Commitments

With palms together,
Good Morning Everyone,

There are Four Noble Truths in Buddha’s Teaching. Simply put, these are: suffering is; it is caused by investing one’s self in something that lacks any permanence; it can be stopped; and we stop it by waking up. There are eight aspects to an awakened heart/mind. Buddha called these the Eightfold Noble Path. Path is important as it points to process, a walk along the way. Yet as we might eventually (and rightly) come to, one is always a diamond just waiting to undress and expose one’s facets. Therefore, the process is not the thing, but rather the undressing of the thing. Mindful Practice is our process.

These eight aspects have to do with our practical lives: Awakened Understanding, Thought, Action, Speech, Livelihood, Effort, Mindfulness, and Concentration. The usual translation is “Right” or “Correct” but I see these as more a sense of true, not in the true/false way, but in the trueness of a line or a weight. There is a quality of internal and external consonance involved. This comes from a clear mind.

Recent events in my life have sorely tested my understanding of the clarity of my mind. What am I doing? Why am I doing it? Is this so? These are my mantra-like questions.

Here are the answers arising from my heart: I am committing to a life as a being in fulltime service to others. This may take on the clothing of a priest, a monk, or a simple person acting out loving-kindness. However, these are just the clothes and we should be kind to those who confuse the two. I am doing this because I have no choice. The suffering of the world, because of war and violence rings too loudly in my ears not to respond. It is so.

I have spent decades taking care of self, family, and being in service as a therapist. It is time to complete the process by shifting my attention to the others as a bodhisattva.
I have created a separate account for the Order of Clear Mind Zen. I will move as quickly as possible making the Order a NM State Non-Profit Corporation so that donations will be, without question, tax-deductable. I have decided to place my share of marital assets in a trust for my three children.

Be well.