Cause and Effect – False Causes

In Buddhism the terms ‘Cause & Effect’ are constantly tossed around.  People even of non-Buddhist religions ascribe to certain interpretations of the concept of cause and effect.  I was re-reading a book titled Basic Buddhist Concepts by Kogen Mizuno in which he talks about views of cause and effect that were prevalent during the time of the Buddha and for which Buddhists at the time found many faults. One false interpretation of cause and effect is the fallacy of the ‘false cause’.

The false cause is the attribution to an effect a cause for which no demonstrable relationship exists.  In other words upon close examination there is truly no connection between an effect and the cause ascribed to it.  An example of this is the belief of outside forces such as gods or deities which control the fate of man or reality.

“the idea that both the world of reality and human fate are determined by such gods as Brahma or Indra is false because no causal relation can be shown to exist between such deities and what people do or become.  Into the same category falls fatalism, the notion that destiny is determined irrevocably…at the instant of one’s birth or by the social class into which one is born.” Basic Buddhist Concepts by Kogen Mizuno

If the case was true that gods and deities or fate determine our future then there would be no hope of ever changing our situation, of becoming enlightened.  We would be hopelessly locked into situations or a life for which we could never expect to change.  Yet this is often how people speak of karma, saying things like “it’s my karma….” as if something outside of ourselves is controlling our effects, or as if there was no hope of changing the situation.

Buddhism teaches that we are solely responsible for both what happens to us and how we respond to things in our life.  If we are blaming our circumstances on things outside of ourselves and thinking of ourselves as victims then we are operating under the delusion of the false cause and so will never be able to fundamentally change our situation.

“They do not seek the Way to eliminate sufferings.  They are deeply attached to wrong views.  They are trying to stop suffering by suffering.” Lotus Sutra Chapter II

“To those who are ignorant of the cause of all sufferings, and who are too deeply attached to the cause of suffering to give it up even for a moment, the Buddhas expounded the eight right ways as expedients”. Lotus Sutra Chapter III

Only when we see the true cause will we be able to make future causes that will bring desired effects. Understanding what causes have been made and what causes need to be made will ensure us of the ability to change our circumstances.  To assist in making correct causes to end suffering even when we are unable to discern the true nature of cause and effect the Buddha taught the Eight Fold Path as a guide for us to live by.

Bodhisattvas From Underground

When the Bodhisattvas from beneath the ground make their appearance as told in Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra one of the first things they do is to greet the Buddha, enquire about his well-being, and ask how the teachings he is engaged in our progressing.  This is in marked contrast to how others had approached the Buddha, those Bodhisattvas in the provisional part of the Lotus Sutra, Bodhisattvas in preceding chapters, where people asked the Buddha for a personal prediction of future enlightenment. Those Bodhisattvas asked the Buddha for something for their personal benefit as opposed to the Bodhisattvas from Underground who came asking for nothing but instead promising to do something.

“In the presence of the great multitude, they joined their hands together towards Sakyamuni Buddha, looked up at him and inquired after him saying: ‘World-Honored One!  Are you in good health?  Are you peaceful or not?  Are the living beings, whom you are to save, ready to receive your teachings or not?  Do they fatigue you?’” Lotus Sutra Chapter V

Frequently when people begin to practice Buddhism they find themselves in remote or somewhat isolated circumstances.  In fact the odds are that most people who want to practice Buddhism and who don’t live in a fairly large city will find themselves probably isolated.

Numerous times I have been contacted by different individuals who find themselves in such a situation. I find that generally they fall into one of two different categories.  Those who practice as Bodhisattvas from underground and those who practice as those Bodhisattvas who are not.  Those who are not are generally the ones who when they find out that there is no Nichiren Shu temple or priest who either lives in their area or who can’t travel there very frequently either do not respond back or throw up their hands and either give up or complain.  Their thinking is “what will Buddhism do for me” or “what will minister X do for me” or “what will Nichiren Shu do for me”.  It generally doesn’t extend beyond their personal needs and almost never to understanding what a Bodhisattva from beneath the ground would do.

Then there are others who when they are made aware of the limitations of an organization will make extra effort to practice in their area connecting when they can and staying in touch all the while working to establish a sangha or practice group close to them.

In Chapter 15 it clearly outlines the different kinds of these Bodhisattvas, describing their associations saying some come with a large multitude all the way down to those who come as single individuals.  ”The Bodhisattvas who preferred a solitary live came alone”.  What this tells us is that if you believe you are a Bodhisattva from Underground and if you are practicing alone then it must be because either you prefer it that way, you vowed to practice that way, or you have not yet developed your capacity to attract others to Buddhism and join with you.

If we consider how other religions have spread and propagated we see time and time again how from the efforts of single, isolated, and remotely located individuals congregations have sprung up.  Why is it that Buddhists will complain about such circumstances and then do nothing.

If we believe in the Lotus Sutra, and if we have begun to internalize the teachings contained within, and if we wish to practice in accord with the time and the teaching then we need to take personal responsibility for our situations.  If we are alone then it means we either chose that way or else we have not really begun to understand that as a Bodhisattva from Underground it is our pledge to spread the Dharma to others.

Remember the Bodhisattvas from Underground did not beseech the Buddha to give them anything, they vowed to do something for the Buddha and the Dharma.  It is our personal choice which way we choose to practice, are we provisional Bodhisattvas or Bodhisattvas from Underground?

Is it easy to practice alone or in isolation?  Certainly it isn’t, and that is why most ministers are willing to work with and help people to the best of their ability given the limited resources available.  Yet it also takes a commitment on the part of the person to make the effort to change the situation they practice in themselves and not expect someone else to do it for them.

Remember it says in the Lotus Sutra:

“These Bodhisattvas have great powers, virtues and energy…

They are good at answering difficult questions.  They are fearless and patient.  They are handsome, powerful and virtuous.  They are praised by the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters.  They expound the Dharma clearly.” Lotus Sutra Chapter XV

Do not be discouraged, though your circumstances may seem less than favorable, for without fail you can change them.  This is actually true for any circumstance we find ourselves in, but more about that in a future posting.  For now remember if where you are practicing isn’t the Buddha Land then the Buddha must not be there,  Become a Buddha yourself and your land will become the Buddha Land!

On the back of our enemies – not by my effort alone.

Well not exactly our enemies, or at least I hope we don’t have enemies.  Maybe just folks that don’t view life the same way we do.

In Buddhism we often speak of interdependence, or dependent origination a concept that points out how we are connected on some level with everyone and everything else in the universe.  The visual analogy used it Indra’s net.  Picture if you will a fish net with a gem in each of the intersections of the cords of the net.  While each cord comes together to form an intersection of four cords, when we look at the gem at the intersection we see reflected in its radiant surface, the facets, the gems and intersections from other areas of the net.

Change Break Fast

Keeping in mind this interconnected relationship is important for us because it reminds us that our actions do not come without the expense or aid of others.  I attended a lecture this past June at Rissho University in Japan where the lecturer talked about how our life is not really our own, it belongs to many other people as well.  He pointed out how none of us came into life without the aid of at least two parents and we certainly didn’t live our first few years with out care and being fed by other people.  A few weeks ago I heard a story on the radio about whole departments in some major cities devoted to dealing with the deaths of individuals who die alone.  I think that I recall that in Los Angles there are over 1000 people who spend their days trying to wrap up the details of people who die alone, who die without any apparent family or friends, no next of kin or loved ones.  So while it may be obvious that we don’t come into life alone it isn’t always obvious that we also don’t die alone, even if we may think we are alone.

In our daily existence we are connected with other people and benefit from their efforts in ways that all too often we take for granted or may even ignore.  Almost none of us grow our own food anymore.  Instead we go to the store and buy packages or cans that contain what we wish to prepare.  Even we buy already prepared food, either something we need to heat up or something served to us ready-to-eat.

We travel, either in our own vehicle or in a public conveyance.  We travel on roads or surfaces that have been prepared by countless unnamed individuals.  The fuel our vehicles consume, either private or public, is transported from its original location to the point of distribution in our community.  The clothes we wear most likely were not made by ourselves so their manufacture and distribution also was dependent on other people.  The list goes on and on, we just are not here in this life without the aid of many many other people.  There really is no such thing as a self-made person.

Yet, how many of us, when we reflect on our lives have a certain amount of self-satisfaction with our accomplishments, our successes, our achievements ever think about how all of these things are made possible because of the efforts of others.  On the reverse though frequently it is very easy for us when we confront our failures to find countless ways in which to shift the blame to other things or even other people.  Why do we do that?

Are we less connected to other people when we succeed than when we fail?

For people who like to think that they are living their lives in wholesome, good, or mindful ways it is often easy to forget that even our ability to do good or live according to our own personal convictions is benefited by those who may not prescribe to our same values.  For a Buddhist who may try to practice Right Livelihood it isn’t as easy as saying that on a personal level we do so without truly considering the many ways in which that practice is aided by others who may not practice as we do.  Whether we are Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist or any other religion we do not practice our belief in a vacuum and without the aid of others who may not share our belief.  Do we extend our thanks and appreciation to those individuals?  do we even consider how we are able to live because of their efforts?

It is easy for us to become smug or complacent in our belief thinking that we are doing good, when in reality any good we do by our own standard comes about because of the effort of others that we may condemn as not living up to our belief or standard.

It is never as easy as saying well I am living good, or I am a believer, or I am faithful without also being willing to transfer our benefit to others knowingly or unknowingly.

I encourage everyone who has ever thought, “I am good” or “I am doing good” or “I am saved, or blessed or whatever” or “I am practicing correctly” to also consider how it is all made possible by others who may not believe as you do.  We need to also share our benefit our merit with them as well and realize that without countless others we could not live as we do.

Nothing we do is done without the aid of countless others – we do not live or be in isolation. Let us give thanks and be willing to transfer our merit to others with a generosity befitting our deeply held conviction, matching our desire to do good with our desire to pass on the benefit to others.

20 Minutes A Day

The past couple of days I have been reading and re-reading Chapter 15 in the Lotus Sutra, “The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground”. I have even pulled out all of the various translations that I have of the Lotus Sutra to compare how each translator has dealt with this chapter.

It isn’t a very complicated chapter, so I don’t know exactly why I felt compelled to look beyond the one translation that I normally use, the Murano. I mainly was interested in seeing how each translator described the Bodhisattvas that make their sudden and first appearance in this chapter.

Here are a couple of quotes describing these Bodhisattvas:

“These great Bodhisattvas have studied and practiced the Wisdom of the Buddha for the past innumerable kalpas.”

“These sons of mine studied my teachings strenuously day and night in order to attain the enlightenment of the Buddha”

These quotes are actually descriptions of those who practice the Lotus Sutra in this age, and one challenge of our practice is to realize that this is the case.  So, if we believe this is about ourselves how do we cary out this practice and fulfill these descriptions.

When I was much younger and just beginning my practice of Buddhism I was given the encouragement to make a sincere effort to study something about Buddhism just 20 minutes each day.  At the time I sincerely tried to do this every day.  I set aside time right before going to bed and read from books about Buddhism.  At the time I was in the military and living in an open squad-bay barracks, so reading at that time was challenging to say the least.  Either someone would complain about the light or else there would be a rowdy group at one end blasting music from a record player, concentrating was challenging to say the least.

Anyway, I continued to do this and after a year or so it dawned on me that almost as if by magic I had accumulated a large amount of knowledge and had read quite a number of books.  Now this reading was in addition to other reading that I was doing and so was dedicated strictly to topics on Buddhism.  It was then that I realized that I had been tricked into studying 100 hours a year.

Imagine if someone suggested to you that you study or do anything for 100 hours.  We would I suspect feel that it was not possible, that we couldn’t do it, or that it would be beyond comprehension to schedule so much time.  And yet if we devote 20 minutes a day regularly to one thing for a year we would actually accumulate over 100 hours towards that goal.

At Buddhist temples part of the daily activity is cleaning the temple every day.  When you go to temple grounds in Japan they always look so beautiful.  Even in the fall season when leaves are falling you almost never see leaves piled up or laying on the ground.  The morning routine at temples does not include hours and hours cleaning, instead usually the clean up is for half an hour or forty-five minutes.  It is the accumulated effort of only a few minutes that yields these results.

So the trick to think about when ever we set out to accomplish some large goal or some major change or self improvement is not to think about all the accumulated effort required but to think about the small chunks of effort we can pile up every day.

20-minutes-a-day sounds small but over a year the amount of time accumulated is phenomenal, so don’t become discouraged.

“Arouse your power of faith, and do good patiently! You will be able to hear the Dharma that you have never heard before.” Lotus Sutra Chapter 15

Micro-Lending

Yes, another post on Micro-Lending.  This one is merely an update.  Of the six loans I have made four have completely repaid their loans.  Today I was able to re-loan some of my repaid funds to a clothing vendor in Azerbaijan.

I loan through Kiva.org and if anyone wants to join our temple’s team just search for Myosho-ji and sign up.  There are lots of folks all over the world who, with the aid of just a small amount of money can make a significant change in their lives.

Charlotte Gay Pride – 2009

What a weekend just wrapped up.  There are hundreds of positive words that could be used to describe the events of Pride here in Charlotte this year.  Joy and Happiness are two that come to mind most immediately.  Yes success, victory, wonderful and so forth could also be used, however, I think joy is the one I like the best.

There was so much joy this past weekend.  Folks were out and OUT being themselves enjoying each other.

I was having lunch with a new good friend just a few days before the event and she shared some of her personal story with me.  There was much about her that I just didn’t know.  I didn’t realize that she had children from a previous marriage who do not or had not accepted her as she was.  Then on Sunday I learned that she got to hold her grandchild for the first time.

I don’t know all the details but from what little I know that was a major victory and such a wonderful and joyful conclusion to the weekend.

Charlotte Pride 2009

This post isn’t anything profound or insightful just ramblings.

You can see some pictures of the event that I managed to snap at the following link

http://gallery.me.com/ryusho#100166

With Gassho

Begin the Tradition

Tradition of Social Engagement

Today I was sitting at a food bank while I was waiting for the person I help out who has HIV/AIDS get some food to help him through the week. The food bank is run out of an African American church and serves many people in the community. Three days a week they hand out boxes of unprepared food for people, only asking for some form of identification and nothing else. On the other days of the week they serve a hot lunch to anyone, again only asking for identification.

Most of the food, at least the canned and boxed items come from members of the church, the fresher items come from local stores, bakeries, and distributors. Members of the church, all without pay, run the operation.

As I was sitting there I was thinking how great it would be to be able for our Sangha to do something even half as great as that. But we are a small sangha, both small in membership and small in space. It will be many years before we would be able to approach the scale of this church’s operation.

This left me thinking about a number of things. First off how small my personal effort is compared to the large scale effort of this church. It also left me hoping that some day our Buddhist Sangha could also reach out to the community and provide support like this church was doing.

I went out side to sit while waiting, the sun was warm and it was a beautiful day. I noticed a plaque on the side of the building in dedication, and it stated that a single woman had founded the church. A single woman was the founder of that church.

A single woman who had a dream began the work some years ago to manifest her dream. Now I do not know if her original dream envisioned a food bank and who knows what all else the church does, but her dream did make it possible.

Sitting there I got to thinking about how important it is to at least begin the effort. How if we sit on the side wishing and praying for the magnificent effort or the large and grand effort then we won’t even make the small effort along the way on which to build a foundation. Making the cause, beginning the task, establishing the tradition on which future generations can build and expand is perhaps the greatest thing to engage in.

Leaving the food bank I felt greatly encouraged to continue the effort to care for those with HIV/AIDS regardless how small that effort may be. I am determined to create and foster that tradition in our Sangha so that in the future more people may be assisted by the social engagement of Buddhist acting on their belief of compassion.

It all begins with a single person.

Micro Lending – a good idea, please help

Using money that has been paid back to me from loans I have made on Kiva, I was able to re-loan that money and help fund another entrepreneur.

If you have thought about micro lending or if you know nothing about micro lending you might check out Kiva.org.

If you decide that you can help in this effort of small loans to individual and group entrepreneurs please consider joining Myosho-ji’s team.

With Gassho,

Rev. Ryusho 龍昇

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I just made a loan to someone in the developing world using a revolutionary new website called Kiva (www.kiva.org).

You can go to Kiva’s website and lend to someone in the developing world who needs a loan for their business – like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks.  Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent – and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back – and Kiva’s loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named Hantea Svetlana in Moldova.  They still need another $125.00 to complete their loan request of $950.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!).  Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to Hantea Svetlana too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=90539

It’s finally easy to actually do something about poverty – using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they’re using it for.  And most of all, I know that I’m helping them build a
sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world – one loan at a time.

Thanks!

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What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

‘Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.’
– BBC

‘If you’ve got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you’ve now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.’
– CNN Money

‘Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.’
– The Wall Street Journal

‘An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity…All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.’
– Entrepreneur Magazine

Baking on a cold winter day

Baking this afternoon.  After working half a day because of a large job that came in to the shop I have been going non stop this afternoon.  The pup and I went for a long walk first then I came home and did a load of laundry.  

A batch of yogurt was the first item on my list of things to make.  Then I made a loaf of banana-raisin bread which is finished baking.

Banana-raisin bread 1/16/2009

 Next I mixed up a batch of chocolate cake to make cup-cakes, and now they are baking.    Well the cup-cakes are done now, the timer is going off and begging me to respond.

It is freezing cold outside today, literally freezing, but inside here in the kitchen it is quite toasty now with the baking that I have been doing.  They say it may sleet or snow tomorrow morning, I hope it does, it would be so nice.  It would be even better if it would snow several inches, I could get a picture of the front of the temple covered in snow.

Soon I’ll have to make a decision about what I’ll fix for dinner, I suppose I do need to eat something healthy, but all of these sweets surely are tempting me.  Maybe I’ll make up some curry Japanese style and have that over rice….yes….that is exactly what I’ll do.

See you later.

Medical Insurance

Today I was notified that the company provided health plan made a mistake in billing for my account for the past year and I now have to ‘make up’ the difference.  Grrrrr…….

I guess I wouldn’t mind as much if it weren’t for the fact that the deductable is so darn high that when I had surgery in July of last year virtually none of it was covered, yet I had to pay insurance.  On top of that, two of the medications I use to help with breathing problems are not covered so I pay almost full price for those, which I have stopped taking because it just is too expensive.

So, I am paying for insurance for what?

Waiting room doctor's office - by Ryusho, 11/2008

I am not alone by any means.  A good friend just lost her job, she is eligable for COBRA, but being eligable is not the same as being affordable.  Having a pre-existing condition make insurance almost an impossibilty and yet who, when they get to be our age, doesn’t have some kind of pre-existing condition.

I am not sure exactly what the answer is, but there has to be something better than what we have now.

There is such an uneven distribution of medical care that something needs to be done to even it out some or else make it equally available to everyone.  I wouldn’t want to deprive anyone of the best care possible, and yet a whole bunch of people suffer with almost no care.  I am at least fortunate that I can get care, even if it isn’t affordable.  Many do not have even that.

Some are fortunate because they have access to the latest and greatest in medical care with no regard to expense, either because they are very wealthy or because they have very good insurance, again probably wealthy.

Insurance companies don’t want to have as customers those who have conditions that may certainly require treatment, they also don’t want to handle those who can least afford it.  The insurance companies decide what treatments it will cover and how much they will pay, demanding doctors lower their charges and consumers pay larger portions.  It just doesn’t make sense.

Looking at the two major hospitals in Charlotte you see large campuses with many new buildings.  They both advertise the best of medical technology available, yet both are reluctant providors of care for the indigent or those least able to afford it.  And I know from a couple of friends accounts that this is the case because they have experienced it themselves.

Of course nothing I have said here hasn’t been said someplace else, I guess it is just my turn to rant some.