Why I Like 'Zen is Stupid'

I avoided the iPod craze for a long time. I had been in a long-term relationship with Palm OS devices, and though they don't handle MP3s or Podcasts as elegantly as iTunes + iPod I was hesitant about purchasing yet another device. I hadn't even seen one in action until my mother bought her own little Nano then sought my assistance to load it with music. I had my doubts about the click wheel, among other things. Needless to say, after playing with her device and the iTunes software for an afternoon I swooned over the iPod and it's charms and later purchased my own. Soon after that purchase, I started searching for Buddhist-centric podcasts. This was circa summer 2007.

I was already aware of Zencast, and quickly added it to my list of Podcast subscriptions. A few clicks and searches later, I stumbled upon a new program called Zen is Stupid. I downloaded the back-broadcasts and have been listening ever since. Week to week, I often had a queue of around 5 unheard episodes but I closed the gap this week and must now wait until Sundays to hear something new from Gwen and Patrick.

My daughter often peers over my shoulder when I'm using the computer. She saw the title 'Zen is Stupid' and took offense. Her initial reaction was that someone was using a podcast to diss Buddhists, and so indirectly they were dissing her. I smiled inwardly to her reaction, because while she has a good understanding of general Buddhist concepts, she didn't quite understand that there is a koan somewhere in the title. Hence, the first reason why I like this podcast:

1. Gwen and Patrick don't take themselves (or zen practice) too seriously

In fact, the first episode (if I remember correctly) was about taking it (it, meaning practice) too far. They touched on the importance of a practice without all of the trappings (or without attachment to the trappings) such as the need to surround oneself with certain malas, statues, and scrolls. Practice is not found in things, though it is not unheard of for people to have a certain attachment to their Buddhist things.

I have to admit, my initial reaction to this project while listening to the initial episode was conflicted. There were moments when Gwen and/or Patrick seemed to be standing on a high horse, looking down on other practitioners and explaining why they felt they weren't living up to some keep-it-simple Zen standard. They seemed to contradict themselves a bit, and they came across (in moments) quite self-congratulating and snobbish. But something about what they were doing was interesting to me and I listened on.

2. Gwen and Patrick have a point of view

One of the things I've learned through my own blogging experience is that it is not uncommon to receive some backlash when you express a view that readers or other bloggers disagree with. If you say something critical about this or that book or this or that article or this or that blogger, people feel you are being somehow 'unspiritual' or 'mean-spirited' for expressing an opinion. As practitioners, as human beings, we all have opinions though... even about the so-called spiritual matters. Expressing and sharing those opinions shouldn't be frowned upon. We can all learn something from the expressed viewpoints of others whether we agree or not.

Some feel that laypeople should just shut up and listen to their teachers. I'm sure some question the need for personal blogs or podcasts on Zen or Buddhist practice. What is the value in hearing from someone who is not an ordained teacher? What do these non-clergy have to offer? Are they participating in a self-inflating exercise, or do they have something valid to say?

In my opinion, the laity is just as important as clergy. It is very easy for students to look up to teachers, to view them as somehow above or apart, to sense that their accomplishments (though they are really reflective of their discipline, dedication, and desire to teach) elevate them beyond us mere mortals. The best teachers defy this line of thinking through humility and conscious efforts to humanize themselves... discouraging others from the belief that they are doing anything extraordinary. But ironically, this makes teachers seem extraordinary. Some may question whether or not they will ever achieve the same level of patience, discipline, dedication, or presence that their teachers convey. This is where the laity comes in.

We are, all of us, taking one baby step after another in this journey called practice. As human beings, we need to connect with and hear from other human beings who have the same struggles and bump up against the same challenges in practice that we do. Gwen and Patrick achieve this very well. They don't try to be perfect. They don't claim to have all of the wisdom. Really, they just have a weekly conversation as friends where they question and grapple with the intersections between practice and life. I think we all do this, to some degree, until we resolve there are no distinctions to be made between practice and life... when life becomes practice and practice becomes life.

3. Gwen and Patrick are not like me

I especially like hearing from Gwen and Patrick because they are not like me in many respects. While Gwen and I seem to have a lot of the same books on our shelves, their chosen careers and lifestyles are totally different from my own. Why is this a good thing? Because I think one of the problems we have in the world is that we don't expose ourselves to people who weren't cut with the same cookie-cutter that we were. So I like both that they have a point of view and that they are coming from a perspective that is often different than my own.

4. The podcasts are short

You don't have to pencil in time in your weekly agenda to listen to this podcast. It is short enough to listen to during the shortest commute. In my opinion, short podcasts are much more accessible than lengthy podcasts or audio programs. You can still fit them into the busiest life.

I'm not saying that Zen is Stupid is for everyone. As the reviews posted to iTunes reflect, some will enjoy it and others won't. Such is life. What I am saying is that an opportunity is presented when we are offered a chance to listen in on people who talk about spiritual practice in a personal way. When we think to criticize, disagree, or find fault, it is an opportunity to witness our own humanity. When we find moments of agreement and laughter, it is an opportunity to smile with an extended community that we may not have known without today's technology. When we hear lines of thinking expressed that point to the universal... that trace the lines of the connecting knot, it is an opportunity to experience that connection, to embrace our interconnectedness and know that we are not alone.

Are You Kidding Me?

When people acknowledge this blog in any way I am just astonished. I was stunned when people started commenting on these posts. I was stunned when some of my dharma brothers and sisters at Still Point would approach me and say, "Hey, I enjoy reading your blog." And I was stunned earlier this year when I found that this space was featured in an issue of Buddhadharma magazine. Though I was humbled and surprised, I didn't want to talk about it.

People who know me know that I really don't like attention. I'm uncomfortable in any sort of spotlight. I'd rather blend in with the crowd under a strobe light in a club with a bangin' beat.

When I learned today that the curator of the Blogisattva Awards selected this site as Blog of the Year, I was equally stunned. A big part of me thinks that the only reason why Tom selected this site was to get me to come out of whatever rock I've been under these past few months and think about blogging again.

I'm not going to make an acceptance speech. I really do understand where Amadeus was coming from when he asked to be removed from the running, and I thought about doing the same. I guess these awards (and anything else) only hold the meaning that we give to them. Instead of looking at this exercise as something that spurs competition, I choose to see it as a showcase of all of the great things that we've seen come out of the Buddhist Blogisphere in 2005. There was a literal explosion and I'm still so pleased to stumble upon the new sites that crop up every month.

This space is currently in transition. I'm still thinking about what I want to do with it... how and if I want to continue it. Time will tell. A heartfelt thank you to all of you who've been on this journey with me. The bloggers I read (IMHO) are much more deserved of this honor than I am.

So I'll encourage all of you to continue to check out Blogmandu, Tasty Links, the Buddhist Blogs Webring, Blangha.com and all Buddhist Bloggers with blogrolls and Kinja digests who leave trails of breadcrumbs across the web that allow us to find each other.

Relationship Dharma

I'm still continuing my study on Dharma for Relationships. Last weekend, I uncovered a couple of interesting posts, threads and articles:

On the Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth (DRBY) website, there is an interesting thread about love and relationships. Some questions are raised: 

Can there be unconditional love in a romantic relationship? Should I have expectations in a romantic relationship? Is sexual desire bad in a romantic relationship? Being single= Being lonely and bored?

 Some cogent points were made:

Honesty is the most fundamental quality to a meaningful relationship...if you are dishonest even once, you will change the nature of this relationship completely...from something totally genuine and true to manipulation.

A meaningful relationship can only come from two truely free people who are willing to give each other the freedom to choose to be with each other at every moment. They are not bound by desire, need, boredom, or self projections (expectations).

A meaningful relationship is very genuine and compassionate. You will always look out for the best interest of your partner instead of yourself.

Having standards does not mean having expectations. Abandon expectations.

It's an interesting conversation. Check it out...

There's also this great Dharma talk out there... Jason mentioned it in a comment to a previous entry. It was deliverd at a wedding presided over by Sensei James Ishmael Ford. Good stuff.

And finally, there's this UrbanDharma.org Newsletter from March 2004 on Love in Buddhism.

I don't have any commentary on these things today... Just thought I'd share.

Zen and the Art of Webring Maintenance

I've been the Ring Manager for the Buddhist Blogs webring since its inception in February of 2005. This was the first webring I'd ever created or managed, and I'm not sure I've handled all aspects of ring management properly.

One of the things I've struggled with is the idea of standards. As an American, I'm very much "pro free speech." I don't really want to editorialize it by selecting only the rings I think fit nicely into the group or by denying bloggers admittance because I don't necessarily agree with what they have to say. For the most part, I think I've been sticking to the original goal... personal weblogs/journals only... must write frequently on buddhism or a buddhist-take on issues/current affairs... no commercial sites. Those of you who browse the ring... let me know how I'm doing here. Would you want the ring to be more selective? If so, how?

Another thing I've struggled with is how to feature sites, when, and why. On this particular point I could also use some feedback from those willing to give it. It was easy when Tom was writing Blogmandu... it sort of made sense to feature a digest that covers/summarizes Buddhist Blogs and their content. (sidebar: Tom, I really hope you are coming back.)

I guess I'm wondering the following:

1. Would ring members like to vote on Featured Sites? If so, how often? Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly?
2. Should we feature sites based on *hot* current content? One way we could determine what's *hot* is by looking at posts that are heavily commented...
3. Should we do away with Featured Sites altogether?

There are so many Blog aggregation resources available out there... Kinja Digests, Blogrolling, Zen Unbound's Tasty Links, etc. The webring will never include all of the great Buddhist Blogs that are out there... perhaps because people don't know about it... perhaps because they just don't want to join. Given this, is the webring still a valuable resource?

How can we keep it fresh and make it better?

Other Sources for Buddhist News

I've been reading Buddhist news articles published on the Buddhist Channel for a while now. Today, I found two new online sources for Buddhist News:

1. Topix.net hails a Buddhism category. I have just added their RSS feed to the Links page of this site.
2. A new member of the Buddhist Blogs webring is aggregating news articles at http://buddhismnews.blogspot.com/

Actually, I found the article I just posted about and learned about Topix.net through the Buddhism News blog... so a hat tip to the author for compiling the resources.

Online Again...

Being away from the blogosphere for most of the week, I missed out on some great stuff. Tom, editor of Zen Unbound, catalogued much of what I missed in a new Zen/Ch'an Digest called Blogmandu Roundup. Great stuff, Tom... thanks for doing this (and for Zen Unbound, and for Tasty LInks, and for just being you... you are appreciated).

My computer died on me recently, so I'm out and about trying to collect some of the resources I lost. There used to be a Kwan Um affiliated sangha called Ocean Eyes Zen Center that posted lots of great information on Korean Zen, including some of the foundational chants (the Great Compassion Dharani, Yae Bul, the Thousand Hands and Eyes Sutra, the Heart Sutra, etc.) in RealAudio format. While I can't say for certain what happened to Ocean Eyes, it seems that there is some restructuring going on. Remembering that the chants were performed by the Golden Wind Zen Group, I Google searched and found their site, which then led me to i-Sangha.

If you're interested in hearing what Korean Zen chant sounds like, you can download the Golden Wind Zen Group chants from i-Sangha. I don't have any of the chants memorized yet, so I chant along with these recordings. You will have to ask them to make you a "member" instead of a "novice", in order to access the downloads.

I-Sangha is an online sangha... chat rooms, message boards, the works. I haven't posted to the boards yet, but I've lurked a bit. There's an interesting thread on the Korean Zen teaching on no-self. The forums certainly have topics that cover a broad spectrum, but this is a new community so it will take time to grow. If you aren't practicing with a sangha and want to ask an ordained teacher a question, this is one place you could go.

Wheel of Life

Today I learned about a Buddhist publication from Australia called Gentle Voice: A Newsletter of Siddhartha's Intent. The past two issues (available online) provide articles on the symbolism of the Wheel of Life. I'm reading them now. I also found a site that provides shorter descriptions of each section of the work online (Firefox users, this doesn't work in our browser... you have to use IE). If you've ever wanted to learn more about the Wheel of Life, these resources might be of help.

Buddhist Blogs Webring

I've seen the following image on several Buddhist Blogs I've found in the past few weeks:

Initially, when I saw the image, I thought it was a button for a Buddhist Blogs Webring. Hovering over the image, I found it was not hyperlinked. Today my blog was registered at BlogWise, and I signed up for another blog directory called BlogClicker. I found that BlogClicker offers a free BlogRing service, so I decided to start one.

-- Edited 06 February 2005 @ 9:54 AM --
In my original post I had a link and instructions on how to join the BlogClicker hosted Blog Ring (Buddhist Blogs). Unfortunately, I have found that this service has too many bugs. I'm in the process of creating this webring using a different service. Look for future updates.

If you already tried to join the blogring, I will e-mail you when the new service is up and running so you can join a stable/operational webring of Buddhist Bloggers.

Apologies for the confusion.
-- End Edit --

It All Comes Down to Ending Suffering

Several weeks ago, zhana26 posted a question on the Black Buddhists Yahoo! group inspired by an article that attempts to explain why Black people are turning to Buddhism. Her question:

How did you come to Buddhism?

This prompted a great deal of discussion, which I encourage you to read first-hand. The article suggests that Black people come to Buddhism through Tina Turner and pop culture. It even gets more insulting:

Turner's story of going from poverty to selling 50 million albums worldwide inspires a population entrapped by poverty and abusive relationships.

Let me preface this by saying that I love Tina Turner. I admire her courage and am moved by her story. My goal is not to diss her. I guess I just feel the need to point out a few facts for the clueless journalist that threw this article together...

• The entire African-American population is not entrapped by poverty or abusive relationships
• The entire African-American population is not spiritually moved by an artist's ability to sell 50 million albums
• Black people really do have depth and self-awareness... the underlying reason for our actions is not "the Celebrity made me do it"
• African-Americans have deep spiritual roots that reach back generations... I take issue with being labeled a "culture groping for spiritual understanding"

Unfortunately, this is not the only journalist spouting nonsense about Black Buddhists. While surfing Zen Unbound, I read Tom Armstrong's article Tricycle Gets Ugly. He quotes an article from one of Tricycle's back issues that suggests that a river of subtle racism runs through Buddhist sanghas in the West.

I'm not going to sit here and pretend I can speak for the entire community of Black Buddhists, so I'm not going to speak to whether or not individuals within the African-American Buddhist community have or have not had negative experiences while seeking a Sangha due to racism (blatant or otherwise). I can only speak to my own experience. What I will say is that I think the journalists that have chosen to write about the issue of race/racism in Buddhist communities found a few glowing embers and tried to make a fire. The cynic in me believes that there is a capitalistic urge that drives all of this attention to Black Buddhists... Acknowledge us, and maybe we'll buy more of your publications. I digress...

Black people come to Buddhism for the same reasons that others come to Buddhism in the West. It is often a deeply personal choice inspired by the desire to end deeply personal suffering.

Our country is still plagued by a racial divide. Personally, I believe Buddhist communities and other integrated places of worship are part of the solution not part of the problem. Instead of trying to advocate for the comfort and acceptance of Black Buddhists in predominantly white sanghas, I wish these journalists would attack the larger issue and advocate for the comfort and acceptance of Black people (and all other people) in the world.

Zen Unbound's Tasty Links

I've been looking for lists of Buddhist blogs. I just found these Tasty Links. I look forward to reviewing all of the blogs in this directory.