Heart Circle Sangha Blog

I was watching tv news the other day about Libya before the US got involved and the thought entered my mind, “Someone should assassinate Quaddafi.” I was a little surprised at the violence of the thought. Could that be my thought? I like to think I don’t have such aggressive thoughts. But I got kind of curious about it. Was it an enlightened thought, full of compassion for the people of Libya who the government was shooting down, or was it a violent thought full of self righteousness of the “me good, you bad” variety. I really didn’t know. Was I breaking the first precept, “Do not kill; affirm life” with this thought? My intention was certainly malevolent, even if there were no action, and it is intention that determines the morality of an action.

How do I think about such a thought arising in my mind? On the one hand, whatever arises is the dharma and at the same time bad intentions create bad karma. Of course, I have the luxury to sit in not knowing and examine my own thinking because I am not in Libya and have no means of assassinating Quaddafi. There is no self interest in my thought. I would not benefit personally in any way. Yet it is very tricky imagining I know what is best for other people, other countries.

I decided to do some research as I remembered  that the Buddha justified some murders under the right circumstances. In a collection of essays called Evolution of the Precepts, prepared by the Soto Zen Buddhist Association, I found the following:

“In Yogacarya-Bhumi-Shastra attributed to Maitreya, we find the following passage (Taisho 1501, p. 1112):
Those Bodhisattvas who observe the pure Bodhisattva precepts well may, as a skillful means to benefit others, commit some major misdeeds. In doing so, they do not violate the Bodhisattva precepts; instead, they generate many merits.
For example, suppose a Bodhisattva sees that a vicious robber intends to kill many people for the sake of wealth; or intends to harm virtuous Shravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, or Bodhisattvas; or intends to do other things that will cause him to fall to the Uninterrupted Hell. When seeing this, the Bodhisattva will think, “If I kill that person, I will fall to the hells; if I do not kill him, he will commit crimes which will lead him to the Uninterrupted Hell, where he will suffer greatly. I would rather kill him and fall to the hells myself than let him undergo great suffering in the Uninterrupted Hell.”
Then, deeply regretting the necessity for this action, and with a heart full of compassion, he will kill that person. In doing this, he does not violate the Bodhisattva precepts; instead, he generates many merits.”

I see clearly in reading this quote that my compassion was for those Quaddafi is murdering and not for him. And thus my thought of wishing to see him stopped by murdering him is not one of compassion, but of hatred, a transgression of the worst kind. In Buddhism, the ends do not justify the means. Back to the cushion!

While Zen is most commonly associated with the Japanese tradition, many of the important Zen Teachers were not from Japan. Zen has deep roots in China and a number of Chinese Zen (or Ch’an) Masters made important contributions toward establishing Zen in the west. One of these was Hsuan Hua, whose name literally means “proclaim and transform”. Hsuan Hua taught in the west for nearly 4 decades, calling himself  “the Monk in the Grave” as he never wanted fame or profit and preferred to be beneath the feet of all living beings as a stepping stone to the ground of Buddha.

Like many of the best known teachers of Zen in the U.S., he first began teaching in San Francisco in the 1960s where he translated and lectured on the Buddhist Sutras, held daily meditation sessions and became famous for fasting and praying for peace. Hsuan Hua founded the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Ukiah California, one of the first Ch’an monasteries in the United States. He also supported and helped harmonize all types of Buddhist tradition in America and would later be instrumental in helping establish the Theraveda Buddhist Monastery in Redwood Valley California.  As well, he founded the Buddhist Text Translation Society, the Dharma Realm Buddhist University and the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, eventually ordaining over 200 people from countries all over the world.

http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/Buddhism/VenHua/hua.htm

Meech

This past Friday we had our cat put to sleep.
His formal name was “Mister”, but somehow the kids had evolved that name into “Meech”.
He had been not well for about a month.
He had been tumbled by a car, and as a result his front left paw had nerve damage and was un-usable.
We made him a splint out of foam pipe insulation and a Popsicle stick.
He also had problems with his digestive system. He couldn’t process food and so he started eating and drinking less and less.
For 4 weeks we cycled up and down. Some days he ate and drank fine then other days nothing.
We finally decided it was best to let him go.
We made an appointment for 2:40 on Friday
That afternoon before 2:00 we moved his bed into the sunshine so he could enjoy the warmth of the sun.
I then sat next to him for an hour just petting and talking to him.
When it was time to go I placed Meech on a towel. I sprinkled some catnip on the towel to help calm him down, then placed the towel in the Pet Carrier.
We covered up the pet carrier with another towel so that when we brought him into the Vets he wouldn’t be bombarded by the barking and meowing of the other animals.
They showed me into an examination room.
I sat with Meech talking to him all the time.
The Doctor came in and I took Meech out of the carrier.
It was very intimate just me, Meech and the Doctor.
First they give the animal and very strong tranquilizer. They lift up the skin along his spine and inject it there. It must have hurt a little because Meech turned and meowed when he did it.
Then they wait a few minutes for it to work.
We then took Meech out of the Carrier and laid him on his side. They shaved a small patch of fur off of his hind leg in order to find a vein. Then they give a second injection to stop his heart.
I saw his final beat and exhale.

So the question I’ve been working with is “Where is Meech?”

At what point did Meech stop being Meech?
Was it when they gave him the tranquilizer and his eyes glazed over in a drugged haze?
Was it when his heart beat for the last time?
Was he ever really “Meech” to begin with?

I once heard someone say that we are all verbs and not nouns.
And more importantly we are the “Present Participle” of Verbs.

1. forming the present participle of verbs:
a. the act or an instance of (a specified verb): talking, digging, hearing, noticing

His example was Rain and Raining.
Rain as a noun is just an idea a concept.
Raining is a verb and a present participle of that verb.
It is getting soaking wet when you forget your umbrella.
It is the light mist fogging up your glasses in the spring time.
It is Gene Kelly splashing about in “Singing in the Rain”.

So just like Rain and Raining. There is Jim and Jim-ing.
Jim is a noun a concept an idea. While Jim-ing is the manifestation of my life in the present moment. Being the space in which my life unfolds.

One of the most distinguishing characteristics of Zen is the belief in “No Self” or Anatta.
It is one of the 3 Marks of Existence in Buddhism.
Anatta or No Self.
Anicca or Impermanence.
Dukkha or Un-satifactoriness.

Of the 3 Anatta or No-self may be the toughest to digest.

So back to Meech.
Was there ever a Meech to begin with?
I don’t know but I do know that I experienced “Meech-ing”.
The manifestation of his existence.
Him being the vessel for his life unfolding and sharing it with us.

And where is he now? This too I don’t know. I do know that his “skin bag” as we call the body in Zen is in a cardboard box in our Garage waiting for a warm day for the ground to thaw so we can bury him by the garden where he liked to watch us work.

This past Thanksgiving we had my family over and a big discussion arose over why do Bad things happen to Good people. Everyone had an opinion.
Later I told my Sister that at the end of the day there are things that we KNOW and things that we BELIEVE.
The things that we know are,
Everything changes. Part of that changing for living beings includes old age, sickness and death.
Good things happen to good people, Good things happen to bad people.
Bad things happen to good people, Bad things happen to bad people.
When we do something loving for someone it feels right and in harmony.
When someone does something loving for us it feels right and in harmony.

Everything else is just beliefs.

It is also known as the great mystery.

One last thing that has been believed since man has been on earth and that is the belief that we came from Love and will return to Love.
Because this has been such a belief by all peoples for all time I think that it makes it a KNOWN. It is also what I experience when I go on retreat, and days of meditation strip away all the trivial thoughts and fears of the ego.

So though I don’t know where “Meech” is now, I do know that he is somewhere Loving.

And I do know that he will he will be greatly missed.