Dang Zang

John Powers gave a presentation in Sydney University yesterday under the auspices of the AABS. Entitled “Tortured Logic”, he dealt with the presentation of Tibet and of Tibetan Buddhism as provided by the Chinese Communist Party, as against its mirror image provided by the Central Tibetan Administration. Very informative, very clear.

John P is the author of what I think is one of the best introductions to Tibetan Buddhism there is. It’s called Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, straightforwardly enough. I’ve often recommended it, as it is solid, sympathetic yet impartial, assumes no prior knowledge at all on the part of the reader but really does give you an introduction, not just a few hand-waving, good-feeling morsels. So it was nice to meet the author and see a sharp, open and greatly knowledgeable mind combined with a warm personality and an enthusiasm for communication. A real scholar.

A little while ago I made a brief entry on the theme of “There’s Nobody as Irish as O’Bama” after the successful American elections.

St Patrick’s day fell earlier this week, of course. Strong as my connection with Ireland is, I didn’t go out to join the jollity. In Ireland there is indeed plenty of merry-making, much of it alcohol-fuelled, but there is also a lot of church going, mass saying, visiting of family and friends, tea drinking, cake-nibbling, praying and so on – there is, in short, a balance. Here in ex-pat land (half the world it seems, though most of them are essentially just wannabee ex-pats) it tends to be little more than a booze-up with green trim.

However, as I was reciting the Mahamudra Lineage prayer that morning, as I have done (almost) every day since the early 1980s, I was blown away by the vision and realization that the 8th Karmapa too, Micky O’Dorje, was also to all intents and purposes Irish.

The Tibetans call him Mikyo Dorje, in case you weren’t sure. Above is the picture of him that hangs in my office.

It’s time to be cheerful. I came across this picture of a stupa in, I think, eastern Tibet:

Wow!

A while ago I passed a sarky comment or two about “Aro Ter”, a rather odd Buddhist organization that I don’t really need to describe. I’ve come to realize that my views at that time were formed almost exclusively on the basis of the information available at the E-sangha forum. I’ve also been made very aware of late that the policies exercised at E-sangha are such as to maintain extremely tight control of information and views.

Points of view that differ from or are critical of the moderators or their views are not really countered or answered – they are eliminated, by removing posting rights from the contributors concerned and hiding their posts. Some hard-line policies are pursued in a narrow, highly polarized and partisan way.

I might return to that topic later, but the point is that there are answers to the charges laid at E-sangha against Aro Ter. See, for instance, the Approaching Aro website. I am not very interested in weighing up the pros and cons – Aro Ter does not attract me, and I’m happy to let it be genuine or fake, as the case may be. What is clear though is that the case is not as cut and dried as Malcolm Smith at E-sangha (where his handle is Namdrol) would have us believe. So caveat emptor, again and of course, but there are two sides to this story.

“Karmajohn” has given his permission for me to show you this picture, showing himself flanked by his good wife and my good self. I hope it acts as an antidote to the previous entry!

Or not?

After some more “deep cleaning” I found my attempts yesterday evening to blow the bone trumpet (mouthpiece below) were seriously fuzzified by the anaesthetic. Bell, book, candle and drum were ok, so training continues.

This is not original, but it is funny (I think so, anyway):

Sayings of the Jewish Buddha

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?

Drink tea and nourish life; with the first sip, joy; with the second sip, satisfaction; with the third sip, peace; with the fourth, a Danish.

Wherever you go, there you are. Your luggage is another story.

Accept misfortune as a blessing. Do not wish for perfect health, or a life without problems. What would you talk about?

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single Oy.

There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?

Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.

The Tao does not speak. The Tao does not blame. The Tao does not take sides. The Tao has no expectations. The Tao demands nothing of others. The Tao is not Jewish.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Forget to do this and attaining Enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

Let your mind be as a floating cloud. Let your stillness be as a wooded glen. And sit up straight. You’ll never meet the Buddha with such rounded shoulders.

Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers. Each flower blossoms ten thousand times. Each blossom has ten thousand petals. You might want to see a specialist.

Be aware of your body. Be aware of your perceptions. Keep in mind that not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.

The Torah says, Love your neighbor as yourself. The Buddha says, There is no self. So … maybe we’re off the hook?