Quotation for Reflection, “To study the way of the Buddha is to study oneself. To study oneself is to forget oneself. To forget oneself is to be enlightened by everything”
So what did the Buddhist Monk say to the hot dog vendor?
A: Make me one with everything
I’ve a longstanding personal connection to a Japanese Buddhist order. So the joke is funny to me because I’m picturing one of my monk friends getting chili sauce from the hot dog with everything on their saphron robe.
I hesitated to pick that joke as my sermon opener. I told it to Sarah J. on Thursday, and she cracked up. If you didn’t like the joke, blame Sarah.
A few months ago I gave a sermon “Enlightenment, Is it Desirable?” I was thinking I would start by summarize our last episode. The thought made me remember how they the Batman 60’s TV series did it. “In our last episode, our hero was about to meet his death, tied to a board about to be sliced in half…”
Every episode started out with some “diabolical plot,” and you could always count on the dynamic duo to save the day. I want one of those scripts for Russia and Ukraine.
In preparing my “Enlightenment Desireable” sermon, reviewing Joko Beck videos, I had an epiphany. She emphasized the need to break from the conditioning to try to escape this moment. It struck me how different this was from Western religion and culture.
For example, again, take those 60’s Batman TV shows. Every week presented a battle between good and evil. Things would seem dire for a time, but deliverance would come when our hero saved the day. Another example of a deliverance story is Exodus. BTW, Exodus will be coming to a church or theatre near you next month. Rev Meg Barnhouse says that it’s the foundational story of Western societies.
The story begins with the Ancient Hebrews as oppressed slaves in Egypt. God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm leads them out of bondage across a parted sea out into the desert. Cecil B. Demille, my source of God’s word ends the story there, but we all know that the Hebrews will make it to the Promised Land.
The Easter story may have pushed Exodus out of the number one spot on Western Charts. They dolled that story up real good after he died. I say died, I mean crucified. It’s just too horrible and gorey to dwell on. But the stone gets rolled away, Jesus ascends to heaven, and all who profess on him get a free pass to an eternal land of milk and honey. Some of us, Zeke, might imagine heaven as a land of beer and pizza.
I hear the deliverance theme reverberating in Sam and Dave’s rhythm and blues monster hit “Hang on, I’m coming! You do remember that one, right?
In our Western psyche the promise land is always just up head. When you’re in first grade, you dream of being one of those big 3rd grader. Then come the stories of what Jr. High will be life. High School will be “Happy Days,” but what’s important is that you get into college. Then get your degree. Get a job. Get Married. Have kids. Then hang on a little bit longer, you will get to launch the kids and breath free. Chase your own highest level. Climb that ladder. If you don’t make it to the top, don’t worry. Soon you will be able to retire. Up ahead you will claim your heavenly reward!
The contrast, the power and the simplicity of the Buddhist approach me. It suggests that we forgo everything that keeps us from facing the pain of this moment. Instead of putting our faith in my ability to escape, stopping becomes the short route to get home. I was struck and couldn’t begin to count the many ways I seek to distract myself. How could I live without hope for a better future? Could I try something new? Turn my attention with curiosity to what is going on?
The simple strategy of “Be here now,” turns out to be quite a challenge. It sounds like it should be easy to sit still. It’s not! At least it hasn’t been easy for me. “Sit still?” I can still hear my father’s voice: “Would you light some where already?!”
We have all be conditioned from an early age that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. We had drilled into us “don’t just sit there, do something.” We learned to jump into action.
Forgive me I’m still thinking of Batman. In every episode, the dynamic duo would get the call, slide down a pole into the batcave, jump into their batmobile and the action was on.
I’m not knocking first responders. I dreamed of being a fireman, didn’t every boy? I am saying that we are conditioned to get exciting when the bugle blows and we know that calvary has arrived. Many of us were taught to wait upon the Savior. I’m not mocking turning to G*d or a power greater than ourselves. Trust me. I’m down with that.
Then along comes Buddhism saying “don’t just do something, sit there!” And we are like, huh? What? What kind of answer is that?! Be here now?! C’mon real men and women get a move on.
And we are like “wow, with all the crap going down in our lives, sitting still sounds stupid.” If our bodies have ailments, injuries, or memories of abuse, the idea of putting attention on what’s inside might not be too attractive and might not be pleasant.
I’ve spoken as if meditation is a Buddhist thing. Meditation have been practiced by all of the world’s religious traditions. And these days millions are learning meditation and the benefits of mindfulness from psychologists, medics and yoga instructors. Yoga is traced to Patanjali and Hindu scriptures known as the Vedas. There are drawings dating back 3500 or 5000 years of people in lotus tradition. Today millions are learning meditation and principles of mindfulness without any religious theology, doctrine or knowledge of the ancient cultures that it grew from.
Although this is an old subject, I’m asking us to think freshly about about meditation. I’ve presented you with a few different kinds of meditation today. Consider too that there are different ways to understand meditation. If we can practice open mindedness, we may find that there is something here for us.
Just as we did in a recent service on prayer, let’s check ourselves for any internal obstacles that get In the way of our utilizing meditation as tool and resource for our fulfillment.
I will offer examples. I worked as a Spirituality Counselor on an Addictions Unit at Doctors Hospital in Shreveport Louisiana. In our “Spirituality” group, I frequently used guided meditations. Most patients said that they really were surprised how much they enjoyed these. However one person expressed concern that I had hypnotized him. Maybe he was hoping I can help him. Or maybe he didn’t like the idea of someone exercising power that could override his will.
A bigger objection came from a few parents of patients from the teen unit. Each of these parents were Christian. In their religious views, Jesus is the only way to salvation. Eastern religion could be a threat, directing their children away from Jesus. Meditation could be from the devil.
I doubt those are our obsticles, but maybe we think of meditation as something foreign, or something woo woo. Some of us might think: “I’m just not interested,” or “tried it didn’t like it.” Or maybe we just can’t picture ourselves doing it.
It takes courage to admit when we have contempt toward something that we really don’t understand or haven’t investigated. Of course many of us are attracted to meditation.
In recent years, there has been much research by Jon Kabbat Zin and many others who have demonstrated health and productivity benefits from meditation and mindfulness.
Although millions are discovering the benefits of meditation, its still foreign to the majority of us. Maybe we think of meditation as a new cool healthy trend. Forget for a moment that its been done for millenia. If we are telling ourselves we should to it, or that we should want to do it, we probably won’t. I’m hoping that some of what is offered today will be useful and attractive. Maybe it will open a door to this field. Hopefully something experienced will be pleasant and satisfying.
The most common obstacle to meditation occurs when people conclude that they “can’t” meditate. This results from a misunderstanding of what it means to meditate. Many mistakenly believe that meditation means quieting the mind or having no thoughts. When we notice a steady stream of thoughts, we might think “I can’t do this.”
Or maybe you have heard lots of people rave about meditation, but when you try it, you feel uncomfortable, awkward or it’s just not fun. There are many reasons that meditation can become uncomfortable, unpleasant or not fun. It doesn’t mean you are no good at it, not cut out for it by genetics or personality. This is where it can be so useful to have a good teacher, or to discover that there are forms of meditations. A different form of meditation could lead to a more enjoyable experience. You might not want to start with the hardest form. If an inexperienced hiker tries to climb Everest, they’re probably not going to enjoy that hike!
If you want to try meditation maybe don’t sign up for a week long silent retreat with hours a day of sitting still. There are many different activities that fall under the umbrella of meditation and mindfulness. Find one that easier or more enjoyable for you. There are all manner of books of daily meditations, short readings intended to facilitate contemplation and reflection.
Research has shown that meditation can offer many positive effects. Meditation can lead to a significant improvement in quality and enjoyment of life, ability to respond to challenging situations, abiding sense of peace, increase in faith, spirituality and health.
This is not to say that every one “SHOULD” meditate. This is a good time to mention a few of our guiding UU principles and values. “Voluntary participation,” “right of conscience,” “a free and responsible search for truth and meaning,” these are sacred to us.
The thought that we “SHOULD” meditate can be another obstacle. Whenever I hear someone say that they should do something, cut down on sugar, take up walking, quit smoking, I doubt that they aren’t going to do it. If you say “should,” there is some conflict. If you keep in mind why you want to practice meditation, you will be more likely to pursue it.
Many people enjoy a daily meditation reading Psalms. Others reflect upon the Bahagavad Gita, the Koran or another sacred texts for the purpose of cultivating a sense of love, closeness and devotion to G*d. Many people choose secular readings, with very clear intentions to develop compassion or respect or peace.
Ever since my undergraduate days, I’ve found guided visualisations and guided Meditation very useful. It started with a Teacher’s Assistant that appreciated my insights. He said that I should be an A student and recommended me for “Test Anxiety Clinic.” The clinic used guided meditations as a de-sensitisation technique year that helped me reduce my anxiety during tests. The results were dramatic! After college, I continued to use guided meditations to help me shift from stress to relaxation and peace.
Some meditations ask us to focus on our breathing. Others ask us to contract and then release of muscles throughout the body. Guided visualisations facilitate imagination. Research has proven that visualizations can lead to dramatic improvement in physical as well as social skills.
Some forms of mediation are called biofeedback. I took classes of breath retraining that is a treatment for anxiety, asthma, allergies or sleep apnea. These have worked well for me and many others.
In Eastern Religion and Western Mindfulness training the goal is to grow in awareness. Some use techniques such as returning focus to the breath over and over. Others focus on a word like Peace, or a flame. One teacher, Joko Beck claimed to use no techniques other than awakening to what was really going on inside us. The goal is not to make yourself happy or peaceful. It’s to meet yourself wherever you are. Another teacher Pema Chodron talks Buddha mind. Buddha mind can be happy Buddha, tired Buddha, cranky Buddha, whatever because Buddha means becoming aware, becoming enlightened. Awareness comes from meeting yourself where you are.
One of the most useful practices I’ve used is a commitment to bring empathy to myself. When I am struggling, feeling the most emotional pain or discomfort, I decide to “be there for myself.” I begin by becoming curious about what is actually going on.
I often used this in recovery from my truck encounter. Many people are quick to suggest that I not worry (ie not try to figure out) what is going on. “you are getting old.” Yes but that is not a specific understanding of my condition. I kept my curiosity about what was happening; about what wasn’t working. I found ways to make improvements.
We could use mindfulness meditation to aid us as we choose to live our UU principles and purposes. We value learning. We will not stop with a revelation from 2000 years ago. We affirm that revelation is continuous. It is our intention and our spirituality to seek to become more aware. There are many ways we can do this. Each of them is sacred.
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