Snow

There is no day;
There is no night.
These are delusions
Of the mind.
The snow falls
That is all.



Daiho

Birthright Citizenship

With palms together,
Good Afternoon All,

Will wonders ever cease?  Will the great and powerful never understand the limits of their power? Our infamous president just said he will end the right to citizenship of babies born in the United States of non-citizen parents.  Seems reasonable, doesn’t it?  I mean just because you were born in this country doesn’t make you a citizen...according to Mr Trump’s vision for America.

So, my conservative, constitution waving, flag-draping friends, what say you? Be careful though, this one is, indeed, a very slippery slope. Remember, he didn’t say “illegal” non-citizens, he said non-citizens.  So, if you were born of immigrants who were not naturalized, but otherwise here in the US legally, you will no longer be citizens of this country, and likely, here illegally as well.

More to the point, constitutionally, Mr Trump seems to think he can modify the constitution and laws derived from it, by Executive Order.   Now this takes narcissism and megalomania to a whole other level.  I’m not sure what part of the 14th amendment’s very clear phrase he doesn’t understand:

"All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.” 

Moreover, in later debate,  "concerning the children born in the United States to parents who are not U.S. citizens (and not foreign diplomats), three senators, including Trumbull, as well as President Andrew Johnson, asserted that both the Civil Rights Act and the Citizenship Clause would confer citizenship on them at birth,”


Mr. Trump is clearly pandering to his base, and I hope those readers who once felt at home there are now beginning to feel a little ill at ease, as his rhetoric, insensitivity, and egoism is more and more chilling, as well as his willingness to create a militarized border with a wall, so reminiscent of post WW II Germany its stuns me.  Not only am I stunned by his effort, but also of the level of support he has among the populace.  Are we that afraid?  Do we have that little faith in capitalism and entrepreneurship, that they together won’t do what has been done throughout our nation’s existence? 

My conservative friends, ye of little faith in humanity, you’ve got what you asked for.


Yours,

Daiho

Flu, What Can I Say?

With palms together,

I am sick with the flu.  Fever, chills, aches and pains, runny nose, chronic cough...you know, the flu.  I’ve been down with it for two days.  Not long, but long enough to really be tired of it!

All I can say is, “sit with it!”  And I will.

In the meantime, my practice is to simple be with my flu. I take my medicine, eat what I can, and generally doze off to sleep now and then.

It's good to just relax into one’s illness, I think.  Especially when fighting with it just makes it worse.

Yours in the Dharma,

With palms together,

Good Morning All,

Yesterday afternoon I spoke at the Veterans Administration Healthcare Center in El Paso, Texas. My topic was the benefits of meditation.  Walking into the building was like diving into a pool of suffering.  Veterans everywhere.  All waiting.  Some filling out forms, others just hanging around talking with each other. Waiting.  I believe that’s one of our crosses to bear.

I walked gingerly through the crowd to the bank of elevators which took me to third floor and a set of classrooms where people were waiting for me to arrive.  I was a little late as I got lost in the city. But  there I was.

The group of about forty people welcomed me.  I took to the podium and began with what brought me to Zen, followed by an explanation of the benefits of practice and then offered a meditation period. This was followed by a Q & A.

Most people felt the power of even a short period of sitting.  And the questions were meaningful and often personal.  I felt we connected.

I was then presented with a lovely certificate in a frame.

It was a good day.

Gassho

Facebook deactivated

With palms together,  I have deactivated my Facebook page this evening.  I have mixed feelings about that.  But the level of vitriol and discord among friends is disturbing. I have no desire to continue in unproductive discussions.

If you wish to comment on my posts, please do.  But do so with a given sense that you understand my position.  You don’t have to agree with me, but I do expect some level of knowledgable understanding.

Be well,

One

One...

Ink on paper, $25.00

Desire

In the afternoon
Sitting silently
In front of Buddha.
I felt the need for a shot
Of whiskey. 

A strange yet appealing
Desire.

And then the thought
Of my lovely wife
Laying next to me
Came crashing in.

Stillness. 

Yes, thoughts and feelings
Are grist for the Zen
Of the moment...
Oh, my, don’t move!

It’s just a thought
Yet, captures my body
And wraps it
Like a tourniquet
Ever so tight.

So I just sit there
Like a statue
Realizing myself
As a human being.

Because of Darkness

Because of darkness
Light becomes us
Because of brilliance
Nothing can be hidden.
There is no other truth
Than this ---
Light and dark are one:
Abide with care in both.

The Coming End

Facing the coming end
Of my years, I wonder
What I’ve accomplished
And how I could have
Lived my life better.

I suppose its natural
To investigate myself,
An elderly man
Coming closer to his end.

Yet, it seems a pointless task
As there is no way to change a thing once done
And I realize nothing I can do today
Will matter much in the end.

I do hope I have been of service
I hope I will be fondly remembered
although I don’t know why that seems important,
Yet it goes.

There is no other life but this one
And perhaps its meaning
was nothing more or less than that.
Just to live in this body till it is no more.

What Is It?

What Is It?

In the morning
When all is quiet
I sit alone outside
Under the stars.

Coyotes howl in the desert
But, they sometimes bark.
And once in awhile
A falling star falls.

Is there a meaning
To all of this?
The natural order of things?
Perhaps...

I sometimes doubt it
Things often are just
as they are
For us to witness.

Wondering about it
Makes no sense
Better, I have found
To just enjoy.

The Way

The Way is not difficult, although at times it can be. We often feel as though we have to be like Buddha or Jesus or our rabbi’s of old, yet that attempt will fail as we would be pretending. Our true face, the face we sometimes hide, the face we are afraid to show, that is our being. It is also our teacher. Anytime we step away from it, try to turn it into something it is not, we are disingenuous. 

The Way is a challenge for the weak, although if the weak attempt to followit, they will become stronger.They will do so because that is the natural outcome of struggle. 

While we ought not seek out struggle, life is what it is, and conflicts will arise. We may wish they wouldn’t. We may desire a life of serenity and ease, but that is not living, that feels to me like vegetating. 

For some of us, we believe all we each need do is smile and walk slowly and softly and everything will be peaceful. Perhaps for you, but the world around us is often on fire and no amount of smiling and soft walking will put it out.

As the fueko suggests, we do not practice Zen for ourselves, but rather for those who cannot practice with us. We practice to re-discover or, perhaps, uncover, that true face for the sake of all beings. This takes strength and commitment, what we in Zen refer to as “joriki.” 

Such strength doesn’t come easy or without cost. While the Way itself is not difficult, our willingness to live it is. The struggles in life are ours, no one else's. They are for us to engage, work through, and resolve. In doing so we move from the “weak,” the “victim,” to the strength of a survivor and in doing so we have the potential to inspire. 

Gassho

Eternal Life

Zen is eternal life says Kennet-Roshi. Now why would she say that? To realize the truth of her statement one must practice to see a much larger picture of life and death. Master Dogen says this is the most important practice for practitioners. Why? 

To realize the truth of life and death is to realize there is no life and death and yet there is life and death. Wherefore? 

The subject and object, the past present and future, are not separate, but are one. In such a case, what is life and death? 

This question should resonate in your consciousness night and day. 

Gassho