From trinitycamphill.org and sanctus.org:
Daily Readings (Option 1)
Commemmoration Of The Faithful Departed
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Complementary series (related to the lessons for the Sunday services)
Psalm 50
Psalm 50
1The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
3Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
4He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5“Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah
7“Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats from your folds.
10For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.
12“If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.
15Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
16But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?
17For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.
18You make friends with a thief when you see one, and you keep company with adulterers.
19“You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
20You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your own mother’s child.
21These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one just like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22“Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
Zechariah 7:1-14
Zechariah 7:1-14
7In the fourth year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came to Zechariah on the fourth day of the ninth month, which is Chislev. 2Now the people of Bethel had sent Sharezer and Regem-melech and their men, to entreat the favor of the Lord, 3and to ask the priests of the house of the Lord of hosts and the prophets, “Should I mourn and practice abstinence in the fifth month, as I have done for so many years?” 4Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me: 5Say to all the people of the land and the priests: When you fasted and lamented in the fifth month and in the seventh, for these seventy years, was it for me that you fasted? 6And when you eat and when you drink, do you not eat and drink only for yourselves? 7Were not these the words that the Lord proclaimed by the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and in prosperity, along with the towns around it, and when the Negeb and the Shephelah were inhabited?
8The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying: 9Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; 10do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another. 11But they refused to listen, and turned a stubborn shoulder, and stopped their ears in order not to hear. 12They made their hearts adamant in order not to hear the law and the words that the Lord of hosts had sent by his spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath came from the Lord of hosts. 13Just as, when I called, they would not hear, so, when they called, I would not hear, says the Lord of hosts, 14and I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations that they had not known. Thus the land they left was desolate, so that no one went to and fro, and a pleasant land was made desolate.
Jude 5-21
Jude 5-215Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6And the angels who did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgment of the great Day. 7Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
8Yet in the same way these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones. 9But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10But these people slander whatever they do not understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct. 11Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam’s error for the sake of gain, and perish in Korah’s rebellion. 12These are blemishes on your love-feasts, while they feast with you without fear, feeding themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted; 13wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever. 14It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage. 17But you, beloved, must remember the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18for they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.” 19It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. 20But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Semicontinuous series (related to the lessons for the Saturday service)
Psalm 142
Psalm 142
1With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord.
2I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
3When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4Look on my right hand and see— there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.
5I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
Habakkuk 3:1-16
Habakkuk 3:1-16
3A prayer of the prophet Habakkuk according to Shigionoth. 2O Lord, I have heard of your renown, and I stand in awe, O Lord, of your work. In our own time revive it; in our own time make it known; in wrath may you remember mercy.
3God came from Teman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. 4The brightness was like the sun; rays came forth from his hand, where his power lay hidden. 5Before him went pestilence, and plague followed close behind. 6He stopped and shook the earth; he looked and made the nations tremble. The eternal mountains were shattered; along his ancient pathways the everlasting hills sank low. 7I saw the tents of Cushan under affliction; the tent-curtains of the land of Midian trembled. 8Was your wrath against the rivers, O Lord? Or your anger against the rivers, or your rage against the sea, when you drove your horses, your chariots to victory? 9You brandished your naked bow, sated were the arrows at your command. Selah You split the earth with rivers. 10The mountains saw you, and writhed; a torrent of water swept by; the deep gave forth its voice. The sun raised high its hands; 11the moon stood still in its exalted place, at the light of your arrows speeding by, at the gleam of your flashing spear. 12In fury you trod the earth, in anger you trampled nations. 13You came forth to save your people, to save your anointed. You crushed the head of the wicked house, laying it bare from foundation to roof. Selah 14You pierced with his own arrows the head of his warriors, who came like a whirlwind to scatter us, gloating as if ready to devour the poor who were in hiding. 15You trampled the sea with your horses, churning the mighty waters.
16I hear, and I tremble within; my lips quiver at the sound. Rottenness enters into my bones, and my steps tremble beneath me. I wait quietly for the day of calamity to come upon the people who attack us.
Jude 5-21
Jude 5-215Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6And the angels who did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgment of the great Day. 7Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
8Yet in the same way these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones. 9But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10But these people slander whatever they do not understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct. 11Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam’s error for the sake of gain, and perish in Korah’s rebellion. 12These are blemishes on your love-feasts, while they feast with you without fear, feeding themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted; 13wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever. 14It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 16These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage. 17But you, beloved, must remember the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18for they said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, indulging their own ungodly lusts.” 19It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. 20But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.
Daily Readings (Option 2)
November 2nd, 2010
[-] [+] Tuesday of Trinity 23
Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
Read today's Higher Things Daily Reflection
Collect
O Lord, absolve Your people from their offenses that from the bonds of our sins, which by reason of our frailty we have brought upon ourselves, we may be delivered by Your bountiful goodness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Jer. 1:1-19
1The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one(A) of the priests who were in(B) Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of(C) Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in(D) the thirteenth year of his reign. 3It came also in the days of(E) Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and(F) until the end of the eleventh year of(G) Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah,(H) until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month.
The Call of Jeremiah
4Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5(I) "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born(J) I consecrated you;I appointed you a prophet(K) to the nations."
6Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Behold,(L) I do not know how to speak,(M) for I am only a youth." 7But the LORD said to me,
"Do not say, 'I am only a youth';for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,and(N) whatever I command you, you shall speak. 8(O) Do not be afraid of them,(P) for I am with you to deliver you,
declares the LORD."
9(Q) Then the LORD put out his hand and(R) touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,
"Behold, I have put(S) my words in your mouth. 10See, I have set you this day(T) over nations and over kingdoms,(U) to pluck up and to break down,to destroy and to overthrow,to build and to plant."
11And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,(V) "Jeremiah, what do you see?" And I said, "I see an almond[a] branch." 12Then the LORD said to me, "You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it."
13The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, "What do you see?" And I said, "I see(W) a boiling pot, facing away(X) from the north." 14Then the LORD said to me,(Y) "Out of the north disaster[b] shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15For behold,(Z) I am calling all the tribes of the kingdoms of the north, declares the LORD,(AA) and they shall come, and every one shall set his throne at the entrance of the gates of Jerusalem, against all its walls all around and against all the cities of Judah. 16And(AB) I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil(AC) in forsaking me.(AD) They have made offerings to other gods and(AE) worshiped the works of their own hands. 17But you,(AF) dress yourself for work;[c] arise, and(AG) say to them everything that I command you.(AH) Do not be dismayed by them, lest I dismay you before them. 18And I, behold, I make you this day(AI) a fortified city,(AJ) an iron pillar, and(AK) bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. 19(AL) They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for(AM) I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you."
Footnotes:Jeremiah 1:11 Almond sounds like the Hebrew for watching (compare verse 12) Jeremiah 1:14 The Hebrew word can mean evil, harm, or disaster, depending on the context; so throughout Jeremiah Jeremiah 1:17 Hebrew gird up your loins
Cross references:Jeremiah 1:1 : Ezek 1:3 Jeremiah 1:1 : Jeremiah 29:27; 32:7; Josh 21:18 Jeremiah 1:2 : 2 Kgs 22; 23:1-30 Jeremiah 1:2 : Jeremiah 25:3; 36:2 Jeremiah 1:3 : Jeremiah 25:1; 36:1; 2 Kgs 23:34–24:6 Jeremiah 1:3 : Jeremiah 39:2 Jeremiah 1:3 : 2 Kgs 24:17–25:7 Jeremiah 1:3 : 2 Kgs 25:8-11 Jeremiah 1:5 : Isa 44:2 Jeremiah 1:5 : John 10:36 Jeremiah 1:5 : Isa 49:6; Jeremiah 25:15-29; Jeremiah 46–51 Jeremiah 1:6 : Exodus 4:10 Jeremiah 1:6 : 1 Kgs 3:7 Jeremiah 1:7 : Jeremiah 1:17; Ezek 2:7 Jeremiah 1:8 : Ezek 2:6; 3:9 Jeremiah 1:8 : Jeremiah 15:20; Exodus 3:12 Jeremiah 1:9 : Ezek 2:9 Jeremiah 1:9 : Isa 6:7 Jeremiah 1:9 : Jeremiah 5:14 Jeremiah 1:10 : Jeremiah 1:5 Jeremiah 1:10 : Jeremiah 18:7; 31:28; 45:4; 2 Cor 10:4, 5 Jeremiah 1:11 : Amos 7:8 Jeremiah 1:13 : Ezek 24:3; Ezek 22:21 Jeremiah 1:13 : Jeremiah 4:6; 6:1; 10:22 Jeremiah 1:14 : Jeremiah 1:13 Jeremiah 1:15 : Jeremiah 25:9 Jeremiah 1:15 : Jeremiah 39:3; 43:10 Jeremiah 1:16 : Jeremiah 4:12 Jeremiah 1:16 : Jeremiah 19:4; 22:9 Jeremiah 1:16 : Jeremiah 7:9; 44:3 Jeremiah 1:16 : Jeremiah 25:6, 7; Isa 2:8; Acts 7:41 Jeremiah 1:17 : 1 Kgs 18:46; 1 Pet 1:13 Jeremiah 1:17 : Jeremiah 1:7 Jeremiah 1:17 : Jeremiah 1:8; Ezek 3:9 Jeremiah 1:18 : Isa 50:7 Jeremiah 1:18 : Rev 3:12 Jeremiah 1:18 : Jeremiah 15:20; Jeremiah 6:27 Jeremiah 1:19 : Jeremiah 1:18 Jeremiah 1:19 : Jeremiah 1:8; Acts 18:9, 10
Second Reading: Matt. 21:23-46
The Authority of Jesus Challenged
23(A) And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him(B) as he was teaching, and said,(C) "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" 24Jesus answered them, "I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. 25The baptism of John,(D) from where did it come?(E) From heaven or from man?" And they discussed it among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say to us,(F) 'Why then did you not believe him?' 26But if we say, 'From man,'(G) we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was(H) a prophet." 27So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
28(I) "What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in(J) the vineyard today.' 29And he answered, 'I will not,' but afterward he(K) changed his mind and went. 30And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you,(L) the tax collectors and(M) the prostitutes go into(N) the kingdom of God before you. 32For John came to you(O) in the way of righteousness, and(P) you did not believe him, but(Q) the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward(R) change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants
33(S) "Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted(T) a vineyard(U) and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and(V) leased it to tenants, and(W) went into another country. 34When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants[a] to the tenants(X) to get his fruit. 35(Y) And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and(Z) stoned another. 36(AA) Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves,(AB) 'This is the heir. Come,(AC) let us kill him and have his inheritance.' 39And they took him and(AD) threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40(AE) When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" 41They said to him,(AF) "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and(AG) let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."
42Jesus said to them, (AH) "Have you never read in the Scriptures:
(AI) "'The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;[b]this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes'?
43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God(AJ) will be taken away from you and given to a people(AK) producing its fruits. 44And(AL) the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and(AM) when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."[c]
45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. 46And(AN) although they were seeking to arrest him,(AO) they feared the crowds, because they held him to be(AP) a prophet.
Footnotes:Matthew 21:34 Greek bondservants; also verses 35, 36 Matthew 21:42 Greek the head of the corner Matthew 21:44 Some manuscripts omit verse 44
Cross references:Matthew 21:23 : For Matthew 21:23-27, Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8 Matthew 21:23 : Matthew 26:55 Matthew 21:23 : Exodus 2:14; John 1:25; Acts 4:7 Matthew 21:25 : Matthew 13:54 Matthew 21:25 : Luke 15:18, 21; John 3:27 Matthew 21:25 : Matthew 21:32; Luke 7:30 Matthew 21:26 : Matthew 21:46; Matthew 14:5 Matthew 21:26 : John 5:35; Matthew 11:9 Matthew 21:28 : Matthew 17:25; 18:12 Matthew 21:28 : Matthew 21:33; Matthew 20:1 Matthew 21:29 : Matthew 21:32; Matthew 27:3; Heb 7:21 Matthew 21:31 : Luke 7:29 Matthew 21:31 : Luke 7:37-50 Matthew 21:31 : Matthew 12:28 Matthew 21:32 : Matthew 3:8-12, 15; Prov 8:20; 2 Pet 2:21 Matthew 21:32 : Matthew 21:25; Matthew 11:18 Matthew 21:32 : Luke 3:12, 13 Matthew 21:32 : Matthew 21:29 Matthew 21:33 : For Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19 Matthew 21:33 : Matthew 21:28; Psalm 80:8; Isa 5:1 Matthew 21:33 : Isa 5:2 Matthew 21:33 : Song 8:11, 12 Matthew 21:33 : Matthew 25:14, 15; Mark 13:34 Matthew 21:34 : Matthew 21:33 Matthew 21:35 : Matthew 5:12; 22:6; 23:34, 37; 2 Chr 24:19; 36:15, 16; Neh 9:26; Jer 37:15; 38:6; Acts 7:52; 2 Cor 11:24-26; 1 Thess 2:15; Heb 11:36, 37 Matthew 21:35 : 2 Chr 24:21; John 10:31-33; Acts 7:59 Matthew 21:36 : Matthew 22:4 Matthew 21:38 : Heb 1:2; John 1:11; Rom 8:17 Matthew 21:38 : 1 Kgs 21:19 Matthew 21:39 : Heb 13:12 Matthew 21:40 : Matthew 24:50; 25:19 Matthew 21:41 : Luke 19:27 Matthew 21:41 : Matthew 21:43; Acts 13:46; 18:6; 28:28; Matthew 8:11, 12 Matthew 21:42 : Matthew 21:16 Matthew 21:42 : Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:7; Psalm 118:22, 23 Matthew 21:43 : Luke 14:24 Matthew 21:43 : Matthew 3:10; Isa 5:4, 7 Matthew 21:44 : Isa 8:14, 15; Rom 9:32, 33; 1 Pet 2:8 Matthew 21:44 : Dan 2:34, 35, 44, 45 Matthew 21:46 : Mark 11:18; Luke 19:47, 48; John 7:25, 30, 44; Matthew 26:4 Matthew 21:46 : Matthew 21:26 Matthew 21:46 : Matthew 21:11
Tuesday Father Reading
"You are about to receive your King in Communion. And when the King enters the soul, it should be hushed in profound tranquility." [St. Chrysostom. "Homily 6 Against the Anomaei." 5th Century]
All Scripture Readings: English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Unconditional Service
From Tricycle:
Home › Magazine › Winter 2010 › Unconditional Serviceinterview
Unconditional Service
An interview with Shinso Ito
Tantric or esoteric Buddhism is one of the great forms of Buddhist tradition. In the West, it is usually associated with Tibet, where tantric Buddhism has flourished for more than a millennium. Meanwhile—although it is approximately as old as Tibetan forms and has held major cultural and religious significance—the tantric tradition of Japan is comparatively little known in the West. This stems in part from the fact that the primary traditional forms of Japanese Buddhist tantra (Shingon and Tendai) have not made strong efforts to spread their denominations outside of Japan.
Japanese Buddhism experienced significant changes in the 20th century as the country modernized, fought a war with the West, was occupied by the United States, and developed into an urbanized technological society. Many new Buddhist movements appeared, including the group known as Shinnyo-en (“Garden of Absolute Reality”), founded in 1936. Like most new Buddhist movements, Shinnyo-en draws on multiple sources, but it is most directly connected to the Shingon tradition as practiced at Daigoji, a massive temple complex and pilgrimage site in southern Kyoto. Because it has a strong lay focus, Shinnyo-en has been able to grow quickly and establish practice groups throughout Japan, Asia, and in the West. Thus it is helping to bring more Western attention to the ancient tantric traditions of Japan.
Along with its tantric connections, one of the distinctive features of Shinnyo-en is its focus on the Mahaparinirvana Sutra (also called the Nirvana Sutra), one of the central works of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. This text purports to record the final sermon of the Buddha before he passed away into final nirvana. The sutra deals with many issues important to the development of Mahayana thought and practice, but it is especially noted for its teachings on buddhanature. In part because it teaches that all beings without exception have the capacity to reach complete buddhahood, it has been treasured in East Asia and inspired reformers such as Dogen, Shinran, and Nichiren. This is true in modern times as well, as the followers of Shinnyo-en rely on this sutra for guidance in the chaotic contemporary world.
The following interview took place in New York this past summer, when Tricycle editors James Shaheen and Philip Ryan sat down with Shinso Ito, who was in town to speak at a conference. Shinso Ito is the current head of Shinnyo-en and the daughter of Shinnyo-en cofounders Shinjo and Tomoji Ito. The interview provided a chance to learn more about this growing Buddhist movement, particularly its approaches to the practices of engaged Buddhism and meditation.
—Jeff Wilson
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Why is volunteerism and other social work so central to Shinnyo Buddhism’s practice? Master Shinjo understood that the training within the traditional Buddhist framework would lead to one’s own enlightenment as a monk, but he believed religion had to be able to help more people, including those who were not especially religious, in ways that suit their different circumstances. He incorporated new practices such as volunteerism so our sangha [community] could offer assistance to the widest range of people. People who are interested in traditional Buddhist training are always welcome, but volunteer activities provide an additional avenue for Shinnyo-en to contribute to the wider secular community. Since we are a lay-oriented form of Buddhism, we believe it’s very important to engage with the community around us and to express our ideals there selflessly and unconditionally. I think that is pretty common in other religious traditions, too. For us in Shinnyo-en, though, it’s a way to extend the Buddha’s lovingkindness and compassion, something we believe is innate in all of us. And that benefits both the receiver and the giver. For the receiver, the benefit is obvious. For the giver, it cultivates a stronger sense of compassion for the suffering of every living being. But it has to take concrete form. We have to actually do something physically.
At the organizational level, we can do things by donating the money we raise to various charities and working in harmony with other groups. But when we’re engaged at the individual level, it’s an opportunity to experience the joys of selfless service and attain the accompanying insights. For example, we realize our heart’s natural capacity for compassion, which is very liberating in and of itself.
There is the story of Chudapanthaka from various Buddhist sources. Basically, it’s the story of one of the Buddha’s monks who cleaned or swept his way to enlightenment. Chudapanthaka became an arhat [enlightened one] not because of his intellect— he was considered dumb or “slow” and couldn’t memorize any of the Buddha’s teachings—but because of his focused effort, or “one-pointed mind,” to clean; through that, he was able to see the true nature of existence.
True, selfless service, or true volunteering in the Buddhist sense, must contain this element of one-pointedness for it to lead to an authentic experience of the Buddha’s enlightenment. In Shinnyo Buddhism we sometimes describe it as “unconditional” service to others, something you engage in without attachment and without expectation of reward or recognition. The spiritual growth you experience is validated and confirmed by the sangha, and paradoxically, it lifts your idealistic aspirations for enlightenment to a new level by placing them within the context of everyday reality.
Another way to look at it is to say that selfless service brings balance to your practice. Since it engages the body, it balances the tendency we have to think and theorize rather than act. By channeling your energy into acts of service, you transform the ideal into the real. So cleaning the inside of a temple, or picking up trash at a public park, not only cleans the space used by others (this is where the selfless part comes in); it figuratively polishes your buddhanature. It’s palpable in the joy and satisfaction you feel.
This is related to the Buddhist concept of building merit. One of our daily chants goes:
May the merit I have accrued be transferred to others, and may
we, all together, follow the Buddha’s path to enlightenment.
This daily chant is an affirmation of our buddhanature, and any kind of sincere, correct practice builds merit, which counteracts and diminishes, or purifies, negative karma. Skillful and meritorious practices work on the deep, unconscious level of the mind, reorienting the psyche toward the boundless lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity that characterizes your buddhanature. And that’s what liberates us and makes us happy in everyday life, regardless of the external circumstances we may find ourselves in.
The engagement you describe as a practice is increasingly popular among Buddhists here in the United States. Does your school also emphasize meditation? Yes. Along with active engagement with society and volunteerism, meditation is an essential part of our practice. In general, our method of meditation is called sesshin, which means “to touch the heart or essence [of buddhahood]” in Japanese. It is “structured” in the sense that it takes place in one of our temples and is a guided meditation based on the principles of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra and esoteric Buddhist traditions.
Meditation helps people to bring out their inner goodness. We have trained spiritual guides who help people to meditate, to become aware of and “polish” that inner goodness, and to find contentment in life. Through such guided meditation, trainees become aware of things they hadn’t noticed before and discover how to walk the road to happiness.
Do you begin by focusing on the breath or on an object, or is it something else? Meditations are held with practitioners focusing their consciousness after having regulated their breathing and fixed their postures. We do not depend on any particular sitting posture. People have different ways of sitting, which are all OK. You can sit on the floor or in a chair. As we sit, we form the dhyani mudra [the meditation posture in which the right hand rests on the left, palms up, with tips of thumbs touching]. We do this as a figurative expression of the form that the Buddha Shakyamuni took as he sat under the Bodhi tree, calmed his inner mind, focused his consciousness, and then transcended that state of being in order to achieve enlightenment. Skilled practice is required to focus one’s consciousness. First we calm our minds.
Depending on the person, we may reflect on our recent actions or behaviors, or recall positive experiences by recounting the many blessings (both tangible and intangible) received from the world around us. Another point of reflection may be the teachings of our masters on how we can become a bodhisattva, a future buddha.
This process allows you to gradually achieve a more concentrated state of consciousness. As you become more adept at meditation, you can achieve this concentrated state of consciousness through mantras or contemplations in a short period of time. But the willingness to grow spiritually and discover your innate spiritual purity is crucial. The Mahaparinirvana Sutra talks about the experience of nirvana as being very personal, as an experience of your true self.
As you begin to meditate with the motivation to discover your pure and true self, a trained spiritual guide will come and sit facing you to help you bring that out. Through the workings of the spiritual union that takes place at this time, the guide is able to perceive the state of your consciousness. Sometimes the perception is shallow, while at other times it is quite deep or penetrating. Based on these perceptions, the guide then helps you to deepen your meditation by providing insight through either figurative or concrete examples. Through this process, you as the meditator are able to place your consciousness in an objective context by viewing your mind and actions with clarity, as if reflected in a mirror.
Through this guided meditation, you are able to examine yourself in a concrete and effective way. The process of probing into yourself, settling the mind, and concentrating becomes easier. Through this process, the path to awakening becomes clearer. In short, you leave the meditation with specific advice and objective insight into your karma or, more simply put, into what you can do to become happier.
Is this guide a friend? This person usually doesn’t know who you are or anything about you but is also meditating along with you and for your sake. He or she is able to discern something when sitting in front of you and conveys whatever that is to you. Many Buddhist sources, including the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, talk about this kind of special ability to guide others as being a natural result of Buddhist training.
In any case, the words conveyed to you will allow you to gain more insight into yourself and better see the attachments and false views that create suffering and hinder your happiness—in other words, how your thoughts and actions affect your contentment and well-being.
As a practice, it guides you to see things in your life from the perspective of a buddha. As you begin to mindfully apply what you learn through meditation, you gradually begin to uncover the Buddha—the awakened being—within you. We think of this as part two of the meditation experience, or the way to carry over your meditation into daily life so that you naturally get into the habit of reflecting on things occurring around you. You use daily life as your place of “sitting,” and for an advanced practitioner, that informal, unstructured type of ongoing meditation becomes the primary means of gaining insight.
So the aim is to realize the buddhanature, to recognize the buddhanature within oneself? That is correct. Among all the different forms of life and creatures great and small, we were born as human beings. As such, we are innately endowed with goodness and the consciousness to use it for others. It’s in our very nature as human beings to want to use that goodness for the sake of others, to be of help and service. So I want the people training themselves in Shinnyo Buddhism to be confident that they can offer something to the world, because that is how we can find true happiness and help others become happier, too.
What was it specifically in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra that your father saw that could bring Buddhism to everyone? The Mahaparinirvana Sutra is important in many ways, but we consider the following three points to be particularly significant. First, the Tathagata, the enlightened Buddha, lives on in the teachings of the sutra; second, we can all find a way out of samsara [cyclic existence or the world of suffering] to enlightenment, because we all have a buddhanature; and third, when you live your daily life with the same heart and mind as a buddha, your life will be full of joy. This is possible for both the renunciant and the layperson, whether one is male or female. These are the points Master Shinjo paid special attention to when he was establishing Shinnyo Buddhism, building on the Shingon tradition to which he became a successor.
The Buddha was born as a prince of the Shakya clan, but he left his princely life to meditate and devote himself to training. Eventually, he left many teachings to us. Among the many sutras that contain the Buddha’s teachings, Master Shinjo saw incomparable wisdom in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, and thought excitedly, “This is it! This is what I’ve been looking for!” Master Shinjo felt the teachings in the sutra were the perfect doctrinal tool to emphasize lay practice and the idea that all people have the potential to attain unsurpassed enlightenment. For example, Chunda, the humble blacksmith, is a central figure in the sutra and is praised by the Buddha as an example of a householder who could continue living and working in society yet attain the highest enlightenment, thanks to the virtue of his sincere altruistic practice. In short, the sutra spoke to his original aspiration and calling to help people from all walks of life find true liberation.
First and foremost, our movement exists to provide a path to spiritual liberation for lay practitioners. However, to make sure it survives intact as a religious tradition, we also need to have leaders who undergo rigorous priestly training and dedicate themselves to facilitating people’s journey along that path.
Master Shinjo was a prolific sculptor. How does his work facilitate that journey? Master Shinjo wanted us to understand that his sculpted buddhas represent what already exists inside you, the viewer. His Buddha images reflect the buddhanature that manifests differently in different people, so he created images of various buddhas. He wanted to teach people about their own goodness—that the buddhas you may have enshrined, the ones you like, or the ones you are drawn to, are the buddhas representing the qualities of buddhahood in your own heart.
These are especially difficult and confusing times. What opportunities do you see in this? The challenges can be taken as opportunities to polish one’s mind. I don’t want people’s minds to lean toward negativity. Rather, I hope that they will use this difficult time as an opportunity to acquire the strength to sustain a positive attitude at all times.
Young people are vulnerable to negativity, which could shape their future irrevocably. They often don’t know where to look for meaning and can easily take a wrong turn. I want to encourage young people, communicate and interact with them, and help them keep their hearts and minds pure and open—I believe there are ways for an individual to do that, even in times of difficulty. I want to help them see the value of working on themselves and developing spiritually. For example, if we take a crisis, even one that may seem far off, and use it to meditate and reflect and gain some insight based on that, and then apply that insight in daily life, we can make some truly transformative changes in our lives. And positive transformation is usually incremental. Small efforts, if concrete, will pile up and bring about big personal, and even social, change.
That’s part of seeing things with the eyes of the Buddha, beyond distinctions and dualities, which helps us to see the real nature of things, the true nature of existence. This is very liberating, as it allows us to let go of the idea that things are permanent, that things will always remain a certain way, or that there are differences between us, all of which prevent us from seeing the big picture—that we are ultimately free, interconnected, and of the same essence.
Buddhist doctrine discusses concepts like the Three Poisons [anger, greed, and delusion], with delusive desire being one of them. It’s easy to learn about them and agree, but it would be a mistake to think that you’ve freed yourself of their pull just because you’ve learned the concept. The practice—the challenge— lies in finding a way to apply that principle or doctrine to the reality of your life. This is where your sangha and teachers can help you to take a big concept like the Three Poisons and link it to the small things. In Shinnyo Buddhism, we think of society as our monastery, our primary training center, and so we stress reflection in daily life. Gratitude. Consideration for others. Putting yourself in other people’s shoes. We try to learn to find fulfillment everywhere. We practice being grateful for the small things we have. As a Buddhist, this is what I want to say. My responsibility as a teacher is to nurture other teachers who can pass on this wisdom and path to others so that humanity— one person at a time—can find the liberation and happiness that we all seek.
Image 1: Photograph of Shinjo Ito
Image 2: Shinso Ito
Image 3: Achalanatha, by Shinjo Ito, 1947
Image 4: Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, by Shinjo Ito, 1978
Image 5: Shinso Ito with her father, Shinjo Ito
All images courtesy Shinnyo-en
Home › Magazine › Winter 2010 › Unconditional Serviceinterview
Unconditional Service
An interview with Shinso Ito
Tantric or esoteric Buddhism is one of the great forms of Buddhist tradition. In the West, it is usually associated with Tibet, where tantric Buddhism has flourished for more than a millennium. Meanwhile—although it is approximately as old as Tibetan forms and has held major cultural and religious significance—the tantric tradition of Japan is comparatively little known in the West. This stems in part from the fact that the primary traditional forms of Japanese Buddhist tantra (Shingon and Tendai) have not made strong efforts to spread their denominations outside of Japan.
Japanese Buddhism experienced significant changes in the 20th century as the country modernized, fought a war with the West, was occupied by the United States, and developed into an urbanized technological society. Many new Buddhist movements appeared, including the group known as Shinnyo-en (“Garden of Absolute Reality”), founded in 1936. Like most new Buddhist movements, Shinnyo-en draws on multiple sources, but it is most directly connected to the Shingon tradition as practiced at Daigoji, a massive temple complex and pilgrimage site in southern Kyoto. Because it has a strong lay focus, Shinnyo-en has been able to grow quickly and establish practice groups throughout Japan, Asia, and in the West. Thus it is helping to bring more Western attention to the ancient tantric traditions of Japan.
Along with its tantric connections, one of the distinctive features of Shinnyo-en is its focus on the Mahaparinirvana Sutra (also called the Nirvana Sutra), one of the central works of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition. This text purports to record the final sermon of the Buddha before he passed away into final nirvana. The sutra deals with many issues important to the development of Mahayana thought and practice, but it is especially noted for its teachings on buddhanature. In part because it teaches that all beings without exception have the capacity to reach complete buddhahood, it has been treasured in East Asia and inspired reformers such as Dogen, Shinran, and Nichiren. This is true in modern times as well, as the followers of Shinnyo-en rely on this sutra for guidance in the chaotic contemporary world.
The following interview took place in New York this past summer, when Tricycle editors James Shaheen and Philip Ryan sat down with Shinso Ito, who was in town to speak at a conference. Shinso Ito is the current head of Shinnyo-en and the daughter of Shinnyo-en cofounders Shinjo and Tomoji Ito. The interview provided a chance to learn more about this growing Buddhist movement, particularly its approaches to the practices of engaged Buddhism and meditation.
—Jeff Wilson
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why is volunteerism and other social work so central to Shinnyo Buddhism’s practice? Master Shinjo understood that the training within the traditional Buddhist framework would lead to one’s own enlightenment as a monk, but he believed religion had to be able to help more people, including those who were not especially religious, in ways that suit their different circumstances. He incorporated new practices such as volunteerism so our sangha [community] could offer assistance to the widest range of people. People who are interested in traditional Buddhist training are always welcome, but volunteer activities provide an additional avenue for Shinnyo-en to contribute to the wider secular community. Since we are a lay-oriented form of Buddhism, we believe it’s very important to engage with the community around us and to express our ideals there selflessly and unconditionally. I think that is pretty common in other religious traditions, too. For us in Shinnyo-en, though, it’s a way to extend the Buddha’s lovingkindness and compassion, something we believe is innate in all of us. And that benefits both the receiver and the giver. For the receiver, the benefit is obvious. For the giver, it cultivates a stronger sense of compassion for the suffering of every living being. But it has to take concrete form. We have to actually do something physically.At the organizational level, we can do things by donating the money we raise to various charities and working in harmony with other groups. But when we’re engaged at the individual level, it’s an opportunity to experience the joys of selfless service and attain the accompanying insights. For example, we realize our heart’s natural capacity for compassion, which is very liberating in and of itself.
There is the story of Chudapanthaka from various Buddhist sources. Basically, it’s the story of one of the Buddha’s monks who cleaned or swept his way to enlightenment. Chudapanthaka became an arhat [enlightened one] not because of his intellect— he was considered dumb or “slow” and couldn’t memorize any of the Buddha’s teachings—but because of his focused effort, or “one-pointed mind,” to clean; through that, he was able to see the true nature of existence.
True, selfless service, or true volunteering in the Buddhist sense, must contain this element of one-pointedness for it to lead to an authentic experience of the Buddha’s enlightenment. In Shinnyo Buddhism we sometimes describe it as “unconditional” service to others, something you engage in without attachment and without expectation of reward or recognition. The spiritual growth you experience is validated and confirmed by the sangha, and paradoxically, it lifts your idealistic aspirations for enlightenment to a new level by placing them within the context of everyday reality.Another way to look at it is to say that selfless service brings balance to your practice. Since it engages the body, it balances the tendency we have to think and theorize rather than act. By channeling your energy into acts of service, you transform the ideal into the real. So cleaning the inside of a temple, or picking up trash at a public park, not only cleans the space used by others (this is where the selfless part comes in); it figuratively polishes your buddhanature. It’s palpable in the joy and satisfaction you feel.
This is related to the Buddhist concept of building merit. One of our daily chants goes:
May the merit I have accrued be transferred to others, and may
we, all together, follow the Buddha’s path to enlightenment.
This daily chant is an affirmation of our buddhanature, and any kind of sincere, correct practice builds merit, which counteracts and diminishes, or purifies, negative karma. Skillful and meritorious practices work on the deep, unconscious level of the mind, reorienting the psyche toward the boundless lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity that characterizes your buddhanature. And that’s what liberates us and makes us happy in everyday life, regardless of the external circumstances we may find ourselves in.
The engagement you describe as a practice is increasingly popular among Buddhists here in the United States. Does your school also emphasize meditation? Yes. Along with active engagement with society and volunteerism, meditation is an essential part of our practice. In general, our method of meditation is called sesshin, which means “to touch the heart or essence [of buddhahood]” in Japanese. It is “structured” in the sense that it takes place in one of our temples and is a guided meditation based on the principles of the Mahaparinirvana Sutra and esoteric Buddhist traditions.
Meditation helps people to bring out their inner goodness. We have trained spiritual guides who help people to meditate, to become aware of and “polish” that inner goodness, and to find contentment in life. Through such guided meditation, trainees become aware of things they hadn’t noticed before and discover how to walk the road to happiness.
Do you begin by focusing on the breath or on an object, or is it something else? Meditations are held with practitioners focusing their consciousness after having regulated their breathing and fixed their postures. We do not depend on any particular sitting posture. People have different ways of sitting, which are all OK. You can sit on the floor or in a chair. As we sit, we form the dhyani mudra [the meditation posture in which the right hand rests on the left, palms up, with tips of thumbs touching]. We do this as a figurative expression of the form that the Buddha Shakyamuni took as he sat under the Bodhi tree, calmed his inner mind, focused his consciousness, and then transcended that state of being in order to achieve enlightenment. Skilled practice is required to focus one’s consciousness. First we calm our minds.Depending on the person, we may reflect on our recent actions or behaviors, or recall positive experiences by recounting the many blessings (both tangible and intangible) received from the world around us. Another point of reflection may be the teachings of our masters on how we can become a bodhisattva, a future buddha.
This process allows you to gradually achieve a more concentrated state of consciousness. As you become more adept at meditation, you can achieve this concentrated state of consciousness through mantras or contemplations in a short period of time. But the willingness to grow spiritually and discover your innate spiritual purity is crucial. The Mahaparinirvana Sutra talks about the experience of nirvana as being very personal, as an experience of your true self.
As you begin to meditate with the motivation to discover your pure and true self, a trained spiritual guide will come and sit facing you to help you bring that out. Through the workings of the spiritual union that takes place at this time, the guide is able to perceive the state of your consciousness. Sometimes the perception is shallow, while at other times it is quite deep or penetrating. Based on these perceptions, the guide then helps you to deepen your meditation by providing insight through either figurative or concrete examples. Through this process, you as the meditator are able to place your consciousness in an objective context by viewing your mind and actions with clarity, as if reflected in a mirror.
Through this guided meditation, you are able to examine yourself in a concrete and effective way. The process of probing into yourself, settling the mind, and concentrating becomes easier. Through this process, the path to awakening becomes clearer. In short, you leave the meditation with specific advice and objective insight into your karma or, more simply put, into what you can do to become happier.Is this guide a friend? This person usually doesn’t know who you are or anything about you but is also meditating along with you and for your sake. He or she is able to discern something when sitting in front of you and conveys whatever that is to you. Many Buddhist sources, including the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, talk about this kind of special ability to guide others as being a natural result of Buddhist training.
In any case, the words conveyed to you will allow you to gain more insight into yourself and better see the attachments and false views that create suffering and hinder your happiness—in other words, how your thoughts and actions affect your contentment and well-being.
As a practice, it guides you to see things in your life from the perspective of a buddha. As you begin to mindfully apply what you learn through meditation, you gradually begin to uncover the Buddha—the awakened being—within you. We think of this as part two of the meditation experience, or the way to carry over your meditation into daily life so that you naturally get into the habit of reflecting on things occurring around you. You use daily life as your place of “sitting,” and for an advanced practitioner, that informal, unstructured type of ongoing meditation becomes the primary means of gaining insight.
So the aim is to realize the buddhanature, to recognize the buddhanature within oneself? That is correct. Among all the different forms of life and creatures great and small, we were born as human beings. As such, we are innately endowed with goodness and the consciousness to use it for others. It’s in our very nature as human beings to want to use that goodness for the sake of others, to be of help and service. So I want the people training themselves in Shinnyo Buddhism to be confident that they can offer something to the world, because that is how we can find true happiness and help others become happier, too.
What was it specifically in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra that your father saw that could bring Buddhism to everyone? The Mahaparinirvana Sutra is important in many ways, but we consider the following three points to be particularly significant. First, the Tathagata, the enlightened Buddha, lives on in the teachings of the sutra; second, we can all find a way out of samsara [cyclic existence or the world of suffering] to enlightenment, because we all have a buddhanature; and third, when you live your daily life with the same heart and mind as a buddha, your life will be full of joy. This is possible for both the renunciant and the layperson, whether one is male or female. These are the points Master Shinjo paid special attention to when he was establishing Shinnyo Buddhism, building on the Shingon tradition to which he became a successor.
The Buddha was born as a prince of the Shakya clan, but he left his princely life to meditate and devote himself to training. Eventually, he left many teachings to us. Among the many sutras that contain the Buddha’s teachings, Master Shinjo saw incomparable wisdom in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, and thought excitedly, “This is it! This is what I’ve been looking for!” Master Shinjo felt the teachings in the sutra were the perfect doctrinal tool to emphasize lay practice and the idea that all people have the potential to attain unsurpassed enlightenment. For example, Chunda, the humble blacksmith, is a central figure in the sutra and is praised by the Buddha as an example of a householder who could continue living and working in society yet attain the highest enlightenment, thanks to the virtue of his sincere altruistic practice. In short, the sutra spoke to his original aspiration and calling to help people from all walks of life find true liberation.
First and foremost, our movement exists to provide a path to spiritual liberation for lay practitioners. However, to make sure it survives intact as a religious tradition, we also need to have leaders who undergo rigorous priestly training and dedicate themselves to facilitating people’s journey along that path.
Master Shinjo was a prolific sculptor. How does his work facilitate that journey? Master Shinjo wanted us to understand that his sculpted buddhas represent what already exists inside you, the viewer. His Buddha images reflect the buddhanature that manifests differently in different people, so he created images of various buddhas. He wanted to teach people about their own goodness—that the buddhas you may have enshrined, the ones you like, or the ones you are drawn to, are the buddhas representing the qualities of buddhahood in your own heart.
These are especially difficult and confusing times. What opportunities do you see in this? The challenges can be taken as opportunities to polish one’s mind. I don’t want people’s minds to lean toward negativity. Rather, I hope that they will use this difficult time as an opportunity to acquire the strength to sustain a positive attitude at all times.
Young people are vulnerable to negativity, which could shape their future irrevocably. They often don’t know where to look for meaning and can easily take a wrong turn. I want to encourage young people, communicate and interact with them, and help them keep their hearts and minds pure and open—I believe there are ways for an individual to do that, even in times of difficulty. I want to help them see the value of working on themselves and developing spiritually. For example, if we take a crisis, even one that may seem far off, and use it to meditate and reflect and gain some insight based on that, and then apply that insight in daily life, we can make some truly transformative changes in our lives. And positive transformation is usually incremental. Small efforts, if concrete, will pile up and bring about big personal, and even social, change.
That’s part of seeing things with the eyes of the Buddha, beyond distinctions and dualities, which helps us to see the real nature of things, the true nature of existence. This is very liberating, as it allows us to let go of the idea that things are permanent, that things will always remain a certain way, or that there are differences between us, all of which prevent us from seeing the big picture—that we are ultimately free, interconnected, and of the same essence.
Buddhist doctrine discusses concepts like the Three Poisons [anger, greed, and delusion], with delusive desire being one of them. It’s easy to learn about them and agree, but it would be a mistake to think that you’ve freed yourself of their pull just because you’ve learned the concept. The practice—the challenge— lies in finding a way to apply that principle or doctrine to the reality of your life. This is where your sangha and teachers can help you to take a big concept like the Three Poisons and link it to the small things. In Shinnyo Buddhism, we think of society as our monastery, our primary training center, and so we stress reflection in daily life. Gratitude. Consideration for others. Putting yourself in other people’s shoes. We try to learn to find fulfillment everywhere. We practice being grateful for the small things we have. As a Buddhist, this is what I want to say. My responsibility as a teacher is to nurture other teachers who can pass on this wisdom and path to others so that humanity— one person at a time—can find the liberation and happiness that we all seek.
Image 1: Photograph of Shinjo Ito
Image 2: Shinso Ito
Image 3: Achalanatha, by Shinjo Ito, 1947
Image 4: Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, by Shinjo Ito, 1978
Image 5: Shinso Ito with her father, Shinjo Ito
All images courtesy Shinnyo-en
Greek Orthodox Christianity: Daily Readings For 2 November
From The Greek Orthodox Arch-Diocese of America;
Readings for today:
St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians 3:8-13
Luke 11:34-41
Feasts and Saints celebrated today:
Tuesday of the 7th Week
Akindynos, Pegasios, Aphthonios, Elpidephoros, & Anempodistos of Persia
Domnina, Domna, & Kyriaki, the Martyrs
Epistle Reading
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians 3:8-13
BRETHREN, if you stand fast in the Lord, what thanksgiving can we render to
God for you, for all the joy which we feel for your sake before our
God, praying earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face
and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father
himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you; and may the Lord make
you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men, as we
do to you, so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in
holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with
all his saints.
(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gospel Reading
The reading is from Luke 11:34-41
The Lord said, "Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is
sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your
body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you
be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no
part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays
gives you light." While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine
with him; so he went in and sat at table. The Pharisee was astonished
to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said
to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the
dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. You fools!
Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for
alms those things which are within and behold, everything is clean for
you."
(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Akindynos, Pegasios, Aphthonios, Elpidephoros, & Anempodistos of Persia
Reading from the Synaxarion:
These Martyrs contested in Persia about the year 330, in the reign of
Sapor (Shapur) II, King of Persia (325-379). Acindynus, Pegasius, and
Anempodistus, Persian Christians, confessed Christ before the King, and were
put to many torments. Aphthonius and Elpidephorus, drawn to the Faith
of Christ through the Martyrs, were beheaded with another 7,000.
Saints Acindynus, Pegasius, and Anempodistus were at last burned to
death. Two churches were dedicated in their honour in Constantinople. As
is often the case in church hymns, there is a play on the meanings
of the Saints' names here. Acindynus means "unimperilled"; Pegasius
is derived from pegazo--"to gush forth"; Aphthonius is derived from
aphthonos-"abundant"; Elpidephorus means "hope-bearing"; Anempodistus means
"unhindered." These are all Greek translations of their Persian names.
Apolytikion in the Second Tone
Blessed is the earth that drank your blood, O prizewinners of the Lord,
and holy are the tabernacles that received your spirit; for in the
stadium ye triumphed over the enemy, and ye proclaimed Christ with
boldness. Beseech Him, we pray, since He is good, to save our souls.
Kontakion in the First Tone
As five unerring stars of the great Sun of Glory, the soldiers of
Christ God brightly shone on the whole earth, dispelling the gloom of
passions and pouring abundant grace on all of the faithful without cease
and unhindered; and they grant salvation that no sin can imperil,
through hope that is full of faith.
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Readings for today:
St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians 3:8-13
Luke 11:34-41
Feasts and Saints celebrated today:
Tuesday of the 7th Week
Akindynos, Pegasios, Aphthonios, Elpidephoros, & Anempodistos of Persia
Domnina, Domna, & Kyriaki, the Martyrs
Epistle Reading
The reading is from St. Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians 3:8-13
BRETHREN, if you stand fast in the Lord, what thanksgiving can we render to
God for you, for all the joy which we feel for your sake before our
God, praying earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face
and supply what is lacking in your faith? Now may our God and Father
himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you; and may the Lord make
you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men, as we
do to you, so that he may establish your hearts unblamable in
holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with
all his saints.
(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Gospel Reading
The reading is from Luke 11:34-41
The Lord said, "Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is
sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your
body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you
be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no
part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays
gives you light." While he was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine
with him; so he went in and sat at table. The Pharisee was astonished
to see that he did not first wash before dinner. And the Lord said
to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the
dish, but inside you are full of extortion and wickedness. You fools!
Did not he who made the outside make the inside also? But give for
alms those things which are within and behold, everything is clean for
you."
(C) 2010 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Akindynos, Pegasios, Aphthonios, Elpidephoros, & Anempodistos of Persia
Reading from the Synaxarion:
These Martyrs contested in Persia about the year 330, in the reign of
Sapor (Shapur) II, King of Persia (325-379). Acindynus, Pegasius, and
Anempodistus, Persian Christians, confessed Christ before the King, and were
put to many torments. Aphthonius and Elpidephorus, drawn to the Faith
of Christ through the Martyrs, were beheaded with another 7,000.
Saints Acindynus, Pegasius, and Anempodistus were at last burned to
death. Two churches were dedicated in their honour in Constantinople. As
is often the case in church hymns, there is a play on the meanings
of the Saints' names here. Acindynus means "unimperilled"; Pegasius
is derived from pegazo--"to gush forth"; Aphthonius is derived from
aphthonos-"abundant"; Elpidephorus means "hope-bearing"; Anempodistus means
"unhindered." These are all Greek translations of their Persian names.
Apolytikion in the Second Tone
Blessed is the earth that drank your blood, O prizewinners of the Lord,
and holy are the tabernacles that received your spirit; for in the
stadium ye triumphed over the enemy, and ye proclaimed Christ with
boldness. Beseech Him, we pray, since He is good, to save our souls.
Kontakion in the First Tone
As five unerring stars of the great Sun of Glory, the soldiers of
Christ God brightly shone on the whole earth, dispelling the gloom of
passions and pouring abundant grace on all of the faithful without cease
and unhindered; and they grant salvation that no sin can imperil,
through hope that is full of faith.
Reading courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Apolytikion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Kontakion courtesy of Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Monday, November 1, 2010
History Of Diwali
from diwalifestival.org:
Diwali in history
The history of Diwali is replete with legends and these legends are moored to the stories of Hindu religious scriptures, mostly the Puranas. Though the central theme of all legends point out to the classic truth of the victory of the good over the evils, the mode of their presentation and the characters differ. Diwali, being the festival of lights, lighting the lamp of knowledge within us means to understand and reflect upon the significant purpose of each of the five days of festivities and to bring those thoughts in to the day to day lives.
The five day of Diwali
The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras. The second day of Diwali is called Narak Chaturdasi. It is the fourteenth lunar day (thithi) of the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik and the eve of Diwali. On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from fear. The third day of Diwali is the actual Diwali. This is the day when worship for Mother Lakshmi is performed. On the fourth day of Diwali, Goverdhan Pooja is performed. The fifth day of the diwali is called Bhratri Dooj. It is a day dedicated to sisters.
Hindu Mythology
The Story of Rama and Sita: Lord Rama was a great warrior King who was exiled by his father Dashratha, the King of Ayodhya, along with his wife Sita and his younger brother Lakshman, on his wife's insistence. Lord Rama returned to his Kingdom Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, in which he put an end to the demon Ravana of Lanka, who was a great Pundit, highly learned but still evil dominated his mind. After this victory of Good over Evil, Rama returned to Ayodhya. In Ayodhya, the people welcomed them by lighting rows of clay lamps. So, it is an occasion in honor of Rama's victory over Ravana; of Truth's victory over Evil.
The Story of King Bali and Vamana Avatar(the Dwarf): The other story concerns King Bali, who was a generous ruler. But he was also very ambitious. Some of the Gods pleaded Vishnu to check King Bali's power. Vishnu came to earth in the form of a Vamana(dwarf) dressed as priest. The dwarf approached King Bali and said "You are the ruler of the three worlds: the Earth, the world above the skies and the underworld. Would you give me the space that I could cover with three strides?" King Bali laughed. Surely a dwarf could not cover much ground, thought the King, who agreed to dwarf's request. At this point, the dwarf changed into Vishnu and his three strides covered the Earth, the Skies and the whole Universe! King Bali was send to the underworld. As part of Diwali celebrations, some Hindus remember King Bali.
The Defeat of Narkasur by Lord Krishna: Lord Vishnu in his 8th incarnation as Krishna destroyed the demon Narkasura, who was causing great unhappiness amongst the people of the world. Narkasura was believed to be a demon of filth, covered in dirt. He used to kidnap beautiful young women and force them to live with him. Eventually, their cries for rescue were heard by Vishnu, who came in the form of Krishna. First, Krishna had to fight with a five-headed monster who guarded the demon's home. Narkasura hoped that his death might bring joy to others. Krishna granted his request and the women were freed. For Hindus, this story is a reminder that good can still come out of evil.
Krishna and The Mountain: In the village of Gokula, many years ago, the people prayed to the God Indra. They believed that Indra sent the rains, which made their crops, grow. But Krishna came along and persuaded the people to worship the mountain Govardhan, because the mountain and the land around it were fertile. This did not please Indra. He sent thunder and torrential rain down on the village. The people cried to Krishna to help. Krishna saved the villagers by lifting the top of the mountain with his finger. The offering of food to God on this day of Diwali is a reminder to Hindus of the importance of food and it is a time for being thankful to God for the bounty of nature.
Sikh Festival Diwali
In Sikh perspective, Diwali is celebrated as the return of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji from the captivity of the city, Gwalior. To commemorate his undying love for Sikhism, the towns people lit the way to, Harmandhir Sahib (referred to as the Golden Temple), in his honour.
Jain Festival Diwali
Among the Jain festivals, Diwali is one of the most important one. For on this occasion we celebrate the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira who established the dharma as we follow it. Lord Mahavira was born as Vardhamana on Chaitra Shukla 13th in the Nata clan at Khattiya-kundapura, near Vaishali. He obtained Kevala Gyana on Vishakha Shukla 10 at the Jambhraka village on the banks of Rijukula river at the age of 42.
Diwali in history
The history of Diwali is replete with legends and these legends are moored to the stories of Hindu religious scriptures, mostly the Puranas. Though the central theme of all legends point out to the classic truth of the victory of the good over the evils, the mode of their presentation and the characters differ. Diwali, being the festival of lights, lighting the lamp of knowledge within us means to understand and reflect upon the significant purpose of each of the five days of festivities and to bring those thoughts in to the day to day lives.
The five day of Diwali
The first day of Diwali is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras. The second day of Diwali is called Narak Chaturdasi. It is the fourteenth lunar day (thithi) of the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik and the eve of Diwali. On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from fear. The third day of Diwali is the actual Diwali. This is the day when worship for Mother Lakshmi is performed. On the fourth day of Diwali, Goverdhan Pooja is performed. The fifth day of the diwali is called Bhratri Dooj. It is a day dedicated to sisters.
Hindu Mythology
The Story of Rama and Sita: Lord Rama was a great warrior King who was exiled by his father Dashratha, the King of Ayodhya, along with his wife Sita and his younger brother Lakshman, on his wife's insistence. Lord Rama returned to his Kingdom Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, in which he put an end to the demon Ravana of Lanka, who was a great Pundit, highly learned but still evil dominated his mind. After this victory of Good over Evil, Rama returned to Ayodhya. In Ayodhya, the people welcomed them by lighting rows of clay lamps. So, it is an occasion in honor of Rama's victory over Ravana; of Truth's victory over Evil.
The Story of King Bali and Vamana Avatar(the Dwarf): The other story concerns King Bali, who was a generous ruler. But he was also very ambitious. Some of the Gods pleaded Vishnu to check King Bali's power. Vishnu came to earth in the form of a Vamana(dwarf) dressed as priest. The dwarf approached King Bali and said "You are the ruler of the three worlds: the Earth, the world above the skies and the underworld. Would you give me the space that I could cover with three strides?" King Bali laughed. Surely a dwarf could not cover much ground, thought the King, who agreed to dwarf's request. At this point, the dwarf changed into Vishnu and his three strides covered the Earth, the Skies and the whole Universe! King Bali was send to the underworld. As part of Diwali celebrations, some Hindus remember King Bali.
The Defeat of Narkasur by Lord Krishna: Lord Vishnu in his 8th incarnation as Krishna destroyed the demon Narkasura, who was causing great unhappiness amongst the people of the world. Narkasura was believed to be a demon of filth, covered in dirt. He used to kidnap beautiful young women and force them to live with him. Eventually, their cries for rescue were heard by Vishnu, who came in the form of Krishna. First, Krishna had to fight with a five-headed monster who guarded the demon's home. Narkasura hoped that his death might bring joy to others. Krishna granted his request and the women were freed. For Hindus, this story is a reminder that good can still come out of evil.
Krishna and The Mountain: In the village of Gokula, many years ago, the people prayed to the God Indra. They believed that Indra sent the rains, which made their crops, grow. But Krishna came along and persuaded the people to worship the mountain Govardhan, because the mountain and the land around it were fertile. This did not please Indra. He sent thunder and torrential rain down on the village. The people cried to Krishna to help. Krishna saved the villagers by lifting the top of the mountain with his finger. The offering of food to God on this day of Diwali is a reminder to Hindus of the importance of food and it is a time for being thankful to God for the bounty of nature.
Sikh Festival Diwali
In Sikh perspective, Diwali is celebrated as the return of the sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji from the captivity of the city, Gwalior. To commemorate his undying love for Sikhism, the towns people lit the way to, Harmandhir Sahib (referred to as the Golden Temple), in his honour.
Jain Festival Diwali
Among the Jain festivals, Diwali is one of the most important one. For on this occasion we celebrate the Nirvana of Lord Mahavira who established the dharma as we follow it. Lord Mahavira was born as Vardhamana on Chaitra Shukla 13th in the Nata clan at Khattiya-kundapura, near Vaishali. He obtained Kevala Gyana on Vishakha Shukla 10 at the Jambhraka village on the banks of Rijukula river at the age of 42.
Diwali
From tripod.com:
Welcome Diwali
by: Jennifer Kumar
Leading us into Truth and Light, Diwali is celebrated on a nation-wide scale on Naraka Chathurthasi day on the dawn of Ammavaasa during the Hindu month of Aippasi (September/October) every year. It symbolizes the age-old culture of our country which teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali, the festival of lights even today in this modern world projects the rich and glorious past of our country and teaches us to uphold the true values of life.
"Diwali" is the easy-to-pronounce form of Deepavalai. In Sanskrit “Deepawali” is the marriage of two Sanskrit words- Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. Indeed celebrating the row of lights forms one of Diwali’s main attraction. Every home - huts of the poor to the mansions of the rich are aglow with the orange glow of twinkling diyas. Lighting these small earthen lamps welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Multi-colored Rangoli designs, floral decorations and fireworks lend vivid, colorful imagery and grandeur to this festival which heralds joy, mirth and happiness in the ensuring year.
This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the regions of India and is looked upon in some parts of India as the beginning of New Calendar or Financial Year. For those who believe Diwali begins a new financial year tidy up their accounts and are much more apt to hold grand pujas and devotional displays for Goddess Lakshmi. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the celestial consort of Lord Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Even countries like Kenya, Thailand, Trinidad, Siam and Malaya celebrate this festival but in their own ways.
This Diwali festival, it is surmised dates back to that period when perhaps history was not written, and in its progress through centuries it lighted path of thousands to attain the ultimate good and complete ecstasy. Diwali is very enthusiastically celebrated for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a number of myths, legends and beliefs.
Day 1: Dhanteras
The first day is called Dhanteras or Dhantrayodashi which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Kartik. The word "Dhan" means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has a great importance for the rich mercantile community of Western India. Houses and business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. Believing this day to be auspicious women purchase some gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Lakshmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages cattles are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In South India cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on this day.
A very interesting story about this day is of the sixteen year old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling stories and singing songs. When Yama the god of Death arrived there in the guise of a serpent his eyes were suddenly blinded by the dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away.
Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of Yamadeepdaan and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yama, the god of Death.
Day 2: Nakra-Chaturdashi
The second day is called Nakra-Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali falls on the fourteenth day of the month of Kartik. It is on this day that Lord Krishna returns from Pragyotishpur (Nepal) completing a journey where he killed the demon king Narakasur, freed 16,000 daughters of the gods in the king’s harem and reclaimed the Mother Goddess, Aditi’s earrings. To prove he was victorious in killing the demon, Lord Krishna returned home with the king’s blood smeared on his forehead. To cleanse the blood and restore overall cleanliness, the womenfolk bathed the Lord in scented oils. Since then, the custom of taking bath before sunrise is customary in various parts of India, including Maharashtra.
In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is celebrated in a very peculiar way. To re-enact the victory of Lord Krishna some believers will break melons on the door step of their homes, representing the head of the demon King. After smashing the melon, people will smear their foreheads with a mixture of kumkum powder and oil, which represents the blood Lord Krishna smeared on his head. Continuing this ritual, many more, including those who do not break melons, will take an oil bath using sesame (gingerly) oil with cumin seeds and peppercorns, following up with a more modern water and soap bath to restore moisture and a sweet smell to the body.
In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan" (paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a must. All through the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and fireworks are there in order that the children enjoy bathing. Afterwards steamed vermicelli with milk and sugar or puffed rice with curd is served.
On Nakra-Chaturdashi day, people dedicate themselves to lighting lamps and praying. On this day, people believe that the lighting of lamps expels ignorance and heralds a future full of joy and laughter. The story behind this holiday tradition revolves around King Bali of the nether world. His mighty power had become a threat to the gods. In order to curb his powers Lord Vishnu in the guise of a small boy (batu waman) visited him and begged him to give him as much land as he could cover with his three steps. Known for his philanthropy, King Bali proudly granted him his wish. That very moment that small boy transformed himself into the all-powerful Lord Vishnu. With his first step Lord Vishnu covered the entire heaven and with the second step he covered the earth. Before taking the third and final step, Lord Vishnu asked Bali where he should make his third step. Bali offered his head. Putting his foot on his head, Vishnu pushed him down to the underworld. At the same time for his generosity Lord Vishnu gave him the lamp of knowledge and allowed him to return to earth once a year to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance and spread the radiance of love and wisdom.
Day 3: Lakshmi Puja
The third day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of Lakshmi Puja which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of Chopada Puja. On this very day sun enters the second course and passes Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples as man is invoking Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy "pouring-in" of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth in all her celestial glory amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. A living luminance of Universal Motherhood envelopes the entire world in that blessed moment of fulfillment of a long-awaited dream of the mortal. A sublime light of knowledge dawns upon humanity and devotion of man finally conquers ignorance. This self enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps that illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the sun sets in the evening and ceremonial worship is finished all the homemade sweets are offered to the goddess as naivedya and distributed as prasad (prasadam). Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged. On this day gaily dressed men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives.
One of the most curious customs which characterizes this festival of Diwali is the indulgence of gambling, especially on a large scale in North India. It is believed that goddess Parvati played dice with her husband, Lord Shiv on this day and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuring year. This tradition of playing cards- flush and rummy with stakes on this particular day continues even today.
On this Diwali day, we light lamps to commemorate the sacred memories of those great men who lived to brighten the lives of millions of their fellow beings:
● Lord Shri Krishna around whom revolved the entire story of our great epic Mahabharat and the philosopher, who preached Karmayog through his Geeta to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, discarded his body.
● Bhagwan, Mahavir, the Jain prophet also attained nirvana on this day.
● Swami Ramtirth, the beloved "Ram Badshah" of millions of Indians was not only born on this day and took both sanyas and samadhi on this day.
● Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj in 1875 in Mumbai, with his superb yogic powers freed his soul from his body and mingled with divinity on this auspicious day of Diwali.
Another very interesting story about this Diwali day is from the Kathopanishad. In this story, a small boy called Nichiketa believed that Yam, the god of Death was as black as the dark night of amavasya. But when he met Yam in person he was puzzled seeing Yam's calm countenance and dignified stature. Yam explained to Nichiketa on this Diwali day of amavasya that by only passing through the darkness of death, man sees the light of highest wisdom. It is only then only his soul can escape from the bondage of his mortal frame to mingle with the Supreme Power. It was then that Nichiketa realized the importance of worldly life and significance of death. All of Nichiketa's doubts were set to rest and he whole-heartedly participated in Diwali celebrations.
Day 4: Padwa or Varshapratipada
It is the fourth day that marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya, initiating Vikram-Samvat from this Padwa day.
Govardhan-Puja is also performed in the North on this day. As per Vishnu-Puran the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honor of Lord Indira, worshiping him after the end of every monsoon season. However, one particular year the young Krishna stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indira. This angered Lord Indira, who responded by submerging Gokul underwater. Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the Govardhan Mountain and holding it over the people as an umbrella. To commemorate this day, people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build cow dung hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.
On this day in the temples of Mathura and Nathadwara, the deities are given milk bath, dressed in shining attires with ornaments of dazzling diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious stones. After the prayers are offered, the innumerable varieties of delicious sweets are ceremoniously raised in the form of a mountain (known as Annakoot) before the deities as bhog. Only after this offering, devotees take prasad from the bhog.
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in every Hindu household and her blessings sought for success and happiness. This day is looked upon as the most auspicious day to start any new venture. In many Hindu homes it is a custom for the wife to put the red tilak on the forehead of her husband, garland him and do his aarthi with a prayer for his long life. In appreciation of all the tender care that the wife showers on him, the husband gives her a costly gift. This Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the wife and husband. On this day newly-married daughters with their husbands are invited for special meals and given presents. In olden days brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-laws home for this important day.
Day 5: Bhayya- Duj
The fifth and final day of Diwali is known as Bhayya-Duj. It is also known in Hindi as Bhav-Bij and in Marathi and Nepalese as Bhai Tika.
Legend says Yamraj, the God of Death visited his sister Yami on this particular day. She put the auspicious tilak on his forehead, garlanded him and fed him with special dishes. Together, they ate the sweets, talked and enjoyed themselves to their heart's content. While parting Yamraj gave her a special gift as a token of his love and in return Yami also gave him a lovely gift which she had made with her own hands. That day Yamraj announced that anyone who receives tilak from his sister will never be thrown. That is why this day of Bhayyaduj is also known by the name of Yama Dwitiya.
Since then this day is being observed as a symbol of love between sisters and brothers. It became also imperative for the brother to go to his sister's house to celebrate Bhayyaduj.
Summing Up Diwali
In today's world when pressing everyday problems are teaming as under all the tender words of personal relationships, the celebrating of this day has its own importance in continuing to maintain the love between brothers and sister. It is the day of food-sharing; gift-giving and reaching out to the inner most depths of the hearts.
Diwali on the whole has always been the festival with more social than religious connotations. It is a personal, people-oriented festival when enmities are forgotten; families and friends meet, enjoy and establish a word of closeness.
As a festival of light and beauty it encourages artistic expressions through home-decorations stage-plays, elocution competitions singing and dancing programs, making gift items and delectable sweets thereby discovering new talents of younger people. As a result innumerable communities with varying cultures and customs mingle together to make Diwali celebrations a very happy occasion for all.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has communicated the true significance of Diwali in one beautiful line: “The night is black. Kindle the lamp of love with thy life and devotion.”
--unknown author--
This story was sent to me through a friend on e-mail. Hope you have enjoyed it!
Welcome Diwali
by: Jennifer Kumar
Leading us into Truth and Light, Diwali is celebrated on a nation-wide scale on Naraka Chathurthasi day on the dawn of Ammavaasa during the Hindu month of Aippasi (September/October) every year. It symbolizes the age-old culture of our country which teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali, the festival of lights even today in this modern world projects the rich and glorious past of our country and teaches us to uphold the true values of life.
"Diwali" is the easy-to-pronounce form of Deepavalai. In Sanskrit “Deepawali” is the marriage of two Sanskrit words- Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. Indeed celebrating the row of lights forms one of Diwali’s main attraction. Every home - huts of the poor to the mansions of the rich are aglow with the orange glow of twinkling diyas. Lighting these small earthen lamps welcome Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Multi-colored Rangoli designs, floral decorations and fireworks lend vivid, colorful imagery and grandeur to this festival which heralds joy, mirth and happiness in the ensuring year.
This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the regions of India and is looked upon in some parts of India as the beginning of New Calendar or Financial Year. For those who believe Diwali begins a new financial year tidy up their accounts and are much more apt to hold grand pujas and devotional displays for Goddess Lakshmi. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the celestial consort of Lord Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Even countries like Kenya, Thailand, Trinidad, Siam and Malaya celebrate this festival but in their own ways.
This Diwali festival, it is surmised dates back to that period when perhaps history was not written, and in its progress through centuries it lighted path of thousands to attain the ultimate good and complete ecstasy. Diwali is very enthusiastically celebrated for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a number of myths, legends and beliefs.
Day 1: Dhanteras
The first day is called Dhanteras or Dhantrayodashi which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Kartik. The word "Dhan" means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has a great importance for the rich mercantile community of Western India. Houses and business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. Believing this day to be auspicious women purchase some gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Lakshmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages cattles are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In South India cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on this day.
A very interesting story about this day is of the sixteen year old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling stories and singing songs. When Yama the god of Death arrived there in the guise of a serpent his eyes were suddenly blinded by the dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away.
Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of Yamadeepdaan and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yama, the god of Death.
Day 2: Nakra-Chaturdashi
The second day is called Nakra-Chaturdashi or Choti Diwali falls on the fourteenth day of the month of Kartik. It is on this day that Lord Krishna returns from Pragyotishpur (Nepal) completing a journey where he killed the demon king Narakasur, freed 16,000 daughters of the gods in the king’s harem and reclaimed the Mother Goddess, Aditi’s earrings. To prove he was victorious in killing the demon, Lord Krishna returned home with the king’s blood smeared on his forehead. To cleanse the blood and restore overall cleanliness, the womenfolk bathed the Lord in scented oils. Since then, the custom of taking bath before sunrise is customary in various parts of India, including Maharashtra.
In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is celebrated in a very peculiar way. To re-enact the victory of Lord Krishna some believers will break melons on the door step of their homes, representing the head of the demon King. After smashing the melon, people will smear their foreheads with a mixture of kumkum powder and oil, which represents the blood Lord Krishna smeared on his head. Continuing this ritual, many more, including those who do not break melons, will take an oil bath using sesame (gingerly) oil with cumin seeds and peppercorns, following up with a more modern water and soap bath to restore moisture and a sweet smell to the body.
In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan" (paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a must. All through the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and fireworks are there in order that the children enjoy bathing. Afterwards steamed vermicelli with milk and sugar or puffed rice with curd is served.
On Nakra-Chaturdashi day, people dedicate themselves to lighting lamps and praying. On this day, people believe that the lighting of lamps expels ignorance and heralds a future full of joy and laughter. The story behind this holiday tradition revolves around King Bali of the nether world. His mighty power had become a threat to the gods. In order to curb his powers Lord Vishnu in the guise of a small boy (batu waman) visited him and begged him to give him as much land as he could cover with his three steps. Known for his philanthropy, King Bali proudly granted him his wish. That very moment that small boy transformed himself into the all-powerful Lord Vishnu. With his first step Lord Vishnu covered the entire heaven and with the second step he covered the earth. Before taking the third and final step, Lord Vishnu asked Bali where he should make his third step. Bali offered his head. Putting his foot on his head, Vishnu pushed him down to the underworld. At the same time for his generosity Lord Vishnu gave him the lamp of knowledge and allowed him to return to earth once a year to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance and spread the radiance of love and wisdom.
Day 3: Lakshmi Puja
The third day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of Lakshmi Puja which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of Chopada Puja. On this very day sun enters the second course and passes Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples as man is invoking Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy "pouring-in" of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth in all her celestial glory amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. A living luminance of Universal Motherhood envelopes the entire world in that blessed moment of fulfillment of a long-awaited dream of the mortal. A sublime light of knowledge dawns upon humanity and devotion of man finally conquers ignorance. This self enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps that illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the sun sets in the evening and ceremonial worship is finished all the homemade sweets are offered to the goddess as naivedya and distributed as prasad (prasadam). Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged. On this day gaily dressed men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives.
One of the most curious customs which characterizes this festival of Diwali is the indulgence of gambling, especially on a large scale in North India. It is believed that goddess Parvati played dice with her husband, Lord Shiv on this day and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuring year. This tradition of playing cards- flush and rummy with stakes on this particular day continues even today.
On this Diwali day, we light lamps to commemorate the sacred memories of those great men who lived to brighten the lives of millions of their fellow beings:
● Lord Shri Krishna around whom revolved the entire story of our great epic Mahabharat and the philosopher, who preached Karmayog through his Geeta to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, discarded his body.
● Bhagwan, Mahavir, the Jain prophet also attained nirvana on this day.
● Swami Ramtirth, the beloved "Ram Badshah" of millions of Indians was not only born on this day and took both sanyas and samadhi on this day.
● Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Arya Samaj in 1875 in Mumbai, with his superb yogic powers freed his soul from his body and mingled with divinity on this auspicious day of Diwali.
Another very interesting story about this Diwali day is from the Kathopanishad. In this story, a small boy called Nichiketa believed that Yam, the god of Death was as black as the dark night of amavasya. But when he met Yam in person he was puzzled seeing Yam's calm countenance and dignified stature. Yam explained to Nichiketa on this Diwali day of amavasya that by only passing through the darkness of death, man sees the light of highest wisdom. It is only then only his soul can escape from the bondage of his mortal frame to mingle with the Supreme Power. It was then that Nichiketa realized the importance of worldly life and significance of death. All of Nichiketa's doubts were set to rest and he whole-heartedly participated in Diwali celebrations.
Day 4: Padwa or Varshapratipada
It is the fourth day that marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya, initiating Vikram-Samvat from this Padwa day.
Govardhan-Puja is also performed in the North on this day. As per Vishnu-Puran the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honor of Lord Indira, worshiping him after the end of every monsoon season. However, one particular year the young Krishna stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indira. This angered Lord Indira, who responded by submerging Gokul underwater. Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the Govardhan Mountain and holding it over the people as an umbrella. To commemorate this day, people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build cow dung hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.
On this day in the temples of Mathura and Nathadwara, the deities are given milk bath, dressed in shining attires with ornaments of dazzling diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious stones. After the prayers are offered, the innumerable varieties of delicious sweets are ceremoniously raised in the form of a mountain (known as Annakoot) before the deities as bhog. Only after this offering, devotees take prasad from the bhog.
Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in every Hindu household and her blessings sought for success and happiness. This day is looked upon as the most auspicious day to start any new venture. In many Hindu homes it is a custom for the wife to put the red tilak on the forehead of her husband, garland him and do his aarthi with a prayer for his long life. In appreciation of all the tender care that the wife showers on him, the husband gives her a costly gift. This Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the wife and husband. On this day newly-married daughters with their husbands are invited for special meals and given presents. In olden days brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-laws home for this important day.
Day 5: Bhayya- Duj
The fifth and final day of Diwali is known as Bhayya-Duj. It is also known in Hindi as Bhav-Bij and in Marathi and Nepalese as Bhai Tika.
Legend says Yamraj, the God of Death visited his sister Yami on this particular day. She put the auspicious tilak on his forehead, garlanded him and fed him with special dishes. Together, they ate the sweets, talked and enjoyed themselves to their heart's content. While parting Yamraj gave her a special gift as a token of his love and in return Yami also gave him a lovely gift which she had made with her own hands. That day Yamraj announced that anyone who receives tilak from his sister will never be thrown. That is why this day of Bhayyaduj is also known by the name of Yama Dwitiya.
Since then this day is being observed as a symbol of love between sisters and brothers. It became also imperative for the brother to go to his sister's house to celebrate Bhayyaduj.
Summing Up Diwali
In today's world when pressing everyday problems are teaming as under all the tender words of personal relationships, the celebrating of this day has its own importance in continuing to maintain the love between brothers and sister. It is the day of food-sharing; gift-giving and reaching out to the inner most depths of the hearts.
Diwali on the whole has always been the festival with more social than religious connotations. It is a personal, people-oriented festival when enmities are forgotten; families and friends meet, enjoy and establish a word of closeness.
As a festival of light and beauty it encourages artistic expressions through home-decorations stage-plays, elocution competitions singing and dancing programs, making gift items and delectable sweets thereby discovering new talents of younger people. As a result innumerable communities with varying cultures and customs mingle together to make Diwali celebrations a very happy occasion for all.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has communicated the true significance of Diwali in one beautiful line: “The night is black. Kindle the lamp of love with thy life and devotion.”
--unknown author--
This story was sent to me through a friend on e-mail. Hope you have enjoyed it!
Diwali
From Patheos--Hindu:
Diwali
November 01, 2010
By Patheos staff
Diwali (sometimes called Divali or Dipvali) is an important Hindu festival celebrated all over India. Its name means “row of lights,” referring to the many oil lamps and lights that are lit at night to mark this holiday. These lights represent renewal and the hope of a new season, since Diwali occurs at the end of the rainy period and beginning of the harvest season. This usually falls around the end of October and the beginning of November.
In Indian terms, the festival begins on the thirteenth day of the lunar month of Ashvayuja and ends five days later, on the second of the lunar month of Kartikka. The holiday centers on the ending of one lunar month and the beginning of another because this entails darkness followed by the rise of a new moon. Families light sparkling clay lamps (diyas) and ignite firecrackers to create light and to ward off the darkness.
The exploding firecrackers are also meant to frighten away evil spirits. The goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi, is not frightened away but rather welcomed by the racket. The noise and light entice her to enter homes and to bestow her blessings for the following year. People offer the goddess gifts in return, such as jewels and money, special foods, and new clothing. They also distribute gifts to family and friends, as well as to public and domestic servants.
It is not certain how or when these rites were first established, but the festival seems to be over 1,000 years old. Several ancient Puranic myths are associated with it. One of these involves the triumph of the dwarf Vanama (an incarnation of Vishnu) over the demon king Bali. Vanama had asked the king to give him as much land as he could cover in three steps. After Bali agreed, he was astonished to see that the dwarf was able to step over the whole earth and the sky. The demon king had to grant Vanama his wish, but was himself forced to retreat to the underworld. Now, once a year during Diwali, Bali is allowed to leave the underworld and come above the earth to grant wealth to human beings.
The fourth day of Diwali is in fact devoted to the worship of Bali. The other days likewise have special functions: offerings to the god of death, Yama, on the second day; worship of Lakshmi on the third day; ritualized gambling and all-night partying on the fourth day (as well as worship of Bali); and commemoration of the relationship between brothers and sisters on the fifth day.
Many Indians associate Diwali with special recipes, such as “Wheat Laddu” (dried fruit coated with coconut and sugar), “Besan ki Barfi” (candies with almonds) and “Karanji” (cookies with coconut and dried fruit). These sweet treats are a reminder that Diwali symbolizes the sweet and the bright aspects of life.
Children often contribute to the festivities by molding small lamps (diyas) from clay or dough. They insert a cotton wick and use ghee or oil for burning fuel. Diyas are also sometimes elaborately constructed by gifted artists and set on display in markets and showcases. Whether simple or sophisticated, the lamps are a ubiquitous part of Diwali throughout India. Besides candies and diyas, other popular traditions include playing cards, and decorating homes with candles, door hangers to welcome Lakshi, and festive wall hangings.
With an increasing number of Indian emigrants, the celebration of Diwali has become more prominent through the United States and parts of Europe.The U.S. Congress officially recognized the holiday in 2007.
.
Diwali
November 01, 2010
By Patheos staff
Diwali (sometimes called Divali or Dipvali) is an important Hindu festival celebrated all over India. Its name means “row of lights,” referring to the many oil lamps and lights that are lit at night to mark this holiday. These lights represent renewal and the hope of a new season, since Diwali occurs at the end of the rainy period and beginning of the harvest season. This usually falls around the end of October and the beginning of November.
In Indian terms, the festival begins on the thirteenth day of the lunar month of Ashvayuja and ends five days later, on the second of the lunar month of Kartikka. The holiday centers on the ending of one lunar month and the beginning of another because this entails darkness followed by the rise of a new moon. Families light sparkling clay lamps (diyas) and ignite firecrackers to create light and to ward off the darkness.
The exploding firecrackers are also meant to frighten away evil spirits. The goddess of prosperity, Lakshmi, is not frightened away but rather welcomed by the racket. The noise and light entice her to enter homes and to bestow her blessings for the following year. People offer the goddess gifts in return, such as jewels and money, special foods, and new clothing. They also distribute gifts to family and friends, as well as to public and domestic servants.
It is not certain how or when these rites were first established, but the festival seems to be over 1,000 years old. Several ancient Puranic myths are associated with it. One of these involves the triumph of the dwarf Vanama (an incarnation of Vishnu) over the demon king Bali. Vanama had asked the king to give him as much land as he could cover in three steps. After Bali agreed, he was astonished to see that the dwarf was able to step over the whole earth and the sky. The demon king had to grant Vanama his wish, but was himself forced to retreat to the underworld. Now, once a year during Diwali, Bali is allowed to leave the underworld and come above the earth to grant wealth to human beings.
The fourth day of Diwali is in fact devoted to the worship of Bali. The other days likewise have special functions: offerings to the god of death, Yama, on the second day; worship of Lakshmi on the third day; ritualized gambling and all-night partying on the fourth day (as well as worship of Bali); and commemoration of the relationship between brothers and sisters on the fifth day.
Many Indians associate Diwali with special recipes, such as “Wheat Laddu” (dried fruit coated with coconut and sugar), “Besan ki Barfi” (candies with almonds) and “Karanji” (cookies with coconut and dried fruit). These sweet treats are a reminder that Diwali symbolizes the sweet and the bright aspects of life.
Children often contribute to the festivities by molding small lamps (diyas) from clay or dough. They insert a cotton wick and use ghee or oil for burning fuel. Diyas are also sometimes elaborately constructed by gifted artists and set on display in markets and showcases. Whether simple or sophisticated, the lamps are a ubiquitous part of Diwali throughout India. Besides candies and diyas, other popular traditions include playing cards, and decorating homes with candles, door hangers to welcome Lakshi, and festive wall hangings.
With an increasing number of Indian emigrants, the celebration of Diwali has become more prominent through the United States and parts of Europe.The U.S. Congress officially recognized the holiday in 2007.
.
Getting Along: Loving The Other Without Losing Yourself
from Tricycle:
Getting Along
Loving the other without losing yourself
Christopher K. Germer
OVER THE YEARS I’ve come to a conclusion: Human beings are basically incompatible. Think about it. We live in different bodies, we’ve had different childhoods, and at any given moment our thoughts and feelings are likely to differ from anybody else’s, even those of our nearest and dearest. Given the disparities in our genetic makeup, conditioning, and life circumstances, it’s a miracle we get along at all.
Yet we yearn to feel connected to others. At the deepest level, connectedness is our natural state—what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “interbeing.” We are inextricably related, yet somehow our day-to-day experience tells us otherwise. We suffer bumps and bruises in relationships. This poses an existential dilemma: “How can I have an authentic voice and still feel close to my friends and loved ones? How can I satisfy my personal needs within the constraints of my family and my culture?”
In my experience as a couples therapist, I’ve found that most of the suffering in relationships comes from disconnections. A disconnection is a break in the feeling of mutuality; as the psychologist Janet Surrey describes it, “we” becomes “I” and “you.” Some disconnections are obvious, such as the sense of betrayal we feel upon discovering a partner’s infidelity. Others may be harder to identify. A subtle disconnection may occur, for example, if a conversation is interrupted by one person answering a cell phone, or a new haircut goes unnoticed, or when one partner falls asleep in bed first, leaving the other alone in the darkness. It’s almost certain that there’s been a disconnection when two people find themselves talking endlessly about “the relationship” and how it’s going.
The Buddha prescribed equanimity in the face of suffering. In relationships, this means accepting the inevitability of painful disconnections and using them as an opportunity to work through difficult emotions. We instinctively avoid unpleasantness, often without our awareness. When we touch something unlovely in ourselves—fear, anger, jealousy, shame, disgust—we tend to withdraw emotionally and direct our attention elsewhere. But denying how we feel, or projecting our fears and faults onto others, only drives a wedge between us and the people we yearn to be close to.
Mindfulness practice—a profound method for engaging life’s unpleasant moments—is a powerful tool for removing obstacles and rediscovering happiness in relationships. Mindfulness involves both awareness and acceptance of present experience. Some psychologists, among them Tara Brach and Marsha Linehan, talk about radical acceptance—radical meaning “root”—to emphasize our deep, innate capacity to embrace both negative and positive emotions. Acceptance in this context does not mean tolerating or condoning abusive behavior. Rather, acceptance often means fully acknowledging just how much pain we may be feeling at a given moment, which inevitably leads to greater empowerment and creative change.
One of the trickiest challenges for a psychotherapist, and for a mindfulness-oriented therapist in particular, is to impress on clients the need to turn toward their emotional discomfort and address it directly instead of looking for ways to avoid it. If we move into pain mindfully and compassionately, the pain will shift naturally. Consider what happened to one couple I worked with in couple therapy.
Suzanne and Michael were living in “cold hell.” Cold-hell couples are partners who are deeply resentful and suspicious of each other and communicate in chilly, carefully modulated tones. Some couples can go on like this for years, frozen on the brink of divorce.
After five months of unsuccessful therapy, meeting every other week, Suzanne decided it was time to file for divorce. It seemed obvious to her that Michael would never change—that he would not work less than sixty-five hours a week or take care of himself (he was fifty pounds overweight and smoked). Even more distressing to Suzanne was the fact that Michael was making no effort to enjoy their marriage; they seldom went out and had not taken a vacation in two and a half years. Suzanne felt lonely and rejected. Michael felt unappreciated for working so hard to take care of his family.
Suzanne’s move toward divorce was the turning point—it gave them “the gift of desperation.” For the first time, Michael seemed willing to explore just how painful his life had become. During one session, when they were discussing a heavy snowstorm in the Denver area, Michael mentioned that his sixty-four-year-old father had just missed his first day of work in twenty years. I asked Michael what that meant to him. His eyes welling up with tears, Michael said he wished his father had enjoyed his life more. I wondered aloud if Michael had ever wished the same thing for himself. “I’m scared,” he replied. “I’m scared of what would happen if I stopped working all the time. I’m even scared to stop worrying about the business—scared that I might be overlooking something important that would make my whole business crumble before my eyes.”
With that, a light went on for Suzanne. “Is that why you ignore me and the kids, and even ignore your own body?” she asked him. Michael just nodded, his tears flowing freely now. “Oh my God,” Suzanne said, “I thought it was me—that I wasn’t good enough, that I’m just too much trouble for you. We’re both anxious—just in different ways. You’re scared about your business and I’m scared about our marriage.” The painful feeling of disconnection that separated Michael and Suzanne for years had begun to dissolve.
From the beginning of our sessions, Michael had been aware of his workaholism. He even realized that he was ignoring his family just as he had been ignored by his own father. But Michael felt helpless to reverse the intergenerational transmission of suffering. That began to change when he felt the pain of the impending divorce. Michael accepted how unhappy his life had become, and he experienced a spark of compassion, first for his father and then for himself.
Suzanne often complained that Michael paid insufficient attention to their two kids. But behind her complaints was a wish—not unfamiliar to mothers of young children—that Michael would pay attention to her first when he came home from work, and later play with the kids. Suzanne was ashamed of this desire: she thought it was selfish and indicated that she was a bad mother. But when she could see it as a natural expression of her wish to connect with her husband, she was able to make her request openly and confidently. Michael readily responded.
A little self-acceptance and self-compassion allowed both Suzanne and Michael to transform their negative emotions. In relationships, behind strong feelings like shame and anger is often a big “I MISS YOU!” It simply feels unnatural and painful not to share a common ground of being with our loved ones.
We all have personal sensitivities—“hot buttons”—that are evoked in close relationships. Mindfulness practice helps us to identify them and disengage from our habitual reactions, so that we can reconnect with our partners. We can mindfully address recurring problems with a simple four-step technique: (1) Feel the emotional pain of disconnection, (2) Accept that the pain is a natural and healthy sign of disconnection, and the need to make a change, (3) Compassionately explore the personal issues or beliefs being evoked within yourself, (4) Trust that a skillful response will arise at the right moment.
Mindfulness can transform all our personal relationships—but only if we are willing to feel the inevitable pain that relationships entail. When we turn away from our distress, we inevitably abandon our loved ones as well as ourselves. But when we mindfully and compassionately incline toward whatever is arising within us, we can be truly present and alive for ourselves and others.
Christopher K. Germer is a clinical psychologist, specializing in mindfulness-oriented couples therapy and treatment of anxiety, and a co-editor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy. His website is www.meditationandpsychotherapy.org.
Getting Along
Loving the other without losing yourself
Christopher K. Germer
OVER THE YEARS I’ve come to a conclusion: Human beings are basically incompatible. Think about it. We live in different bodies, we’ve had different childhoods, and at any given moment our thoughts and feelings are likely to differ from anybody else’s, even those of our nearest and dearest. Given the disparities in our genetic makeup, conditioning, and life circumstances, it’s a miracle we get along at all.
Yet we yearn to feel connected to others. At the deepest level, connectedness is our natural state—what Thich Nhat Hanh calls “interbeing.” We are inextricably related, yet somehow our day-to-day experience tells us otherwise. We suffer bumps and bruises in relationships. This poses an existential dilemma: “How can I have an authentic voice and still feel close to my friends and loved ones? How can I satisfy my personal needs within the constraints of my family and my culture?”
In my experience as a couples therapist, I’ve found that most of the suffering in relationships comes from disconnections. A disconnection is a break in the feeling of mutuality; as the psychologist Janet Surrey describes it, “we” becomes “I” and “you.” Some disconnections are obvious, such as the sense of betrayal we feel upon discovering a partner’s infidelity. Others may be harder to identify. A subtle disconnection may occur, for example, if a conversation is interrupted by one person answering a cell phone, or a new haircut goes unnoticed, or when one partner falls asleep in bed first, leaving the other alone in the darkness. It’s almost certain that there’s been a disconnection when two people find themselves talking endlessly about “the relationship” and how it’s going.
The Buddha prescribed equanimity in the face of suffering. In relationships, this means accepting the inevitability of painful disconnections and using them as an opportunity to work through difficult emotions. We instinctively avoid unpleasantness, often without our awareness. When we touch something unlovely in ourselves—fear, anger, jealousy, shame, disgust—we tend to withdraw emotionally and direct our attention elsewhere. But denying how we feel, or projecting our fears and faults onto others, only drives a wedge between us and the people we yearn to be close to.
Mindfulness practice—a profound method for engaging life’s unpleasant moments—is a powerful tool for removing obstacles and rediscovering happiness in relationships. Mindfulness involves both awareness and acceptance of present experience. Some psychologists, among them Tara Brach and Marsha Linehan, talk about radical acceptance—radical meaning “root”—to emphasize our deep, innate capacity to embrace both negative and positive emotions. Acceptance in this context does not mean tolerating or condoning abusive behavior. Rather, acceptance often means fully acknowledging just how much pain we may be feeling at a given moment, which inevitably leads to greater empowerment and creative change.
One of the trickiest challenges for a psychotherapist, and for a mindfulness-oriented therapist in particular, is to impress on clients the need to turn toward their emotional discomfort and address it directly instead of looking for ways to avoid it. If we move into pain mindfully and compassionately, the pain will shift naturally. Consider what happened to one couple I worked with in couple therapy.
Suzanne and Michael were living in “cold hell.” Cold-hell couples are partners who are deeply resentful and suspicious of each other and communicate in chilly, carefully modulated tones. Some couples can go on like this for years, frozen on the brink of divorce.
After five months of unsuccessful therapy, meeting every other week, Suzanne decided it was time to file for divorce. It seemed obvious to her that Michael would never change—that he would not work less than sixty-five hours a week or take care of himself (he was fifty pounds overweight and smoked). Even more distressing to Suzanne was the fact that Michael was making no effort to enjoy their marriage; they seldom went out and had not taken a vacation in two and a half years. Suzanne felt lonely and rejected. Michael felt unappreciated for working so hard to take care of his family.
Suzanne’s move toward divorce was the turning point—it gave them “the gift of desperation.” For the first time, Michael seemed willing to explore just how painful his life had become. During one session, when they were discussing a heavy snowstorm in the Denver area, Michael mentioned that his sixty-four-year-old father had just missed his first day of work in twenty years. I asked Michael what that meant to him. His eyes welling up with tears, Michael said he wished his father had enjoyed his life more. I wondered aloud if Michael had ever wished the same thing for himself. “I’m scared,” he replied. “I’m scared of what would happen if I stopped working all the time. I’m even scared to stop worrying about the business—scared that I might be overlooking something important that would make my whole business crumble before my eyes.”
With that, a light went on for Suzanne. “Is that why you ignore me and the kids, and even ignore your own body?” she asked him. Michael just nodded, his tears flowing freely now. “Oh my God,” Suzanne said, “I thought it was me—that I wasn’t good enough, that I’m just too much trouble for you. We’re both anxious—just in different ways. You’re scared about your business and I’m scared about our marriage.” The painful feeling of disconnection that separated Michael and Suzanne for years had begun to dissolve.
From the beginning of our sessions, Michael had been aware of his workaholism. He even realized that he was ignoring his family just as he had been ignored by his own father. But Michael felt helpless to reverse the intergenerational transmission of suffering. That began to change when he felt the pain of the impending divorce. Michael accepted how unhappy his life had become, and he experienced a spark of compassion, first for his father and then for himself.
Suzanne often complained that Michael paid insufficient attention to their two kids. But behind her complaints was a wish—not unfamiliar to mothers of young children—that Michael would pay attention to her first when he came home from work, and later play with the kids. Suzanne was ashamed of this desire: she thought it was selfish and indicated that she was a bad mother. But when she could see it as a natural expression of her wish to connect with her husband, she was able to make her request openly and confidently. Michael readily responded.
A little self-acceptance and self-compassion allowed both Suzanne and Michael to transform their negative emotions. In relationships, behind strong feelings like shame and anger is often a big “I MISS YOU!” It simply feels unnatural and painful not to share a common ground of being with our loved ones.
We all have personal sensitivities—“hot buttons”—that are evoked in close relationships. Mindfulness practice helps us to identify them and disengage from our habitual reactions, so that we can reconnect with our partners. We can mindfully address recurring problems with a simple four-step technique: (1) Feel the emotional pain of disconnection, (2) Accept that the pain is a natural and healthy sign of disconnection, and the need to make a change, (3) Compassionately explore the personal issues or beliefs being evoked within yourself, (4) Trust that a skillful response will arise at the right moment.
Mindfulness can transform all our personal relationships—but only if we are willing to feel the inevitable pain that relationships entail. When we turn away from our distress, we inevitably abandon our loved ones as well as ourselves. But when we mindfully and compassionately incline toward whatever is arising within us, we can be truly present and alive for ourselves and others.
Christopher K. Germer is a clinical psychologist, specializing in mindfulness-oriented couples therapy and treatment of anxiety, and a co-editor of Mindfulness and Psychotherapy. His website is www.meditationandpsychotherapy.org.
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