Sleeping While it Rains.

deluge orchestra
swollen roof drain lullaby--
greenery stretches

~James R. Ure

I have found that some of the most profound lessons from meditative awareness come when I'm drifting off to sleep. It's a time when I'm aware of my breathing more than most times throughout the day. It's also a time when you aren't distracted by the television, computers or other distractions. It's just you and your breath; as each cycle of breath brings deeper and deeper relaxation. Often I crack the window to feel the cool breeze calm my tense muscles and skin; I focus on the smells of clean air pouring through.

So, last night it rained for the first time this Spring. It was a soft but rhythmic shower that filled our rain gutters with gurgling activity. As I listened to the rushing water in the darkness of night, my usually stubborn perceptions couldn't tell if it was a natural stream or a man-made one. In that moment, those perceptions gave up and fell away. In that moment, it was simply bubbling water. As my mind began to relax further, it melded with the sound of the rushing water, so that there was no difference between the water and the entity labeled "James." The next thing I knew, I was waking up.

I think haiku, and Buddhism are so focused on natural themes because the environment constantly evolves in the present moment. Nature adapts to changes without begrudging the changes. It also must balance upon a middle-ground between extremes, or the entire ecosystem will collapse. In addition, the natural world doesn't curse death or cling to life--it just is. It doesn't pass judgments upon itself or any of the sentient beings existing with it. It welcomes life just as much as death--it's just the cycle of existence.

These are all themes that are strongly weaved into the Dharma, and I think Buddha's enlightenment was unlocked in part by his time spent alone in the forests and along the streams of the wilds. So, if you feel that your spiritual practice has gone stale or discouragement has set-in, follow the Buddha's example, and try finding inspiration in nature; it is, after all, your first family.

~Peace to all beings~

Budding Tree Haiku.

swollen bud erupts

crowning gnarled branches
cat circles below

-Photo and haiku by James R. Ure-

~Peace to all beings~

Practice Can Not Be Measured in Time.

Munindra-ji is used to say that in spiritual practice, time is not a factor. Practice cannot be measured in time, so let go of the whole notion of when and how long. The practice is a process unfolding, and it unfolds in its own time. It is like the flowers that grow in the spring. Do you pull them up to make them grow faster? I once tried to do that with carrots in my first garden when I was eight years old. It does not work.

We do not need any particular length of time for this process of letting things be.

~Joseph Goldstein

Spring is Reborn.

Sometimes the concept of rebirth is hard to envision because it seems like a mystical, supernatural idea that is hard for our limited minds to understand. And to be honest, I don't know for a fact that we will be reborn. I have faith that rebirth is a reality but I don't dwell much on the concept and constantly worry how I will be reborn and what do I need to do to be reborn into a "good situation," whatever that means. I do not think that this kind of attention is helpful to us because it only brings us anxiety because we are attached to something that is impossible to figure out in this moment.

I have personally found it more skillful to focus on the present moment at hand where we have the best chance to liberate ourselves from the suffering that we bring upon ourselves by wasting that moment obsessing about what happens upon the death of the body. Each moment is a chance to be reborn anew giving us another precious moment to live mindfully which enables us to transform habit energy into something more positive and more helpful in our ultimate goal of achieving full liberation from samsara. It is ironic that we refer to it as liberation when it is more like remembering, remembering our essence which is nothing short of Buddhahood.

Being fully present in being aware of our surroundings we see the beauty of rebirth in a direct way all around us. We know and see the change of seasons in many areas of the world and with mindfulness we see that this process is a reflection of the reality of human life. In the spring we are born, we grow up in the summer into adulthood, in the winter we begin to age and in the winter we die but the process continues. On the coldest days of winter it seems that life is gone and so is the beauty of existence but there is joy to be found even in that season of death. The coldness is not unlike the cold feelings that we experience when a loved has died and is a reminder to us to make the most of each moment.

The snow in the world shuts down the known and conditioned brain's "preferred" beauty of blooming trees, plants, flowers and active animal life. To our blinding sensory desires we miss the artistic way that snow sculpts itself into delicate and stunning formations. We miss the creative way that icicles form and accent the sky. We often miss the beautiful contrast of green pine trees dusted with fine layers of white snow.

If winter in your part of the world means rain, we miss the beauty of the cleansing nature of water and how without water the rebirth of life sustaining plants would never be possible. The winter monsoons drive people indoors for days at a time and it is easy to resent the rain because it prevents us from doing the things that we love outside. However, seen in a more mindful way it should be seen as a blessing because it gives us time to be mindful, reflect on our lives and allows us ample time to meditate.

All is being reborn here in my part of the world, flowers are growing, trees and budding and birds are looking to usher in new life. This is another chance to enjoy the beauty of change. So often we only see suffering in change but like with all experiences there is beauty and joy to be found.

So do not worry over enlightenment, Nirvana and the Pure Land for they are all present in the here and now. The total liberation in the scriptural state will happen when we are ready and our karma has ripened. In the mean time, the bliss of Nirvana can be seen in the beauty of delicate flowers re-emerging right before our eyes and even in the dark cold days of winter. All is present to us if we but relax our minds and allow ourselves to just be. We are apart of Buddha's enlightenment and therefore Buddha's to be, what a wonderful thought!! What a wonderful heritage we are apart of!!

There is nothing that is not divine for all is as it can only be. We can not do anything else but go with the flow of the vast river of pure being. Resistance is the path of suffering.

May we all realize joy in the rebirth of each breath. Present moment, wonderful moment, only moment. I leave you with the words of my precious teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh:
~Peace to all beings~

What is Vesak Day and Why Celebrate It?

Jack asked that I blog a bit on Vesak Day (celebration of the birth of the Buddha) so here is my offering on the day.

Perhaps some might think the celebration of the birth of the Buddha is odd as Buddhists are encouraged not to attach too much importance to birth, death and the body in general.

However, I feel that the true essence of Vesak Day is to celebrate the Dharma rather then the physical presence of the Buddha himself. Indeed the Buddha did not want his followers to worship him but rather follow and honor his teachings. The Buddha was a human being--not a God. However, he was indeed a special, rare being who was inspired to bring us the timeless Dharma.

Thus, Vesak day for me is a special day to honor not only the Dharma that the Teacher Buddha so generously taught but also to celebrate the Buddha within us all. After all being interconnected to all things seen and unseen we are natural continuations or roots of the Tathagata. It is also a day for me to remind myself of what is possible and why I follow the path of the Middle-Way taught by the Buddha. It is a day of re-dedication to the Four Noble Truths, the Eight-Fold Path as well as the The Jewels: Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

The date of celebrating Vesak Day seems to change from country to country and tradition to tradition usually in accordance of the first full moon in May. According to my Thich Nhat Hanh calendar the first full moon in may is on the 2nd. In places such as Thailand and Singapore the day is celebrated on the 31st of May.

In some places the day is a celebration of not only the Buddha's birth but his enlightenment and continuation from this life of samara (suffering) into Nirvana and Parinirvana. He did not die in a special way nor was seen ascending into the sky as a God would. He died just like any other human being.

In addition, in certain countries caged birds and fish are set free as a compassionate and lovingly kind gesture to show respect to all living creatures.

I plan on celebrating the day spending some time looking for trapped insects in our house in order to set them free. We have a fun device that allows one to gently and humanely catch insects in order to set them free outside in the garden. However, If I find a spider for example in a nest then I will leave them be as to not disturb their babies and cycle of life.

I also would like to purchase a lovely spring Lilly plant to grace our altar. As well as candles in honor of our founding father's enlightenment who pointed out the Way of the Infinite Dharma, the Buddha within us and the community of followers who keep the teachings alive. I will also meditate as usual and maybe attend the Tibetan Buddhist Stupa located in the mountains near by here at the Shambhala Mountain Center.

I see Vesak Day as being very different then the Easter of Christianity because the celebration of the birth of the Buddha is not the honoring of a Savior or God. Rather it is the celebration of the teachings of a great teacher.

Growing up and living in the western United States and spending several years in Africa I have, in addition, been highly influenced by the spirituality of the native peoples of those places. Thus, I also see this celebration as the honoring of spring arriving to bring life again to the world. Just as the great teacher the Buddha brought True Life to this time and place where we find ourselves.

Jack, I hope this gives you an idea of how I plan to celebrate this auspicious day. I shall blog again on the actual day on Wednesday.

~Peace to all beings~

BreakUp

After a long LONG time winter eventually ends in Alaska. It ends very reluctantly. In early March the days begin to seem long, and the days are sunny, but the extra sunlight takes time to build up the energy to move the atmosphere enough to make a difference in the total heat accumulated during the day. For half of the year our street looks more or less like this:



Yep, that shiny stuff is ice. We drive on solid ice for half the year. I've had my share of problems, sure, but somehow I've managed to drive my one-wheel drive truck around town for 4 winters. For me it's easier to drive through town after a fresh snowfall, than a fresh plowing as in the above pictures. Eventually though, the Sun God prevails, and the phenomenon known as "BREAKUP" begins.

Breakup is not a pretty time period. The streets often flood as filthy water carrying all the garbage thrown out of car windows, all the settled pollutants, and all the pet piss and crap for six months tries to find it's way to the sea by collecting in the street. It doesn't go anywhere because the storm drains are all frozen over. I mean seriously flooded, as in if you had a Honda civic you might need to worry. Plus it's a flood ontop of ice, which is actually kinda cool.

So the city has to begin a chain of events. The first thing they do is plow the streets extra wide. A plow can only "plow" snow so high, so what happens is that after each major snowfall the street gets a little narrower. When it gets too narrow, or when spring arrives, they use a different method. They plow the snow from the sides of the road into the middle of the street, making a 3 foot ridge called a "burm". If you happen to be going down a neighborhood street and encounter a snow burm in the road that stretches for blocks and blocks, it can be pretty inconvenient, since you can't turn left. Then a specialized machine comes by that "eats" the snow from the middle of the road and shoots it into the back of a dump truck that is slowly driving next to the machine. There are usually 3 or 4 dump trucks in a line so that as one dump truck is filled it departs and the next one immediately takes it's place. It's a pretty efficient operation and can occur at any time of day.

On major streets, or in neighborhoods that have rich people, they still have to solve the problem of the frozen over gutters. So they have another specialized truck that comes by. This one is full of water, and has a gun attached to a hose. The operator of the gun shoots piping hot water into the snowbank carving a niche through the ice until the drain is exposed. I don't know for sure how they know exactly where the drain is but once a tiny hole is exposed, the erosive forces of water quickly widen it and the flood drains away.

The city doesn't car about most neighborhoods, and leaves ordinary citizens to fend for themselves. Although flooded streets can be fun to drive through in a big truck, they are not so fun if it's in front of your house. That brings me to our house. The only storm drain on our street is in front of our house, meaning our house is the lowest point. Not good when there is several feet of frozen water in everyone's yard. So it's up to me and my bad ass neighbor to hold back the floodwaters and save our lives. OUR LIVES!!

O.k. so, when it comes time to save our lives, my neighbor Rick and I, whoever gets there first, has to find where the heck the storm drain is. Last year I quickly found it through the use of my excellent spatial memory by pouring boiling water through the snow. My first attempt was off by only a couple of inches. I think Rick was jealous, because this year he got out there before he even needed to and found it with a hammer and maul. Streets, if you haven't noticed, are often made with a convex shape to them, so that water rolls off to the side. Ice, however, is water, and flows downward with a level top, just like water in a bowl. That means that on a street with a convex shape, the ice is much thicker on the sides than in the middle. This year I decided to measure how thick the ice was in front of our house, since it was depressingly thick.


It's hard to see in the picture, but it was 10 inches thick. Getting the gutter exposed doesn't help the flooding however, if the water can't get to the gutter. The next task is to hack a channel through the ice from the floodwaters to the drain, so that they will empty into it. This is a messy job, and wearing goggles of some sort is advisable, since the water is full of the aforementioned pollutants and has a tendency to splash up into your face and onto your clothing as you hack through it to the ice underneath.


With a canal established, the floodwaters quickly drained, fresh asphalt is revealed. Skateboarders would soon be skating their asses off in 50 foot pathes of bare pavement.


Seeing bare asphalt is a very uplifting experience but it would be weeks before the ice was gone. The canal was established on March 26th. The picture below was one week later on April 2nd.


There was an incredible amount of melting that week, even though we got fresh snow. In that picture you can trace the history recent geologic events through the different layers visible in the ice in front of our driveway.


This picture, and the one below, are after the passing of another week, taken on April 9th. After a few weeks of melting the ice in the middle of the street is gone, but water from the sides melts channels under the ice and builds up in pools that usually can't penetrate the ice directly in front of our house. Instead it works its way through our yard and floods our driveway, forcing me to go out there twice a day with a bucket and drain the huge puddles. So at this time my neighbor and I axe another path, straight along the gutter on the side of the road, to divert the water. It's amazing that you only need a very narrow path, really just a crack of pavement showing, and in no time at all the flowing water widens the channel to something more practical. The ice is still up to eight inches thick making it a good but fun workout.


Finally, by Easter, with the arrival of rain on a few days that really helped out, I considered the ice defeated at last. WHOOHOO!!!!