INSIGHTAotearoa
A newsletter for New Zealand's insight meditation practitioners and communities
98 Riverside Road, Gisborne, 4010 Aotearoa New Zealand
deborah @ insightaotearoa.org | ISSN 1177-5076
JANUARY 2009
IN THIS NEWSLETTER YOU'LL FIND...
1. EDITORIAL: INTENTION
2. Dana
3. The Field of Belonging
4. Book Review: Insight Dialogue
5. Poem: The Tao of Healing
6. The Heart of Understanding Daylong Retreat
7. Questions ... questions ...
8. Sangha news
9. The Last Word: An Exercise for Setting Intention
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1. EDITORIAL: INTENTION
Several decades past, I was given a lovely journal as a Christmas gift. It seemed almost too special to write in, but over the holidays I wrote some reflections about hopes and dreams for my inner and outer life. The journal got tucked away on a shelf until the following New Year when I reviewed what I had written. To my surprise, everything I had written had come to pass in the previous year. This was an awakening to the power of intention. Over the years that journal was filled and I have moved on to others. This January edition of INSIGHTAotearoa invites you to explore the power of intention as you embark on the new year.
Right view and right intention are the wisdom aspects of the Noble Eight Fold Path. “While right view refers to the cognitive aspect of wisdom, right intention refers to the volitional aspect, i.e. the kind of mental energy that controls our actions. Right intention can be described best as commitment to ethical and mental self-improvement. Buddha distinguishes three types of right intentions: 1. the intention of renunciation, which means resistance to the pull of desire, 2. the intention of good will, meaning resistance to feelings of anger and aversion, and 3. the intention of harmlessness, meaning not to think or act cruelly, violently, or aggressively, and to develop compassion [http://www.bigview.com].
Perhaps the wisdom of right intention directs your path to engage in the dharma in new ways.
Neither fire, nor moisture, nor wind can destroy the blessing of good deeds,and blessings enlighten the whole world.
-- The Buddha
May Your New Year be Filled with Blessings,
Deborah White
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In the universe there is an immeasurable, indescribable force which shamans call intent, and absolutely everything that exists in the entire cosmos is attached to intent by a connecting link.
-- Carlos Castaneda
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Intention is the core of all conscious life. It is our intentions that create karma, our intentions that help others, our intentions that lead us away from the delusions of individuality toward the immutable verities of enlightened awareness. Conscious intention colors and moves everything.
-- Master Hsing Yun
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2. DANA
-- by Caz Sheldon
When I first came to Buddhism through the Insight Meditation Group in Wellington, it was the generosity of others that gladdened my heart. I was touched and grateful that I was not being asked for money. I was freely offered the space to meditate, given instruction, access to knowledge. After a little while I began to recognise the costs incurred by the group and my own responsibility towards them - room rental, library updating, refreshments and, eventually, the teacher’s livelihood.
Looking back I no longer feel guilt at taking “without return”¯ at that time. I love the fact that freedom from external constraint is at the heart of the practice I chose. This freedom invites wisdom to grow from the inside.
A key insight about dana came for me from reading that in Asia, generosity is the first practice to be taught, meditation comes much later. Somehow I needed to be reminded of the pleasure and value of giving to others, despite coming from a society that encourages giving presents at any (commercial) occasion. Sadly this society prizing individuality so much, thus prizes financial exploitation and meanness. We grow up wary of being “ripped off”¯ in the context where many seek excessive profit. I think this is starting place for many westerners who come to Buddhism. Certainly it was mine. And yet, I also knew about the genuine pleasure in helping others, giving gifts, supporting causes dear to me. I recognised that my socialisation had belittled the power of generosity and covered up its beauty.
The needs of the group were small initially, but as teachers came, questions arose: What is needed? What is fair? Does it make a difference what this teacher’s livelihood is? If they have other income, or none, if they are monastics? This one has a well paid job, this other one has nothing, this one gets by on a benefit, this other one wants to maintain a certain lifestyle - should this influence me? What am I willing to afford on a weekly basis?
As a group we debated at length whether to specify an amount to ask practitioners to put in the bowl, or to compare a session with the cost of other things westerners spend on: an evening at the movies, a yoga class, coffee and cake at a cafe, a meal out... Or to awaken practitioners to understanding interdependence? “the teachings are beyond price”¯, as they say. Dana ensures the continuity of teachings, “paying it forward”¯, so to speak. Sustaining teachers sustains teachings, makes them available for all who come after. Because of centuries of dana supporting monastics, the Buddha’s teachings are available to us now.
I also began to be aware of monastics living in the West, particularly itinerant nuns, who are often poorly cared for by communities and may not be welcomed into monasteries (in some traditions, eg Theravada). I knew nothing of the vows taken, until I discovered these include a vow not to ask for anything. I guess there are many spiritual reasons for this, developing trust, discouraging thoughts of self. This works fine when the community is aware of the vows taken, and has an inbuilt dana practice, like Asian lay communities do, inter-dependent, taking care of monastics’ livelihood as monastics take care of their spiritual wellbeing. This is not true in the West.
It is a problem in the West that we are unaware of such vows - and monastics do not explain if unasked - so someone in the lay sangha has to spell this out. Eventually this happened, and a whole world of different thinking had to open up for me. It came as a shock to realise I should be on the look-out to find out what my friend, the nun, needed - a lift to a meeting, food at an appropriate time of day, whatever... I did discover a way round some of the difficulties talking with her. We agreed that if I said I invited her requests and was available to be asked, then she could ask for some things, though others I had to remember to offer. This was quite a relief, as I get constrained by my own perfectionism to ‘get it right’. How often this kind of negative self-view is at the root of avoidance!
I was asking myself other personal questions as well. Indeed, the teachings are “beyond price”¯ but why do I give more to teachers who inspire me than ones who don’t? What about if I disagree with the teacher, don’t like their approach? Of course, dana is not a gratitude practice, but gratitude certainly influences me, even so. Sometimes I gave more, sometimes less, as requirements, moods and thoughts moved me. And I can see I have not yet reached equanimity on this. There have been many stages in this journey. No doubt there will continue to be. As my understanding grows, so does this practice of giving.
Despite all these vacillations, I hear the word “giving”¯ in the root of the word “forgiving”¯. And I wonder: if we can start with the idea of “in order to give”¯ (forgiveness), no longer requiring false perfection, of self, of others...can veils be torn away, understanding eased, each small awakening valued? There is great gentleness in these thoughts.
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Seize every opportunity, no matter how small, to give your life away in service. Get your ego out of your intention to live a life of purpose. Whatever it is that you want to do in life, make the primary motivation for your effort something or somebody other than your desire for gratification or reward.
-- Wayne Dyer
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3. THE FIELD OF BELONGING
-- by Tara Brach
The longing for intimacy is a gravitational force that draws us together. We long to connect; to belong to our world. As Zen master Dogen writes, "To be enlightened is to be intimate with all of life."
While this may resonate in our hearts, on a daily basis we act in ways that distance us from life. We stay busy with goal-oriented activities. We judge each other and hide our insecurity. We are not quiet enough to listen well and we rarely express the depth of our love. Our underlying fear is that if we open to each other -- if we draw close and become vulnerable -- we will get hurt.
Because getting hurt is a part of this human incarnation, our fears are not unfounded. We live in a materialistic, competitive, punitive culture. We have all been disappointed, let down, rejected, neglected and misunderstood. Even those who have had conscious, loving parents have been told in many different ways that our natural being is somehow "Not OK." The greater our wounds, the more deeply we believe that something is wrong with us. The painful sense of "Not OK" is a distrust of life that prevents us from belonging to each other and this world.
Meditation practice is a form of spiritual "re-parenting". Reflect for a moment about what you would consider the ideal parent, a true Beloved. How would this person relate to you? When they look at you, what would you see in their eyes? If you were experiencing difficulty, how would they respond?
Invoking an ideal parent (lover or friend), we might imagine feeling totally understood and unconditionally loved by that being. They know our imperfections, yet they also recognize our wakefulness, our natural goodness. In their presence, there would be plenty of room for whatever within us feels "Not OK."
These interrelated qualities of clear seeing and compassion are what the Buddha described as the "two wings of the bird" that together allow us to fly and be free. They are the facets of awareness we cultivate in relating to our inner life -- to the fears, loneliness, anger and grief. And they are the gifts we offer in wakeful relating to each other and to our world.
In loving relationships and spiritual community, we discover the container or sense of larger belonging that helps us open to and heal parts of ourselves that are unseen or rejected. This is beautifully portrayed in the story of the Buddha's awakening. Through the night under the bodhi tree, the Buddha met the attacks of Mara (the energies of greed, hatred and delusion) with wisdom and compassion. Mara's arrows turned to flower blossoms and fell to his feet. By morning, the Buddha was awakened but Mara was still present. The Buddha then reached out, touched the earth and called on the Earth Goddess to bear witness. The forces of Mara finally withdrew. The Buddha had realized his belonging to the web of life and opened to full freedom.
We are not struggling alone on the spiritual path, building spiritual muscles to fend off the adversaries of greed, hatred and delusion. Rather, like the Buddha, our path is to open to all of life -- to the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows -- and to realize a profound sense of belonging. It is through the -- to the 10,000 joys and the 10,000 sorrows -- and to realize a profound sense of belonging. It is through the experience of connectedness that we heal and are free to love fully.
We can enlarge the circle of belonging by bringing a tender presence to any part of this natural world. For many, the wildness of ocean and wind, the dignity and generosity of trees, the beautiful cheer of flowers all offer an embrace to our sense of weariness and alienation. The earth and skies are big enough for our tears. We can take refuge in the elements that compose our being.
Because we experience both loving and wounding in human relationships, we also must heal with others. Some years ago, a white student of mine chose to marry an African American woman. His family threatened to cut him off and, while not wavering on his commitment to his fiance, he felt bound by his anger and grief. He tried to meditate and be mindful of what was arising and offer lovingkindness to the places of pain. He became aware of life-long patterns of struggling to be true to himself and never feeling accepted. The awareness was helpful but he still felt isolated and lost. His partner, concerned about his suffering, asked to be more included in the process. Together, they designed a pre-wedding meditation ritual, a circle of belonging, and invited their closest friends. In the warmth and acceptance of that circle, they expressed the pain of encountering such hostility at their time of early union, and their pain was respectfully held.
While their pain did not disappear, the larger sphere of belonging allowed for opening and healing. When their wedding day arrived, both felt embraced by a genuinely extended family and were able to include the groom's family of origin in their prayers.
Just as it is necessary to intentionally and mindfully attend to our inner life, wise and open-hearted communing with others is our interpersonal meditation. We communicate to understand and be understood, to hold and be held. Our deepest longing is to belong to each other. But our conditioning to feel separate and insufficient creates habits of defensiveness, dishonesty, manipulation and blaming.
It helps at these times to pause and reflect: "How can I belong to this moment? What needs acceptance?" And, with the beings in our life, "How can we belong together? What needs acceptance?" Awakening in relationships involves seeing vulnerability as well as basic goodness, and acknowledging and releasing our armor. As we learn to listen deeply, to tell the truth and to hold each other with great mercy, we discover the sweet nectar of deep belonging. It is our most profound longing and it expresses the truth of who we are.
As Rumi writes:
"Out beyond wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I'll meet you there.When the soul lies down in that grass, the world is too full to talk about ideas, language, even the phrase 'each other' doesn't make any sense."
The field Rumi describes is always here. We are friends, belonging together with the sounds and sensations of this very moment, belonging with this earth and all of life. Whenever we encounter our edge -- that which is frightening and difficult -- our challenge is to embrace our vulnerability with compassionate awareness.
We can infuse this embrace with a sense of our larger circle of belonging. Just as the Buddha reached out to call to Mother Earth, we can invoke the beloved-dear ones, bodhisattvas, trees and stars. Gradually, inside and outside become indistinct. We become the holder and the held. Our path is to rest in and live out of the truth of connectedness; to arrive fully in the field of belonging.
''Tara Brach, Ph.D., has been practicing meditation since 1975. She is a clinical psychologist and the author of Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha (Bantam, 2003.) Tara founded the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (IMCW) in 1998 and serves as its senior teacher. ''
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All doubt, despair, and fear become insignificant once the intention of life becomes love, rather than dependence on love.
-- Sri da Avabhas
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4. BOOK REVIEW: Insight Dialogue: the interpersonal path to freedom by Gregory Kramer
-- Review from http://www.metta.org
Insight Dialogue is a way of bringing the tranquility and insight attained in meditation directly into your interactions with other people. It’s a practice that involves interacting with a partner in a retreat setting or on your own, as a way of accessing a profound kind of insight. Then, you take that insight on into the grind of everyday human interactions. Gregory Kramer has been teaching the practice (which he originated) for more than a decade in retreats around the world. It’s something strikingly new in the world of Buddhist practice—yet it’s completely grounded in traditional Buddhist teaching.
Kramer begins with a detailed presentation of the central Buddhist teaching of the Four Noble Truths seen through an interpersonal lens. Because dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness) is often most forcefully felt in our relations with others, interpersonal relationships are a wonderfully useful place to practice. He breaks the Noble Truths down into component parts to observe how they manifest particularly in relationship to others, using examples from his own life and practice, as well as from his students’. He then goes on to present the practice as it’s taught in his workshops and retreats. There are a few basic steps to the practice, deceptively simple to describe: (1) pause, (2) relax, (3) open, (4) trust emergence, (5) listen deeply, and (6) speak the truth.
The sequence begins following a period of meditation, and includes periods of speaking, listening, and mutual silence. Kramer includes numerous examples of people’s experience with the practice from his retreats, and shows how the insight gained from the techniques can be brought into real life. More than just testimonials for how well the practice “works,”¯ the personal stories demonstrate the problems that arise, the different routes the practice can follow, and the sometimes surprising insights that are gained.
From Publishers Weekly
Lots of Buddhist books are using meditation to inspect the mind and watch its workings. The process works exceptionally well for monks and nuns, but the rest of the human race is busy householding, spends less time on the meditation cushion and could use a little help in applying Buddhist teachings to the messy world of relationships.
This book by Buddhist meditation teacher Kramer fills that need .... Kramer is a longtime student and teacher in the insight meditation tradition and has also studied Buddhist psychology. He has developed, and teaches, a practice that engages partners in a structured dialogue based on Buddhist practices and principles. Such dialogue, like meditation, yields insight. The book is at its best when the author explains and teaches this unique practice, offering real-world examples.
This book has potential as a text for advanced Buddhist practitioners interested in extending their practice into everyday life to illuminate and improve their relationships
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5. POEM: a verse from "Tao of Healing"
-- by Haven Trevino
Quiet the mind
Be still
And watch the breath of God
Rise and fall
In all things
Allow God’s breath
To be your breath;
Allow God’s nature
To be your nature.
The nature of God
Is to love and be loved;
Your desire to love creates intention,
Intention focuses attention,
Attention illuminates understanding,
Understanding manifests forgiveness,
Forgiveness is the fountainhead of Love.
Intend to be Love
And know death for what it is:
The in breath of God.
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6. THE HEART OF UNDERSTANDING DAYLONG RETREAT
-- by Deborah White
Gisborne was blessed with its first Insight meditation daylong retreat led by Jeremy Logan on 13 December. After an inspiring introductory talk Friday night, 13 people arrived Saturday to explore a day of silence in the midst of the holiday busy-ness. In spite of an occasional random screech from the security alarm, silence prevailed. For most, this was their first retreat. It was fabulous to have Jeremy’s guidance and kind support.
The retreat was personally beneficial as the comments testify: “Personally, I enjoyed it, having come for ‘an experience’ and received that, particularly with the walking meditations.”¯ “Thank you for the retreat, it really was great – gosh I slept so well last night!!”¯ "My heart feels more open. I feel more focused and at ease."
The retreat also offered bonding and support for our fledgling sitting group in Gisborne. There was much enthusiasm following the retreat and requests for an encore. I’m sure Jeremy will be keen as he enjoyed Wainui Beach and our delicious potluck lunch.
Thank you, Jeremy for your intention of service to the dharma and availability to teach through out New Zealand. You can contact Jeremy about leading a retreat in your community at: jeremylogan @ slingshot.co.nz
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A good intention clothes itself with power.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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What always strikes me is how intelligent we are as human beings, and yet how often we miss this very simple truth: we want happiness but the ways we go about trying to get it cause us to suffer. Whenever you ask yourself why you’re having a cigarette or why you’re saying a mean word, the answer is usually that in your guts you feel it will bring some satisfaction. Yet, if you ask yourself if what you are doing has ever given you satisfaction, your honest answer would have to be no. Nevertheless, we keep right on doing it. This kind of stupidity seems to run very deep in human beings.
-- Pema Chodron
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7. QUESTIONS ... QUESTIONS ...
Do you have a question about your practice or about Buddhism in general? Send it in, and we will put it before a teacher. If it can be answered easily, it will be in a future INSIGHTAotearoa. Send your question to jeremylogan @ slingshot.co.nz or by post to Newsletter, PO Box 891, Gisborne 4040.
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8. SANGHA NEWS
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9. THE LAST WORD : AN EXERCISE FOR SETTING INTENTION
Sit quietly, at least for a short time. Let your bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts come and go, and let them settle as much as possible. Then invite to presence your intention for a given period and activity. Stay with the intention, letting it fill your awareness, your body and mind. If you have a way of giving physical manifestation (perhaps writing, speaking, or associating your intention with an object that might remind you of the intention), do that. Think of ways to return periodically to a renewal of your intention during an activity, during the day, or over a period of time.
-- Donald Rothberg, Engaged Spiritual Life, Beacon Press, 2006
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With Metta,
Deborah White