carefully, can be eye opening and, occasionally even life changing.  However, the individual must be open and flexible in their approach to living in order to gain full exposure to life’s depth and subtlety.

While moving through life as an independent, self-reliant person, one can regard events from a unique perspective.  Unencumbered by consideration for others, observations and consideration can be more focused.  One can do what they want for as long as they want.  One can participate in life at one’s own pace.  One can decide their level of involvement in any particular aspect of life.  One can make decisions based upon how they view life’s events.  One must always be aware of and kind to all others but realize that their only control is over themselves.  One cannot control how events impact others.

When individuals travel through life with a partner benefit is gained in sharing of perspectives of the varied events in life.  However, the noise of the other may obscure some aspects life offers and the depth of individual understanding might be lessened.  Loving couples will see and experience the aspects of life colored by the prism of their love and will miss the depth of many of life’s aspects because of their focus on their love.  In addition, their opinions and actions will be colored by the effect of the values of their partner, which seems unavoidable.

Individuals encased in groups, but are independent and self-reliant, may rise above the noise of the group to observe the aspects of life.  Often, members of a group appear unhappy because they do not have the inner strength to spiritually break away from the will of the group.

Unhappy partners often appear sad and detached.  While they are physically together, they appear to be spiritually in different places.

a Personal Note: Traveling Through Life

Traveling Through Life

As individuals travel through life they have the opportunity, if they are observant and mindful of their environment, to see, hear and experience the many varied aspects of life.  It is interesting how many seemingly trivial events, when observed closely and considered carefully, can be eye opening and, occasionally even life changing.  However, the individual must be open and flexible in their approach to living in order to gain full exposure to life’s depth and subtlety.

While moving through life as an independent, self-reliant person, one can regard events from a unique perspective.  Unencumbered by consideration for others, observations and consideration can be more focused.  One can do what they want for as long as they want.  One can participate in life at one’s own pace.  One can decide their level of involvement in any particular aspect of life.  One can make decisions based upon how they view life’s events.  One must always be aware of and kind to all others but realize that their only control is over themselves.  One cannot control how events impact others.

When individuals travel through life with a partner benefit is gained in sharing of perspectives of the varied events in life.  However, the noise of the other may obscure some aspects life offers and the depth of individual understanding might be lessened.  Loving couples will see and experience the aspects of life colored by the prism of their love and will miss the depth of many of life’s aspects because of their focus on their love.  In addition, their opinions and actions will be colored by the effect of the values of their partner, which seems unavoidable.

Individuals encased in groups, but are independent and self-reliant, may rise above the noise of the group to observe the aspects of life.  Often, members of a group appear unhappy because they do not have the inner strength to spiritually break away from the will of the group.

Unhappy partners often appear sad and detached.  While they are physically together, they appear to be spiritually in different places.

a Personal Note: a Changing of Seasons

The Changing of Seasons.

During the middle of each year I decide to rise from the comfort of my bed when the sun climbs over the shoulder of Hualalai Mountain and lights the branches of the Lychee Tree outside my bedroom window.  As the cool season comes and the sunrise drifts to the south, the early morning sun is blocked from the Lychee Tree by a giant Podocarpus Tree and a large stand of Blue Bamboo.  I lounge in my warm bed a bit longer, knowing that when there is no sun to beckon me that the morning air is cooler.  I cherish the extended lounging but eventually rise to greet the clear blue sky.  The day is wasting away.

After preparing breakfast for Pua and myself, I go to the front stoop and sit overlooking the orchard.  I place Pua’s bowl on the ground below me and whistle for her to join me.   We have our meal while enjoying the gentle breeze coming off the mountain and the myriad bird songs.  There are few other noises.  Pua eats quickly.  She is anxious for her morning walk.   She stares at me as I finish my breakfast, her tail wagging wildly.  I return our dishes to the kitchen and grab a handful of doggie treats.  The purpose of the treats is to coax Pua along during our walk.  She loves to languish over this smell or that and often falls well behind me.  It is always interesting to me that as soon as I place my hand in my pocket for a treat she races to my side, sitting attentively, awaiting her snack.  Day after day, year after year we have gone through this same ritual.  It has formed an excellent anchor for our lives together.

I arrive outside the front door with the treats where she is waiting for the first offering.  She consumes it quickly, then swivels and races down the driveway and onto the street below, tail wagging in giant circles the entire way.  I stroll behind her, noticing what new things nature has brought with the coming of the cool season.  The fig trees, which are cut to the stump each spring, are now quite large.  I don’t see many new fruit.  I wonder if the drought of the past two seasons isn’t have an impact.  The branches of the lemon trees are bowed under the weight of so many fruit.  It’s amazing the branches don’t break.  A few of the fruit are beginning to yellow.  Hopefully, the drought won’t cause them to not be juicy.

As I reach the bottom of the driveway and turn onto the street I notice my neighbor’s coffee trees, red with ripe coffee beans.  Although it is quiet now, soon I will hear the songs of the coffee pickers and the laughter of their children as they race about the coffee field.  It always brings a smile to my face when I hear the children’s voices, as they run through what they must think is a coffee forest.

Further along our course I notice the giant Tulip Trees, full of beautiful orange flowers.  I reach our halfway point, giving Pua her much expected treat.  I turn and notice how beautiful the morning sun is on a distant stand of giant Golden Bamboo.  A bit further along our path I stop at my usual place, the place where I have a panoramic view of the ocean.  The cool season sky seems to be clearer, the sights below more crisp.  Today the ocean looks beautiful and serene.  The distant ocean has a few bobbing white dots, fishing boats, and it has lines sculpted across it by the currents, as the ocean is want to do.  I don’t know why the lines appear but they vary the water’s tone, always making an interesting montage of blues.  As I stand, mellow in the warmth of the morning sun, the enormity of the picture before me comes into view.  To the right is the Golden Bamboo, bright in the sun.  Across the bottom are the dark green coffee trees peppered with red coffee beans.  To the left are a handful of large Tulip Trees, full of orange flower.  The middle is the blue of the ocean dotted with fishing boats.  But, the most amazing thing of all is the clear, crisp horizon, bending across the sky.  I am always awed at seeing the curvature of the earth and there it is, framed in nature’s beauty, spread before me.  I take a deep breath and turn to head home.  While I could rest here for too long, there is work to do and doggie treats to dispense.  After all, with good luck, it’ll be here again tomorrow morning.  So, different flowers, different fruits and slightly different temperature signal the changing seasons.  Watching nature at work is a wondrous thing.

Notes on Taking, Giving and Receiving

Notes on Taking, Giving, Receiving, Consideration:

Taking: As related to attachment…can someone take something from another unless that person is attached to the thing taken?  How much ego must one have to take?  How much ego must one have to be concerned about being taken from?

Giving (danna):  Giving without reward for giving is crucial.  Giving must be selfless.  This relates to the concept of “non-self”.  Non-sacrificial giving related to non-self which relates to selflessness, but none of those issues are real world issues but are just intellectual constructs…real world has self which is directly related to one’s values.

Consideration:  Relates to giving and to receiving…how does it relate to enabling? Projecting?  Examine one’s self before judging what amount of consideration is either given or received.

Christians are more giving than Buddhists due to the concept of non-attachment

Notes on Taking, Giving and Receiving

Notes on Taking, Giving, Receiving, Consideration:

Taking: As related to attachment…can someone take something from another unless that person is attached to the thing taken?  How much ego must one have to take?  How much ego must one have to be concerned about being taken from?

Giving (danna):  Giving without reward for giving is crucial.  Giving must be selfless.  This relates to the concept of “non-self”.  Non-sacrificial giving related to non-self which relates to selflessness, but none of those issues are real world issues but are just intellectual constructs…real world has self which is directly related to one’s values.

Consideration:  Relates to giving and to receiving…how does it relate to enabling? Projecting?  Examine one’s self before judging what amount of consideration is either given or received.

Christians are more giving than Buddhists due to the concept of non-attachment

Notes on Aloneness

Notes on Aloneness, Solitude, Loneliness

Review the concept of “no-self”…attitude can be good toward being alone if one accepts “no-self”

One must be comfortable with the “now” and must live mindfully to be comfortable with being alone.

The structure of Chinese Conji implies that a person must have other persons…one cannot stand alone but must be supported by another.

Book provoked thoughts:

Two types of Solitude:

            Solitude of the Mind and Solitude of the Body.

                        Solitude of the Body may yield loneliness.

                                    Loneliness is not good.

                                    Could indicate one cannot get along with others.

                        Solitude of the Mind can be healthy.

                                    Mental solitude can cut out idle chatter.

                                                Can create an inner peace

                                                            Must be cautious of loneliness

                                                Can serve to remove one from the worry about the future.

                                                Can serve to remove one from clinging to the past.

                                                Can foment mindfulness,

                                                            Mindfulness can yield clear comprehension.

                                                            Such focus can yield fewer mistakes in judgment.

                                    One may respond to others difficulties, but not be affected.

            One must have a strong mind that can stand alone.

            Being alone a bit each day for self-inquiry is healthy,

For self-inquiry can yield self-understanding.

            The secluded/solitary mind has:

                                    Mindfulness                  Introspection

                                    Full attention                       Contemplation

                                     Comprehension

                        All of which unifies and strengthens the mind.

           

            “When we let go the steam from the pot, we cannot cook the food.

            If we let the steam build up we can find out what’s cooking”

            (i.e., life frustrations and difficulties)

Goodbyes

Saying Goodbye to Old Vets

Ray was a tall, stately looking gentleman.  He walked gingerly with a cane but was adamant about getting himself around.  A full head of white hair framed his sparkling eyes.  He’d had many and varied life experiences.  He was full of tales that he loved to share.  It was during the telling of those tales that his eyes would really twinkle.

During the year or so that I came to know Ray he had become increasingly disillusioned with the fact that his body was not keeping up with his very sharp mind.  His was often want to bay fully ask, “What am I still doing here?”  Those within earshot who knew and cared about him would respond with some witty rejoinder but Ray’s follow-up smiles occurred less often.

Then there was Virginia.  She had a petite, elfin-like appearance with large expressive eyes framed with long golden locks of hair.  Her smile was full across her face and would come quickly, being accompanied by a very positive assessment of the state of her life.  She had been Ray’s best friend and caretaker since I had known them.  Toward the end of her time with Ray her quick smile had given way to looks of concern over Ray’s attitude toward living.  Virginia was obviously concerned over Ray’s failing health but she spoke most often of his uncharacteristically dour attitude.  Virginia’s worry showed in her expressive eyes as their sparkle gave way to distant, wondering looks.

Then, one morning, as I was sitting immersed in thoughts of one thing or another, my phone’s ring startled me back to the present.  Virginia’s steady voice came to tell me that Ray had passed into the light.  I immediately stood and walked out into the sunshine.  I don’t know why but there were tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.  Of late death has become a sobering concept.  It has not been a fear that I have felt but a melancholy for that which has been left unsaid or left undone.  I have been feeling a melancholy that comes with advancing age for those things left behind.  Virginia sounded so calm and her words brought me back to the moment.  I asked, “How can I help you?  What can I do to lighten your burden?”  She said we could talk later.  Suddenly the call was finished.  The information had been passed.  There I was standing in the warm sun with a lump in my throat and a heavy heart for Virginia.

We talked a few times over the days that followed.  We sat together on occasion, chatting idly with spurts of talk about what the future might hold.  As the days passed Virginia’s plan for a celebration of Ray’s life came into focus.  Finally, two days before the memorial service Virginia called to ask for my help.  I was to do two things.  First, Virginia asked, “Would I please count the number of people attending the service?”  She felt that she would be too scattered to remember that detail and many people who could not attend would want to know that fact.  It would salve their guilt for not being at the service that honored their friend.  It was the first hint to me of a small chink in her show of strength during this traumatic time.

Secondly and much more significantly, I was assigned the task of fetching a dear friend of theirs from the airport and escorting her to the service.  The details were interesting.  She would arrive on the morning of the service.  Upon arrival she would call me and upon arriving at the airport I was to look for a beautiful blond woman holding a carrot cake.  Those details made me smile.

The morning came and I trotted off to the airport to fulfill my promise.  She, we’ll call her Carolyn (because that is her name) called me upon her arrival.  The voice that came to me was distinctive.  The voice had a certain “je ne sai quoi” but it did not lead my mind to a “beautiful blond”.  I drove toward the passenger arrival area and saw her immediately.  She was very tan.  Her light hair that shined in the sun accented her bronzed body.  She was wearing a full-length black dress and had a white cake box firmly in her grasp.  I stopped before her.  He leaned forward and opened the door.  I turned to look at her and it was a jaw dropping moment.  It was not that she was so beautiful, although she was beautiful.  It was that her smile and manner was so warm.  Carolyn was enchanting.

We had a couple of hours before the gathering so I took her up to the farm.  She said that she needed some quiet time to rehearse her eulogy for Ray.  It was a warm, sunny morning.  Carolyn wandered off amongst the trees and I busied myself with one thing or another.  From time to time I would seek her out and observe her from afar.  When she was stand still her posture was firm, her bearing strong.  When she was moving through the field she seemed to glide between the trees.  She was such a pleasure to observe but I was careful not to stare.  I found a ripe fig and took it to her, but I was quick to retreat.

Finally, the time had come to depart for the site.  Our ride down the mountain was quiet.  She seemed to be focused, probably on her speech.  We arrived at the shore, which was hot and humid.  It was quite a contrast to the cool breeze at the farm.  After a time I turned onto a ribbon of asphalt that crept into the lava field.  Rising up from the ocean, we passed over the top of a knoll and into a square of bright green grass.  This small grass island surrounded by brown lava festooned with Pili grass was the home of the veteran’s cemetery.  The place had been very well cared for with its finely trimmed grass and polished memorial shrines.

We were among the first to arrive and set about helping Virginia and her other friends arrange the food for after the service.  As always, there was an overabundance of food but that is just the Hawaiian way.  As everything was properly placed and more people arrive small satellite groups formed.  A low hum of chatter filled the very warm air.

I stood with a group of older men.  One asked how we I had known Ray.  I responded, “Oh, not that well, I suppose.”  As the conversation moved on I thought, how well can one not from that generation know an old soldier.  When he was young there was the Great Depression racked with sorrow and despair.  His youth was sacrificed to war.  His middle age was racked with constant change and riddled by scandal and controversy.  Only father time, I thought, and his fellow travelers can truly know an old soldier.  I turned to watch the honor guard practice a short distance away.

As people took seats and the service began I moved off to the side.  There I stood watching the cadre of disabled veterans from several wars honor a fallen comrade.  It didn’t make a difference if they knew Ray.  They honored him as they hoped others would honor them when they became “fallen comrades.”  A gentle ocean breeze caressed the mourners as the eulogies were reported.  The speakers were often ill at ease and fought to gain a rhythm in their speaking.  As my mind was about to drift, Carolyn walked to the podium.  Her manner was steady.  Her speaking was deliberate.  Her tone was soft and embracing.  Her words were introspective as she recounted their friendship and regaled Ray very accomplished life.  He was a young boy, orphaned in the Depression, who became, in every sense of the term, a Renaissance Man.  Virginia spoke but by that time everything had been said.  It was time for the formalities to begin.

If any in the group was becoming bored with the proceedings, the 21-gun salute changed that immediately.  While the salute was loud, the folding of the flag was soft and fraught with solemnity.  The presentation of the flag to Virginia was accompanied by a most eloquent speech delivered by a disabled veteran from the Vietnam War that capped the ceremony.  As a final show of respect for this old soldier, 21 white doves were released.  There was a slight gasp from the group as the doves swirled and moved off across the lava field.  People sat for a moment, either uncertain of what to do next or just exhausted by the pawl of death in the hot noonday sun.  After a time some began to move toward the mounds of food and the celebration began to creep toward its close.

A few small groups gathered on the fringe of the memorial area and talked in hushed tones.  A few stood near the food and they were a bit more animated.  After what seemed like a considerate amount of time I decided that it was time to bid farewell to Virginia.  She was standing with Carolyn.  I watched for a bit.  They would talk and then stare at the ground as if in contemplation.  Then they would look up, smile, say a few words and return their gaze to the ground.  I decide to insert myself during one of the gazing episodes.  I walked up and embraced Virginia.  I whispered that it was time for me to go.  She smiled and kissed my cheek.  I took a step back and turned to Carolyn.  I placed my hand on her bronze should, which had been the first time I had touched her.  “I hope that we will meet again” I blubbered.  She smiled and turned toward me.  “That would be nice” she responded.  I hesitated for a moment, smiled into her eyes and turned toward my truck.  It was such a beautiful day and this had been a beautiful event.  It had been a wonderful experience for me.

Spirituality

Many people have asked me if I was “religious” and I have always answered that I am spiritual but not really religious.  My stated goal is to simply live a good life.  Recently I was given a piece which, I feel, clearly mirrors my feelings on this matter.

Earl Ikeda, a resident minister of the Shin Buddhist temple of the Puna Hongwanji Mission, offered the following thoughts during one of his sermons:

“Is there a Buddha or (a) God? As a human being…I will honestly say that I do not truly/really know.  I have learned that if you’re looking for something that you can touch, see, smell, hear or taste you may not find it.  But I do know that the teachings of the Buddha have given me great strength, courage, and comfort in understanding who and what I am.  I have come to some understanding of my strengths and weaknesses…the teachings have helped me cope with them.  The teachings have led me upon the path of gratitude….I believe in love, helping others, caring, feeling sad or laughing…I know that I am not perfect and have many faults…I do not have the ability or strength to say that I do not doubt nor can I say that I truly believe.  Reflecting on the many ups and downs…of life, I can say that I am truly grateful for having the teachings to reflect upon and to guide me….Life is too short to contemplate on whether there is a Buddha or a God….I only know that there is this moment…given this opportunity and gift of life, we should try to make a positive impact upon the lives of others….I believe that this is where the Buddha (or God) truly exists.”

For edification, the Buddha Shakymuni did not discourse on the existence of God evidently because he did not speculate on matters that could not be proven.

Although I have taken some editorial license in making minor omissions or additions to the text of the Minister’s speech, I do not believe that I have fundamentally altered the message the speech was intended to give.

I will be interested in your thoughts on these matters.

The Heart Sutra

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bohdi Svaha

As the final verse of the Great Wisdom Beyond Wisdom Heart Sutra, commonly known as the Heart Sutra, this has been described to me in the following way:

            Gate                 Enter the path toward the true understanding of the emptiness of

                                    all things.

            Gate                 Look deeply and perceive the emptiness of all things;

                                    All things are empty of an independent self;

All things are inextricably intertwined.

            Paragate          Look beyond your biases and into the reality of the emptiness

of all things.

Parasamgate            Realize, accept, meditate on and internalize the emptiness of all things.

            Bohdi Svaha            Become enlightened by the reality that all things are inextricably

interconnected and basically from the One.

Also, it has been related to me that the chanted “Om” is essentially a concise statement of the same matters relating to the understanding of the emptiness and interconnectedness of all things

My Awakening Revisited

As I mourned the death of my wife on the anniversary of her passing and as I stood at the place of those life-changing events my deep sadness was overcome by an amazing sense of peacefulness.  I had the feeling that I had been touched.  Reflecting upon the depth and intensity of that moment and the feelings it introduced, I have come to the following conclusions:

I believe in an ecumenical God/Supreme Being.

I believe in Heaven/an Afterlife.

I believe that practicing the teachings of the Buddha will yield a happier, more fulfilling life that does more to better the condition of all living things.

I believe that I understand the feeling the Buddha had when he became awakened.