The Circle With No Center

英和和英俳句 English-Japanese Japanese-English Haikus

2011-07-02T01:21:00.000-07:00

Moon shines bright and clear
On a river far and near
Swoosh, swish blows the wind

Whipping frosty tunes
Rustle o'er my night pillow
Fall on Hunan sky

江风三里五里

明月前湾后湾

瑟瑟霜声到枕

湘天夜染秋山

A Haiku is a structured, short Japanese poem of 17 syllables. Each haiku comprises three lines following strictly the 5-7-5 syllabic form, in addition to having a seasonal tag anywhere within the verse. Haikus are fun to write because the ideas must be condensed. Try writing some yourself if you like these ones.

俳句是以十七個音為一首的一種日本短詩。其體裁有定格：句分三行，各行須以５-７-５音節排列，首行為５音節，次為７音節，末為５音節，並於此三行中須含一季節語以喻時節。今人也有用英文排句者。如本詩，原文見圖中題詩，今試譯成英文，並以俳句入格。以下再舉日文俳句為例：

なつはじめ

natsu hajime

夏初め

When summer begins

のばらながれる

nobara nagareru

野原流れる

upon the country fields flow

くさのなみ

kusa no nami

草の波

waves upon grass waves

I wrote this haiku originally in Japanese and only translated it into English to demonstrate that haikus can be written in any language as long as the two conditions are fulfilled. Read the English translation again and you'll see that it has met the syllabic requirement of 5-7-5 in each of those lines, as well as the seasonal summer tag requirement in the first line.In response to Carli Loyn's request, I've written another haiku first in Japanese and then its English translation as follows. See that both conditions for a haiku are met.

夏祭り

なつまつり

natsu matsuri

Summer Festival

浴衣に下駄に

ゆかたにげたに

yukata ni geta ni

In swimwear and wooden clogs

髪飾りかみかざり

kami kazari

Decorated hair

And as kinkin adds akira resounds

古池や

huruikeya

A desserted pond

かえるとびこむ

kaerutobikomu

With frogs leaping high and low

水の音

mizunooto

Playing wet music

Yoga and Zen

2011-02-27T13:29:00.000-08:00

According Patanjali, "Yoga is freedom from mental disturbances." (The yoga sutras of Patanjali 1.2) Yoga is defined as union of the self with the super-self. When in union, the self is one with the universal consciousness. Hence, Yoga is a process by which a practitioner purifies the self physically, mentally and spiritually until such union is attained. In such a state of union, the consciousness is no longer fragmented, but is pure, devoid of subject and object. It is devoid of differentiation and the oneness is experienced as pure bliss.

In Zen, this state of freedom from mental disturbances is known as "the original look before father and mother were born." Other descriptions include original nature, ultimate reality, suchness, essence of reality, emptiness, and Sarvajnata. The Zen Buddhist eliminates his mental attachments, detaches the self until the "I", the meditator, and the object of meditation disappear. The most common methods of meditation are anapanasati, vipassana, and Zen, all of which pay particular attention to the control of breathing in their practice.

In the Heart Sutra, the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara in deep prajna meditation saw that his five skandhas were all empty and so he was freed from all suffering. This state of emptiness pervades the whole universe and is the universal consciousness, the origin of all life forms and phenomena, the Creator, or God. Avalokitesvara was thus liberated from Samsara and became super-ordinary, i.e. a saint. Such realization and union with the universal consciousness has led Saint Avalokitesvara into Moksha.

In Christianity, this universal consciousness or being is called God and the hope of all Christians is to return to Heaven to be with God through the sacrifice and deliverance of Jesus Christ the Savior. When God created Adam and Eve, He breathed into his mouth and gave him life. This is the source of life and in Yoga it is known as prana. The life span of a human being is determined by the number of breaths he has in his life time. Therefore in yoga, the yogi trains his prana and harnesses the spiritual energy he can get from each prana, which technique is known as pranayama, the fourth limb of ashtanga yoga.

In Taoism, the origin of all life forms and phenomena is nothingness. From nothingness came Taichi or One, from Taichi came Yin and Yang, the female and male principles, from Yin and Yang came the four cardinal divisions of the Blue Dragon Qinglong in the east, the White Tiger Baihu in the west, the Red Phoenix Zhuque in the south, and the Grand Turtle Yuanwu in the north, and finally from the four divisions came the eight divinatory trigrams of the Book of Changes, and thus the whole universe was formed. The Taoist practitioner practices Taichi or Qigong in order to harness his Chi or breath. He knows that as the Chi pervades the whole universe it also runs in his nadis. He has to run it through each and every energy nodes in his body. This Chi or breath in Yoga is known as prana, the source and sustenance of life. Because the number of breaths a human being has is determined, whether in Qigong, Taichi, or Yoga, the practitioner never wastes each breath.

From the above, I can safely conclude that Yoga is Zen without its Koans and Huatous, and Zen is Yoga without its asanas, pranayamas and dhautis because both share the same goal and should share the same practical methods. In China, Japan and Korea where Zen is practiced, the methods of training have been reshaped by culture such that each country has its own forms. The original need for purification of the body through Yoga is neglected and their methods tend to be metaphysical. Over time, the historical methods of Yoga have been lost and only doctrinal Yogacara remains. The Yogacara doctrines have become too difficult for modern Buddhists to understand much less to practice. Therefore, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Zen or Ch'an Buddhists must now look to India, and find a guru who can illumine them on the practical methods of Yoga, and that Great Guru, the last real Great Guru of our time, is Swami Rajarshi Muni.

In 629 defying imperial proscription by Emperor Tai-Chung 唐太宗 of the T'ang Dynasty, the famous Chinese Buddhist monk Hsuan Tsang 玄奘 secretly set out on foot on his epochal journey to the land of the Buddha from Chang'an 長安 (then capital of China) to learn Yoga and brought back to China many Yoga and other scriptures.

1381 years thereafter in 2010, once again an accomplished Chinese Buddhist monk, Master Sea Cloud 海雲繼夢法師 of the Da Huayen Monastery 大華嚴寺 (Great Floral Garland Monastery) Taiwan, came to India to learn Yoga from Sri Swami Rajarshi Muni 惹查西牟尼, Founder of the Lakulish International Fellowship's Enlightenment Mission 拉克魯希神國際覺明傳道會(LIFE Mission 生命傳道會). Like Master Hsuan Tsang the first Chinese Buddhist Yogi, he is the second Chinese Buddhist Yogi in Chinese history to humbly learn from an Indian Guru. People like Master Hsuan Tsang and Master Sea Cloud only come once in a millennium. In this age, these people are few and far between. Why Yoga?

Photo of Master Sea Cloud with Sri Swami Satyanand of LIFE Mission
Sakya M. Longyen
Huayen on Indra's Net
http://newhuayen.com

Ehipassiko – come and see

2011-02-26T16:49:00.000-08:00

Dependent Origination is the teaching which makes the Lord Buddha's path unique among all other types of meditation. It is the doctrine of arising and ceasing of phenomena. Lord Buddha says, "He who sees Dependent Origination sees the Dhamma, he who sees the Dhamma sees Dependent Origination." [Middle Length Sayings [Majjhima Nikaaya] Sutta 28 section 38] This means seeing and realizing all of the "Four Noble Truths of Suffering, of the Origin of Suffering, of the Cessation of Suffering, and of the Path Leading the Way Out of Suffering."

There is another interesting sutta about seeing of the Four Noble Truths, found in the Digha Nikaaya Sutta number 16, section 5.27. From this section of the sutta, one concludes that the way to attain enlightenment is by following the Eightfold Path and realizing the Noble Truths. It says:

Quote:
5.27 In whatever Dhamma and Discipline the Noble Eightfold Path is not found, no ascetic is found of the first grade (meaning a sotaapanna), second grade (meaning sakadaagaami), thirdgrade (meaning anaagaami), or fourth grade (meaning an arahat). But such ascetics can be found, of the first, second, third, and fourth grade in a Dhamma and Discipline where the Noble Eightfold Path is found. Now, Subhaadda, in this Dhamma and Discipline the Noble Eightfold Path is found, and in it are to be found ascetics of the first, second, third and fourth grade. Those other schools are devoid of [true] ascetics; but if in this one the Bhikkhus were to live to perfection, the world would not lack for Arahats."

Sakya Longyen
Huayen on Indra's Net
http://newhuayen.com

Anapanna-sati and Vipassana

2011-02-21T06:01:00.000-08:00

It should be noted that in any form of meditation, the body should be fully relaxed and not hindered. Whether full lotus, half lotus, or just crossed-legged is a matter of personal preference. A picture of Pa Auk Bhikkhu in meditative sitting posture is given here: http://www.paauk.org/images/PaAukPhotoAlbum/slides/Pa-Auk%20Sayadaw%20when%20young.html.

For example, in Myanmar sarong-clad practitioners would sit with their legs folded to their side because the sarong would hinder sitting in any lotus postures.

A picture of me training in anapanna is given here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=101913446508183&set=t.100000685852482&theater.

In Padmasan on solar eclipse 2010 over the Holy Narnada River, Asha Yogashram:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=101914353174759&set=a.101455126554015.3318.100000685852482&theater.

Further reading: A Revision of Meditation Methods by Bhante Seng is given here: http://fccheonghome.com/center/Q%20&%20A.htm.

Sakya Longyen
Huayen on Indra's Net
http://newhuayen.com

Realizing Huayen Buddhism

2011-02-20T13:21:00.000-08:00

Your original nature, the nature of the Buddha, of Tathagata, the nature of all existence, of emptiness, and of totality are just the same. When you can appreciate the beauty of a single flower, your whole life would change. At that moment, look into your own nature to see who is appreciating the wondrous beauty. Then, even the sound of a thunderclap, the flash of a lightning, the sight of a distant star, the full moon, a cup of tea, a mud puddle, the wind of a hurricane, or even landslide are no more beautiful or ugly, because they are what they are. They are both many and one, and this is holistic harmony. This is the realization of Huayen Buddhism in the Dharma Realm and in real life.

Sakya Longyen
Indra's Net

애정의조건-최유나.1186회.8월신청곡.20100830_H264_HD

2011-02-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

이쁜여우 김혜연

남자들은 믿지마라
모두 늑대다
자나깨나 남자 조심해
겉모습이 여러 여자
설레게 하는 남자들은
모두 늑대다
삼일만에 나의 손을
잡아버리고
사랑한다 고백을 하네
한달만에 내 입술을
훔쳐가고선
얼렁뚱땅 결혼하자네
분명이 남자는
늑대일꺼야
여자 마음
흔들어 놓는
그윽한 눈빛 달콤한말로
내 맘을 사로잡네
하지만 어쩔수 없어
늑대에게 빠져버린 나
그래도 그런 걱정마세요
나는 예쁜여운 걸

여자들은 조심해라
모두 여우다
자나깨나 여자 조심해
눈웃음을 살살치며
꼬리 흔드는
여자들은 모두 여우다
처음만나 술사달라
억지부리고
다짜고짜 사랑한다네
여자라면 어머니도
믿지 말라고
믿을것이 못된다는데
분명이 여자는
여우일꺼야
남자 마음
들뜨게 하는
야릇한 미소 달콤한입술
내 맘을 사로잡네
하지만 어쩔수 없어
여우에게 홀려버린 걸
그래도 좋아
여우가 좋아

男を信ずるな、皆狼だ。
寝ても覚めても、男を警戒しろ。
女をわくわくさせる男は、皆狼だ。
三日目に私の手を握り、愛を告白し、
一月目に私の唇を奪い、求婚する。
確かにこの男は狼だ。
女の心を動揺させるその目付き、
心を蕩かせる甘い言葉、
しょうがないわ。
狼に捕われた私よ。
でも心配しないで、
私は綺麗な女狐よ。

女に気を付けろ、女は皆狐だ。
寝ても覚めても、女に気をつけろ。
微笑浮かべて、尻尾を振る女は、皆狐だ。
初めての出会いで、お酒をねだり、
いきなり貴方愛するわと言う。
女は母でも信ずるなだ。この女は女狐だ。
男の心をくすぐる妖しげな微笑、甘い唇、
もう、どうしょうもない。
俺は狐に化かされた。
でも、いいよ、この女狐が好きになった。

Practicing Huayen Buddhism

2011-02-18T12:21:00.000-08:00

A brief introduction into the practice of Huayen Buddhism is given at http://newhuayen.com/page24.html.

Thomas Cleary's Flower Ornament Scripture is the best translation available. The appendices are especially helpful in giving a correct perspective. His style is both original and creative. A comparison of a more verbatim translation (incomplete) can be found at http://www.cttbusa.org/avatamsaka/avatamsaka_contents.asp.

As regard the influence of Neo Taoist thoughts on Huayen Buddhism, I rather think that it was the Chinese Huayen masters who utilized Taoist terms to gain a foothold in Chinese soil. Both my guru Venerable Haiyun Jimeng and I agreed with Ch'eng-kuan that though the terms may be the same the meanings are totally different.

T'an-luan (476–542). Early Chinese Pure Land thinker and popularizer. He began his monastic career as a scholar, and was in the middle of composing a massive commentary on the Mahāsaṃnipāta Sūtra (Chin., Ta-chi ching) when he came down with a serious illness. He left his monastery and sought out a renowned Taoist alchemist to receive the teachings on immortality. After receiving from him ten scrolls of Taoist scripture, he set out for home. However, on his way back he reportedly ran into the Indian monk Bodhiruci. T'an-luan asked him if there were any Indian Buddhist sūtras better than Taoist works on immortality. At this Bodhiruci is said to have become very angry and spat on the ground, saying that one cannot find the secret of immortality in any Chinese book. Taoism may prolong your life for a while, but by means of its teaching one cannot escape.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Tan-luan.aspx.

You may continue to practice Vipassana at home on the basis of what you've learnt. To refresh your memory, a short video is provided here at http://video.server.dhamma.org/video/vipassana/apvip.mov.

Finally thank you for your interest in Huayen Buddhism and your continued support of the Indra's Net at http://newhuayen.com.
__________________________
Bring holistic harmony, peace and love by helping someone cultivate altruism, benevolence, compassion, and keep inner peace.
Sakya Longyen

My Perfect Soul Mate

2011-02-15T12:38:00.001-08:00

My Perfect Soul Mate
I may stumble as I talk if you look too pretty before me. Don't be shy if I stare too long into your eyes to search your soul for that sparkle of love to connect us.

Perfect Match
If you can appreciate the beauty of a single flower, if you're vegetarian, like Korean, Chinese, or Japanese food, enjoy a foreign film or a sitcom drama even if you don't understand the language, if you don't racial profile, if you like Stanley Park, English Bay, and Robson street, if you love mother earth, care about the environment, understand social and spiritual ecology, don't mind taking public transport, sort out your garbage and recycle your empties, I know this is too much, but hey, who's perfect!

Ideal date
Just to meet up and get to know each other really well. Meeting can be anywhere and casual. An afternoon at a nearby Starbucks, read you my poetry at sunset on the beach, lie staring at distant stars on the grass on a moonlit night, together we’ll do yoga, hear Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman, take a foot bath, but if you like fancy candlelight dinners on the rotunda, I'll go for it.

Perfect Enlightenment 無諍三昧

2010-10-09T13:58:00.001-07:00

In the Sutra of the Forty-Two Chapters, in the chapter entitled the Unreality of All Concepts and Ideas, the Buddha said, "My doctrine is to be mindful of no-mind, to act with non-action, to speak the inexpressible, and to cultivate non-cultivation."

The Diamond Sutra says, "I, Subhuti, do not say to myself that I excel amongst thy disciples in knowing the bliss of Enlightenment, in being perfectly content in seclusion, and in being free from all passions, for if I ever thought of myself as such then it would not be true that I escaped ego delusion."

"A disciple should develop a mind which is in no way dependent upon sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensory sensations or any mental conceptions. A disciple should develop a mind which does not rely on anything."

"Therefore, Subhuti, the minds of all disciples should be purified of all thoughts that relate to seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, touching, and discriminating. They should use their minds spontaneously and naturally, without being constrained by preconceived notions arising from the senses."

The Heart Sutra says, "Therefore, in emptiness there are no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, sensory sensations or any mental conceptions… no consciousness, … no wisdom and no attainment."

Hence the Buddha taught his disciples to purify their minds. When the mind is pure, it is empty of all conceptions, ideas, or such perception as a self, a being, a soul, or a universal self. This is known as one of ‘no-thought’, ‘no abidance’, ‘no-cultivation’, and ‘no attainment’.

四十二章经云念等本空。佛言：吾法念无念念，行无行行，言无言言，修无修修。

金剛经云：我不作是念，我是離欲阿羅汉。以須菩提实无所行，而名須菩提是樂阿蘭那行。又云是故須菩提，諸菩薩摩訶薩，應如是生清凈心，不應住色生心，不應住声香味觸法生心，應无所住而生其心。

心经云：是故空中无色声香味觸法。无意識界，无智亦无得。

是故佛言自淨其意，意淨則三心空，四相離，此所謂无念无住无修无証之者也。

El Sutra de los cuarenta y dos capítulos, en el capítulo de la irrealidad de todos los conceptos e ideas, el Buda dijo: "Mi doctrina es ser conscientes de la no-mente, para actuar con la falta de acción, para hablar lo inexpresable, y para cultivar el no cultivo. "

El Sutra del Diamante, dice, "Yo, Subhuti, no me digo a mí mismo que sobresalgo entre tus discípulos en conocer la felicidad de la Ilustración, al ser perfectamente el contenido en la reclusión, y en estar libre de todas las pasiones, por que si alguna vez pensaba en mí mismo como tal, entonces no sería verdad que me escapé ilusión del ego. "

"Un discípulo debe desarrollar una mente que no es de ninguna manera dependiente de las vistas, sonidos, olores, sabores, sensaciones sensoriales o cualquier concepciones mentales. Un discípulo debe desarrollar una mente que no dependa de nada."

"Por lo tanto, Subhuti, la mente de todos los discípulos debe ser purificada de todos los pensamientos que se refieren a ver, oír, saborear, oler, tocar, y la discriminación. Deben utilizar sus mentes de manera espontánea y natural, sin verse limitados por nociones preconcebidas derivadas de la los sentidos. "

El Sutra del Corazón dice: "Por lo tanto, en el vacío no hay imágenes, sonidos, olores, sabores, sensaciones sensoriales o cualquier concepciones mentales ... no hay conciencia, hay sabiduría ... y el no logro".

Por lo tanto el Buda enseñó a sus discípulos para purificar la mente. Cuando la mente se purifica, se vacía de todas las concepciones, ideas, o la percepción como un yo, un ser, un alma, o un ser universal. Esto es conocido como uno de los "no-pensamiento", "no acatamiento ","no cultivo», y "no logro".

Iluminación Perfecta 无诤三昧. De Akira Tomiyama
El Sábado, 09 de octubre
Traducido por Agustin Elizondo

Dreamers in dreams

2010-10-05T22:30:00.001-07:00

Life is like a dream. In our dreams we meet people and we do things and they appear real. These people and things appear in various forms but they are still in our dreams, so we call this "form is emptiness" because these forms neither exist nor non-exist.

Next, let's say someone we love is also dreaming in our dreams. We want to wake that person up, so we tap on his/her shoulder. Do you think we can wake up a dreamer in our dreams when in fact we are dreaming? Since what we experience in our dreams appears so real, we call this "emptiness is form", i.e. the state that is neither existent nor non-existent appears in the forms of everyone and everything in our dreams.

So you think that I was talking about our dreams, huh? This in fact is the key to reality in life. What we call reality is but the fleeting moments in our dreams in which forms appear in emptiness and emptiness creates more forms. A Buddhist who knows prajna emptiness knows how this Buddhist tenet works through every facet of life.

人生如梦。梦中人物栩栩如生，有声有色，然仍是梦，故说色即是空，以其尘境不实也。次说梦中人做梦。梦中人如何唤醒梦中人？梦中尘境既然幻生，故说空即是色，以其尘境如真也。此所言梦，实是人生一实相关键所在。吾人所谓现实无非梦中尘境幻生幻灭。色空辨则波若明。

No Form Exists in Emptiness 是故空中无色

2010-10-04T16:24:00.001-07:00

The Hṛdayam Sutra says, "Form is no different from emptiness; emptiness is no different from form. Form is emptiness; emptiness is form. … Therefore form does not exist in emptiness". It is very hard for us today to follow the logic of this ancient scriptural language because if form is no different from emptiness, then why doesn't it follow that form exists in emptiness?

The language of the Sutra can be translated in today's language as follows: Form is hardware; emptiness is software. Hardware is what you can see and touch. Software is its functions. No hardware will run without software applications, but there is no hardware in any software applications，therefore no form exists in emptiness.

El Sutra Hrdayam dice: "La forma no es diferente del vacío, el vacío no es diferente de la forma. La forma es vacío, el vacío es forma. ... Por lo tanto la forma no existe en el vacío ". Es muy difícil para nosotros hoy para seguir la lógica de este lenguaje de las Escrituras antiguas, porque si la forma no es diferente del vacío, ¿por qué no se sigue que la forma existe en el vacío? El lenguaje del Sutra se puede traducir en el lenguaje actual de la siguiente manera: La forma es de hardware, el vacío es de software. El hardware es lo que usted puede ver y tocar. El software es sus funciones. El hardware se ejecutará sin aplicaciones de software, pero no hay ningún soporte físico en las aplicaciones de software, por lo tanto ninguna forma existe en el vacío.

No existe forma en el vacío de Akira Tomiyama
El Martes, 05 de octubre de 2010
Traducido por Agustin Elizondo

心经云色不异空、空不异色、色即是空、空即是色 … … 是故空中无色。色既然是空，为何又说空中无色呢？这是我们现代人很难理解的。试把古代的经典语言模式翻成现代语言模式。空是软体，色是硬体。硬体为相，软体为用。无软体则硬体不能运作，但但软体中无硬体，是故空中无色。

Sunyata then what?

2010-10-03T17:46:00.001-07:00

The ultimate destination of most Mahayana Buddhist schools including Zen Buddhism is to attain Sunyata, a state of emptiness that is neither existent nor non-existent. The fundamental difference between Huayen and other Buddhist schools is that the attainment of Prajna Sunyata is only the starting point of true practice, not its final destination. Huayen Buddhism is also known as Samantabhadra-yana Buddhism in the sense that its practitioners commit themselves to the vows and conducts of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

El destino final de la mayoría de las escuelas budistas Mahayana como el Budismo Zen es alcanzar Sunyata, un estado de vacío que no es ni existe ni no existe. La diferencia fundamental entre Huayen y otras escuelas budistas es que el logro de Prajna Sunyata es sólo el punto de partida de la práctica real, no su destino final. Huayen budismo es también conocido como el budismo Samantabhadra-yana en el sentido de que sus practicantes se comprometan con los votos y conductas de Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.

Sunyata ¿entonces qué? De Akira Tomiyama
El Lunes, 04 de octubre de 2010.
Traducido por Agustin Elizondo

大乘佛教包括禅宗，皆以证得波若空性为修行终极目标。空性不有，亦复不无。华严则从证得波若空性后起修，波若空性仅是实修起点，此乃其与他宗不同之处。华严属普贤乘，普贤行者皆以实现普贤行愿为己任也。

无生法忍 anutpattika-dharma-ks!a^nti

2010-09-23T23:38:00.000-07:00

On the wall of our Huayen meditation hall is hung a scroll Chinese calligraphy: "Focus the mind. Let the mind be still. If the mind is distracted, be focused and pay attention again." In such process of continued practice, we will reach a state upon which we become "aware of the senses and yet are controlled by them. The senses continue to function in relation to the external environment."

Ajahn Chan said in his Meditation Practice V. States and Experiences: "All of these are only the effects of our volition which will not become prajna (wisdom). Wisdom grows when we listen and thoroughly know our mind, turn around and see it is impermanent and unstable. This will help us let go of the "causes" of the phenomena and states of affairs we experience, whereupon prajna will arise and it is in such states we will become wise and enlightened."

Because the mind is impermanent and unstable, our Buddha nature becomes entangled. During meditation, if the impermanence and instability of the mind is being examined, then who is doing the examination? What is the substantial nature of the mind of the examiner? And how is he going to do it? When a being enlightens from his/her unstable and impermanent mind, his Buddha nature is free from any entanglements. An enlightening being comes apart from all causes. Because he has not caused, he is not affected by conditions. Because he is not affected by conditions, whatever he does, he does so for nothing and he is therefore not bound by karma. All his acts, speech, and thoughts are pure and he has attained anutpattika-dharma-ks!a^nti, the state of no birth (and no death). Therefore Chapter 25 "Ten Stages" of the 60-Chüen Huayen Sutra states that an Enlightening Being who has reached the seventh stage is pure in acts, speech, and thoughts, and he practises formless practice and attains anutpattika-dharma-ks!a^nti whereupon he illumines all dharmas."

无生法忍 anutpattika-dharma-ks!a^nti
De Akira Tomiyama, El Jueves, 23 de septiembre de 2010 0:00 .
Traducido por Agustin Elizondo

En la pared de nuestra sala de meditación Huayen, se cuelga un lienzo de caligrafía china: "Enfocar la mente. Deja que la mente se fije. Si la mente se distrae , centrala y prestar atención de nuevo. " En este proceso de ...la práctica continuada, vamos a llegar a un estado en el que llegamos a ser "consciente de los sentidos y, sin embargo no son controladas por ellos. Los sentidos siguen funcionando en relación con el ambiente externo."

Ajahn Chan dijo en su Práctica de la Meditación Estados y experiencias: "Todos estos son sólo los efectos de nuestra voluntad que no se convertirá en prajna (sabiduría). La sabiduría crece cuando escuchamos y bien sabemos que nuestra mente, dar la vuelta y ver que es impermanentes e inestables. Esto nos ayudará a dejar de lado las "causas" de los fenómenos y estados de cosas que experimentamos, prajna con lo cual se levantará y es en esos estados que se hará sabio e iluminado ".

Porque la mente es impermanente e inestable, nuestra naturaleza de Buda se enreda. Durante la meditación, si la temporalidad y la inestabilidad de la mente está siendo examinada, entonces ¿quién está haciendo el examen? ¿Cuál es el carácter sustancial de la mente del examinador? Y ¿cómo va a hacerlo? Cuando uno se ilumina desde su mente inestable y provisional, su naturaleza de Buda está libre de cualquier enredo. Un esclarecedor que viene, aparte de todas las causas. Porque no ha causado, no se ve afectada por las condiciones. Debido a que no se ve afectada por las condiciones, todo lo que hace, lo hace para nada y que no está vinculado por el karma. Todos sus actos, palabras y pensamientos son puros y que ha alcanzado anutpattika-dharma-ks!a^nti, el estado de ausencia de luz (y no la muerte). Por lo tanto el capítulo 25 "Diez Etapas" de los estados Sutra 60-Chuen Huayen que Iluminando un Ser que ha alcanzado la séptima etapa es puro en los actos, palabras y pensamientos, y las prácticas de la práctica sin forma y alcanza anutpattika-dharma-ks!a^nti con lo cual nti él ilumina todos los dharmas. "

華嚴禪堂壁上寫著這樣的四句偈：置心一處、使心不亂、若心他緣、攝心令還。如此不斷實踐的過程中，我們會達到這樣的境界: ”知根在, 根隨緣“。

阿姜查在他的禅修世界之(五)”境界与体验“里说： "这一切都只是「行(行蕴)」，不会成为般若。智慧增长的方式是，当我们倾听和了知心的时候，反观它的无常性和不稳定性。其无常性的觉悟将会促成我们在那点上放下事物的「因」。如此一来，智慧就在那里升起。在那儿，我们将获得智慧和领悟。"

这个妄心具有无常性和不稳定性，是缠如来藏，不是吗？那么反观妄心具有无常性和不稳定性的那个是什么？那个本体（心）是什么？如何起？从具有无常性和不稳定性的妄心觉悟出来，即是出如来藏，那是悟后离因，因既不生，遇缘不起，故无作业，不受果报，无作业故，三业清净，得无生法忍。是故六十华严经卷二十五‘十地品’谓，第七地之菩萨，三业清净，修无相行，得无生法忍，照明诸法。

Shurangama Mantra

2010-09-16T06:18:00.000-07:00

Shopito, ergo sum

2010-09-15T05:40:00.000-07:00

Cogito, ergo sum
True to Descartes René
Shopito, ergo sum
True to us all today.

How much am I really worth?
People count my material wealth.
Louis Vitton, DG, BMW, Mercedes
I shop, therefore I am.

To all the sellers I ask,
Where do I buy spiritual health?
Apple, Dell, Fido, Bell,
Such is the noise of material wealth.

How much is a nation worth?
The world measures her GNP.
Politicians, philosophers, religionists, scientists!
Which one of you truly cares
If all the people in the world are happy?

Have I ever heard of GHI?
Am I spiritually healthy?
Am I a part of humanity?
Do I love mother Earth?
Or do I cause her pain?

We will find the answers within
Only if we stop shopping!

Subhashita

2010-04-17T14:23:00.000-07:00

FORGIVENESS AND SACRIFICE

narasya aabharaNaM ruupaM
ruupasya aabharaNaM guNaH .
guNasya aabharaNaM jñaanam
jñaanasya aabharaNaM kShamaa .

The physical form adorns the man;
Virtue adorns the physical form;
Knowledge adorns virtue;
Forgiveness adorns knowledge.

Rivers don't drink their own water;
Trees don't eat their own fruit;
Clouds don't eat their own crops;
Working for the welfare of others is the mark of excellence of a virtuous man.

pibanti nadyaH svayameva na ambha
svayam na khaadanti phalaani vRukShaah .
na adanti sasyaM khalu vaarivaahaaH
paropakaaraya sataaM vibhuutayaH .

Click here to hear me chant the subhashita (good saying).

Are there things in the physical world?

2010-04-04T12:28:00.001-07:00

A thing is a noun. A noun isn't a part of nature it's a part of speech. There are no nouns in the physical world, but are there things in the physical world?

Let's just say that from the smallest thing like an atom or the biggest thing like a star and everything in between, living or not living, everything is made up of matter. We can see matter that takes forms. Matter can be transformed into energy because E=MC square. Like electricity.

Human beings and animals have three bodies, a gross body made up of matter, a subtle body and a causal body. The gross body by definition is gross. It is made up of the food the being eats and it is subject to aging, disease and death. The subtle and the causal bodies move on to take up new form after death and the soul is reborn. This is Samsara. Ghosts don't have gross bodies and they sometimes possess people to achieve certain good or bad
aims.

A spiritual person knows how to make good use of her gross body and use it as the instrument for spiritual practice and therefore eventually leads to liberation from Samsara. The dogs around you have chosen to stay with you because they have a strong affinity with you. In Buddhist and Hindu beliefs we say that you and they knew one another in former life times and there were unfinished business. Therefore in this life, you and they come together again. And so is your marriage and so are your children and so are your parents whom you chose to take up your form in this life.

Non-living things get trashed when their useful lives expire. The earth on which we live has an expiration date and therefore we need to love it. It doesn't have unlimited regenerative power. And so are our natural resources. And so I call for global reduction in demands starting with me. Do not buy a new X when you can still use your old X. Don't listen to ads of any sorts and be your own Lord when it comes to needs and wants and buying things. And this is how we should relate to things. For development of natural resources is limited whereas development of spiritual and humanity resources is unlimited. Transform all economies based on consumerism and therefore physical resource exploitation into economies based on development of spiritual and humanity resources. No more statistics on GNPs, GDPs, profit margins but instead statistics on how much spiritual progress the human race as a whole has made.

Floral Garland Meal Time Dharma

2010-03-16T11:56:00.001-07:00

Floral Garland Meal Time Dharma
Saying Grace Before a Meal
We offer this meal to the Ocean Assemblies of Enlightening Beings in the Floral Garland Repository Oceans of Worlds.
We offer this meal to the Buddhāvataṃsakamahāvaipulyasūtra.
This food is light, pure and prepared according to the Dharma. It contains all six tastes and we offer it to the Buddhas and the Sangha. We wish all sentient beings in the Dharma realm universally partake of it.
When we eat, we wish that all sentient beings take meditative joy as their food and feel joyful of the Dharma.

Ending a Meal

namaḥ saptānām samyak-saṃbuddha-koṭīnāṃ tadyathā oṃ cale cule cunde svāhā
A truly giving person will always reaps his rewards. If he gives for happiness, he will reap peace and happiness.
Meal time is over. May all sentient beings complete their tasks according to the teachings of Lord Buddha!
Giving in money or in kind (dharma) is one and the same. It is danparamita, complete and perfect.

華嚴道場　二時臨齋儀

供養　華藏莊嚴世界海　華嚴海會佛菩薩　大方廣佛華嚴經
　三德六味　供佛及僧　法界有情　普同供養
　若飯時時　當願眾生　禪悅為食　法喜充滿
結齋儀
薩多喃　三藐三菩陀　俱胝喃　怛姪他　唵　折隸　主隸　準提　娑婆訶
所謂布施者　必獲其利益　若為樂故施　後必得安樂
飯時已訖　當願眾生　所作皆辦　具諸佛法
財法兩施　等無差別　檀波羅蜜　具足圓滿

अथ योगनुशसनम्

2010-03-09T05:54:00.001-08:00

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali are divided into four chapters, the first of which is called Samadhipada. In it, Patanjali gives his definition of yoga, and discusses various problems one might confront on the path to yoga.

1.1 "atha yoganushasanam"

The first word, atha, is a kind of prayer, for both an auspicious beginning, and a successful conclusion of the work. This sutra can be translated as, "At this auspicious moment the instruction on yoga begins." Patanjali has not made any claims as to being the founder of yoga. He has studied under his own master, and is passing on the wisdom of the tradition.

Excerpt from Yoga Sutras of Patanjali- An Introduction
by Brianna/ shantiprana with modification to the English translation by Sakya Longyen
http://holisticonline.com/Yoga/yoga_yoga-sutra-introduction.htm. Mar.-9-10

Universal Oneness

2010-02-17T22:32:00.000-08:00

禪觀趣入三摩地
坐攝真如法性空

Chan guan qu ru san mo di
Zuo she zhen ru fa xing kong.

Through Yoga, one goes into Samadhi, and
In Samadhi one becomes the Supreme Cosmic Consciousness.

Shut Kriyas

2010-02-09T07:28:00.000-08:00

VASTRA DHAUTI AND NETI

5:52 AM Vastra Dhauti
Vancouver was sound asleep.
I wanted to time my Vastra Dhauti and so I filled up my Indian copper mug with warm water, soaked the 11 feet cotton cloth, set the clock and started swallowing. It went down quickly this time but I choked and gagged twice. Mucus ran down from my nose and tears from my eyes. I stared at the second hand and shifted to high gear as I gagged. This is the trick - since I'm already choking and gagging, I couldn't feel worse. So I took in larger chunks during the choking. As the roll of wet cotton grow thinner and thinner, I sped up and finished in 8 minutes, beating my own records and all those who took the Vastra Dhauti exam in India.

6:00 AM Sutra and Jal Neti
I did this to cleanse my nose, sinus and throat. A sutra is a cotton string with beewax at one end to stiffen it for easier insertion through the nostrils. Jal neti is done with luke warm saline solution with a neti pot after sutra neti. I've been doing this since I returned to Vancouver.

240-Day Circumscribed Practice

2009-12-02T03:05:00.000-08:00

240-DAY CIRCUMSCRIBED RECITATION OF THE AVATAMSAKA SUTRA FOR THE SUCCESS OF THE 2010 HUAYEN SANGHA-DANA AND 7TH WBSY GENERAL CONFERENCE

All members of the Da Huayen Monastery and the Huayen World Community shall commence a 240-circumscribed practice to pray for the success of the 2010 Huayen Sangha-Dana and the 7th WBSY General Conference. If you wish to join us in this solemn pledge, please use the Dharma program below:

I. VOWS

Compassionate and Great Buddha!
I (_________), for the purpose of perfecting Buddhahood and delivering all living beings and praying for the success of the 2010 Huayen Sangha-Dana and the 7th WBSY General Conference, now vow to engage in a 240-day circumscribed practice from 1 December 2009 to 28 July 2010 during which I will recite one chapter consecutively of the 80-fascicle Avatamsaka Sutra each day. I earnestly pray to all Buddhas of the ten directions for protection, to the Bodhisattvas of the past, present, and future for acceptance, and to the our patriarchs for blessings. (One prostration)

II. REPENTANCE

I (_________), from eons without beginning in the past, have created all kinds of measureless and boundless evil karma with my body, speech, and mind, because of greed, hatred, and delusion. If that karma had a substance and form, all of empty space could not contain it. I now completely purify these three karmas, and before the assemblies of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, throughout the Dharma Realm in lands as many as fine motes of dust, I sincerely repent and reform my offences and vow never to create them again. I will always dwell in all merit and virtue of the pure precepts until I perfect Buddhahood. My repentance and reform will only end when all living beings are delivered, in thought after thought without cease, my three karmas never weary of such deeds. (One prostration)

III. AVATAMSAKA SUTRA RECITATION

Namo Upadhyaya Shakyamuni Buddha (Three invocations, three prostrations.) (Contemplate its meaning gradually as you recite the following verse.)
The unsurpassed, profound, and wonderful Dharma
Is difficult to encounter in hundreds of millions of eons.
I now see and hear it, receive and uphold it,
And I vow to fathom the Tathagata’s true meaning.
(Contemplation vow: As you open the Avatamsaka Sutra, contemplate the Dharma Wheel always turns, that all the living beings who hear the Dharma realise Bodhi.)

IV. DEDICATION OF MERIT

May the merit and virtue accrued from this work
Help devas, dragons and Dharma protectors realise their Buddhahood early.
May all great good and wise advisors who preach the Huayen tradition and spread its teachings long remain in the world to turn the Great Dharma Wheel.
May all living beings in the Dharma Realm generate supreme Bodhi-mind and realise Thusness and Ultimate Reality.
May the Huayen Dharma prosper and flourish, the Right Buddhadharma long remain in the world!
May peace be on earth, may there be social stability, may the winds be gentle and the rain be subdued, and may all countries prosper and their people be at ease!
May the 2010 Huayen Sangha-Dana and the 7th WBSY General Conference be successful.
“The supreme, endless blessings from Samantabhadra’s conduct
I now universally transfer to all.
May every living being, drowning and adrift,
Soon return to the Land of Limitless Light!”
Namo Universal Worthy King Bodhisattva Mahasattva! (Three invocations, three prostrations)

Tisarana and Pañcasīla Procedures

2009-10-23T17:04:00.001-07:00

Tisarana and Pañcasīla Procedures
Romanised Chinese by Upasika Neng Ru
Translated by Ven. Sakya Longyen
Abbot
Da-Huayen Monastery Canada

This web document can also be viewed and downloaded free from the following link:
Tisarana and Pañcasīla Procedures

Posted by: Ven. Sakya Longyen

Life's Prototypes

2009-10-20T16:48:00.000-07:00

In reading sutras, esp. Mahayana sutras, do not personify the deities, but instead learn to assimilate their nature and merit into your own. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is not a person but one of life's main prototypes or existents, and so is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. We assimilate these prototypes into our own nature.

Most people never question the purpose of their lives.
Have you really sought the path of your own life?
How do you walk this path such that nothing will bind you down?
You must answer these questions yourselves from your own experiences!
Do not rely on others; live to the fullest potential of your life.
Live to see your own brilliance! Live to smell your true fragrances!
To seek positively the value and meaning of life, you must lay out its blueprint by assimilating a certain life's prototype...

- excerpt from Ven. Haiyun Jimeng's Dharma talk on the Ksitigarbha Sutra 2008 available on YouTube and in DVD

Posted by Ven. Sakya Longyen

Huayen Syllabary Single Chor

2009-07-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Huayen Syllabary Single Chor

The Huayen Syllabary Praise

2009-07-31T00:33:00.000-07:00

Learn the Huayen Syllabary Praise. Just click on the link below:

The Huayen Syllabary Praise

Transfer of Merit to the Living

2009-07-02T10:23:00.001-07:00

延生堂回向
Transfer of Merit to the Living

南無增福壽菩薩摩訶薩(三唱)
NA MO ZENG FU SHOU PU SA MO HE SA
Take Refuge in the Bodhisattvas Mahasattvas who bestow longevity and prosperity (three times)

南無消災延壽藥師佛(三稱)
NA MO XIAO ZAI YAN SHOU YAO SHI FO
Take Refuge in the Medicine Master Buddha who averts calamities and prolongs life (three times)

南無薄伽伐帝. 鞞殺社. 窶嚕薜琉璃. 缽喇婆. 喝囉闍也. 怛他揭多耶. 阿囉訶帝. 三藐三勃陀耶. 怛姪他. 唵. 鞞殺逝. 鞞殺逝. 鞞殺社. 三沒揭帝莎訶（誦七遍）
NA MO PO QIE FA DI. BI SHA SHE. JU LU PI LIU LI. BO LA PO. HE LA SHE YEH. DAN TA JIE DUO YEH. A LA HE DI. SAN MIAO SAN PU TUO YE. DAN ZHI TA. ONG. BI SHA SHI. BI SHA SHI. BI SHA SHE. SAN MO QIE DI SUO HE.
Namo Bhagavate Bhaisajya-guru-vaidurya-prabha-rajaya Tathagataya Arahate Samyaksambuddhaya Tadyatha Om Bhaisajye Bhaisajye Bhaisajya Samudgate Svaha (Seven times)

佛光注照　　　　　　　本命元辰
FO GUANG ZHU ZHAO, BEN MING YUAN CHEN
The Buddha's light shines upon the primal stars of our lives.

十二大願誓弘深
SHI ER DA YUAN SHI HONG SHEN
With twelve great vows His oaths so vast and deep,

消災保長生
XIAO ZAI BAO CHANG SHENG
He averts calamities and guarantees long life.

運限和平，福壽永康寧。
YUN XIAN HE PING, FU SHOU YONG KANG NING.
Destiny heralds harmonious peace, fortune, longevity, happiness and everlasting health and serenity.

願消三障諸煩惱
YUAN XIAO SAN ZHANG ZHU FAN NAO

願得智慧真明了
YUAN DE ZHI HUI ZHEN MING LIAO

普願罪障悉消除
PU YUAN ZUI ZHANG XI XIAO CHU

世世常行菩薩道
SHI SHI CHANG XING PU SA DAO

We wish to rid ourselves of the three hindrances and all obstacles
We wish to gain wisdom and real understanding
We universally wish all sinful hindrances be eradicated
Life after life, may we always follow the path of the Bodhisattva.

Homage to Bhaisajyaguru-vaiduryaprabha the Healing Buddha

2009-06-09T15:24:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to invoke the name of Bhaisajyaguru-vaiduryaprabha-rajaya Tathagata the Healing Buddha.

Homage to Our Founding Mentor Shakyamuni Buddha

2009-06-08T01:59:00.000-07:00

Click on the image to invoke the name of the Buddha Shakyamuni and pay homage to our Founding Mentor.

Flower Adornment Scripture English Audio Book

2009-05-22T21:03:00.000-07:00

Flower Adornment Scripture English Audio Book

Hear ...

The Chapter on Entering the Inconceivable State of Liberation of the Conduct and Vows of Universal Worthy from the Flower Adornment Scripture in English

Click on the English audio book

俳句 Haikus - Japanese poems

2009-04-22T01:08:00.000-07:00

Moon shines bright and clear
On the river far and near
Swoosh, swish blows the wind

Whipping frosty tunes
Rustling o'er my night pillow
Hunan autumn sky

なつはじめ
natsu hajime
夏初め
When summer begins
のばらながれる
nobara nagareru
野原流れる
upon the country fields flow
くさのなみ
kusa no nami
草の波
waves upon grass waves

I wrote this haiku originally in Japanese and only translated it into English to demonstrate that haikus can be written in any language as long as the two conditions are fulfilled. Read the English translation again and you'll see that it has met the syllabic requirement of 5-7-5 in each of those lines, as well as the seasonal summer tag requirement in the first line. In response to Carli Loyn's request, I've written another haiku first in Japanese and then its English translation as follows. See that both conditions for a haiku are met.

夏祭り
なつまつり
natsu matsuri
Summer Festival

浴衣に下駄に
ゆかたにげたに
yukata ni geta ni
In swimwear and wooden clogs

髪飾り
かみかざり
kami kazari
Decorated hair

極樂無生

2009-03-28T00:49:00.000-07:00

極樂無生生極樂
華嚴有趣趣華嚴

Be Reborn in Sukhavati to the Ultimate Bliss of Nirvana

Enter Avatamsaka into the Inconceivable World of Flower Adornment

The Middle Path is the Greatest Virtue

2009-03-09T22:34:00.000-07:00

Be chaste yet tolerant,
Kindhearted yet decisive,
Dexterous but not overly exacting,
Upright yet fair in rectifying injustice,
Like candied fruit but not too sweet,
Seafood but not too salty;
Such are truly great virtues.

行道中庸方是懿德

清能有容，
仁能善斷，
明不傷察，
直不過矯。
是謂蜜餞不甜，
海味不咸，
纔是懿德。

摘自《菜根譚》閒適

One is many a universe

2009-03-04T22:34:00.000-08:00

I am a mote of dust in the myriads of universes

Past, present, future:
The universes are in me;
I am in the universes.

One is many a universe:
Many are but one
Suchness!

Tathagata's Dance

2009-02-09T23:47:00.000-08:00

Today I picked a flower
From the Garden
Of Avatamsaka:
I held it in my hand;
The whole universe unfold!

From a dew drop on a petal
Cintamani light reflects;
I lost myself counting
Tathagat dancing
On black petals wet!

I looked up to ponder
About this only flower
I look down to ask
How many of you are there?

The flowers told their tale:
We too know not ourselves!
The petals said the same:
Tathagata dance again!

All that I could imagine,
All that I could create,
All that I could paint,
All that I could touch...
Weaving my life, a dream!

All that I could trace,
With grateful heart embrace,
A blade of grass, a tree,
A sprinkle of dust, a snowflake,
Tathagata's Divine grace!

All the states within,
All the states without...
Ineffably encompass
Ineffable universe,
Each on its own flower
Where Tathagata dance
Upon the light
Of petals dewy bright!

A Simple Practice that Goes a Long Way

2009-01-23T05:46:00.000-08:00

This practice is recommended for all Buddhists regardless of sects, vehicles, language and cultural differences. It is extremely simple and is recommended by Elderly Bhikshu Mêng Can of Wutai Mountain, China. Each day when you wake up before you even get off your bed, poise yourself in the meditative or kneeling position, bring your palms together as a gesture of utmost sincerity and say: "Homage to the Buddha! Homage to the Dharma! Homage to the Sangha!" ten times. Do the same before you lie down to go to bed every night.

The significance of bringing your palms together is to show your respect and gratitude to all Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha of the past, present and future and in all directions. This is a simple practice will go a long way in saving you from losing faith or getting lost from running hither and yon every day, but it is easy to forget. Do this steadfastly for the rest of your life. If you know how to do repentance then by all means do that just before you take the three refuges in the Triple Gems at night. It will then wipe clean all that you have done that carry any bad karma during the day and you will always be at ease with yourselves and all sentient beings around you.

Health and proper exercise

2009-01-19T20:34:00.000-08:00

In Buddhism, one's health and physical body has a significantly new meaning. Buddhists with the proper attitude towards health, physical body and life will not engage in activities such as "Qigong" or "Reiki" for purposes of maintaining health, healing illnesses, and extending life. Can one really maintain one's health and if so, for how long? Many qigong or reiki practitioners are not professionals. Statistics on fatalities involving traffic accidents and plane crashes show that the deceased were usually in good health when they died. When and how one will die is not for one to say or control. Many may be disheartened to read this and think it's fashionable and cool to keep the body fit. For what does one keep a fit body? What is the meaning behind having a fit body? Some use their bodies to chase after the objects of the five senses and go raving, drinking and partying from morn to night; some even take drugs and engage in illicit sex; so then for what do they keep a fit body? So they may accumulate bad karma?

Therefore, it is far better for all Buddhists to have a proper faith in the Triple Gems, ie., the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. If you want exercise, by all means do that in the form of prostrations before the Triple Gems. The daily requirement for all resident nuns, novices, or guest laypersons staying overnight at the Lingyen Mountain Temple in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada is to do at least 500 prostrations before the Buddha in their spare time. A typical day starts at 2:45 a.m. and ends at 10:10 p.m. Spare times are between 12:15 p.m. and 1:15 p.m., 5:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., and 9:40 p.m. and 10:10 p.m.

If you think this is not enough exercise for you, you may do the full body prostrations as the Tibetan Buddhists do. 20 to 30 such full body prostratons will make you sweat all over, and the heat energy so produced is equivalent to 100 minor prostrations usually performed by the Han national Chinese Buddhists, which involve only five rounded bones of the skeleton touching the earth, viz., the forehead, two elbow bones and two knee bones, ergo its Chinese description "five bodies dropping to the earth." A devoted dharma friend of the ABCBC has been doing the Tibetan full body prostrations for several years in the sanctity of her home. She is doing one such prostration for each and every word of the 80-Scroll Avatamsaka Sutra (Chinese Edition). If any English speaking readers are wondering how many such Chinese characters are in the 80-Scroll Avatamsaka Sutra, just do the same with Thomas Cleary's English translation, the "Flower Ornament Scripture" and do one fully body prostration for each English word in the book and see how long you will have to take to complete such a grand task. It certainly takes strong will and forbearance to be able to accomplish such task. By the time you are done, you will not even have the slightest doubt about the virtues or merits in doing such form of exercise.

O Sentient Being I Weep For Thee

2009-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

Earthlings - Make the Connection

O earthlings, I weep for thee!
I never would have thought
You've suffered so far, so long, just to support,
Accompany me, be my best friends, my family, my flesh and blood:
I am so ignorant!

I'm so sorry I did not hear your violent opposition!
Your cries in pain, your calls of distress,
Your tears, your draining blood:
I have no empathy!

I'm so sorry I did not feel your mental anguish!
I even cheer and clap to see you perform at the circus.
I never would have thought your trainers would use
Stun guns, whips, and shackles and chains,
Sever you from your own mothers
The moment you were born.
I am so inhuman!

My tears gush down my face as I write,
And yet I know my words may not comfort you enough.
I know not how to repay your kindness,
All your unconditional service, sacrifice and love,
All that ridicule, hardship, anguish, and pain!

O please, please forgive me!
For now I've seen and heard, and felt and touched,
Your hearts so warm, so peaceful, so pure;
Your faces so beautiful, your smiles, your eyes, that gleaming glow:
Your watch o'er me, your protection, your guard.

You're my eyes when I cannot see!
You lead me cross dangerous busy streets.
You leap, you fly, you carry my load,
You yap, you wag and happily retrieve,
Ball, Frisbee, boomerang, or goad.

How much I wish we could switch
Places so you could flip,
And I would leap, catch, and grip,
And race back just for a fleeting pet!

For now I feel that I'm in you ...
For now I feel that you're in me:
And you and I are One!

For now I know that One is All ...
For now I know that All is One!
And underneath our differences there is sameness.

So make the connection O pitiful earthlings ...
Make the connection O sorrowful earthlings!

Earthlings - The Movie - narrated by Joaquin Phoenix
Rated: PG13, 14+
Scenes of violence and vulgarism may offend some audience.
Viewers discretion is strongly advised.
Click links with asterisk to begin viewing.

Trailer*

The Three Stages of TRUTH*

Ridicule
Violent Opposition
Acceptance

Speciesism
racism
KKK
Nazism
sexism
speciesism
the rapist
the child molester
the master and the slave
sameness and differences between humans and animals
beneath the differences there is sameness
the five ways how animals have come to serve mankind
holocaust: humans and animals compared

Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singer 1904-1991 wrote in his best selling novel ENEMIES, a love story the following:

"As often as Herman had witnessed the slaughter of animals and fish, he always had the same thought: In their behaviour toward creatures, all men were Nazis. Human beings see oppression vividly when they're the victims. Otherwise they victimize blindly and without a thought.The smugness with which man could do with other species as he pleased exemplify the most extreme racist theories the principle that might is right."

In his book, the Outermost House, author Henry Beston wrote:

"We need another, and a wiser, and perhaps more mystical concept of animals. Remote from universal nature and living by complicated artifice, man in civilization serve other creatures with a glass of his knowledge, and see them via further magnifying and the whole image in distortion. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken forms so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animals are not being measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of senses we've lost or never obtained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren: they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in a net of life and time, fellow prisoners of this blunder and travail of the earth."

Part I: PETS*

Where do our pets come from?
puppy mills
physical and psychological problems
strays and homelessness
euthanasia and gas chambers
cyanide poison experiment
stray overpopulation turkey

Part II: FOOD*

Where does our food come from?
Inside the slaughter house
Beef, branding, dehorning, transportation
Milking cows and pesticides and fast food restaurants
Bolting and bleeding
Knocking boxes
Kosher slaughter and violations*
Veal
Sows and pig farms
tail docking, ear clipping, teeth cutting, and castration
electric prods and electrocution
throat slitting, boiling and hair removal
Poultry*
debeaking
living conditions
hens in battery cages
transportation
slaughter, cleaving, beheading, throat slitting
seafood and waste dumping
commercial fishing
pfiesteria - level 3 biohazard
Hurricane Floyd - North Carolina 1999
Whaling*
dolphins in Japan
Violations of International Conventions and Treaties

Part III: CLOTHES

Leather from Indian cattle
Indian cattle, shoeing, transportation and fatigue
tailing breaking and handling injuries
chili pepper
slaughter by hacking or sawing with a dull blade
skin preserved with toxic chromium
retail
Fur*
fur farms cage madness
injuries and slow death
killing by CO poisoning, cyanide, anal electrocution
dead skin ground up to be used as feeds
fur market in China
Canada seal hunt

Part IV: ENTERTAINMENT

Festival of Bulls - Spain
rodeos
roping
gambling - dog racing and horse racing
hunting
fishing
fish are sentient organisms
Circuses*
training by punishments not rewards
dominance, subservience and pain
training elephants
retaliation
death by firing squad
zoos
bull fighting*

Part V: SCIENCE

vivisection - experiments on living animals in medical science
tests in animals retard clinical investigation
medical experiments
military research
10,000,000,000 per year
torture of sentient beings

"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields. What I think about vivisection is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit to their cruelty." - Leo Tolstoy*

pain and suffering
animals are like us
to bite the hands that feed us
over consumption of animal food causes cancer, heart disease, osteoporoses, strokes, kidney stones, anaemia, diabetes and more
our food is now affected at its very source with antibiotics, pesticides and insecticides, or artificial hormones, artificial colours, herbicides, larvicides, synthetic fertilizers, tranquilizers, growth and appetite stimulants
mad-cow disease, foot-mouth disease, pfiesteria and a host of other diseases have unleashed on the human population
Nature is not responsible, we are!
It's time for us to reconsider our eating habits, our styles

The old saying goes "What goes around comes around, and what do they get for their pain?"
We really have to give it a second thought: If what goes around comes around... what do they get for their pain? Perhaps the answer can be found in yet another age old saying: "We reap just what we sow."

Living without I

2009-01-11T06:58:00.000-08:00

Let's forget about profound arguments such as "Before the arising of the first thought" and just focus on thinking silently or aloud. Drop the I and any other personal identifiers such as your name and try not to substitute I with any other pronouns. Then try to think logically and talk sense with someone. How long can you do that in a day? You may say, "I'm not gonna do that. People may think I'm nuts!" See it is that difficult already, you have just used two I's. Well then don't do that in public; just try this at home in your shower. If you can do that, you will gradually understand the true meaning of the Circle Without Centre. Of course we are not talking about a donut, a bagel, an annula, a ring or anything of that sort, not even an ordinary circle in geometry where it is a curve defined by the equation x²+y²=R². The basic Avatamsaka Buddhist tenet is to live and know how to fully enjoy living every moment. Just as the whole includes the self, so the self is part of the whole. When the ego dissolves, the whole is one with the self and this is living in the moment.

All is One is All

2009-01-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

All is One is All - Excerpt from the Preface to the First Edition
With the exception perhaps of abstract mathematicians, the differentiating ordinary human intellect is accustomed to defining things or beings as individuals; such being the case, it is hard for man to see that there is no contradiction in the book title, and so I am I, you are you and there is no way to comprehend a circle without a center. The Avatamsaka Buddhist totally reject this individualized cosmic view. To them One is All and All is One, thus the title of this book All is One is All. For example, we are accustomed to counting from 1 to 10; then in the late 60's and early 70's when computers first hit the consumer market, we were taught a different counting method, i.e., from 0 to 9 in decimal and from 0 to F in hexadecimal and then again from 0 to 1 in the binary system of computing. Human intelligence is not unlike computer intelligence, thinking in either 0 or 1; hence the identity of the self. The computer never asks you why and how you get from 0 to 1 and programmers don't, or don't bother to know. This is why with over 2500 years of western civilisation since Socrates, philosophers, theologians, psychologists, and scientists still cannot explain two fundamental questions in life: 1) Why is every individual selfish? and 2) Why should every individual be good? Answers like God tells me so, or my parents tell me will not satisfy the fundamental agnostic or the rebellious. The point is they don't know why and how to get from o to 1 and back from 1 to 0 and that 1 and 0 are not mutually exclusive but mutually inclusive. Only an enlightened human being such as a Buddha knows this truth and the first Sutra that Buddha Shakyamuni spoke to the bodhisattvas and devas of all universes at all times and in all places was the Mahavaipulya Buddha Avatamsaka Sutra in which the very truth that all is one and one is all is thoroughly expounded. As long as every man is an island and every circle has its own center, then conflicts and wars will continue to plague us. Some may preach the Armageddon and salvation through Jesus, but Islam or other religions may preach otherwise. The Avatamsaka Buddhist will not argue with anyone for they know the answers to both questions and have been applying them to actualize their own spiritual growth and attainment. May all readers of this book benefit from the insight of the post modern Avatamsaka Buddhist and may there be peace on Earth.

Name, Fame, and Shame

2009-01-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

A name is a name is a name
And so are power, title and fame;
Enter a food house we are greeted
"How many of you, Honored Ones?
With no shame and loftily conceited,
"Three Honored Ones!" we repeated.

Today the ignorant know not how to be humble,
Creating names with inventive titles,
Forcing others to call them by those names,
Sending themselves to prison in their own fame,
Not knowing their egos will burst the bubble.

We are so caught up with names
Cooking, mixing, fumbling, and mumbling
This name, that name, and those names,
Totally shameless and utterly forgetting
The thing-in-itself is not the same.

Dreams, illusions, bubbles and shadows,
Name, fame, power, titles and egos
Bog us down like a bower.
Wake! wake! When will we ever wake up
To see in all of us our own true Baur^*1?

*1 Baur: A surname (rare: 1 in 100000 families) used here as a pointer to Thusness.

Thus I Have Heard ...

2009-01-05T09:34:00.000-08:00

Thus I have heard ...
At one time, Bhikshu Mêng Ts'an
Was at a gathering in the Mountain of Wu T'ai
In which all Dharma protectors
Of dragons and devas,
And good men and women
Of the ten directions
Were present to listen
To the Mahayana Great Collection
Kshitigarbha Ten Wheels Sutra.

The Bhikshu thus addressed his audience:
Is it fair today for the Chinese people to suffer
And the Japanese people to prosper
When it was a historical fact
During the WWII
The Japanese did commit
In China countless atrocities?

For those completely oblivious
Of the Law of Causality
Of the past, present and future,
The Truth will not be obvious.

Hark! and Listen carefully
To what I am going to air:
It is fair, most fair, only fair!
But why? Tell me why?
Well I tell you why.

Three scores and one-half decades ago
The Chinese in China whom the Japanese killed
Are now reborn in Japan as Japanese and prosper;
And the Japanese in China who killed
The Chinese are now reborn
As Chinese in China and suffer.

Marrow Donor Drive

2009-01-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

Kristen the true story
Be A Hero - Save a Life!

A recent graduate of Neuqua Valley HS is in need of a stem cell transplant. Her name is Kristen Capawan and here is her story:

Kristen graduated from Neuqua in 2006. She started college at the University of Illinois to study civil engineering. During spring break of her freshman year she was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma at age 18. She underwent chemotherapy at the University of Chicago Comer Children's hospital ending treatment in July of 2007. She returned to U of I that August but home for the Christmas holiday her tests showed the cancer had returned. Her next treatment consisted of intense chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant using her own cells referred to as Autologous transplant followed by radiation. This took place during the winter/spring of 2008. Unfortunately, she was unable to return to the U of I for the spring semester. August of 2008 she returned to U of I embracing education in a different light after being through so much. In late October another test showed some spots that indicated the cancer may be back. After a biopsy was performed it was confirmed by Thanksgiving. The next step for treatment is a Allogeneic transplant. This process is using stem cells from an unrelated donor that has a close match to the person requiring the transplant.

I am asking for the community’s help. Kristen is 1/2 Caucasian and 1/2 Chinese which makes her fight for a donor more challenging. Chances for a match are most likely to come from someone with the same ethnic makeup as Kristen. Knowing the diversity of the population in Chicago and in Naperville I am hoping to find someone to come forward with the same ethnicity. However, I would encourage everyone who can to join the marrow registry. Every single day 6,000 patients of all ethnicities check this registry hoping to find a match that could cure them of their diseases.

I am holding a stem cell drive on January 17th at Neuqua Valley HS in Naperville from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. The initial process is simply a Q-Tip swab inside the cheek. This is then tissue-typed and added to the registry. If there is a potential match to a patient, the next step is to take a sample of blood for further analysis. If there is an exact match then the procedure for collecting the cells is done in one of two ways. Most often, they are collected through the circulating bloodstream in an apheresis-like procedure. Less common is to collect the cells from the bone marrow in an outpatient procedure with some type of anesthesia. The patient’s condition determines the collection method. You are only asked to donate if there is a specific patient you match who is in need. Our event on January 17th is only to get on the registry. Please see the following websites for more information on this.

http://www.marrow.org

http://www.mayoclinic.com

I would have never had known how simple a process this is had it not been for knowing what Kristen was going through. I suspect the general public does not either. Please visit the web sites and show up on January 17th to potentially save someone's life. You must be between the ages of 18-60 years old and in good health to register with the NMDP (National Marrow Donor Program).

Event:
Neuqua Valley HS
2360 95th St.
Naperville, IL 60564
Enter the main campus rotunda door # 1

You can also send donations to help with stem cell testing costs.
Please make check payable to Kristen Capawan fund.

Kristen Capawan Fund
c/o Karen Johnson
4536 Barr Creek LN
Naperville, IL 60564

Drifting Afar

2009-01-02T01:41:00.000-08:00

Drifting Afar
by A.M.T.

Like the wind stopped,
The clouds stood still.
As love parted my
Heart instinctively knew.
I could not resist
Your passionate
Embraces;
Yet when you parted,
You left no traces.

Love creeps up
From behind me
Without the slightest hint
To tear down my last
Defenses and rouse
Up my senses.
Love O so bittersweet,
I fear your bitterness;
To go without you,
I fear my own
Sleeplessness.

Here I am
And there you are,
Like dandelion
Fluffy white seedheads
Drifting afar.
When we wake
From our dreams
To the silver moon
On a night so clear,
Don't suppose
We could keep on
Drifting, my dear?

Let me immerse
In you for one
Last moment;
Nonetheless
This won’t reduce
My total resentment.
If I just can go
And commit myself,
Burn me to
Ecstasy with
All your torture
And torment!

Benedictus qui venit

2009-01-01T22:33:00.000-08:00

If you don't know Latin and wondered what the lyrics of the background music are all about, then here you have it:

Benedictus qui venit
in nomine Domini,
Benedictus qui venit
in nomine Domini.
Hosanna, hosanna,
hosanna in excelsis!

My humble English rendering:

Blessed is He who comes
in the name of the Lord,
Blessed is He who has come
in the name of the Lord.
Glory, glory,
glory in the highest!

This is the ending part of J.S. BACH's MAGNIFICAT, which I sang in Summerchor 2007 in a public performance as first tenor.

Life Begin Again - Afro Celts

2008-12-30T02:21:00.001-08:00

Life Begin Again - Afro Celts

The heat a glimmer still burning
The heart still beating within
Her song echoes with the calling
For life to begin again
This is the day and the hour
The time when the changing begins
The land and the sky fallen silent
Quiet moves o'er the plain
Quiet moves o'er the plain
The silence moves over the plain

The land and sky are quiet
The heart is beating within
Her song echoes a calling
For life to begin again
For life to begin again

O Water Crystals

2008-12-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

O crystals of beauty, crystals of old,
A gift from heaven, so pure so cold!
For some it's Santa, others how neat!
Piano for the homeless on the street.

You have no discernment, no hate;
Crown every top with eight-foot slate.
Elders fear you: children love you,
Crystals of heaven, how are you!

Your mood changes O so often,
Suddenly harsh, still, then soften.
How long do you plan to stay,
To keep the children at play.

Children of heaven, children of old!
Hear my story, hear it unfold.
Love the planet, save the Earth,
Do it with honour for all its worth!

A Ghost Smile

2008-12-26T13:35:00.000-08:00

"Ghost smile" is not defined in any dictionary, but is commonly known to Japanese anime writers and readers. I haven't seen a ghost smile and after writing a poem about it, I'm sure if I've helped you see one.

You cannot put your finger on it but it will grab you.
The ghost is always around you, see if you can catch it . . .

A Ghost Smile

You cannot see or hear it,
Never wolfish, only a wisp.
It tickles the corners of the mouth
And onto the lips it creeps.
It flickers across a drear, sombre face
And as fleetingly as it appeared, it fades.

It is a tiny shadow,
A mirage
Utterly devoid of amusement
That slightly dances across pale lips,
And once the deed is done
All but left is a memory flash.

It tweaks.
It flits.
It hovers.
It quirks up a bit.
Nimbly it plays onto the pallid face
Only as if to graze if not retrace
The bleaching faint lines of the lips,
But it is all buried
Before you blink next.

Did you see it?
No, did you?
Can you imagine?
Was it from a magazine?
It once belonged in the family of laughter,
But now it is more of a derisive frown,
Lurking in secrecy and darkness,
An apparition on the faces in the crowd.

When was the last time

2008-12-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

When was the last time you smiled from the heart, wanted to paint, but didn't know where to start!
When was the last time you picked a perfect rose, walked in the sand, and wiggled it round your toes!
When was the last time you stood perfectly still, and felt the breeze touch you on a far off hill!
When was the last time you ran through fields of green, laughing happily, not caring if you were seen!
When was the last time you believed in your dreams,
Wish hard on the stars under silver moon beams!
When was the last time you danced round and round,
Not caring if you got dizzy and fell to the ground!
When was the last time you watched butterflies in flight,
And sat in awe of their wondrous sight!
When was the last time you said I love you,
And really knew those words were so true!
When was the last time you sat in green dapple shade,
Or watched as the sun set as it gently fades!
When was the last time you stood by a brook,
And absorbed the feelings not just looked!
When was the last time you heard your hearts desire,
Whilst watching the flames dance in an old log fire!
When was the last time you felt you were one
With the earth, the moon, the stars and the sun!

Reprinted with permission from Fionakate 2005

Teach me your mood

2008-12-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

Teach me your mood,
O patient stars!
Who climb each night
The ancient sky.
Leaving on space
No shade, no scars,
No trace of age,
No fear to die.

How to be an artist

2008-12-25T21:04:00.000-08:00

Stay loose.
Learn to watch snails.
Plant impossible gardens.
Invite someone dangerous to tea.
Make little signs that say Yes! and post them all over your house.
Make friends with Freedom and Uncertainty.
Look forward to dreams.
Cry during movies.
Swing as high as you can on swing set, by moonlight.
Cultivate moods.
Refuse to be "Be Responsible."
Do it for love.
Take lots of naps.
Give money away.
Do it now.
The money will follow.
It will.
Believe in magic.
Laugh a lot.
Celebrate every gorgeous moment.
Take moonbaths.
Have wild imaginings, transformative dreams and perfect calm.
Draw on the walls.
Read every day.
Imagine yourself magic.
Giggle with children.
Listen to old people.
Open up.
Dive in.
Be free.
Bless yourself.
Drive away fear.
Play with everything.
Entertain your inner child.
You are innocent.
Build a fort with blankets.
Get wet.
Hug trees.
Write love letters.

City in the Sky

2008-12-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks for dropping by
My City in the Sky!
53 Ts'an, my last name I like to think,
Are wide stretches of the Milky Way,
With stars far away that blink,
At times they like to shoot a ray,
Like I wrestle playfully with the piano,
With swirling tones and plunging dynamics,
Incessantly along that eternal silvery snow,
Sounding heavenly music and harmonics,
Vibrant, mellow, my ways of saying "Hello!"

I am a newbie
To poetry writing.
So happy reading;
Give your best rating.
Then please tell me
How you like
Or dislike
Each piece.

Recipe for Good Life

2008-12-25T08:55:00.000-08:00

From our honored gardeners:

Kay Hsu said...: There is a recipe that I would like to share with you all.

Recipe for a Good Life
Start with a generous of love, laughter and sharing.
Add family and friends and mix well.
Stir in plenty of time to smell the flowers and learn new things along the way.
Blend in equal parts work and play.
Sprinkle with gratitude and savor.

Let's be alive at any given moment.; December 24, 2008 7:40 PM

The End is the Beginning

2008-12-23T22:03:00.000-08:00

Accidents don't happen without a reason.
The end is always another beginning.
You say you're here by divine creation.
I'd rather say I'm here by transmutation.

You were born into our family.
You hope our family ties will last forever.
To your dismay our family broke up, however,
And you blame me for wrecking our family.

You are almost grown up by now, you know.
You'll face more life choices as you grow old.
Soon you will marry and have a family of your own.
My blessings to you that you will never be alone!

How long do you think your marriage will last?
And for that matter, any relationships of that class?
Do you truly believe that love is forever?
Or rather it is only your endless endeavour.

Meeting and parting are only the facts of life.
Only fools believe ecstasy and love shall last in life.
But when you realize that things are broken in the end,
Heed my advice, move on, there's no point to make amends.

Our family may be scattered several continents apart,
Yet our hearts are not in smithereens or parts.
Remember that things are only everlasting,
When you start to see the end is the beginning.

Winter Depression

2008-12-23T20:08:00.000-08:00

Nobody is immune from illnesses such as a depression.
This is how it feels like to be in one . . .

The seasons are changing.
Finally it is winter.
We are losing daylight.
Everything looks so gloomy and gray.

The quarrels of the seagulls
For once in summer were so festive,
Aggressive, almost belligerent, but now
Their cries are forlorn, distraught and desolate.

I have noticed I'm eating more.
Perhaps I'm going into hibernation.
I don't have bulimia I'm sure,
But I'm losing my imagination.

I can't focus on my homework or read.
All I ever do is eat and sleep,
Though the more I eat or sleep,
The more I succumb to my insatiable greed.

At night I still do my Pilates;
Each day I wake to measure my waist.
Blame it on winter for my own vanity.
I don't want to go out door.

The snow does not excite me anymore
When temperatures fall below zero.
But I have school to go to
And the buses don't run on schedule.

And the grim sight of the homeless scavenging empties,
Not only freezes their hands but also my soul.
Blame the government, blame Santa, or blame even God,
For not helping the hapless and needy more.

Where is the Winter Wonderland?
Where are the hot apple cider and the gingerbread man?
Where are the soldiers who should have come home?

Well, they are all out of reach far away on a mission,
To save a country, a nation, the world,
In these winter months over which I have my depression.

What's the point?

2008-12-23T18:24:00.000-08:00

Tasha from the United Kingdom wrote:
What's the point in love when all you get is hate,
What's the point in holding on its already too late,
What's the point in happiness when all you get is sadness,
What's the point in peace when all you get is madness,
What's the point in friends when all you get is enemies,
What's the point in a cure because there is no remedy,
What's the point in good when all you get is bad,
What's the point in memories you wish you never had,
What's the point in life when you end up dead,
What's the point of trying to get you out of my head.
_______________________________________________

And this is my reply:
The point in love is to engulf hate,
The point in holding on is it's never too late,
The point in happiness is to know sadness,
The point in peace is to control madness,
The point in friends is not to make enemies,
The point in a cure is for all to have remedy,
The point in good is not to become bad,
The point in memories is to cherish what you had,
The point in life is how you live it before you end up dead,
The point of trying to forget me is in what lies ahead.

Where is the Circle Without Center?

2008-12-23T00:32:00.000-08:00

Every part of the body has its own name. The head is called “head,” the hands are called “hands,” and the feet are called “feet.” You can look throughout all the different parts of the body, but you won’t find anything that is called “I”. Then why is the word “I” used here? It is a general name used to refer to the entire person.

In modern English language, each person refers to himself or herself as I, which is the first person singular pronoun. This is just a sign, a mark, a reference, an expedient, or device without which we cannot deliver any discourse, or make sense of our identity.

In the course of deep contemplation towards attaining dhyãnã, the practitioner reverts to a state before the arising of the first thought. When attained, the practitioner manifests sunyata, nirvana, or the Truth, a state beyond description and thoughts.

What then is the difference between the Enlightened One and the ordinary layperson? How can there be a circle without centre? Have I met someone who command my respect not because of his power, wealth, and social or political status? Selflessness is manifested in he who tills the land without first considering his rewards, and in he who is willing to be omega instead of alpha because without omega there can be no alpha.

Whenever I wake up, the first thing I want to check is whether I am still here now, and so I look at myself in the mirror, but who really do I see? Who is that in the mirror who is looking back at me? He seems to assure me that I am still here now but is that the Truth? Is mirror mirror on the wall credible? Is he telling the Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But The Truth, So Help Me [Fill in the blank]?

The Illusory Nature of the World

2008-12-23T00:20:00.000-08:00

Nothing is really what it seems: nothing be.
Look up on a cloudless night,
Behold a field of stars so vast,
Its actual immensity despite,
Small glitterings from the past.

At times the full moon seems so large,
At others, so much smaller and far.
A washtub? A basketball? A dinner plate?
My first time at the seashore I recall,
Down the horizon I saw the sun fall.
Hey! That's where the earth terminates,
The water tumbling over in a huge waterfall.

But as I grow older,
Nothing is the matter.
Seeing is not believing:
The truth is in the living.

Life is in a birth canal

2008-12-22T23:56:00.000-08:00

We're all lost inside this profundity,
So dark, so deep, there's really nothing to explore or see.
We all think we can hang on to life;
We grope each in our own ways and we seldom agree.
We slip, get wet and oh so often tumble and fall.
We think we can control life, destiny, but really can we?
Life is in a birth canal,
Once we got out,
There's no way out.