Verses of Sharing and Aspiration

Through the goodness that arises from my practice,

May my spiritual teachers and guides of great virtue,

My mother, my father, and my relatives,

The Sun and the Moon, and all virtuous leaders of the world,

May the highest gods and evil forces,

Celestial beings, guardian spirits of the Earth, and the Lord of Death,

May those who are friendly, indifferent, or hostile,

May all beings receive the blessings of my life.

Mat they soon attain the threefold bliss and realize the Deathless.

Through the goodness that arises from my practice,

And through this act of sharing,

May all desires and attachments quickly cease

And all harmful states of mind.

Until I realize Nibbana,

In every kind of birth, may I have an upright mind,

With mindfulness and wisdom, austerity and vigor.

May the forces of delusion not take hold nor weaken my resolve.

The Buddha is my excellent refuge,

Unsurpassed is the protection of the Dhamma,

The Solitary Buddha is my noble lord,

The Sangha is my supreme support.

Through the supreme power of all these,

May darkness and delusion be dispelled.

The above is a reflection regularly chanted by Buddhists in the Western Forest Sangha. It is not only worthy of recital, but of reflection, also. So, please take as long as you can to read through it, contemplating its beauty and purity. The free book that it comes from can be downloaded from the Forest Sangha Publications site here: Morning and Evening Chanting

Review: Counsels from My Heart, by Dudjom Rinpoche

Counsels from My Heart is a small, pocket-friendly book containing a collection of teachings from a Tibetan Buddhist master on various subjects, such as the Buddhadharma, the Nyingma sect, and the Bardo. It is a work full of wisdom regarding Buddhist practice, and yet at the same time contains a certain bias against other forms of Buddhism that seems almost arrogant. Nevertheless, it is a book worth reading, consisting of talks from a widely recognized Buddhist teacher.

Its author, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche (1904-1987), also known as Jigrel Yeshe Dorje, was considered to be a tulku (reincarnated master) of a previous teacher also called Dudjom Rinpoche. Born in Central Tibet, after fleeing to India in the wake of the communist Chinese invasion, he was made head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism by H.H. the Dalai lama. He wrote copious amounts on Buddhist teachings and travelled widely to share his wisdom, spending his final years establishing a Buddhist centre in France. The book itself was translated from the Tibetan by the Padmakara Translation Group, who have also done a really good job.

The book itself is a series of talks by the Rinpoche given to his disciples, mainly in the 1970s. Due to lack of time & space, we'll focus on two chapters in the book. The first of these, a general encouragement to practice is called Buddhadharma. In it, Dudjom Rinpoche addresses several subjects from the Vajrayana Buddhist perspective. And here it is important to remember that he was a senior representative a particular tradition, for not only does he promote ideas specific to it, but he also heavily criticizes what he called 'Hinayana' Buddhism in the process. (Hinayana is a thinly veiled reference to Theravada Buddhism.) 

So, in this chapter the Rinpoche extolls the value of Mahayana - mostly specifically Vajrayana - Buddhism, and the attitude of bodhichitta, which is the aim to help all beings to enlightenment. Another section here is called What is the Mind? In it, Dudjom Rinpoche directs us to examine what the mind actually is, revealing the false assumptions we have regarding it, and the delusion and clinging that cause so much suffering. Here's an extract:

Well, then, where is this self-clinging? Thaty which clings to 'I' is the min; that which clings to "other" is also the mind. So the next question is: Where is the mind? It mustbe somehow in the body, because when the mind is not present, we have only a corpse. So, ask yourself, is it in the top part of the body or the lower part? How big is it? What color is it? If you pull a hair out of your head, it hurts, doesn't it? If you prick your foot on a thorn, it hurts, doesn't it? The mind and body must be somehow coextensive, mustn't they? 

(Counsels from My Heart, pp.21 & 22)

As mentioned above, the Rinpoche pulls no punches when referring to what he considered to be an inferior form of Buddhism, known as Hinayana / Theravada. This is something that this reviewer cannot agree with, and so it forms the only criticism of the book in this article. Dudjom Rinpoche came from a long line of Vajrayana masters, and also saw himself as part of the broader Mahayana tradition, also. And, throughout the history of Buddhism, these two major branches of the Dharma have found it necessary to justify their practices and very existence by claiming that Hinayana Buddhism is a selfish, underdeveloped tradition for spiritual simpletons. This is unfortunate, and although Theravada / Hinayana Buddhism has often rejected Mahayanists as being unorthodox, two wrongs don't make a right. Take a look at what the Rinpoche has to say on the subject from the opening chapter:

Those who have the attitude of shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas are not able to appreciate that the whole of space is filled with beings who were once their parents, and that it is for their sake that they should practice Dharma. They are satisfied simply with the idea of freeing themselves from the ocean of samsaric sorrow. 

(Ibid. pp.4 & 5)

Shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas are the two classes of Theravada adepts according to the Mahayana classification - those of their own tradition are known as bodhisattvas. As is clear from the above quote, Dudjom Rinpoche didn't seem to think much of the former, and criticized them in the usual way found in many Mahayana teachings. Presumably he didn't know that the idea of everyone having been one's parents is first found in the Pali Canon, the Theravada scriptures. Moreover, living in a country where Theravada Buddhism is widespread, this reviewer can attest to that tradition's encouragement to help other beings to enlightenment. In a later chapter of the book called Practicing Without Sectarian Bias, the Rinpoche criticizes Theravada Buddhism again, whilst discouraging sectarianism within Tibetan Buddhism. Anyway, enough of this griping, let's look at another chapter and see what we find there.

In chapter 7, entitled Introduction to the Jewel of the Fortunate, the Rinpoche discusses rigpa, related to the Great Perfection (Dzogchen), and is rendered into English as awareness. This is an important concept in Vajrayana Buddhism, alongside bodhichitta, and in this brief description Dudjom Rinpoche states that it is "empty, limpid, stunning, light, free, joyful!" (Ibid. p.84) However, he warns us that to simply recognize this awareness is not enough; meditation is still required to develop one's grounding in it and to grow wisdom from it. Moreover, virtue and devotion are also needed at this stage, for as he colorfully puts it, "So don't go around claiming to be some great Dzogchen meditator when in fact you are nothing but a farting lout, stinking of alcohol and rank with lust!" (Ibid. p.88)

He goes on to describe awareness and its perceiver as one and the same, a nonrealistic experience that if sustained liberates one from selfish, harmful actions and modes of thought. Indeed, the usually resultless nature of thoughts die down, revealing the underlying peacefulness of the mind. This is to be developed in meditation practice, allowing thoughts to arise or not as the case may be, neither reacting to their presence or their absence. This sounds like familiar advice, but when combined with the experience of pure awareness, it's suggesting something more radical. Of this awareness, the Rinpoche states the following:

 You actually have this awareness within you. It is the clear, naked wisdom of dharmakaya. But who can introduce you to it? On what should you take your strand? What should you be certain of? To begin with, it is your teacher that shows you the state of your awareness. And when you recognize it for yourself, it is then that you are introduced to your own nature. 

(Ibid. p.85)

The book ends with a brief autobiographical sketch by Dudjom Rinpoche, followed by a useful glossary and extensive notes. The Padmakara Translation Group have done a superb job of producing this English version, and much credit goes to them, as well as Shambhala Publications. The latter, incidentally, also published another work by Dudjom Rinpoche and the Padmakara Translation Group called A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom, a much more substantial and detailed work. (Having over 350 pages to the current book's total of 122 - see the link below.) The two works together form a wonderful introduction to the teachings of Vajrayana Buddhism, and those of us fortunate enough to read them owe a service of gratitude to the translators and Dudjom Rinpoche himself. We must draw a close to this review now, but hopefully it has shown the value of Counsels from My Heart, whilst acknowledging the limitations of its sometimes sectarian bias. For, despite the reservations discussed above, this little book is a gem, pointing to the shining jewel of our innate awareness, which is the doorway to enlightenment.

The above book by Dudjom Rinpoche is published by Shambhala Publications, and is available from their website here: Counsels from My Heart


A related post can be read here: Review: Counsels from My Heart, by Dudjom Rinpoche

Review: The Lankavatara Sutra, by Red Pine

This is both a brilliant and difficult work. Red Pine has translated into modern English a very important sutra, one that is central to the history of Zen Buddhism, but is also renowned as being difficult to fathom for even the most seasoned Buddhist. And this, this reviewer would argue, is reason enough to feel thankful for Red Pine's efforts, for he has made available to our eyes and minds a deep work of Buddhist teaching that can enrich our Dharma practice no end, if we are willing to spend some quality time with it. Moreover, he has supplied copious notes inspired by the original Chinese and Sanskrit versions of the text, as well as by Chinese commentators.

The book begins, thankfully, with an excellent introduction that sets forth the two basic ideas contained in the Lankavatara Sutra, that 1) the universe is produced by mind, and 2) that we should each experience this. The first can be said to be a teaching of the Yogacara school of Buddhism, whilst the second is the foundation of Zen. And, illustrating its importance in the latter sect, Red Pine tells us that it was this sutra that the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma, handed over to his successor, along with his bowl and robe. 

The main text of the book is the actual translation itself, accompanied with boxes of well researched notes, colored grey to distinguish them from the words of the sutra. An example of both appears below. A substantial Chinese-Sanskrit-English glossary follows the sutra, crammed with useful definitions and explanations of central terms used in the main body of the book. There's also several blank pages after this, presumably for the reader to supply their own notes as well - unless its Red Pine's own Zen-like wordless & humorous commentary after all the technical jargon!

As to the contents of the Lankavatara Sutra itself, the work is primarily a set of philosophical questions put forth by the bodhisattva Mahamati to the Buddha who essentially instructs the former that it is "By becoming aware that projections are nothing but mind" that we realize enlightenment (The Lankavarara Sutra, p.4). Of course, there's much more the sutra than this, and Red Pine skillfully presents the deeper and more complicated threads it in a way that helps us to grasp, intellectually at least, their meanings. To fully understand this incredible text involves we need to abandon rationality and dive into emptiness, and that is the second of the book's important messages. It's up to each of us to use the sutra to help us achieve this. In the meantime, here's a sample of Red Pine's translation skills and the notes that he supplies as well:

LIX

Mahamati once more asked the Buddha, "Bhagavan, please tell us about a buddha's awareness. Bhagavan, what constitutes a buddha's awareness?"

The Buddha told Mahamati, "It consists in realizing that there is no self in beings or things, in understanding the two obstructions, in transcending the two kinds of death, and in putting an end to the two kinds of affliction. This is what is meant by the awareness of a buddha. Those shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas capable of this are also called buddhas. This is the reason I teach one path."

The Buddha then repeated the meaning of this in verse form:

1. "Knowing the two kinds of no-self / ending the two obstructions and afflictions / transcending forever the two kinds of death / such is the awareness of buddhas."

[Red Pine's notes]

17. Section LIX. Implicit in this definition of buddhahood is a reinterpretation of the Four Noble Truths: how can there be suffering if there is no self; how can there be a cause of suffering if there is no obstruction; how can there be a cessation of suffering if there is no death; and how can there be a path leading to the cessation of suffering if there is no affliction.

18. The two obstructions are passion and knowledge. Passion is the cause of karmic death. Death is the cause of transformation death.

19. The two kinds of death are karmic death and transformation death, the latter of which is so subtle that it is barely noticed. 

20. The two afflictions are the senses and what the senses give rise to. It is on the basis of these that attachment to the two kinds of self exist and that the two kinds of obstructions appear and that the two kinds of death occur.

21. In section LVI, the Buddha says this about the one path: "By the one path I mean the path to realization. And what does the one path to realization mean? Projections of subject or object do not arise in suchness. This is what the one path to realization means." Realization changes everything. It changes who or what we are. Thus, shravakas and pratyeka-buddhas also travel the one path because there are no shravakas or pratyeka-buddhas.

(The Lankavatara Sutra, pp.170, 171, & 173)

Hopefully, the above excerpt clearly shows both the importance of The Lankavatara Sutra as a Zen Buddhist text, and the wonderful job Red Pine has done in his English version. The notes are typical of those that run throughout the book on roughly every other page, some of them taking up more than a page each. This work comes with a wholehearted recommendation from this reviewer, for both seasoned Zennists and those wishing to go to an early text in the tradition as a starting point. Either way, it is a book to return to again and again for inspiration, and Red Pine deserves our thanks and blessings for this.

The above book is published by Counterpoint Press, and is available from their website at: 
The Lankavatara Sutra

Forest Walking

The dirt track leads off into the trees, wrapping thoughts with foliage. A green canopy renders the sun impotent, a protective sheath against its heat. The beckoning path is followed into the cocoon of trees and bushes, and in this cool serenity, the mind relaxes, dispersing into its environs, leaving nothing here but the forest.

Forest walking

Thought-leaves

Falling from nowhere

An old hut seems abandoned to this peace, its sad facade a reminder of mortality. Only a brief stop to witness its decrepitude before it is deserted once more, left to fade into the forest. Coming to a fork in the track, a choice must be made. To carry on or turn left. Feet do the thinking and walk on before a decision rises in this mind, slow footsteps on the dry earth. 

Forest walking

Monks' hut

But no monk

This path seems to lead to no place in particular, so a retreat is called for. On the way back, stranded leaves catch the eye. They are aged, gone crispy, and their colour is draining away. On closer examination, they have a certain beauty contained in their brownness, and a pathetic appeal in the holes that riddle them. They have had their best day, and now fade into time, as younger, vibrant leaves are clung to by the trees, until they too will lose their lustre.

Forest walking

Dead leaves

For companions

Gazing upwards, a dark heaven awaits in the form of the silhouetted foliage. A break in its blackness reveals the clear sky beyond, a blue promise of clarity. The small sun sparkles through another gap in the trees, a jewel grasping attention. This is a brief distraction from the path itself, however, and feet walk on, following the curve of the track. 

Forest walking

Sunlight winks

Through the trees

The forest flows through awareness, the track eaten up by this hungry traveller. Green flits by into nothingness as the end of the path is reached. Ah! Back into the worked of people, concerns, important things. And yet, they are all falling leaves, plummeting through the verdure of this mind. Every moment can be forest walking, for the message contained in fauna and flora is found in concrete and metal, too. 

Forest walking

Through me

Stillness everywhere

Review: Masaoka Shiki Selected Poems, by Burton Watson

This is a really beautiful little book. The translator, Burton Watson, has done a wonderful job rendering the Japanese poetry of Masaoka Shiki (1867 - 1902) into English. Primarily working with Shiki's haiku - there are over 140 in this collection - Watson has seemingly transcend the problems of translating such an idiosyncratic art form into English. Shiki's poetry breaths on every page, lighting up the mind of its reader, leaving a genuine feeling of nowness. Take a look at the following examples to see what this reviewer means:

"Sudden downpour - 

and all these maids

hauling out storm shutters"

(Masaoka Shiki Collected Poems, p.26)

"Stone Buddha standing there - 

fallen leaves settled

in his hands"

(Ibid. p.31)

"Fluttering, fluttering,

butterflies yellow

over the water"

(Ibid. p.35)

It's as if we are with Shiki as he watches the rain and the maids' efforts to put the shutters in place. Perhaps he is watching them in the safety of a dry abode, but the reader can almost feel drenched as if caught in the rain also. In a quieter moment, we can reflect with Shiki as he notices the leaves in the palm of the Buddha statue, contemplating the fleeting nature of this existence. The third example is perhaps the most engaging of the three, however, as it really inspires the image of those butterflies flitting to and fro above the water. How delightful!

Returning to Burton Watson's efforts, we might take a moment or two to consider the Introduction. Despite being all-to-brief, it gives us a glimpse of Shiki's life and art. Shiki suffered severe illness in his short time on earth, and this is referenced in his haiku frequently, but even here Watson brings our attention to the poet's delicate grasp of life's beauty, stained as it is with the colours of suffering. And, although the poems stand up on their own with perfect poise, the insights that Watson flavors them with adds to their impact, allowing the reader to evaluate their impressive qualities all the more.

"The curious interrelations or seeming interrelatedness of phenomena is often a key element in his work, assign the famous poem:

I eat a persimmon

and a bell starts booming - 

Horyu-ji

Buddhism is a religion profoundly concerned with causes and conditions, and the poem is set at one of the oldest and most venerable of the country's Buddhist temples, Horyu-ji in Nara. Is Shiki telling us that there is some arcane connection between the eating of the permission and the sounding of the bell?"

(Ibid. p.8)

Buddhism is an important, or perhaps crucial, aspect to Shiki's poetry. For, as Watson notes above, it is through his Buddhist understanding of the world that much of Shiki's poetic work was shaped. With the Dharma to guide him, it's possible that much of his poetry would not have had the profoundly meditative quality that it undoubtably possesses. Moreover, there are more philosophical Buddhist ideas that come through in Shiki's haiku that give them a depth that is amazing for an art form so very brief.

Shiki did not only quite haiku, however, although this is what he is widely renowned for. For, despite being a reviver of haiku when they had fallen far from the heights of Matsuo Basho (1644 - 1694), and the man that gave them their modern name haiku, Shiki wrote much more besides. He was an essayist and reporter for the Japanese newspaper Nippon, and he also composed two other forms of poetry: tanka (somewhat longer equivalents of haiku), and kanshi (poetry written in Chinese rather than his native Japanese). For the purposes of this review, a few tanka should suffice:

"Orange tree by the window

where I lie sick - 

its blossoms open and scatter,

its fruits appear,

and still I lie here sick"

(Ibid. p.95)

"Red shoots of roses

reaching out two feet -

their thorns are soft 

in the falling 

spring rain"

(Ibid. p.103)

Burton Watson has given us a wonderful work. It is full of Shiki's sensitive reflections on life, illness, and beauty, despite its relative brevity at 126 pages. And, for those of us that are Buddhist lovers of poetry, it does so in a way that's in tune with the Dharma, whilst still portraying Shiki's experiences with a lightness of touch that would appeal to someone who knows nothing of the Buddha's teachings. Moreover, the insights that these poems contain hint at a deeper reality lying beneath the surface of our every day experiences, one that we come closer to with each syllable. This book will be frequently referred to by this reviewer in the years to come, and it comes highly recommended. Thank you, Masaoka Shiki; thank you, Burton Watson!

The above book is published by Columbia University Press, and is available from their website at: 

Masaoka Shiki Selected Poems

Review: Zen Sourcebook, by Stephen Addiss, with Stanley Lombardo & Judith Roitman

If you want a general introduction to Zen literature, or you're a seasoned Zennist, this book's for you. It's an incredible collection of Chinese, Korean and Japanese texts from many of the most important masters and teachers of Zen, from Bodhidharma, the founder of the sect in China, to Kyong Ho, a more recent exponent of this intriguing school of Buddhism. The three authors, Stephen Addiss, Stanley Lombardo, and Judith Roitman deserve immense gratitude from the English-speaking Buddhist world for this unique compilation. Not only have they chosen such central texts from the history of Zen, but they have also translated many of the texts themselves, with both Buddhist sensitivies and literary finesse. Some of the works contained are not translated by the authors, with extracts from John Blofeld's rightly applauded rendition of Huang Po's sermons a fine example.

So, with such a wide-ranging and varied selection of writings, where to begin? Well, the beginning is as good a place as any to start, and that's where we'll look first. The Introduction is written by Paula Arai, Associate Professor of Religion at Louisiana State University. She gives a lucid account of both the history of Zen Buddhism, as well as an account of its practices, such as the koan, a device that features extensively in the book, not least in the wonderful (and complete) translation of Wu-men's Gateless Barrier, rendered into English by Stephen Addiss. Let's take quick peek at Addiss's efforts:

"Wu-tsu said, 'Suppose a water buffalo passes by a window. The head, horns, and four legs go past - why can't the tail pass by?'

Wu-men's Verse

If it passes by, it falls in a ditch;

If it goes back, it is destroyed;

But this little tail,

How wondrous it is!"

(Zen Sourcebook, p.107)

The translation here is clear and to the point, even if the koan itself may be somewhat more confusing! This is a feature of the translations featured in the book; easy to comprehend (at least intellectually!), and yet at the same time, not without an awareness of the importance of the value of the writings as pieces of literature. Other translators whose work appears here include J. C. Cleary (Tai-hui, Swampland Flowers & T'aego, Collected Sayings), Anne Dutton (The Awakening of Mugai Nyodai), James Green (Chao-chou, Recorded Sayings), and Norman Waddell (Bankei, The Ryumon-ji Sermons). Now, even if, like the present reviewer, you already posses some of these translations, the collection as a whole has so many different works included that there's bound to be much that's new to you. One example of this for the reviewer is 'The Biography of Miao-tsung' by Miriam Levering:

"At the time Ch'an master Chen-hsieh was living in a small cloister at I-hsing. Miao-tsung went directly to see him there. Chen-hsieh was sitting upright on a rope mat. The instant Miao-tsung was inside the door, Chen-hsieh said: 'Are you ordinary or a sage?'

Miao-tsung said: 'Where is the third eye?'

Chen-hsieh said: 'The real thing appears right in front of your face - what is that like?'

Miao-tsung held up her kneeling and bowing cloth.

Chen-hsieh said: 'I did not ask about that.'

Miao-tsung said: 'Too are - it's gone!'

Chen-hsieh shouted: 'Ho!'

Miao-tsung also shouted: 'Ho!'"

(Ibid. pp. 127-128)

The sheer scope of the book is something that should be noted here also. It starts with two important texts chanted in Zen monasteries the world over: the Heart Sutra & the Kanzeon (Guan Yin) Sutra, translated by Addiss & Lombardo. Next, comes the early Zen figures Bodhidharma, Seng-ts'an, and Hui-neng (Sixth to Eighth Centuries AD). Other Zen greats not already mentioned include Lin-chi, the P'ang family, Dogen, Ikkyu, So Sahn, and Hakuin. Another important personage featured is the Korean monk Chinul (1158 - 1210), translated by Lombardo:

"Where everything is empty, luminous awareness is not obscured, and this empty, calm, luminous mind is your original face. It is also the Dharma-seal transmitted in direct succession by all the Buddhas, Patriarchs, and enlightened beings of the past, present, and future. If you awaken to this mind, there are no steps in between, no stairs to climb. You go directly to the stage of Buddha, and with each step you transcend the three worlds.You will return home, all doubts resolved. Filled with compassion and Wisdom, you will be the teacher of Heaven and Earth. It will be as if gods and humans offered you thousands of gold coins every day, with the promise of more. You will indeed have finished the great work of life and death."

(Ibid. p.139)

Such priceless teachings are abound in this book, and personally having little knowledge of Korean Zen, the works from Korea such as the one above are of particular interest. The clarity of both Chinul's Zen and Lombardo's translation are dazzling. The description of the "empty, calm, luminous mind" is enough to spark a direct experience of the original face. 'Zen Sourcebook' is chockablock full of writings designed by expert Zen masters to inspire our awakening. We are privileged to have access to them, and the way that Addiss, Lombardo & Roitman have worked to assemble them together for our enjoyment and enlightenment is worthy of much praise. I wholeheartedly recommend this wonderful book, for in its 275 pages are such words as split heaven asunder and leave the light of the Buddha shining in our minds.

The above book is published by Hackett Publishing Company, and is available from their website at: Zen Sourcebook

Forest Haiku II

On a recent visit to Wat Pa Nanachat, Thailand...

The forest is full

Of chanting voices

And yet still...

He pours water

Upon a tree

Forest sings back

Golden Buddha

Stares impassively

Quieting this mind

Light dances

On dark foliage

Catching the eye

Falling leaves

Are messengers

From the Buddha

Cannot catch leaves

With this camera

Moment is lost

Squirrels leap

Through the forest

Of this mind