“So Much for Prayer”

Here is an intense video on the realities of the war in the middle east, the so called “Holy” Land.

Mother’s Day for Buddhists

Mother’s Day for Buddhists
Honoring one’s parents is an important part of Buddhist teaching. Mother’s Day would be a good time to call your parents’ attention to this fact
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/736897/mothers_day_for_buddhists.html

Christianity and Torture

More of the “Torture Documents” from the Bush Administration have been released to the public.

I am not sure which is more disturbing, the torture itself or the fact that it was authorized and applied under administration of a self proclaimed evangelical conservative Christian.

Christianity is, after all, a religion based on the teachings of Jesus who was brutally tortured and executed at the hands of the Roman Empire.

Jesus was:

- Flogged

- Beaten, Mocked, and Humiliated by his prison guards (Don’t forget that crown of thorns!)

- Physically Broken Down (Carrying that cross couldn’t have been easy.)

- Executed by means of Exposure, Suffocation, and Accumulated Bodily Harm (Crucifixion is the punishment for sedition.  It is meant to be slow. It is meant to send a message to the population at large.)

Additionally, many of the early followers of Jesus were likewise tortured and crucified.  

Did we as country, under Christian leadership, abandoned the message of Jesus and instead embrace the ethic of the Roman Empire?

Peace, Paul

Pancake Brunch

Sunday is pancake brunch day.  This tradition began in New Orleans where we would invite our neighbors over for homemade, from scratch, banana pancakes and long rambling discussions fueled by strong New Orleans coffee.  We continued the tradition at the Amida Hawaii temple in Kapa’au and 2 years later are still making and eating way too many pancakes on Sundays.

This past Sunday we were joined by Bo Lozoff, musician and founder of Human Kindness Foundation and the Prison Ashram Project.

Judy and I first met Bo in Tallahassee when he visited Lotus Lake Buddhist temple.  (He stayed in our house during his visit, as did so many other temple guests at that time.)  Anyway, a few years early, with a little help from Human Kindness Foundation and Bo’s example, I had begun my prison ministry at Wakulla C.I., just outside of Tallahasse.  It was a wonderful ministry which I maintained until leaving Tallahassee in 2006.  

Needless to say it was good to reconnect with Bo.  2009 is starting out strong, first a visit form our Dharma teachers, Dharmavidya and Prasada, in January and now this.  It is hard to imagine what March may hold in store.

Peace, Paul

Problems with Prisons for Profit

Friends,

In my book, making money by imprisoning people is, at best, morally questionable. Yet this is exactly what privatizing prisons means. Prison corporations profit by incarcerating the most people, for the longest amount of time, while spending the least amount of money.

It is in the prison corporation’s best interest to have an ever increasing incarceration rate and a high recidivism rate. Reforming prisoners into well adjusted members of society is not good for the bottom line.

Obviously, having prisons that are for profit businesses leads to all the normal corruption and greed that we encounter in the corporate world. Here is an article about one recent case of corruption that has affected the lives of hundreds of youths:  Pa. Judges Accused of Jailing Kids for Cash.

Peace, Paul

How Hawaii is Different

It seems that we are having a bit of an outbreak of “Rat Lung” disease here on the Big Island.  (Yes, humans can get this meningitis like disease.) Unfortunately the local paper doesn’t seem to think it is important enough to report on. Here is the article from an Oahu paper.

This disease has been affecting people in the area of the big island known as Puna. Now if we were on the mainland, and this disease had put 8 people in the hospital, some in a coma, then you can be sure there would be a national stink.
In Hawaii, we are left to rely on gossip and prudent action.

For our part, we aren’t eating any raw greens for the time being.

Peace, Paul

Buddhism and Vegetarianism

I confess that I have often been disheartened by the refusal of Buddhist practitioners to embrace vegetarianism as part of the Buddhist tradition.

However today I cam across some statements from H.H. the Karmapa on Vegetarianism and the Kagyu lineage. HH the Karmpa

These are bold statements, and gives me hope that the Buddha Dharma does indeed hold the key to liberating us from the environmental and violent morass that we have created for ourselves on this earth.

Peace, Paul

New Year

The New Year has come and gone.  We survived relatively unscathed, staying indoors out of the craziness of fireworks, gunfire, and drunkenness.  The rain has continued, which I am sure put a bit of a damper on the various neighborhood pyrotechnic festivities.

The beginning of the New Year is a time for resolutions and new beginnings.   Which all sounds wonderful until you actually try to make changes in your life.  Then the rubber hits the road and we see how entrenched we are in our comfortable and familiar habits.  We may not like our habits and behaviors, but they are what we know.

This is, of course, why practicing the Buddha Dharma is so hard!  The Dharma runs contrary to what is familiar.  In the Buddhist way of thinking, it is our habitual patterns that create and perpetuate much of the suffering in our lives and the world.  

To begin “anew” we must be willing to see these habitual patterns and recognize that they are the root of much suffering.  This is why the Buddha’s first teaching, after his awakening, is about Dukkha (suffering) and the causes of suffering.  It is a concise teaching.  Yet it is the foundation for the vast and innumerable teachings known as the Buddha Dharma.

“Now this, monks, is the Noble Truth of Dukkha: birth is dukkha, aging is dukkha, illness is dukkha; death is dukkha; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief, & despair are dukkha; association with what is displeasing is dukkha; separation what is pleasing is dukkha; not getting what is wanted is dukkha. In short, the five clinging-aggregates are dukkha.”

Peace, Paul

Rain

It has been pouring down rain since Thursday evening. I guess this not surprising since the Hilo area is supposed to get around 300 inches of rain a year, and it is the rainy season right now!

The nice thing about the rain is that it keeps you indoors. I have used the time for retreat: meditating, reciting mantra, and studying Buddhist texts.

In the Lotus Sutra the Buddha’s compassion is compared to rain, falling equally on all beings. I think I will take this latest deluge as very heavy dose of compassion and a reminder to keep the Dharma at the heart of my life.

Peace, Paul

Lima Beans

Here are our first Lima Beans from the garden.

Considering that we are living on lava and need to grow everything in raised beds, the earth has been very generous. We only planted 4 lima beans. All four seeds germinated and are now heavy with pods. We will save some of the seed and replant again soon.

Our black eyed peas were also very prolific. We planted only 8 seeds and harvested a 16oz container of beans. We will replant some of the seeds and eat the rest as part of our traditional New Years meal of Black Eyed Peas.

Peace, Paul