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m_d_hThis morning as I drove to the dermatologist I listened to a Soto Zen podcast, a couple of a particular center's dharma talks. The instructor was discussing whether Zen is a religion, what's the point of Zen, and later referenced a couple of the Buddhist deities and how they interact with our "Buddha nature" (whatever that is).
I wasn't taking notes, so I might have found the wrong deities when I got home and was looking on the Internet for them, but this probably doesn't matter, as each school of Buddhism in each country seems to have its own versions of these deities. Reminds me a bit of the Catholic Saints, of which there are more than 10,000 (there's probably a patron Saint for everything).
But the instructor was referencing both a Deity of Wisdom, and a Deity of Compassion -- it doesn't matter which particular versions of these -- and how practicing Zen has the effect of inviting both Wisdom and Compassion into your life.
Yet, hold on a minute, because these commonplace English words, "wisdom" and "compassion" don't mean what we think they mean in the context of Buddhist traditions. There's definitely some translation problems in bringing the centuries-old Buddhist traditions to 21st Century US English. This adds to some of the mystique of Zen koans & poetry, but also confuses people. I think it creates this image of Zen as opaque and paradoxical, when it's not.
Like the koan about one hand clapping. In the US, people cite this koan when they want to refer to a mystery that cannot be solved. But what it's really about is --> when your two hands come together in a clap, they effectively become one hand. I think Zen koans aren't as confusing in the context of their original languages and cultures, several centuries ago on the other side of the planet.
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In Buddhist English, wisdom is represented by a Deity who wields a sword and uses this sword to cut through our illusions. Wisdom spends all his time calling out your bullshit. Heh, reminds me of how I keep calling stuff bullshit in my journal.
In Buddhist English, compassion is represented by a Deity who has 1000 eyes. She uses these eyes to see things as they truly are. Compassion spends all her time telling you what is real.
So wisdom is about calling out your bullshit, and compassion is about telling you what's real. These Deities of Wisdom and Compassion work together to relieve your suffering by tearing down your illusions and helping you to see reality.
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I note that wisdom as used here is not the giving of sage advice, and compassion as used here is not giving you a hug and a warm cookie. These Deities aren't Mom and Pop, they aren't a loving God. They're tough.
At one point the instructor talked about how the Deity of Wisdom can cause a spiritual crisis -- aha, I know what a spiritual crisis is -- by leaving you bereft of your comforting illusions. But then the Deity of Compassion immediately swoops in and shows you reality, helping you to replace your broken illusions with something real.
In Zen, reality is its own reward. No sage advice, no hugs or cookies. Just reality. The reality that was there all along. You already had it. You just couldn't see it.
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At one point, the instructor pretended to complain about how there are way more cars in the parking lots of the local Christian, Jewish, and Muslim centers than at the Zen center.
She said this is because Zen followers generally are not trying to convert people, and also because Zen can be a tough road. Giving up your illusions? The other kinds of religions are quite happy to provide you with comforting illusions. But not Zen. First Zen strips you of all your sources of comfort, then it replaces them with new ways of seeing the world. The assumption is that these complementary Deities will relieve your suffering, because most of your suffering comes from your delusions.
-----
So when a Zen teacher calls out your bullshit, she's actually trying to relieve your suffering, because she sees how much of your suffering comes from clinging to your bullshit. But in Western culture people tend to react angrily and defensively if you call out their bullshit. We are taught to respect each other's beliefs. This instructor said that Zen teachers can seem abusive and inexplicable to people from other spiritual traditions, because they show their respect for us in unusual ways.
-----
I've long said that I don't respect people's beliefs, instead I respect people. I think in the US we get this backward, we respect beliefs but not people. We have a First Amendment that guarantees freedom of religion, but there is no Constitutional provision guaranteeing you a place to sleep, a meal to eat, or clothing to wear. No Constitutional guaranty of education, health care, or employment. We'll respect your beliefs while you starve, freeze, or die from lack of medicine.
I don't respect people's beliefs, but I do respect people's needs -- if you focus on reality, you see 8 billion people and their needs. Look beyond the people, you see 20 quintillion animals and their needs. Look beyond the animal kingdom, over 10% of the surface of our planet is covered by plants and their needs.
A massive, practically uncountable number of living beings and their needs.
Wisdom cuts away our illusions, compassion shows us a practically uncountable number of living beings and their needs. What does a person do next after pursuing Wisdom and Compassion? Zen would argue that the only realistic plan of action is to do whatever you can to help as many living beings as possible to meet their needs.
Beliefs are bullshit. Get to work.
I wasn't taking notes, so I might have found the wrong deities when I got home and was looking on the Internet for them, but this probably doesn't matter, as each school of Buddhism in each country seems to have its own versions of these deities. Reminds me a bit of the Catholic Saints, of which there are more than 10,000 (there's probably a patron Saint for everything).
But the instructor was referencing both a Deity of Wisdom, and a Deity of Compassion -- it doesn't matter which particular versions of these -- and how practicing Zen has the effect of inviting both Wisdom and Compassion into your life.
Yet, hold on a minute, because these commonplace English words, "wisdom" and "compassion" don't mean what we think they mean in the context of Buddhist traditions. There's definitely some translation problems in bringing the centuries-old Buddhist traditions to 21st Century US English. This adds to some of the mystique of Zen koans & poetry, but also confuses people. I think it creates this image of Zen as opaque and paradoxical, when it's not.
Like the koan about one hand clapping. In the US, people cite this koan when they want to refer to a mystery that cannot be solved. But what it's really about is --> when your two hands come together in a clap, they effectively become one hand. I think Zen koans aren't as confusing in the context of their original languages and cultures, several centuries ago on the other side of the planet.
-----
In Buddhist English, wisdom is represented by a Deity who wields a sword and uses this sword to cut through our illusions. Wisdom spends all his time calling out your bullshit. Heh, reminds me of how I keep calling stuff bullshit in my journal.
In Buddhist English, compassion is represented by a Deity who has 1000 eyes. She uses these eyes to see things as they truly are. Compassion spends all her time telling you what is real.
So wisdom is about calling out your bullshit, and compassion is about telling you what's real. These Deities of Wisdom and Compassion work together to relieve your suffering by tearing down your illusions and helping you to see reality.
-----
I note that wisdom as used here is not the giving of sage advice, and compassion as used here is not giving you a hug and a warm cookie. These Deities aren't Mom and Pop, they aren't a loving God. They're tough.
At one point the instructor talked about how the Deity of Wisdom can cause a spiritual crisis -- aha, I know what a spiritual crisis is -- by leaving you bereft of your comforting illusions. But then the Deity of Compassion immediately swoops in and shows you reality, helping you to replace your broken illusions with something real.
In Zen, reality is its own reward. No sage advice, no hugs or cookies. Just reality. The reality that was there all along. You already had it. You just couldn't see it.
-----
At one point, the instructor pretended to complain about how there are way more cars in the parking lots of the local Christian, Jewish, and Muslim centers than at the Zen center.
She said this is because Zen followers generally are not trying to convert people, and also because Zen can be a tough road. Giving up your illusions? The other kinds of religions are quite happy to provide you with comforting illusions. But not Zen. First Zen strips you of all your sources of comfort, then it replaces them with new ways of seeing the world. The assumption is that these complementary Deities will relieve your suffering, because most of your suffering comes from your delusions.
-----
So when a Zen teacher calls out your bullshit, she's actually trying to relieve your suffering, because she sees how much of your suffering comes from clinging to your bullshit. But in Western culture people tend to react angrily and defensively if you call out their bullshit. We are taught to respect each other's beliefs. This instructor said that Zen teachers can seem abusive and inexplicable to people from other spiritual traditions, because they show their respect for us in unusual ways.
-----
I've long said that I don't respect people's beliefs, instead I respect people. I think in the US we get this backward, we respect beliefs but not people. We have a First Amendment that guarantees freedom of religion, but there is no Constitutional provision guaranteeing you a place to sleep, a meal to eat, or clothing to wear. No Constitutional guaranty of education, health care, or employment. We'll respect your beliefs while you starve, freeze, or die from lack of medicine.
I don't respect people's beliefs, but I do respect people's needs -- if you focus on reality, you see 8 billion people and their needs. Look beyond the people, you see 20 quintillion animals and their needs. Look beyond the animal kingdom, over 10% of the surface of our planet is covered by plants and their needs.
A massive, practically uncountable number of living beings and their needs.
Wisdom cuts away our illusions, compassion shows us a practically uncountable number of living beings and their needs. What does a person do next after pursuing Wisdom and Compassion? Zen would argue that the only realistic plan of action is to do whatever you can to help as many living beings as possible to meet their needs.
Beliefs are bullshit. Get to work.