National Geo Article on Buddhism

Now even National Geographic is onto this new "trend" of Buddhism rising in the West (which has been going on since roughly 1971). There's an article all about it in the current December issue. Noah Levine, the guy who wrote "Dharma Punx," even had a photo taken of the tattoos on his hands for the article (they say "Wisdom" and "Compassion"). Noah was one of my teachers at a recent retreat I attended at Spirit Rock (and he rocks, that's for sure). The National Geographic photographer who covered this story, Steve McCurry, came to Spirit Rock and took photos, but none of them made it into the article. He also went to Abhayagiri Monastery where I visited last weekend. I asked them about it, and the monks said McCurry photographed them doing walking meditation in the woods, but none of those shots made the print article. However, one image of that is displayed on the website slide show here:

http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0512/feature4/multimedia.html

In National Geographic, the writer lists three authors he recommends who have written about Buddhism and "attracted a wide readership." The three he mentions are The Dalai Lama (no big surprise but great choice), Thich Nhat Hanh (awesome choice), and Robert Thurman (well-respected). To that list, I would emphatically add some of my favorites: Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, Pema Chodron, Chogyam Trungpa, Sogyal Rinpoche, Alan Watts, Shunryu Suzuki, and any direct teachings of the Buddha translated from the Pali texts (especially Gil Fronsdal's recent translation of "The Dhammapada").

Or skip all of the reading and just try the direct experience of meditating on your own. Sit in a chair with both feet on the ground or cross-legged on the floor (preferably on a cushion) in a relatively quiet place. Turn your cell phone to silent. Close your eyes. Breathe in and breathe out while focusing only on your breath. Clear your mind of wandering thoughts. Let go of everything. Try to keep your back straight, at roughly a 45 degree angle with your body. Soften your belly. Relax your shoulders. As you breathe in, just think "in" and as you breathe out, just think "out." In, out. In, out. Do this for 10-20 minutes. Or more. Or less. In, out... Keep bringing your mind back to the breathing every time you lose your focus. They say it is like training a puppy on newspaper. Every time he strays off the paper, gently bring him back onto it. Be gentle with yourself and practice stillness. Don't fidget. Resist scratching that itch. Breathe in, breathe out...*

Send me an email when you reach nibbana (nirvana). Trust me, you'll know when that happens. And it won't be the first few times you sit, unless you practiced a lot in a previous lifetime (as one of my teachers joked to me on a retreat).

*This meditation technique is also listed in the back of Noah Levine's book "Dharma Punx" and it really helped me.

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Jack Kornfield: The Interview

As some of you know, I've been on a big Buddhist meditation kick lately, including two retreats with Jack Kornfield at Spirit Rock. This weekend I even visited Abhayagiri Monastery way up in Redwood Valley. Ajahn Brahmavamso, visiting from Australia, gave a great lecture there on Saturday night. His new book is called "Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung?"

There's an interview with Jack Kornfield in the San Francisco Chronicle today (linked to title above). Here's an excerpt:

What would you say is the most practical spiritual advice you can offer?

Relax. That's my first instruction. We have all of these things that we are in the middle of, you know, whether it's tending to an emergency at work, or a relative is in the hospital, or some great thing has just come up that occupies your mind. Relaxation allows for our natural response, rather than the kind of tension and fear that can often control our lives.

My second instruction is, especially when things are difficult, try to hold your experience with compassion. Whether a crying child is keeping you up all night, or a car accident has just happened, or you are trying to get along with someone who is difficult, you can respond appropriately if you hold all of it -- your own body, mind and those around you -- in compassion. And your life becomes much wiser as a result.

That sounds simple enough, but how easy is it to do?

Well, the beautiful thing about compassion or mindfulness, the things that we are talking about, is that they are innate to us. Even the most hardened criminal would reach to pick up a child who'd fallen in the street in danger. Something in us knows what compassion is, but it gets covered over by our busy lives and our fear.

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Gone Meditating (Back in 10 Days)

I'm off to a 10-day silent meditation retreat, so this blog will be silent for a while, too.

I did get to see the Dalai Lama two days in a row at Stanford. His Holiness was most impressive intellectually and yet also very playful and funny at times. One of the main things he said sounds very simple, but I still think about. He said, "We are all the same human beings, no differences. East-West, Tibetan-American, all same." He also stressed that we should all be working to make the world a better place for the future. His English is a bit choppy, but he makes great sense. "Future is open. Anything can be possible, but then much depend on our own behavior."

Also, I waved at the Dalai Lama as he was being driven away in the back of a black SUV with smoked windows, and he waved back right at me--the closest I came to making a personal connection (but I'll take it any day).

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