(Extrapolated from the Sitting Dhyana Samadhi Sutra)
For beginners, focus on counting your breaths from one to ten. For more advanced practitioners, follow the breaths and count from one to ten, but stop thinking when breathing pauses. For the most advanced practitioners, count while pausing and contemplating; the practice becomes holistic and pure. For example, when an inhalation concludes, count “one” and when an exhalation concludes, count “two.” If you count a breath before it completes, you start with one again.
Counting is the easiest way for us to learn about impermanence, to stop our flurry of thoughts and to focus. The body and mind’s coming into being and ceasing to be are impermanent but difficult to see as they continue. However, the impermanence of the coming into being and the ceasing to be of inhalations and exhalations is easier to detect and understand. When you concentrate on counting, all other thoughts stop, including thoughts of desire, anger, vexation, relatives, nations, and immortality. These thoughts are like the pebbles that a gold digger must first filter before he proceeds to sift through the finer grains for sands of gold.
Though other practices also allow us to let go of thought and are more relaxing and easier to focus, we practice counting the breath because it is quick-paced and easily detracts. Why? Consider the task of tending ox, for example. A rancher rarely loses an oxen, so he does not guard a herd too closely. Monkeys, on the other hand, are easily lost, so they are guarded more closely. Similarly, while counting in our heads our breaths, we cannot think about anything else even for a moment; we would lose count if we did. This is why we count our breaths when first trying to let go of thoughts. Once we know the counting method, we may practice letting go of all thoughts. At that point, follow an inhalation to its completion but do not verbalize “one” in your head. Follow an exhalation to its completion but do not count “two.” Contemplate like a creditor who initially pursues a debtor without parting for a moment. You will be able to tell the difference between inhalations and exhalations then because exhalations are warm while inhalations are cool.
Exhalations occur because the mind stirs. Once exhaled, it ceases. When the nose and mouth suck outside air, breath enters. Once inhaled, breath ceases. There is nothing that is about to be released and nothing to enter. Notice the difference in breaths for those at different stages in life. Young people’s inhalations tend to be longer; those in their prime have even inhalations and exhalations; while the elderly tend to have longer exhalations. Therefore, a breath is not one continuous cycle.
Air generated from around the navel seems all the same and cyclical, but actually, the exhalation reaches the mouth and the nose and ceases. Just like a bellow, when it opens, air ceases. When the nose and mouth invite air in, it enters. Oxygen enters because a set of conditions come together. Similarly, the conditions for inhalations and exhalations are new each time; their coming into being and ceasing to be are impermanent. Contemplate how exhalations are led-in by the conditions of the nose and the mouth while the condition of the mind’s stirring produces inhalations. We may consider breaths “ours,” but breath is air and no different than any air outside; the same with the elements of earth, water, fire, and space.
Being mindful of inhalation and exhalation is called “following.” Once you are familiar with the method of following, practice “stopping” as a method, which means you stop counting when the mind is still. Counting the breath actually interrupts a steady mind. However, without mindfulness, the mind has nothing to do and therefore tends to lose focus. Like a guard at the door who observes the comings and goings of people, for example, the mind at a stop is the same: it knows when the breath is exhaled, going from the navel to the chest, throat, then the mouth and nose. When the breath is inhaled, it moves from the nose and mouth to the throat, chest, and then the navel. By fixing the mind on one thing, it is called “stopping.”
We can begin to notice some different aspects of the breath by being mindful. See whether inhalations and exhalations are long or short. Someone frightened or with a heavy load climbing up a mountain will have relatively short breaths. His breaths are longer when he gets some relief. We also want to notice how all breaths pervade the body. Our awareness covers the body from head to toe, seeping into all pores like water into sand. Contemplate the entire body and see that air travels throughout the pores, as if they were holes of lotus roots or fish nets. Furthermore, be mindful of not only the in and out breaths of the mouth and nose alone, but also observe inhalations and exhalations throughout all the pores and apertures. We will notice how breaths pervade and circulate the entire body.
In the early stages of learning to be mindful of inhalations and exhalations, we tend to give up when we feel lazy, sleepy or heavy. Actually, being mindful of our breaths reduces laxness, sleepiness, and heaviness of the mind. When we practice until we reach a lightness in the mind and a softening in the body, we experience joy. At that point, thoughts about inhalations stop; next, pain resulting from circulation ends because thoughts about the body stop. When thoughts about pain occur no more, we are really happy.
We can actually tell whether meditators are in a state of meditative absorption. In general, their faces are pleasant and lustrous. They stroll along uprightly without losing focus. Their eyes are not glued to form and they enjoy spiritual virtues and the power of samadhi. They are not greedy for fame or gain, but have conquered arrogance. They are gentle by nature, harboring no wish to harm or miserliness and envy. They are straightforward and trustworthy. Their minds are pure. They do not fight during arguments. They do not deceive with physical gestures and are approachable. They are tender with a sense of shame. Their mind is always on the Dharma. They diligently cultivate and uphold the precepts completely. They recite the sutras with proper thought and their thoughts accord with the Dharma practices. They are always joyous and do not become angry in situations eliciting anger. They do not accept any impure offerings among the four types of offerings. They accept pure donations and know their capacity and when to be content. They wake up feeling light and well. They give material goods and teachings and eliminate the deviant through patience. They are not conceited and rarely participate in arguments. They are humble and respectful toward seniors, peers and juniors. They always draw near and comply with good teachers and kind advisors. They know restraint in their diet and are not attached to desirable flavors. They enjoy being alone in quiet places and remain patient and unaffected by hardship or happiness. They do not resent or compete and do not enjoy fighting or litigation. We know those who have these characteristics have reached a singularly focused mind.
Bodhisattvas who see the way should practice patience. Not only are Bodhisattvas not affected, angry or hateful toward unfavorable mindstates and circumstances, they are even compassionate. All these beings wish for good things, so may they attain all they wish. Staying with these thoughts, Bodhisattvas gradually come to understand all dharmas. This is just like a kind mother’s love for her child. She feeds and raises the child. She does not consider the various impurities evil; but is doubly empathetic and wishes for the child’s happiness. Practitioners are the same way; all beings do all kinds of evil but practitioners do not detest, retreat or turn away from them. Gently bring the mind’s focus back to compassion. Do not retreat, and that is patience.
2/16/2010
An Antidote for Hatred: Kindness
(Extrapolated from the Sitting Dhyana Samadhi Sutra)
For beginners, start by being kind to those you care about. Make the wishes of your dearly beloved come true. Make them happy physically, psychically and spiritually by providing them with material gifts, for example. Practitioners focus on kind thoughts without veering.
For more advanced practitioners, practice being kind to those whom you feel neutral. Focus on providing others with happiness. When the mind wanders off to other things, gently pull it back to kind thoughts.
For the most advanced practitioners, be kind to those you hate. Bestow happiness on your enemies the way you would upon your dearly beloved. Focus on kind thoughts and your heart will open up and become pure. You will see that all beings everywhere are just like you, an insight that makes anyone happy.
How can we be empathetic toward, and furthermore wish happiness upon, people who are evil though? Everyone has an aspect of good in them. Why should we ignore and drown out their goodness over one incident? The people we resent now may be people we loved dearly some time past; they may have been our family or friends in lives past. How could we hate them and heap more resentment upon them now? We will be patient with them and consider them our benefactors. Without hateful people and situations, how can we develop patience? People we resent help us grow our patience. Remember the humaneness and virtue of this practice, the splendid power of kindness is never lost.
Hatred is like venom; it is difficult to contain. When we wish to burn others, we are really hurting ourselves. The number of pebbles on the road is countless, like hatred they cannot be eliminated with covered leather everywhere we walk; instead, we could guard against them by wearing the sandals of patience.
Don the shield of great kindness to shelter against the arrows of affliction. Kindness is the medicine that absolves resentment and loosens the knot of venom. When worries burn the mind, kindness can extinguish them. Kindness is the ladder that allows us to climb onto the platform of ease. Kindness is the boat that allows us to cross the sea of cyclical birth and death. Among all valuables, kindness is one dazzling gem. On the journey to enlightenment, kindness is sustenance.
The most admirable figures in history consider it a joy to regard all humankind with kindness, so I shall do the same.
For beginners, start by being kind to those you care about. Make the wishes of your dearly beloved come true. Make them happy physically, psychically and spiritually by providing them with material gifts, for example. Practitioners focus on kind thoughts without veering.
For more advanced practitioners, practice being kind to those whom you feel neutral. Focus on providing others with happiness. When the mind wanders off to other things, gently pull it back to kind thoughts.
For the most advanced practitioners, be kind to those you hate. Bestow happiness on your enemies the way you would upon your dearly beloved. Focus on kind thoughts and your heart will open up and become pure. You will see that all beings everywhere are just like you, an insight that makes anyone happy.
How can we be empathetic toward, and furthermore wish happiness upon, people who are evil though? Everyone has an aspect of good in them. Why should we ignore and drown out their goodness over one incident? The people we resent now may be people we loved dearly some time past; they may have been our family or friends in lives past. How could we hate them and heap more resentment upon them now? We will be patient with them and consider them our benefactors. Without hateful people and situations, how can we develop patience? People we resent help us grow our patience. Remember the humaneness and virtue of this practice, the splendid power of kindness is never lost.
Hatred is like venom; it is difficult to contain. When we wish to burn others, we are really hurting ourselves. The number of pebbles on the road is countless, like hatred they cannot be eliminated with covered leather everywhere we walk; instead, we could guard against them by wearing the sandals of patience.
Don the shield of great kindness to shelter against the arrows of affliction. Kindness is the medicine that absolves resentment and loosens the knot of venom. When worries burn the mind, kindness can extinguish them. Kindness is the ladder that allows us to climb onto the platform of ease. Kindness is the boat that allows us to cross the sea of cyclical birth and death. Among all valuables, kindness is one dazzling gem. On the journey to enlightenment, kindness is sustenance.
The most admirable figures in history consider it a joy to regard all humankind with kindness, so I shall do the same.
2/05/2010
Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries?
. . .
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries?
. . .
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
2/03/2010
The Sacred Feminine
A Compelling Call to Peace on Earth
The knowledge we need for harmony among the world’s religions and spiritual communities lies in the wisdom of the feminine. The sacred feminine is always attuned to the oneness, the interconnected wholeness of life. A world that is not connected to its soul cannot heal. There will be no real change in the critical issues of peace, diversity, and sustainability in the context of inter-religious understanding and cooperation without the participation of the divine feminine.
Being one another’s neighbor in the global village requires that we learn to honor the spirits of the land, the Indigenous Grandmothers, to whom “we owe our very breath.” Many indigenous and non-indigenous communities are discovering the resources in native traditions that can help us learn to live in harmony with the earth and its creatures.
Indigenous and non-indigenous women must mentor and bond; there is sacredness of women “being there” for each other. Imagine:
Mission
Inspire women’s leadership among the world’s religious and spiritual communities.
Woman, with a candle lighted
to help her keep faith with her own life. . .
a centered presence
spreading in concentric circles around her.
(See my interview on this topic at the Parliament of World's Religions)
And here's a talk about the girl cell in every one of us.
The knowledge we need for harmony among the world’s religions and spiritual communities lies in the wisdom of the feminine. The sacred feminine is always attuned to the oneness, the interconnected wholeness of life. A world that is not connected to its soul cannot heal. There will be no real change in the critical issues of peace, diversity, and sustainability in the context of inter-religious understanding and cooperation without the participation of the divine feminine.
Being one another’s neighbor in the global village requires that we learn to honor the spirits of the land, the Indigenous Grandmothers, to whom “we owe our very breath.” Many indigenous and non-indigenous communities are discovering the resources in native traditions that can help us learn to live in harmony with the earth and its creatures.
Indigenous and non-indigenous women must mentor and bond; there is sacredness of women “being there” for each other. Imagine:
How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you. . . a place of women, where you were received and affirmed? A place where other women, perhaps somewhat older, had been affirmed before you, each in her time, affirmed, as she struggled to become more truly herself.
A place where, after the fires were lighted, and the drumming, and the silence, there would be a hush of expectancy filling the entire chamber. . . a knowing that each woman there was leaving old conformity to find her self. . . a sense that all of womanhood stood on a threshold.
And if, during the hush, the other women, slightly older, had helped you to trust your own becoming. . . to trust it and quietly and prayerfully to nurture it. . .
How might your life be different?
Mission
Inspire women’s leadership among the world’s religious and spiritual communities.
Woman, with a candle lighted
to help her keep faith with her own life. . .
a centered presence
spreading in concentric circles around her.
(See my interview on this topic at the Parliament of World's Religions)
And here's a talk about the girl cell in every one of us.
1/10/2010
Peace Momentos from the Parliament of World's Religions
Is Peace Possible?
War, strife, deaths. The cause of so much of the woes in our world is too often religion. Those who promise heavenly peace unfortunately become the very ones who prevent peace on earth. Peace seems impossible. However, we can help to lengthen the moments of peace and allow more people to savor those moments in this lifetime.
Perhaps as none before it, the 1893 Parliament of World’s Religions stood as one of the great expressions of hope for increased cooperation and peaceful initiatives between adherents of the world's religions. At the fifth Parliament of World’s Religions in Melbourne in December 2009, I got a taste of peace on earth. The Muslims sat with the Hindus, the pagans held hands with rabbis, and the Dalai Lama asked Elder Woman of Wurundjeri, “Is this [piece of animal skin] alive?” Here are more snippets, though transitory have inspired me, and hopefully will others. As the Dalai Lama urged us to move beyond socializing, so I am formulating my PeaceNext plan!
My Top Ten Snapshots from the Parliament of World’s Religions (the Parliament)
1. The Hefty Program (Book)
A huge throng of people lined up to check on their Parliament registration. The generally relaxed conversations and chatters seemed to pause and stutter as registrants in line eye the people turned away. Those not on the list for some reason or the other could not get their tags and Parliament bags. As the wait dragged on, even the two-pounder program book seemed like a prized possession.
And I should proudly proclaim here that I never opened up my program book a second time! (Although I did haul the rock back home as a souvenir.) Let me tell you why.
A few days before I flew overseas, I received the electronic file of the Parliament draft program. I hated having to scroll down one column to see the bottom half and then scroll back up to see the right hand column for 200 some pages, but I thought I needed to prepare myself for a convention swarming with 10,000 religious fanatics. I did not think I would be able to think straight in Melbourne, considering jet lag was a possibility too.
I got a headache from staring at the small fonts on the computer screen and the choices to make among 650 some sessions offered. Refusing to print so much paper, I penciled a grid for each day. Here is a generic version for those of you joining us in 2014:
_____________________________Date________________________________
Time/Session_______Room ______Topic___________Speaker(s)________Other
1 ________________ several alternatives. . .
2_________________several alternatives. . .
etc.__________________________Plenary______________________________
I was most grateful for having prepared a notebook with this fantasy schedule of sessions and all information related to and to come for the Parliament. It was worth the herculean effort to do some homework ahead of time!
2. Opening Bliss
I was not going to be an impressionable novice Parliament attendee, I had thought to myself. I scrutinized the people, the setting, the program. . . I was knocked off of my feet though. The Tzu Chi women signed and danced in silky silence. I was dumbfounded by the tears brimming over in my eyes. My slight embarrassment eased though, fortunately, when I saw my friend tuck aside a corner of her shirtsleeve that she used to dry her eyes. The three keynote speakers, the fiery Rabbi David Saperstein, the fearless Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, and the serene His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, were so different and yet phenomenal in their own right.
In the middle of the plenary, the man in orange robes behind me tapped me to take a photo of him and his neighbor, a man who seemed utterly different. My mild annoyance immediately melted into a tickle by this image of a bald nun in bright yellow taking a photo of these two gentlemen. Ah, only at the Parliament!
All together in two rows to my right were the Sikhs dressed in white from head to toe, long white beards included. They responded enthusiastically to the calls of the Sikh on stage during his ceremony. It struck me as funny. They were like children among the several thousand in the audience, competing to be the loudest.
We were so blissed out after the plenary. I am generally quite calm and yet I could not help but break out in a giggle. I swear the Melbourne subway station never had so many people beaming with smiles.
3. Solacing Souls
In a slightly intoxicated state of joy, we met Christie when she asked for directions to her station. Riding to the same stop, Christie explained that she is a dancer. She was also incredibly moved by the Tzu Chi dance. She had spontaneously choreographed those exact movements in the past. She wanted to learn what the dance meant. Learning that this dance is a symbol of the awakened being of compassion resonated with Christie deeply. She is often overwhelmed by the feelings she has for others’ pain and her powerlessness in helping.
Among the several encounters we had, she at one point sought help. We sat in a quiet corner of the busy exhibition center. She asked me what I saw. I saw a flare up of emotion in her. We did a loving-kindness meditation together where she was empowered to direct energy of compassion toward herself and others. The peace jewelry crafted with color and care left anonymously as gifts for us was just what she needed to have around her neck. Christie appeared to me like a little girl who needed love-- not in the form of an extended hand, but as a supportive presence by her side until she stood up on her own. I felt unfit for this role but realized that I was being solaced too as I allowed myself to get out of the way of the divine.
4. Volunteerism
I had already registered for the Parliament at its regular rate before I learned about the volunteer program. Without realizing what benefits I would receive for becoming a volunteer, I signed up. I thought it would be a good way to be a part of a like-minded group of individuals. It was sheer delight to discover the discount we would enjoy and later the company we would find.
The family of volunteers had a corner to retreat to during the Parliament. People were sharing food, massages, and light, yup, apparently a prayer and a dosage of light energy sent with hands a few inches away from the recipient.
One of the greatest benefits I got out of volunteering at the Parliament was the indelible lesson that I should consider myself a volunteer in every situation. It is a most fulfilling way to develop servant leadership.
5. Encouragement
In two sessions related to Christian-Buddhist dialogue, the Buddhist panelist did not show up. I explained my views with the preface that I had been admitted to Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union’s Ph.d program but opted not to go because I was afraid of arguments for which I was about to enter. To my surprise, there were GTU students present. Their wish to connect and others’ encouraging remarks burned a reminder in my head about delving deeper into theological inquiries.
6. Mentors
This packed room of several hundred I rushed into had a very unusual seating arrangement. There was a table in the center of concentric circles of chairs. Dr. Hans Kung, Dr. Simon Longstaff, Steve Killelea, and the moderator were at the table. They offered a “seat at the table” for people with comments and questions. Seeing the long line of men queued up and no women speaker at the table, both men and women objected. An uproar led to a designated seat at the table for women.
I had a comment to make but preferred not to use the “affirmative action” seat; nevertheless I was shuffled up there and given a seat by someone in the front row and finally reaching the seat vacated by the woman speaking before me. . .
After that session, one of the people who came up to me was Dr. Carla Mae Streeter, a Dominican nun and a theology professor. We had already met in at least two other sessions and so she came up, held my hands, and looked deeply into me. She told me about some gifts that she observed in me and counseled me to take steps so that “you may not be disposed of.” “You must still feel like you were not supposed to be at the table because you began with, ‘Why is a Buddhist nun who keeps to the vow of poverty sitting here?’” In fact, I remember my pause after the question and how the moderator looked distinctly at me with that exact question in his eyes. (Fortunately I had a pretty good response.)
Dr. Streeter shared with me her vows and what they meant to her, advice and caution spoken from her personal experience. In her humble and down to earth manner, she simply stated, “Time is ripe for women.” I could not agree more. My heart burst with warmth and gratitude for a mentor from another religion. Thank you, Dr. Streeter!
7. Sending Love
A brown scroll spread across the convention floor. The poster was to carry messages from Parliament participants to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. While standing there reading different comments and wishes, I saw a man who had finished writing raise his palm and direct it at his message, as if to energize his words with all his might. He seemed to be oblivious to his spectator and perhaps the surrounding at large. I was most moved by his ease and sincerity; he probably thought this was the most natural thing for him to do in the world.
8. The Parliament, Live!
Spiritual Resources broadcasted live some of the Parliament sessions and numerous interviews. I was privileged to see the modest operation in a hotel room and be among the several hundred who were interviewed. I enjoyed the few minutes I had to talk about one of my inspired causes, a network of interfaith women in North America. Even the long wait in the hotel lobby was worthwhile. I got a glimpse of H.H. the Dalai Lama and his entourage. I also enjoyed the conversation about women who were ahead of their times with my fellow interviewee, Dr. Allison Stokes. Dr. Stokes researched the her-story of female religious speakers at the 1893 Parliament of World’s Religions. To me, this little known phenomenon meshes so well with the description of a vast array of female teachers in the Flower Garland Sutra and other ancient Buddhist texts. Women ahead of their times and women of ancient times had long been acknowledged when we thought it was impossible then and now. It is time to re-enliven those already recognized roles of women.
9. Reunions
I had one free day in Melbourne after the Parliament. I went to bed the night before thinking I was going to sleep more and head to the airport early; instead I woke up with a real need to see green. It hit me that I had spent all of last week in some concrete buildings. Digging through the Australian “summer” tourist guide, I decided on the Hall of Famer Royal Botanic Gardens.
At the Krishna Restaurant downtown, we were immediately spotted as Parliament attendees. This made for pleasant chatter with people flying in to hear H.H. the Dalai Lama speaking at the Melbourne Exhibition Center that afternoon and absolutely original conversation with a couple aborigines who resented the term, ab-origine, and only wanted to be referred to as “origines.”
Parliament attendees seemed like family. And on that day wherever we turned and met another attendee, it mostly felt like a reunion. This happened even at the airport. I saw a fellow attendee from the Parliament sitting and chomping on a sandwich in the café and of course, we had to give each other a hug!
10. Prayers of Peace
H.H. the Dalai Lama tied up the bow on the Parliament week beautifully with his childlike innocence, calm under heavy security and his urging that Parliament attendees move beyond socializing and into action.
I was proud to be a part of a session that focused on action. With the Parliament’s diplomatic and smart display of the Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam as a sacred site, Thich Nhat Hanh’s talk via the web and information on the recent assaults on Bat Nha, a group of us managed to organize an action plan during a session. As a result, more than 200 at the Parliament signed a petition on behalf of Bat Nha and some sent prayers to the brothers and sisters of Bat Nha in the video Bat Nha Blessings.
In the interest of peace and in inviting others to also taste some extended moments of peace, I hope to share more talks and interviews of spiritual luminaries on topics such as compassion and interfaith, help nurture a women’s interfaith network in North America, and co-create an intrafaith network of Buddhists and Buddhist groups in North America.
For those who are interested in any of these peace initiatives, please contact me or join the Parliament of World’s Religions newly launched social network, PeaceNext!
War, strife, deaths. The cause of so much of the woes in our world is too often religion. Those who promise heavenly peace unfortunately become the very ones who prevent peace on earth. Peace seems impossible. However, we can help to lengthen the moments of peace and allow more people to savor those moments in this lifetime.
Perhaps as none before it, the 1893 Parliament of World’s Religions stood as one of the great expressions of hope for increased cooperation and peaceful initiatives between adherents of the world's religions. At the fifth Parliament of World’s Religions in Melbourne in December 2009, I got a taste of peace on earth. The Muslims sat with the Hindus, the pagans held hands with rabbis, and the Dalai Lama asked Elder Woman of Wurundjeri, “Is this [piece of animal skin] alive?” Here are more snippets, though transitory have inspired me, and hopefully will others. As the Dalai Lama urged us to move beyond socializing, so I am formulating my PeaceNext plan!
My Top Ten Snapshots from the Parliament of World’s Religions (the Parliament)
1. The Hefty Program (Book)
A huge throng of people lined up to check on their Parliament registration. The generally relaxed conversations and chatters seemed to pause and stutter as registrants in line eye the people turned away. Those not on the list for some reason or the other could not get their tags and Parliament bags. As the wait dragged on, even the two-pounder program book seemed like a prized possession.
And I should proudly proclaim here that I never opened up my program book a second time! (Although I did haul the rock back home as a souvenir.) Let me tell you why.
A few days before I flew overseas, I received the electronic file of the Parliament draft program. I hated having to scroll down one column to see the bottom half and then scroll back up to see the right hand column for 200 some pages, but I thought I needed to prepare myself for a convention swarming with 10,000 religious fanatics. I did not think I would be able to think straight in Melbourne, considering jet lag was a possibility too.
I got a headache from staring at the small fonts on the computer screen and the choices to make among 650 some sessions offered. Refusing to print so much paper, I penciled a grid for each day. Here is a generic version for those of you joining us in 2014:
_____________________________Date________________________________
Time/Session_______Room ______Topic___________Speaker(s)________Other
1 ________________ several alternatives. . .
2_________________several alternatives. . .
etc.__________________________Plenary______________________________
I was most grateful for having prepared a notebook with this fantasy schedule of sessions and all information related to and to come for the Parliament. It was worth the herculean effort to do some homework ahead of time!
2. Opening Bliss
I was not going to be an impressionable novice Parliament attendee, I had thought to myself. I scrutinized the people, the setting, the program. . . I was knocked off of my feet though. The Tzu Chi women signed and danced in silky silence. I was dumbfounded by the tears brimming over in my eyes. My slight embarrassment eased though, fortunately, when I saw my friend tuck aside a corner of her shirtsleeve that she used to dry her eyes. The three keynote speakers, the fiery Rabbi David Saperstein, the fearless Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, and the serene His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, were so different and yet phenomenal in their own right.
In the middle of the plenary, the man in orange robes behind me tapped me to take a photo of him and his neighbor, a man who seemed utterly different. My mild annoyance immediately melted into a tickle by this image of a bald nun in bright yellow taking a photo of these two gentlemen. Ah, only at the Parliament!
All together in two rows to my right were the Sikhs dressed in white from head to toe, long white beards included. They responded enthusiastically to the calls of the Sikh on stage during his ceremony. It struck me as funny. They were like children among the several thousand in the audience, competing to be the loudest.
We were so blissed out after the plenary. I am generally quite calm and yet I could not help but break out in a giggle. I swear the Melbourne subway station never had so many people beaming with smiles.
3. Solacing Souls
In a slightly intoxicated state of joy, we met Christie when she asked for directions to her station. Riding to the same stop, Christie explained that she is a dancer. She was also incredibly moved by the Tzu Chi dance. She had spontaneously choreographed those exact movements in the past. She wanted to learn what the dance meant. Learning that this dance is a symbol of the awakened being of compassion resonated with Christie deeply. She is often overwhelmed by the feelings she has for others’ pain and her powerlessness in helping.
Among the several encounters we had, she at one point sought help. We sat in a quiet corner of the busy exhibition center. She asked me what I saw. I saw a flare up of emotion in her. We did a loving-kindness meditation together where she was empowered to direct energy of compassion toward herself and others. The peace jewelry crafted with color and care left anonymously as gifts for us was just what she needed to have around her neck. Christie appeared to me like a little girl who needed love-- not in the form of an extended hand, but as a supportive presence by her side until she stood up on her own. I felt unfit for this role but realized that I was being solaced too as I allowed myself to get out of the way of the divine.
4. Volunteerism
I had already registered for the Parliament at its regular rate before I learned about the volunteer program. Without realizing what benefits I would receive for becoming a volunteer, I signed up. I thought it would be a good way to be a part of a like-minded group of individuals. It was sheer delight to discover the discount we would enjoy and later the company we would find.
The family of volunteers had a corner to retreat to during the Parliament. People were sharing food, massages, and light, yup, apparently a prayer and a dosage of light energy sent with hands a few inches away from the recipient.
One of the greatest benefits I got out of volunteering at the Parliament was the indelible lesson that I should consider myself a volunteer in every situation. It is a most fulfilling way to develop servant leadership.
5. Encouragement
In two sessions related to Christian-Buddhist dialogue, the Buddhist panelist did not show up. I explained my views with the preface that I had been admitted to Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union’s Ph.d program but opted not to go because I was afraid of arguments for which I was about to enter. To my surprise, there were GTU students present. Their wish to connect and others’ encouraging remarks burned a reminder in my head about delving deeper into theological inquiries.
6. Mentors
This packed room of several hundred I rushed into had a very unusual seating arrangement. There was a table in the center of concentric circles of chairs. Dr. Hans Kung, Dr. Simon Longstaff, Steve Killelea, and the moderator were at the table. They offered a “seat at the table” for people with comments and questions. Seeing the long line of men queued up and no women speaker at the table, both men and women objected. An uproar led to a designated seat at the table for women.
I had a comment to make but preferred not to use the “affirmative action” seat; nevertheless I was shuffled up there and given a seat by someone in the front row and finally reaching the seat vacated by the woman speaking before me. . .
After that session, one of the people who came up to me was Dr. Carla Mae Streeter, a Dominican nun and a theology professor. We had already met in at least two other sessions and so she came up, held my hands, and looked deeply into me. She told me about some gifts that she observed in me and counseled me to take steps so that “you may not be disposed of.” “You must still feel like you were not supposed to be at the table because you began with, ‘Why is a Buddhist nun who keeps to the vow of poverty sitting here?’” In fact, I remember my pause after the question and how the moderator looked distinctly at me with that exact question in his eyes. (Fortunately I had a pretty good response.)
Dr. Streeter shared with me her vows and what they meant to her, advice and caution spoken from her personal experience. In her humble and down to earth manner, she simply stated, “Time is ripe for women.” I could not agree more. My heart burst with warmth and gratitude for a mentor from another religion. Thank you, Dr. Streeter!
7. Sending Love
A brown scroll spread across the convention floor. The poster was to carry messages from Parliament participants to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. While standing there reading different comments and wishes, I saw a man who had finished writing raise his palm and direct it at his message, as if to energize his words with all his might. He seemed to be oblivious to his spectator and perhaps the surrounding at large. I was most moved by his ease and sincerity; he probably thought this was the most natural thing for him to do in the world.
8. The Parliament, Live!
Spiritual Resources broadcasted live some of the Parliament sessions and numerous interviews. I was privileged to see the modest operation in a hotel room and be among the several hundred who were interviewed. I enjoyed the few minutes I had to talk about one of my inspired causes, a network of interfaith women in North America. Even the long wait in the hotel lobby was worthwhile. I got a glimpse of H.H. the Dalai Lama and his entourage. I also enjoyed the conversation about women who were ahead of their times with my fellow interviewee, Dr. Allison Stokes. Dr. Stokes researched the her-story of female religious speakers at the 1893 Parliament of World’s Religions. To me, this little known phenomenon meshes so well with the description of a vast array of female teachers in the Flower Garland Sutra and other ancient Buddhist texts. Women ahead of their times and women of ancient times had long been acknowledged when we thought it was impossible then and now. It is time to re-enliven those already recognized roles of women.
9. Reunions
I had one free day in Melbourne after the Parliament. I went to bed the night before thinking I was going to sleep more and head to the airport early; instead I woke up with a real need to see green. It hit me that I had spent all of last week in some concrete buildings. Digging through the Australian “summer” tourist guide, I decided on the Hall of Famer Royal Botanic Gardens.
At the Krishna Restaurant downtown, we were immediately spotted as Parliament attendees. This made for pleasant chatter with people flying in to hear H.H. the Dalai Lama speaking at the Melbourne Exhibition Center that afternoon and absolutely original conversation with a couple aborigines who resented the term, ab-origine, and only wanted to be referred to as “origines.”
Parliament attendees seemed like family. And on that day wherever we turned and met another attendee, it mostly felt like a reunion. This happened even at the airport. I saw a fellow attendee from the Parliament sitting and chomping on a sandwich in the café and of course, we had to give each other a hug!
10. Prayers of Peace
H.H. the Dalai Lama tied up the bow on the Parliament week beautifully with his childlike innocence, calm under heavy security and his urging that Parliament attendees move beyond socializing and into action.
I was proud to be a part of a session that focused on action. With the Parliament’s diplomatic and smart display of the Bat Nha Monastery in Vietnam as a sacred site, Thich Nhat Hanh’s talk via the web and information on the recent assaults on Bat Nha, a group of us managed to organize an action plan during a session. As a result, more than 200 at the Parliament signed a petition on behalf of Bat Nha and some sent prayers to the brothers and sisters of Bat Nha in the video Bat Nha Blessings.
In the interest of peace and in inviting others to also taste some extended moments of peace, I hope to share more talks and interviews of spiritual luminaries on topics such as compassion and interfaith, help nurture a women’s interfaith network in North America, and co-create an intrafaith network of Buddhists and Buddhist groups in North America.
For those who are interested in any of these peace initiatives, please contact me or join the Parliament of World’s Religions newly launched social network, PeaceNext!
12/17/2009
Activate Compassion with Karen Armstrong
This Friday, December 18th, Karen Armstrong will host a one hour Facebook conversation on compassionate action. Join her at 6pm GMT (1pm EST/10am PST) on the discussion boards and click the link titled "LIVE DISCUSSION WITH KAREN ARMSTRONG 12/18".Focusing on the calls to action in the Charter (posted below), participants can ask her about and read her thoughts on how we can use the Charter as a summons to creative, practical and sustained action to meet the political, moral, religious, social and cultural problems of our time.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
We therefore call upon all men and women ~ to restore compassion to the centre of morality and religion ~ to return to the ancient principle that any interpretation of scripture that breeds violence, hatred or disdain is illegitimate ~ to ensure that youth are given accurate and respectful information about other traditions, religions and cultures ~ to encourage a positive appreciation of cultural and religious diversity ~ to cultivate an informed empathy with the suffering of all human beings—even those regarded as enemies.
12/05/2009
Charter for Compassion: 25,000 Affirmers and More
As we close a decade marked by war, help us usher in a decade focused on compassion.
The names of all affirmers on December 31 will be sent along with the Charter for Compassion to 5 world leaders whose countries are engaged in conflict.
Add your name today and encourage others to do the same. Share the Charter with your networks. Each additional name makes the compassionate voice a more potent force in the world. Let us make the silent majority a challenge to extremism and hatred.
Simply copy and paste this text into your website or blog to insert the Charter for Compassion widget.
The names of all affirmers on December 31 will be sent along with the Charter for Compassion to 5 world leaders whose countries are engaged in conflict.
Add your name today and encourage others to do the same. Share the Charter with your networks. Each additional name makes the compassionate voice a more potent force in the world. Let us make the silent majority a challenge to extremism and hatred.
Simply copy and paste this text into your website or blog to insert the Charter for Compassion widget.
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