Tag: Buddhism

be here now

by L. Valdez Karl


DeKalb Chronicle photo Eric Sumberg

Campus Horror

“What is known about the gunman late Thursday is that he was an NIU sociology graduate student in spring 2007, said Peters, who added that the gunman apparently has no police record and there was no known motive for the shootings as of Thursday evening.”

I was not at NIU but I had yoga students who were upset because they have friends at NIU. Even though I did not directly experience this tragedy it has still affected me. I keep thinking about the looks on the faces of the students who came in late to class and said, “there’s been a shooting at Northern. my friends….” I have never seen so much fear in someone’s eyes before.

DeKalb is down the road from the community college where I teach. the yoga studio where I teach is in a small town that is literally across the street from DeKalb.

The area is corn and soybean country, farm country, it’s about as Midwestern fresh-faced as you can find. many of these kids are still innocent about the world, they aren’t tough Chicago kids like I was growing up. many of them are farmers’ kids.

A friend in India told me that the story even made the International Herald Tribune, he had already read about it last night before I wrote about it here. I always laugh when people ask me, “aren’t you afraid to go to India by yourself?” Let me tell you: I feel safer being alone in an Indian village than I do in America. I feel safer being on the streets of Chennai at 2 AM than I would being in Chicago at 2 AM. Every time I go to India, when someone asks me what country I’m from and I tell them, more times than not I am asked whether I own a gun. This is the image that America has even in a remote Indian village.

The reality is that the same thing can very easily happen at the school where I teach. maybe somebody did not like the grade I gave them and they’ll walk into my class, look at me and say “I GOT YOUR YOGA RIGHT HERE, BITCH” and start blasting. Buddha taught that death is certain, the time of it is not. our lives can change in a split second as many people found out yesterday in DeKalb. yet we live our lives as if we will never die.

Tragedies like this always bring home to me how important it is to live in the present moment, to be mindful and to live mindfully. thinking back on yesterday I recall how before I taught my class I went to my department’s office to make copies of some handouts. two department secretaries were in the room complaining about one thing after another — how the hot water in the sink was not hot enough, how the faucet in the sink was loose, how someone on campus did not respond fast enough to a secretary’s email. it was a constant barrage of negativity and I could not wait to leave that room. I remember thinking, man, if they complain about that stuff, how do they handle the really big events in their lives? most of the stuff that we think is important really isn’t in the grand scheme of things.

The other night I read excerpts from this article by Phillip Moffitt to my private students. I loved what he said at the end of the article:

“Looking back over your life, how many weeks, months, even years have you wasted anguishing over something you didn’t get from a parent, a spouse, or in life? Did all that anguish serve you, or would it have been more skillful to have received fully the experience of the loss, accepted it as what is, and then allowed your emotions to go on to experience what is possible in the present moment? More importantly, are you still caught in an endless cycle of wanting mind, imagining that it is the next accomplishment, change in relationship, or piece of recognition that will make you happy? Pay the boatman at the river of loss and sorrow his three rupees and cross over to the other shore. Your life is here, now.”

Be present. Be here now. Be love. Be peace.

peace
shanti
salaam aleikum
so shall it be

when loving-kindness is needed

by L. Valdez Karl


(Photo for the Tribune by Patrick Yeagle)

About 5 hours ago I had to deal with students whose friends witnessed a massacre.

7 dead in NIU shooting; 4 identified; Ex-graduate student slays 6 before killing himself

I teach at a community college that is less than 40 minutes from Northern Illinois University. I was starting my 4:45 yoga class when students walked in late and told me there was a shooting at NIU, that they were waiting for news about their friends. Two girls were crying because they did not know if their friends were dead or alive.

I had to make some announcements before I started to teach, but I knew that metta — loving-kindness — meditation was in order. So I asked them to come to a comfortable seat and just breath, to watch the breath, and not to run from whatever physical or emotional sensations come up. and then I started to teach them about loving-kindness meditation.

I told them to step outside themselves and see themselves and repeat “may I be well, happy, peaceful, may I be safe.” I said that if they preferred they need only say “may I be safe.” after awhile I told them to visualize the NIU campus, to visualize anyone that they knew was in that killing hall, or to visualize the friends, parents, and loved ones of those who died, and to send them loving kindness and peace.

then I told them that what they are about to do will be the hardest of all: to send loving-kindness to the killer. I told them that when I was in the Dalai Lama’s teachings, His Holiness said that the highest compassion of all was to have compassion for your enemies, or someone like a terrorist or a murderer. I told them if they did not want to do that, that’s fine, but keep sending loving-kindness first to themselves, then out to others.

I told them that thoughts are energy, so they should send out love and peace, even to people who they think don’t deserve it, like the killer. I told them about my Buddhist prayer that I end all my classes with (however, not at the school — it’s a public school, tax-payer supported, you know how that goes), the prayer about the Four Immeasureables:

may all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness
may all beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering
may all beings never be parted from freedom’s true Joy
may all beings dwell in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion

I told them that “all beings” meant just that: everyone, not just “good” people, but even killers.

Tomorrow will bring more news about what happened. next week I will deal with the aftermath of this on my students. I hope for the coming week they will remember what I taught them today, for themselves, to ease their suffering.

I thank all my teachers, and my teachers’ teachers, for all that I have learned about yoga, meditation, and Buddhism.

and I bow to Buddha, for the Dharma and for showing me the way out of suffering.

peace
shanti
salaam aleikum
so shall it be

let’s not forget Burma

by L. Valdez Karl

The troubles in Burma still continue. It was not just a blip on the radar screen.

This is a video of an interview with Thich Nhat Hanh speaking about Burma and engaged Buddhism.

In the meantime, we can all send our dirty underwear to Burmese embassies.

“Activists exasperated at the failure of diplomacy to apply pressure on Burma’s military regime are resorting to a new means of protest against the regime’s recent crackdown: sending female underwear to Burmese embassies.

Embassies in the UK, Thailand, Australia and Singapore have all been targeted by the “Panties for Peace” campaign, co-ordinated by an activist group based in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

“Not only are they brutal, but they are also very superstitious. They believe that touching a woman’s pants or sarong will make them lose their strength,” Ms Pollack told Guardian Unlimited.

…The junta is famous for its abuse of women: it is well documented that they use rape as a weapon of war against ethnic minorities. This is a way for women around the world to express their outrage.”

Sounds like a good way to get rid of those chakra panties that I’ve seen in yoga magazine ads.

right livelihood

by L. Valdez Karl


Dzambhala — Buddhist — He embodies the power of wealth to benefit beings. He symbolizes “richness” in all its forms and holds the mongoose which vomits jewels for the benefit of beings.


Ganesha — Hindu — God of Prosperity

Right Livelihood is one part of the Ethical Conducts in the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddha together with Right Speech and Right Action.

Right livelihood means that one should earn one’s living in a righteous way and that wealth should be gained legally and peacefully. The Buddha mentions four specific activities that harm other beings and that one should avoid for this reason: 1. dealing in weapons, 2. dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution), 3. working in meat production and butchery, and 4. selling intoxicants and poisons, such as alcohol and drugs. Furthermore any other occupation that would violate the principles of right speech and right action should be avoided.

As long as I’ve been teaching yoga I’ve had more than a few discussions with yoga teachers about whether it’s really OK to be paid for teaching yoga. One yoga teacher tells me that “yoga is really supposed to be taught for free.” Uh…really? Where does it say that in the Yoga Teacher By-Laws? Did I miss the fine print somewhere? Actually I do teach for free and that’s my karma yoga that I do once a month at a domestic violence shelter and I’ve been doing that for going on three years now. Truth be told, it’s my favorite class to teach.

One of my private students is a business entrepeneur and we discussed Right Livelihood when he gave me advice on starting a yoga clothes business. He rolled his eyes when I told him how some yoga teachers believe that yoga should be free and he said, “I see lots of ads in Yoga Journal so somebody is making money.”

Money itself is not good or bad, that’s merely a judgment. Money just IS. It’s all about how it’s used and what it’s used for.

Ethan Nichtern, creator of the ID Project and son of David Nichtern, gives a great interview on Buddhism & Money: Does Priceless Mean It’s Free?. While he speaks specifically about the spiritual economics of teaching the dharma and what Right Livelihood ought to look like in a market economy, everything he says can also be applied to the spiritual economics of teaching yoga.

In this culture, the reality is that yoga is big business. A yoga teacher is performing a service just like a massage therapist, an acupuncturist, or a “Life Coach.” Ethan makes the excellent point that Life Coaches charge upwards of $100 an hour, while a dharma teacher, especially one who has gone through many hours of training in, for example, the Shambhala tradition, is sometimes much better equipped than a Life Coach to help someone. But are you going to pay your dharma teacher $100 an hour? I didn’t think so.

It’s about the perception of value, what value do you place on yoga, meditation, or the dharma? Ethan said that when he managed a Shambhala center they would ask people to “donate” $25 toward something, but they would say that $25 wasn’t in their budget. But two days later he’d go out to dinner with the same people and they would spend more than $25 on dinner and drinks.

I see that all the time at the studio where I teach. Early this year I did a fundraiser for the domestic violence shelter and had a donation box on the desk. The studio also has a small retail section so I would watch women write checks for $100 for yoga clothes, but when the donation box would be pointed out to them they did not have a buck to donate. But 15 minutes later I would see them down the street at Starbucks paying $4.00 for a double shot carmel macadoodle frappawhozit whatever.

One of the best pieces of business advice I ever got was from my first accountant when I started my garden design business. He said, “never give away your services, because if it’s free, people won’t value it.” Ethan says the same thing when he says that teaching the dharma is priceless, but the western capitalist mindset equates “price-less” with “it doesn’t have a price.”

To paraphrase Ethan, our motivation as yoga or dharma teachers should not be toward the bling, but we also need to get out of the naive “poverty mentality” about teaching.

buddhist monks protest in Burma

by L. Valdez Karl


(photo credit: The Buddhist Channel)

How can anyone not be moved by the sight of thousands of Buddhist monks marching in peaceful protest against a military regime? Witnesses reported that the monks marched from their monasteries chanting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving-kindness.) The army has been told to be prepared to fire at demonstrators when the command is given and hospitals have been told to clear their wards.

The monks have vowed not to back down. Their alms bowls remain overturned. Which will prevail — metta or bloodshed?

For the last week, thousands of Burmese monks have marched against the repressive Burmese military regime in cities across that nation. This is the largest public demonstration against the junta in nearly 20 years. As the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks march, chant, and overturn their almsbowls (patam nikkujjana kamma), refusing to accept donations from members of the military regime, the Buddhist Peace Fellowship offers our full support and solidarity.

Monks Challenge Military Rule

Aung San Who?

Statement by the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, USA

There is an appeal to pause and meditate.

The monks of Burma are taking a great chance, trying to transform the the ruling military regime with metta (loving-kindness), quiet courage, and discipline.

They have asked the people of Burma and those who support them, to meditate and pray silently for 15 minutes at 2000 hours this Tuesday, tomorrow:

Will you join them? Thoughts are energy. Can we collectively send our thoughts of metta to Burma, indeed, to the entire world? Can you afford a mere 15 minutes of your time to concentrate on peace and loving-kindness?

2000 hours Rangoon time
1430 hours GMT
1030 hours New York
0830 hours Chicago
0630 hours Los Angeles
2030 hours Bangkok
2130 hours Kuala Lumpur/Singapore/Hong Kong
2230 hours Tokyo

Message from His Holiness the Dalai Lama
September 23, 2007

I extent my support and solidarity with the recent peaceful movement for democracy in Burma. I fully support their call for freedom and democracy and take this opportunity to appeal to freedom-loving people all over the world to support such non-violent movements.

Moreover, I wish to convey my sincere appreciation and admiration to the large number of fellow Buddhists monks for advocating democracy and freedom in Burma.

As a Buddhist monk, I am appealing to the members of the military regime who believe in Buddhism to act in accordance with the sacred dharma in the spirit of compassion and non-violence.

I pray for the success of this peaceful movement and the early release of fellow Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

may all beings be free from suffering

by L. Valdez Karl

Many of you already know about Michael Vick, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback who’s been accused of running a dog-fighting operation out of his Bad Newz Kennels (I guess he can throw a football but he can’t spell.) Here’s a dude making a gazillion dollars playing football and the knucklehead thinks he’s a big bad thug in the ‘hood. And if the dog-fighting isn’t bad enough, he’s charged with other counts of animal abuse because he killed the dogs that did not perform to his standards by hanging, beating, or electrocuting them. These are the sports role models that kids have to look up to today. Athletes like Walter Payton are probably rolling in their graves. By the way, the above picture is NOT Michael Vick — Russell Simmons is a hip-hop record producer AND a yogi.

Yeah, yeah, I know that everyone is “innocent” until proven guilty, but as Vanessa writes about Michael Vick here and here, Vick’s co-defendant is singing like a canary and unless the ghost of Johnny Cochran appears, Vick is history just like his dogs.

As a Buddhist I believe in karma, cause and effect, what goes around comes around. And I’m thinking that when Vick goes to that football stadium in the sky, he’s coming back as a pit bull or one of the small animals like a cat or rabbit — sometimes stolen, but also procured from those “free to a good home” ads — that those oh so macho guys throw in the ring to give their dogs a taste of blood. There is a special place in the hell realms for Vick and others like him.

As much as Michael Vick’s actions sicken me, I also feel sorry for him, believe it or not. I am an animal lover to the core, and Gandhi said that “the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” When I hear about animal abuse or child abuse or abuse of any kind, I wonder what was so lacking in someone’s life that they have no hesitation whatsoever to inflict such suffering on another living thing. I wonder how someone can be so completely shut down that they don’t even realize what they are doing, especially ultimately to themselves.

I want Vick prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but man, what is it that makes him think that there is nothing wrong in what he did? What is in the deepest recess of his soul that takes pleasure in watching dogs tear each other apart and then think nothing of hanging the loser? I read that Vick was the “big money man” at the dog fights and would bet thousands of dollars on his dogs…so was it greed? Buddha said that all the misery in the world is caused by three things: attachment, aversion, and ignorance.

Many people suffer at the hands of their abusers but do not become abusers themselves. Many people grow up amidst violence but somehow rise above it to have peaceful hearts. Why is it one way for some and not for others? Karma…and choices.

During a dharma reading to my yoga class this morning, I thought about Michael Vick. The Buddhist writer wrote that if we look beneath the surface deeply enough, we begin to realize that everyone wants the same thing: that everyone, no matter who they are, wishes for happiness and freedom from suffering. I’ve heard the Dalai Lama say that true compassion is seeing everyone as ourselves and seeing ourselves in other people.

I believe that every human heart is capable of the Four Immeasurables — love, compassion, joy, and equanimity — sigh…even people like Michael Vick. If I did not believe it, I would not be a Buddhist.

Maybe Michael Vick should be sentenced to do some community service with Little Lotus Hearts. Little Lotus Hearts provides services to people who have a deep love and respect for animals. As Tibetan Buddhist practitioners, the founders believe in the Buddhist teaching that all sentient beings are equal, in that they all wish for happiness and the avoidance of suffering.

Might be a good place for him to start practicing compassion and ahimsa. Once he gets out of jail.

St. Theresa’s Prayer

by L. Valdez Karl

I wanted to share a prayer that was at the end of an email a yoga student sent me. She has had a hard life and she sent me an email thanking me for being there for her. I was embarrassed because I am not used to the kind words that the student wrote, but it always does my heart good to know that yoga brings peace to someone’s soul.

This prayer touched me even though I am not Christian — I’m a very lapsed Lutheran turned Buddhist. I don’t know who St. Theresa is and I barely know the names of the important angels, but that’s not really important, is it?

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God (the Universe) that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use these gifts that you have received,
and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content.
You are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones,
and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise, and love.
It is there for each and everyone of us.

Peace and buddhahood are there for each and every one of us.

Another yoga student who has been with me for more than a few months told me today how yoga has helped her depression — she is only 24 and she takes care of an autistic brother. She said that her brother will always be autistic, but she does not always have to be depressed. Yoga has helped her take control, and she has realized what the Wise-Ass Buddhist said: “life sucks, but suffering is optional.” She told me very excitedly that “yoga and meditation are ways to self-heal! if only more people knew that!” Yes, if only!

I love it when some of my younger yoga students — I teach at a community college and the age range is 18-25 — totally connect to yoga and they keep coming back semester after semester. When my students tell me about how good they feel after a class, or how yoga affects their lives off the mat, I tell them that they’ve created all that by themselves, I am merely the yoga facilitator. They are their own gurus.

Does this old hippie chick’s heart good…

wishing you all peaceful hearts.

do you want enlightenment with that?

by L. Valdez Karl


Mass Producing Meditators

In this episode of Buddhist Geeks, Vince talks with Theo Horesh and Duff McDuffee, two SN Goenka practitioners. They discuss the effects of what can be called the mass production of meditators. They also explore the differences in using a single technique or multiple techniques for realization.

You can listen to Part 1 in my post here.

Theo and Duff raise some good questions in this interview. I thought it was interesting when they compared Goenka’s approach to that of a fast food franchise or Henry Ford’s production line. The interviewer compared the vipassana technique to what he heard Bikram say about how he styled his yoga on the McDonald’s model of fast food production.

While I’m not a vipassana junkie, I believe that a committed yoga teacher who is walking the spiritual path, regardless of tradition, should do at least one vipassana retreat. You will explore places of yourself that you have never explored before! I have only done one 10 day retreat, but I plan to do at least one retreat a year, even if it is only a three day one.

In October I am starting Spirit Rock’s Mindfulness Yoga and Meditation training. I am committed to this program until 2009. I am very excited because this training is the first of its kind, a ground-breaking program that incorporates classical yoga and Buddhism. From the website:

…an experiential grounding in an integrated yoga and vipassana practice that can nourish practitioners in their daily lives; a solid understanding of the entwined history, philosophy, and techniques of both yoga and Buddhism; and the foundational skills and understanding necessary to practice yoga–and for teachers to teach it–in a way that embodies and facilitates a deep understanding of core Buddhist principles such as mindfulness, lovingkindness, compassion, equanimity, and the interdependence of all life.

According to the website, “a good portion of the retreats will be spent in silence, following a full schedule of seated and walking meditation. The daily schedule will also include approximately 2.5 to 3 hours of yoga asana and pranayama.” Can’t wait!

What is so exciting about this program is the chance to study with the “biggies” of the Western Buddhist and yoga world such as Jack Kornfield, Phillip Moffit, Tias Little, Stephen Cope, Judith Lassater, Jill Satterfield, and even Dr. Dean Ornish, among others.

This is the type of program that I have been looking for as long as I’ve been a student/teacher, and when I read about it, I jumped on it immediately, no hesitation. I am honored and grateful to be accepted into this training.

shanti!

10 days with the walking wounded

by L. Valdez Karl

Entrepregurus and the Meditation Factory

“In this episode [of Buddhist Geeks] Vince interviews Theo Horesh and Duff McDuffee, two S.N. Goenka practitioners. They discuss the techniques of the Goenka tradition and how one might see it as a meditation factory. In the next episode, they discuss the power of the Goenka approach and possible criticisms of the practice.”

my post about my own vipassana meditation experience in January will follow soon…it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done and also one of the most transformational…

in the meantime, enjoy the interview….and the one dude does a right-on impersonation of Goenka! Scary!

to be continued….

Gehlek Rimpoche

by L. Valdez Karl

Throughout this blog I have mentioned my spiritual teacher, Gehlek Rimpoche. I’ve just returned from a one week retreat with him on the subject of developing compassion. I consider myself very fortunate to study with this man who was recognized as an incarnate lama and is from the last generation of lamas to be fully educated in “good old Tibet” (as Rimpoche calls it) before his escape in 1959.

While I have not studied with him for as long as many people have, Rimpoche has touched my heart. He has the same presence as the Dalai Lama, that is, when he talks to you, he makes you feel as if you are the only one in the room. And I love hugging him! I told him that hugging him is like hugging a big teddy bear!

I’ve posted this YouTube video just to give you a sample of him. This video is from a talk he gave in Malaysia in May, 2007 on Buddhism in the 21st century. This talk is continued in a series of videos on YouTube if you are interested.

During last week’s retreat he told us how very precious this life is, how wonderful and important we are, and how we should never waste any opportunities that present themselves to us because we can accomplish anything…including total enlightenment in this lifetime. Buddhahood is available for each and every one of us, we only have to water the seeds of our own buddha-nature.

He reminded us how we should stop staying “I’ll do (fill in the blank) next time…” because “next time” never comes. How true is that? How often do we continually say that we’ll do such and such “next time”? Buddha taught that death is certain, but that the time of death is uncertain.

Live your lives by asking yourselves “if not now, when?” Truly LIVE your lives, don’t sleep-walk through them, half-awake to the beauty and joy that surrounds you every minute of the day.

Also, here is an excerpt from “The Hidden Treasure of the Heart”, an article by Aura Glaser in the July Shambhala Sun. Aura was one of the two women responsible for bringing Rimpoche to the United States way back when. Thankfully they brought him to my neck of the woods, the Heartland of America, the Midwest, instead of the East or West Coasts (they have enough yogis and Buddhists anyway!)

I bow to Rimpoche and to Buddha Shakyamuni…

OM AH GURU VAJRADHARA JINA SHASANA SUKALYANA
VIJAYA SARVA SIDDHI HUNG HUNG

OM MUNI MUNI MAHA MUNIYE SOHA

peace to you all…