A Brief Venture to the Pure Land Neighborhood
Went to the Obon Festival today - just in time for one of the taiko performances. Hooray for drumming! As a fan of tribal-style dancing, I love that taiko has the drummers dancing.
The Buddhist temple hosting the festival is beautiful, and very close to where I live (say, 5 minutes by car, not much more by light rail). So I was hopeful that dharma talks might be super-convenient to get to.
And then I learned about the uniqueness of the Pure Land branch of Buddhism. The more learned among you may have just snorted miso out your nose at that. No, I really didn't know there was a sect so umm, Christian. The gist of it is that we are inherently evil and ignorant, but lucky for us, Amida Buddha graciously offered all the merit he'd accumulated so that we too can be saved. All we have to do is say his name. The word "salvation" is liberally used in their literature and conversation.
To be fair, the members (the ones I encountered) are pleasant and not pushy about their beliefs, nor did they talk trash about other branches of Buddhism. It's a large, well-organized, lively group, and their "services" are Dharma talks, with the idea that one's life is one's practice, and you can do your chanting, sitting, prostrations, or whatever works for you personally, on your own. Sue me, but this Typical Busy Westerner found that very appealing.
It was a clarifying experience. I simply don't believe in salvation through belief in some entity who's sacrificed or donated on my behalf. It's not just Christianity. Many years ago, I confronted my lack of faith in the God (and divine Christ) of my Catholic upbringing on a very bumpy flight. Sort of a reverse foxhole conversion. My conclusion was that if indeed these all-knowing, compassionate beings existed, they would completely understand where I was coming from and forgive me my misperception. Maybe spend some time in Purgatory, shifting paradigms, maybe get sent back around. Wasn't sure, and didn't feel I needed a guarantee.
What I did believe, and still do, is that whether or not an omnipotent, omniscient being exists, and whether or not reincarnation exists, all I can do is the very best I can to follow the four noble truths (which end up recommending taking the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism). The way to accomplish that is called the Eightfold Path. Which, could be likened to living according to the commandments (aside from having no other gods, obviously):
Eightfold Path:
Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
I believe in these things, and in the concept of the middle way wholeheartedly and unreservedly (which is not to suggest 100% successful implementation!). What I realized today is that I'm not at all interested in judging chanting, prostrations, sitting/walking meditation practices, and calling one school of thought "THE way." What resonated with me originally was that Siddhartha Gautama recommended what Whitman phrased so wonderfully:
Re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body…
It is an individual path, when all is said and done. My efforts to follow the principles I believe in may be very humble, unscholarly, and ultimately lacking. But I also believe in the Spoon Theory (at least as much as String Theory), and that is what I am capable of right now.
More thought-provoking than expected, but...it WAS an excellent outing, and I'm glad I went!
The Buddhist temple hosting the festival is beautiful, and very close to where I live (say, 5 minutes by car, not much more by light rail). So I was hopeful that dharma talks might be super-convenient to get to.
And then I learned about the uniqueness of the Pure Land branch of Buddhism. The more learned among you may have just snorted miso out your nose at that. No, I really didn't know there was a sect so umm, Christian. The gist of it is that we are inherently evil and ignorant, but lucky for us, Amida Buddha graciously offered all the merit he'd accumulated so that we too can be saved. All we have to do is say his name. The word "salvation" is liberally used in their literature and conversation.
To be fair, the members (the ones I encountered) are pleasant and not pushy about their beliefs, nor did they talk trash about other branches of Buddhism. It's a large, well-organized, lively group, and their "services" are Dharma talks, with the idea that one's life is one's practice, and you can do your chanting, sitting, prostrations, or whatever works for you personally, on your own. Sue me, but this Typical Busy Westerner found that very appealing.
It was a clarifying experience. I simply don't believe in salvation through belief in some entity who's sacrificed or donated on my behalf. It's not just Christianity. Many years ago, I confronted my lack of faith in the God (and divine Christ) of my Catholic upbringing on a very bumpy flight. Sort of a reverse foxhole conversion. My conclusion was that if indeed these all-knowing, compassionate beings existed, they would completely understand where I was coming from and forgive me my misperception. Maybe spend some time in Purgatory, shifting paradigms, maybe get sent back around. Wasn't sure, and didn't feel I needed a guarantee.
What I did believe, and still do, is that whether or not an omnipotent, omniscient being exists, and whether or not reincarnation exists, all I can do is the very best I can to follow the four noble truths (which end up recommending taking the middle way between the two extremes of excessive self-indulgence (hedonism) and excessive self-mortification (asceticism). The way to accomplish that is called the Eightfold Path. Which, could be likened to living according to the commandments (aside from having no other gods, obviously):
Eightfold Path:
Right View
Right Intention
Right Speech
Right Action
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right Mindfulness
Right Concentration
I believe in these things, and in the concept of the middle way wholeheartedly and unreservedly (which is not to suggest 100% successful implementation!). What I realized today is that I'm not at all interested in judging chanting, prostrations, sitting/walking meditation practices, and calling one school of thought "THE way." What resonated with me originally was that Siddhartha Gautama recommended what Whitman phrased so wonderfully:
Re-examine all you have been told at school or church or in any book, dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem and have the richest fluency not only in its words but in the silent lines of its lips and face and between the lashes of your eyes and in every motion and joint of your body…
It is an individual path, when all is said and done. My efforts to follow the principles I believe in may be very humble, unscholarly, and ultimately lacking. But I also believe in the Spoon Theory (at least as much as String Theory), and that is what I am capable of right now.
More thought-provoking than expected, but...it WAS an excellent outing, and I'm glad I went!