The 19th Dharma Session of MWBA (Oct 18, 2008): The Buddhist View on Ghosts

The notion of ghosts has always been around in most cultures. While ghosts may be scary to kids, and make for excellent cautionary tales for the young, they are the subject of celebration too. For example, Halloween is a popular day of festivity in US while the Chinese have their own version of the Ghost Festival. In some religions, ghosts are not sacrilegious, but may have a different moniker when referenced. Such is the case in Buddhism, and to make the nexus between the Chinese society, particularly the Buddhist worldview, and the West, using Halloween as a proxy, as regards the ambivalence that ghosts are regarded in each was Venerable Chueh Fan from Guang Ming Temple, Orlando during the 19th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association on October, 15, 2008 at its Pinellas Park venue.

While Halloween, a largely secular celebration started as a Celtic tradition and brought into US by Irish immigrants, falls on October 31, the Chinese Ghost Festival occurs on the 15th day of the lunar month of July. In Buddhism, it's referred to as the Festival of Ullambana as cited in the Ullambana Sutra, a Mahayana sutra consisting of a brief discourse given by Gautama Buddha principally to his disciple, Maudgalyāyana, on the practice of filial piety. In a nutshell, the Buddha instructed “Mahāmaudgalyāyana on how to obtain liberation for his mother, who had been reborn into a lower realm, by making food offerings to the sangha on the fifteenth day of the seventh month”. On this day, the Sangha community would emerge from the forest after three months of Summer retreat coinciding with the Monsoon season to celebrate the completion of their meditation and report their progress to the Buddha. Thus, the day is viewed as Buddha's Joyful Day as the incidence of attaining enlightenment among the Sangha community during the retreat was high.

While originated in India, the Ullambana Festival inevitably assumes an overtone of Chinese culture as practiced by Chinese.

In Buddhist cosmology, there are six realms into which rebirth can take place: the three higher realms of Devas/Heavenly Beings, Human and Asura, and the three lower realms of Animal, Hungry Ghost, and Hell, an occurrence dictated by karma.

Venerable Chueh Fan regaled the attendees with ghost stories gleaned from the Buddhist sutras.

Through a slide presentation, Venerable Chueh Fan elaborated on the traits of each realm as follows:

Devas/Heavenly Beings
Populated by godlike beings who enjoy great power, wealth and long life, and live in splendor and happiness. These privileges and their exalted status blind them to the suffering of others. Thus, despite their longevity, they still grow old and die, and suffer from the lack of wisdom and compassion. Eventually, they will be reborn into another of the six realms.

Human
the only realm from which beings may escape from samsara, the cycle of rebirth. While enlightenment is within reach, only few open their eyes and recognize the potential. Rebirth into this realm is conditioned by passion, doubt, and desire.

Asura
These are strong and powerful beings, marked by their fierce envy, and are sometimes depicted as the enemies of the Devas. Hatred and jealousy would jettison a being into this realm.

Animal
Typified by prejudice, complacency, and lack of wisdom. They live sheltered lives, and avoid discomfort of anything unfamiliar. Rebirth into this realm is conditioned by ignorance.

Hungry Ghosts
Characterized by having huge, empty stomach, pinhole mouth, and thin and fragile throat. They always look outside themselves for the new thing that will satisfy the craving within. The realm is associated with insatiable hunger, addiction, obsession, and compulsion.

Hell
This is the most terrible of the six realms where inhabitants have a short fuse, easily angered. They drive away anyone who shows them love and kindness, and seek out the company of fellow hell beings. Unchecked anger and aggression can cause rebirth into the hell realm.

Venerable Chueh Fan then posed three questions for us to ponder, and briefly answered them as well:

Does everyone turn into ghost after death?
This is not taught by the Buddha, even though it is recognized as one of the realms. In short, karma is that which causes people to be ghosts.

Are our acts (karma) related to which realm we are reborn?
Yes, and the traits that preferentially condition rebirth into a particular realm are laid out above. As detailed in the Buddhist Karmic Rewards Sutra, these undesirable traits include:

The body has committed evil (Act Evil)
The mouth has committed evil (Speak Evil)
The mind has committed evil (Think Evil)
Greed
Covetousness
Fawning and Jealousy
Perverse ideas
Attachment and not letting go
Dying of starvation
Dying of thirst

How scary is a ghost?
There are good, and there are bad, ghosts, just like in the human world. While there are evil ghosts, the good ghosts number in the majority. More importantly, their “evilness” pale in comparison to the human atrocities that recur in the annals of our civilization. And ghosts are powerless against a kind human being of high morals as eloquently encapsulated in the Chinese saying: if we do no evil in the day, we need not worry about evil ghosts knocking on our door at night. On reflection, the ghosts outside of us are not nearly as frightening as the ghosts inside of us.

The anecdotes on the encounter and conversations between Maudgalyayana and the ghosts in the hell, as contained in the Maudgalyayana Sutra, enable us to glean the operation of the law of cause and effect (causality). For example, if we hit with a stick, we will have headaches. And if we do not help others when we are wealthy, we will sleep outdoors in the cold and rain.

A distinct feature of Halloween is the many different costumes. It is as if people already know what ghosts look like, extending their human perception and experience into the ghostly realm. By association, there are then as many different ghosts as there are different human characters. However, according to Abhidharma-nyayanusara, there are three kinds of ghosts: wealthy, not so wealthy, and poor. Then in Abhidharmamahavibhasa-sastra, ghosts are categorized into those with dignity and prominence, and those who are lacking in them. Then there are large and small ghosts, beautiful and ugly ghosts, and noble wealthy and lowly impoverished ghosts.

When concluding her Dharma session on the Buddhist view on Ghosts, Venerable Chueh Fan admonished us not to think about ghosts, but about Buddha, and about turning the human realm into Pureland. And this can be achieved by honestly and diligently working toward meaningful goals in life, rather than battling over superficial glory and illusory fame and ending up with a heap of old bones and a handful of dirt.

The 18th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: Karma

The 18th Dharma session under the aegis of Middle Way Buddhist Association started off on Aug 18, 2008 as usual with meditation. The Dharma teacher of the day was again Bhante Upananda, who instructed the attendees to breathe in joy and to breathe out pent-up emotions as a release, letting go of worldly attachments.

The ensuing Dharma talk focused on Karma, a popular and yet confusing and poorly understood notion in Buddhism. Broadly, the universal attitude on Karma can be grouped as follows:

A) Karmic perspective
1) Slave to Karma
2) Master of Karma (mutual creation)

B) Non-karmic perspective
1. Efforts (everyday attitude) versus Karma (doctrinal treatment)

Bhante explained that while he was born and raised as a Buddhist, and hence is considered a cultural insider of Buddhism, he has tried to become an outsider to better understand the thinking of those who are not like him. He further asserted that nobody is an absolute of any of the three above, but one is considered on a case by case basis, i.e., everyday life is the inter-balance among the three. When one is too much into Karma (reality), a state termed as karmic downturn, then efforts are reduced.

He went on to relate a dialog between the Buddha and a Brahmin, who was a businessman though of the priestly caste. The Brahmin asked, “Would Karma come out and help me?” The Buddha replied, “If one's life is totally governed by Karma, don't give up your efforts.” Because efforts would re-enhance karmic energy.

On Efforts versus Fate/Fortune, which the uninitiated would tend to liken the latter to Karma, the advice is to rely on Karma as a last resort. While Buddhism fundamentally rejects fate, linguistically it seems reasonable to refer to Karma as fate or destiny in popular parlance.

While the notion of Karma in Hinduism is deterministic, the Buddhist view eschews fatalism [as embodied in the popular belief that everything that happens comes to pass according to a predetermined pattern and that we have little scope to change the course of events] and determinism. The two parallel tracks of Efforts and Karma can merge.

Going back to its definition, Bhante stated that Karma is volition (or intention as intoned by Wahula Rapola as informed by Brother Tom). A more popular definition is perhaps action, or coming into being of a certain force created by an actor (verbal, mental, physical). In the latter sense, it is karmic energy. Here action includes mental imprint as well, even before physical manifestation. For anyone seemingly caught in a karmic cycle/retribution, one remedy is to do something else, an advice often dispensed in prison counseling.

Buddhism does not agree largely with the concept of confession, but rather views the “counseling” as more like sharing to get a big relief/burden off, but the guilt stays. While there may not be a parallel to the western world view of sin atonement, resolution matters in Buddhism as reflected in a frequent word used in Sutras: Cariyahukulata. The prefix, Cari, means behavior, while the second part, to watch for. It's moral elevation.

Bhante proceeded to expound on the four categories of intra-karmic functionality (battles among Karma) as follows:

1. Generative Karma: This is a predominant/mainstream category. At the point of dying, all mental functions are reduced to the microchip where all projections stop and the loss of identity is complete. Then the microchip opens up again, erupting into millions of karmic seeds (inner big bang).

2. Supportive Karma: This is in the same camp as (1) but in a feeder role.

At this point, Bhante quoted Randy Pausch, the terminally ill patient of pancreative cancer who had become an Internet celebrity because of his Last Lecture but who succumbed recently, “Let the Karma take care of that and let me finish my mission!” That's a good exemplar of the attitude exhorted by King Kosala (a friend of the Buddha), “Don't blame on your Karma.”

Also, (1) and (2) lead to the phenomenon that the rich becomes richer, ushering in the notion of social/collective Karma.

3. Obstructive Karma that impedes (1); and

4. Destructive Karma that destroys totally/kills (1).

Bhante ended this most intriguing Dharma session by referring to King Bimbisara, another friend of the Buddha, who stated the two domains of legal prosecution and moral elevation in karmic affairs. Obviously, I did not quite grasp the message therein but surmised that perhaps our behavior can be guided by either legal prosecution, an externally imposed restraint, or moral elevation, an intrinsic propensity to do good, and in karmic terms, it's preferable to be governed by the latter.

Here I would like to end this brief account with an excerpt from the online article, Destiny and Free Will:

“Karma predestines nothing and no one. We, by our actions, create causes and feel the effects of those causes which are our teachers. Our spiritual progress is possible only by self-effort. We must assume responsibility for our actions and not try to evade it by religious sacrifices and ceremonies. When King Bimbisara was about to sacrifice a goat in a religious ceremony, with the priests invoking the gods to transfer all the sins of the king on to the poor, innocent, helpless animal, the Buddha intervened and counseled the king to stop the inhuman, superstitious practice. He spoke to the congregation about

The fixed arithmetic of the universe,
Which meteth good for good and ill for ill,
Measure for measure, unto deeds, words, thoughts;
Watchful, aware, implacable, unmoved;
Making all futures fruits of all the pasts.

Help, assistance and enlightenment will come to us in this Great Journey only if we strive towards the enlightenment and emancipation of all, and when we deserve and merit such help by our actions. Far from being fatalism, Karma places in our hands our own evolution. By knowledge of this Law of our being and of the essential and real oneness of all beings, we have to learn to act in harmony with Nature for the general weal and progress of all. It is only through knowledge of the Karmic Law in all its ramifications that man may fulfill his Karmic destiny.”

In a nutshell, past karma leads to present results; present karma leads to future results.

A Belated Account of Vesak Day Celebration, 2008

As mentioned here, we attended three local celebrations of Vesak Day, an annual occasion to commemorate the life, the enlightenment, and the passing of Buddha. Other than the one held at Guang Ming Temple, Orlando, which follows the Mahayana (The Great Vehicle) tradition, the other two were held at the St. Pete area that practice the Theravadan (the Hinayana or the Small Vehicle) tradition. Despite the allusion of sectarianism, the spirit enshrined in the Buddhist celebration is integral to both traditions, and the messages, equally uplifting and humbling at the same time.

The first of the latter was held on May 3, 2008 at the premises of the Unitarian Universalist Church, Clearwater under the auspices of Dhamma Wheel Meditation Society (DWMS) located just across the road. The second, sponsored by Samadhi Buddhist Meditation Center of St. Pete, was held on May 31, 2008 at Chinese Community Church, Clearwater, the venue of Middle Way Buddhist Association (MWBA), Pinellas Park.

This brief blog, admittedly a belated one, serves as a succinct pictorial account of both joyous occasions, reminding us to aspire toward the Perfection of Wisdom that is beyond our conventional rational, dualistic mode of thinking, and that nothing exists independently as form and emptiness are but both sides of the same coin, to put in worldly terms, as exemplified by Buddha and underpinned by the Dharma. Read here for a more complete coverage of the May 31, 2008 event and visit the DWMS and MWBA websites for more photos of the two events.

A cross-faith electronic display put up by the Unity Church of Clearwater located just next to DWMS, symbolizing inter-faith harmony (May 3, 2008).

The pre-ceremony procession making its way across the road to the venue, led by the bearer of the Baby Buddha statue flanked by two bearers of the Dharma Wheels, followed by the Venerables and attendees (May 3, 2008).

Another angle of the procession, this time offering an unobstructed view of the community of Venerables who were to lead the celebration (May 3, 2008).

A pre-ceremony screening of a film on the aftermath of the Typhoon devastation inflicted on the Myanmar coastal area and the relief efforts (May 31, 2008).

The Venerables gracing the occasion (May 31, 2008).

One of the many spiritual performances, Devotional drumming by Marvin A. Sotoamaya (May 31, 2008).

The 17th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: The Functions of the Nature

We arrived early at the Pinellas Park venue of Middle Way Buddhist Association on July 19, 2008 to attend the 17th Dharma session. I took the opportunity to scan the immediate environs, taking in the serene setting and enjoying the fresh morning air permeating the space as far as the eyes could see, most of which was mental since this is right smack in the midst of a built up area.


Then the throng of attendees started to file into the hall and took their respective places, either on cushions laid out on the carpet-covered floor or the chairs arranged around the edges of the carpeted space. Bhante Upananda, our Dharma teacher for the occasion, then led the meditation, the first business of the day, by guiding us in the first few minutes through the following oral cues:

During in-breadth, we are imbued with a deep sense of joy.

During out-breadth, we are immersed in a deep sense of release.

Let each arising thought pass, just watch/observe and let go, realizing that it may be the toughest thing to do.

Meditation is an awakening.

Soon we were lost in our own little world, doing our own battles with the myriad thoughts that came to pass, perhaps with varying degrees of success. And somewhere in the midst of the continuing tussle between clarity (when the ticking of the wall clock became distinct) and muddled thinking (when the humming of the air-conditioning persisted), I heard the ringing of the bell, signaling the end of the meditation session.

For today's Dharma session, Bhante Upananda has elected to speak on The Functions of the Nature (a summary of his talk distributed as a handout is reproduced below for those who were not able to make it to the occasion for one reason or another).

Our current view of Nature, as most have come to know, is perhaps rooted in the Western concept, its etymological origin being a combination of Greek and Latin according to Wikipedia:

“The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura, or "the course of things, natural character." Natura was a Latin translation of the Greek word physis, which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord {empasis added}.”

Thus, we readily distinguish Nature from that's supernatural, and more intuitively, from that's artificial, which is “understood as that which has been brought into being by a human or human-like consciousness or mind”.

In Buddhism, the operative term is Tathagata, often used by Buddha when he was referring to himself when talking to his disciples. It's a combination of Tatha (meaning such) and Gata (meaning gone). In the European-led translation of the Pali Canon, the word means The Such Gone One. An alternative interpretation is The Such Come One, following from the root word, Agatha, which means come.

The above begs the question as to the original and ending destinations: where? But this may be a moot point since at the absolute level of truth, there is no movement, i.e., no coming or going.

{The term, as translated into Chinese, would correspond with the second interpretation, in the literal sense. But as wify quoted from the Diamond Sutra to me later, there is no going nor coming (see image below). I had a little discussion with Bhante during lunch over which alternative would be the preferred one, from the perspective of the mundane world, and both of us tended to gravitate toward the second, the Such Come One, simply because of the positive leaning in the coming (as in welcoming) compared to the “tinted” sentiment usually associated with going (as in parting).}


The base term, Tathata, means Suchness, and could best be contemplated as the counterpart to God. Then, Tathagata is the link to the person who embodies Suchness, or who is awakened into Suchness. Here the awakening is not the normal day awareness that we are conscious of, which is negative awakening, but rather awakening of our form out of attachment.

In this context, both Nature and Suchness share similarity in meaning and function. Our paradigm is to view things in relative perspective, which is wont to shifting even though the form remains the same. In this state of mind borne out of technologically driven consumerism, we cannot see the Suchness, which is the highest form of reality (the suffix ta, in Thata, conveys the sense of “the way it is”).

In Christianity, the connection tends to be vertical characteristic of a hierarchical system. This is not the case in Buddhism where the connection is everywhere. Once awakened into Suchness, one sees nothing as there is nothing to see.

Also, our conventional thinking follows the linear relationship of start/end/destination. But in Nature, there is no destination as eloquently couched in the following:

The past is the now gone;
the future is the now to come; and
the present is what you are going to see.

Another relevant Pali word is dassana, which means, seeing/perspective, and is constituted by what Buddha said to his disciples who had awakened/been enlightened.

We often talk about tangibility, things that we can feel. But these are not Suchness. And energy is perceived to exist in the relative realm. When there is no relativity, there is no energy. The world we are born into has been turned into a binary one, as in it's either a yes or a no. However, whatever our perspective, it does not affect what it is {as in the oft-quoted refrain, a rose by any other name is still a rose}.

Our problem lies in our inability to see whatever it is, which requires us to exercise dispassionate discernment, at the very least. The recent efforts toward achieving ecological balance, an environmental buzzword these days, is our attempts to see the Suchness, no matter how feeble they may seem now.

Most of us may find it hard to separate Siddhartha, the person, from Buddha, the Awakened One. The difference can best be thought of in the way that Siddhartha was born and died when he became Buddha while Buddha was never born until the age of 35.


With these concepts seemingly blowing way over our heads (or is it just me?), the Dharma session came to a close. And we streamed to the back hall to partake of the vegetarian dishes, thanks to all the volunteers who had made the feast possible.

To conclude, here is the full test of the handout with my own notes sprinkled throughout {in curly brackets}:

The Functions of the Nature
Buddhism does not accept a creator of the world or the universe but the Nature itself is the creator, if a notion of a creator is necessary for the ordinary mind to rely on yet on the grassroots level. It is not un-Buddhist to {refer to} the Nature as the Creator. The function of the nature is scientifically explained in the Buddha's teachings as a correlative function of Five Natural Orders or Laws (Pali: Panca Niyama Dhamma), namely:

1)The meteorological/Seasonal Order (Utu Niyama) [literally Season Law] {not governed by any particular person}

2)The Botanical/Biological Order (Bija Niyama) [lit. Seed Law] {including living things}

3)Physical/Causal Order (Dhamma Niyama) [lit. Reality Law] {e.g., gravitation force, everything that is not included in the other four; also dependent origination (causes, effect, conditions, which are bigger but less manifest factors but help the causes in creating the effects)}

4)Psychological Order (Citta Niyama) [lit. Mind Law] {functioning of the mind}

5)Karmic Order (Kamma Niyama) [lit. Action Law] {the footprints of 4 above}

{All Five orders are parallel/co-functional, even though they may exhibit relative dominance. We can alter these orders, but with severe consequences (e.g., depletion of the ozone layer, global warming). }

All these, more or less, govern us, hence governing orders. Even though the teachings of these laws are of no wonder, thousands years ago, they were, of course, they still are, as they are one of the best indicators of the fact that the Dhamma (Sanskrit: Dharma) is the Science of Buddha.

The corresponding Pali terms shall be explained in class.

{We need to transcend the reality of everything/nothing, a duality that is not helping us to see things as they are. The highest order of Buddhist practice is to do it right away.}

The 16th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: The Inner Consciousness

The fascinating topic of the Inner Consciousness, the cognitive and affective core of the human mind as Buddhism views it, was the chosen theme of the 16th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association (MWBA) held on May 25, 2008 at its Pinellas Park venue. It was delivered by Bhante Upananda, by now a familiar Buddhist monk who has graced the MWBA Dharma sessions on numerous occasions.

Bhante started with some rudimentary and brief lessons on the Pali language, which consists of 41 alphabets/letters following the romanized International Pali Alphabets (IPA) system. One Pali root word is [buj] (the Sanskrit root is [budh]), meaning to awake, to know, or to enlighten. Most will recognize that this is the first part of the word, Buddha, meaning the Awakened/Enlightened One.


For the topic of the day, the relevant root word is [na] [here I would like to apologize for my inability to use the curly hats/bars over these letters as they should], which means to know, to be aware. Examples are sanna (preception), vinnana (consciousness), panna (understanding). The six areas of consciousness, vinnana, are: eye-consciousness (cakkhu-vinnana), ear-consciousness (sota-vinnana), nose-consciousness (ghana-vinnana), tongue-consciousness (jivha-vinnana), body/skin-consciousness (kayai-vinnana), and mind-consciousness (mano-vinnana). The first five (outer) are projections of the 6th, which has no bodily form but is as regular as the others. In terms of the base of consciousness/sense faculties, the first five have a corporeal base while the 6th, mental. The mind is all over the body except the hair and nail. And the brain and heart are closest to the mind.

In the western world, psychology is long considered as part of biology/neurology, though this sub-classification is beginning to change due to the infusion of Eastern philosophy. On the other hand, Buddhist psychology commences from fetal development (but this is just a convenient starting position from a pedagogical standpoint that entails an endless chain described by the twelve links of causality).

A distinct example is the Last-Thought Moment (LTM, not to be confused with LMT, lifting, moving and touching in moving meditation). Upon dying, the mind separates from the physical body, which has become dysfunctional, and is reduced to the 6th consciousness (mind consciousness). Just before the last breadth is drawn, the 6th also becomes dysfunctional.

The inner consciousness is closer to the 6th, but is yet none of these. It is the absolute layer of consciousness that comprises the innermost (mental) aspects. This is the subliminal layer of the consciousness that is immune to the outside world.

In the Mahayana tradition, there is also a storehouse-consciousness, the alaya-vinnanna, which functions like a microchip, in modern day parlance, of karmic data. Thus, the other layers are reduced to the microchip that manifests, in simple terms, in the extremes of our mental states between mania (feeling big) and morbid (feeling small).

As an analogy, a huge tree begins from a seed, which assumes no identity as all seeds are at the same level, be they Gods, humans, animals, etc. Then the inner consciousness opens up, as if it is watching itself. A next birth is triggered when a random seed springs up out of the billions of karmic seeds, unless it is driven by a previous resolution. In this case, one is karmically qualified to become one based on one's resolution. As is the case at the imminence of death, the birth is preceded by a gap, the first thought moment of life. In Buddhism, the self that ensues is independent, but changing constantly.

As mentioned previously, the fetal development is the fundamental level resulting from the union of the father's male egg cell and the mother's female egg cell to form the physical embryo. At the same instant, the mental side is formed from the birth consciousness, the microchip.

In Pali, Vinnana ani dassanam. That means, Vinnana is ineffable (beyond metaphor/description). At this point, liberation and nirvana are deemed as ineffable knowing. It is higher than the microchip.

In vipassana meditation, one senses impermanence. While one still feels oneself, there is no burden, hence, the absence of self/ego. The microchip opens up, and one would totally kill the karmic seeds to clear the microchip. But memories remain and yet they cannot be acted upon without the karmic seeds.

Understandably, inner consciousness is an extremely complex subject in Buddhism and would certainly defy even a basic level of understanding at first sitting of such a short length, and based on a feeble transcription attempt by a layperson (yours truly) at that. It is hoped that Bhante would expand and clarify on many more aspects in future sessions.

2008 Change Your Mind Day, April 19, 2008

The third segment of the blissful day of April 19, 2008 (read here and here for the first and the second segments, respectively) comes in the form of our attendance at the 2008 Change Your Mind Day (CYMD) organized by the Tampa Bay Chapter of Buddhist Peace Fellowship held amidst the scenic setting of Phillippe Park, Safety Harbor.

According to the organizers, "CYMD began in New York's Central Park in 1993 and is now celebrated in over 30 cities. This is the fifth year that the event will be held in the Tampa Bay area."

Featuring a day of Buddhist meditation and much more, it is billed as "a joyful celebration of the diversity of Buddhist traditions", encompassing Mahayana, Vajrayana, Theravada, Tibetan and Zen. And the serene setting at the water's edge that Phillippe Park offers is just the perfect place for the blessed event, re-creating the environment in which "Buddhist teachings were presented in the time of the Buddha: outdoor, relaxed, and informal".

Our entourage included Venerables Chueh Fan and Chueh Yen from Guang Ming Temple of Orlando, and we left after our morning Dharma session held at the Middle Way Buddhist Association's venue at Pinellas Park, arriving at Phillippe Park after lunch.

The day-long schedule comprised 10-30 minute slots of presentation by various local Buddhist groups in a variety of formats: chanting, singing, discussions, introductions, bathing the Baby Buddha, and offering of alms food to the monastics.

We stayed long enough to partake of several post-lunch mind nourishments provided by the presenters on behalf of their respective groups and took home with us a real sense of the diversity of pathways that converge on the three pillars of Buddhist teachings: Precept, Concentration, and Wisdom, as summarized in the pictorial running log that follows (Please visit here for more images of the day's event).

Several tents put up by various local Buddhist groups around the Shelter area where the events were conducted.

Members of MWBA flanking the Venerables from Guang Ming Temple after arriving at the venue from Pinellas Park (from L to R: Wesley, Mary, Venerable Chueh Yen, Venerable Chueh Fan, Wify (Bee), Tom, and Jordan).

Steve Shealy of Flowing Dharma introducing Mindfulness Practice. For the entire 15-minute, Steve remained in that standing position, save turning the head gradually to scan the audience to observe their efforts at maintaing mindfulness and occasionally looking at his watch so as to remain within the alloted time span, actualizing what he teaches effortlessly. I too tried to emulate by remaining motionless while standing and locking my gaze on him when he started to invite the audience to follow his instructions about 5 minutes into his presentation, ignoring the mounting strain on my legs for refusing to shift weight that gradually evolved into a kind of numbness. Boy was I glad when his time was up.

The Dzogchen Buddhist Society of Tampa chanting A Short Sadhana (Formal Tibetan). The chanting, in Tibetan, was fluent and calming, despite my ignorance of the language.

The two Venerables chanting the Heart Sutra in Chinese. This is a familiar chant to us and I could sense that Wify was following suit. Later I confirmed with her that she did, together with Sister Lana from Orlando who drove the two Venerables here.

The two Venerables reciting A Prayer for the People Who Listen to the Dharma, in English. The full text follows.


Venerable Chueh Fan explaining the Humanistic Buddhism of Master Hsing Yun, founder of Fo Guang Shan (Buddha's Light Mountain) with the four-fold mission of Propagating Buddhist teachings through cultural activities, Nurturing talents through education, Benefiting societies through charitable programs, and Purifying human hearts and minds through Buddhist practices.

Richard Weissman of Ratnashiri Sangha of Tampa Bay speaking on Vajrayana: "Good in the beginning, good in the middle & good in the end", which he elaborated as Establishing altruistic motivation, Practicing Chenrezig Mantra and Daily Yoga, and Dedicating merits to sever attachments as an antidote for clinging and self-grasping. Chenrezig is the Tibetan Buddhist Buddha of Compassion, and is also Buddhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and is more popularly known among Chinese Buddhists as Guang Yin Pusa, the Goddess of Mercy. The Chenrezig Mantra is also one I chant on a daily basis, OM MANI PEME HUNG. However, I learned more on the meaning of each syllabus that day from Richard:

OM - HUMILITY, antidote to PRIDE;
MA - REJOICING, antodote to JEALOUSY;
NI - NON-ATTACHMENT, antidote to DESIRE;
PE - WISDOM, antidote to IGNORANCE;
ME - GENEROSITY, antidote to GREED;
HUNG - COMPASSION, antidote to ANGER.

[According to Wikiepedia, "Vajrayana Buddhism, also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayana, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Esoteric Buddhism, Diamond Vehicle, although these terms are not always regarded as equivalent, is an extension of Mahayana Buddhism consisting of differences in the adoption of additional techniques (upaya, or 'skillful means') rather than in philosophy."

The 15th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: The Dependent Origination in Our Daily Life, Part II (The Dharma Talk)

The Dependent Origination in Our Daily Life. That's the topic of the Dharma talk delivered by Venerable Chueh Fan from Guang Ming Temple, Orlando, on April 19, 2008 on the occasion of the 15th Dharma Session organized monthly by Middle Way Buddhist Association and held at its Pinellas Park venue. It was after our meditation session in the morning. Amidst our usual mutual introduction session, Venerable Chueh Fan and her temple assistant arrived, lugging some high-tech equipment that one rarely associates with the dignified aura of solemn gathering enveloping a Dharma event: laptop, slide projector. Just to demonstrate that while Buddhism is steeped in tradition, it also embraces the advances of the time and moves in tandem with the social changes. In other words, relevant to society as befitting the outlook of Humanistic Buddhism advanced by Venerable Hsing Yun, the founder of the Buddha Light school.

The mobile screen was set up, the slide projector connected, the laptop whirred into action, and a smiling Venerable Chueh Fan scanned the attendees who were rapt in attention, with bated breath. Thus rolled the first slide into our view, and more, unloading an aspect of the profound teachings of the Buddha, highly condensed into nuggets of wisdom, into our consciousness.

All phenomena do not arise out of nothing.

They cannot exist alone by themselves.

They arise out of causes and conditions.

The simplest to the profound teachings say that all phenomena do not exist by themselves.

Phenomena are the product of a combination of causes and conditions.

Causes and conditions are the basic factors underlying all phenomena.

The recurring thesis, and in fact, truism, in the above succinct statements, is clear, is beyond doubt. To borrow an oft-seen commercial on TV, it's clarity clear. To illustrate simply, causes are the primary factors, for example, a seed, while conditions are secondary factors, such as soil, sunlight, the ambient environment that is conducive for the germination of a seed.

An affable Venerable Chueh Fan engaged the audience instantly.

And the attendees gave their undivided attention to the lucid illustration of dependent origination in our daily life.

A closeup of Venerable Chueh Fan, at ease with the paraphernalia of a high tech presentation and expounding on Humanistic Buddhism. It reminds me of the title of John Naisbitt's book, High Tech, High Touch (Broadway, 1999).

On further expounding, Venerable Chueh Fan admonished us to develop appreciation for events as they occur, for things never occur twice. The enlightenment of the Buddha is merely having been awakened to the truth, that dependent origination is a universal principle. Hence, all phenomena are interdependent, and cannot be permanently unchanging, which leads to another truism, impermanence.

The mind is the focus of Buddha's teachings as it encompasses all ideas, thoughts, speech, and feelings. It's the mind that drives our cravings, consuming wantonly, adoring speed, always chasing after the latest, the newest, the biggest. Through these mindless pursuits, a litany of social problem erupts: family/child abuse, gunfire, killings, etc.

To stem the moral decay and the deterioration of social order, Humanistic Buddhism advocates harmonization and co-existence. In other words, we are in this business of living together. This is best exemplified by a simple parable, as eloquently presented by Venerable Chueh Fan.

One day, a farm mouse discovered that the farmer had received a package, and much to its consternation, it was a mouse trap. Frightened out of its wits, the mouse frantically sought help from its farm neighbors:

The rooster: “It's your problem.”

The pig: “It's none of my business.”

The cow: “It's not for me.”

The mouse was patently upset, for the lack of empathy from its neighbors. And it seemed it had to tackle the matter by itself.

The next day, a commotion broke out. Apparently, the mousetrap had caught something, but not the intended victim, but the tail of a sidewinder, a venomous snake. While trying to clear the trap, the farmer's wife was bitten, and subsequently developed high fever. What did the farmer do?

He took an ax to look for the rooster so as to prepare a chicken soup as a cure for his ailing wife.

When that did not help and his wife's condition worsened, his neighbors and friends came to offer him comfort and medical help, and he served pork to the well-wishers.

Unfortunately, the wife passed away, and the farmer had to slaughter the cow to thank those who came to offer their condolences.

The moral of the story: We all share the same boat. So step up and help.

Two essential facets of Humanistic Buddhism are equality and compassion. Ever wonder why monks/nuns shave their heads? Because in Ancient India, hairstyle was symbolic of social status. Hence, shaving the head signals equality, which facilitates integration. Similarly, compassion fosters co-existence.

On family bliss, live appropriately and develop good affinity. It takes ten years to share a boat, but a hundred years to become a couple. And note that grumbling is not suffering. Smile, pay regard, and show a little concern, and we will change the world.

Another story, this time between the dry wood and fire, over which is essential for the rice making. More wood, the burning is faster. Larger fire, the wood is burnt at a faster rate. In the end, both vanished faster simultaneously: the wood having perished, and the fire, extinguished.

The moral: sharing, not competition.

Understanding dependent origination in our daily life, we can begin to discern how changes take place, and identify the sources of human suffering. That understanding also brings joy to the mind as dependent origination shows us how to live, by teaching us that we are not helpless victims doomed to lives of misery, and that our future lies in our hands.

One of Master Hsing Yun's teachings exhorts us to just enjoy the moment of the thing rather than to own it.

Impermanence does not imply deterioration. It can be for the better! Imagine a box of white and black balls. By putting more white balls into the box, we will cover up the black ones eventually, but that does not mean that the black balls are not there. In this analogy, the white balls are good deeds while the black, past unwholesome deeds or bad karma. We cannot erase the past, but we definitely can strive to put more white balls into our karmic box.

Realizing impermanence, we become detached and cease craving.

On that note, the Dharma talk, and the ensuing lively discussion that it generated, came to a blissful end, and we all adjourned to a feast of vegetarian lunch during which more individual exchanges took place. A group of us, Venerable Chueh Fan included, bade an early retreat at the conclusion of the lunch and made a beeline to Phillipe Park at Safety Harbor to attend the afternoon session of the Change Your Mind Day organized by the Tampa Bay Buddhist Peace Fellowship, which shall be the concluding part of my blogging trilogy on the blissful day of April 19, 2008. Stay tuned.

The 15th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: The Dependent Origination in Our Daily Life, Part I (my breakthrough in Meditation)

April 19 was the occasion of the 15th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association (MWBA) held at its venue at Pinellas Park on a monthly basis. For the first time, we and all the attendees commenced the pre-Dharma talk meditation on our own, the absence of the guidance by the designated Dharma teacher of the day did not dampen the attendees' enthusiasm nor readiness. Also for the first time, the occasion was graced by a venerable Bikkhuni (Buddhist nun), rather than the usual fare of a venerable Bikkhu (Buddhist Monk) or a male Buddhist lay-practitioner thus far, not that it mattered anyway.

Our Dharma teacher for the day was Venerable Chueh Fan, Director of Guang Ming (Buddha Light) Temple, Orlando, who has graced our home previously.

She was going to deliver a Dharma talk entitled the Dependent Origination in Our daily Life, and was unable to be with us for the meditation session because of her morning duties at Guang Ming Temple. But first, my meditation experience for the morning.

Recently, I have developed a coughing tendency that occurs sporadically. It's a dry cough and usually starts with an itchy sensation at the throat that is relieved by coughing for a brief period, sometimes in a quick succession of loud coughs ending with an involuntary sneeze. I have never tried to fight it but merely cover my mouth to muffle the ensuing noise while in public. It could be just an allergic reaction to the pollen season though I have always thought I'm immune to it.

Sometime during my meditation, I had a bout of tickling sensation at my throat. I tried to suppress the usual relief of coughing for fear of disrupting the enveloping quiet, but the sensation seemed to be gaining the upper hand, building up its intensity with time. At one point, I did open my eyes and wanted to leave the hall so that I could just get the cough out of the way. But something deeper in me was also trying to stay put, and to let the mind exert its control over my bodily function. So I tried to put the ever mounting physical sensation out of the mind, a duel of mind and the body if you will, by focusing on the meditation and elevating my level of mindfulness.

After a time, gradually the physical sensation subsided and slided into oblivion, without me actually knowing its retreat. A victory of the mind over the body, in this instant. But before I could feel smug about my little conquest, the next challenge surfaced. During the duel, a stream of tears started to roll down my cheek, prompted perhaps by the reaction of the body mechanism to seek relief elsewhere.

If you ever have tears rolling down your cheek, you will understand that tickling sensation it generates on the skin in the path of the rolling motion driven by gravity. The natural response would be to use the back of the hand to wipe it off, thereby eliminating the source of the irritation. That would also be a rational move given that no noise is generated. But I was on a roll, and decided to stay motionless, hence initiating another mind-and-body head-to-head clash. And 2-0 for the mind.

While these may seem small conquests in the grand scheme of things, it was no mean feat at the personal level, convincing myself that everything (within reason) is possible if we just put our mind to the task.

Before it was all over, the third challenge arose, again not unexpectedly as I have been “afflicted” before with similar physical stimulation. This time, the battleground moved to the stomach, the often embarrassing and yet seemingly insurmountable physical response. I'm referring to belching, which I will put in the same league as sneezing and yawning as far as involuntary body reactions go.

This time though, the physical phenomenon is so involuntary (spasmatic is perhaps a better word) that there was nothing I could do. Like a knee jerk reaction, the motor muscles just flex beyond the reach of the mind.

Well, two out of three isn't bad. Life is about picking the wars to fight (the strategic frame) while conceding the battles where the outcome is inevitable and more important, inconsequential (the tactical frame). I would consider myself having experienced a small breakthrough, an incremental improvement achieved through constant practice, in my relatively brief journey on meditation thus far.

Do tune in for the concluding part of the Dharma talk proper, featuring Venerable Chueh Fan, in a subsequent blog.

The moment just before the arrival of Venerable Chueh Fan, the attendees, sitting expectantly, suitably refreshed after the meditation session, while listening to Sister Lily on the morning's program. Brother Tom was away helping out in the Change Your Mind Day organized by the Tampa Bay Buddhist Peace Fellowship held at Philippe Park, Safety Harbor on the same day. Some of us would join the blissful activity after the MWBA Dharma session, including Venerable Chueh Fan who was one of the speakers. The proceedings there as I see it would be the subject of yet another blog, thus completing a blogging trilogy of the blissful day of April 19, 2008.

The 14th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: Suffering and Impermanence

As part of our monthly routine, we drove to Pinellas Park last Saturday to attend the 14th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association (MWBA), in a continuing series of Dharma discussion of Buddhist wisdom, this time on suffering and impermanence. The discussion was to be led, as usual, by Bhante Dhammawansha, the resident monk of Dhamma Wheel Meditation Society (DWMS). However, we were informed by Brother Tom at the outset that Bhante has been taken ill in the past week, having succumbed to the recent spells of cold weather that have engulfed the Tampa/St. Pete areas.

And Brother Tom had acted swiftly to request the company of the Samadhi Buddhist Meditation Center (SBMC) in the vicinity of the same locale, which has planned a half-day retreat at the same time. So it was an opportune moment for the two Buddhist groups to merge the two events in the spirit of Buddhist brotherhood. The SBMC group was led by Bhante Upananda, whom we have met previously, and Venerable Bhikkhuni Sudarshana, the Senior Dharma Teacher and Abbess of SBMC, respectively.

Wify and Shenghua arriving early at the lunch room, backed by the book shelf of Buddhist books for free reading.

Attendees taking their respective place before the start of the Dharma session.

At the start, we all prayed for a speedy recovery by Bhante Dhammawansha. After meditating as usual (meaning experiencing the usual struggle to stay mindful, at times I could sense my body wanting to go out of plumb; also, usual in the sense that just when I felt I had gained the upper hand, the end signal always came too soon), the attendees briefly introduced themselves. When Bhante's turn arrived, he told us that his ordained name (in Pali) is a combination of “close to” and “happiness”. How befitting.

[That reminds me of wify's ordained name (in Chinese), bestowed when she took the Three Refuges under the aegis of Venerable Hsing Yun last July in the Buddha Light Temple of Orlando. It translates as having the nature of cloud, roaming free in the wide expanse of the sky, whimsical and forever changing, signifying impermanence. Wify also chipped in with two other notable traits of cloud: it's everywhere and its original nature stays the same despite its many forms since it is water vapor.]

On the first of the twin subject of suffering and impermanence, Bhante first gave the Pali word for which the above English term was later rendered, Dukkha. The simplicity of the word belies the multiplicity of facets, levels, and aspects that the word connotes. It's at once ambiguous and deceptive, laden with many strata of human emotions that its English counterpart has found wanting.

Taken apart, the first part, Du, means no, in the negative, without essence. The suffix implies finding it distasteful or disgusting. Together then, Dukkha conveys the sense of being in despair because of the absence of essence/core, rendering it meaningless such that it's not good at all. In that regard, it's a feeling, a sensation.

[Here I recall that a similar word is used in a similar context, but perhaps lacking the associated profundity, in the Malay language. It's simply spelled as Duka, which is often used to preface a disappointment or rejection.]

Dukkha arises from many different sources, making our life hectic and yet never far from lethargy. The struggle to seek peace of mind and yet survive the rat race is an everyday dilemma that seems insurmountable. Split between two worlds where we alternately submerge and emerge, all we could aspire is to minimize the gap, compromising and treading the middle ground.

There are three levels of Dukkha. The first, Dukkha Dukkha, is the general everyday fare of discomforts like headaches, which most of the time can be alleviated through medical treatment.

Then there is Sankhara Dukkha, that which is created, arising from the conditioned world, the world of conditionality. It being unavoidable, we cannot stop the source, but can hope to block it.

[The notion of conditionality is best embodied in the twelve links that the Buddha taught:

“Confusion conditions activity, which conditions consciousness, which conditions embodied personality, which conditions sensory experience, which conditions impact, which conditions mood, which conditions craving, which conditions clinging, which conditions becoming, which conditions birth, which conditions aging and dying.”]

In Buddhist cosmology, the world is comprised of whatever that is subjected to arising, breaking, falling, and changing. Since we are all part of this world, inter-dependency and inter-connectedness are the key words.

In the realms of matter, composed of all physical and material things that are reducible to nothingness, and mind, the mental state, we are brought up to think in terms of a fixed time frame, chained to the notion of time and space as it were, where we focus on what is made, couched in the present perfect tense. But conventional wisdom does not serve us well, pulling wool over our eyes and blinding us to the truth of suffering. Instead, our mind needs to identify with the state of being made, and thinks in the present continuous tense as everything is changing by the seconds.

The third level is Viparinana Dukkha, formed from the prefix Vi, meaning starting to go down, not able to be kept in its original state, and parinana, meaning evolution or formation of what has taken place within a time frame. It is noted that Buddhism only accepts evolution as part of a higher and deeper process.

Viparinana Dukkha is perpetual, constantly being created and destroyed, incessantly arising and falling. In a word, it is change. It is suffering because we cannot see the change. It's much more subtle than the second level, inhabiting our innermost space, and hence requires more education, and a much broader sense to understand. Seeing its nature itself is not enough; we need to see the nature of the cause. Through meditation, we can see the constant change.

On impermanence, Bhante brought us along a similar epistemological exploration, starting with the Pali word for it, Anicca. The prefix, Ni, denotes no or neither. The second part, nicca, connotes permanence. As one sees Anicca, one escapes Dukkha.

Bhante then enumerated the four divine abidings (also equilibrium states of mind) that in totality amount to Unconditional Love as:

loving kindness
compassion
sympathetic/altruistic joy, and
equanimity (equality in the social context).

Buddhism teaches us not to be judgmental, and to recognize that there is no quick fix nor band-aid solution.

An attendee raised an interesting question on whether enlightenment too is subjected to the immutability of impermanence. Bhante explained that there are two levels of meditations: absolute awakening (absolute is preferred to permanent here to avoid any inconsistency), and awakening into a moment (catching a glimpse as it were). Absolute awakening can be attained as a sudden realization, or as a gradual revelation. Bhante then cited two examples of the former: a nun noticing the bubbles forming and bursting on the ground while she was washing her feet; and of one seeing the mirage, which we know to be a optical illusion but an illustration of bogus reality nonetheless since what is seen as water is not water.

At this point, the attendees adjourned for a nice serving of vegetarian lunch, after which the Dharma discussion continued apace.

A moment of doubt, followed by a moment of clarity, facilitated by Bhante.

Everything is suffering in the sense that it remains as a source of suffering. Take the pen (though mighty it is said), a typical mindless inanimate object, as an illustration. We all know that a pen is not capable of suffering, but it is a source of suffering as when we lost it, or broke it. This is what is meant by the characterization in the morning that suffering is a feeling. Living beings are both the victim and the source of the suffering, even though animals suffer at a reduced level.

How to reduce suffering (implying that it's the best we can do)? Cut the cord, the fabric, a euphemism for clinging. To do that, we need a new perspective (Dassana in Pali), a sort of paradigm shift. But first we need to weaken the clinging by reducing the desire and dealing with preconceived notions some of which have been wired into our consciousness through conditioning, lest we concretize and solidify it. Dissolve the ego. Create an inner domain, an inner sanctum. And give a parallel impression that is equally mighty.

At this point, a glance at the clock made us realize that it was well past 2pm, and we bid a somewhat reluctant retreat from the patient Bhante, who continued to field inquiries from those remaining behind.

The 11th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: Love is in the air

“ ... Love is nature's way of giving; a reason to be living ...”

For those of us who belong to the so-called baby boomer generation, this is likely to be familiar lyrics; otherwise the tune itself, Love is a Many Splendored Thing, may also evoke a trip down the memory lane. Love can indeed move mountains. At the same time, love can be the source of untold misery too, when its twin brother, hate, comes to the fore. But it does not have to be that way, when we subscribe to the Buddhist notion of love, as expounded by Bhante Dhammawansha at the occasion of the 11th Dharma session of Middle Way Buddhist Association (MBWA) held on December, 15, 2007 at its Pinellas Park venue.

This was to be the first of the three topics that Bhante would speak on, immediately following the mutual introduction of fellow attendees, the other two being cause and effect, and compassion, two of the central tenets in Buddhism.

Broadly, love can be conditional or unconditional. The former lies within the purview of us mere mortals, it being the preoccupation of the mundane world, be it between married couples, among family members, friends, leaders and followers, etc. On the other hand, unconditional love is a particular rarity in this time when materialism reigns supreme but is professed by the Buddha and Bodhisattvas nonetheless.

Conditional love is characterized by the duality of love and hate, the line of division being often tenuous at best. It is selfish, driven by self benefits, and is loaded with expectations. It is carnal in nature and fixates on the ego. Since “I” is in the thick of action, negative emotions like anger, fear, worry, and doubt abound, thereby accentuating the negative feedback to the extent of destroying the lives of others. This proliferating trend has turned the world into a time bomb, a catastrophe in waiting.

The only way to defuse the dire situation is to propagate unconditional love, one that is fulfilling, healing, uplifting, and reinforcing. It nips hatred in the bud. Unconditional love starts from within, by changing our mind. It is said that the difference between a murderer and a saint is only one thought away.

Ever noticed that the poisons in animals are confined to certain parts of their bodies: the tail of a scorpion, the fangs of a venomous snake, the skin of some animals? But all five senses of a human body are poisonous, but they can be controlled, with the mind. Think no retaliation, practice forbearance. When in a group, do only one of two things: spiritual discussion or noble silence.

A pre-requisite to embracing unconditional love is self love, the ability and capacity to love ourselves. It may seem paradoxical, but is like having a bottle of water, you can't give it to others if you don't have one. Through self love, we will be able to give love to others. This is one way to develop the seed of unconditional love. One other way is to appreciate life, going above and beyond the oft-quoted raison detre: eat, drink and be merry.

Cultivate the right understanding, and hold the right view. Let go of clinging, avoid emotional roller coaster, talk to “anger”, without giving it plus or minus, be friendly with negative emotions, not hiding or rejecting, but accepting, observing. Be mindful, focusing in the moment.

How to be detached from the 5 senses? When seeing, just see. When touching, just touch. We need to control our senses, just like the turtle retracting its head and limbs into the shell when it encounters a tiger, leaving the tiger no choice but to walk away.

Satisfying our desires only brings temporary relief, after which they will continue to fester to become long-term afflictions.

Bhante concluded the meaningful session on love by passing on another gem of Buddhist teaching:

“Worldly things are always ready for our needs, but not for our greed.”

The 8th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association: Zen - A Life of Wisdom by Master Jian Zong

The 8th Dharma Session of Middle Way Buddhist Association was graced by Master Jian Zong, a Dharma instructor from the CT Zen Center of Sunnyvale, CA. Held on Sep 15, 2007 at the Pinellas Park venue of MWBA, the session followed the usual format of meditation , commencing at 9.30am sharp, followed by a Dharma discussion led by the guest speaker of the day, Master Jian Zong.

Master Jian Zong first prefaced the meditation session with dispensing some Buddhist wisdom, which he aptly titled Inner Kungfu [Chinese Martial Arts]. Different than the usual connotation of taming the enemy/opponent, a physical entity, Inner Kungfu here aims at taming the mind, which is the foundation of our love.

Brother Tom introducing Master Jian Zong at the beginning of the meditation session.

And Zen is in the heart of Inner Kungfu. It is recognized as the mind of the Buddha, and conjures up a self-driven endeavor to get enlightenment, through getting rid of stress, pressure, and anxiety.

We all need a good (re)charge now and then, which is facilitated by undergoing a high quality of rest, engendered by meditation. And relaxation is the first step to meditation, imbuing in us positive thinking and thoughts.

Master Jian Zong then enumerated the three basic steps to practicing sitting meditation involving our posture, breathing, and mind.

Good posture includes an upright body, sitting cross-legged in full or half-Lotus position, Diamond hand gesture symbolizing an unmoving mind, closed eyes or lowered eyelids but looking inward. Such good posturing totally centers the body and settles the mind conveniently.

A pure, clear, and still mind is what to strive for. That means doing constant battle with three mental states:

a) wandering thoughts: remedies include being in the present moment, letting go and leaving everything behind.

b) dozing: remedies include clarifying the mind, and physical interventions such as opening the eyes and massaging the head/face, gently rocking the body.

c) boredom: boredom breeds lethargy, and arises from a mind that is not focused. And therein lies the remedy: sharpening the mental focus.

On breathing, Master Jian Zong recommends the counting breath method, for its simplicity, and non-discriminatory premise. Counting variously to ten, seven, five, and even three, depending on one’s length of breath, the method helps us attain purity of mind, granting us the feeling that nothing can bother us now.

Master Jian Zong ended the session on Zen Meditation 101 with the need for post-meditation exercises entailing inhaling through the nose while maintaining a body upright posture, and then exhaling through the mouth while leaning the body forward, so designed to bring circulation back. He also cautioned: Do not let others push your body while in meditation.

The attendees also went through a walking meditation, guided by the cues from a handbell rung by Master Jian Zong. The take home message is embodied in the Principle of Zen practice: Wherever you’re, that’s where the mind is.

Entitled Zen - A Life of Wisdom, Master Jian Zong’s Buddhist lecture of the day was aimed at helping us find our own master key to open our closed minds, locked by our delusions and suffering. The master key has always been with us. So this is a rediscovery journey, finding the key that controls our mind in a state of stillness and tranquility. Two of the 48,000 Dharma gates, the avenues to unlocking our mind, are Zen meditation and learning Dharma, the Buddha’s teaching, each on its own, while constituting a necessary condition, is not a sufficient one.

Master Jian Zong interacting with the attendees during the Dharma lecture.

Zen, the Chinese word for which is Chan, is everywhere, is everything. To paraphrase Grand Master Wei Chueh, the founder of Chung Tai (CT) Zen Center, no matter how much the external environment changes, if we can see through the outer guise, we can let go of vexation, and maintain tranquility.

Master Jian Zong then introduced the 3Ts to attaining a perfect life:

T - Think wise

T - Think compassionate (the operative words being to tolerate and to forgive)

T - Think nothing (the absence of wandering thoughts leading to the development of wisdom and compassion), implying going back to ZERO, to clarity.

in the context of the 3Qs, the quotients:

IQ - conventional master knowledge and Intelligence that enable one to get a good job, say.

AQ - Attitude that leads to job promotion, networking

EQ - Emotion, the foundation of IQ/AQ that goes one step further to obtain wisdom.
And amidst this T/Q matrix sits Zen, the highest standard of EQ.

A life of wisdom presupposes a right view, a right understanding of which of the four kinds of wisdom that we are pursuing. There are the foolish kind and the erroneous kind that are borne out of attachment and craving, hence clouding our sense of right and wrong. Then there are the right wisdom and the pure wisdom, which is inherent in everyone’s original nature.

Master Jian Zong likens cultivating relationships to holding a sand grain in our hand: holding it loosely with an open palm, the grain will stay there. Try to squeeze it hard, the grain will slip away, so would a relationship. Therefore open your hand, and open your mind.

Giving another analogy, if we have been shot once by an arrow, don’t stick a second arrow on the same wound. Every time we think about the hurt, reminding ourselves of the negative experience, we are sticking the proverbial arrow into the same wound. Don’t think about it, and you can recover from the wound. It’s the self that benefits the most from forgiving and forgetting.

Another apt analogy is stirring dirty water in a cup. Let it sit, and the dirt will settle to the bottom, and we will see the problem clearly.


Wisdom and compassion are the essence of Buddhism, and are hence the goals of Buddhist practitioners. And wisdom without compassion leads to indifference.


To overcome greed, one of the three mental toxins (the other two being anger/aggression, and ignorance), think contentment. Being contented is a positive attitude that drives us to be amicable with others while fulfilling our responsibility. Like the old Chinese saying, standing on one mountain, one would yet see another higher mountain.

Turning to wealth, Master Jian Zong listed at least 5 groups that own our wealth, lest we be deluded into thinking that we are the sole keeper [for those who have attended the 6th MWBA Dharma Session conducted by Master Jian Fu on July 9 & 10, 2007, these would serve as refresher material]:

a) IRS
b) Natural disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis)
c) Thieves/robbers
d) Bankers/doctors
e) Children (think burden), and in US especially,
f) insurers/lawyers.

But we can also use the money in the right way: to shower kindness on our parents, our teachers, and all sentient being; to support and uphold the three jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha; to help the three suffering realms (animals, hungry ghosts, and hell). We need to know our benefactors, and take responsibility for what’s bad.

To those who doubt that your life is a blessed one, be reminded of what you find when you wake up this morning:

- health
- absence of the savages of wars, the agony of imprisonment, the pangs of starvation.
- food
- money
- parents, being married and alive

- holding up your head and smiling

- prayers for family, friends, co-workers, dedicating merits to them.
- giving to others, which is more blessed than receiving,
- books to read.

You will realize that you’re so blessed in ways that you may not even know.

Oftentimes information dissemination is not governed by the right view/understanding. Therefore Buddhism advocates the 3 in 1 practice, the three being the studies of precepts (moral conduct), of Samadhi (deep concentration), and the wisdom (that arises from the attainment of Samadhi).

To do that is to go for QBQ (the question behind the question) , to know where suffering comes from; in Buddhist parlance, it’s VBV, the vexation behind the vexation, thereby enabling us to reach the highest state, Bodhi, which is both enlightenment and vexation.

We often hear the refrain, “Why me?” Playing on Chinese pronunciation of words, Don’t ask why [because “why” in Chinese pronunciation means “bad”], ask How [good in Chinese pronunciation] to resolve problem.

The Buddha said, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” This is exemplified by a story of the 3rd Patriarch, who was asked by one of his students how to be free of bondage.

“Who has tied you down?” asked the 3rd Patriarch.

“Nobody,” replied the student. “If no body is tying you down, then you’re free. Why do you have to free yourself?” the 3rd Patriarch wisely counseled. The message, we are often bound by our own thinking.

As concluding remarks, Master Jian Zong explained the significance of the name MWBA, and the name of the venue: the Middle Way embodies the principle of the Zen Meditation that guides us on the path to true liberation, and Clearwater, in Chinese, means still water, a clear water mind.

To end the day‘s session that has been sprinkled with numbers and symbols, Master Jian Zong offered the mathematical symbol for infinity (see image on the right) as characterizing our mind.

During the ensuing vegetarian lunch treat, it was announced that the 9th MWBA Dharma session would be held on Oct 20, 2007, featuring Dr. Peter Chang on a discussion of the physical and mental aspects of Buddhist meditation as well as the philosophy behind traditional Chinese medicine. But note a departure from the usual start time, 2.00pm instead of 9.30am. And we all bade Master Jian Zong a safe flight to Atlanta.

A group photo of Master Jian Zong with some of the attendees.

Here I would like to quote Grand Master Wei Chueh, taken from Chung Tai Koans: The Teaching Stories of Grand Master Wei Chueh, a publication for free distribution brought by Master Jian Zong:

"With respect, we eradicate arrogance;
with compassion, we extinguish anger and hatred;
with harmony, we eliminate violence;
with truth and sincerity, we eradicate deceit."

"To obtain Middle Way Reality,
we observe the Four Tenet of Chung Tai."

which are:

To our elders be respectful.
To our juniors be kind.
With all humanity be harmonious.
In all endeavors be true.