Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar

As It Is

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:40:00 +0000

"This original state is not of our making. Acknowledging this is the perfect view. I am not saying that this view is good while the views of the lower vehicles are bad; but there is a difference in the extent to which the view is mixed with concept. One could convince oneself that, 'This is the meditation state! This is probably emptiness.' That is superimposing emptiness upon one's experience. In other words, it is not the natural state as it is. Similarly, to remind oneself 'This is all a magical illusion,' during the activities of daily life is still a concept.

"To cling to a particular concept is like a bird that flaps its wings and tries to fly but cannot, because it's bound by a chain. The training in the true view is not a training in holding concepts, even the subtle types. It is a matter of recognizing what already is, by itself. Our nature of mind is naturally empty and cognizant; it is not of our making. There is no need to hold a concept about it. In other words, when you remember to recognize, you see immediately that there is no thing to see. That's it. At other times one has forgotten, and it is lost."

--Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche,

As It Is: Volume II

The White Lama

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:48:00 +0000

We have published notice of Theos Bernard in the past (here and here). His story is quite remarkable, and deserves to be better known -- even celebrated -- because, if not for him, the devastation wrought by Red China upon Tibet would be even more irrecoverable.

This past year saw the publication of an important new book entitled White Lama: The Life of Tantric Yogi Theos Bernard, Tibet's Lost Emissary to the New World, by Douglas Veenhof (New York: Harmony Books, 2011). Mr. Veenhof is a Buddhist practitioner, who states he was inspired to take up the work by Geshe Michael Roach. This coming May, we will see Paul G. Hackett's similarly titled work, White Lama: Theos Bernard, Tibet and Yoga in America (New York: Columbia University Press, 2012).

What occasions this interest is the discovery, in 1998, of 119 boxes and 18 large trunks, and packing crates, in four self-storage units in Upland, California. Described by Veenhof as a "time capsule of Tibetan culture at its zenith," these containers proved to be Theos Bernard's lost legacy -- thousands of photographs, and miles of 16mm motion picture film exposed during his visit to Tibet, along with letters, manuscripts, journals, and Bernard's personal library of 3,000 books on Tibet, Buddhism, and Yoga, all dating prior to 1947. The trunks housed Bernard's artifacts collection:

"Those included 22 bronze images of Buddhist deities, 40 thangka paintings, 23 Tibetan rugs, 25 large painted mandalas, more than 100 large cloth wood-block prints of historical figures and deities, 79 volumes of Tibetan texts, and a large number of Tibetan textiles, religious robes, hats, ritual implements, and household items."

The University of California at Berkeley became the repository of this material in April 2000, where it is now the Theos C. Bernard - G. Eleanore Murray Collection and Archive, generally administered by the Bancroft Library. You can consult their online entry by clicking here, and download the finding aid by clicking here.

Veenhof writes:

"The fifty mule loads of Buddhist scriptures and art objects that Tibetans sent home in 1937 with Theos Bernard, their emissary to the West, are artifacts of Tibet's medieval culture in full bloom and in one of its final summers before Mao's revolution flooded across the border."

The books acquired by Bancroft Library in 2000, were in fact not the first of the books Bernard brought back to be housed in Berkeley. I have previously mentioned the first books, and Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche's generous 2006 gift. These first books -- I found them in a large, unopened trunk in a broom closet in the Durant Library in 1968 -- were evidence of Bernard's dream -- his Tibetan Text Society -- an effort to translate the Tengyur, which is still ongoing to the present day. This screen shot from the California Secretary of State shows the date of incorporation:

To accomplish his goal, Bernard acquired a lovely estate in Montecito, California, and named it "Tibetland." His idea was to house his Tibetan Text Society at the estate, which would also accommodate visiting Tibetan lamas he hoped to bring to the United States. Control of the property passed to his wife at the time, who renamed it Lotusland, and if you are ever in the vicinity of Santa Barbara, you can visit this beautiful place. The few Tibetan books that did manage to find their way to the property are, to the best of my understanding, the books that I found in the broom closet at Berkeley.

Nyingma Monlam Chenmo 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:16:00 +0000

The Twenty-Third Annual Nyingma Monlam Chenmo, 24 January 2012 through 2 February 2012 is well underway at the Maha Bodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya. Photograph above depicts a small fraction of today's crowd. Over the span of the past twenty-two years, Kyabje Tarthang Rinpoche -- the creator of the event -- has given away over three million books, three million sacred art prints of the highest quality, and over 140,000 prayer wheels: a monumental achievement by any measure. Among the books to be given out in 2012 will be complete sets of the works of Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigme Lingpa, and Patrul Rinpoche, grammar books, lexicons, and dictionaries. Click here to find out how you can become a direct participant in this important work.

Your Own Mind Is the Teacher

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:46:00 +0000

"Listen! Your state of pure and total presence,

And all sentient beings of the three realms,

Are clearly shown to be the teacher.

Because you have not seen your mind as the teacher,

Even after a hundred thousand aeons,

When I, the majestic creativity of the universe,

Manifest as the teacher, your own mind,

You should listen to this message: your own mind is the teacher."

-- Longchenpa

Jigme Lingpa (1730 - 1798), pictured above, rather "proves" the verity of Longchenpa's statement, doesn't he? By taking his own, timeless mind as the teacher, he was able to receive scriptures that established the Dzogchen Longchen Nyingtig: translated by some as "The Heart Sphere of the Great Expanse."

In the coming year, we will begin to investigate the powerful preliminary practices of this lineage, the Dzogpachenpo Longchen Nyingtig Ngondro.

Year of the Water Dragon Arrives

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 16:01:00 +0000

Happy New Year to our beloved readers and friends.

Year of the Water Dragon

23 January 2012

Quick Link to 2012 Tibetan Astrology
Quick Link to 2012 Tibetan Prophecy

Buddhist Talismans and Amulets

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 18:51:00 +0000

When I am in Shenzhen, I often spend free time wandering around "Antique City," which is like a combination Portobello Road, outdoor flea market, Antiques Road Show, and yard sale, surrounded by dozens and dozens of small curio shops; these, built in a surrounding multistory building, not unlike a Pentagon of curiosity. This is in the 5000 block of Shen Nan Dong Lu, in Luo Hu District -- sort of off the intersection of Hongling Middle Road and Shen Nan East.

The same sort of thing is found in most other Chinese cities, if not all of them, with the granddaddy in Beijing. The street bourses are all alike: a cloth laid on the ground, a shill "negotiating" with the "owner," and eventually winning an obvious treasure at a ridiculously low price -- all the delightful, illusory flotsam of Samsara's ocean laid there to hook the unwary by any means possible.

Similarly, when I am in Bangkok, I always visit the Amulet Markets -- of which there are actually several -- with the biggest one near the Chao Phraya River -- the Ta Prachan Market, with quite literally hundreds of thousands of amulets on display. It is difficult to describe the intensity of this place. There are sidewalk sellers, stall sellers, shops, and all out bourses. During the terrible floods in Thailand last year, water was knee deep in the market, but business continued as usual. People were searching for amulets to protect them from the waters (and the crocodiles, who came out of the river to swim the streets, and not all of them were wearing makeup).

Invariably, whether in China or Thailand or anywhere else, you will find Buddhist talismans -- which are objects believed to have magic powers and to bring good luck -- amulets -- thought to confer protection -- and the boxes in which to carry said talismans and amulets, among which we find the ubiquitous ga'u, of Tibet.

Depending upon your level of fluency in such matters, it will either surprise or not surprise you to learn that the overwhelming majority of "antique" Buddhist amulets and talismans -- to include the "Tibetan" ones you see all over Asia -- are manufactured in China, where the manufacturing of antiques is itself an antique occupation. How could it be otherwise? In China, there are "fake" antiques hundreds of years old in their own right, and these can occasionally be seen as holding value better than the original they purport to duplicate.

Some people like to collect these, which is iffy as far as I am concerned. Once you learn to distinguish between the "real" ones and the "fake" ones, which is itself a dubious practice -- the "real" ones are generally Nepali, the "fake" ones are frequently Chinese -- you confront the issue of provenance. Presumably, the "real" ones came from dead Tibetans. Who knows how these came into other hands? I don't want any part of such transactions, do you?

Ga'u are usually distinguished by their contents: one or more pills, nectar, rolled pages from books, small painted images, small clay images, printed talismans sewn into cloth pouches, bits of prayer flags, and protection cords are all typical. In some ways, given the prevalence of Tibetan pills one finds, you could argue that these are not unlike the Native North American's medicine bag. Incidentally, this is just one of the non-medical uses for Tibetan traditional pills. One also finds them in bowls or reliquaries on the altar as offerings, and used to fill statues and stupas.

Nowadays, it is common to find the large traveling shrine boxes, of which the above is a typical example. These are being offered with all sorts of legends attached (they are the property of a saintly lama who is forced to sell them to restore his destroyed monastery) and range in price from around $20.00 to $2,000.00 or more depending upon credulity. More often than not, the large ones contain rather crude clay images painted with pigments that seem surprisingly modern. The cloth protective covers are always dirty, but the cloth itself and the machine stitching are suspicious.

Above is what one normally sees. These purport to be done by the Newari craftsmen who worked in an enclave in Lhasa until the Tibetan Holocaust. In actuality, they are not hammered repousse, but are made by molds in Chengdu, and actually have been for some considerable time now.

The above traveling shrine box begs the question -- who cares where it was made and how old it is? Above is in fact a nicely crafted specimen of relatively recent manufacture. Again, this is not repousse. These are made from molds.

In Nepal, the small traveling shrines are making a comeback. These are beautifully done, and you can get them at reasonable prices even in the United States. Consult Zambala in Southern California for availability, since the firm is the largest distributor of these in the world. Below is a photograph of Dungse Riksin Dorje Rinpoche, son of the late Terton Kunzang Dechen Lingpa, blessing one of these new ga'u for my daughter. (We like this photo because of the "orb.")

The small -- and some not so small -- silver ga'u traditionally worn by both ladies and gentlemen are extremely popular. You used to be able to get nice, solid silver ones from Nepal and Tibet, but these are gradually being replaced by plated ones. These typically contain a pill, a printed talisman, and/or nectar, and almost never contain clay images. Below is what one could expect to find at a street stall in Lhasa.

The larger, turquoise and coral encrusted silver ga'u are also readily available, although the "coral" is more often than not resin, and the "turquoise" is shamelessly dyed. Below is an example of current offerings.

There are a few books about that give learned notice of such matters. Robert Beers gives appropriate discussion in his Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols. In 1978, Nik Douglas persuaded Dover to publish his Tibetan Tantric Charms and Amulets. Then, there is a book in a class all by itself: an anthropological study by Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah, The Buddhist saints of the forest and the cult of amulets, published by Cambridge.

Only fair to mention that not all "antique" ga'u you encounter are phony baloney. Above is an example of a wealth ga'u found offered on the Web that is certainly genuine.

The best amulets you can readily obtain today -- no matter where you live -- are those from Dodrupchen Rinpoche's American support operation, Tshog Dag Foundation. Click this link, and you will be taken to an amulet wearer's heaven.

Yoga for Beauty

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:06:00 +0000

You can spend gazillion dollars on books, magazine, yoga clothes, shoes, mats, things to carry the mats, memberships in studios, and the whole she-bang. Hatha yoga being what it is, you will certainly get some near-term benefit.

But, unless you approach yoga in the way yoga was meant to be approached, there are absolutely no long-term guarantees.

Year of the Dragon Approaches

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:33:00 +0000

The Year of the Iron Rabbit is transitioning into the Year of the Water Dragon. Above, our sticky rabbit friend seems reluctant to let go, so he is imitating a fire-breathing dragon.

We never know what any year will bring. Trying to find out is what keeps diviners in business. For a long time now, I have entertained a doubt about Asian astrology in general, to the effect that it is one year "off." What I mean by this is last year, Year of the Iron Rabbit, was in many respects more like Year of the Iron Tiger in its characteristics. So, if you believe that, this Year of the Dragon will in fact be more like a Year of the Rabbit.

I have never found anyone who agrees with my suspicion, save a JPL (Jet Propulsion Lab, Pasadena, California) scientist I met online once. He uses JPL's computing power to pin down lunar dates, and he claimed that this was, in fact, correct: all Asian lunar calendars are one year off.

The ubiquitous Wan Ni'en Li, found in almost every Chinese household, is no longer current -- the last entry for this book published annually since 1912 is January 22, 2012. Doubtless, there will be new editions.

By all conventional calculations, Monday, January 23, 2012, marks the first day of the lunar year Water Dragon. We have already published our Tibetan astrological assessment of the year, so consult that if you are interested.

In the meantime, enjoy the holidays. Asia is more or less closed for the next month so cares will be difficult to find. This is a good time for family, meetings with friends, earnest practice, and... give that sticky rabbit a rest before he gets into any more mischief!

Uncompromising Mirror

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 06:27:00 +0000

"In the scriptures, a crazy-wisdom person is described as 'He who subdues whatever needs to be subdued and destroys whatever needs to be destroyed.' Whatever your neurosis demands, when you relate with a crazy-wisdom person, you get hit with that. Crazy-wisdom presents you with a mirror reflection. A mirror will not compromise with you. If you don’t like what you see, there’s no point in blaming the mirror."

---Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Little Moon Shrines

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0000

Tashi Palden is a personable Tibetan fellow, married to an American woman, now living and raising a family in Albany, New York. To make ends meet, he started a Tibetan gift shop, named Little Moon. The shop is at 467 Madison, corner of Willet, if you're ever in Albany.

Tashi has taken to producing hand painted shrines. Above, you see a standard cabinet and hutch re-purposed for average home use. In a smaller range, Tashi is also constructing and painting the shrine you see below, suitable for most apartments. For more information, contact Tashi directly.

Change Together

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:20:00 +0000

"The supreme self-arisen blessings will

Mature your being and engage in the

benefit of others to pacify suffering.

As your perceptions change, so will the perception of others;

Change together, and then accomplish the Buddha activity

And all precious qualities will be perfected within yourself."

--as written by the sublime
Kunzang Dechen Lingpa

"I wish all of you would try your best to have a clearer understanding of the dharma. Listen to the teachings, contemplate the teachings, and then internalize them by practicing meditation. You should do this to the point that your inner qualities, which are already indwelling, can begin to blossom and allow your inner wisdom to blaze like a bright light that burns continuously, rather than your conspicuous, blazing pride or your blazing delusion or your blazing anger. Haven't you had enough of them? Beneath them are the inconceivable, real qualities of enlightened body, speech, mind, noble qualities and miraculous activities, which we need to bring forth. Please try."

--Gyatrul Rinpoche

[Dakini Day 18 January 2012: May It Be Auspicious]

About Forgiveness

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:44:00 +0000

Do you forgive the sun for your sunburn?

Or do you get into the shade, and thank it for shining?

Lately, there has been quite a bit of talk about the medical benefits of forgiveness. Even the prestigious Mayo Clinic -- if you ever get a bill from them you will know just how prestigious -- has chimed in with definite findings. According to Big Medicine, forgiving others will:

Lower your blood pressure;
Diminish stress;
Diminish anger and hostility;
Reduce symptoms of depression.

This is admirable, though certainly nothing new. Tibetan medicine explains lymphatic cancer as originating in "retained anger or grudge." While "medical" forgiveness ought to be encouraged, today I am interested in forgiveness as a natural extension of one's own spontaneous appreciation of that which arises. Or, to put it another way: forgiveness without expected benefits. Forgiveness without selfish reasons.

Effortless forgiveness.

It is all well and good to convince one's self to forgive others, but the very premise of this -- "self" and "others" -- is the cause of all human misery. As Buddhists, our principal task is to get past that sort of thinking just as quickly as possible. As Buddhists, we think of ourselves as travelers on a path -- a journey without a goal -- and much of the imagery that surrounds our belief is seen in just such terms. We see life's challenges as a continuous opportunity to express our faith: to put "compassion into action" if you like such phrases.

In this light then, exercising forgiveness is one of the pivotal moments in one's journey as a human being. Yet, some of us turn this marvelous opportunity for clarity into yet another excuse for letting ego off the leash.

We become regal: "I forgive thee in my munificence, for I am Holy."
We become self-satisfied: "I am wondrous because I forgive."
We even start counting scalps: "I have forgiven fifteen more villains in my munificent wondrousness today, for a total of thirty-two forgiven villains this week."
We reinforce excuses: "My [insert scapegoat here] was a no good, skirt chasing, whiskey guzzling gambler who ruined my life, but I have forgiven him."

Forgiveness turns into an industry: all sorts of carpetbaggers (well, yoga mat baggers maybe) pop up to help us explain our feelings to ourselves. You see advice like, "Move away from your role as victim and release the control and power the offending person and situation have had on your life." Sounds great doesn't it? Maybe so, but it is what I call "bargain basement" forgiveness. It is completely transactional, and fundamentally wrong: a selfish act in disguise, predicated on material notions of "victims," "perpetrators," "power," and so forth.

That plays on Oprah, but Oprah is off the air, and your mortal clock is ticking in a realm way, way beyond victim culture and televised schmaltz.

Only when forgiveness ceases to be transactional does it become genuine. Forgiveness ceases to be transactional when you are able to proceed from a fundamentally sane view:

"All the outer and inner characteristics of the world of form and content in their entirety,
Although appearing, are simply to be left in a state devoid of grasping at a self.
Purification of the grasping subject and grasped at object is the divine form, manifest yet empty.... "
--"The Prayer Requested by Namkha'i Nyingpo," Le'u bDun Ma

So, what we are talking about is eliminating the concept of forgiver and forgiven, and instead relaxing into what might be called the ultimate forgiveness: the forgiveness that comes from understanding the nature of things. We don't need anybody to mediate this. We don't need anybody to explain this. We don't need anybody to interpret this.

People have been reading some of the posts I published following my sojourn in the hoosegow, and they have written to ask, "How could you ever forgive that bunch?" I've been asked that question so many times lately, I actually sat down and thought about how to answer.

I suppose my answer is the idea of forgiveness never came up because I never felt the necessity. Even ostensibly unpleasant episodes have their purpose. If you look at things equally, this idea of pleasant and unpleasant starts to blur and fade. You live long enough, you come to understand that people will hurt you out of blind ignorance. You can understand it for whatever benefit understanding brings, and then let it go for whatever benefit that might bring. This is samsara. The bus is crowded. Somebody is going to step on your foot, and not say, "Excuse me." Somebody is going to fart in the elevator.

You can just let these things go without much effort at all. Now, people with a guilty conscience, or people with a sorely limited view, tend to judge the actions of others by comparison with their own smallness. They will say, "Yeah... forgive me... so what? Your forgiveness is just a feint in some evil plan." Maybe they will repeatedly smack you, just to test if your forgiveness is real. If the concept of forgiveness is a dialectical exercise for you, then such things will occupy your attention and disturb your mind. There are a whole lot of skunks stinking up the woods, and the thing is to roll up the window until you get a little farther down the road. Forgiving a skunk for being a skunk is a mighty neurotic waste of time.

Really, the best forgiveness is to experience no wrong.

Really, the best forgiveness is to accept the divine form, manifest yet empty.

If that just isn't in the cards for you, sit down out back of the house, visualize everything and everybody that ever pissed you off right in front of you, take a big drink of whatever you use to cure snakebite, and say, "Oh, what the Hell. None of us is getting any younger."

For that suggestion, may I be forgiven.

The Happiness of Pencils

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000

"Art for me is a way of resting and replenishing my mind. As the person who holds the name of Karmapa, I hold so many responsibilities that need to be completed, to be accomplished, but not everything goes according to plan. It can be exhausting sometimes. What I like about painting a picture is that when I sit down to paint, I complete it. Even when I am drawing, there is something about the process of painting that brings peace and relaxation to my mind." -- 17th Karmapa

Among beginning practitioners, there are many who harbor guilt for enjoying life's gentle idle. Diversions such as poetry, art, music, and the like are seen as somehow counterproductive: seductions that take one away from practice.

Not so.

Art is necessary.

Since Buddhism as practiced in Tibet began to make its way to the West, there have been numerous examples of highly realized beings who managed to combine lively artistic endeavor with the interests of all sentient beings. Trungpa Rinpoche comes immediately to mind. He was a multi-talented artist with considerable skill at calligraphy, painting, photography, flower arranging, and of course, drama and poetry.

I find everything by Tashi Mannox to be inspiring.

People who express Nirmanakaya by means of

artistic works are what,

do you know?

The Seventeenth Karmapa gives us another example. As a child, he came to know the celebrated artist Tashi Mannnox. Tashi's father was a brilliant craftsman patronized by the Sixteenth Karmapa, so it seems there is a strong connection between the Mannox clan and the Karmapas. Tashi showed the young Seventeenth the fundamentals of sketching, and composition, with early collaboration on an embroidered patch design. Other instructors followed, and the Karmapa eventually developed into a gifted watercolorist. That is his painting of a tiger, above, done in the Chinese style.

While not in the same league as those mentioned -- not in any way, shape, or form -- I have nevertheless always enjoyed sketching, pen and ink, photography, thinking with a pencil, and lately -- a new wrinkle on an old medium known as "colored pencil painting."

This technique involves the use of ordinary, wax-based colored pencils, together with odorless mineral spirits. You get a smooth lay-down, and you can then work over it. How this differs from the watercolor pencils I do not know, because I've never used them. Most of the people working in this medium are doing hyper-realism, and the results are astonishing. You can get the flavor of it from Alyona Nickelsen's work. She is a Russian-born artist working down in Orange County, California, and author of the Colored Pencil Painting Bible, which is what I am using to teach myself the methods. I usually don't get very much from "how to" books, but I learned quite a bit from this one.

About the first question everyone has is, "What pencil should I use?" That is a deep subject. Like everything else, pencils are not what they used to be in terms of quality.

Pencils were invented by an Austrian fellow named Hardtmuth, who in 1790 went to Czechoslovakia and started a company named Koh-I-Noor. In 1802, he patented the first pencil lead, made of graphite and clay. You can still buy the "Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth" pencils to this very day. In around 1848, the firm located some manufacturing operations in Bohemia, and back in Austria, and the lineal descendant of the Austrian facilities is the firm Cretacolor. They have a nice line called Karmina, which is amusing for some reason. Their fine art graphite line is the best you will find anywhere.

Good quality colored pencils today are those of the Swiss firm Caran d'Ache. As an aside, you should know that "caran d'ache" is the French adaptation of the Russian word "karandach," meaning pencil. These pencils are not cheap: the set of 120 pictured below costs around $411. on eBay -- the lowest price you are likely to see anywhere. Their best quality pencils -- the Luminance series -- are even more expensive.

Because I do not have much money, I make do with Prismacolor pencils. These are made in Mexico, and are of inconsistent quality and "feel." They do have a nice palette though, particularly for desert landscapes, which is what I like to draw.

I have been collecting pencils for use since 1958, which is when my father gave me a small artist's studio complete with paints, drawing board, easel, pencils, pens, etc. For graphite work, I have vintage Staedtler pencils from the 1930s that I bought from an old stationer's basement in the 1960s. I also have some of the original Staedtler pencils my father gave me.

It does not take much to be happy. You can collect a few pencils, erasers, and blending sticks, and get a pad of drawing paper. You can go sit in the park and sketch the trees. It becomes a meditation on emptiness. Try this and see if you enjoy the exercise. It beats sitting around by yourself in some dim room, feeling forlorn, worrying about "being a Buddhist."

What Was It Like?

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:22:00 +0000

In view of the ten month (ahem) "vacation," there is a backlog of email waiting to be answered (4,798, to be exact), and, since we returned from the (ahem) "vacation," there is also a steady peal of joyous outcry to consider. Then, there are of course letters from our regular readers, who want the "insider's lowdown."

In the latter category, perhaps the most consistently asked question is, "What was it like?" Since this seems of interest to so many people, I propose to deal with it once -- and once only -- before I depart from the entire subject, and take up joyous pealing instead.

Well, it wasn't the worst situation, and it wasn't the best situation.

It was just a situation.

Shortly after seven o'clock in the morning, whilst writing an item for Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar, I observed what appeared to be a large contingent of variously attired individuals armed with light automatic weapons surrounding the ranch house. I reckoned it was the cartels moving north.

I went to my attendant's room and roused her. She had just driven in from San Francisco the night before, so she was exhausted, and when she is exhausted she is short-tempered. Accordingly, she jumped up, put on her robe, and before I could advise otherwise, burst right out the door. This is a dangerous thing to do, but she is originally from Detroit.

At least a squad's worth of submachine guns were pointed at her, shotgun slides were heard, and a large fellow with a steady carbine threw down on her, commanding her not to move. She kept walking toward them, saying, "Go ahead and shoot a woman in a bathrobe. Be a hero." They grabbed her, cuffed her, and led her to a waiting car.

I walked out at this point and asked, "Is this a training exercise, or did you boys misplace Bin Laden?"

They called me by my full name, inclusive of middle names -- by which I immediately deduced they were federal officers -- and stated they had a warrant for my arrest.

I was relieved to find it was the FBI: the locals are trigger happy, and the cartels are worse. Turns out they also had a search warrant, which they began executing immediately, showing what I thought at the time to be remarkable courtesy, restraint, and respect.

I asked them what the arrest warrant was about, and they said, "Somebody in Baltimore has it in for you. Don't really know too much else about it. We're just serving it."

My attendant was uncuffed, allowed to dress, and sat at the dining room table, talking to one of the officers. I was chained hand and foot, and led to a waiting car by two F.B.I. agents. I was transported to Riverside, California, to a federal courthouse, and booked by the U.S. Marshal. I have worked quite a bit with the Marshals -- out of custody and otherwise -- so I am always glad to see them.

The U.S. Magistrate thought it best that the matter of detention be argued back East, and I agreed.

I was taken then to the federal block of the San Bernardino County Jail. This is an over-stretched facility much like what one sees in the cinema: thirteen, tiny, single man cells with open bars, facing a wall. You are let out for thirty minutes each day to use the telephone. Your food is served through a slot in the door.

So, there I was, sitting in the cell, trying to stay positive, when somebody on the block flushed a toilet, and every toilet in every cell exploded like a fountain, with water rising about three feet into the air. The fountains subsided, and the entire block was flooded about a foot deep. Yes, there were "floaters." I began laughing, thinking to myself, "School is most definitely in session."

After a few days in San Bernardino, I was chained up, taken to a bus, and driven to Southern California Logistics Airport, "Home of the Drones," in Victorville, California. An unmarked, white, passenger jet was there, together with over a dozen buses. After a considerable wait, the passengers deplaned, were searched, chained anew, and sent to their respective buses, which were bound for prisons and lockups around California.

So, this was "Con Air," or properly, JPATS: the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System. It is nothing like the motion picture. It is just a dowdy, old commercial airliner, with no cages inside.

Restraints are the ubiquitous "black boxes," or three-point restraints. One wears them all the time when in movement. If you go to Court, you wear them. If you go to a hospital appointment, you wear them. They consist of leg irons, handcuffs, and a "black box" made of metal that separates the hands, holding them rigid, through which a chain is threaded. The chain is cinched around your waist, and locked with a padlock. The handcuffs and leg irons are both double-locked. So, you waddle along, your left hand over your right hand, palms facing each other, chained roughly waist high.

The plane took off from Victorville in the late morning, and after a time, it flew over the stupa. I could clearly see the stupa's mandala from the air.

We flew to Arizona, to pick up and drop off inmates in Arizona prisons. From Arizona, we flew to Oklahoma City -- straight to the heart of the American Gulag -- to a place I will not soon forget. When the plane arrives, you walk down the jetway straight into the prison itself. The "airport" is a prison! You stand in two long lines down a hall, and step up on a platform where your leg irons and chains are removed. You have a quick visit with a Public Health Officer, get an issue of clothes, and fill out a few forms. All of your clothes, shoes, and so forth are taken and mailed to your last known residential address.

The next time you are bumped from a flight and have to camp out in the airport, stop and think it could be worse: you could be in Oklahoma City, chained up next to a cannibal.

Very similar to this

Detainees are then shepherded into a large quad, very clean, very quiet, with two man cells. The cells have regular doors. You are locked in for "count," and at night, but the rest of the time you can open or close them as you wish. You can enjoy a constant supply of books, several television rooms, and a basketball court. You can send and receive emails (for a fee), and make telephone calls home. The place is run quite efficiently, and if you have particular concerns, they are dealt with almost immediately.

The day after Losar, I again boarded the ancient airliner and flew to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. From Harrisburg, I was driven to downtown Baltimore -- to the Maryland Correctional Adjustment Center, MCAC or "Supermax" (Super Maximum Security) as it is known -- the old Maryland Death Row; but, since the month prior to my arrival, operating as a Federal Metropolitan Detention Center, under contract with the U.S. Marshal's Service.

At first encounter, Supermax seems like something out of a Dickens novel: one hesitates, for example, to ask for more gruel. It is a relatively small facility (around 500 inmates or less), built to house the worst of the worst. Its size contributes to its overall efficiency. A few hours after my arrival, I was amazed to find the entire staff seemed to know my name. The unspoken rule seemed to be, "If you're cordial with us, we're cordial with you," but troublemakers were firmly removed just as quickly as they were identified.

Like most prisons in America, it was built with juiced contractors, so some systems barely function and are in constant need of repair. At Supermax, the malfunctioning system is climate control: you are either freezing cold or blazing hot, with no in-betweens. There is a consequently brisk demand for personal fans (USD $23.00, from a catalog), watch caps, and long underwear (various prices, also from a catalog). The fiscal year 2012 appropriation for this facility is $24 million, so I hope they fix the air conditioning.

Well, it wasn't the best place I've ever been, nor was it the worst.

Not by a long shot.

Similar to this, except retrofitted for two man use;

has a shelf and a desk-like arrangement

Each pod consists of twelve cells, six up, six down. The upper tier is fenced in, so nobody can get thrown over the railing. There is but a single shower, so people must take turns. There is a microwave, four telephones, and a television. There is a caged-in "outdoor" recreation yard, and if you have the proper shoes and so forth, you can go out and shoot baskets.

The day begins around 5:00 a.m., when some sorry excuse for a breakfast is served. This is also when you mail your letters, and put in any sick call slips you may have. The electric doors slide open just long enough to pick up a breakfast tray, and then they slide shut behind you. Around 8:00 a.m., there is security shakedown and morning recreation. Corrections Officers search your cells, and frisk you for weapons.

"Recreation" consists of demanding, whining, screaming, shouting, and cursing, and the common area television being turned on, full blast, to non-stop episodes of Jerry Springer, Maury Povich, and Judge This-Or-That: a blaring revel of negativity, interrupted only by sporting events in the afternoons and evenings. Morning medications are administered anywhere from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. -- never, in my experience, the same time two days in a row.

Around eleven or twelve, you are served an awful "lunch," which is either baloney and cheese, or cheese and baloney. Afternoon "recreation" consists of listening to more Jerry, playing Dominos, or Spades, screaming, shouting, whining, and cursing -- and occasionally threatening -- until lock-down for the count at 2:00 p.m.. Afternoon medications are given between 2:00 and 2:30.

Near 4:00 p.m., the doors open again. Mail is distributed. Critiques are held concerning Jerry, Maury, Judge So-and-So, and whatever sporting contest seems uppermost in everyone's attention at the time. Whining, screaming, shouting, cursing, and threatening are supplemented by howling, rule-breaking for the hell of it, jostling, and smoking.

Around 6:00 p.m., a horrible "dinner" is served on trays -- better it should be served in skulls: cuisine is nouvelle Calcutta sewage -- and I can promise you, this is absolutely the worst maggot-infested mess I have ever encountered anywhere. There are only so many things you can do with maggot. You can boil them, fry them, and simmer them in soups. If you're a vegetarian like me, you'll have to make do without maggot and opt for the rotten vegetables, served as "coleslaw," but known as "cold-slain."

This is probably one of the safest prisons in America, and the staff are truly professional. I never saw any violence of any kind while I was there, no did I encounter any of the horrors one is led to expect from movies and television. I did have some serious health problems when I first got there, and the officers and staff went above and beyond to help me out.

I was rather ill when I was arrested, having been hospitalized not long before. I discharged, against medical advice, only to determine an astrologically opportune day for surgery. My conditioned worsened with the stress of travel, incarceration, and trouble at home. On March 8th, upon returning to MCAC from Court, I collapsed while in chains. Fortunately, the prison doctor was on duty. He examined me and called 911.

Baltimore Fire Department Paramedics arrived and ran an EKG, which demonstrated an infarction. I was taken straightaway to Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, and admitted. Two days later I had surgery, and after a brief convalescence (a few hours I recall), I was taken to the prison hospital at the Metropolitan Transition Center (MTC).

Now, this is a very special place, seeing as it is the oldest continuously operating penal institution in the Western world. It was authorized in 1804 and opened in 1811. It houses Maryland's execution chamber -- first a gallows, then a gas chamber, and now a lethal injection chamber. In 1956, a portion of the original 1811 building was retrofitted as a sixty bed general hospital, so that is where I wound up.

This was not a nice place. I was in terrible pain, and confused by all the unfamiliar drugs. I was also bleeding quite a bit. I remember lying in the bed at night, watching rats make their way around a ledge on the wall. They would stop and look at me, decide I wasn't ripe enough, and keep moving. I stayed there for around ten days, and then I went back to Mercy Hospital for a second surgery.

At Mercy, I was always chained hand and foot to the bed, and attended by two armed guards. I was even chained in the operating room, where one of the guards was also present. It does not matter who you are. That is just the way they do things.

After the second visit to Mercy, I went back to MTC for a brief stay, and then, thankfully, I returned to MCAC.

Upon arrival, I almost immediately went into withdrawals from a month's worth of narcotic pain relievers. The officers helped me every way they could, and I have a lasting sense of gratitude for the way I was treated.

Somewhere in mid-April, I went back to Court, where the U.S. Magistrate ruled that I could be released. My release was contingent on staying in Maryland. Friends of mine offered to fly in, rent an apartment for me, and help with necessities, but this seemed like a waste. I decided to stay where I was. You can get detrimentally attached to the idea of "freedom," to the point where it just destroys you. You can get unreasonably attached to this place or that place. Fortunately, at my age, one place is more or less like any other place. Of course I have preferences, but it is likewise a good idea not to become attached to those preferences.

Better learn how to be comfortable wherever you are.

They served us Dole fruit cups, and these made nice offering bowls. I saved them up. I was able to get some uncooked rice for the bowls, and the rest of the offerings I drew with colored pencils on paper. I made a serkyem out of a fruit cup and a medicine cup, and managed to keep it filled with daily tea. After considerable negotiation, I managed to get a mala delivered, and from then out it was smooth sailing. I just stayed in the cell and practiced all day. In the evenings, I would write letters and do some sketching, and then to sleep at around ten o'clock.

At one point, I had some sort of a stroke, or transient ischemic event (TIE), and was taken out to Bon Secours Hospital. I stayed for a couple of days, and was brought back via MTC. This was nothing particularly remarkable. As time went on, I had a few more surgical procedures, but these were also unremarkable.

If you know a Buddhist who is locked up, the most useful things are a mala, some postcard-sized images, practice texts, and if required, books and commentaries. Unless you have the sadhanas memorized, the main thing is the practice texts. If you don't have a mala you can count on your fingers, and if you don't have images, you can work on visualization with special vigor. All things considered, I think the best book for prisoners is Dzongsar Khyentse's What Makes You Not A Buddhist. As to which practice might be best, that is an individual matter, and I would not care to speculate.

Every door that closes behind you will one day open before you. Either you will walk out or they will carry you out.

Sure enough, one day the door opened, and I walked out.

So, that is what it was like...

...sort of.

.

Rolling With the Crocodiles: Original Medicine and Mental Illness

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:41:00 +0000

A delightful print by artist Stephen Burt does not exaggerate.

Ten years ago -- and it seems like only a moment ago -- I wrote and published two or three small editions of an even smaller work entitled Original Medicine: The Vajrayana Buddhist Way of Healing (Tianjin: Expatriate Cloud Press, 2002, and others) This circulated all the places I wanted to see it circulate, and for a time -- circa 2004 -- was available as a free download on the Web.

A portion of Chapter Seven, "Original Medicine and Mental Illness," was excerpted and published on the Web five years ago. This became a popular post, and indirectly, became the reason why I happened to encounter certain noisy people who snap and bite to this very day. Still, it was only an excerpt, and to a certain extent out of context. I thought today we would publish the original chapter, as follows (previously published excerpt omitted):

In Tibetan medicine, mental illness is attributed to five causes: karma, excessive emotion, imbalance in the three nyes-pa, toxins, and demons or evil spirits. Mental illness can, in fact, be constructed and defined many ways, not all of which are entirely compatible with Tibetan paradigms.

Unfortunately, many of the current Western definitions are in terms of social interaction and group acceptance. Current science has a detailed manual which carries all of the definitions our society is prepared to accept. To this number, I want to propose a revision that society may not be prepared to accept. I propose that all of the current definitions can be driven into one definition. This single definition is simply that mental illness is another, labeled manifestation of the three poisons. To the extent that we are still subject to the three poisons, I suppose we are all mentally ill.

Mental illness wreaks a toll on the body just as physical illness wreaks a toll on the mind. You cannot separate the two. You will find that certain manifestations of mental illness reveal biochemical abnormalities. I do not believe the latter precede or cause the former; rather, I believe such physical abnormalities are a symptomatic result.

While it may be possible to intervene in the physical process with powerful drugs -- seratonin uptake inhibitors are an example -- we may be running the same risks illustrated by our earlier example of antibiotics. Perhaps, in the future, we may find that such drugs will morph mental illness in unexpected ways, and we will regret that we did not look for another approach.

Just as an aside: some thirty years ago, I worked with the late Dr. Maximilian Fabrykant, M.D., a Swiss physician in the grand tradition. Dr. Fabrykant treated numerous survivors of the London Blitz, and those of German concentration camps. In result of his clinical experience, he came to the conclusion that all manifestations of mental illness could be managed nutritionally.

Original medicine can cure mental illness, but this cure is not particularly well suited to our age. When applied to physical illness, original medicine has a peaceful, almost contemplative character. When applied to mental illness, original medicine can appear rough, cruel, immoral, and in some cases, illegal. Note, for example, the Ayurvedic approach, which includes:

"...persuading a person with good conduct to change to bad conduct, beating, isolation, terrorizing [the patient], consolation, exhilaration, and fear, occurrence of surprising events, and making the patient forget past events." [Vaidya Bhagwan Dash and Vaidya Laitesh Kashyap, Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases in Ayurveda, Based on Ayurveda Saukhyam of Todaranahda. Part Three (New Delhi: Concept Publishing Co., 1980), p. 144]

Note also the general Ayurvedic advice, "for the treatment of psychic ailments, mutually contradictory psychic dispositions should be created." [Ibid.]

When applied yo physical illness, original medicine can be individually managed. When applied to mental illness, original medicine usually requires the intervention of others. How such intervention is conducted becomes a stylistic issue.

A Hinayana practitioner may consider mental illness with great gentleness and forbearance, but do little else besides counsel the patient. A Mahayana practitioner may add somatic treatment to the counseling, or even engage in exorcism. A Vajrayana practitioner may, and in most cases will, actively inflame the poisons that cause the illness, and let them rage.

From the Vajrayana perspective, working with the three poisons inevitably involves a period when individual manifestation are permitted to flower so that they can be transformed or eradicated. In such cases, original medicine is anything but gentle, and may involve otherwise prohibited acts. According to one famous commentary, Bhavyakirti's Prakasika:

" 'Prohibited' means action in violation of the world. For example, to harm those who do injury to the Three Jewels; to steal the goods of the miser; to deprive the lustful person of a family; to cut the pride of the proud; to speak harshly to the envious. When one does such acts as those in violation of the world, and under the control of 'skill in the means,' he is not defiled, for by doing it under control of great compassion, there is no obscuration." [Quoted in Alex Wayman, Yoga of the Guhyasamajatantra (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1977) p 303. This is actually a commentary on a commentary.]

This statement gives us a clue to the methods involved in original medicine's approach to mental illness. Even in the sutras, we have an indication that there is an extreme methodology at work, as in this passage from the Vimalakirtinirdesha Sutra:

"The Bodhisattva made his appearance at the fields of sports and in the casinos, but his aim was always to mature those people who were attached to games and gambling. To train living beings, he would appear at crossroads and on streetcorners. To demonstrate the evils of desire, he even entered the brothels. To establish drunkards in correct mindfulness, he entered all the taverns." [from memory]

Treating mental illness with original medicine requires an absolutely firm intention to relieve suffering, no matter the cost, followed by correct appraisal of the dominant poison, or combination of poisons, that is causing the palpable distress. This poison, or correctly, its manifestation, is then fed, much in the fashion that one feeds a fire with wood or gasoline. The treatment also involves extreme creativity of an almost deceitful character, much like the actor's skill.

In assessing mental illness, the condition of the body will indicate the condition of the mind. A person dominated by desire will display a rLung somatype. A person dominated by anger will display a mKhris-pa somatype. A person dominated by ignorance will display a bad-kan somatype. Beyond this, the specific manifestations of the illness may be revealed much as the bodily manifestations are revealed, involving certain hours, seasons, foods, and so forth, but they will be grossly overstated.

This is because, through the force of karma -- indeed, through the very powerful, composite forces of both cumulative and completing karma -- the patient has a close connection with the poison or poisons. The patient may embody the poison, and seem demonic.

The afflicted person has reached a crucial juncture in his or her own status as a human being. He has reached a crossroads, and stands at the brink of hell. If he adheres to the illness, he will be irretrievably blown into the consequences. For example: a mental patient dominated by anger may begin killing. Alternatively, he may regress into extreme anger's inward manifestation, severe depression, and commit suicide. In either case, he will face the inevitable results of his actions. If, on the other hand, the illness is arrested, the patient will be relieved of such consequences. This obviously calls for healing of the highest order.

The purpose for feeding manifestations, for pouring gasoline on the fire, is threefold. First, in the external dimension, to demonstrate the futility of continuing along a particular path. Second, in the internal dimension, to exhaust the patient's resource for continuing along that path. Third, in the secret dimension, to provide an opportunity for recognition of the fundamental purity of mind.

The emotions spawned by the poisons are powerful. You can use this power for your purposes or against your purposes. For example: if you try to tightly control or even deny strong sexual desire, you could, perhaps, refrain from committing sexual acts but you would constantly be thinking about sex. If you try to bottle anger, it could blow, or turn inward. If you try to practice contrary acts without first eliminating the negative tendency you would find yourself in a tug of war. An example would be replacing greed with generosity before greed was eliminated.

Therefore, Vajrayana Buddhists believe the best way to deal with the issue is to accept the three poisons and what they produce for what they are not. As long as they are not pure, we are defiled. When they become pure, we are no longer defiled. This is a very subtle practice: simple to say but difficult to comprehend.

Dancing With Passions

People wrongly believe that the mentally ill are incapable of insight. This is not true in the sense that they are unable; rather, this is true only in the sense that they do not exercise insight that brings relief. I have found, and I firmly believe, that there are moments in every full-blown catharsis where profound insight is possible. For example: a person in the midst of extreme rage may suddenly cackle with laughter. We have the tendency to fear such moments, and to characterize the laughter as evil, or plain evidence of gross insanity. Nevertheless, there is a mechanism at work that has given us a window of opportunity. Emotions are rapidly changing and shifting, and we can use those shifting patterns to benefit by dancing with them.

Dancing with passion is inherently dangerous. You allow the psyche of the deranged person to become your reality, without check. You simply open yourself to the person, without defenses. The goal is to get inside a very uncomfortable and dirty place with a broom and dust mop. The broom sweeps with exaggerated mimicry of the illness. The dust mop gently polishes what is obscured. You are cleaning the tarnish from mirrors. You are polishing what is already stainless, but unrecognized. You are there to show the person the best of himself. You are imitating him so well, that he imitates you in response. This is a most difficult thing to do, because it involves absorbing his madness into your madness and extinguishing them both at the same time.

This is an old solution that exhibits its power in extraordinary undertakings. In his magnificent translation of the I Ching, Richard Wilhelm wrote:

"In dealing with persons as intractable and as difficult to influence as a pig or a fish, the whole secret of success depends on finding the right way of approach. One must first rid oneself of all prejudice and, so to speak, let the psyche of the other person act on one without restraint. Then one will establish contact with him, understand and gain power over him. When a door has thus been opened, the force of one's personality will influence him." [The commentary on "Inner Truth."]

Let us take a real world example and see how this might work. Suppose you are married to someone who seems mentally unstable. She constantly criticizes you, berates you, even beats you, and then shifts into episodes of extreme tenderness and affection. You never know where you stand. You never know what to expect. These shifting moods have nothing to do with you. They are the manifestations of her illness.

You love this person and resolve to help her. You want to use original medicine, so you begin by producing the conditions that provoke the manifestations. When you accomplish this stage, you hold up a mirror.

When the person is angry, you are angry with her, not at her. You join her anger in an exaggerated way. If, for example, she comes home angry from a real or imagined insult, you adopt her view and take it to the extreme. She may be angry with a co-worker, so you become angry too. You throw a tantrum and direct all sorts of venom toward the co-worker. You hatch elaborate plots. You literally engorge yourself with the anger.

To take this subtly, suppose the person comes home and is angry with you. Again, you join her anger and display an even greater anger toward yourself. You strike yourself. You attempt to harm yourself. You scream at the top of your lungs that you hate yourself, and you tell her that her feelings toward you are justified. You are worthless. You are guilty of unimaginable crimes. You cannot be forgiven and you should not be forgiven.

Now, let us take the opposite. The person is very tender and loving, and even remorseful. Again, you join these emotions. You then exaggerate the emotions until they become transparent.

When you accomplish this stage, you hold up a mirror, and you become the person. You duplicate her illness and let her watch. For example: in the midst of your anger -- at the very pinnacle -- you suddenly stop and say, "What am I doing this for? This does not work! There must be something wrong! This must be mental illness! I have to change something!" You then work through "your" distress with her, and allow her to suggest ways to help you.

This is an extremely dangerous game, and you must play it well. Writing of a similar game, the great Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche offered:

"The physician becomes wild, which is terrifying. We do not want to trust a wild doctor or surgeon. But we must." [Chogyam Trungpa, The Myth of Freedom (Boston: Shambhala, 1976)]

Once you start, you cannot just arbitrarily stop if the relationship becomes unpleasant. This is something that must be continued until a successful conclusion is reached. If you try to stop before the illness is resolved, both you and your patient will suffer irreparable harm. This is Vajrayana in action, and the implicit difficulty with Vajrayana is that it leaves no margin for error.

By making the patient's overt emotions your own, you are creating an opportunity for healing that her illness has otherwise prevented. You are letting her watch, in an uncomfortable and frequently challenging fashion, a magic show where she is the star. Her overwhelming self-absorption prevents her from breaking away. You are showing your thus captured audience of one what she looks like, and you are guiding her to understand where her actions will lead.

This approach demands total fearlessness, total acceptance, unconditional love, and absolute strength. To complicate the matter even further, these are qualities that you cannot cultivate, or adopt. You have to let them arise naturally. This approach demands that you must change along with your patient. The anger that she feels cannot be permitted to resonate with any anger that you may feel. The desire that she experiences cannot be allowed to find a resting-place in any desire you may experience. Her delusions cannot join your delusions. One of you must be sane, and that sanity must extend into the insanity you are joining.

The power of original medicine is more than sufficient to sustain you. Indeed, the power of original medicine is such that it can rescue a person from lower realms of existence. Even grave offenses, such as breaking ordination, or transgressing vows, can be mitigated through this power. The key is truthfulness. You must proceed from a clear intention to help others, and you cannot deceive yourself on this point.

Above I use the example of a husband and wife. I do this because treating mental illness with original medicine is not unlike entering a marriage. You marry a bundle of karma. Certain attractions and connections are present. Certain expectations may be present. Issues of trust and confidence are present. There are vows made, tested, and occasionally broken. There is an exchange of power present. There is, or should be, a deep and abiding love that is nonetheless subject to changing means of expression. The shared experiences are intimate. The analogies are endless.

There is a common way to enter a marriage and a useful way. Chogyam Trungpa explained the latter on the occasion of officiating at my own wedding [Barnet, Vermont, 1971.] "Regardless of whether you are extending or renewing or creating a bond between you, a bond is going to exist," he said. "But to be useful, that bond has to be in the context of something that liberates, rather than confines. I am therefore suggesting that you take refuge together." The treatment of mental illness with original medicine should be approached exactly this way.

The transactional methods of intervention I have described can be applied in tandem with physical therapies. A person with extreme anger can, for example, be successfully treated with mKhris-pa therapies and gain a measure of relief. Nevertheless, you will find that the force of habitual tendencies will undermine physical therapies and thus the relief will be superficial. Physical treatment may also have unintended effect.

One example is provided by my close friend. I do not, as of this writing, know if she is a wisdom dakini here to help me, or a manifestation of the yakshas, here to test me. I do not know if I am holding a mirror for her, or she is holding a mirror for me. Our exchanges have been characterized by random violence and voluble emotion. Her symptoms change like a chameleon on a mirror. She is the greatest medical professor I ever had. During one extremely chaotic phase of her mental discomfort -- diagnosed, among other things, as bipolar disorder arising from a disturbance of the menses that involves the lymphatic system -- she proved so distraught that I immediately drove her from Las Vegas to Los Angeles and worked in tandem with with a gifted Chinese doctor. We both understood that her physical discomfort manifests in a liver, kidney, spleen nexus: she is fundamentally a compound rLung mKhris-pa somatype. He employed very aggressive needle therapy to this effect, and within the hour, the patient discharged a clot of old blood and necrotic tissue the size of a quarter dollar in diameter. Her demeanor immediately changed, and she was docile as a lamb for a day and a half. The next evening witness her usual rages and paranoia; these with special vigor, because she was feeling energetic due to the treatment.

Therapeutic Setting

Treating mental illness with original medicine involves a full time commitment. That is one reason why I say it is not well suited to this age. I do not see how it can be accomplished in a traditional doctor-patient setting. The only setting in which it has traditionally been accomplished is that of Vajrayana master and student. As one author proposes, here we have an immediate challenge because, "...many of the particular qualities of common western neuroses such as depression, dependency, and eternal adolescence, present obstacles to forming a healthy relationship to the vajra master." [Rigdzin Dorje, Dangerous Friend: The Teacher-Student Relationship in Vajrayana Buddhism (Boston: Shambhala, 2001) p. 56. Therefore, while to do this inter culturally is difficult enough, to do this cross-culturally requires another layer of real effort.

Another possibility exists in the relationship between a tantric practitioner and his or her consort. An illustration comes from the story of the great master Naropa, who, after a period of bliss, fell into a circumstance of discord with his consort. The traditional version is humorously gentle when it tells us, "he no longer listened to her and she no longer listened to him."

Actually, it would seem that they brawled shamelessly, and frequently. On one occasion, he asked her for a bowl of radishes and cream, and when she was recalcitrant, he went into a meditative state for several years. Upon quitting this state, he asked, "So, where are my radishes?" She replied, "Some yogi you are! All these years and you could not give up the idea of radishes!" Anyone who hears this story would have to agree that Naropa's consort was a practitioner of original medicine.

The fundamental setting for treating mental illness with original medicine is that of indestructible friendship. Such friendship is pricelessly rare, and frequently demands extreme hardship and personal sacrifice. One does not enter this sort of situation easily. Still, it is possible to develop such friendships. In my experience, you do not go looking for them, you just find them. A certain karmic imperative feeds the process.

This indestructible friendship is not necessarily bilateral at all times. Sometimes you have a unilateral friendship with yourself. In the beginning it should be the friendship you have with yourself. In this context, you are initially your own patient, and once you have that relationship enabled you can incorporate other beings. You can take the extreme of having yourself as your patient to the extreme of having every living being as your patient.

In this instance the meditation on the Healing Buddha might take a different form, with an extended preliminary meditation on the cultivation of loving kindness, and the candid acceptance of our own mental illness. We are willing to share this condition with others because we want to help them. We can then contemplate our mental constructs as being fundamentally pure, and relate these to the appearance of everything else. We can merge our minds with the mind of the Healing Buddha and let this now-uncontrived healing spaciousness be as it is. We can dissolve the very idea of the Healing Buddha and relax into the pure, blue sky. We can even stop that and believe we have no position at all. We are in a condition where everything we require is always available.

We can invent this condition or it can be invented for us. On one illustrative occasion, I was intoxicated and sobbing on the telephone with someone I barely knew -- nothing is served by concealing or minimizing one's humanity. As it happened, this was a young girl of no obvious distinction. I had spoken with her maybe two or three times previously, and barely knew her. There was no particular relationship between us, as she was merely interpreting a family argument (language difficulties!).

Reaching the height of useless emotion, I appealed to her for help, and she replied, "Just put down the phone, walk outside, look up at the center of the sky, then come back and talk to me. I will wait for you." With these words, I remembered the continuity of my teacher's mind, and I did as she asked.

That was original medicine, and she was a master practitioner.

If you set out to engage someone's mental illness, using the methods I have described, you cannot afford to make assumptions about your own sanity and you cannot make assumptions about theirs. You have to erase any notions of a distinction between you. More accurately, you have to trust original medicine enough to let distinctions dissolve of their own accord.

While I have fluently empathized with people occupying high social positions -- powerful political figures, and wealthy cultural celebrities --- most of the people I see could be labeled as gangsters, prostitutes, policemen, soldiers, priests, habitual drunkards, drug addicts, dissatisfied wives, murderers, cast-off husbands, cult practitioners, and individuals living a socially marginal existence. This could be a fertile field for cultivating distinctions, but that field would be a minefield. Sometimes I hear terrible things, even frightening things, but I enter each worldview as it presents itself. I am always reminded of the marvelous admission by Kyabje Kunzang Dorje Rinpoche: "Among my greatest Lamas I include a butcher, a prostitute, and a bandit."

Sometimes the experience is extraordinarily painful. While this presents a opportunity to recreationally interact with all the things we may have been in the past, or might be in the future, it does not lessen the shock of uselessness arising from that interaction. There is seemingly a karmic connection between us, and sometimes that forces us to question ourselves very deeply. We wonder what, in the past, gives rise to a connection with so many widely different personalities from so many walks of life.

There can be only one answer. All that we have been follows us.

The thing is to stay focused on this business. If you go about speculating on the nuances, you will lose the thread of what you are trying to accomplish. If you find yourself repeatedly drawn into such speculation, a useful counteragent is to cultivate the belief that you are meeting people for the first time. You therefore strive to engender a connection that is wholesome and beneficial.

An important precaution is in order at this point. While you dance with passions, and embrace passions, you cannot permit yourself to work out your own problems at someone else's expense. Nothing I have written thus far should be construed to permit or condone this event.

You can use the practice of original medicine to instruct yourself, but in the case of treating someone else's mental illness, you cannot use the interaction to treat yourself as well.

This is a fine point. By joining your wife's anger, you certainly learn something about your own anger. To an even finer point, it may be that the patient you treat is actually treating you. However, you cannot join her anger with the intention to resolve your anger. This would be like pouring water into an already overflowing container. The mere presence of anger is going to take up all the available space.

If you want to resolve your own anger, it would be better to get unreasonably angry with a perfect stranger. You would quickly see the futility and the result, you would be exhausted, and you would want to abandon anger as rapidly as possible.

In any event, joining anger for selfish purposes is a non-meritorious action and you will face the compound result of your anger and your failure of compassionate intention.

The successful treatment of mental illness with original medicine ultimately depends on the patient, not the skill of the practitioner. The only "skill" is patience. You can use three corners to describe a square, and wait for the patient to discover the fourth corner.

To be candid, some people are so obscured and deluded that you can only pray for them. You should therefore select candidates for transactional methods with extreme care. This is, of course, unless you are utterly fearless, in which case you can take on all comers. In either event, you are establishing a bond and where that leads depends on your perception. The people you treat will leave you, perhaps in conditions of great bitterness and recrimination, attended by all sorts of controversy. Yet, if your intentions are pure, the havoc that treatment produced in both your lives will ultimately have a beneficial result. If your intentions were otherwise, tacitly or implicitly, the results will be problematic.

-o-o-o-o-o-

I wrote the above in the summer of 2002. May it be auspicious.

The Courage of Kalu Rinpoche

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 19:55:00 +0000

Astrology for Tibetan New Year 2012 (Extended)

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 07:42:00 +0000

The lunar year 2012 into 2013 is the Year of the Male Water Dragon (chu-pho 'brug-lo), and is generally considered to be an eventful, "mixed blessing" year: Gawa, or "Happiness." Chinese and Tibetan lunar calendars often differ in the first day of the first month. Accordingly, in Chinese and Vietnamese practice, this lunar year commences on January 23, 2012, corresponding to the 30th day of the 11th Kalachakra month. The first day of the Tibetan New Year is February 22, 2012, or Losar 2139.

The chief value of the following post lies in the calculations. Ordinarily, these calculations are the result of a laborious process, but here you have them at your fingertips, already done for you. Is it better or worse if you don't have to work for it?

I gave what I regard as a suitable explanation and introduction to the detailed nuances of yearly astrology, and the relative meanings, in our remarks for 2009. Rather than repeat myself, I would suggest that you click back to 2009, read the post, and then click back here to discover what has changed. I imagine that 2010 will already be too familiar for many of you. Nevertheless, if there are terms or concepts in the following that are strange to you, consult my comments for 2009.

Be all that as it may, let us begin with the geomantic indicators. This year, the opportune passageway is observed at South and West, and here are the positions occupied by our sa-bdag friends, from rje-blon nyer-drug ma-bu 'khor:

1) King The-se - Southeast (also hidden spirit Ba-dan)

2) Queen Hang-ne - Southeast

3) Queen Mother The-khyem - East

4) Crown Prince Te-so - East

5) Royal Minister Tsang-kun - North

6) Royal Astrologer Se-ba bla-mkhyen - Northwest (also inner at North, secretly at Northeast)

7) Royal Dog Walker Hang-phan ser-po bya-ra-ba - South

8) Royal Treasurer Se-byi - Northwest

9) Royal Bodyguard-Assassin Se-shar - Southwest

10) Royal Horse Se-ba rang-rta - North

11) Royal Groom Se'u rta-khrid - North

12) Royal Timekeeper Se-bya - East

13) Royal Upholsterer Sa-bdag se-bu gdan-'ding - Southeast

14) Royal Policeman Se-lo sa-'chag kungs-myul - Northeast

15) Royal Sweeper Se-lo sa-'phyag - Southwest

16) Royal Dog Hal-khyi nag-po - South

17) Princess dKar-sham - South

18) Prince sBal-te (her husband - the royal son-in-law) - South

19) General Vang-ging dmarpo - Northwest

20) General Tsang-kun - Southeast

21) Adjutant Tsang-kun 'phye'o - Northeast

22) Dog-headed Assistant Tsang-kun khyi-mgo - Northeast

23) Advisor Bla-mkhyen phe'u - Northwest

24) Scorpion-head Zin 'phung - West

25) Venomous Pi-ling - West

26) Chief of the Eleven Ministers of the King (symbolizing them) - North

The containing note for 2012 is running water (alternatively, "silver river"). The body element (lus: water -- basically the same thing) originates from the turtle's urine. The other basics of the year are its srog, or vitality (earth); the dbang-thang, or destiny (water); the rlung-ta, or luck (wood), and the khyams-nyid, or actual luck (wood). To get a bit more technical, the zla-klung-gi gza'gnyis are Mars and Wood Horse, and the destiny/vitality relationship is Kha-val.

Our magic numbers this year are skye-me, or natal, as Red 9 (upper metreng); srog-sme, or vitality, as Blue 3 (middle metreng); dbang-sme, or destiny, as White 6 (lower metreng).

If Dragon women wish to get married this year, they should do so in the Snake month.

Because I favor elemental astrology, it is difficult for me to make general predictions about how the various "animals" will fare in this Year of the Water Dragon. Anyone who tells you they can is deceiving you. For example: there is a traditional notion that the Ox and Dog may experience challenges this year. You will see statements like this everywhere, but you cannot always accept them as valid.

Why is this?

There are twelve animals and five elements, for a total of sixty possibilities. Each of these sixty possibilities must be evaluated in terms of five elements, for a total of 300 possibilities. Each of these 300 possibilities has five possibilities, for a total of 1,500 possibilities. Therefore, anybody who says, "Oh, the Mouse will be lucky this year," is engaging in crass generalization. What they should be saying is "Oh, the Fire Mouse exhibits the following five relationships in this, the year of the Water Dragon."

Some astrologers do not care for Water Dragon years. They reason that Earth is the essential element of the Dragon, and the enemy of Water is Earth, so a Water Dragon is fraught with internal conflict. Since other interpretations are certainly possible, I would counsel you to take your clue from the energies of 2012 as set forth herein. Please take note that as a general rule, astrological indications are rendered highly flexible by Dharma practice.

What shall I say about Dragons? Born "opera singers?" Histrionic? Explosive? Extroverted? Here are some examples, so you be the judge: John Lennon, Al Pacino, Nicholas Cage, Russell Crowe, Shirley Temple, Joan of Arc, Salvador Dali, Sigmund Freud, Bruce Lee, Keanu Reeves, Florence Nightingale, Susan B. Anthony, Mae West, and Sandra Bullock were all born in the Year of the Dragon.

Many Chinese believe this is the most auspicious year in which to have children, although problem pregnancies may be seen. The folk astrology of both China and Tibet indicates that Dragons in general are charismatic, magically powerful, and occasionally what we might call "wonderful hot heads." On the negative side, they can be arrogant, insensitive, and ruthless. Their ideal careers are found in trial law, advertising, invention, military and politics, religion, or in the arts as actors or singers. In business, they are suited to public relations. The ideal companions are those born in the year of the Mouse, Monkey, or Pig. They will wish to avoid significant relationships with the Ox, Horse, Dog, Sheep, or Tiger.

In particular, Water Dragons are considered egotistical spendthrifts, with more than a share of pride and family problems. Notable characteristics are a necessity to change residence many times, to be plagued by foolish relatives, and harsh language. They often have a clear birthmark or mole, and have deaf or mute ancestors somewhere in the family line.

Water Dragons can be successful in sports, particularly archery. They will have one or five children. Their average lifespan is sixty-two years. They will face six major obstacles. Dragon dharma practitioners can be dramatically successful. Among practitioners, H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche was a Dragon.

For 2012, I would recommend that Dragons pay attention to travel arrangements, relocation issues, and finances.

Year before last I wrote:

The last Iron Tiger year, 1950, saw the beginning of the end of Tibetan Buddhism as it had been known for centuries prior. To a certain extent, this became possible because of degeneration and fighting in the Tibetan Buddhist institutions themselves. The year 2010 will witness extreme tension between unorthodox expressions of Tibetan Buddhism -- those which are against the grain, permissive or culturally diluted -- and the ancient energies that have been offended by such extreme views. Again, please remember what I have told you: that which provokes you to anger in 2010 aims to bring about your destruction. As difficult as it may be, you must withdraw from such provocations.

And, last year I wrote:

In many, many ways, 2011 is an entire year of coping with that which came into being during 2010.

My thought is that 2012 will be an entire year of coping with that which came into being in 2010 and 2011, with emphasis on the latter. The key to this year is spiritual growth: a shifting away from insular values to global values. I feel there will be at least one extremely dramatic "world-altering" event that will influence us for many years to come. Travel and international relations will be in the forefront, whether conventionally, or as symbolized by increased use of the Internet to foster growth and change. Indeed, there will most definitely be "change," but not everyone will be happy. Conflicts of the "flare-up," or "brush fire" type are strongly indicated. Change will be rapid and unpredictable.

I can foresee issues with North Korea and Iran. I do not see how conflict in Uddiyana can be avoided. There will be violence associated with terrorism, and violence associated with repression. A military "show of force" is highly likely, and may extend to the nuclear realm.

Finance will be a constant theme throughout the year. There will likely be wide fluctuation, and high-profile bankruptcy. Markets will become volatile. You can expect China to make bold moves this year, as they begin to experience some of the challenges of their overheated economy. There will be incredible competition for natural resources and raw materials. Firms that recycle will see windfall profits, as they benefit from legislation. The environment will also make headlines several times during the year, particularly in the area of floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

There will be incredible advances and inventions in science and technology, and the possibility of a medical breakthrough.

On the downside, this year can see challenges in the entertainment industry, and a sudden jump in the divorce rate.

I feel this is a year characterized by spiritual evolution, perhaps precipitated by events that lead us to discard materialism or the status quo -- and these may be dramatic events indeed -- so, in balance, call this a challenging year of growth, when values change.

As a personal aside, thank you for continued support of Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar during our own challenges during 2011.

Keywords: Tibetan New Year, Year of the Dragon, Chinese New Year, Tibetan Astrology 2012, Losar, Water Dragon, Asian Astrology, Chinese Astrology 2012, Astrology, Dragon, 2012, Lunar New Year, Dragon Year.

Dudjom Rinpoche's Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:51:00 +0000

Today, 12 January 2012, we are celebrating the Anniversary of Dudjom Rinpoche (1904 - 1987), although I believe, subject to correction, that he passed away on 17 January.

Before, the Vidyadhara Nuden Dorje

In the future, the Sugata Mopa Thaye

Now, the representative of Pema Jungne, Drogben himself,

Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, to you I pray!

Feed the Rabbit

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:22:00 +0000

Author Lucille Moore has given us a wonderful new book entitled Rabbit Nutrition and Nutritional Healing (USD $15.95 from Amazon). What to feed the little stinkers is actually a complicated subject, raising more questions than one might suppose. This book has a comfortable margin of useful answers, and clarifying advice, all written in non-technical language. An excellent one volume survey of an important aspect of rabbit care (the rabbits think it is the most important aspect).

By the way -- the bunny nose, above, is from Julie Behm of Quirky Bunny.

Light the Darkness

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:01:00 +0000

A former monk named Kirk Grissom, from Oakland, California, has succeeded where others have failed. He has begun production of superb quality electric butter lamps, now available for immediate purchase.

Oh, happy day.

As we have observed elsewhere, butter lamps have destroyed more Buddhist institutions than the Red Guard. They are the bane of the novice's existence, and a trap for the accident prone. While there is a deeply symbolic content to the traditional offering -- and rather an important teaching -- the fact is, butter lamps can be dangerous.

I have 108 of them that I use on various occasions, set up in a room where the rabbits like to sleep. After a few days, I noticed that all the white rabbits suddenly had black mustaches -- from breathing the air in the room with smoking butter lamps. This was a horror to me.

Kirk's innovation spares the rabbit noses. His lamps have flickering LED lights that burn forever, and consume only a minuscule amount of electricity. They are extraordinarily well made, one at a time, with obvious care and love.

Please support the idea. Kirk Grissom has the DTBA Seal of Approval on this one.

In Praise of Western Medicine

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:46:00 +0000

For most of my life, I have expressed disdain for Western medicine. I went out of my way to avoid contact -- with Western pharmaceuticals in particular -- and embraced Asian medical traditions, such as those of Tibet, China, and India. The practice actually served me rather well, so I saw no reason to admit any worth to Big Medicine.

Until, one day, I was forced into the clutches of Big Medicine in all its glory. A classic, All-American "widow maker" heart attack was narrowly defeated by heroic measures in a Southern California hospital.

This was the same heart attack that killed my father, so as I recovered, I thought of how he would have been saved if he had access to the same treatment that saved me. I thought of the tens of millions of dollars invested in the cardiac cath labs of today, and of the research that made them possible. Perhaps, somewhere, my father's death had served a purpose in that research, if only as a statistic.

During my heart attack, an interventional cardiologist placed a drug eluting stent in my left anterior descending artery. The heart was quite damaged -- the whole front wall died -- but the stent proved an effective aide.

Last March, I suffered what appeared to the EKG to be a mild anterolateral infarction. As the stent keeps LAD wide open, it was reasoned that LAD's lateral branches were at fault. Because the conditions of care were less than optimal, I was stabilized, and no intervention was made.

This past Friday, I was admitted to hospital with chest pains. Cardiac catheterization revealed a 90% blockage of OM circumflex. Another drug eluting stent was inserted, after which I quickly recovered. A second heart attack was thus narrowly averted.

So, now I have my two stents, and a lifelong prescription for Plavix -- a wonder drug with an iron-clad patent -- which costs $220.00 per month (that is the discount price), and there are no generics on any horizon. Together with low-dose aspirin, this protocol keeps my ticker ticking for the benefit of all other ticking tickers.

In the first instance, my life was saved by a Taiwanese doctor; in the second, I was treated by a doctor from Mumbai. They both express disdain for Asian medical traditions and embrace Western medicine wholeheartedly.

My "whole heart" is done with disdain. When you pull out of those steep dives, you level off loving everybody.

Especially the readers of DTBA. I have missed you very much.

[Endnote: The doctor wants me to stay calm for a month, after which we may or may not be doing another surgical procedure. So, I apologize in advance for being a little slow with the 2012 Water Dragon astrology. For those of you who cannot wait: "Water" and "Dragon." Get the picture?]

[Update: A friend in Canada reports that generic Plavix is available for $39.47 for a month's supply! That is incredible, seeing as how I just spent $55.00 for a week's supply. How is health care in America being served by denying us the ability to purchase pharmaceuticals on world markets?]

(Not Quite) Back In the Saddle

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:13:00 +0000

Anybody can ride the tame ones.

"Begin each day by telling yourself: 'Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will and selfishness. All of them due to the offenders' ignorance of what is good and evil.'" --Marcus Aurelius, 165 AD

Has anybody ever figured out why we use the verb "yakking" to describe idle speech? Think it has anything to do with our friend Bos grunniens? Since the gyag (yak) is of the family Bovidae, perhaps this is a way to politely evoke what some people might call "bullshit."

I doubt this can be defended. In the host culture, bovine excrement is highly regarded for numerous beneficial properties, and put in wide industry. In our culture, bullshit does not enjoy the same value, hence our use of the term is derogatory.

I was thinking about the Ajanta caves the other day: recalling a painting of a monkey riding on a buffalo's back -- it might as well be a yak -- sporting with the buffalo by covering his eyes. You know, we do this in jocular, peekaboo fashion; coming up behind a friend, covering their eyes with our hands, to see if they can guess who it is.

In Ajanta, the naughty monkey is depicted taunting a buffalo who is actually Buddha -- in one of his former lifetimes -- so the Buddha-buffalo bodhisattva indulges monkeyshines with good nature. As we are all seen to be relaxing long enough to become one of Maitreya's protons, the Buddha-buffalo exercises infinite patience with the monkey's business.

Of course, the monkey was to an extent enabled by this. He kept coming up with even more devilish annoyances.

A nearby tree spirit disliked the monkey's antics, and advised Buddha-buffalo bodhisattva to do for the monkey right and proper. The Buddha-buffalo bodhisattva declined, saying:

"Inflicting grief on others to overcome one's own discomfort is no virtue, as the result of such acts shall not bear the fruits of true happiness."

Some days passed by, and the Buddha-buffalo bodhisattva wandered away, to be replaced by a buffalo of savage temperament. Thinking, "a buffalo is a buffalo: they're all alike," the monkey started up as usual, only to be gored and trampled to death. The story puts it straight:

"The monkey was thus killed in no time."

Indeed, he was. Thinking of the Jataka tale thus illustrated on the wall at Ajanta, it came to me that there has been way too much yakking on Internet about a seeming controversy between a Nameless Person and myself.

Heretofore, only one version of the story has been heard, much of it penned -- with considerable vitriol -- by one of Nameless Person's henchmen: a deeply deluded "ordained Buddhist monk" from Nameless Person's Temple of Cognitive Dissonance. Many things that seem intended to bedevil were written and widely promulgated by this busy fellow -- one of Nameless Person's top lieutenants, and trusted ghostwriter -- who was of course trying to keep monkey paws over your eyes.

Thubten Rinchen Palzang of KPC

(John Buhmeyer)

So here lies the moral dilemma: friends and family (and many of our readers) are dismayed that I rarely respond with what could be called, "my side of the story." Pointedly, they ask if I could please, from time to time, explain why I do certain things in a certain way that might appear unusual.

Thubten Rinchen Palzang of KPC

(John Buhmeyer as he appears in booking photograph)

I think responding with "my side of the story" is unnecessary. However, after considering the matter quite deeply -- whether deep enough I leave to you -- I have come to believe that explaining "why" is not altogether out of bounds, even when that explanation might seem inappropriate.

The issue of what is or is not "appropriate" is of course being defined and delimited anew with every tick of the clock. In this context, we see the case U.S.A. vs Cassidy, which asks the question, "Is it permissible to instruct a naughty monkey by holding up mirrors that reflect the monkey's own behavior toward others?" The answer, of course, being supplied by the now famous decision by Judge Titus, that yes, indeed, it is not only permissible, it is protected. In addition to protecting free speech on the Internet -- whether yakking or not -- the decision also clarifies aspects of the sometimes antinomian character of Buddhist instruction.

In that celebrated case, words appearing on the Internet -- some mine, some attributed to me -- caused "emotional distress" to the author of the following words:

"The Buddha taught each person the nature of their own mind by showing them their poison, by ripening in their mind their potential for enlightenment, by shoving down their throat their own garbage, by giving them teaching that touched them in their language."

One questions how the author of that questionable interpretation explains the hypocrisy of squealing when she is touched in her own language. We might note she is also the author of this statement, of which I have been openly critical (albeit, and to be fair, more than likely ghostwritten):

"It is typical of the activity of the dakini to hit where it hurts, to get you where you live, to create for you a method by which you can try to run, but the road in front of you is turned around so that you can only run in a circle right back and it is as tricky and convoluted and sneaky as your own mind. It will rub your face in your shit. It will make you eat your own poison. But eventually, with faith and devotion, you will come out of it enlightened."

So, yes... it is permissible, but is it wise?

Enough yakking. At her invitation, I once had occasion to investigate certain aspects of Nameless Person's life and "tweaching" ("teaching" on Twitter), together with the conduct of her organization and partisans. My investigation unearthed some deeply troubling elements of information, which I brought to her attention.

Rather than respond well to criticism, Nameless Person and her crew set to work "dirtying up the witness." They had things they wished to keep hidden, and when I failed to respond to their gibes, I imagine that I empowered them to bury their secrets all the more.

But, buffalos are not alike.

This is the other horn of the moral dilemma. If I had handled this differently, might I have prevented a minor from being molested by Nameless Person's henchman? Might I have prevented the henchman from being gored and trampled? On November 3, 2011, he began serving a 20 year minimum mandatory sentence. He will be 86 years old before he is eligible for parole.

Nameless Person knew about her henchman's problems, but she failed to do anything about it. I personally warned her, but she failed to respond. I did everything I could to warn others, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Nameless Person and her apologists did everything in their power to spin control a cover-up. They even went so far as to trick a young and relatively inexperienced FBI special agent, who specializes in investigation of crimes against children, to support squid tactics aimed to protect this man. That is not ironic. That is pitiable.

On the Court Docket in July 2011,

but he knew he was guilty back in October 2010

Human tragedies like this are dismantling Catholic institutions at an alarming rate. Are Buddhists next in line? I wonder what the Palyul lineage will do when they find their entire institution hauled into a federal courtroom, and -- because they knew the danger and failed to act -- handed a multi-million dollar judgment for damages? Not only in this case, but in a related case, where -- with Nameless Person's explicit advice and consent (see below) -- an otherwise innocuous man on the Internet was attacked and vilified by the henchman, and victimized by a cynical frame-up. That frame-up culminated in a dubious FBI raid on the poor fellow's premises, and irreparable injury. Here again, punitives are likely to run into the millions, and high-powered personal injury firms are standing in line for a piece of the action.

While people were busy "protecting Nyingma," who was protecting the rest of us? Please think carefully, and knock off the bullshit.

DTBA, August 2009

Emotional Distress

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 22:48:00 +0000

“The behavior of ghosts and harmers is weird.”

—Jigme Lingpa

We heard quite a bit about "emotional distress" in 2011, so it seems a fit topic for this moment’s notice as we begin 2012. Most of the groundwork has already been done for us by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. With few exceptions, Rinpoche understood more about Westerners and their neuroses (as well as their psychoses) than any lama before or since.

Trungpa Rinpoche took many slices, but the one we want to acknowledge now is differentiation of emotional distress as possession by dons (there should be an umlaut over the “o” but I can’t find it on this keyboard):

“The word don means a sense or experience of something around us that suddenly makes us unreasonably fearful, unreasonably angry and aggressive, unreasonably horny and passionate, or unreasonably mean.”

Seems like an elegantly direct definition of what we call “emotional distress,” doesn’t it?

So, when confronting these dons — and we sometimes see that translated as “spirits,” or more often, “ghosts” — we have deceived ourselves into believing our unreasonable fear, anger, aggression, horniness, and meanness are due to something external.

Just as we grasp at the deity, believing the deity to be separate and apart from us, so, too, do we grasp at ghosts.

We come to believe that our fear, anger, aggression, horniness, and meanness are discrete, justifiable, mental events that occur in response to something individual and distinct from our somehow “unique” being.

This is a common affliction among those who have yet to experience emptiness, and have yet to honestly exercise the compassion that naturally arises from that experience. Compassion need not be contrived; moreover, compassion must not be contrived.

We see this all the time, and it is of course upsetting to everyone involved. Someone can be standing on a roof, howling, “I am so compassionate,” and then in the next moment, jump down off the roof and hide under the bed, whining, “I am so afraid.”

Thus do we quickly see their dishonesty.

Fortunately, there is a complete cure, and that is to stop hiding from naturally occurring realization of the nature of one’s mind — stop fighting it off with all sorts of mumbo-jumbo, or scaring it off by grabbing and clawing.

In fact, many of us are hiding. Maybe we come out only long enough to see the psychiatrist, get some more back-brain depressant — or visit the liquor store or drug dealer for more back-brain depressant — and thus fortified, we scuttle back under any convenient metaphor like fat crabs under a rock. Oh! That would be a metaphor hiding beneath another metaphor, wouldn’t it?

If we were to instead give the teachings our full attention, maybe this whole don business would cease to be adversarial. Maybe, instead of running away, we could learn to offer them tormas. While we are making those tormas, we might begin to think about our hidden and not-so-hidden neuroses. We might make a decision to cultivate them. We might issue them an invitation. If we are truly compassionate, we might collect them and take them along whilst we seek refuge.

“And we should invite them back, the ups and downs of those sudden attacks of neurosis. It is quite dangerous: wives might be afraid of getting black eyes again and again, and husbands might have fears of being unable to enter their home and have a good dinner. But it is still important to invite them again and again, to realize their possibilities. We are not going to get rid of them.”

Trungpa Rinpoche also wrote something else that seems particularly useful these days:

“Having offered your neurosis or taken refuge, you begin to commit yourself as a traveler on the path rather than as any big deal or moneymaker on the path. All these processes somehow connect together. And finally, there is no hope and no fear: ‘If there is hope, let our hope subside; if there is any fear, may our fear subside as well.’”

This is very good news for people who announce their fears to themselves, or the world at large, no matter it is legitimate or just another publicity stunt. This is good news indeed for depressed fat crabs who feel they are a “big deal or moneymaker” in the context of Buddhism as it was practiced in Tibet. Don’t you think it is better to be fearless? When you become truly fearless you can feed ghosts with no problem. You can invite them over for tea and sympathy. If you tell them to bring the gyalpos along, you will need more folding chairs than a Beverly Hills bar mitzvah.

The book we’ve been quoting from is Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving Kindness. This was published in 1993, based upon Trungpa Rinpoche’s earlier work with the so-called Kadampa slogans, in which he engaged from 1981 until a year before his death in 1987.

This is a great little book for beginners, and even better for those who feel they don’t need beginner’s books.

Grass Soldiers

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:10:00 +0000

"Riding an elephant and carrying a sword and shield, he struck all the trees, saying, 'Enter the battle.' At once, all the trees became soldiers, as did the grass and the bushes."

-- said of Tilopa, Khenpo Konchog Gyaltsen,

The Great Kagyu Masters: The Golden Lineage Treasury

While I was chained up, I sometimes made the mistake of thinking about other places. This usually leads to all sorts of anxiety, and is in fact rather a flaw in one's meditation. So, I tried not to do this too often, which is of course another mistake in one's meditation. Better to let things dissolve naturally, chains or no chains. After a while, I stopped caring and let the thoughts liberate themselves quite effortlessly, without trying to herd the rabbits in any particular direction.

Still, things kept cropping up, and of these, the stupa was top of the list. I wanted to give it the yearly coat of fresh paint, and gold leaf. I wanted to groom the surrounding mandala. Although, when you get right down to it, stupas protect themselves, I had an idea this one needed extra protection.

When I returned, I went immediately to the stupa. I was astonished to see the mandala walkways completely overgrown with a Tibetan medicinal herb -- khur mong to be precise. The herb was interspersed with spiky, knee-high plants, arrayed like soldiers, with fixed bayonets pointing outward.

The stupa is in the middle of the high desert, at an altitude of 3,123 feet, cut into the slope of an ancient alluvial fan. Khur mong doesn't grow around here. Precious little of anything besides cactaceae grows around here, so khur mong is the last thing you would expect to see.

If the constellations get right, if it is in accord with the times, and I can find somebody to drive me out there again, I might harvest the herb for medicial use.

I would love to publish a photograph but it seems the cameras have gone missing. Check back, as I am working on appropriate illustration.

P.S.

Upon close examination, it seems the rabbits turned the mandala into a salad bar and lounge!

So here is how it looks. You might at first think it is a double exposure, or other trick of the camera, but when you examine closely you understand. The dark green you see is the khur mong, and the "light" plants are the "grass soldiers." Usually, I keep this stupa in spotless condition, but in this particular case one hesitates to start yanking up "weeds." I notice the young jackrabbits are parking out there at night, munching on the greens.

Making History

noreply@blogger.com (Editor) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 20:05:00 +0000

Makes you proud to be an American...

On the morning of February fifteenth of this year (2011), federal officers came to the desert, and arrested me on the complaint of a person for whom I held up a mirror.

"When we hear only language that is foul and abusive,
This is the wheel of sharp weapons returning
Full circle upon us for wrongs we have done.
Till now we have said many things without thinking;
We have slandered and caused many friendships to end.
Hereafter, let's censure all thoughtless remarks.
--Dharmaraksita, The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

The complaint states that words attributed to my authorship -- some righteously so, some disingenuously so -- published on Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar, and somehow associated with me on Twitter, caused Nameless Person such emotional distress that she sought the attention of a psychiatrist. Presumably, her search refers to what the late Thinley Norbu describes as, "...a state of mind sought through the methods of nihilist psychology and psychiatry, which are always limited because they only switch from one material state to another material state and never go beyond suffering."

Regardless, thus was I arrested for speech attributed to me, not for conduct attributed to me. Concurrent with my arrest, federal officers raided the residence of someone I have never met -- someone I simply do not know -- who, nevertheless, published statements on the Internet groundlessly attributed to me; or, in the alternative, were interpreted as being supportive of or sympathetic to me. Again, the complaint alleges mere words caused "emotional distress," and claims that Nameless Person became so depressed she could not leave the house for one year.

"Depressed and forlorn, when we feel mental anguish,
This is the wheel of sharp weapons returning
Full circle upon us from wrongs we have done.
Till now we have said many things without thinking;
Hereafter, le's take on this suffering ourselves."
---Dharmaraksita, The Wheel of Sharp Weapons

I was taken hence from California and flown across the country to Baltimore, Maryland -- a city I have never visited -- where I was held in the custody of the U.S. Marshal. On the second day there, I became quite ill, and was admitted to Mercy Hospital, and later, Bon Secours Hospital, for subsequent tests and surgeries. This was followed by a difficult period of recovery. Truth be told, I still don't feel tip-top.

In April 2011, following a heaing, the U.S. Magistrate ruled that I was releasable from custody, but would have to remain on the East Coast. Since I had no place to go, I decided to remain in prison. It is ironic that, despite there being no Detention Order against me, I was held in maximum security on Maryland's old Death Row. The size of the cell does not matter. What is the size of mind?

Writing words that cause emotional distress -- not threats, mind you -- is not what my case is really all about. My case is about whether or not the government, in the person of its special agents, has the right or the ability to unilaterally decide what is or is not acceptable speech in the context of Vajrayana Buddhism.

"'Naropa,' [Tilopa] said another day. 'I need a lot of money. Go and steal me some.' So Naropa went off to steal money from a rich man, but was caught in the act. He was seized, beaten, and again left for dead. Several days passed before Tilopa arrived and asked him, 'Are you in pain?'"
--- Patrul Rinpoche, Kuzang Lam'I Shelung

If Marpa were around today, could he be prosecuted for causing Milarepa emotional distress? We want to remember that Milarepa was driven to the brink of suicide. If Tilopa were alive today, could he be charged with conspiracy for inciting Naropa? If one asks to look into the spiritual master's mirror, and is dissatisfied with the reflection, does one have the right to call the FBI and beg them to come smash the mirror? Putting labels on emptiness is dangerous enough: it is why we suffer. Putting limits on liberative technique renders every lama liable to law enforcemnt. Do you like that?

Tethered in Baltimore, my case proceeded on vigorous Constitutional grounds, while I spent time in timelessness. People commonly say that prisoners "do time;" but, since I am my own prisoner, I say "spend." This was the first case of its kind in U.S. history, so it seemed a reasonable, if not worthy, expense.

"Neither contempt, abusive speech, nor disgrace harms the body. Why then, mind, do you become angry?"
--- Santideva, Bodhicaryavatara.

All around the world, there are prisoners of conscience who, inspired by our Constitution and the principles it represents, spend time challenging their own environments. They may or may not completely realize that our freedoms are not static; rather,our freedoms demand continual testing and maintenance.

In Tibet, for example, many lamas -- thousands, really -- have died or been imprisoned for expressing the ideals of free speech and freedom of religion. Others have made the arduous journey across mountains and rivers to live as refugees, looking to us as a place where oppression ends.

To them, and to all sentient beings, I dedicate my incarceration.

"Even if someone denigrates you in various ways, spreading slander throughout the three-thousandfold universe, to extoll her qualities with a loving mind is the practice of a bodhisattva."
--- Gyalse Tokme, Thirty-Seven Practices of a Bodhisattva.

I freely admit that I have a somewhat unusual view of these matters, but I do not knowingly conduct myself lawlessly for the sake of lawlessness. Through counsel, on October 4, 2011, I argued a motion to dismiss the entire criminal indictment. I am pleased to say that the prestigious Electronic Frontier Foundation also filed an amicus brief on my behalf. The matter was taken under submission, and on December 15, 2011, U.S. District Court Judge Roger W. Titus issued a twenty-seven page Memorandum of Opinion in favor of my view, and dismissed the entire case. He wrote:

"The First Ammendment protects speech even when the subject or manner of expression is uncomfortable and challenges conventional religious beliefs, political attitudes, or standards of good taste...

"Indeed, the Supreme Court has consistently classified emotionally distressing or outrageous speech as protected, especially where that speech touches on matters of political, religious, or public concern."

In such fashion did our humble Digital Tibetan Buddhist Altar establish historic precedent, and make case law that will exist far into the future. In such fashion did your now-withered Tenpa Rinpoche stumble into the sunlight on December 22, 2011.

Standing up to Nameless Person's relentless bullying, and the grinding machinations of government officials she deceived with cries of "Wolf!" made certain demands upon time, energy, and resource. Meeting the legal challenges took some real lawyering. I was so very fortunate to be represented by Ebise Bayisa, Esq., Lauren Case, Esq., Sean Gordon, and Michelle Williams; to be assisted by Holland & Knight LLP of Washington, D.C., Charles D. Tobin, Esq., and Drew Shankman, Esq; to be supported by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Matthew Zimmerman, Esq., Marcia Hofmann, Esq., and Hanni Fakhoury, Esq. I was fortunate, too, to have loving students, sponsors, and friends who did not fold when the going got rough. Special thanks to J. Crow, Chokyi Dorje, Malcolm Smith, Laura Angel, and Alastair Gager. Thanks also to the hundreds of people who wrote in to express support. Please note: If you experience harassment from a certain quarter after being named herein, please let me know.

These days I am feeling the effects of close custody, illness, and trauma. I am not whining, or saying, "poor me." Some people set out to throw some mischief my way, so I am just giving them the satisfaction of hearing the mischief landed. Of course, if the following really does bring satisfaction, maybe you should reconsider your practice, and your motivation.

I lost fifty pounds, had four surgeries, and gained a palette of eight new "lifetime" medicines. I lost my beloved rabbits. I lost all of my teeth, all of my income, my insurance, and the FJ Cruiser. I lost my motorcycle and my quad. I am now on foot in the desert, six miles to the library and six miles back. I lost all of my computers, cameras, and cell phones. I have no food, no communications, no money whatsoever, and I am about to run out of medication. My close retinue dissolved in sorrow. My former personal attendant is ill, out of work, thoroughly distressed, and to use her words, "broke and broken," having endured my arrest, the death of her father, the impending death of her mother, and relentless abuse from Nameless Person's "sangha." In some ways it is manageable, in others it is troublesome. For the first time in my life, I have been forced to ask for help.

Friends of mine has set up a relief fund. They are trying to obtain another four-wheel drive for me, and are taking steps to assist with other matters noted above. If you feel like you want to help, contact jcrow[at]jcrow[dot]com.

I am alone out here, and not really in the best of circumstances. Close custody is stressful, I am over sixty, and it takes a while to process no matter who you are. If you would like to visit me, I would welcome you. I need some help getting the place in shape, the puja room opened up, and some help with the stupas. There is also a chance I will be arrested again -- in connection with some sort of revenge or appeal -- so I want to hear from any potential new attendants, to whom I can entrust logistic support and general caretaking. It takes a devout practitioner, a sense of humor, and a full-time social worker's skills. Just write to rinpoche2006[at]gmail[dot]com and tell me what you have in mind.

Sounds needy and greedy doesn't it? Bear in mind, I am not making any specific requests of anyone. I am just giving you the parameters of the problem by way of a situation report. I hesitated to do this, but then I asked myself, "... if it happened to somebody else, would you report it?" Since the answer was "yes," I decided to lift the curtain on the yurt.

People have asked if I am bitter. People have suggested that I sue, or extract some sort of legal revenge. People have suggested that I wave the newly minted legal opinion aloft, and really blister Nameless Person.

If I had not met my precious teachers, I might think that way. If I had not been introduced to the nature of my mind by one who is identical to Padmasambhava himself, I might be tempted. If I let myself become preoccupied with the eight worldly dharmas, there might be some room to roam.

But, so fortunately, I had the greatest teachers of the twentieth century. Oh, so fortunately did they grant me instruction over time, until instruction granted itself spontaneously, in everything I see, everything I hear... effortlessly perfect instruction, always abiding.

This is about all I have to write. If Marpa shows up, he can say what he pleases. If Tilopa comes around, he can do whatever is necessary to tame those beings who need to be tamed. I know many of you will either scratch your heads and say "What?" or toss this aside and say, "Why?" But, if you are patient, the day will come when you will see the gift I have given you. It will emerge in the sky like a garuda flying out of dense fog into primordial clarity.

Well, I hitchhiked into town to send this out, and I guess it is time to head back. The Constitution is not as dusty as it was ten months ago, and I want to go watch the hills. Many, many blessings to you, no matter who you are or what mischief you've been up to. Perfectly purified hatred is the state of mirror-like primordial awareness, so give yourself a chance to do better.