Buddha Delights

Buddha Delights

You know how they say, if you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him?

Well, I'm a lover, not a fighter.

True story.

Once on a trip to Sedona, Arizona we visited the Chapel of the Cross near there. Must see when you're in the neighborhood.

So there we are in our car in the parking lot. I had just learned about the Vajra Guru Mantra. The Vajra Guru Mantra is the very heart essence of Padmasambhava. It is said that when is recited one-pointedly Guru Padmasambhava cannot fail to respond.

Look it up. Great stuff. Word.

This is the Vajra Guru Mantra:

Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum

Once again, look it up. You may want to know what it means. Just to say it's the cornerstone mantra in Tibetan Buddhism.

So there we are in Sedona and — Mirabile visu — there's a group of Tibetan monks passing by. I politely call out from my driver's seat window and ask one of them to answer my question. "How do you say Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum?"

Happy to oblige, the monk clearly says, “Om Ah Hung Benza Guru Péma Siddhi Hung”. I repeat it to be sure I got it right. I got it right.

A few things, then the clincher. Pointing out how we're at this Catholic church, with a cross prominently featured at the front, and visible from the inside through a large expanse of glass. Jesus, please, I only mean well.

My friend was visiting from New York and the trip to Sedona was planned as one of the stops we wanted to be sure he had a chance to visit. Again, must go if you're anywhere in the neighborhood.

Now get this. Said friend is a long-time and deeply committed devotee of Siddha Yoga. Look that up too. I have been a follower of Siddha Yoga for some time by then. Michele too. In fact she and I met at the ashram.
Being a spiritual school, Siddha Yoga has a mantra. It's called the Namah Mantra. I received the Mantra from Swami Muktananda. He was the vanguard in spreading the message "Meditate" to the West. Look it up. Pick it up.

It needs to also be mentioned about our guest from Siddha Yoga. He was part of a group of devotees who sponsored Muktananda to come to the United States. He is a distinguished elder in the Siddha Yoga sangam [community]. Dear and wonderful man. A real mensch.

So here's my Siddha Yoga friend seeing me picking up on a mantra from some other school. I have no idea what was going on in his mind. If anything. He's a Yogi after all. Just like with the Buddhists, No-Mind is central in Siddha Yoga too. Maybe, though, not is those same words.

So, now, here's the funny, delightful part. The car we were driving. A Mercedes Benz.

"Benz" — "Benza". Get it? Sweet, huh?

I'm writing this since just today, after many moons, I got the connection. Just, wow! Buddha. What a guy. Jesus, what can I say. Muktananda ... Sadgurunath Maharaj Ke Jay!

So what is the message here? Drive a Mercedes Benz. All the big guns in the spiritual realm will be pleased. I'm sure there's more to take away. But, do I have to do all your lifting? 

JESUS ... PARTY ANIMAL

You know the Bible story of the wedding feast at Cana.

At one point they ran out of wine. Mary goes over to her Son and says, "Boychick, we're out of wine." Jesus says, "Tell me something I don't know." Mary: "Don't be fresh! Take care of it!"

[Notice, please, that the BVM had some cred with the Son of God.]

Like a good Son, Jesus did as She said. 

Mary tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you to."*

Typical of JC, he not only fetches the wine, he brings the really good stuff.

*Right there: The single most important advice in the entire Bible. 

When It's Time for the Party to be Over ...

You're throwing a party. Everyone is having a grand time. It's time to wrap it up for the evening. What to do?

That is, if announcing the party is over doesn't do the trick. Or, flashing the lights and shutting down the music don't do it either. That above, well, that's one way to go.

Want a sure-fire, can't miss, work-every-time gambit?

Do this ...

You go up to the guy who's having himself the time of his life, and you whisper this in his ear:

I SEE YOU'RE HAVING A GOOD TIME ...

WAS JESUS HAVING A GOOD TIME?

If that is a little too harsh for you, try this ...

Say what you mean ...

Guy sees a doll at a party and would like to hook up; that is, to score; that is, to get laid. He thinks he's gonna use the bold approach. 

And it goes...

HIM: Hi, gorgeous. How about we have intercourse?

HER: Sure!

HIM: Your place, or mine?

HER: Tell me about your place?

HIM: [He tells her all about it. Nice digs. She should like it.]

HER: Great. Now let me tell you about mine. [And, she does.]

HIM: So?

HER: So, what?

HIM: My place or yours?

HER: I thought we just talked about that?

HIM: I mean maybe we can go to either your place, or mine.

HER: Which one is closer?

HIM: Yours.

HER: How should we get there?

HIM: Wait! Wait! Wait! I just wanted intercourse!

HER: Of course. Isn't that just what we've been having.

HIM: Not that kind of intercourse!

HER: Then, what kind?

HIM: Sex!

HER: Why didn't you just say so in the first place?

HIM: Well?

HER: Well, what?

HIM: How about we have sex?

HER: So you want to get f#cked?

HIM: Yes!

HER: Sure!

I knew a guy who was totally nothing to look at, but was a true rake. he scored almost every time. His trick. He cut to the chase. Standard line: "Hey, how'd you like to get f#cked." Needless to say, he wasn't the least bit afraid of rejection. Well, one does have to establish some rapport to serve up the clincher. 

BTW I'm not for recommending that anyone go out and prowl around for to do the nasty. So, what am I saying. This: Say what you mean. But, first, make sure you know yourself what you mean. That may seem like some obvious advice. But, in my own experience, it takes some doing to get clear on what you mean. 

"Catherine's Share"

"Catherine's Share"

She's getting an iced Tea to drink and calls over asking me if I'd like some. I say, just a few sips; like my Mother, Catherine would say it.

Now the deal with that is that Catherine would give you the impression she wouldn't make a dent. She made a dent, or at least I thought so. Let's just say it was enough to make you want to say, "Hey, save some for me!

So I call back again, give me a Catherine's share. [She heard the story already.]

From the kitchen I hear, just could barely hear, "That means I have to pour you a half of a glass." She remembers it as, "I'll have to give you your own glass."

Catherine's share. It's a thing.

What's So

So, where we at? 

To give some of the more obvious thumbnails ... [IMHO]

There’s China who comes off as being willing to stop at nothing. Likely, unstoppable.

The Russians, and their undetectable hypersonic long-range missile capability. Let that sink in. Can't see it coming.

Let me sidebar: Just mentioning two of this list of items. A won’t-stop China — and could well be unstoppable — and a Sword of Damocles Russia. What to do? More and better arms? So what. So we can put our hand one higher along the length of the bat? We may be entering an era where we’re running out of bat. On the current trajectory, if we toodle on down as before, we could be looking at not just another pandemic, but a global clusterfuck the likes of which it would not only be the first of; but very likely the last. 

What to do? I get it that we’re all, one way or another, trying to figure it all out. It goes that if we have all the information, and all the right information, we can figure it out. How ya doin’ on that? And, even after it's all satisfactorily sorted out, then what? The skies open and a voice will come and drop all the answers onto our laps? Okay, that's a little too. How about that the answers will just pop out of the fully informed algorithm in our brains. Imagine every damn single one of us coming up with our own best solution/description of reality? Would they all be the same? By some magic built into the whatever you want to call the store of all possible knowledge? Or, as is more plausible, we all would come up with something different. Of course, we'd group within like minds. Then, start to contest over intellectual position and dominance. Same old, same old ... just at a my abstracted level.

What to do? [Notice the built-in assumption that doing something is the way to go.] Maybe here’s something to try. Stop trying to figure it out. Stop "doing something". FULL STOP. If you think you have to figure it out how to stop figuring it out ... hold on a momentito ... did you notice right there how you are trying to figure it out? If you have no idea what I'm talking about. Fuggedaboutit. I have less of an idea than that. I like being smart about stuff. And, I'm willing to be 100% wrong on all of it. 

Terrorists. The good news is that we’ve managed, after 21 years and how many trillions of dollars and precious lives, to make sure another small hand full of bad actors did not do something nasty on the home front. Never mind the actual happening right now possibilities with the infiltration of scores of such types coming over at the southern border. As we speak.

"Climate." Hottest year on record; ever. Fires. Drought. Devastating storms. Pollution. Violence in streets. Drug epidemic. Homelessness. Poverty. Illness. Not to mention the degradation of the soils, water supply, and oceans in support of a materialistic culture and growing corporate profits. 

The culture. A culture bent on and predicated on gathering from among a phantasmagoria of entertainments and empty gratifications. The average person ignorant of their inherent, God-given nature. And, worst, a culture which doesn’t support, most definitely doesn't promote, looking into such a question; perhaps even stomping down any attempts. 

Politicians who spend more time spinning their brand of sh#t and putting more shade on their opponents than on good governance. And who spend huge sums of money and energy to get a seat at the table where the odds for a big payday when they get out of the barrel are high. The only downside being that you might get disinvited to a swell shindig on some swell island, with some swell folks at the multi-million dollar digs of some guy who went to Washington with only a pocket full of change and is now living rather, and conspicuously, proudly LARGE. 

South Korea. What can be said. It's there. Who knows.

And, Gentleman Joe. We sleep well at night knowing he has unambiguously drawn the line in the sand and under no uncertain terms has made it clear that if there’s any bad stuff — anything inappropriate going in the world — he’ll “Speak Out”.

Okay, that’s a dig on 46. Let’s not argue over it. We can certainly agree that it’s better than nothing. [Come to think of it, maybe that would be a good campaign slogan for the near future. “Better than Nothing. And, you can take that to the bank. Vote for me. Better than the other guy; who’s worse. Trust me.”]

 

Appreciating Donald ... Something for Everybody

Appreciating Donald ... Something for Everybody

[Read before reading: We all can't help but have a point of view. So far so good. If you are the sort that has a point of view that Donald J. Trump is the worst of the worst — like that he makes Adolf Hitler look like an Eagle Scout, what follows could come off as one of my readers has stated, a "nauseating screed". If, on the other hand, you will approach this with an open mind, then it may have something to offer you, regardless of whether you are a Trump supporter or not.]

In the past several months on social media I have been critical of what I have seen that, let us say, has been some troubling behavior from the so-called progressive side of politics and media. Those so inclined to that side have, without any trace of doubt and every bit of certainly down to their bones, either planted me squarely on some kind of indecision-fraught and/or cowardly-built fence sitter; or, worst of all possible ... a Trump Supporter! On the left of it, "Trump Supporter" is way down the pecking order from the Devil hisself.

In an effort to cast off the itchy cloak of my critics, I'm setting this down so that you might, if you care to, dig where I'm coming from. 

If you want to understand that, you must understand that anything you could imagine is never all this, or is it all that. Duality baby. Like it, or transcend. Or, maybe both. There's something to be said for Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. Not this, not this. Versus, all of it! See, once again, duality even in philosophies on the Real Nature of It All.

So now, what about Donald?

Let’s face it Donald Trump isn’t the first guy in a line-up who would be your most likely pick for President. [Just look at him!] Maybe not even to shine your shoes. Lot's of opinions, in case you haven't noticed. You know what I mean. Yet ...

There’s two sides to everything. To Donald Trump as well. Some on the other side say he just THE WORST, and some say his sh#t don't stink. Welcome to the US of A, 2021.

Here's a bunch of topics on the subject The Donald. No particular order of importance. You can do that for yourself. Send your take to me and I will tabulate the results from my millions of readers.

Boasting. Guess who would be the Mohamed Ali of boasting. Yet, yet ... who would vote for the candidate who presented the opposite? I dunno! The truth lays somewhere in between. No? [Let’s argue.]

Bold. Donald lets us know in no uncertain terms that he’s the man for the job. And, that he will get it done. And, done right. He’s a big builder; come on, man. That’s what he does. [Let’s argue.]

Brave. Huh??? Yes. He gets up there and shows a genuine something. Unless he's the con man many think. Or, even if not genuine, then that would possibly be that he's the monomaniacal, egomaniac that many would unhesitatingly check that box on him. Big ... IF. BTW they all there in the beltway be that. But, like it or not, props to DT for showing that for all to see in just the way only The Donald can be. [Let’s argue.]

Honest. Stay with me. In a nutshell, what you see is what you get with him. Unless you're like those who are so sure that he is the champ Pinnochio and won't see it any other way. Worse case, that his authenticity is just a cover for some nefarious, undoing of all that we hold dear. So many would check that box too. Of course all the opposition shade and liberal media spin doesn't have one bit of influence on all those free thinkers who voted for the other guy. Just not possible. Let's put on another set of glasses. I think he says what he thinks. Never mind if you disagree with what he thinks. He sure comes off like that he does. He has made good on a lot of his promises. Most politicians promise up front, then fold under "current unforeseen and unpreventable conditions". 

Mean. You bet. Unless you think that the US of A should do no more than just "speak out" when some real sh#t is going down somewhere beyond our borders. Or, that making nice with other competitor nations and other actors is the way to play the game. Of course, be nice. But firm. And, that big stick. Alas, our guy can be pretty mean on the stump, and toward those who cross him. If you were from New York you'd have a little less negative reaction to the style. [Let’s argue.]

Generous. What???, you say. He’s the poster boy for if you wanted to represent greed in human form. Astonishingly, I’d bet he’d endorse that enthusiastically. Greed is good. God is good. Greed is Godly. Thank you to that Calvinism. It’s the warp and the weave of our consumer culture. Yet, we’ve seen him in group settings and on the podium genuinely treating people with an authentic kindness. Okay, maybe not so much the “Fake News”. [Let’s argue.]

Smart. The master of branding. "Trump." Need I say more. "Pocahontas" ... that one still charms me. [Let’s argue.]

Transparent. He says what he thinks. Shockingly, rather, ahem, unfiltered. And, it sure looks like he believes his own BS. Which, on one hand, is a sort of integrity [Donald is like plastic wrap to Joe’s thoroughly sanded to opacity double-thick parchment pasted over with a fuzzy photo copy of himself all air-brushed and colorized] and, at the same time, can be so shocking and disconcerting. There he is ... he looks us square in the eye and, without a trace of doubt, and in all earnestness tells us that he’s The Man. For friggin’ sure! I think he knows his boast. The thing to his credit, if he in fact does, is that he has the stones to get up there and put himself in the driver's seat. Either way, he got game. Which, he did, after all. [Hey you ... get over it.] [Let’s argue.]

Strong. No other President in the history of this country has taken as much hot crap as one Donald J. Trump. Prove me wrong. Let’s not go to the obvious place arguing over whether or not he deserves it. Quite a wide spectrum of opinion on that point. Just grok how tough and strong a soul has to be to stay on top of the game with all that shade? Unless, of course, you see him as a complete con man; then, sling at will. Or an un-self-conscious sociopath. Sling more. [Let’s argue.] 

The Act. He's a trip. Is he for real? Let’s face it, he doesn’t fit the mold for how we almost universally think a President should look and act. What lifts our national skirt is avuncular, competent, integrity, truthful. Well, someone such as Joe, would kind of be like it. Apparently; meaning, by appearances. 45 is an interesting mix of class and déclassé, he is. Donald, that is. The other guy, his class for my money comes off as just painted on. [That's harsh, I know. Just like to get a dig in there from time to time.] The guy’s got the common touch, though, gotta admit. He talks like he talks. I think that's him being him up there. Not some propped-up puppet groomed to look the part, reading a script that who know who’s really in charge wrote, and that if there is such a one(s) who knows they even know WTF their doing. [Let’s argue.] 

Rich. Who doesn't wanna be that? But, not just land and dollar rich. Gold toilet rich. Jump a level. Take stock of all the points I've tried to make on the man so far. Each topic could be the thumbnail for a semester's college course, majoring in Trump Studies. He's a man of many facets. The beauty is he invites us all in to share that wealth. [Let’s argue.] 

In gratitude to DJT. I love to argue. Wow, it's become a national pastime. 

Thank you, and bless you, my former President Donald J. Trump.

PS Here's something from Facebook from Rick White on January 7, 2021 ...

I've lost a few friends over politics in the last five years and no matter what happens on January 20th this is how I feel...This is the best and most well written post that I have seen to date. He captured what over 74,000,000 people want to share.

Not open for debate. I have listened to everyone else’s hatred and rhetoric for months, so now I am having my day. If you don’t like it, you know where the delete button is. Let me be clear, I AM NOT a Biden fan. I think he is corrupt, a liar, and probably suffering from dementia. He has done nothing to improve anything in his 47-year political career. But what has Trump done in the past 4 years?
The "arrogant" SOB in the White House , brokered two Middle East Peace Accords, something that 71 years of political intervention and endless war failed to produce.

The "buffoon" in the White House, is the first president that has NOT engaged us in a foreign war since Eisenhower.

The "racist" in the White House, has had the greatest impact on the economy, bringing jobs, and lowering unemployment to the Black and Latino population of ANY other president. EVER!.

The "liar" in the White House, has exposed the deep, widespread, and long-standing corruption in the FBI, the CIA, the NSA, and the Republican and Democratic parties.

The "buffoon" in the White House, turned NATO around and had them start paying their dues.

The "fool" in the White House, neutralized the North Koreans and stopped them sending missiles toward Japan and threatening the West Coast of the US.

The "xenophobe" in the White House, turned our relationship with the Chinese around, brought hundreds of business back to the US, and revived the economy. Hello?????

The "clown" in the White House, has accomplished the appointing of three Supreme Court Justices ,who believe in the rights of the unborn and close to 300 Federal Judges.

This same clown lowered your taxes, increased the standard deduction on your IRS return from $12,500 to $24,400 for married couples and caused the stock market to rise to record levels, positively impacting the retirement accounts of tens of millions of citizens.

The “clown” in the White House, fast-tracked the development of a COVID Vaccine, which was just approved and is being shipped out as we speak and yet we still don't have a vaccine for SARS, Bird Flu, Ebola, or a host of diseases that arose during previous administrations???

The “clown” in the White House rebuilt our military, which the Obama administration crippled and fired 214 key generals and admirals, in his first year of office.

I got it, you don't like him. Many of you utterly hate and despise him. How special of you. He is serving you and ALL the American people
And might I add, he’s doing it for FREE..

What are you doing besides calling him names and laughing about him for catching the China virus?? Some of you were even hoping that COVID would be the cause of his demise??

Please educate me again as to what Biden has accomplished for America in his 47 years in office, besides making the whole Biden family richer???

By the way, where is Hunter? Oh, and when asked by the media about HUNTER, BIDEN has no response?

I’ll take the ‘clown’ any day, versus a fork tongued, smooth talking, hypocritical, corrupt liar. I want a strong leader who isn’t afraid to kick some ass when needed.

I don’t need a fatherly figure. I don’t need a liar. That's what Hollywood, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS and the New York Times are for.

God bless Donald Trump - the most unappreciated President in U.S. history.

Here's another take on this same subject: CLICK TO READ

ALSO A VIDEO: Trumps Virtues

Understanding the Power of Buddhism ...

OM AH HUM

The first three syllables of the mantra represent the three kayas, as well as the vajra body, speech, and mind of all the buddhas. OM corresponds to the dharmakaya, the nature of Buddha Amitabha; AH corresponds to the sambhogakaya, and the Lord of Compassion, Avalokitesvara; HUM corresponds to the nirmanakaya, manifesting as the Lotus-born Guru, Padmasambhava.

VAJRA
The vajra (dorje in Tibetan) refers to the diamond, the hardest and most precious of all stones. A diamond can cut through all other substances, yet cannot itself be cut by any of them.
This symbolizes the unchanging, non-dual wisdom of the buddhas, which cannot be affected or destroyed by ignorance, but cuts right through all delusions and obscurations. It indicates too that the qualities and activities of the body, speech, and mind of the buddhas can benefit all sentient beings, without hindrance from negative forces. Like a diamond, the vajra is free from all defects. Its indestructible strength comes from the realization of the dharmakaya nature, the nature of Buddha Amitabha.

GURU
As we have seen, the word" guru" in Sanskrit means "weighty," or "heavy." Just as gold is the heaviest and most precious of metals, the guru is the most weighty and most precious of all beings, because of his inconceivable and flawless qualities. Here the guru corresponds, on the sambhogakaya level, to Avalokitesvara, who is endowed with the seven branches of union.

PADMA
Padma, meaning "lotus" in Sanskrit, indicates the padma family from the five buddha-families. These five families - buddha, vajra, ratna, padma, and karma-are represented by the five buddhas: Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi, respectively.

Guru Rinpoche is the nirmanakaya emanation of Amitabha, who corresponds to the lotus family and the speech aspect of the buddhas. It is stated in the slltras that simply by uttering the name of Buddha Amitabha, you will be reborn in Sukhavati, the Paradise of Great Bliss, never to be reborn again in lower realms. In the same way, reciting the name of the Lotus-born Guru will bring us every kind of realization.

The incomparable qualities of the six-syllable mantra, the Mani, are also described in all the scriptures as being able to bring us to the realization of the bodhisattva levels, or bhumis.

The Mani mantra of Avalokitesvara is the sambhogakaya aspect of the Vajra Guru mantra, and also corresponds to the great Vairocana Buddha. This buddha, who is the size of the whole universe, holds a begging bowl in his two hands in the mudra of equanimity.
It is said that within this begging bow1 is a lotus with twenty-five rows of petals arranged one upon the other. These rows correspond to the various aspects of the body, speech, mind, qualities, and activity of the buddhas. For example, the body alone has five subdivisions: body-body, body-speech, body-mind, body-qualities, and body, -activity.

The present nirmanakaya paradise of the Buddha Sakyamuni is said to rest at the level of the heart, and corresponds to the row of the mind-mind subdivision, this being the reason why in this paradise the precious teachings of the Secret Mantrayana - the Vajrayana - could be taught and spread.

SIDDHI
The word siddhi means "true accomplishment." By remembering and praying to the body, speech, mind, qualities, and activity of Guru Rinpoche, both ordinary and supreme accomplishments will be ours. Ordinary accomplishments include freedom from sickness and endowments such as wealth and prosperity; the supreme accomplishment is to attain the complete realization of Guru Rinpoche himself.

HUM
Reciting the syllable HUM is like requesting or invoking the guru to come and to bless us with all the siddhis, ordinary and supreme.
Our master, Guru Rinpoche, and the mantra are inseparable. So when we utter the name of the guru by reciting the mantra, it's as if we are calling out repeatedly to someone who simply cannot fail to reply. The guru cannot but turn his compassion towards us, and so, if we pray one-pointedly like this, there is absolutely no doubt that Guru Rinpoche will come at once to grant us his blessings.

When rain falls on the earth, it falls evenly everywhere, but only the good seeds will germinate, not the rotten ones. In the same manner, the compassion of Guru Rinpoche is unbiased; it is directed universally to all beings, and yet his blessings will be swifter for those who have devotion and faith.

- Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Guru Yoga

Chief White Eage Speaks

Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle commenting on the current situation:

′′ This moment humanity is experiencing can be seen as a door or a hole. The decision to fall in the hole or walk through the door is up to you. If you consume the news 24 hours a day, with negative energy, constantly nervous, with pessimism, you will fall into this hole.

But if you take the opportunity to look at yourself, to rethink life and death, to take care of yourself and others, then you will walk through the portal.

Take care of your home, take care of your body. Connect with your spiritual home. When you take care of yourself, you take care of everyone at the same time.

Do not underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Take the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader view. There is a social question in this crisis, but also a spiritual question. The two go hand in hand.

Without the social dimension, we fall into fanaticism. Without the spiritual dimension, we fall into pessimism and futility.

Are you ready to face this crisis? Grab your toolbox and use all the tools at your disposal.

Learn resistance from the example of Indian and African peoples: we have been and are exterminated. But we never stopped singing, dancing, lighting a fire, and rejoicing.

Don't feel guilty for feeling blessed in these troubled times. Being sad or angry doesn't help at all. Resistance is resistance through joy!
You have the right to be strong and positive. And there's no other way to do it than to maintain a beautiful, happy, bright posture.
Has nothing to do with alienation (ignorance of the world). It's a resistance strategy.

When we cross the threshold, we have a new worldview because we faced our fears and difficulties. This is all you can do now:
- Serenity in the storm
- Keep calm, pray every day
- Make a habit of meeting the sacred every day.
Show resistance through art, joy, trust, and love."

[Attribution not difinitively known by David D. Wronski.] 

A Dad's Tale ...

When I was being a Daddy to my darling daughters they liked me telling them made-up stories.

 There was one theme I remember about a family that lived next to a deep, dark wood. The story plot centered on the little girl going into the woods, and all the things that happened on her way. What the story lacked was some organizing idea. Why did she go there? What did she learn? Did she find her way back? Things like that.

 I wasn’t in touch with my creative imagination much then and the story never seemed to get legs.

 So, now, here’s a story ...

Once upon a time, there was a family who lived in a cottage in the country. They grew their own food and were pretty much self-reliant. And, happy. Picture your best vision of the bucolic life.

 So happy, in fact, that the family never paid too much attention to what was in their surroundings. I don’t know how that’s really possible; but, it’s my story so I can have it any way I want. No? Stay with me.

 One day, the Father, by some happenstance — That Lord who works in His mysterious ways, don’t you know — sees the wood. He also hears a beautiful, haunting voice saying, “What you want most is here. Come.” Talk about offers you can’t refuse.

 Off he went. Without much of a ceremony for proper goodbyes and tears. Most difficult, not much of an explanation. Yet, what could he have said. It was a mystery to him also at the time.

Of course, the little girl missed her Daddy. It breaks the heart to see grief in such a young heart. Grief has its blessings, properly understood and fully accepted. But, to the child, with her limited experience and understanding of life, it looked like abandonment. Who could blame her. It did look like that. So, as the years passed, so it was. A story fixed in Amber. Not pleasant, mostly hidden away.

Dad saw it as a necessity. Not just for himself. What good Dad doesn’t want all the best for his family? True wealth, you automatically share. It’s in the nature of things.

 So, off he went. Never mind the twists and turns and false starts, and circles he encountered on the trail.

Trail. Well. “Trail” in the sense of where he was going. Not marked for him; marked by him. New territory. Brave, he was.

Would the darling daughter keep faith with him? Cherish her heartfelt connection. In her heart, no question. But, on the level of the personal point of view, quite a challenge. How could she know what he was up to? Even if he could tell it himself, would the little one know how to take it? Who knows. Things go the way they go.

The thing about that Dad going into the forest all alone was that he carried with him an Infinite spool of trusty, strong string. Letting it trail behind him as he pressed on. His own thought was that his beloveds would take hold of that string and follow him. Trusting. Loving.

Well, they didn’t. On the level of personal point of view, that is. And, the Father looked back so very often to see if the string had got taught from them grasping it as they went to follow. Well, again, no.

He even managed to get messages back to them, with hints on how to navigate the landscaped. She had her mind made up. The story she saw him through was a settled matter. Those messages, really annoying. They grated against her cherished pictures. 

I do have hope. The universe has a way of bringing things to itself. I call it Karmic Gravity. You can only go off course so far before the Universe will conspire to get you back on track. It's like this: "Opportunity only knocks once." Sure, but it has always been knocking, and won't stop ... until you stop that is; stop being an ignorant slave to the illusions created in your personality mind.

What’s a Dad to do? What can you do with a situation where you don’t know what to do, or even that there is anything you can do?

Let me take a sidebar to this: The forest is a metaphor. For going inside oneself. Enough on that. If you know, fine. Want to know more, look it up. Don't know, don't care ... fine, be that way. All roads lead to Rome. 

The question has an answer. To just sit with it. Be with it. Stop trying to figure it out, or make it into some understandable shape. To fix it.

At the moment when he surrendered to the impossibility of answering the question, something amazing —miraculous, really — happened. What the promise that was made that he set off to find was right there in front of him. Not some fairy tale pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Better. Infinitely. T. S. Elliot said it well, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”

Think on that. Deep, true and powerful stuff.

 In truth, he never left. Oh, it seemed so, but not really. You know how it’s said, “Nothing real can be threatened, and nothing unreal doesn’t exist”? It is just that.

Moral of the story: Appearances can be deceiving. The little girl deceived herself that her Daddy left. The Dad, that they might not be there when he arrived.

That’s a story with a happy ending. For you who have cared to read it through to the end.

See if you can fit this into the sense of the story: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep. And miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go before I sleep.” That's Doctor Tom Dooley famously quoting Robert Frost.

PS Dad's sometimes have to do things little girls might not understand. Yet do them without any expectation — ever — that they will understand, or even want to. Or, could. Love finds a way.

[This story is inspired and offered to my own Daughters who are pure mirrors to me in my life.] 

What is Buddha? "The single most fundamental point ..."

What is Buddha?

The single most fundamental point in the Buddhist sutras is ‘taking refuge’, or ‘namu’ in Japanese. This taking refuge in the three treasures – Buddha, dharma and sangha – forms the foundation for all the precepts. To receive the Triple Refuge is to enter into the world of Buddha.

The Sanskrit term ‘namu’ and the Chinese term ‘kie’ both express the same spirit, and both terms mean to go back to your true home. To really go back home, in the spirit of ‘kie’, one must entrust oneself and let go of the body and mind that he has up to now called ‘me’. If that thing we refer to as ‘me’ exists, then ‘namu’ means to give it all up for the sake of truth. So ‘namu’ and ‘kie’ are the Sanskrit and Chinese expressions which mean to place one’s full reliance, body and soul, on buddha.

Now, when we chant, “Namu kie butsu” – “I take refuge in buddha” – what do we mean by ‘buddha’? What is buddha? This is the question the person practicing comes to feel he must answer for himself.

If we are not clearly aware of the reality of a buddha, an awakened being who has thoroughly cast off everything to the last, we cannot really let go ourselves. So the question is: who, or what, or in what form is buddha to be found?

First of all, is there really anything of truth in this world for which you could let go of everything? If such a truth really does exist, I would say that you could surrender everything for it. Going further, if this truth happens to be just the thing you are most seeking, then the more willingly you will let go of everything for it. Finally, we could say that what we most ardently wish for is to possess everything without exception, to have everything as one’s own. If this truth is just such an all-encompassing state in itself, then you wouldn’t hesitate to give up everything for it.

Our desires are not such that we can say, “Oh, just to right here will be plenty.” Desire being insatiable, we cannot be satisfied until we have it all, to the very last. Some gentle-mannered souls may act with reserve and declare that they have plenty. But should you ask them, “Is this really enough?”, they will likely answer, “Well, if possible, just a touch more.” However, if you know that regardless of what you seek, your every wish will be granted, you will be willing to lay down your whole self. If whatever you seek is yours, isn’t it correct to say that there is no loss?

If a child is asked to name the one thing that is of most value, he will answer that it is ‘life’. There is awareness of life. If there is a life which cannot be lost for all eternity, you would gladly give up everything for it. And then there is material wealth. If by simply wishing for something, it is provided, why should you hesitate to give up anything? Finally, if you know that you will be released from all restraints, to live in perfect freedom, I would say it is all right to give up everything for that.

If these three conditions can be yours, I believe you will be ready to cast off your small self. We can say that that which is called ‘buddha’ is in itself the perfect embodiment of life, wealth and freedom. Eternal life as one’s own, complete freedom in everything, possession of all the truth of this world – if you know this is buddha, the heart which entrusts itself cannot help but well up.

Tangen Harada Roshi