Liberation (#1796)

1.In his book Old Path, White Clouds, Thich Nhat Hanh repeatedly has the Buddha saying that worshiping and prayers are not an “effective means to attain liberation”. Some variation of this is included is most introductory teachings of the Buddha throughout the book.

Thay has noted the value of prayer and worship elsewhere. One can express gratitude and experience peace and joy. We can lift ourselves out of our preoccupation with self and be one with the larger community or cosmos. The difficulty is when we turn back to the world and return to our problems. That is when we must turn to mindfulness to try to see through our ignorance. It does appear that it is enough to hear about impermanence and self and understanding of others. It requires observation and experience.

2.It is less than a month to the equinox. Twice a year all the beings of the earth experience the same twelve hour day and twelve hour night. It is the same in the arctic as it is near the equator. People of Australia experience the same length of day as those in Russia. When we picture the reason for this–the earth’s position is relation to the sun as it revolves, we can observe our place on this great round sailing orb. All of us are in the same boat. All of our ancestors were on the sailing orb. All wish(ed) for a peaceful and joyful life. As I sit here on my tiny little occupied spot on the surface of the earth, I can be grateful and send a wish that all people of the earth, including me, transcend the ignorance that cause their own suffering and suffering of those around them. _/!\_

Moments (# 1795)

Over the past few days, my mindlessness has been arrested in these moments:

Two nights in a row, the moon shining through the blinds and lighting up my face and my pillow.

A phone conversation with a one and a half year old: “Hello” <impassioned speech that was jibberish to me but delivered emphatically> more “Hello”s even after giving up the phone

The snow squall.

The violin solo in Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.

Getting up and walking to the park in the moments before sunrise. Memories of a letdown when as a child I went with my father occasionally on his milk route when the morning brightened and people began to emerge to start their day and I was tired.

The honest smiles of a very young person.

The first bite of breakfast.

The moment when I stop everything, turn out the light, and turn over just before dreaming begins.

Short Exercise (# 1794)

1.

Breathing in, I calm my body.
Breathing out, I smile.
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment.

Thich Nhat Hanh, Living Buddha, Living Christ, p. 16

2.I have installed a mindfulness clock on this computer that every 15 minutes tells me to “enjoy the moment”.

Be Still (# 1793)

1.In his book Living Buddha, Living Christ, Thich Nhat Hanh recalls the phrase “Be still and know that I am God” from Psalms. He equates the “still” with samatha and “know” with vipasyana or “looking deeply”.

Visitors (# 1792)

1.I have been working on two parts of a three part project for the past few years. A couple of days ago, I began working on the third part while still working on the first two. Yesterday, while working, negative energy began to arise. Whoops.

The first thing I learned about Buddhism was wrong: that suffering is caused by desire. That thought is derived from a Buddha teaching in which desire, being the most important, or prevalent, of the kleshas, substituted for all of them. The kleshas, or afflictions or “negative psychological tendencies” or “mental factors that disturb the mind” include greed, hatred, delusion, ignorance, arrogance, “opinionatedness”, doubt, excitability, shamelessness, recklessness, and sloth. Anger, envy, hypocrisy, selfishness, competition, harmfulness, enmity, trickery, and arrogance are other “tendencies” causing suffering. One might add or compare the medieval Christian seven deadly sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony and lust.

Last night I began to recognize what was arising in me yesterday.

While we can find joy in the present and take it with us to the next moments, we also might find a klesha or two that will follow us. They may arise in any moment or be carried from past moments. We need to be vigilant to recognize and let go of the kleshas in the present. We also make just take a vacation from them by resting and refocusing. Of course the kleshas are closely connected with “self”. In that sense loving kindness may be the best cure.

Impermanence and Joy (# 1791)

1.A few weeks ago I wondered if my side exploration of Sant’Agnese fuori le mura and my readings from Thich Nhat Hanh would come together. Last night they did in a way meaningful for me but probably not for most people. I began to meditate on the impermanence of church buildings and religious sanctuaries in general. As an architecture historian and a historic preservation advocate, I have lamented the loss of many wonderful structures. In the city in which I grew up, the churches were the most interesting edifices in any neighborhood. The Roman Catholic churches, with their tall towers, dominated the skyscape along with industrial structures which I also appreciate. Because of their size, the Roman Catholic churches are usually too unstable to reuse for other purposes. After years of neglect they are said to be unstable. The dioceses have not been helpful at all and often seem to be trying to remove these buildings.

I also have been growing to appreciate these structures as more than they appear. The congregations came before the buildings. Poor immigrant women especially saved from the meager household pennies to help build these buildings. Who knows what percentage that was to the cost but the donors assumed these buildings would be there for generations. Stained glass windows, statues, decoration, organs were often purchased with congregation member’s donations. Then there were the workmen, the draftsmen, the artisans, and the clergy all contributed to the building.

2.Buddhists often talk about suffering, no-self and impermanence. Thay argued against conflating the three. Suffering is not a result of impermanence. If one thinks that way, there is no joy. Joy is found in the present; suffering often comes from living in the past or the future.