Buddhism and Food

         I've often wondered what a typical Buddhist diet consisted of so I decided to research it. I learned that Buddha himself suggested that the monks avoid eating humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, boars, and hyenas. However, though Buddha advised against the consumption of the kinds of meat listed priorly, there is not said to be any set Buddhist dietary laws. The Buddhist diet differs within each school of Buddhism. The Theravada and Mahayana schools of Buddhism typically refuse to eat meat and fish. Buddhists from China and Vietnam are known to avoid what they consider to be the Five Pungent Spices including garlic, onion, and leek. These Buddhists believe that these foods will increase one's anger and sexual desire. Tibetan buddhists will never consume fish and typically avoid eating fowl. The reason Buddhists avoid different kinds of meat is because it is believed that different kinds of meat can cause different emotions to occur within the individual. For instance, fish is believed to cause aggression, foul is believed to cause desires, and red meat is believed to give birth to ignorance. Many Buddhists choose to be vegetarians on the basis of the first precept which is often interpreted as "do not harm." Additionally, Buddhism is rooted in the notion of reincarnation and the belief that animals can be reborn as humans and vice versa which prevents Buddhists from eating animals.
         Buddha wanted his followers to think about five things while eating, these are known as the "Five contemplations while eating".  Buddhists should only eat if these qualifications can be met. These qualifications include:
1) One considers if one deserves the food.
2) If one's mind is not greedy
3) If the food is a necessity and a healing agent for the body
4) And if the food is eaten for the purpose of part of reaching enlightenment.

Sites Used:
http://www.faithandfood.com/Buddhism.php
http://faithinfood.org/spirituality-food/buddhism/

Modern Buddhism in the West

While I was researching this topic, I came across a Time Magazine article from 1997.  The article reminded me of how Buddhism surged in popularity during that time.  The Beastie Boys held their Tibetan Freedom Concerts, The Dali Lama won a Nobel Prize for Peace and Brad Pitt starred in Seven Years in Tibet.  Richard Gere and Tina Turner were well known practicing Buddhists and Tibetan Flags were everywhere.  That wasn't the first introduction of Buddhism to Western society, but it was a popular theme for a while and I think that many of my immediate thoughts about Buddhism prior to this class stemmed from those celebrity headlines.

I read a few different articles about how Western practitioners have adapted traditional Buddhist teachings to suit Western ideals.  Much like the protestant reformation aimed to bring christians to believe in equality over hierarchy and introspection over ritual, certain Buddhist practices have been more popular in Western society than others.  For those who brought Buddhism back with them from days of colonization, they claimed to want to return to an authentic Buddhism based on original texts rather than monastic chanting.  They dismissed idolatry in favor of meditation.

In America, Engaged Buddhism found favor over traditional Buddhist practice of withdrawal from worldly passions.  Some contributors think that Buddhism suits the American "do-it-yourself" mentality.  Meditation allows those who practice to take the time to look inside themselves and find a deeper meaning to everything around them.  From what I read, there are those who fear American adaptations are harmful to the traditional teachings of The Buddha.  Of course, there are an equal number who argue in favor of anything that offers a little calm and clarity in an otherwise hectic world.  I think that they are both correct in that not everyone is able or willing to give themselves over to monastic life, adopting certain practices are beneficial but they are not Buddhism in the traditional sense without the sacrifice of self that is the central theme of Buddha's teachings.



Van Biema, David, McDowell, Jeanne. "Buddhism in America. (cover story)." Time 150, no 15 (October 13, 1997): 72. Military & Government Collection, EBSCOhost (accessed June 30, 2014).

Steinfels, Peter. "Beliefs: The development of modern Buddhism is traced to a mix of Eastern and Western influences." New York Times. October 26, 2002.

Buddhism and Abortion

2nd Blog Post

I chose to research the Buddhism view on abortion because I thought it might be a complicated issue considering the cycle of samsara.  My researched showed that there is no universal view of abortion in Buddhism.  Traditional Buddhists seem to reject abortion and view it as the destruction of a life, however, modern Buddhists seem to feel all over the map about it. 

One of the central, if not the central, idea of Buddhism is understanding the effects of your actions and having responsibility for those consequences.  An abortion is an action that causes a very real consequence.  All over the world, whether an abortion is murder is stills something people are fighting over.

According to the BBC,

“According to the teachings of Buddha, five conditions must be present to constitute an act of killing.

·      The thing killed must be a living being

·      You, the killer, must know or be aware that it is a living being

·      You must have the intention to kill it

·      There must be an effort to kill

·      The Being must be killed as a result”

-BBC

            This metric makes it seem like abortion is killing, except the first two bullet points make it still up for debate.  Is a blastocyst or a fetus “a living being”?  And, if the person destroying the fetus doesn’t believe it is “a living being”, then is it not an act of killing?

There is also the very real issue that comedian Bo Burnham called, “the probable problem of a pro-life abortion” in his song “New Math”.  Abortions are performed in order to save a woman’s life every day.  The BBC article says that in these cases, it is the intentions with which the act is done that matter.  “If the decision is taken compassionately, ... the moral harm done will be reduced with the good intentions involved”  (BBC).

Interestingly, the Dalai Lama has spoken about abortions performed when it is discovered that the fetus will have severe developmental disabilities. 

“If the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent, these are cases where there can be an exception.  I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance.”

                        - Dalai Lama, New York Times, November 28, 1993

I think this statement is really interesting.  He starts out by basically saying he thinks that it is fine to abort mentally handicapped children – something that many would have moral problems with regardless of religion.  But he then backs off a bit saying it should be a case-by-case decision.  This is a very diplomatic answer – he basically leave the issue open for interpretation.

            The BBC article brought up an issue I didn’t even think of  - abortion is viewed as bad karma for the woman and abortionist, obviously, but apparently it is also viewed as bad karma for the fetus as well.  This is because an abortion means the ‘soul’ is immediately sent back to the cycle of death and life without the chance to accumulate good karma.

            Something that came up in multiple articles I read was Japan’s relationship with Buddhism and abortion.  Abortion is extremely common there, and so a tradition has developed of making offerings to Jizo, god of lost travellers and children, during a memorial service for the aborted fetus that incorporates Buddhist as well as Shinto and local traditions.  This practice is rejected by most Buddhist organizations because the practice has no basis in Buddhist texts.  It is also problematic because some temples will exploit women who have had an abortion by charging them money for these services and instilling fear that if they don’t use the services they could be victims of retribution from the fetus’ soul.

            I  am glad I did this research because it turned out to be a more complicated issue than I initially thought.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/buddhistethics/abortion.shtml

Monks Be Pippin' in Style

Blog post (2)
      I have been searching for the entire day about buddhist, buddhism, and monks. When I given hope on interesting topics I found this video: http://nymag.com/thecut/2013/06/buddhist-monks-having-a-louis-vuitton-scandal.html
        Apparently these young monks were being video taped inside a private jet, with expensive sunglasses and a  Louis Vuitton carry on. At first I thought it was humourous, here even a monk can not escape material things of the modern world.
      But, with further research this monk in the front seat of the video is a fugitive. His name is Wirapol Sukpho a Thailand monk on the run for several charges like rape, online fraud, manslaughter, embezzlement, and many other crimes dealing with drugs as well.
      After reading the article by NY Daily News I couldn't believe what I was reading. Apparently before the video, he was leaving a meditation retreat. What is really sick about Sukpho is how he still commits to being said monk. It's disrespect to buddhism. There is no possible way that other monks or practicing buddhists would agree with his lifestyle.
      Another sickening fact from this story is "Last year, about 300 of Thailand's 61,416 full-time monks were reprimanded and in several cases disrobed for violating their vows, according to the Office of National Buddhism."
       What is causing these monks to violate their vows? What led Sukpho to turn against his vows?

Dalai Lama Video

I watched an interview of Dalai Lama with Jim Glassman about the relationships between Tibet and The People’s Republic of China.

I was born and raised in China. As a result, my perception about Tibet has always been from the Chinese perspective. Since grade schools, I was taught over and over again that Tibet is a part of China. My brain was trained in such way that Tibet is not only a place full of religious mysteries led by Dalai Lama, but also a dangerous area where violence are used to achieve it’s political ambitions. 

By coming to America and studying Buddhism in American higher education, I start to understand the other side, the Tibetan side. My perception of Dalai Lama was wrong simply because the word “ambition” and Buddhist just don’t go together. Like Dalai Lama said clearly in the video, what Tibet wants is a democratic government in which they enjoy some political freedom from the PRC. 

In the video, Dalai Lama is very knowledgeable about the history of different kinds of societies and political systems. He seems to understand the importance of democracy and human rights in the 21st century. As of the constant conflict with China, Dalai Lama is trying to approach it with the peace within the Buddhism beliefs and the help from the external sources such as the United States and other western countries. 

The Karmapa's TED talk

I watched the TED talk of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, a well respected religious leader in Tibetan Buddhism that devotes his life in the teaching of Buddhism. Through research, I understood that Karmapa is seen as the second highest ranking spiritual leader in the Tibetan Buddhism tradition after the Dalai Lama.

During the TED talk, the Karmapa tells the story of how he was chosen and taken away from his parents and homeland. The religious life was not as “fun” as he expected; instead, he had to work hard to adjust to the new life and practice with his heart. The Karmapa acknowledges the advancement of technology in today’s world. However, he worries that the development is slowly becoming the burden to people’s fundamental lifestyle. He uses the analogy that it is as if we are climbing higher and higher on the tree while undermining the root of the tree. 

The Karmapa says, “sometimes we develop grand concepts of what happiness might look like for us, but if we pay attention, we can see that there are little symbols of happiness in every breath that we take.” I believe that in order to pick up those “little symbols of happiness” requires a mindful person. I agree with the Karmapa that in this day and age where everything happens in a lighting speed, we really need to slow down and be mindful of what we are doing and increase people’s interactions on a mind-to-mind and heart-to-heart level. 

Auspicious Buddhist Symbols

Mackenzie Groff         

       In the Buddhist religion, there are said to be eight auspicious symbols. These symbols include a conch shell, a lotus, a wheel, a parasol, and endless knot, a pair of golden fishes, a banner proclaiming victory, and a treasure vase. Among these eight symbols, the two that intrigued me the most were the eight-spoked dharma wheel and the endless knot. These two auspicious symbols represented and helped to explain Buddhism ideas that I've always been interested in. 

       The Eight-Spoked Dharma Wheel is composed of three simple parts: the hub, the rim and the spokes. The wheel also has an underlying form of a circle which is the shape that is used for Buddhism and several other religions to represent something being complete in itself. The hub of the wheel is used to represent the mindfulness and moral discipline that is a fundamental part of Buddhism. The spokes represents the end of ignorance and elimination of suffering that Buddhists believe happens when one acquires and applies the wisdom of the world. Just as the wheel is held together by the rim, it symbolizes the notion of concentration that holds the whole meditative process together. The wheel emerged as a symbol of the Buddha's teachings. The wheel was often identified as the Dharmachakra or "wheel of law." The Tibetan term for Dharmachakra directly translates to "the wheel of transformation." The quick motion of the wheel is meant to serve as a metaphor for the quick spiritual change that is present in Buddha's teachings. (Below is an illustration of the wheel).

                                      

              The other symbol that really interested me was the endless knot. The endless knot is a depiction of right-angled intertwined lines, symbolizing the casual interrelations and dependent arising that are present in Buddhist ideology. The lack of gaps or disconnections in the pattern of the knot are meant to illustrate the simplicity and fully balanced harmony evident in Buddhist life. The fact that this symbol does not have a beginning or an end is also representative of the Buddha's infinite wisdom. When placed on a greeting card or gift the endless knot is believed to bring good kharma to both the giver and the receiver. The endless knot is one of the most popular symbols in Tibetan Buddhism. (Below is an illustration of the endless knot).

Sites used:

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/symbols

http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/symbols/eight_auspicious_symbols.htm

Buddhism and Respect for Parents

Buddhism and Respect for Parents

            As we know Siddhārtha Gautama left his wife and his child in order to practice Buddhism. Similarly, in the movie Samsara, we saw the main character leave his wife and child to return to the monastery to practice Buddhism. We have had many discussions about how this bothers many of us because they are practically abandoning their family, which seems wrong to us. In the movie Amongst White Clouds there was a monk that talk about leaving his family. He said that he was allowed to leave his family because his brother was going to take care of his parents and if his brother could not have taken care of his parents he would have not been able to leave because the Buddha would not like that. I found this extremely odd because Buddha and many others left their families, or they at least left their spouses and children. So for my second blog post I wanted to research why Buddhism allowed men to leave their wives and children but not their parents.

            After researching I have found that there has always been much respect for ones parents in the east and in Buddhism. There is actually a Sutra about ones parents and the respect that must be shown to them. This particular Sutra is called “The Filial Piety Sutra.” In this teaching the Buddha talks about the “deep kindness of parents and the difficulty in repaying it.” Buddha explains that it is a difficult task to be a parent. He goes into detail about what the mother goes through when she is pregnant and about to give birth. He says that it is a great burden and worry because she could lose the child at any moment. Later on when the child is older the burden is still there because there is a great responsibility to raise a child right. Because this is such a difficult task the child must try to repay this kindness back to their parents. Since they must repay this kindness they cannot leave if someone cannot take care of their parents, because obviously that would not be kind. I still think it is odd that they are allowed to leave their spouse and children because I feel that there is a great sense of duty there as well, but apparently the Buddha is more concerned about parents rather than spouses and children.

Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self

Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self

(A documentary of Buddhist Nuns)

After watching the documentary on Thich Nhat Hanh and being introduced to a female Buddhist for the first time, I decided to watch a documentary on a group of Buddhist Nuns. The film that I watched was called Zen Buddhism: In Search of Self by Gong Jae Sung. It was filmed at Baek Hung Temple on the Palgong Mountain in South Korea in 2001-2002. The documentary follows the 90-day meditation of the Baek Hung Nuns’ and contains very little commentary, except for a short interview with the head nun and the occasional subtitle.

During the ninety-day period two dozen nuns follow a tradition that is over a thousand years old where they meditate, fast, and contemplate life. The main goal of this rigorous challenge is in the hopes of attaining enlightenment. During this time, they undergo a daunting seven day long meditation without sleep. If their posture ever sways out of position, they are roughly tapped on the back with a bamboo stick. In order to stay awake, they often get up and go outside in the cold and meditate while walking around the center courtyard while remaining in a line formation.

I found it very interesting to see the different roles of the nuns in this particular temple. They often showed a few of the nuns in the kitchen preparing the meals. My favorite part of the entire hour long film was watching all of the nuns gather and prepare the New Year’s day feast of homemade pot stickers (that looked delicious I might add), noodles and broth, and various other dishes. I found it quite odd that they never actually showed the nuns eating the elaborate feast. They also went on a trip to a monastery of Buddhist Monks where they joined in an annual day of games and food.

In all honesty, this was quite boring to watch, but it was really nice to see people laugh and enjoy activities like singing, playing board games, and just enjoying the company of their fellow nuns and monks. It did, however, catch me off guard to see the nuns taking group pictures and eating chocolate candy bars or chocolate covered energy bars in silver wrappers. For some reason it’s just hard for me to picture nuns and monks using or enjoying modern day items like a camera and chocolate protein bars. I may just be naive for finding it weird, but it is just not how I picture individuals practicing Buddhism to behave. All in all, this documentary was interesting and I recommend watching it at some point if you ever want to get a different view on monastery life.

Buddhist Prayer Wheels

Before this class, one of the things that came to mind when I thought of Buddhism was the prayer wheel.  I didn’t really know what what they were exactly, so I decided to research them a bit.  As it turns out prayer wheels are pretty much exclusive to Tibetan Buddhism.  They are cylindrical, made of metal or wood, and have a handle attached.  Prayers (mantras) are sealed inside and the wheel is spun.  Each rotation is seen as the prayer being ‘said’ or ‘sent out’ once, so spinning the wheel is a way to send out far more prayers than one would be able to do if they were just saying them throughout the day.  There are also types of of prayer wheels that can be powered by a river or spun because of steam rising from a heater.

The 21st Century has led to some interesting developments in prayer wheels.  The Dalai Lama has stated that “having the mantra on your computer works the same as a traditional prayer wheel,  since a computer’s hard drive spins hundreds of thousands of times per hour” (Dharma-haven.org).   GIFs of spinning prayer wheels can also ‘count’, as well as spinning prayer wheel screen savers.  

Prayer wheels are traditionally spun clockwise, as that is the direction the mantras are written in.  The spinner is supposed to spin the wheel gently while focusing on mindfulness and reciting a mantra (usually the one that in contained within the prayer wheel).  

Sites Consulted:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/gmbqsHZBTWWe9pCiTw99Ww

http://www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/prayer-wheel.htm

Local Vipassana

            Upon watching the documentary, the Dhamma Brothers, I became curious about the types of Buddhist practice going on locally and the application of Vipassana practices in the United States. After researching, I found an organization that originally combined punk music and Vipassana that acts as a rehabilitation practice for recovering addicts.

            Against the Stream, started by Noah Levine, is now an organization that grew from Levine’s book under the same title as well as two other related works. Their mission is to make the teachings of the Buddha available to all who are interested from any and every walk of life. Levine came from a life of struggle with many types of addiction and began his journey to enlightenment while incarcerated. His father had introduced Vipassana to him at a young age, but only once Levine had “hit rock bottom” did he turn to the practice. This direct parallel to the stories of the inmates in the documentary made me question the availability and how Against the Stream is reaching out and making an impact for those from all social and economic standings.

           

            Against the Stream is a non-profit organization that works solely off of donations and class fees. The website states that over 25% of attendees are offered some type of scholarship for classes and all classes are tax-deductible. There are now several locations of Against the Stream or Dharma Punx gatherings across the United States including a Nashville chapter.

 My question lies in the demographic that these meetings are reaching and the cost of attendance. Who are the people that are coming and aware of the availability of such resources like the Against the Stream program and what kind of voice do such organizations have in the religious communities of their corresponding areas? What is the relationship like between the organizations and local religious places of worship (of all kinds)? How are we as a community fostering a positive environment for programs like this that promote interfaith?

I would be interested in seeking out the local chapter and becoming more aware of the Buddhist or Buddhist-based practice community outside of Belmont in Nashville to gather insight on these questions and other aspects of the program.  (Field trip?)

http://www.againstthestream.org/

http://againstthestreamnashville.com/

http://www.dharmapunx.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjhce63L0N4

Buddhism & Sports

The movie Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring and the martial arts scene had me thinking about sports and buddhism together. Growing up in a Christian family, I only knew buddhism by the Karate Kid or other martial art films. Also, after talking about how "the body" is a key thing to monks practicing Buddhism.

My questions before researching were: Do all monks practice some form of sport whether it be yoga or a form of martial arts? What are their thoughts on sports? Do they prefer the strength and balance martial arts brings them or the flexibility and calmness that yoga brings? Do they practice more sports that are common in our modern world?

After the first half of researching, I found out that sports, especially extreme sports, is a practice of meditation to some. How this article phrased it was a form of "sportsamadhi (recall that samadhi is the Sanskrit term for “meditative concentration”)."

I also found out that only a few temples like the Shaolin temple in China practice Kung Fu among their monks. In this wikipedia page, it states that the Shaolin Kung Fu is the oldest martial art in the world and its considered one of the most well known styles.

And even further researching, I found that yoga and martial arts is actually key to some monks practice in Buddhism.

It doesn't quite surprise me that these two sports are being used as either meditation or keeping balance in the body and mind. I also practice yoga as a form of relaxation and for flexibility. Personally, after each 60 minute session I feel a sensation of calmness and a relaxed state of mind.  Most sports depend on the temple where the monks stay at. And if an someone is practicing buddhism on their own, they can do whatever sport they would like (i.e. marathon, dance, soccer, ect.). It's all about practicing the state of body and mind to achieve enlightenment and to them sports help.

Early Buddhist Symbolism

One major takeaway I have had so far throughout the course is how much symbolism goes along with Buddhism. Piggy-backing off of some of the former posts I wanted to take a look at some more symbolism in Buddhism. When I first began looking at the statues and figures of Buddha I found that these were not as popular in the early Buddhist practice. I found this very interesting because whenever I think of Buddhism I think of the statue that I have seen a lot over the years. When I really started looking into early Buddhist symbols I found the images mostly consisted of Buddhist art that more so “symbolized” the Buddha as well as what he taught. These symbols include things like the lotus, as mentioned before, the wheel of law, and even the footprints of Buddha. The Eight Auspicious Symbols include some of these but offered a little more insight into the Buddha’s teachings. I found there were many meanings for each symbol out there so I just picked the ones I liked best.

The Parasol: Symbol of royal dignity as well as protection from suffering.

The Two Golden Fish: Represent good fortune.

The Conch Shell: The awakening from ignorance.

The Lotus Blossom: The true nature of beings.

The Banner of Victory: Victory over Mara.

The Vase: Long life and prosperity.

The Dharma Wheel: (one of the most well-known) represents eightfold path.

The Eternal Knot: represents dependent origination as well as the union of compassion and wisdom.

Sources

"What Are the 8 Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism?" About.com Buddhism. About.com, n.d. Web. 23 June 2014

"Buddhist Symbols." - ReligionFacts.com. Religion Facts, n.d. Web. 22 June 2014.

Buddhism and TV

Like the topic of our class, I have decided to go with another media that Buddhism could go along with.  However, instead of looking at films I have chosen the television show Avatar: The Last Airbender and the Buddhist influence within the series.  This showed aired on Nickelodeon and it was intended for mainly child audiences, so the Buddhism was kept light and basic so as to not upset Western TV watchers.

The first major and most obvious influence is the use of the four elements--Water, Earth, Fire, and Air.  In Buddhism these signify different aspects of the internal and external world in and around us.  In the world of Avatar the elements are controlled by certain members in each of the four nations i.e. the Water Tribe is the home of the Waterbenders, Earth Kingdom to Earthbenders, Fire Nation to Firebenders, and Air Temples to Airbenders. 

Each generation has a new reincarnation of the Avatar and their duty is to keep balance in the world.  The main character Aang is the Avatar in this generation and when searching for the Avatar among the Air Nomads, the head monks will conduct a test where they have each child select toys or relics out of many.  When Aang did this, he selected four different items that were possessions of his past Avatar lives.  The head monks then knew that he was the next Avatar.  This is similar to how the Tibetan Monks search for the next Dalai Lama by asking him a series of questions.

In the beginning of the second season, Aang and his friends get trapped in a swamp where they meet the hermit Huu.  Huu is a Waterbender who left his home in search for spiritual enlightenment and found his way to the heart of this particular swamp under a giant grove tree. Here he states that he did in fact achieve spiritual enlightenment and felt the energy all around him and learned that everything is connected.  This alludes to Prince Guatama’s own spiritual journey.  

Another main influence is the entire nation of the Air Nomads.  Their whole culture is based heavily on the Buddhist Monastic lifestyle.  There are four Air temples in each corner of this world and they are separated by gender--male monks lived in the Northern and Southern temples while female nuns lived in the Eastern and Western temples.  Air is considered the element of freedom and so those who bend it must spiritually detach themselves from the physical world and free themselves of worldly troubles. 

There are many more influences throughout the series; even from other Eastern religions and I could write for days about this series for it is one of my favorites.  I find it most interesting through a children’s TV show that we can learn about different cultures such as this, even though it is at a very basic level of understanding and could almost be passed over without viewers realizing it.