Life is filled with suffering, but it is also filled with many wonders, like the blue sky, the sunshine, the eyes of a baby. To suffer is not enough. We must also be in touch with the wonders of life. They are within us and all around us, everywhere, any time.

This Thursday evening I have been invited to lead the Still Water Sangha in Silver Spring (just outside Washington DC). After our sitting, we will explore together how we can be happy while acknowledging the pain that is in us and around us.

At the close of the annual teen retreat this week at Deer Park Monastery, I had the opportunity to talk with a 13-year old boy. He asked, “What does it mean to be happy?” He followed up with another question, “How do you be happy when a friend brings up an experience from the past that is difficult and still is painful?”

I was amazed by these simple, yet insightful, questions.

It is the second question from this boy that I want to focus on because it raises the topic of difficult emotions. We all have them in our lives. Working with those emotions can be a challenge. I am a parent of a six-year old girl and ten-year old boy with special needs. My wife and I have been together for twenty years. Difficult emotions have been a common theme for me as I’ve learned to be a parent and partner.

Our most basic practices of breathing and walking have sustained me and helped me to calm the storms. The next phase, transforming the pain and suffering, requires looking more closely at particular emotions, feelings, and habit energies: understanding where they come from and what sustains them. Working with the difficult emotions that have arisen in my family life has pushed me to talk about them with mentors, to enter family therapy, and to focus on them more in my sitting, reflecting, and writing. This has been my path, my practice. The rewards have been immeasurable.

The program begins at 7:00pm at Crossings; I hope you can join us.

For the past 6-8 years, the monastery at Deer Park has offered two retreats in the summer – one for teens only (ages 13-17) and another for families. I have attended both these retreats and have found them very nourishing and joyful. The family retreat is particularly diverse, and brings together people from many walks of life and with a wide variety of experience with the practice. The teen retreat is less diverse, but those who attend have reported a life changing experience, and often return the following year bringing more friends. For the teen retreat, no parents are allowed and the teens camp together for the entire retreat. It really is a blast!

If you are in a sangha, I encourage you to share about these retreats in your sangha. Think about people in your life who may benefit from such a retreat, even those who are not regular practitioners, and then invite them to attend. I think teens would particularly benefit. Each year these retreats grow and they are, in my opinion, the best retreats offered by Deer Park.

In the years our family has attended the Family Retreat, I have watched my children and the children of others grow from toddlers to young children and into early teens. Wow! And now, starting in the last year or so many of these families are starting to come to Deer Park at other times during the year. It is a real community.

Though the family retreat has many children in attendance (40-50 kids!), other types of family units also attend and participate. One year, a family came together with four generations! Another time an adult son came with his mom to spend time together on the mountain

Please consider joining us this year.

Teen Camp – Rebel Buddha!
June 16 – 20

Family Retreat – Opening the Family Up
June 30 – July 4

When is enough enough?

Though I definitely don’t own a great deal of gadget technology compared to many others, it still feels like quite a bit. Specifically, I own a 2004 iPod Click Wheel, a 2008 iPhone 3G, a 2009 Flip HD, and a 2009 MacBook Pro. What does adding an iPad to the mix create?

Each piece of technology comes with its own environmental impact in the production, ongoing use, and ultimate disposal. Aware that I am only one consumer, collectively we consume and waste a great deal. It seems that we often consume without thought or awareness and we easily succumb to desire through marketing and possibly an underlying unhappiness.

My Buddhist practice asks me to be aware of my actions in body, speech, and mind. This action includes my consumption. I have taken the both Five Mindfulness Trainings and the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings as my guides to living. These trainings represent the Buddhist vision for a global spirituality and ethic. They are a concrete expression of the Buddha’s teachings on the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the path of right understanding and true love, leading to healing, transformation, and happiness for ourselves and for the world.

In the training on Nourishment and Healing, I am to be “aware of the suffering caused by unmindful consumption” and “am committed to … practicing mindful … consuming.” In the training on Simple Healthy Living, we are “committed to living simply and sharing our time, energy, and material resources with those in need. We will practice mindful consuming…”

Fully aware that these are not commandments, but rather ideals to aspire to, I don’t want to get too caught by the vows either. The idea is to bring awareness to my actions. The real “clincher” of these trainings are to “contemplate interbeing and consume in a way that preserves peace, joy, and well-being in my body and consciousness, and in the collective body and consciousness of my family, my society and the Earth.”

Cost. My first question above regarding cost is the least important and easily remedied. I make a decent living and just received a retirement refund from another institution in the amount of a new iPad. Check!

Professionally. I work with technology. I teach technology. The impact of technology on my profession is significant, particularly if we consider the ongoing migration from print to electronic formats. It could even be that the library continues to shift dramatically in the next 20-years. Understanding and knowing technology enhances our profession’s ability to respond to these shifts and its impact should not be underestimated. Though I could easily digress into the mindfulness training on right livelihood, I will not muddy the water further. As a leader in my profession, I need to maintain currency and awareness. Check!

Family Harmony. For me, there are two issues with buying the iPad as it relates to the home. First, adding another device to home environment already cluttered with technology and secondly, the potential to continue to degrade interpersonal relationships in the household. The iPhone already has developed a central role in my daily activities both at home and at work. Finding a balance to provide harmony has been challenging and I am concerned the iPad may make it even more difficult. That said, there is the potential to draw us together at times using the technology. This is a great unknown. It could be that it is simply banned from the house as the television has been for the last decade. This obstacle is one that needs further consideration and an easy solution is not apparent aside from simply not buying the iPad. No check for this one.

Environment. From an environmental perspective, the iPad is designed with arsenic-free display glass, BFR-free, Mercury-free LCD display, PVC-free, and recyclable aluminium and glass enclosure. This is good. Nonetheless, no matter how environmentally sound a product is created, it is still another “thing” created and put into the universe. It will have an impact, particularly if millions of people purchase an iPad. This type of technology also has a certain level of planned obsolescence. For example, speculation already exists that the next version will include video. Why not now? Will I need to buy another iPad when v.2 is released? There is no way to truly wiggle around the environmental cost of the iPad. However, keeping technology operating and long lasting is one method to lessen the impact. Obviously it can’t be like a vehicle (I drive a 25-year old vehicle), but it could be designed to last 5-8 years. Not very long. No check for this one.

Ultimately, this is an exercise in deep looking; exactly what the Mindfulness Trainings and my Teacher asks us to do.  I will continue to ponder, consider, argue, reconcile, meditate, and discuss until the moment a decision is made.

What are you planning in regards to the iPad? How do you make decisions about technology consumption?

Note: The title of the blog post is a play on a new book by Jaron Lanier called “You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto” – thanks Jaron!

Dragon and lion dances. Firecrackers. Drumming. Laughter. Lisi (red envelopes with money). Generosity.

Today is the second day of the new year. It is the only day in the year that lay people (non-monastic) may visit the quarters of the monks and nuns. What joy!

As we travel from room to room, carrying our glasses, we share tea, cider, snacks, and songs. Interspersed with visits by drums and dragon for us to offer up oranges and snacks to the beast.

The monastics live in simple quarters. Some sleep on the floor, others on thin mats. A few books, some clothes, and an altar are usually in each room. They share their space and their tea.

It is a lesson in simplicity. It is a lesson in friendship. It is a lesson in generosity.

May your tiger year be healthy and may your life be long.

(posting from iPhone; links and pix may arrive later)

Do you believe in religious freedom? It is something we almost take for granted in our nation and in our world. However, there are places where religious freedom is a precious gift that must be struggled for to make a reality. This is the case in Vietnam.

For 39 years Nobel Prize Nominee and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) has lived in exile in France because he challenged the status quo of violence in his Motherland. Even after the “American War” ended, Thay was not allowed to return. That all changed in 2005 when he returned home to tour the country and give talks and share the dharma. He returned again in 2007 and 2008. I was honored to be a part of the initial delegation in 2005 and experienced the elation and joy of the Vietnamese people and the apparent opening up of the nation to new ideas and newfound religious freedom.

The trip also coincided with Vietnam’s desire to join the World Trade Organization, which has since happened. On a related note, the President of Vietnam just assumed the presidency of the United Nations Security Council.

During that initial trip in 2005, and in subsequent trips, a home was established for students of Thay to practice as monastics in the tradition of Plum Village. Approximately $1 million was spent to build up the monastery, including a meditation hall for 1800 people. The land was a gift of a local abbot, who maintains ownership, in the Lam Dong province and it was called Bat Nha Monastery (also known as Prajna Temple). The monastic sangha grew to 400 young monks and nuns, mostly under the age of 25. It is my understanding that this is the largest independent monastic community in Vietnam not under the direct control of the Vietnamese Buddhist Sangha.

On October 29, 2008, the Government’s Committee on Religious Affairs (GCRA) accused Thich Nhat Hanh of distorting Vietnam’s religious policies and stated that the monastic and lay practitioners at Prajna no longer have legal rights to stay at Prajna and have to leave the monastery.

Unfortunately, it appears the government’s objective was to breakup the community of monastic practitioners rather than allow them to find another location in Vietnam. The monastics chose to remain together at Bat Nha Monastery. In June 2009, the power and water was shut off at the monastery. State-linked religious authorities had given Thay’s followers until September 2 to leave the monastery but they had refused to go. On September 27, 2009 a siege to evict the monastics took place. Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured during the eviction but the monastery was damaged, several monastics were arrested, and the approximately 379 young monastics have taken refuge in a temple in the neighboring district.

Since taking refuge at the Phuoc Hue temple, the police have continued to attempt to remove them. At this time, the Phuoc Hue Abott has been able to allow them to stay and resist governmental pressure. Local reports suggest the police have stepped up their campaign, placing the followers under 24-hour guard and ordering them to leave Phuoc Hue temple.

In a gesture of religious solidarity, the local Catholic Church has offered to provide refuge to the monastics if they are evicted from Phuoc Hue temple too.

Much of what has occurred has been covered in the international press and on the Help Bat Nha web site. This is a complicated matter and I’ve attempted to give a birds eye view of what is happening in Vietnam.

In our local community, we are supporting the young monks and nuns of Bat Nha Monastery by participating in the Global Sit for Bat Nha on Sunday, October 4. If you would like to join us, we’ll meet at the Being Peace Zendo at 9:00am. Located at 308 Drown in Ojai. We will have a silent sit for 30-minutes. Please bring a small strip of yellow cloth for a picture we will send to Vietnam.

If you are interested in doing more, please read how you can help.

These young monastics (mostly under age 25) have been living here since 2005 at the invitation of the local Abbott. However, they were asked to leave earlier this year. It is not so simple for monastics to simply disperse and go live alone or at home and that is why finding a suitable new location for 400 people is challenging. All the monastics are Vietnamese citizens and are practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, the exiled Vietnamese Zen Master based in France.

If you want to learn more about the situation, please visit Help Bat Nha.

If you would like to help, please do any of the following:

1. Pray for a nonviolent and peaceful resolution.
2. Stay Informed. Follow Thich Nhat Hanh on Facebook or Twitter
3. Send a postcard to the President of Vietnam in support of the 400 monks and nuns at Bat Nha. The postcard was first introduced at the Deer Park retreat in early September with Thich Nhat Hanh. The pdf files linked above can be double-side copied on card stock (text on one side, address on the other) and then cut in half (two post cards per sheet). A 98 cent stamp will ensure Air Mail delivery to Vietnam. Please consider copying them and taking postcards to your next Sangha meeting. You might offer to collect the cards and mail them yourself, asking perhaps for a donation for the stamp.
4. Contacting U.S. Senators and Congresspersons, asking that they send a letter of concern about the situation of the monastics to the government of Vietnam. If you choose instead to write a letter, email will be the quickest option. Any letters addressed to Senators and Representatives’ Washington D.C. offices are inspected for security reasons and take an extra three weeks or so to reach their offices.
5. Contacting Senators and Representatives on the Foreign Relations Committees. This file gives names and contact information for Senators and Representatives on Foreign Relations Committee subcommittees that would have interest in the situation at Bat Nha. If you live in their state or district, please call with your concern and request immediately.

Thank you for reading and for the support.

Update: You may wish to call members of the Vietnamese government. Mr. Le Thanh Phong- 091.386.5000, Mr. Troung Van Thu – 091.386.5294, and Mr. Ho Ba Thang 091.393.4718 are local members of the Vietnam government.

Posted via email from On the fly…

I have been using the book Touching the Earth by Thich Nhat Hanh for several years  as part of my morning meditation practice. It is a wonderful book that provides a framework to have a “conversation” with the Buddha and look deeply at our relationship with the Earth, others, ourselves, and the Ultimate Dimension. The monastic practice with this book is to listen to a chapter read while touching the earth. This can prove difficult if you practice alone, so that is the purpose of this blog series. I am recording the chapters to listening to them at a later time and want others to benefit from this effort.

Over the coming weeks/months, I will record chapters from the book and then post them here to share. You may download from this site or use iTunes to receive the podcast [iTunes Podcast].

If you want to use this material in your meditation practice, my recommendation is to start the recording and then touch the earth with you head, elbows, and knees in prostration. After the primary reading is complete, you will hear the full sound of the bell. Upon hearing a small tap on the bell, then stand up and prostrate again on the next sound of the full bell. This will happen one more time to end the meditation.

As the introduction of the book states,

When we touch the Earth, we take refuge in it. We receive its solid and inclusive energy. The Earth embraces us and helps us transform our ignorance, suffering, and despair. Wherever we are, we can be in touch with the Earth. Wherever we are, we can bow down to receive its energy of stability and fearlessness. As we touch the Earth, we can follow our breathing. We release all our instability, fear, anxiety, disease, and anger. We know the Earth can absorb our negativity without reacting to us or judging us. In this way, we are able to transform what is painful and difficult to accept within us. We are able to strengthen our capacity to look, speak, and act with understanding and compassion towards ourselves, our loved ones, and all members of society. Touching the Earth communicates our gratitude, joy, and acceptance to our Mother Earth. With this practice, we cultivate a relationship with the Earth and, in doing so, we restore our balance, our wholeness, and our peace.

Posted via email from Touching the Earth

Recently I was sharing about a personal relationship issue with a monastic friend and teacher and he suggested I start with a period of fasting. I was not completely clear on how this could help or be related, but I trust my friend and know that fasting is a common practice in the monastery. The intention here is not a detox fast, but one of a more spiritual nature. I started practicing with the fast for a 1-2 weeks by fasting for dinner. It wasn’t too difficult to eat two meals a day, the most difficult time being late afternoon. This did raise my confidence and understanding in fasting.

For this fasting practice, I decided to take the experience as it happened without putting too much pressure on myself. Though he had suggested 10-days, I decided to just take it one day at a time. I also decided to make it primarily a water only fast with a couple of exceptions – namely, I would drink 2-ounces of a juice blend in the morning and evening and would allow myself a cup of tea in the morning. Aside from that, it was water. The fast was three days.

The body is strange and powerful. The body felt solid and grounded for most of the fast but at the same time it allowed the mind to soften and wander a bit further than normal. I participated in some physical activity in the yard and in the house, went to a meeting at work one day, and worked on the computer. The key to success seemed to be having the option to rest whenever needed because I did get tired more quickly and easily than normal.

On a physical level, fasting really brings a person in touch with the body itself. The needs. The functions. The different parts. Experiencing hunger pains. Numbness. Dizziness. A person cannot act and behave normally when hungry.

On a mental level, fasting gives your mind the freedom to touch its relationship to the body. More importantly, the mind slows with the body. I had an intention with my fast, to focus on my personal relationship, and with each moment of physical discomfort and tightness of the stomach I could bring awareness to that relationship. This is important to me. I will work on this more. How can things be improved?

On the third day I discovered what the most important part of the fast was for me. Namely, I slowed down. The pace of life was reduced dramatically. I could still participate and do life’s activities but at a completely different rate. Wow, so this is it. To be present. With that I decided to end the fast. I had gained some insight and also realized that I needed to lend more support to my family by having more energy and strength (by eating again).

I hope to fast again in the future and also know that I could continue beyond three days if I wanted to journey further into my consciousness. Thank you Br. Phap Dung, Leslie, and the kids for being my support.

I leave Friday morning for Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, a Buddhist monastery in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. The monastery sits on about 300 acres of open land next to another preserve. Very beautiful. I typically spend 4-6 weeks per year at the monastery as an ordained member of the Order of Interbeing (we’re asked to do 60 Days of Mindfulness per year). This particular visit is different because the first 19 days will be without my family. We usually go as a family but Leslie suggested some time for myself and they will come at the end for the Family Camp Annual Retreat.

During my stay at the monastery, there will be two formal retreats: Teen Camp Annual Retreat and the Family Camp Annual Retreat. As a guest of the monastery and an Order member, I will assist with both these retreats by leading discussions, demonstrating practice, working in the kitchen, playing with children, hiking, etc. The other days I will participate in the regular activities of the monastery. Typically we start the day at 5:00am with the wake-up bell. Sitting meditation is at 5:45 followed by breakfast at 7:30am. From lights out (10:00pm) until after breakfast we practice noble silence. During the day we do working meditation, walking meditation, maybe a dharma talk or discussion, and another period of sitting mediation in the evening. It’s quite pleasant and peaceful with a very slow pace. Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. One of my favorite parts of the day is eating mediation; most meals consist of at least 20-minutes of silent eating and we always eat together as a sangha.

For those of you who know me, I am a HUGE technology user (even teach a class on Social Networking and Social Media) so going to a monastery has an impact on my connectivity. In the past, I have practiced at the monastery without any technology – no cell phone, no SMS, no email, no web, no Twitter, no Facebook, etc. Occassionaly I will work on the monastic computers but have refrained from accessing my various accounts. It is a great way to step away from it all and be with nature and be with myself. I find it very nurturing.

You may have noticed that I wrote “in the past” in the previous paragraph. I am considering offering something small each day of the retreat. Perhaps a picture using momentile (which will populate to my Twitter, Friendfeed, and Facebook accounts). If I choose to do this, it would be 1-way only – no reading comments, etc. I can use my iPhone to take the picture and email it from the camera app.  Naturally, this is a risk and not completely letting go of technology for the time of the visit. No decision yet.

Regardless of what I decide, the 24-days away from my regular (family) practice in Ojai should be a joyful and nourishing time. I am thankful for the opportunity. Perhaps I will see some of you there during my visit? If you are considering anything, try the Family Retreat. All are welcome and much of the practice is nonsectarian.

Talk to you in July.