Protests Among Buddhist Groups

        Protests are an often occurrence in today's religious beliefs. The protests often occur among different groups of the same religion especially in religion's with famous religious figures such as the Pope. The arguments between the groups normally happens because one group agrees with the figure and one group does not. I wondered if the same thing happens in Buddhism. After doing some research I found a video from a California news broadcast that reported about a protest that occurred when the Dalai Lama arrived in Inglewood, CA. The protest was between followers of the Dalai Lama and the protestors themselves. As we know the Dalai Lama is a Tibetan Buddhist; the people protesting are also Tibetan Buddhists, but they are part of a distinct group who belong to a sect called the Shugden Network.

I need to clarify that the group is not protesting against the Dalai Lama himself, but they are protesting his ban on the practice of Dorje Shugden worship. According to various websites, the Shugden practitioners pray to the Dolygal and they treat him as a type of 'Dharma protector'. They even treat this deity as being more important than the Buddha himself. This conflict has been going on for years and recently in India the pressure for the believers to stop their practice has gotten so bad that practitioners have been sent away as outcasts and the Dalai Lama's followers have even gone as far as destroying statues of the Dorje Shugden deity. All of which, is not in line with Buddhism's believe in peace and mindfulness.

Towards the end of the end of the broadcast, in attempt to make her case, a Shugden network spokesperson, Len Foley stated, "He [the Dalai Lama] is a Buddha of compassion and wisdom; when we make prayers to Dorge Shugden, we're basically praying for wisdom and compassion."  The protest was to the the Dalai Lama that the Network wanted a meeting with him to discuss the ban, but there has been no recent news that the Lama has agreed.

The last two books that we read in class made the case for living with religious tolerance and acceptance and I found it to be really weird that the Dalai Lama, a famous figure in Buddhism, placed a ban on a certain type of worship. It left me stunned and a little confused because it doesn't match the idea of Buddhism that we studied this semester. I do, however, understand that by worshiping a spiritual figure, this particular type of worship is leading to sectarianism, which is ultimately a narrow minded view instead of a mindful and open view.

Note: I found the above information for this post from multiple articles and websites, not just from the news broadcast. I have listed the links that I used if anyone would like to have a further insight on the controversy between the Lama and the Shugden community.

http://www.dalailama.com/messages/dolgyal-shugden/his-holiness-advice

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-faith-column/2008/08/dorje-shugden-dalai-lama-ban

http://www.atvn.org/news/2014/02/dalai-lamas-visit-us-stirs-controversy

 

Guidelines for Dating in Buddhism

            After a conversation we had in class about Buddhist’s views on marriage and love I decided to write a blog post about it. I think the idea of not getting attached/dependent to/on someone would be difficult. I think that is part of a good marriage, being able to rely on someone else. As I am googling “Marriage in Buddhism” I see a link for “Buddhist Dating.” I clicked on it and realized that there is a Buddhist dating site, just like Christian-mingle or match.com. For some reason this lead to wondering if as a true Buddhist would dating have different “rules” or “expectations”? I came across this website (link below) called If the Buddha Gave Dating Tips. This website gives “Buddha advice” and explains them in what the author calls modern terms. It lists things like “do whatever it takes to leave on good terms”, “Equality is based on shared values, shard communication, and shared self-respect”, “in equal relationships both people are challenged to grow and evolve together”, “The only constant is change”,  “We must be know and accept who we are fully before we enter a relationship, lest we end up in co-dependency. When two whole people join in a supportive relationship, the results can be magical”, and “If we believe and live as already-full beings, we don’t look to others to fulfill us.” Through this research I have realized that there are dating sites for everything. A lot of the websites I found were trying to be comical about Buddhist dating and the rules that Buddha might have. The third link listed below was by far my favorite and probably the most helpful link. It was more on a serious note and was actually talking about things that applied to the rules that might go along with Buddhism in a dating situation. Things like: “Do not indulge in sexual misconduct”, “living the precepts”, and specific sexual issues (Marriage, homosexuality, and desire).

http://www.buddhistconnect.com/site/

http://www.meetmindful.com/if-the-buddha-gave-dating-tips/

http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/a/sexbuddhism.htm

Does yoga help?

My friends lately have been trying yoga classes and have been pressuring me to go. After class on Tuesday I finally gave in and paid my $15 and went to a yoga class. After being in the class for about 10 min I began to think back to our discussions from class about mindfulness and Buddhism and as the yoga teacher was walking us through breathing exercises I was making connections to my personal image of meditation. Before this class my definition of meditation would have been sitting cross-legged in an empty room chanting or something. But now my perspective on meditation has changed. I now see meditation as a calming tool to center yourself and be able to focus on little things around you.  During yoga class I specifically jumped back to the day in class where Dr. Davis mentioned how in more advanced yoga they were focusing on moving the smallest arch in their foot and how much concentration and focus that took. So while in yoga I took his advice and started focusing on my breathing and relaxing of my body and slowly I began to feel calmer than I expected. I think I got so involved with thinking about those little things I zoned out from what we were actually doing in the class. I am really glad I took this yoga class after taking our Philosophy class because I feel like I wouldn’t have gotten as much insight into the actual benefits of meditation if I had not had an open mind about it from class. I think I'm definitely going to try yoga again. 

Homosexuality and buddhism

    Buddhism, precludes its practitioners from being involved in sexual misconduct. Lay people should not participate in any type of sex act which differs from traditional, heterosexual relations between a man and woman, while monks are required to take vows of chastity. In 1997 the Dali Lama made a statement concerning homosexuality and buddhism. He differentiates between "believers" and "believers" saying:

    "From a Buddhist point of view, men-to-men and women-to-women is generally considered sexual misconduct.

"From society's viewpoint, mutually agreeable homosexual relations can be of mutual benefit, enjoyable and harmless."

     This distinction is important in this modern world, where Buddhist leaders like the Dali Lama must uphold the tradition teachings and tenets of their faith, which state that non-heterosexual relations are inappropriate, along side a desire to end persecution and suffering of all peoples universally. This struggle reminds me of the new popes recent statement about equality for all in the LGBT community and I find the push-pull between modern fights for equality which most major religions support and the upholding of traditional faith values.  

   In the same statement, the Dali Lama also expressed that oral and anal sex even among heterosexuals were also classified as sexual misconducts, alongside masturbation. Some gay, Buddhist leaders became upset with the Dali Lamas statement, urging for a reinterpretation of the ancient scriptures, worried about the backlash that such scriptures might have on violence from homophobic people across the world who could use this statement as fuel for further inequality among gay communities. 

   In my opinion there is nothing homophobic about the Dali Lamas statement. He is simply upholding the scripture which has been passed down to him. He is still urging for universal human equality, he just feels any sex act that is not vaginal between a man and a woman is not the correct path towards liberation for those who are practicing buddhists, as is taught by his religions sacred books.   

further reading:   http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Dalai-Lama-Speaks-on-Gay-Sex-He-says-it-s-wrong-2836591.php

Buddhism and Asceticism

While the Buddha did reject asceticism, in the extreme ways practiced by indian "sadhu" (holy men) at the time he was alive. He did not entirely forgo less extreme versions of ascetic practices as a means to train the body and mind and abandon all worldly attachments. Thirteen "dhutangas" were laid out by the Buddha as means to liberate the body and mind from outside distractions, such as lavish or excessive clothes, overindulgence/over-dependence on food, and attachment to where one lives. The idea of asceticism within the confines of Buddhism sounds counterintuitive, because it is well known that asceticism in hinduism along with the caste system were two of the main things cast away by the Buddha. However, these renunciations should be separated from any notion of asceticism associated with the Hindu system. Unlike the practices of naked Sadhus, who go long periods of time without food, covered in ash, meditating for weeks on end or otherwise depriving their bodies of sensory experience, these dhutangas are simple instructions such as eating only a single meal a day, wearing only robes which have been found abandoned, or to sleep without shelter on the ground. They are much more moderate than the cryptic texts of hindu mystics. Urging practitioners only to renounce the superfluous things of day to day life which create attachment, in order to aid the process of liberation from suffering. There are five motivations which the buddha says are correct reasons to embark on the practice of these dhutangas: out of ignorance stemming from the practitioner having met others who practice the dhutangas and having been impressed by the perceived effects, to lesson greed in ones life, out of "madness", for their simple, healthy effects, because the Buddha did so. These practices, if practiced correctly and for the right reasons will yield many virtues for the practitioner.

Above is an example of a modern sadhu practicing some interesting ascetic techniques.

For more information on the thirteen dhutangas visit:
   http://en.dhammadana.org/sangha/dhutanga.htm
         

Image source:  http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/a-sadhu-or-holy-man-buries-his-head-george-f-mobley.jpg

Yoga and Buddhism

      The roots of yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda, which is the oldest Hindu text. Although yoga in the West is not considered to be traditionally religious, the practice derives its teachings from Hinduism, the Hindu Dharma, and other aspects related to Indian culture. Although six Vedic yoga systems existed originally, those systems evolved to create the many different types of yoga the world knows today. Like Buddhism, yoga emphasizes its own form of mindfulness through the breath. Both can utilize meditation and awareness in order to help followers transcend karma and rebirth or samsara. One the surface, the two ideologies appear to go hand in hand. However, many Buddhist teachings directly reject certain teachings of the Atman, Ishvara, Brahman, and Vedanta (Hindu teachings). For example, we’ve learned that Buddhism rejects the notion of a self. Traditional Yoga-Vedanta practices emphasize followers to strive for self-realization. Therefore, self-realization through Yoga-Vedanta practices allows one to observe his or her true nature. In An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, D.T. Suzuki names a Buddhists true nature as one’s original face, or Buddha face. The differences between observing one’s true nature and discovering one’s Buddha face seem to be difficult to describe. Throughout his book, D.T. Suzuki also brings up the idea that meditation is not even necessarily required for one to be considered Zen. From his perspective, yoga could potentially create the circumstances for one to discover his or her own Buddha face, but yoga does not seem to be directly endorsed by many Buddhists. 

Additional Info: http://www.vedanet.com/2012/06/yoga-and-buddhism-similarities-and-differences/

Buddhism and Creativity

            In a lecture series given at Harvard University in Spring of 2014, Herbie Hancock discussed his life and experiences in jazz. In the fifth lecture, Hancock brought forth his own experiences with Buddhism and Creativity. Hancock begins his lecture with the explanation of how a former band member sparked his interest in Buddhist philosophy after his playing improved greatly. Hancock takes his audience on a riveting and eloquent explanation of how the relationship of Buddhism, nature, and awareness can unlock doors of creativity and spirituality.

            “Buddhism doesn’t write the notes for me, but it absolutely and positively affects how I look at everything,” Hancock states at the beginning of his lecture. He goes on to explain through certain personal anecdotes and stories of how being aware of his body and mind has allowed him to reach creative peaks that would not have been possible for him without the presence of Buddhism. Hancock explains the meaning of the title of the Lotus Sutra, which was the first aspect of Buddhism introduced to him. He says by chanting “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” he is able to achieve an external and internal experience through the process of the mind and the forming of sound. This “ultimate law of the universe” has helped Hancock to bring Buddhist practice into his life and expand upon his own creative journey in “the art of life”.

Later, Hancock stated, “Expanding your personal viewpoint will affect your daily life and influence your purpose”. This open perspective on knowledge and experience of new and different things can hold true to the purpose of this class. The idea that becoming more worldly and culturally aware will enlighten one’s self (or non-self) is not something new or groundbreaking, but hearing the words from someone as unsuspecting as the jazz great, Herbie Hancock, made the words resonate and ring with clarity.

http://www.sgi-usa.org