A Byrd's Eye View

Video from Memorial for Byrd

Video from Memorial for Byrd

Elegy for Byrd by Jean Anker

Are you singing in the rain?

Are you smiling through your tears?

Well yes, I'm trying to, but it ain't easy.

Attended Byrd's memorial service this morning at the SGI Community Center on Nordhoff, it was good getting a "byrd's" eye view of a side of her life that I didnt know about. For instance, I never knew that the 50s classic "Singing in the Rain" was one of her favorite movies and that she always saw it with her good friend Kevin whenever it was shown in town. Town being LA, you know the city of dreams, as in broken, deferred, fulfilled, impossible, come true and otherwise.

Open thread for memories of Byrd

I'm opening up this new thread for everyone who knew her, online or in person, to express your feelings about the passing of our dear friend Byrd.

Michele

Bento Box Buddhism

I am taking a vacation from my "divorce" issue surrounding the SGI, and won't be trying to go to any activities until after I finish my project on August 8. We'll talk after that, OK? So, you can stand down, guys- I won't be trying to chant with my friends in the SGI until I'm done writing the piece I'm working on. I'm trying to write a comedy, and the set of issues raised last week is major sansho shima for my sense of humor.

OK...You may be wondering about the title of this entry. "What," I hear you cry, "is Bento Box Buddhism?" Well, if you look below, you can see a Japanese bento box - it's a style of serving food. Each dish is in a completely separate compartment, walled off from all the other foods -- gastronomic apartheid raised to the level of art:

It's awful pretty, isn't it?

A Conversation With My Hero

Well, yesterday, my lovely literacy pupil picked me up at the public library for our tutorial session. My pupil is my hero because of his courage in deciding, at 50 years of age, to learn how to read. We have become friends, and I trust him. I recognized his white pickup truck, waved him down, and climbed way up into the cab.

We know each other pretty well by now, and he knew there was something wrong.

HIM: You OK? What's up?

ME: I haven't been sleeping too well. I'm just kind of tired and bummed out, I guess.

HIM: What's the matter?

ME: Well, I think I'm in the process of getting kicked out of my church.

HIM: Is that the group you wanted to take me to?

ME: Uh.....yeah....but the Buddhism part is OK, it's just the group that's acting kind of weird.

HIM: Well, if the Buddhism part is OK, I mean, if it helps you be a better person like you say, then why are they acting so weird?

ME: Good question, Gilbert. I can't help you with that one.

I kind of stared silently out of the truck for awhile, while the scenic cement of Panorama City rolled past my window. I felt as desolate as one of those cracked, empty parking lots. Gilbert decided to break the silence.

It's a Blog, Guys!

I was really looking forward to an SGI-USA women's division pot luck this past Sunday. I was going to get my usual stuffed grape leaves from the local Armenian deli, hitch a ride with a dear friend, and enjoy chanting and interacting with the women's division members of my SGI-USA Chapter. The potluck, entitled " Myoho and Munchies" was to be held at the home of a woman I've known for over 20 years, and whom I knew professionally for several years before either one of us joined the SGI. The hostess and I have never been on anything but good terms, and I was looking forward to this activity all week.

I was startled, therefore, to receive a telephone call on Saturday night at about 8:00 from a woman's division leader who was "assigned" to my district about a year and a half ago. She informed me that she and a men's division leader wanted to come by to my home immediately in order to chant with me and "have a talk."

I declined their request to drop by, and asked what it was that they wanted to talk about. Although I took some notes, the content of the "message" was rather jumbled. I asked if we could discuss the matter the next day at the activity, but was told in no uncertain terms that I was being made persona non grata at my friend's home the next day, as a reaction to the contents of this blog.

"No!" I was told me sternly in response to my request to discuss the issues the next day at the potluck. "You are not welcome!"

"Was a vote taken on this?" I asked

"Well...uh...yeah!" she replied. There was a hesitant gap between the "uh" and the "yeah", so I'm not actually sure who the jury was on this vote. I was too startled to press the issue of whether or not the hostess had been consulted on the issue of who was and who was not "welcome" in her home. Of course, if I had been invited to my own trial, I would have made the following,obvious point:

Fer cryin' out loud, guys! Chill out! It's a freakin' blog! Do you know how many blogs there are out there? Like, about fifty gazillion. I'm not promoting this page on Larry King, I'm not taking out ads in the LA Times, I'm not doing anything but but writing out my thoughts, guys. Take a chill pill. Get a grip.

Choices and Voices

As usual, I've been thinking about Nichiren Buddhism and how it translates into Western language and culture. I've also been thinking again about a discussion I had a couple of months ago with some SGI-USA leaders, one of whom had recently been to Japan.

I think we Americans puzzle our Buddhist mentors in Japan. Why, if we in the US have such a diverse population, and so many people here who can benefit from the Nichiren Buddhist practice, is the SGI-USA organization not growing by leaps and bounds? I can see the earnest souls in Tokyo scratching their heads and wondering, "What's wrong with the Americans?"

I think I can answer that question (or at least kick off a discussion), and I hope I can do so in a way which will aid in our mutual understanding.

So, starting today, I will be writing on the question of why the SGI-USA is stalling, and what, if anything, can be done about it? In other words, "What's wrong with the Americans?"

One simple way of approaching the issue (and it's easy to remember because it rhymes!) is to keep in mind that Americans like to have CHOICES, and we like to have VOICES.

Hanging with the Neanderthals

Well, whaddaya know?

The Vatican is "disappointed" that the Anglican church is considering the ordination of women bishops. How sad it is that the English are drifting away from enforcing the sacred and traditional second-class status of women. This regrettable development may even act as an "obstacle" to future cooperation between the churches.

Don't hurt yourself trying to build a fire, guys.

Bye for now, Byrd in LA

Copying the Sutra

In the Lotus Sutra, believers are told to "read, recite, copy, keep, and expound" the sutra. For practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, "copying" the sutra sometimes just means taking a trip to Kinkos and photocopying the materials for this month's district meeting.

I have had the opportunity to participate in the practice of Shakyo a couple of times, now, and I find it a very meditative, and yet engrossing practice. This traditional nichiren practice of copying the sutra involves actually tracing the calligraphy characters of Namu-Myo-Ho-Ren-Ge-Kyo. Here is a Shakyo copy sheet, which has two rows (top and bottom) of the daimoku characters, and five rows across as well (this makes ten chances to copy the daimoku calligraphy on each page):

http://tinyurl.com/6gmev9

Independence Day

IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

First Photos From The Gathering's Retreat

Beach Blanket Byrd With "Black Hat Cowboy Mike" Ryuei

Ryuei Discussing the Dharma
(Note Boom-able Jumbo Taiko Drum)

Terri Warms Us Up For Kundalini Yoga

A Beautiful, Clear Day With Hardly Anyone At the Beach!

Gongyo in English

I asked a couple of people who attended this past weekend's Gathering of Friends retreat in Port Hueneme what they felt was the most interesting or rewarding aspect of the experience for them.

One feature of the retreat which has gotten generally rave reviews was the experience of reciting the Lotus Sutra together with a group of people in English. We did a service twice a day (as usual), but sometimes we recited the sutra in Shindoku (the way it's normally done in SGI), and sometimes we recited together in English. Apparently, reciting the sutra together in the native language of believers is a common practice outside Nichiren Shoshu and the SGI.

I remember when I first joined the SGI (back then it was NSA) in 1984. One of the first things I did was find an English version of the Lotus Sutra and write the English translation into my old burnt-orange prayer book (remember those?) That way, I knew what I was chanting while I did gongyo. But until I started hanging out with members of the more traditional Nichiren Shu, I never said the prayers aloud in English. And I certainly had little experience reciting the sutra in English with a group.

One of the retreatants wrote to me of this aspect of the program (reciting the sutra together in English):

I think that we chanted so much in English is interesting. And how easy that was when we used the particular intonation and rhythm that we followed. And how faith-deepening that was, being in our native language, so that we could understand the sutra's meaning. Quite different from chanting it in Shindoku and then later going back and reading the translation from a book. It's more immediate and visceral (am I using the right word here?) when you chant it in English. Not that I don't love Shindoku. I like chanting that way, too.

VISCERAL.....yeah, you're using the right word. That's a very good word for the feeling I got from this practice.

And The Beat Goes On...

Nichiren Buddhists are sometimes called the "noisy Buddhists", and this weekend's retreat in Port Hueneme was quite an earful. Not only were we chanting, we were chanting to the beat of some big, booming taiko drums.

SGI-USA members who chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo at SGI community centers and culture centers generally stay in rhythm with each other by relying on a "fukudoshi", or a leader who chants into a microphone. Before the invention of microphones, Nichiren Buddhists stayed in rhythm with each other by following the beat of taiko drums. Some of these drums are pretty big, and quite loud - their pounding sound is intended to fill up large rooms full of people.

The traditional Nichiren Shu still uses taiko drums to drive the beat of the daimoku, and Ryuei Michael McCormick brought down several drums with him to Port Hueneme this past weekend. One jumbo taiko drum, one large hand-held drum, and two smaller fan-style drums. Those drums brought out the kindergartner in me, and I happily banged away to my heart's content. It's always fun to have a good excuse to make a lot of noise...but there were a few occasions this weekend when I wondered what the neighbors were thinking of our little band, boom-boom-booming away with our daimoku and a set of drums to boot.

Five Star Buddhism

I will be writing several entries this week on the topic of last weekend's Gathering of Friends Buddhist retreat in Port Hueneme, California. The weekend was very much enjoyed by all, and everyone took away new insights into their Buddhist practice.

Right now, I am waiting to get some photos to post, so that you-all can get a look at what went down at this fabulous event, and see all the "players" in their element.

The weekend itself, I must say, was quite luxurious. If the Gathering of Friends Buddhist Retreat were listed on Trip Advisor, there is no doubt that it would earn five stars!

I Can't Wait!

This weekend is the big event I've been waiting for! The first-ever Gathering of Friends Nichiren Buddhist practice retreat in beautiful Port Hueneme, California, on the beach north of Los Angeles!

The retreat kicks off tonight with gongyo and chanting daimoku. Some of us are staying at our hosts' vacation home, and others are staying in nearby motels. Tomorrow (Saturday) morning, we will kick off at 9:00 am with gongyo and a dharma talk by Ryuei Michael McCormick. Then, we will have a day full of various activities, including a beach barbecue, more chanting and walking meditation, and the practice of "shakyo".

Why Do You Say "God Bless You" If You're a Buddhist?

A colleague of mine asked me this question the other day. And he's right, it is sort of confusing.

Strangely, over the past year or so, I have developed this tendency to say "God bless you" a lot. I think I may have picked it up from Mavis, my Mentor-in-Life, who blesses people all the time. Everybody she sees. I thought it was a good practice (I still think it's a good practice), and so I picked it up. The difference, of course, is that Mavis blesses everybody silently, and I tend to do it out loud.

I bless the bus driver, I bless the bagger at the supermarket, I bless the fellow who sells me my bus pass, I bless the librarian, I bless the computer repair guy. I don't throw water at them or say it real loud, or call down the saints to witness or say "Thank you, Jesus!" or anything like that. No, I just tend to say "God bless you." Especially if someone is in some sort of fix or another - like they drop something, or get confused, or whatever.

So, if I'm a Buddhist, and I don't believe in God (at least not the God I learned about in Lutheran Sunday School), then why am I blessing everyone? Of course, the obvious answer is to fob it off on my Mentor in Life, but that's too easy. The fact is, I actually sort of enjoy the practice of blessing people, even if I don't say it out loud. It feels generous and friendly.

But how do I square this with the fact that I'm a Buddhist?

Maybe it's a Boddhisattva Never Disparage thing. But he (BND) didn't actively bless people. He just assured them that they, too, would attain Buddhahood.

I dunno - I have to come up with an excuse to give my colleague.

Bye for now, and God bless us, everyone.

Byrd in LA

The Enlightened Mind

I have been doing a lot of reading lately on the topic of how emotions affect the chemistry of the human brain, and, also, how meditation affects the chemistry of the human brain.

Last week, I picked up a copy of "My Stroke of Insight", a book by neurobiologist Jill Bolte Taylor:

http://tinyurl.com/54f4hf

Dr. Taylor has also been extremely popular on YouTube, lecturing on her experience as a stroke survivor, and the personal insights she gained into how her own brain functions (this clip is about 20 minute long, but it's worth the time):

http://tinyurl.com/2qwr4s

It turns out that what we have been calling "enlightenment' actually can be physically located in the human brain - it's in the right hemisphere. Just make a turn at the medulla oblongata,, and voila! There you are!

On Honorary Degrees

From an interview this month with actor Martin Sheen in the AARP magazine:

“See, I’ve never gone to college. But I had this romantic fantasy about going to school. So I was offered an honorary degree from the National University of Ireland, Galway, in spring 2006. [At the] reception the president said, ‘What are you going to do now that The West Wing is out?’ I said, ‘Well, I have enough degrees. I need an education. Will you let me come?’ And he said, ‘If you’re serious, yes, you’d be as welcome as the flowers.’ And so that August I enrolled. I got an apartment, and I rented a car. And I registered under my real name. My student ID was in [the name of] Ramon Estevez.”

Now that's my kind of role model!

Happy Summer Solstice, everyone!

Stay cool, stay cool, stay cool

Byrd in LA

Just to Be Clear...

A friend wrote to me off-site about the Tiny Ninjas, and so I am clarifying. Yes, all the "performers" in the show were eeny-weeny plastic toys which were artfully moved around the briefcase-sized "stage" by "director" Dov Weinstein, who also did all the voices (and he's actually quite a good actor).

It is a challenge for the audience to see the show, of course. Initially, the show was done for audiences of no more than 10 people. The night I saw the show, there were almost 100! The obvious problems are dealt with the same way that the Rolling Stones or Madonna deal with the sight-liine problems in stadium seating venues. A video camera is set up and projects the show onto a number of screens set up especially for the purpose. Tha way, you can crane your neck and look at the show on the stage, or you can follow it in a magnified version onscreen.

Hope this makes sense.

Actually, it was a fabulous, fabulous evening of theatre. Very inventive, and enjoyable.

Next,I will get back to Buddhism and write about lovingkindness. I have been reading a book by Sharon Salzberg on the topic, and I am enjoying it very much.

But for now....Tiny Ninjas Rule!

Byrd in LA

Bravo, Tiny Ninjas!!!

Few people know that I am a true-blue Shakespeare nut. I love the bard, and I love the theater. You can imagine my excitement, then, when the world-famous Tiny Ninja Theatre came to Los Angeles:

http://www.tinyninjatheater.com/company/

I have followed this exceptional company's work for years, and at one point seriously considered flying to Edinburgh to catch one of their performances. Last night, I was one of a small group of theater patrons who were privileged to see the company's iconic version of Shakespeare's "MacBeth":

http://www.tinyninjatheater.com/macbeth/

A Far-Reaching Voice

Such persons possess the power of great faith, the power of aspiration, the power of good roots. You should know that such persons lodge in the same place as the Thus Come One, and the Thus Come One pats them on the head with his hand.

-- The Lotus Sutra, Chapter 10 - "The Teacher of the Law"

Like everyone else, I was stunned to hear the news of our dear Rev. Greg Dilley's death this week. None of us on Fraught With Peril would be blogging here if it were not for his willingness to "step up to the plate" a few years ago when the Buddha Jones site shut down and the bloggers there were left without a home.

Since then, we have had a very interesting and diverse group of voices online here. Buddhists who would never have met each other or talked to each other met and talked here, at "The Site That Greg Built".

Wow! What an accomplishment!

True Kitty Crime Story!!!

Those of you who follow my cat-related interests will want to know what's going on with the "willful piece of kittyflesh" Rebel. As you can see from the attached mugshot, Rebel is currently cooling his paws behind bars:

For those of you who are late in coming to this shocking true story:

About ten months ago, I was placed in the worrisome position of having to find homes for three kittens who had manifested outside my door, and who were at risk of being taken to the pound and being euthanized :

http://www.fraughtwithperil.com/blogs/byrd/archives/001630.html

and:

http://www.fraughtwithperil.com/blogs/byrd/archives/001635.html

A sainted soul named Scott came through for the kittens, and took all three of them just ahead of the animal control officers' arrival. Alas, however, Scott was allergic, and so the kittens were moved to two separate homes. Coco and Tribble (the friendlier ones) went to one home, and the jumpy black and grey tabby, Rebel, went to live with my neighbor Shashi's brother.

But about a month ago, unexpectedly, disaster struck.....

Let's Talk About Size

A friend of mine is in the process of building a Nichiren Buddhist sangha in cooperation with a local Unitarian Universalist church where she lives. This is something that has been done in other areas, as well, and Unitarian churches have also developed cooperative programs with Vipassana (insight meditation) groups, Zen meditation groups, as well as yoga practitioners and others. For those of you who are interested, one of the articles I read is here:

http://boundlesswayzen.org/meyerhoff.html

So, what sorts of issues bubble to the surface when people form religious communities and when those religious communities start to grow? Needless to say, one of the biggest issues (no pun) is the issue of size. Is less more, or is bigger better? I really don't know, and I'd be interested to hear what your opinions are.

The SGI's size and relative predictability in terms of meeting content have made it successful in many ways. It is nice to know that you can go to pretty much any country in the world and find a local community of people wo do the exact same liturgy that you do, speak the same Buddhist "language" that you do, and are organized along similar lines. The SGI's critics have had a field day with this, of course, characterizing SGI introductory meetings as "Buddhist infomercials", and comparing our community centers to Holiday Inns or McDonalds, with their comforting, global brand-recognition.

On the other hand, there is a lot to be said for knowing where to go and who to talk to, what to do and who to do it with. It eliminates a lot of stress, doesn't it?

On Destructive Emotions

I have recently been re-reading a book called "Destructive Emotions - How Can We Overcome Them?", which is a scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama:

http://tinyurl.com/5umzdc

This is a big issue for me, as anger has been a growth retardant for my life on many occasions. I can also see the ill effects of jealousy and greed in my life, but the worst for me has been anger. Seeing how these emotions affect my life is one thing, but actually getting in there and doing something about them is another altogether.

My practice of chanting nam(u)-Myoho-Renge-Kyo has sometimes been helpful to me in this struggle, and sometimes not. In particular, I recall the level of anger I had against someone whom I believed had wronged me about 20 years ago. My anger was extremely painful, and I needed a remedy. However, at that time, the SGI was in the initial throes of its "divorce" from our parent sect, Nichiren Shoshu, and was actively cultivating the emotion of anger among its membership in order to "win" in that conflict. I was suffering from anger poisoning, and my church kept feeding me more anger. Getting angry at the Temple was touted in the SGI back then as the fastest way to "get benefit", but oh, God, was it painful for me.

Change Your Mind Day

Tomorrow, June 7, 2008, is Change Your Mind Day, 2008.

This annual event was started by Tricycle Magazine over a decade ago, and is a vehicle for bringing the benefits of Buddhist meditation and practice to the public:

http://tinyurl.com/5pdu8j

Here is a link to a site which has "Change Your Mind Day" talks on Buddhist meditation from various teachers:

http://tinyurl.com/4lgcon

I particularly enjoyed the talk by Thich Naht Hanh on mindfulness as a "caregiver" for the energy of anger. That's an emotion I have struggled with a lot myself, and I got a lot out of what he had to say.

Have you ever been to a "Change Your Mind Day" activity? I'd love to hear about it.

Enquiring (and ever-changing) minds want to know.

Byrd in LA

Here I Am!

For those of you wondering where I am, I am back at a temp job, but I don't have computer access until later on this week. There's not a lot for me to do at this desk until I get the computer access, so I am being paid $21.50 an hour to read "The Self-Aware Universe" by Amit Goswami:

http://tinyurl.com/6qt3r9

When I get tired of that, I read "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" by Sogyal Rinpoche:

http://tinyurl.com/68vbdv

Getting paid to read books that I want to read! That's my dream job!

On Ethical Prayer

I was recently talking to a dear friend who is active in the Science of Mind (a.k.a, Religious Science, Unity Movement, etc. - not Scientology) about the topic of prayer for others. This friend has trained for years to be a "practitioner" in his church, that is to say that he is officially licensed to act as a counselor, and he is bound by ethical considerations such as confidentiality, etc. He has actually been trained in what his church believes is an effective form of prayer - this training makes him interesting to talk to. He's not just making things up as he goes along.

The fascinating point which my friend made to me, is that in his church, it is not considered ethical to pray for any particular result for anyone else without first obtaining that person's consent. It's a question of boundaries and free will. For example, if you want to pray for someone to be healed, then you need that person's permission to pray for a healing. Otherwise, you just pray for that person's best and highest good (which might entail dying in their current body - you don't ever really know the course of someone else's life).

This has given me a great deal to think about in regard to the ethics of prayer. I Googled "Prayer Ethics" and "ethics of Prayer", but didn't come up with a lot that was helpful.

The reason I raise this issue is that my experience in the SGI is that we often receive guidance to chant in a particular way about other people, but don't always consult with those people about what it is that we're doing.

How much manipulating of others with prayer do you think is ethical? I wanted to write more on this today, but my time is short, so I will write more next week. I just threw this out for a discussion. Have a happy Memorial Day weekend, all -

Byrd in LA

Cool New Site!!

For those of you who are SGI members, you might want to check out a new site which I heard about through another board. It is a great place to meet up with other members, share experiences, and so forth.

http://sgibuddhism.org/

Have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend, everyone! Stay well and happy,

Byrd in LA

What's Buddhism Got to Do With It?

Wow, I must really be out of the loop - I just found out that Tina Turner, at age 68 (that's right, folks, sixty-eight!) is going to be touring North America again this fall!

http://tinyurl.com/4hcskv

How many people do you think this woman has introduced to the practice of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo? I know we don't have any way of actually finding out the number, but it would be a cool contest, sort of like one of those things where you try to count the number of jelly beans inside a jar.

The Daily Mentrix

One of these fine days, I shall compile the fabulous insights of my Mentrix, Mavis, and put them in a purple-colored volume, suitable for keeping by your altar, or if that is too irreverent for you, by your bedside. I shall call this volume the "Daily Mavis", or maybe the "Daily Mentrix". It will also include important dates, like the equinoxes and solstices, as well as the signs of the zodiac, a chakra chart, and a list of crystals and their powers. Also, dietary advice, like "eat your eggs and chocolate (but not in the same forkful)."

She came out with a good one this past Sunday, while we were chowing down at the local Indian lunch buffet (I love those things - excellent vegetable curries, and so reasonably priced, too!). We were discussing prayer and the universe's response to our needs. According to Mavis, the best attitude to take with prayer is:

"Expect it, but don't direct it."

Good Work, Mrs. Loving!

One of my favorite cases from my law school education was the case of Loving vs. Virginia. You can't forget the name of the case - it's just too darn fitting.

At any event, I just found out that Mildred Loving died earlier this month. Everyone in the U.S. who is in an inter-racial marriage or intimate relationship owes a debt of gratitude to her. You can read about the case here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_vs_virginia

In a nutshell, the aptly named Lovings were a young couple, born and raised in Virginia, who decided to get married. The only problem was that she was half black and half American Indian, he was white. Now, today, that wouldn't seem like much of a problem at all, but in the 1950s the State of Virginia had something called the Racial Integrity Act, a law which allowed for the forced sterilization of convicted criminals, the retarded and the handicapped, and also made interracial marriage a felony (not a misdemeanor, not a traffic ticket - a felony - real prison time). Just by getting married, Richard and Mildred Loving were turned into criminals. They were arrested, plead guilty, and were sentenced to a year in prison.

The trial judge said:

Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and He placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with His arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that He separated the races shows that He did not intend for the races to mix.

Jeez, how retro is that? That judge probably would have had a heart attack if he'd seen some of the happy interracial families in my SGI Area!

Falling in Love with All Beings

Last night, I was watching a DVD of some videotaped lectures by Robert Thurman, the head of Tibet House in New York, and a professor Indo-Tibetan Studies and Buddhism at Columbia University in New York City:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Thurman

I got these DVDs (one of Dr. Thurman speaking on Buddhism, and another of him speaking on Tibet) a couple of years ago, because my mentor in life, Mavis, loves everything Tibetan and I thought it would be a fun treat for her to watch the lectures:

http://tinyurl.com/5h49w5

What A Pretty Altar!

The other day, I paid a visit to my good friend Michele, who lives in the Antelope Valley, just north of Los Angeles. You can recognize the Antelope Valley by the gazillions of Christian churches - I mean, on every corner! In English and in Spanish. Of course, down here in the San Fernando Valley, we can go them one better, because we have Christian churches in English, Spanish, Armenian, Thai and Korean, too! All the more reason for inter-denominational Nichiren Buddhist cooperation, in my opinion.

At any event, Michele officially joined the traditional Nichiren Shu last month, and so now she has a fabulous new mandala Gohonzon, which is a copy of the the Nichiren Shu "shutei" (or "authorized") mandala Gohonzon (warning: if you are superstitious about photographs of Nichiren's mandala Gohonzon, you may not want to go to this site):

http://www.nichirenscoffeehouse.net/ShuteiMandala/index.html

Oh, Bluto, My Bluto! (OR: What I Am Trying to Do, Here)

Remember that wonderful scene in "National Lampoon's Animal House" when John ("Bluto") Blutarsky, played by the late, great John Belushi, asks the existential question:

"What Am I?"

He then proceeds to fill his mouth with aerosol whipping cream and hammer both cheeks with his fists, spewing out the cream and triumphantly answering his own question:

"A ZIT!!!!!"

A brouhaha over ill manners in print has developed here at FWP, and somehow, it made me think of that scene. Sorry, I couldn't help it. There's more to discussing Buddhism than filling up your cheeks and spewing at people you don't like. Amazing but true. We Nichiren Buddhists have got to get past the level where we're acting mean to each other. Personally, I would like to see the nastiness stopped (and if that means getting rid of a blogger or two here, that's all right with me).

I Remember a couple of weeks ago when one of my SGI leaders asked me to think about what I wanted to accomplish with my blog. Well, believe it or not, I'd like to get some ideas on the table and have a forum where people can talk about those ideas freely. That's why I won't stand in the way of anybody with a mean streak getting the old heave-ho.

Emotional Intelligence

Here's an interesting test from the BBC...Spot the fake smile:

www.tinyurl.com/2u7sh

Back to Buddhism tomorrow, team! Have a wonderful week,

Byrd in LA

P.S. I got 14 out of 20.

Click to Give!

Everyday, I go to this site, and click to give food. I then click at all the other listed sites, as well:

http://tinyurl.com/3b99xp

I even buy a lot of Christmas and other gifts there.

This doesn't count for my daily practice of giving something away, though - it's just a habit I decided to get into when I sign on every day. I think it's a good habit.

I'll write something more substantive next week, when I'm done with this weekend's blast of busy-ness.

Bye for now, Byrd in LA

Sympathetic Joy

My good friend Kris discussed this Immeasurable in her comment to my last post, so I'll talk about it a bit today.

What is appreciative (or sympathetic) joy?

It is the wholesome attitude of rejoicing in the happiness and virtues of all sentient beings. It counters jealousy and makes people less self-centred.

In a nutshell, sympathetic joy involves feeling happy for other peoples' happiness. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it? But think of some of the situations where you might not be so happy for someone else's happiness:

The Immeasurables

No, it's not a new Disney animated feature. The Immeasurables are a basic set of principles to develop in Buddhist practice. There are four of them, so they are called (like a 50's doo-wop group) "The Four Immeasurables". These principles have become a key feature of my Buddhist practice over the past few years, and I would like to highly recommend them to anyone who is interested. As the SGI does not teach or endorse these specific directed meditations, you may need to do some of your own research.

The "Four Immeasurables" which help us cultivate wholesome attitudes toward ourselves and others are:

1. Loving Kindness;

4. Equanimity.

You can Google the "Four Immeasurables" and read more about them for yourself, or you can go to this site which gives a simple outline:

http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/buddhism/bs-s15.htm

More Alumni Prattle (and a question about Ciabattas).....

...Anyway, so the panel members each made their presentations. The student body president told us that student opinion on the school song controversy fell into three major groups, as follows:

1. Those who were mortified and embarassed by the whole thing, and felt Pomona had gone off the Politically Correct deep-end;

2. Those who felt deeply that the school song was now an offense to black people and should be retired;and

3. Those who couldn't care less one way or the other (the vast majority of students seem to fall into this category).

ALUMNI RAMPAGE!

For those of you who don't know, I'm an alumna of Pomona College, a blue-ribbon liberal arts school in Claremont, California, where a degree currently goes for about a quarter of a million dollars. Yikes! Good thing I don't have any kids. For those of you interested in learning more (actually, it was a fabulous undergrad education), here is the website:

http://www.pomona.edu/

Yesterday was my 30th reunion, and the alumni picnic on the quad was fraught with controversy. I seem to get embroiled wherever I go - what was it Nichiren said about the body and its shadow?

Anyway, the Pomona College alumni were all a-twitter this weekend over the potential sacking of the school song. The college president has suspended the alma mater (which is over a century old) from being sung at commencement, convocation, and alumni day this year until a blue-ribbon committee has had a chance to meet and make a decision about where to go from here.

Here are the lyrics to the offending ditty:

"Hail, Pomona, Hail,
We thy sons and daughters sing
Praises to thy name,
Praises of thy fame,
'Til the Heavens above shall ring
To the name of Pomona
Alma Mater, Hail to thee
To the spirit true of the White and Blue
All Hail, Pomona, Hail!"

The tune is original to this song (i.e., only "Hail, Pomona, Hail" has this particular tune), but it has the usual lofty yet clunky college song sound to it. It is a favorite with the Pomona glee clubs and other a capella vocal music groups which flourish on campus (Pomona actually has an excellent music program). So, what's the problem, here? Why has this song been suspended? What offense has it committed? Well, it has been suspended because......

All Hail Pomona, Hail!

Well, I won't be posting again until Sunday (at least). Tomorrow, I have a court appearance on behalf of a family member, and then Saturday, I am going to my (fanfare, please) 30th college reunion at fabulous Pomona College in even more fabulous Claremont, California!!!!

Ay-yi-yi!!!

I'm kind of jittery about the whole thing. I've gained a few pounds since I graduated back in '78. Well.....several pounds. OK, I've gained a lot of weight. When I think of the clothes I used to (not) wear back then, it makes me a bit nervous. I wonder if they'll recognize me without my navel showing?

But look on the bright side - I can finally find out what Ada Rose Bitterbaum has been up to all these years.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Storage Space

I embarked on a massive, death-defying adventure yesterday. Braving heat and layers of dust, and with the help of my trusty sidekick, Gilbert (whom you will recall as my literacy pupil), I decided to empty out my commercial storage space! (cue primitive drumming and surging dramatic music)

Needless to say, I spent most of last night sneezing uncontrollably, due to the dust. I still have a lot of unpacking to do today, and I have stocked up on Kleenex as a precaution.

Like Indiana Jones, I am uncovering rare antiquities like:

On Selling Buddhism

On one of the Yahoo Boards I moderate, we got into a discussion about Buddhism "working" - i.e., how do we know we're doing the right thing, and engaging in the right practice? Some SGI members point to parking spaces or "changed financial karma", others point to an overall "higher life-condition", or health-related benefits from chanting Nam(u)-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. The problem (in the US at least), is that the "chant for what you want" pitch was unique back in the 60's and 70's. Since then, the open marketplace of ideas has been inundated with everything from "name it and claim it" Christianity to "The Secret". It seems like everybody and his brother has a publishing deal promoting the latest means of getting whatever you want by "correctly" hooking up with the Big Whatever (i.e., God, the Universe, the Field, whatever). So, why in this environment, try to "sell Buddhism", and how do we go about it?

Nichiren Buddhism is sort of unique, in that we actively engage in propagation of our teaching. The "why" of propagating comes from the founder himself, who wrote that we should widely proclaim and establish this teaching and practice (a process we usually refer to as "kosen-rufu") We're out there trying to convert people to our practice -- sharing the "good news" of the Gohonzon and the Gosho with everybody and anybody, whereas other schools of Buddhism rely on an ethnic membership base, or on new people actively seeking out the teaching.

Anyway, one of the discussion participants wrote in about her SGI experience as follows:

(SGI members aren't sure) what it is they are practicing. Is it Buddhism, Ikedaism, SGIism, Todaism,Makaguchism, Nichirenism? Mentor/Discipleism? What is it? What struck me finally, was I had to admit to myself that all those years of chanting and participating in SGI activities did not make me a Buddhist. I was a marketing agent, a sales person. Instead of monetary compensation, I racked up benefits and good fortune. Or so I believed.

Ouch. That hit home, and it sort of stung, too.

Happy Birthday, Daimoku!

It was 755 years ago today that Nichiren went to the top of a mountain and chanted Nam(u)-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. He then came back down to the Seicho-ji temple, and gave a lecture in which he declared the Lotus Sutra to be the Buddha's Supreme Teaching. This teaching could be encapsulated and made accessible to everyone by the simple practice of chanting the Sutra's titles: Myoho-Renge-Kyo. According to legend, this new way of looking at things went over none too well with those who had come to hear his talk, and Nichiren spent much of the remainder of his life in exile, or otherwise "on the lam".

So, let's take this day to think about what it is that we have in our practice of chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra.

It's a good day for saying "thank you", for looking back at our time of practice, and for looking forward to explore the future of Nichiren Buddhism in the West.

How do you see Nichiren Buddhism taking root in the West? What do the next 700 years have in store for this form of Buddhism?

Enquiring minds want to know,

Byrd in LA

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

I do so wish I could have been in San Francisco this weekend. Two friends of mine, Michele Chavez and Kris Alvarez, will be receiving Jukai and officially joining the traditional Nichiren Shu. Their ceremony will be held on Sunday afternoon at the Faithful Fools Center in San Francisco, and presided over by our very FWP blogger, Ryuei Michael McCormick.

I remember how excited I was when I heard that Kris was coming down (all the way from Alaska, no less!) for the same cermony as Michele. It seemed like a fabulous coming-together of like minded and free souls who were taking the next step (for them) in faith.

Stevie Wonder Had it Right

Remember these song lyrics?....

Very superstitious, writing's on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.

When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way

Feng Shui and the Single Girl

Mavis Coyle, my Mentor in life, is quite a believer in feng shui (for those of you who are blissfully ignorant of this Chinese art and practice, it is a system of arranging one's living or working space in such a way as to maximize the flow of beneficial "chi", or energy).

She gave me a book to read, which is the same book that Barbara Pike gave me a few months before she died, and is also a book which I got from Amazon.com a year or so ago and conveniently lost. I told Mavis that her copy was the third copy of this book, "Move Your Stuff, Change Your Life" which had passed through my hands. Here it is, for those of you who may be interested:

http://tinyurl.com/4d4cql

"See?" Mavis said, and nodded her head in that way she does, sort of signifying that something has great meaning - a meaning which is generally lost on me. In this case, the great meaning was that I was supposed to be reading this book and applying its wisdom in my life, in my kitchen, in my apartment, wherever.

Funning

Over the weekend, I gave my literacy student a new and different homework assignment. I told him to take 20 empty flashcards (he usually makes his own flashcards for basic words like "him" and "her" and "their" and "kitchen" and whatever), and on each of these 20 cards, he was supposed to write a word which he saw in daily life, but he didn't know the meaning of it, and he wanted to learn the word.

This exercise turned out a bit more comically than I expected when we got together for our study session last night.

"So! Did you do your flashcards?" I asked. And yes, he had. He reached into his backpack and pulled them out.....

A Market Monopoly on Buddhism

A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting my dear aunt Irene, and together we were watching a series of lectures from a company called "The Teaching Company":

http://www.teach12.com/teach12.asp?ai=16281

This company is so cool and no, they don't give me a kickback for plugging them on my blog. It is one of my life's ambitions to have gobs and gobs of money so that I can sit and watch lectures like this all day long. "Sick, sick, sick!" I hear you cry. Well, maybe, but I really do dig browsing through their online and mail catalogues. So sue me - some women like looking at pictures of jewelry and clothes, I like browsing through lecture course catalogues. It gets me excited, I guess. "Ancient and Modern Political Philosophy, Oh, God! Yes! give me some of that! Oh, yes, yes, yes!"

Chanting and Meditation

I have been observing and participating in an interesting discussion at an online chatboard where I am a moderator. The discussion has been focused on the difference, if any, between chanting Nam(u)-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and meditating. The SGI-USA's webpage contains a section dedicated to answering this question here:

http://www.sgi-usa.org/is_chanting_meditation.php

The segment reads, in part:

Meditation is a more passive exercise than chanting; one usually calms one's mind by concentrating on a particular phrase or image. At first glance this may seem close to the practice of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, but actually the difference is apparent. The practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables us to express and experience our innate Buddhahood and release the powerful energy contained within that, rather than to calm our minds or negate certain ways of thinking.

So, we know that meditation is more passive than chanting is. But what if an individual is seeking to calm his or her mind? If that's the goal, then is a silent meditation practice somehow in conflict with chanting, or not? Also, can silent meditation, or deep relaxation techniques provide "benefits" which can not be obtained from chanting Daimoku?

I think that they can, but only further research will show for certain. I'm interested in hearing any kind of anecdotal evidence you-all out there in cyber-land may have on this subject.

Walking and Seeing

Well, since my car broke down a week or so ago (and with me looking for a new job right now), I have been doing a lot of walking - walking to the store, walking to the library, walking to the bus stop, walking here and walking there. The world looks a lot different from the sidewalk than it does from the inside of a moving vehicle, that's for sure, and I am enjoying the different perspective. I have also lost a couple of pounds, and that's OK, too.

The inside of a car is pretty much a controlled environment. And here in Los Angeles, we love our controlled environments. Air conditioning keeps away the heat of the sun. Radio or CD creates a cocoon of chosen sound. The windshield puts a slab of glass between us and the rest of the world. The body of my car is like an extended skin, expanding my sense of what is "personal" to include a quiet retreat from whatever is going on "out there". Two weeks ago, I was cruising down these North Hollywood streets at 35 miles per hour, on my way to someplace at a pretty good clip. Now, I am walking and paying more attention to what I see.

On Tone

The other day, in a discussion with one of my SGI leaders, she encouraged me to consider a couple of things:

1. What it is that I want to accomplish with my blog, and

2. Whether my tone is helping me accomplish it.

If I have this wrong, I hope she will write in and correct me.

After yesterday's "year-end round-up" entry, I went back and counted the number of blog entries where I had been specifically discussing SGI-USA policy, doctrine, or activities. I counted 33 out of 101. Of course, there were other entries where I made a passing reference to the Gakkai, and I did not count entries where I discussed Buddhism or Buddhist activities outside the purview of the SGI (i.e., my visits to Brad Warner's zendo in Santa Monica, my interfaith visit to speak to a synagogue youth group, or the Gathering of Friends in Granada Hills). These 33 entries were pretty varied in content, ranging from a warm agreement with a World Tribune article, to a sharp rebuke of the SGI's "chant to close the Nichiren Shoshu temples" campaign last December.

Happy Birthday, One-Year Old!

Well, tomorrow, April 18, 2008 will be the one-year anniversary of this blog, "A Byrd's Eye View" at Fraught With Peril (cue cake and candles). And this entry is....the 101st entry! Wow. I'm getting all misty just thinking about it. So, let's take a stroll down memory lane and see what all sorts of fabulous online mischief I've gotten myself into this year, and if you have a special request (as they say on the radio) for any online mischief you'd like me to get into this coming year, feel free to let fly in the comments section. For those of you who have recently started to look at this blog, a "greatest hits" (in my opinion, at least) list may help you understand what's goin' on, as the man sang. All right...dim lights...cue soft, nostalgic music.....

"My Two Faces" - Starring Fred MacMurray!

For you old fogies, this is where you hear the theme song and see the animated tapping toes....

Anyway, yesterday, I made certain to assure my SGI leaders that I had no intention of importing any unorthodox or unscheduled ideas into my district or chapter. No non-SGI publications, no none of that. That seemed to go over well, except that one of them remarked on the contrast between my online persona and the persona that I use at official gatherings. I think the word she used was "duplicitous." Honestly, I'm not at all offended that she said that, please don't think that I am. I'm not trying to put anyone on the spot or make anyone feel like they've been violated or betrayed by my responding and raising what is actually a very, very important point. I don't like dishonesty, either, and I think it makes a super-dooper interesting topic for a blog entry. My faithful reader Kyoushin sent me a link to this site which explains the Japanese concepts of "Tatamae" and "Honne", (i.e., public persona and private feelings):

http://www.japan-101.com/culture/tatemae_and_honne.htm

If that link doesn't work, here's the Wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honne_and_tatemae

Actually, That Was Quite Encouraging

Well, I had my pow-wow with my WD leaders today, and it was actually quite encouraging. They did think it was odd that I had two "faces" - gee, am I two-faced -- online and at my district. I referred them to the Japanese terms of "Tatame" and (you Japanese speakers,what's the other one?) In other words, at least I'm public about my varoius faces.

All in all, though, it was an interesting talk, and I'm glad I did it. I hope that something better comes of it by way of enhanced communication between me and the org.

An over-riding issue seems to be that blogs like this one attract the "disgruntled" - Andy, are you disgruntled? ;) Actually, just because people are disgruntled in someway or another with the org doesn't mean that they don't want world peace or are unwilling to chant, does it?

See For Yourself! The Amazing Talking Building!

Last week, I discussed how happy I was to receive some written response, however scolding, from an SGI-USA staff member. One of the groups I was supposed to owe an apology to was the area leaders who govern the SGI-USA Area where my friends Michele and Richard Chavez live - Richard is the fellow who was told he couldn't have SGI meetings at his home anymore due to the fact that his wife was joining a different Nichiren denomination.

I discussed the matter here:

http://www.fraughtwithperil.com/blogs/byrd/archives/001696.html

and here:

http://www.fraughtwithperil.com/blogs/byrd/archives/001697.html

Look Ma! I can do links!!! YAY!!! Okay, back to the blog.....

Anyway, apparently, I owe an apology to these area leaders for misrepresenting the reasons why meetings were discontinued at this particular home. The problem is, we still don't know what the reasons were, except that whatever I say is a misrepresentation. At least that's a rule we can all count on.