What We Want

9/11: Real Homeland Security

In the media today there was a lot of talk about how much we've learned since 9/11. All of it is about our "security." It seems we missed the point.

If we help feed, clothe and care for countries in need without expecting anything in return, I think that would be the end of terrorism.

If we persist in propping up dictators and maintaining troops against the will of the people, then terrorist acts against us are a given.

If we continue to use food as a weapon of coercion by creating embargoes, then we shouldn't be surprised that terrorism thrives.

We aren't at the mercy of the meanies out there. What did we do (or fail to do) to allow a bin Laden to develop? That's the question.

As a nation we had a great opportunity to talk about that question. We chose instead to funnel our pain into hatred and go to war. Twice.

I pray that those of us who believe in peace will speak up again and take back the reins.

No More War. Food Not Bombs.

9/11 Morning Prayers

May all those who were killed on 9/11 have an auspicious rebirth. May they benefit beings wherever they are.

May all those who survived 9/11 be cleansed of their fear & sorrow. May they dedicate their lives to benefiting others.

May those who celebrated the killings on 9/11 be cleansed of their anger & and feel remorse. May they think only of benefiting others.

May our nation "Never Forget" that all nations have experienced sorrow equal to ours at some time in their history.

May people of all faiths unite to bring an era of harmony, respect, acceptance & loving-kindness to our nation.

For Every Stupid There Is A Season

It's been a long time since I did something overtly stupid. I don't mean things that turn out to be stupid. I do those on a regular basis. I mean something that--given 10 seconds of thought ahead of time-- you'd never even think of doing. When I was about 5 I cut off most of the middle of one eyebrow. Like that.

Today I did something just as stupid.

I put artichoke leaves down the garbage disposal. Now that is just nuts. I know you can't do that. If you can't chew it you can't stick it down the disposal. I had a very quick inner conversation about it that went something like, "I wonder if I can put these down the disposal. Hmm, I don't remember doing it before, but I bet I can. The garbage disposal can take it. Here we go!"

And there they went. All at once, mind you. Because it was just that stupid. As it churned and gagged, I said out loud to the disposal, "Oh come on, you can take it!" I don't know why, but for some reason I turned into a high school football coach and started barking orders at the thing. When the water started backing up into the sink I knew that--despite my excellent coaching advice-- the disposal actually couldn't take it.

I spent the next 30 minutes jamming my hand in the drain and digging out artichoke fibers. I still don't know if I got it all out. Water isn't backing up any more but you know, it sounds a little funny. Incredibly, part of me wants to put something else down there to see if it's working.

Mostly, I'm wondering how many calories I expended with all that. Certainly I must have blown through the 50 or so calories I consumed by eating the crummy artichoke. That bathroom scale better have something good to say about it tomorrow or it might wind up in the disposal, too. The disposal can take it, I'm sure.

"Why the Buddha Touched the Earth"

This is a great article from The Huffington Post. A must-read. Here's the original link from Huff-Po if you wish to read it there.

Why the Buddha Touched the Earth

by John Stanley and David Loy

"The entire cosmos is a cooperative. The sun, the moon, and the stars live together as a cooperative. The same is true for humans and animals, trees, and the Earth. When we realize that the world is a mutual, interdependent, cooperative enterprise -- then we can build a noble environment. If our lives are not based on this truth, then we shall perish." --Buddhadasa Bhikkhu

"The term 'engaged Buddhism' was created to restore the true meaning of Buddhism. Engaged Buddhism is simply Buddhism applied in our daily lives. If it's not engaged, it can't be called Buddhism. Buddhist practice takes place not only in monasteries, meditation halls and Buddhist institutes, but in whatever situation we find ourselves. Engaged Buddhism means the activities of daily life combined with the practice of mindfulness. --Thich Nhat Hanh

In one of Buddhism's iconic images, Gautama Buddha sits in meditation with his left palm upright on his lap, while his right hand touches the earth. Demonic forces have tried to unseat him, because their king, Mara, claims that place under the bodhi tree. As they proclaim their leader's powers, Mara demands that Gautama produce a witness to confirm his spiritual awakening. The Buddha simply touches the earth with his right hand, and the Earth itself immediately responds: "I am your witness." Mara and his minions vanish. The morning star appears in the sky. This moment of supreme enlightenment is the central experience from which the whole of the Buddhist tradition unfolds.

The great 20th-century Vedantin, Ramana Maharshi said that the Earth is in a constant state ofdhyana. The Buddha's earth-witness mudra (hand position) is a beautiful example of "embodied cognition." His posture and gesture embody unshakeable self-realization. He does not ask heavenly beings for assistance. Instead, without using any words, the Buddha calls on the Earth to bear witness.

The Earth has observed much more than the Buddha's awakening. For the last 3 billion years the Earth has borne witness to the evolution of its innumerable life-forms, from unicellular creatures to the extraordinary diversity and complexity of plant and animal life that flourishes today. We not only observe this multiplicity, we are part of it -- even as our species continues to damage it. Many biologists predict that half the Earth's plant and animal species could disappear by the end of this century, on the current growth trajectories of human population, economy and pollution. This sobering fact reminds us that global warming is the primary, but not the only, extraordinary ecological crisis confronting us today.

Has Mara taken a new form today -- as our own species? Just as Mara claimed the Buddha's sitting-place as his own, Homo sapiens today claims, in effect, that the only really important species is itself. All other species have meaning and value only insofar as they serve our purposes. Indeed, powerful elements of our economic system (notably Big Oil and its enablers) seem to have relocated to the state of "zero empathy," a characteristic of psychopathic or narcissistic personalities.

The Earth community has a self-emergent, interdependent, cooperative nature. We humans have no substance or reality that is separate from this community. Thich Nhat Hanh refers to this as our "inter-being": we and other species "inter-are." If we base our life and conduct on this truth, we transcend the notion that Buddhist practice takes place within a religious framework that promotes only our own individual awakening. We realize the importance of integrating the practice of mindfulness into the activities of daily life. And if we really consider Mother Earth as an integral community and a witness of enlightenment, don't we have a responsibility to protect her through mindful "sacred activism"?

This year the U.S. president will determine whether or not to approve a proposed pipeline, which will extend from the "great American carbon bomb" of the Alberta Tar Sands to the Texas oil refineries. The implications are enormous. The devastation that would result from processing and burning even half the Tar Sands oil is literally incalculable: the resulting increase in atmospheric carbon would trigger "tipping points" for runaway global warming. Our best climate scientist, NASA's James Hansen, states that if this project alone goes ahead, it will be "game over" for the Earth's climate. This is a challenge we cannot evade. It is crucial for Buddhists to join forces with other concerned people in creative and resolute opposition to this potentially fatal new folly.

As the Buddha's enlightenment reminds us, our awakening too is linked to the Earth. The Earth bore witness to the Buddha, and now the Earth needs us to bear witness -- to its dhyana, its steadfastness, the matrix of support it continually provides for living beings. New types of bodhisattvas -- "ecosattvas" -- are needed, who combine the practice of self-transformation with devotion to social and ecological transformation. Yes, we need to write letters and emails to the President, hopefully to influence his decision. But we may also need to consider other strategies if such appeals are ignored, such as nonviolent civil disobedience. That's because this decision isn't just about a financial debt ceiling. This is about the Earth's carbon ceiling. This is about humanity's survival ceiling. As the Earth is our witness.

Save the Parrots of Troy

Yesterday our parrot rescue (Garuda Aviary) became aware of this horrific situation in Troy, Ohio.

Watch the coverage provided by WHIOTV.

Then please sign our petition and share it widely.

Buddha of Compassion

I spent most of the past week traveling to Washington, DC, to receive teachings and the Kalachakra empowerment from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. While it was extremely difficult physically and it will take many days to recover, the blessings will remain for countless lifetimes. Innumerable beings will benefit from the merit dedicated to them. So today while my body rests, my mind rejoices.

Here is a sweet video that exemplifies the love, unity and respect His Holiness brings to the world. I'll post more in the coming days.

600 Ways to Heal

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Saga Dawa Dog

I call Patch my Saga Dawa Dog because I adopted him on Saga Dawa Duchen in 2003, amidst a stream of miracles.(Saga Dawa Duchen is a Buddhist holy day that marks the Buddha's enlightenment and parinirvana.)

I had connected to KPC through Ani Pema 6 months before, when my dog Laika was struggling with a horrific, undiagnosable condition. By May, it became apparent that Laika was dying. I’d rescued her from the dog-unfriendly streets of Spain 10 years before. She was my heart and joy, and my sorrow grew daily. Because she was unable to support her own wasting body, I kept her with me and carried her everywhere—to work, to prayer shifts, etc….

We were in the early phases of building the Amitabha Stupa in Sedona, Arizona, under the guidance of stupa expert Tulku Sang Ngag Rinpoche. He was giving a public talk on stupas at Sedona Creative Life Center. Though I had mixed feelings about going, the life of the Buddha taught me I would ultimately be of greater benefit to Laika if I accomplished the Path.

So Laika laid limp and blind in the back seat of my car that evening, as I filled my eyes and ears with Dharma, praying it would benefit her. At the end, Ani Pema came running up and said, “Bring your car to the exit right away. Tulku wants to bless Laika!” She had told Tulku about Laika’s desperate condition. We drove up just as Tulku emerged. I opened the back door of the car, and Tulku gave Laika a very long blessing. Through my tears of joy, I could see Laika do what she had not been able to do for weeks—lift her head towards Tulku, as if she were receiving the blessing. “Look, look at Laika!” Pema said with equal delight.

Two weeks later, with “Invocation” playing in the room, Laika died peacefully in my arms as I tapped the crown of her head. I got a message through to Jetsunma right away. I felt surprisingly joyful. Laika had burned up so much negative karma, and she’d had a good death, with so many blessings. That afternoon, I drove to Sedona for a Shower of Blessings tsog to be with sangha and dedicate merit to Laika. I was winding through Oak Creek Canyon, when all of a sudden I “felt” Laika everywhere, in everything. I don’t know how to describe it. I certainly wasn’t expecting it. It was as if I could feel her joyful presence in every living cell around me, buzzing, sparkling.

Within another 2 weeks on Saga Dawa, I adopted Patch in Prescott, got him acquainted with my foster dog Lucy, and we hurried to KPC. As we arrived, I learned that Jetsunma was teaching. I had never seen her in person before! I tied the dogs on the shaded porch. The place was packed. I wedged myself into the little prayer room for the last 10 minutes. I could see Jetsunma’s right arm and was overjoyed to see my Lama for the first time. The dogs waited quietly outside. Jetsunma stopped abruptly and said, “Someone bring those dogs inside. It’s too hot.” There was no way she could have known there were dogs out there!

I marvel at this string of miracles, and at the miracle Jetsunma displayed for me within minutes of seeing her. I rejoice in Patch’s excellent karma—on his first day as a sangha member, he got to hear his Lama speak.

United States v. William Cassidy

Here is an update on William Cassidy, aka "Tenpa Rinpoche." The original copy of this legal statement appears on our temple's website and on Jetsunma's blog.

United States v. William Cassidy 8:11-cr-00091

Dialogue and critical thinking are valuable gifts we share as sentient beings. Freedom of belief and freedom of expression are valuable rights we cherish in our democracy. Hatred and violent threats, however, are neither valuable nor right. In recent years, Jetsunma and KPC have been threatened repeatedly and made the target of hateful, homophobic and misogynistic epithets. These threats were reported to law enforcement and, following a full investigation conducted by FBI and U.S. Department of Justice, federal criminal charges were filed in the case of United States v. William Cassidy, 8:11-cr-00091 and he has been charged with cyberstalking.

We understand from law enforcement that, as part of that criminal investigation, search warrants were executed upon the residences of both William Cassidy and an individual named Andrew Wilson. KPC has no comment on these matters and possesses no authority over the ultimate outcome of this criminal case. The matter now is up to the courts and our criminal justice system. KPC has cooperated fully with law enforcement requests and will continue to do so.

What matters remain in our hands and in the hands of all responsible, peace-seeking and law abiding citizens is our own behavior. Persons seeking the path of truth do not taunt and seek to hurt others through hateful and demeaning epithets directed at women and sexual orientation. That is not an esoteric concept but common decency. Hatred and fear wear many masks in our world but their true face is eventually revealed. We call upon all to engage in healthy dialogue and critical thinking free of hatred and fear. Love, forgiveness and acceptance are the way of peace and enlightenment.

And Another

I saw this today on Tsem Tulku Rinpoche's blog and thought I'd post it here, too. Please visit his blog and enjoy all the treasures there.

Untitled

Bring tissues.

"Robin Hood In Reverse"

Senator Bernie Sanders-- one of my personal heroes--on the Senate floor, April 12, 2011.

May compassion and respect for all people arise in the hearts and minds of all Americans.

Karma

The Masses

I came across this Google map of worldwide mass animal deaths since December and decided to list them here, not to entertain conspiracy theories but to shine a bit of light on the terrible suffering in the world.

Though I only listed the deaths due to unknown or suspicious causes, the Google map also includes a few events listed with known causes-- the 100 pelicans mutilated and intentionally killed in North Carolina , the 10 tons of fish trapped in a broken fishing net in New Zealand, the 150 tons of farmed fish who died as a result of overcrowding in Cambodia, and the mass die-offs of penguins and sea birds due to climate change in New Zealand.

Whatever the cause of their deaths, it's heartbreaking to see so many precious beings suffer and die.

Too many fish to count: Florida, Dec 15

Thousands of fish: Philippines, Dec 18

Hundreds of starfish and jellyfish: South Carolina, Dec 23

Scores of fish: Haiti, Dec 27

70 Bats: Arizona, Dec 28

Dozens of fish: Texas, Dec 29

5,000+ blackbirds : Arkansas, Dec 31

500+ blackbirds: Louisiana, Jan 3

Dozens of blackbirds: Kentucky, Jan 3

100,000 fish: Arkansas, Jan 3

2 million fish: Maryland, Jan 3

Thousands of fish: Florida, Jan 4

50-100 Jackdaw birds: Sweden, Jan 4

Hundreds of fish: United Kingdom, Jan 4

Scores of fish: United Kingdom, Jan 4

Hundreds of fish: Ontario, Jan 4

300 Doves: Italy, Jan 6

Tons of fish: Brazil, Jan 6

Hundreds of fish: New Zealand, Jan 6

If you are so inclined, please join me in praying that all these creatures have an auspicious rebirth.

For The Babies

It isn't often that you can do big things with just a little effort.

Our dog rescue Tara's Babies is competing in the Pepsi Refresh Project during the month of January to win a $250,000 grant. The Pepsi Refresh Project is an online contest--whoever gets the most votes wins the big bucks. We need people to vote for Tara's Babies every day throughout January, and to vote both online and via text if possible. That's right, each person can vote TWICE each day.

Here's how:

1. Watch this video to see Tara's Babies in action and learn what they will do with the grant.




2. This page tells you how to create an account before voting and also explains how to vote. (Your account info is safe. I voted throughout September for another project and assure you they will not use your email or personal info.)

3. Optional: Go to Tara's Babies website and sign up to receive a daily email reminder to vote.

4. To vote by text: Text 105549 to 73774 (that spells "PEPSI")

5. Vote online AND via text EVERY DAY in January.

Please participate in this project. The Babies need you and deserve every good thing we can provide for them.

Dragging in the New Year

I won't sugarcoat it-- last night was tough. For the past several weeks the Wegener's has been slowly waking up-- not enough to re-treat yet but enough to make my life increasingly difficult. The pain is back and building. The fatigue is increasing. On top of that, I've been sick with a cold that not only ran amok but sent out last-minute invitations to its bacterial buddies for a year-end party. You know how some plants completely wilt when they need watering? That's how I feel-- no reserves at all. Try as I might to stop the chemical cascade, the energy being siphoned by the physical is taking its toll on me emotionally. It's pure biochemistry. And even though I can describe the endocrine feedback loops, knowing that fire is hot doesn't keep it from burning you.

Still, I love our temple's New Year's Eve tradition and wanted to participate. It meant making a deal with the endocrine devil as it were-- pouring in caffeine all afternoon, aware that I'd feel like a truck hit me the next day for the adrenal stress it would cause. (Dealing with chronic illness is like Sophie's Choice every day. Which child do you favor, the body or the mind, and can you ever restore a sense of wholeness once you've chosen one over the other?)

Unfortunately, the caffeine was enough to keep me awake but not enough to jolt me into a celebratory mood. After discovering-- for the zillionth time-- that my favorite coping mechanism of muscling through was not going to work, I finally gave myself permission to surrender. Well, sort of. Complete surrender would have brought me joy. The partial surrender I embraced was just enough to put the brakes on my thoughts that said, "It's New Year's Eve, why aren't you happy?" Or worse, "There's something wrong with you."

But some surrender is better than nothing. It creates spaciousness in the mind that isn't there otherwise. It was in those moments that I found bits of peace-- where I felt carried by the merit of eons of practitioners accomplishing their practice, and where I remembered that nothing is permanent, especially not an emotional state. As much as I wish those moments would have stretched into the entire night, they didn't. It was a struggle even at the end. But it was one night that doesn't--no matter what the Hallmark commercials want us to think-- seal my fate for the coming year. I'm not the same person who rejoiced in last year's New Year's Eve celebration. I'm the one who thinks that's okay.