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Wed Jul 02, 2008 at 13:49:03 PM MDT
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( - promoted by buddhajones)
There's nothing you can do. It's out of your hands. The only appropriate action is the action of being.
Early on a Sunday morning a few weeks ago, I found myself in a hospital waiting room. A loved one was in the middle of a life-threatening emergency and was undergoing a surgical procedure.
The waiting room was empty except for me. I sat there, stunned, thinking about all the lucky twists our morning had taken. We were so close to the hospital when it had happened. I was supposed to be on the other side of town, but by some dumb wisdom I was right where I needed to be. I was able to take clear action: Call for help, flag down the paramedics, offer information about medical history. I contacted friends and family to alert them.
In the waiting room, there was nothing I could do but wait.
Nichiren Buddhists are action-oriented -- perhaps even action-obsessed -- in our approach to Buddhist practice. To many of us, the word "practice" means "doing something." Practicing the Lotus Sutra means being a busy bodhisattva. |
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Tue Jul 01, 2008 at 15:59:31 PM MDT
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| Christian Oaks used to write for BuddhaJones before "the big wake-up," as he calls it. I caught up with him to ask if he'd be interested in blogging here now. Below is our e-mail exchange, edited.
Here are some of Christian's old "flashback" articles:
- Fractured Koans
- Los Angeles Crime Blotter
- Various Schools of Nichiren Buddhism, Represented as Menu Items
- Are you a pacifist? Take this quiz.
BB: What do you mean by the big wake-up?
CO: I mean I woke up. I realized that I was deeply involved with a sangha that wasn't a sangha at all. Instead, it was like a multi-level marketing company that made claims of exclusive access to an amazing product. I was pressured -- sometimes subtly, sometimes overtly -- to sell this product to myself, my friends and family.
As with all schemes of this sort, the pitch is that you're doing something to benefit these customers and the world by letting them in on the fabulous opportunity to embrace a special brand-name product. I woke up to that fact that this is not Buddhism.
BB: What woke you up? |
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Thu Jun 26, 2008 at 12:40:11 PM MDT
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| Hi. I've been building pages to get more of the "old" BuddhaJones material online. Coming soon. Here's a space for you to post whatever is on your mind. |
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Sun Jun 22, 2008 at 08:35:33 AM MDT
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| Is it possible to be a nonsectarian Buddhist? |
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Sun Jun 22, 2008 at 01:27:09 AM MDT
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( - promoted by buddhajones)
Auntie, your stories reminded me of our "classic tale" writing exercise back in the day. Below is the one I did for heartbrokentiger. It fits better on this site.
When I think of death, I think of Princess Arrow Rock and the tiger.
Princess Arrow Rock was a champion archer. She was vain, headstrong and everything you might want in a princess. She had many admirers but only One True Love. For the princess, the sun rose and set because of her One True Love.
One evening in the forest, her One True Love was mauled and killed by a white tiger.
When she heard the news the princess could not breathe. She could not speak. She went to her room, closed the door and waited to die of sadness.
Hunters searched for the tiger in the forest and along the river, hoping to kill it. They would bring its pelt to their princess to ease her suffering.
Some hunters said they saw the tiger's eyes flickering like flames in the woods. Some reported seeing its silvery fangs. Still, the tiger eluded them. |
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Fri Jun 20, 2008 at 14:13:06 PM MDT
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( - promoted by buddhajones)
Let me jump right in and see how inflammatory I can be without resorting to sectarian terminology.
The abuse and oppression of women in the name of religion is absolute insanity. Iran is cracking down on women who reveal their hair in public, for heaven's sake.
Women in many parts of the world are targets of violence at the hands of religious extremists for a variety of "crimes" such as leaving home unescorted by a male, not being a virgin prior to marriage or, um, being a victim of rape.
That's crazy.
And the crazy is everywhere, not just over there. It's right here in the Land of the Free, too. |
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Fri Jun 20, 2008 at 12:54:00 PM MDT
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( - promoted by buddhajones)
I wrote this story on another blog, but it belongs on BuddhaJones.
We in contemporary American society have become sly at justifying our greed. I was thinking about this as I was buying a case of crap I don't really need at Costco. It's not greed or gluttony, I told myself -- it's saving money by buying in quantity.
When I was a girl, people were ashamed of their greed. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Greed is not recognized as perversion; rather, it is regarded as an ordinary human appetite. In the case of mass purchasing, it's thought of as downright sensible.
Greed is good, as Gordon Gekko famously observed. We cultivate acquisitiveness as if it were a virtue, while true virtues are lost in the trash heap of so much discarded consumer packaging.
Among the most delightful human virtues are the capacity to empathize with others and the desire to be of assistance to others in times of need. Many humans lack these qualities, of course, but many animals appear to have them. Elephants, for instance, are known for their emotional sensitivity. Faithful dogs, too, have come to the aid of humans.
We can learn human virtues from animals, such as the Golden Swan of today's tale.... |
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Fri Jun 20, 2008 at 12:46:12 PM MDT
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( - promoted by buddhajones)
I wrote this story about the Eyeball Demon for a different blog, but it doesn't fit there. I think BuddhaJones is the right home for it.
The story has its origins perhaps in the Jataka tales, but I have remodeled and embellished it to suit myself.
Once upon a time there was a demon who took pleasure in toying with human nature. He especially despised do-gooders and self-proclaimed altruists -- people like Sharihotsu.
Sharihotsu was a brilliant student of philosophy. He had devoted himself to service and meditation. His deepest desire was to free all living beings from suffering.
The demon found this irritatingly grandiose and had nothing but derision for Sharihotsu.
One day, the demon transformed himself into a blind, old beggar and sat alongside a path where Sharihotsu often walked. As Sharihotsu approached, the beggar moaned and wailed. |
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Thu Jun 19, 2008 at 22:12:59 PM MDT
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| I still have some work to do...but BuddhaJones is back online.
I've talked to a handful of you out there -- you, the people who are likely to visit this site. Most of you call yourselves Nichiren Buddhists. Welcome.
Not that BuddhaJones aims to be just another Nichiren site. Most online discussion about Nichiren Buddhism centers on disputes among factions and endless politics within organizations.
It's as if the same five online cliques have been saying the same five things for the past five years. Meantime, thousands of people have grown tremendously in their practice of and thinking about Buddhism.
How will this site be different?
Many of us have had some degree of involvement with an organized Nichiren-related group. Many of us have grown beyond what these groups have to offer. Others haven't. These topics are worth examining.
However.
I don't want this site to devolve into a support group for people who have been burned by a sect. I don't want it to be a "dueling organizations" site obsessed with doctrinal minutiae.
I also don't want it to be another cheerleading site where everyone congratulates everyone else for being a buddha. Ugh. There's enough simplistic smugness online already.
Obviously, my goal is not to cultivate blissful unity among believers. I think "unity" is often a guiltweapon to squelch honest disagreement and shame loyal opposition into silence. Not gonna do it.
The larger spiritual truth is that all are one, all are interdependent. It's silly to try to "enforce" this truth through demands for unity... Maybe I'll blog about this later. Or you can blog about it.
My job here is to "take it to the next level." That's the only instruction I've received with regard to managing this site: Take it to the next level. I have no idea what that means or entails. I suppose we'll find out together.
I'm going to propose one rule: No brand-name labels. I envision a site inspired by Buddhism that does not mention any sect names, "corporate Buddhist" trademarks or acronyms.
It's worth a try.
How's this? You don't care to join a Buddhist club or self-help group. Still, you enjoy chanting, meditating or discussing Buddhism with others. Paradoxes intrigue you. You're interested in current events and thoughtful commentary. You can recognize sarcasm.
If this sounds like you, you're the target audience for BuddhaJones.
BuddhaJones is powered by SoapBlox software. This platform allows unlimited users to comment on, write, rate, recommend and subscribe to blog posts.
I'm still trying to get the hang of it, so please forgive any technical hiccups.
Thanks for dropping in.
P.S. Beryl is pronounced Burl. |
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