Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve.

They say that the body is a temple and I agree, which might seem odd to some spiritualists because in several religious traditions to mark the skin is considered desecration. I feel that the body is one of the most beautiful works of art known to the human eye and that it only seems natural to honor it by adorning it with meaningful and inspirational designs. Just like monks might adorn a temple with mantras, spires, statues, sculpted trim and other accents that express the sacredness of the Dharma practice unfolding within its walls.

And, so it is that I received my latest mark (seen above) to remind me of letting go of feeling separate from others and all forms of life expressing itself in this time and place that I find myself. It is the Heart Sutra mantra that speaks to that oneness. I'm not going to get into the specifics of the sutra and mantra in this post, but if you want to dig deeper then click on that link above "Heart Sutra mantra." Anyway, the tattoo is a constant, visual reminder to help me transcend the compartmentalization of life, which prevents us from being present and one with the inspiring potential of each moment. If seen with a mind anchored in pure, direct awareness there is no event incapable of being seen as beneficial to our practice.

I am mostly a visual learner and my Dharma tattoos serve (in part) as visual, symbolic teachers constantly reminding me of how to live with less suffering--Regardless of wherever the winds might carry me. It is like having my teacher with me on my arm at all times. It's very powerful as a reminder. However, more importantly they help remind me how to bring less suffering into the lives of those I know, love and meet. The tattoos allow me to bring the temple and the Dharma with me where ever I go. The fact that they are so visual and prominent makes them hard to ignore and forget their lessons like can happen to me with memorized lines that can easily drift off into the gray areas of my memory while caught up and absorbed in life's daily chaos.

Tattoos aren't for everyone and I would never hastily recommend marking your body with permanent ink. If you think you would like a tattoo, it's important to research ahead of time, understand the implications and make sure you get a design that you can live with for the rest of your life. As with any big decision it should be made with full awareness (mindfulness) of the process. Remember, these are the symbols and messages that will represent YOU as a person.

The script used for the tattoo is Siddham--a form of Sanskrit, which is an Indian language used heavily in Hindu and Buddhist literature. The design is by my Dharma brother, Jayavara. Thanks Brother Jayavara!!

ADDENDUM: The title of this post, "Wearing your heart on your sleeve" is a play on words. It is an American idiom that means someone who freely and openly express their feelings. In America at least the heart has been traditionally seen as the center of feelings, and being that it's located where my "sleeve" would be I thought it would be an witty title for this post.

~Peace to all beings~

Prajnaparamita-Hridaya Sutra Mantra.

I've been looking for a reliable representation of the Heart Sutra's mantra (om gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha) in either Sanskrit, Pali, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Hindi, etc. I have been doing extensive research but haven't found much. I found the version written above in the Siddham script of Sanskrit (At least I think the above script is Siddham).

However, I need a verification of it's validity and accuracy because eventually I want this section of the Heart Sutra tattooed on my forearm and don't want to get the wrong thing tattooed on me. Can anyone verify the Siddham script Sanskrit version or give me a version written in any of those other Asian languages that I mentioned above? I also think I found a version written in Japanese kanji (below)--can anyone confirm it as being the Heart Sutra mantra?The other question I have is that the characters above seem like Chinese and not Japanese but I'm not an expert to say the least. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Bowing...

~Peace to all beings~

Moment to Moment

During meditation I settled into my breathing from the abdomen and soon realized that the main attention of my meditation was going to be surrounding non-self and thus interconnection and impermanence as well. A common trio in my meditations.

Immediately I noticed the noise of someone chopping up the ice in their street gutter with some sort of tool and I was transported into their situation and experience of that moment. I experienced the focus and concentration that they must have been feeling while doing this task. Experienced the satisfaction of chopping up the ice so that the water might flow freely away from their house. I experienced their muscles, heart and entire body working harder to accomplish the work. Then I heard a woman's voice talking to the other person about the chore and realized her encouragement and desire to help. In that moment I too was encouraging the person doing the chore.

Soon they finished and except of the occasional whiz of a car--silence returned to the neighborhood.

Then I heard a train off in the distance sound it's horn. In that instant I was with the driver and could feel the vibration of the engine as it slowly and mindfully churned through the intersection. I thought of the joy or maybe stress and frustration the worker was feeling as they moved along in the engine. Realizing their concentration is a meditation no different then the concentration experienced in formal, sitting meditation. I was also with the people waiting in their cars to get moving again when the train passed. Perhaps they were annoyed, angry, peaceful or feeling neutral as they waited. I thought of the family of the train driver that might be reliant upon the workers money received for the job and felt their pride and connection in their working relative.

After a brief time the train's horn blended into the distance of space and time and I was left again with silence.

A short time later an ambulance rang out near by as it sped along to possibly save someone in distress or return to the hospital. I experienced the adrenaline that the medics must have been feeling as they weaved through traffic. I was with the patient in need as they experienced pain and suffering and I held their hand. My other hand held the hand of the loved one that might be waiting in stress and horror as their loved one was in extreme suffering and pain. I breathed with them for a time until the ambulance faded into the distance. I thought of the doctors and nurses waiting at the hospital to work on the person in need of emergency assistance and smiled at their compassion, commitment, service and dedication.

This self blended into the ups and downs and side to side of each of these moments as they blended together like a rainbow in the sky after a rain storm. It was all there. The pain, pleasure and neutral feelings but no attachment to them. Just experiencing them and being apart of those moments. Nothing to do or undo. Nothing to fear and nothing to force. All things unfolding as they would without any stress or desire to try and control the stream of consciousness moving through and along side of this (for lack of a better term) "body."

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The picture is of the final product of my Buddha tattoo on my left fore arm. My tattoo guy did a WONDERFUL job with it and I can not help but stare at it through out the day and feel peace and tranquility radiating from the art. Sure it's just a symbol, however, symbols can be very powerful and helpful tools to remind one of the Dharma or a myriad of other pieces of information. Symbols convey ideas and importance without using many words and so they are often offer a more direct path into one's consciousness. Every time I am out and about in the rapid paced, dualistic world and I look upon this tattoo I will be reminded to take a deep breath and return again and again to the present moment of the middle path. As well as reminding me that peace and mindfulness are present and available in any moment of any situation.

~Peace to all beings~

The Gift of Arms

I was walking out of the grocery store today with bags of food in my two arms and remembered how much we do with our arms and hands. I am so very grateful to have two working arms and hands.

Speaking of arms, below are the finished pictures of the dragon sleeve tattoo wrapped around the three jewels in Chinese characters. And below them are the updated Buddha tattoo pictures:















The Buddha tattoo shots below. It's about half way done.




~Peace to all beings~