Breakfast Club Reflections this 4th of July

I trek over to the Shechen guesthouse every morning to enjoy breakfast with a group of friends before heading to class. Somewhere along the line one clever member of the group dubbed our little contingent "The Breakfast Club." I don't believe there are any one-to-one correlations with the movie, but if we get to pick our actors than I'm definitely going with Judd Nelson...that dude rocked! In any case our Breakfast Club is a rather international group representing Germany, Denmark, Norway, Canada, Pakistan, the UK (if Zeid isn't sleeping in), and a number of Yanks.

The July 4th catch phrase in the Forward Movement devotional is, "Today's enemies are tomorrow's friends." As I look around the Breakfast Club I realize how true this is. If I had been around during the French and Indian War I definitely wouldn't have been accepting any almonds from Elena or probiotics from Jamie, because they would have been land-thieving Canucks. Had I been around for the first 4th of July I'd probably have gone all Good Will Hunting on my British friend Zeid, "How you like them apples!" If I had been around 60 years ago I would be denouncing my German friend Karen. And admittedly, as a child of the Cold War, I still feel a bit odd talking to Russian folks like my classmate Vit from Moscow. Furthermore, I can scarcely imagine (but have a vague idea) how folks from other countries regard me as I sit drinking my coffee with my American flag proudly displayed on top of my bookbag. I am not really comfortable in defining either myself or my country merely in contrast or at odds with other people or nations. So on this American Independence Day I intend to celebrate what America is on its own and not how it stands in contrast to others.

At the core America is life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is a confederation of states constantly striving to be a more perfect union. It is the land of the free and home of the brave. It is a nation of the people, by the people, for the people. It is a land where all people are created equal, where all of God's children, black people and white people, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last! It is a country where people ask not what their country can do for them, but ask what they can do for their country. It is the leader of the free world, that when faced with global obstacles boldly responds, Yes we can.

Territorial squabbles, imperialism, fascism, communism and terrorism have all come and gone and some of them will probably come again. So as I celebrate this 4th of July from downtown Kathmandu, I pray that no matter what the adversity, the American dream continues to flourish and evolves into a global dream. Where life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness can be extended to all peoples, and on their own terms. Where justice and compassion can find that perfect balance. Where humanity can live symbiotically with its earthly home. Where all of today's enemies, indeed become tomorrow's friends. Happy 4th of July and God Bless America.

Spirit Guides

I've put off writing this post off for a while now. Practices 1-5 I found relatively easy to write. Practice 7 is a wonderland of insight, practices 8-10 are really eye opening, but I am struggling with practice 6. Some practices translate well and some, like practice 6, might require me/us to reach a little more for commonality. With that rather ominous introduction, practice #6.

When relying on the sacred spiritual friend, our faults become exhausted
And our good qualities increase like the waxing moon.
It is the practice of bodhisattvas to value such a sacred spiritual friend
As more precious than their own body.

There is an agrarian analogy used to describe the path to enlightenment. A human birth is like the fertile field, yet it is not nearly enough to yield the fruit of enlightenment. Many other conditions are necessary for the production of fruit, and one of the more critical conditions is the right spiritual friend. A spiritual friend is a mentor and a teacher. Finding the right teacher is a tough process, and a rarity in human form. However, when one has found the right person, perfect trust, faith, obedience and service is given to that spiritual friend. In return the spiritual friend nurtures and instructs the follower. The three poisons are reduced and the three good qualities (study, meditation and reflection) are fostered. These spiritual friends are great masters themselves, so even being in their presence can help us. Because we cannot attain enlightenment without the guidance of a spiritual friend they are even more valuable than our body.

I'm a bit of a loner. I like to figure things out on my own. I don't like being dependent on other people. Recently, I've worked a lot harder at being more integrated and interdependent with the rest of creation, but I still get uncomfortable at the sound of placing perfect trust, faith or obedience in a person. By and large my military experience was positive, but one of the scars I left with was a distinct lack of faith in any human's ability to make good decisions consistently (me included and perhaps especially). Couple my doubt with a tradition whose canon is closed and real suspicion arises. Early Christians had a rather negative response to the practice of spiritual friends because it was associated with Gnostics. Gnosticism claimed Jesus taught certain topics secretly to certain privileged individuals. These secret teachings could only be transferred via spiritual teachers. Furthermore, these secret teachings were tied up in the Gnostic belief of Docetism, or that Christ was not really incarnate. So when Irenaeus of Lyons succeeded in his hereticizing of Gnosticism, the spiritual teacher was removed from the necessary conditions for salvation. I believe I am on solid ground when I say that most of who call ourselves Christian believe that salvation is not dependent on a spiritual guide. However...
Necessity and efficiency are two very different things. While it may be possible to reach salvation free of a spiritual teacher, it is probably easier to "get by with a little help from our friends." Priests, preachers, deacons, lay leaders and Sunday school teachers are the first folks who come to mind. Any individuals who we recognize as farther down the Way of the Cross than us can benefit us. To ignore such a resource would be a waste. We don't even need to put perfect trust or faith in them, but maybe we should put more faith in them than in ourselves. At least when it comes to issues where we know ourselves to be ignorant. Another avenue is illuminated in the words of the Buddhist master Jayula, "Study all the life examples of the sacred ones; they are my inspirations." Spiritual friends don't have to be alive. Anyone who has a "St." before their name could probably help us down the Way. While I still can't go so far as to place perfect faith in a human, I can recognize that I personally need a little help from those more spiritual advanced than myself. So in the spirit of the 6th Practice let me say thanks to Jesus, St Paul, St James, St Christopher, St Josaphat (more on this one later), Maggie, Bob, Howard, Dad, Troy, Noni, Fr. Hesburgh, Thomas Merton, CS Lewis and everyone else who has in some way pointed the right direction down the Way or helped shoulder my spiritual load.

Bad Company till the day I die

I'm hoping some of you all remember the supergroup Bad Company, if not just disregard the latter of half of the title of this post. I'm a little tired today as I have just returned from a hike up to Kapan Monastery. I'll throw a couple of photos your way of this gorgeous little gompa and stupa. Pressing on with the practices.

Practice #5

If, while befriending someone, the three poisons increase,

The activities of study, reflection and meditation degenerate,

And love and compassion disappear,

Then it is the practice of the bodhisattvas to give up this bad company.

(Note: The three poisons are attachment, anger and ignorance) Individuals who increase the three poisons, decrease study, reflection, meditation, love and compassion should be conceived of as dangerous wild animals. If one keeps company with unwholesome friends their faults will rub off, and the virtuous Dharma, which has not yet arisen, will not arise.

Parents tend to see this one coming. I can't remember all the times I heard my folks give the lecture about, "you are who you hang out with." They were mostly giving this talk to Kelley, but I heard it a few times. Wisdom and experience seem to agree that if a person hangs around a degenerate group long enough they will become degenerate. You can even find Biblical backing for this in 2 Cor 14 & 17, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath the righteous with the unrighteous and what communion hath light with darkness. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you." However...

Audience is important here. This Bodhisattva practice is directed to those just beginning the path, my parents were addressing their children, and St. Paul was addressing a young church in the middle of a pagan environment. These admonitions are not meant as hard and fast rules used to justify isolation (for more on this see Anabaptists). As one grows in faith, he\she moves from being influenced to influencing, from receiver of bad habits to instiller of good habits. We should investigate and evaluate our own standing in our faith. Some situations might require us to abandon bad company. Then again, some situations might require us to eat with tax-collectors. (I give a big shout out to my Dad on this topic for his work with the Kairos prison ministries.)

This guy made fun of my Yak Story

Yak Yak Yak

I went to a section of Kathmandu called Thamel. It seems like the section of town that has taken to Western influence the most, for better or for worse. Dance clubs, fine dining and oodles of entrepreneurs selling everything from scarves to Everest flights to Nepali weed (I was propositioned twice. I'm sure it has something to do w/ my lack of a haircut). However our group went because Thamel is also known for its bookstores (dork alert in full effect here). While making our way between bookstores I saw a T-shirt that had a line of Yaks across the chest and underneath this string of animals was a string of words that read "Yak, Yak, Yak, Yak". Upon seeing this I couldn't stop laughing, and then it dawned on me to ask what the Tibetan word for Yak was. One of the folks in our group is a Tibetan language scholar and she informed me that the Tibetan word for Yak is indeed Yak. If you have made it this far in this post I have just rewarded you with an indispensable piece of knowledge. Go forth and let everyone know you speak a little Tibetan. Once I figure out how to upload pictures on these shared computers I'll post a picture of what happens to people who make fun of my Yak story.

See if you can find the Lost reference

Practice #4 of the Bodhisattva

Separated from each and every long-acquainted companion,
Leaving behind hard-earned wealth and possessions,
Guest-like consciousness abandons its guesthouse, the body;
To give up concern for this life is the practice of the bodhisattvas.

At the moment of death, they either abandon us or we abandon them. Live together, die alone. This is just merely fact. There are 3 root truths about death; death is certain, when we will die is uncertain, at the point of death, nothing other than the Dharma is of benefit. Furthermore, friends will be of no benefit, food and wealth will be of no benefit, even one's own body will be of no benefit. Reflection and contemplation of death should be like the riding crop that spurs our precious human life forward. Liberation can be reached from this life so every moment is precious to that end. Knowing our moments are limited we should attempt to capitalize on every second we are afforded. Capitalization means practicing the Dharma. Wealth, health, even friends and family are secondary to this compulsion towards enlightenment. Paradoxically, practicing the Dharma means letting go of concern for this life and this time that spurs us forward. So one should make haste to be compassionate and be quick to relinquish the self.

I like the directness of this practice. I tend to romanticize death (thank you John Donne). Or I'll only contemplate it only when the spectre is close. Or I'll regard it in terms of a country song like "Live like you were Dying" (thank you Tim McGraw). In any case, I don't think about death near enough. While it sounds morbid, take a day and preface each decision by reflecting on your own death as imminent. Fear, embarrassment and laziness recede quickly under this kind of reflection. Furthermore, one's ideas of what's important change. And while it might not move you to go skydiving, Rocky mountain climbing or 2.7 seconds on a bull name Fu man chu, I'm sure it will motivate you to do more than watch 90210 in syndication. Death has a way of reminding us of what's important. For we Christians that means living a life in ever deepening relation to the Trinity. Of course this relationship brings its own paradox, "For whosoever will save his/her life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his/her life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it (Mark 8:35). Life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So be quick to love and make haste to be kind, and in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Adhering to Solitude and the Rocky Soundtrack

Practice #3 of the Bodhisattva

Abandoning negative places, disturbing emotions gradually subside;
Being free from distraction, the practice of virtue spontaneously increases;
With brightened awareness one feels confidence in the Dharma;
To adhere to solitude is the practice of the bodhisattvas

Abandoning one's homeland is not enough if one is just going to re-establish attachments some where else. The world is full of distractions that constantly pull one away from focus on the Dharma. As one abandons an environment of distraction clarity and awareness grow. Solitude here is not simply referring to physical location. There are 3 kinds of solitude; physical solitude, solitude of speech and solitude of mind. The first kind of solitude means abandoning the sensory inputs that can be distractions (Xbox or Stock Ticker). The second kind of solitude means abandoning both the influx and outpouring of speech, text or distracting communication (turn off Dr. Phil). The third kind of solitude means abandoning all other thoughts not associated with the Buddha, the Dharma or the Sangha (worrying about manscaping for the beach or what to make the family for dinner). Adhering to solitude can take place in Times Square. As one adheres to solitude ethical discipline becomes more robust, meditation becomes more focused, awareness opens and wisdom is grasped.

When I hear, "adhere to solitude" I think of two things; Simon the Stylite and Rocky IV. Simon the Stylite was a 5th century Christian ascetic who lived upwards of 35 years on top of a pillar. Food, water and waste were provided and removed by followers on the ground, and Simon never came down. While Simon was a bit extreme, adhering to solitude has been a foundational influence on Christianity. Truly fascinating and miraculous stories have emerged from folks like Antony of Egypt and the Desert Fathers. These early ascetics chose solitude because it removed them from distractions and allowed them to concentrate on their faith (if this sounds familiar see above).
Drago killed Apollo creed. Rocky knew that in order to beat this "Russian Killer" he needed to step up his training. So in a bold move Rocky left his town, his wife, his Survivor thumping Lamborghini, and all his fancy gyms in favor of a Siberian cabin and desolate wilderness. Rocky knew that when concentration and committment were paramount, solitude was the surest environment.
Solitude is of utmost importance in our lives. We need to disconnect from the world from time to time. Clarity, awareness, wisdom, committment, discipline and being able to whoop Roid-raging Russians are only a few of the benefits of solitude. If we hold our faiths dear, than solitude to reflect on the Dharma or the Gospel is imperative. If we can't do it constantly than we should at least set aside a little time each day. For those of us who call ourselves Christians there's even a whole day dedicated to this purpose...it's called the Sabbath. I am still working on this one, but hopefully with the help of bodhisattvas, Stylites, Rocky and a divine commandment, I can carve out a little more solitude.